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|Minister of Trade and Industry Trần Tuấn Anh during a phone call with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Trade|
HÀ NỘI — The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is in the middle of gathering and analysing information and has not yet reached any conclusions or made recommendations on the trade relationship between Việt Nam and the US, according to a Ministry of Industry and Trade statement.
The statement was released after a phone conversation between Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer yesterday.
The dialogue was among the latest developments since the US trade office launched a currency probe in October under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the USTR to unilaterally impose retaliatory tariffs in response to what it determines is an unfair foreign trade practice.
Lighthizer said his office acknowledged real policy dialogue and exchanges that have taken place through the US-Vietnam Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. He also said the two sides had been able to make great progress and reach numerous solutions to resolve trade and economic issues within a short time.
Anh urged his counterpart to conduct thorough and fair investigations and to carefully consider potential impacts to ensure a harmonious and mutually beneficial trade relationship between the two countries. He said the Vietnamese Government was willing to co-operate fully with US trade agencies.
The minister reiterated the Government's stance on currency policy, which aims to rein in inflation and stabilise the macroeconomy and not create unfair trade advantages.
Earlier in December last year, American companies urged the USTR to drop an investigation into Việt Nam's currency practices that could lead to tariffs on a wide range of Vietnamese goods, and turn the matter over to the Treasury Department to pursue, Politico reported.
They also warned that tariffs on Việt Nam could hit consumer goods, such as clothing and electronics while encouraging the country to retaliate on American exports ranging from pork to aerospace, power and health equipment. — VNS


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BRICS member Russia confirmed on Sunday that Kremlin is working towards building a new payment system without incorporating the U.S. dollar. Russia aims to build a new payment mechanism to settle cross-border transactions with BRICS and other developing countries bypassing the US dollar. The decision to build a new payment system comes after the U.S. pressed sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine.
If Russia succeeds in building a new payment system asking BRICS and other countries to pay in local currencies, the U.S. dollar will be the hardest hit currency. Read here to know how many sectors in the U.S. will be affected if BRICS ditches the dollar for trade.
BRICS: Russia Confirms Building a New Payment System With No U.S. Dollar Mechanism
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia is advancing towards building a new payment mechanism without the U.S. dollar. He also called the traditional world order dominated by the U.S. dollar system “unreliable, false, and dangerous”.
Also Read: Comparing BRICS GDP vs G7 Countries
“Russia is building a new system of economic connections because the previous system turned out to be unreliable, false, and dangerous. Russia is looking for an opportunity to develop alternatives,” confirmed Peskov to MenaFN.
However, Peskov did not specify the nature of the new payment mechanism and its scalability. He did not provide insights into the new payment system approved by BRICS to challenge the U.S. dollar. Further details about the payment network are kept under wraps and Russia is unwilling to provide insights.
The new payment system idea comes at a time when BRICS is aiming to uproot the U.S. dollar’s supremacy. BRICS members China and Russia are spearheading the de-dollarization campaign convincing other developing countries to settle trade in local currencies. Read here to know how many countries want to ditch the U.S. dollar and settle trade in local currencies.

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Earlier today, Sony Music Japan unveiled the tracklist of A$AP Rocky‘s upcoming Long.Live.A$AP offering. Although it has been already deleted, the list has found its way to the never-ending digital sphere. According to the listing, we can look forward to guest contributions from the likes of ScHoolboy Q, Santigold, Drake, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Ferg, Gunplay, Pharrell, Gucci Mane, Joey Bada$$, Big K.R.I.T., Yelawolf, Danny Brown and more. Please note that this has yet to be officially confirmed but the Japanese retailer has already published the tracklist to G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer earlier this year and it turned out to be the real deal. Long.Live.A$AP drops January 15; see the (likely to be) official tracklist below.
A$AP Rocky – Long.Live.A$AP (Tracklist)
1.Long Live A$AP
3.PMW (All I Really Need) feat. Schoolboy Q
5. Hell feat Santigold feat. 6.Pain OverDoz
7.F ** Kin ‘Problems feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar
8.Wild For The Night
9.1Train feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.
13.Pretty Flaco (Remix) feat. Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame & Pharrell
14.Ghetto Symphony feat Gunplay & A$AP Ferg
16.Like I’m Apart feat. Florence Welch
17.Purple Swag (Remix)


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Business Ethics magazine has published their annual list of the top 100 Corporate Citizens for 2006. This ranking of public companies celebrates companies that excel at serving a variety of stakeholders (note – not shareholders!) well.
Companies are ranked by Community, Corporate Governance, Diversity, Employee Relations, Environment , Human Rights, Product and Total Return.
Apple was ranked # 25 this year which is a better showing than previous years.
Two sustaining members of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility where also on the list. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters took the # 1 slot and our bank – the Chittenden Corporation took #26 right behind Apple.
Other interesting ranks:
Dell – #9
Intel – #10
Starbucks – #17
Adobe – #42
UPS – # 48


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Bitcoin (BTC) preserved $61,000 into the weekend after “aggressive” shopping for on Coinbase sparked multi-day highs.
Coinbase BTC consumers step up
Friday noticed sturdy efficiency after U.S. conventional markets opened, serving to elevate Bitcoin to close its minimal month-to-month shut goal.
As analysts famous, main alternate Coinbase was the venue for heavy accumulation on the day.
Some aggressive BTC shopping for on Coinbase proper now pic.twitter.com/sR1eMuF2ze
— Will Clemente (@WClementeIII) October 29, 2021
Common dealer and analyst Pentoshi in the meantime famous promoting elsewhere, particularly from one whale whose BTC divesting has now hit over 1,000 BTC, every offered on the open market in batches of 20-30 BTC.
“Simply goes to indicate how liquid this market is now,” he summarized.
Each the weekly and month-to-month shut on Sunday might be a supply of curiosity for market contributors, with the latter seeing a possible all-time excessive. BTC/USD may additionally shut its third week in a row above $60,000.
Altcoin market cap passes all-time highs
For a lot of, nonetheless, it was all about altcoins because the weekend started.
Robust efficiency remained elsewhere, with Shiba Inu (SHIB) steadying after its blistering gains all through the week.


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London is set to host a zero waste market, described by the organizers as the first of its kind.
The event, which will take place on September 29 in at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, will be 100 percent vegan.
Called Zero Mkt London, everything on offer will be edible, reusable, recyclable or compostable. Guests will have an array of stalls to explore, ranging from vegan food and drink, eco-lifestyle products, and sustainable clothing items.
The founders of the market, Abigail Penny and James Morgan, said: “[It is a] celebration, where together we can bask in plant-based goodness, explore sustainable products, and begin to live more consciously.
“As consumers, we can choose to have a positive impact on this world. We’re on a journey of discovery ourselves and want to share our experience with others.
“Animal agriculture, non-recyclable plastics, and throwaway fashion each have devastating impacts on our environment, so we hope that by bringing exciting alternatives to our community we can empower and equip others to change their habits and perspectives too!”
Zero Mkt London has partnered with City Harvest who will redistribute surplus food to London’s homeless community.
Any profit will be donated to leading animal protection organisation Animal Equality.
In addition, Zero Mkt London founders recognize that many stallholders will need to travel to the venue, so they will be planting trees as part of a carbon offsetting mission.
You can find out more about the event and buy a tickethere


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Navistar is a leading manufacturer of commercial trucks, buses, defense vehicles, and engines, widely known for its International® Truck and IC Bus® brands.
“Truck drivers get paid, freight haulers get paid if the truck's moving,” said Terry Kline, chief information officer, Navistar. “So if that truck's not moving, nobody's making money and someone's not getting the package they expect. As a result, our focus is on uptime, and our goal is zero downtime related to unplanned maintenance.”
Typically, vehicle manufacturers schedule vehicle maintenance based on miles traveled or time since last appointment. But these are very rudimentary and only two of thousands of data points that can signal the need for maintenance. Unscheduled maintenance and vehicle breakdowns account for a large share of total costs for vehicle owners.
To help fleet and vehicle owners move from a reactive approach to a more predictive model, Navistar needed to analyze a wider range of data in real time, including vehicle sensor data. However, its traditional data warehouses couldn’t support the growing volume of fast-moving, high-volume telematics data. “As we collected more data, the analytic process slowed to a near halt on our legacy systems,” said Ashish Bayas, chief technology officer, Navistar.
Navistar built an IoT-enabled remote diagnostics platform, called OnCommand® Connection, on Cloudera Enterprise with SDX. The platform brings in over 70 telematics and sensor data feeds from more than 375,000 connected vehicles—including engine performance, truck speed, acceleration, coolant temperature, and brake wear. This data is then correlated with other Navistar and third party data sources, including meteorological, geolocation, vehicle usage, traffic, historical warranty, and parts inventory information. The platform currently stores over 60 terabytes (TB) of data and uses machine learning and advanced analytics to automatically detect engine problems early and predict maintenance requirements.
Fleet and vehicle owners can now monitor truck health and performance from smartphones or tablets, prioritize needed repairs, and quickly identify the nearest dealer service locations that have the relevant parts in stock, available technicians, and available service bays.
Navistar first built a prototype in September 2014. The company put the platform into production just six months later, and today is expanding its analytic services. “We continue to innovate using the Cloudera platform to gain valuable insights from growing sources of information and offer new applications against the data for different users,” said Kline.
With Cloudera SDX, Navistar has unified controls for its data catalog, security and governance across its many analytic workloads. As a result, IT staff can set policies once across all its analytic workloads, making it faster to deploy new applications, easier to maintain compliance with its data agreements, and more secure.
“We have a number of different applications running after our data every day, and Cloudera SDX is key to making that happen at Navistar,” said Kline. “SDX is foundational in how we track, govern, and protect our data.”
With OnCommand Connection, Navistar has helped fleet and vehicle owners reduce maintenance costs by more than 30 percent. One Navistar customer reduced the maintenance cost-per-mile for its vehicles, which previously was 12 to 15 cents, to less than three cents.
Early detection also minimizes downtime and towing costs. In addition, when downtime occurs, vehicle owners typically lose up to US$1,000 in revenue per vehicle daily. With over 375,000 vehicles across 2,300 customers, the total impact can be significant.
Navistar also uses the platform to help school buses run safely and on time. One school district with 110 buses that travel 1.5 million miles annually reduced the number of tows needed year over year, thanks to the predictive insights.
“The results are overwhelmingly positive,” said Troy Clarke, CEO, Navistar. “Using real-time big data to frame business decisions and deploy proactive maintenance has opened new revenue streams and delivered additional customer value.”


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Hewlett-Packard's fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell 62 percent Thursday after the computer and printer company took a $1.1 billion adjustment for restructuring-related...
Hewlett-Packard’s fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell 62 percent Thursday after the computer and printer company took a $1.1 billion adjustment for restructuring-related costs and other expenses.
For the period ending Oct. 31, Hewlett-Packard (HP) earned $416 million, or 14 cents per share, compared with a profit of $1.091 billion, or 37 cents per share, in the same period last year. Sales increased 7 percent, to $22.9 billion from $21.4 billion.
Excluding special items, HP earned $1.5 billion, or 51 cents per share, compared with $1.2 billion, or 41 cents per share, in the same period last year.
On that basis, the results soared past Wall Street expectations. Analysts were expecting the company to earn 46 cents on sales of $22.78 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.
Shares of HP, one of the 30 Dow stocks, soared $1.67 on news of the results. Earlier, shares rose 73 cents to close at $29.Walt Disney Co.
Consumer products, DVD sales on pause
Net income at media conglomerate The Walt Disney Co. dropped 26 percent in the fourth quarter after several charges, including the expensing of stock options.
Disney said Thursday that profit increased at its media networks division, which includes the ABC network and ESPN cable channel, as well as at its theme parks. But profit fell at Disney’s studio, which sold fewer DVDs worldwide, and its consumer-products division.
The company reported net income of $379 million in the quarter ended Oct. 1, or 19 cents per share, compared to $516 million, or 25 cents per share in the same period last year. The results beat estimates from analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial, who had expected earnings of 18 cents per share.
The company released its earnings after the close of trading. Shares of Disney, a Dow component, fell 60 cents in after-hours trading after rising 14 cents to $25.99 during the regular session.Gap
Wrinkle in outlook leaves stock sagging
Gap’s third-quarter profit plunged 20 percent as the clothing retailer stumbled through its worst sales slump in more than three years.
Compounding the misery, the owner of the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic chains warned its woes are likely to continue during the crucial holiday shopping season — a dreary outlook that caused its stock to drop by nearly 10 percent.
The company said Thursday that it earned $212 million, or 24 cents per share, for the three months ending Oct. 29. That compared with $265 million, or 28 cents per share, at the same time last year.
The earnings matched the mean estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Analysts lowered their expectations earlier this month after Gap provided an early warning about its struggles. Sales for the period totaled $3.86 billion, a 3 percent decline from $3.98 billion last year.
In a more telling sign of a merchant’s health, Gap’s sales at stores open for at least a year fell 7 percent. That represented the largest three-month decline in Gap’s comparable-store sales since the second quarter of 2002 — the tail end of the deepest funk of its 36-year history.
The company’s performance improved following a management shake-up that ushered in former Walt Disney executive Paul Pressler to rejuvenate one of the nation’s best-known retailers.
The company released its results and revised guidance after the market closed Thursday. During regular trading, the company’s shares climbed 35 cents to close at $18.51. In extended trading, its shares plunged $1.76, or 9.5 percent. Gap’s market value has dropped 12 percent this year.
Compiled from The Associated Press


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Microsoft and Nvidia today have unveiled a new natural language model they claim to be larger and more powerful than..
Tag Archives: NLU
Voice technology developer Spokestack has launched a simplified version of its custom mobile app voice interfaces that can be rapidly..
Google is beta-testing a new version of its Dialogflow natural language understanding (NLU) platform. The new Dialogflow Customer Experience (CX)..
Spokestack Launches “Voice First Mobile” Model to Make Mobile Voice Apps Perform Like Smart Speaker Skills
Voice technology platform Spokestack has debuted a way to make voice-enabled mobile apps perform like voice apps on smart speakers...
Today, Amazon India launched the Cleo skill for Alexa in India. Cleo’s goal is to learn new languages and dialects..
Many people were frustrated when Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant weren’t immediately available in the UK, Australia and India after..


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I help develop stories that break through the clutter of today's media environment, distinguish campaigns and brands from the competition, and stick with the intended audience across adapted media.
Tallinn, Estonia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 7, 2022) - The Digital Gaming Experience event was held in Cape Town on March 26th. The event focused on themes surrounding eSports, blockchain gaming, NFTs and the Metaverse.
5G mobile technology promises to unlock real-time analytics, cloud-based AI and IoT applications for enterprises, but African service providers are just starting to deploy the wireless mobile technology.
Interview with IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Technology Officer, IBM Blockchain Services for Middle East & Africa, Anthony Butler.
Satellite communication services fuel broadband, IoT applications in underserved areas.
Over the past few years, gold has proved to be a safe haven commodity for investors. However, the recent pandemic seems to be a positive turning point for its fierce competitor bitcoin. the reputation of the digital asset as a safe commodity waxed stronger during the economic meltdown and the value and adoption have been on the rise since then.
The noticeable increase in adoption and use of cryptocurrencies in South Africa and worldwide can largely be attributed to the availability of digital asset exchanges. They play a pivotal role in spurring the growth of bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Kate Krukiel, GM of UN Digital Solutions Centre and managing director of Sera Afrika, says emerging tech can address business and societal challenges. In this Q&A, Kate shares her insights on applications of key emerging technologies including AI, robotic process automation (RPA), and blockchain – technologies expected to drive what has been called the "fourth industrial revolution" (4IR), a tech-fueled, fundamental transformation in industrial processes and a jump in productivity.
How to protect your digital assets from cybercriminals.
In this Q&A, Heath Muchena talks to IhorFeoktistov, the CTO & co-founder of Relevant Software which operates across Europe & USA offering services ranging from software developments, cyber security, artificial intelligence & machine learning to DevOps. Feoktistov shares his wealth of experience from his software engineering advisor background and explores issues around Cloud, cyber security, and how to lead agile teams.
The digital asset landscape has been evolving over the past decade since blockchain technology made it possible to exchange value digitally.
Technological breakthroughs such as blockchains and distributed ledger technologies are digital infrastructures that enable innovation.
The launch earlier this month of an Amazon Web Services (AWS) region in Cape Town ratchets up the competition among the hyperscale cloud providers in Africa, providing enterprise tech leaders with more services to choose from and different pricing options.
The presence of AWS also helps ensure that rival vendors that have not yet opened their own facilities will rush to do so, for fear of missing out on a growing market, thus providing businesses with even more choice.
It is becoming more apparent that crypto markets will grow exponentially and not only in financially sophisticated markets with secure internet connection, high mobile penetration rates and a highly skilled labour force but even more so in developing countries where the use of cryptocurrencies for remittances, e-commerce and payments is more out of necessity than choice.


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MacOS Catalina's much-anticipated iCloud Drive folder sharing feature has been delayed until spring, according to Apple's website. The feature will allow users to share folders with a private link so anyone with access can see the contents in iCloud Drive, as well as add new files.
While iCloud Drive folder sharing appeared in early beta versions of iOS 13, it was pulled before the official release of the OS due to problems during testing, MacRumors reported on Tuesday. It didn't make it into the Monday release of MacOS Catalina, either.
The feature is one of many improvements Apple has made to iCloud Drive in recent years, though it would not fully replace Dropbox or Google Drive, CNET's Jason Hiner noted in his review of MacOS Catalina.
Apple didn't immediately return a request for comment.


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Fantastic Fest took place in Austin, TX this past weekend, and as part of the festivities there, organizers set up a Fantastic Arcade, to show off some of the latest and greatest indie games to hit the scene. There were a few good iPhone and iPad games out there, and in fact one of them took...
This past weekend at IndieCade 2010 in Los Angeles, I bumped into our old buddy Steph Thirion. He's the creator of the great Eliss iPhone app and a title that he's still working on called Faraway, which despite still being in development, was actually chosen as an IndieCade finalist this year. He...
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Facebook Raises Anticipated Stock Price
Originally published on Tue May 15, 2012 9:51 am
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NPR's business news starts with a price hike for Facebook shares.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
INSKEEP: OK, they're not even on sale yet, but investor excitement over Facebook's upcoming initial public offering has prompted the company to raise the price range for its shares. Sources say the new range will be from $34 to $38 per share. That's up from a previous range of $28 to $35.
The price boost could now push Facebook's value to over $100 billion once it goes public. While there is much frenzy surrounding the social network's upcoming IPO, some analysts say the company is overvalued, especially given its first-quarter decline in profits and revenue. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Gov. Ricketts Begins Japan Trade Mission, Promotes Nebraska Ag Products in Tokyo
This week, Governor Pete Ricketts is leading a trade mission to Japan to promote Nebraska’s quality ag products and to pitch Nebraska as a top destination for international investment.
The Governor and trade delegation will meet with government officials, promote Nebraska beef, pork, ethanol, and other ag products, and encourage Japanese businesses to invest in Nebraska. Delegates on the mission include representatives from ag businesses, state commodity organizations, the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the Department of Agriculture (NDA), and the Department of Economic Development (DED)...
U.S. Red Meat Industry Commemorates 45 Years in Japan
Leaders representing the U.S. red meat industry recently traveled to Tokyo to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the inaugural U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) office, which opened in Tokyo in 1977. Japan has consistently been a top customer and is the leading international market for U.S. red meat, purchasing nearly $4.1 billion in 2021. Through July 2022, U.S. red meat exports to Japan reached $2.4 billion.
The U.S.-Japan trade partnership is highly valued by those in the U.S. pork, beef and lamb industries. While in Tokyo for meetings...
NCBA Welcomes Announcement on Japan – U.S. Trade Agreement
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomes the announcement that the United States and Japan have reached an agreement in principle on the Japanese beef safeguard. As part of the terms of the Japan – U.S. Trade Agreement, both countries entered consultations after the volume-based safeguard was triggered in March 2021. NCBA strongly supported efforts to secure improvements to the beef safeguard that are mutually beneficial for Japanese consumers and American cattle producers.
“While the details of the agreement in principle have not been disclosed, NCBA is encouraged that today’s announcement means we..."
United States and Japan Reach an Agreement to Increase Beef Safeguard Trigger Level
United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced that the United States and Japan have reached an agreement to increase the beef safeguard trigger level under the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement. The new three-trigger safeguard mechanism will allow U.S. exporters to meet Japan’s growing demand for high-quality beef and reduce the probability that Japan will impose higher tariffs in the future.
“This agreement is a great win for our two countries that ensures American farmers and ranchers...,”
USMEF Statement on Adjustments to Japan’s Beef Safeguard
Today the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced changes to the safeguard on Japan’s imports of U.S. beef. More details are available in this joint press release.
U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom issued this statement:
“USMEF greatly appreciates the efforts of USTR and USDA to adjust Japan’s safeguard on U.S. beef. The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement was a tremendous breakthrough for the U.S. meat industry, including the significant reduction in Japan’s tariffs on U.S. beef, but the playing field has..."
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The electronics sector – dominated by makers of phone handsets, of which Noida is a hub with the likes of Samsung having their factories here – has seen the best recovery with around 90% workers joining back.
While the real estate sector continues to struggle with around 40% of their manpower reporting to work, the small and micro enterprises (SMEs) are the worst affected with just 14% workforce returning. YK Gupta, a human resource consultant, said that of the major industries in Noida, telecom and electronics sectors have seen the least attrition. “Apart from the 10-15% employees who did not return or were not hired back, the industry is working with a full workforce,” he said.
The packaging and automobile sectors have also witnessed 75% and 70% workers returning, respectively. Besides, the textile industry has seen around 50% workers joining back.
The Indian Industries Association (IIA) said that the return of workers has helped industrial units, particularly in the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida, kickstart their operations after the announcement of Unlock.
Rajiv Bansal, secretary of IIA, said that according to estimates, Noida and Greater Noida together provided employment to nearly 15 lakh migrant workers and the figure now stands at about five lakh.
“Factories in various industrial sectors of Gautam Budh Nagar are currently working with about 60% to 70% staff and it will take another three to four months to return to the pre-Covid workforce. We had promised 5.5 lakh jobs for the returning workers in UP, including three lakh in GB Nagar alone. The list was distributed among our members, and about one lakh workers have so far been hired by industrial units,” he said, adding that staffers who are working in the 9,000 SMEs in the district are mostly those who were previously employed and have now returned.
While the state made all efforts to woo the migrant workers, sectors that require skilled labourers suffered. Even though Credai offered one lakh jobs in the construction sector, skilled labourers, who are mostly needed in textile and other related industries, chose to stay away from Noida. “We have been able to enrol one lakh construction workers so far, but skilled labourers have mostly returned to their former employers in Maharashtra,” RK Arora, president of Naredco-UP, told TOI.
Elaborating on downsizing of some businesses and shutting down of many others, Pawan Kumar, north zone chief of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh, said that a large number of workers did return to the cities but found no jobs. “After the lockdown, several restaurants and small units shut shops. The workers returned but were either sacked or found the units closed. So this gap of around 7-10 lakh jobs in Noida and Greater Noida shows the true picture,” Gupta said, adding that small industries are dependent on micro enterprises, so when businesses slow down, it has a ripple effect.
In some sectors, however, special packages and bonuses have attracted back the employees. For instance, Noida’s Special Economic Zone (NSEZ), which is an enclosed factory area, has been able to return to its full staff strength. “SEZ factories have gone back to full capacity as the employees were provided benefits such as health check-ups and pick-up and drop facilities, among others,” explained Ajay Goel, president of NSEZ association.
Meanwhile, after the state was recently ranked No. 2 nationally on the ‘ease of doing business’ index, industry experts are hopeful that more sectors will pick up pace. Kulmani Gupta, president of IIA-Noida, said, “Since the state is already now in a conducive position for doing business, we request the government to waive some electricity costs to tide over the situation.”


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Disneyland Paris just announced their Halloween plans for 2021 and it includes a 38-day Halloween celebration, including a special event on Halloween night! … Throughout the festival, guests will be able to enjoy Halloween decorations throughout the parks, appearances of Disney Villains, and photos with characters!
Herein, can adults wear costumes to Disneyland 2021?
All event attendees — including adults — may dress in their favorite Halloween costume and must follow these and other guidelines: Costumes should be child-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive or violent. Guests may wear masks. However, masks must not obstruct vision and eyes must be visible at all times.
Additionally, does Paris France celebrate Halloween?
Each year, the magic of Halloween is a little more widespread in the streets of Paris … And on this occasion, there is plenty to do as a family. Those who love a good scare are also invited to discover unexpected experiences – goosebumps guaranteed!
How long does Disneyland keep Halloween decorations up?
The official run of Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort is September 3rd through October 31st. But first, check out these fun ways to prep for the season and make spooky, magical memories anywhere! DIY Mickey Mouse Pumpkin decor.
The holiday festivities will run this year from November 12, 2021 through January 9, 2022. These two months are filled with Christmas decorations, celebrations, parades, festive ride overlays and delicious seasonal treats. A wide variety of delicious Christmas treats are available this year at the Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland Paris celebrates Halloween, Christmas, and many other seasonal events. During these periods, there are beautiful lights and decorations and unique shows that always attract bigger crowds. Therefore, the price of the tickets during the Disneyland Paris events is usually higher too.
So if you decide to go ( if you can get transport and accommodation) yes it will be very busy, but also hopefully a brilliant atmosphere.
Disneyland® Paris is open every day of the year.
The European Disneyland Park will decorated in orange and black, with Halloween decorations, eerie music, fog and more transforming the atmosphere of the park. Rides and attractions will be open until 2 a.m., and Disney characters will be out in the best spooky costumes.
In general, January and March are the best months to visit Disneyland Paris in 2021 if you want to avoid crowds. However, crowds are not as big of a worry as other aspects of your visit, such as available attractions. Having said that, September is also particularly light.
Disney has announced that Halloween Time at Disneyland and California Adventure will return with frightfully fun experiences from September 3, 2021 through October 31, 2021. … As always, Main Street USA is the heart of Halloween at Disneyland.


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Parcel volumes grew by as much as 50 per cent over the past year in some countries as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted people to shop online for everyday staples. Arun Pradeep, Business Head of Travel, Transportation and Hospitality, Europe for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), discusses how the industry has adapted to these changes and how it’s harnessing technology for the future.
2020 has been an exceptional year; what now for the post and logistics industry?
At the onset of the pandemic, businesses were quick to focus on staff safety, reliable delivery and customer satisfaction. Now their focus is on keeping up with the new normal that the pandemic has brought about, such as the huge rise in online shopping.
Most operators already had digitalisation plans in place, but there is a new urgency to implement their plans faster. I think that investments are likely to focus on informed decision-making, intelligent automation and the creation of new business models.
What does the industry’s digital transformation roadmap look like, and how is TCS helping its customers?
The opportunity lies in relooking at the end-to-end customer journey − digital channels are going to be the most prominent means of reaching customers. We recently reimagined all digital channels of a postal organisation accounting for diverse customer personas across the country, and the results have been phenomenal.
We are now partnering with them to achieve their vision to be a digital leader. Working with an industry that is on the cusp of transformation is hugely exciting.
Can you give us some examples of your work transforming this industry?
At a broad level we are helping in five main areas: customer experience, intelligent operations, becoming an ecosystem player, creating new business models and sustainability, which is at core of every business today.
We are helping our customers reimagine the physical touch points to achieve digital customer experience; for one of our logistics customers, we are making operations intelligent and sustainable by leveraging technology for optimised last-mile delivery. Warehousing is another area where we are working closely with our customers to help them unlock synergies from the ecosystem.
What key innovations do you think will help propel the post/logistics industry forward?
First, no-touch sorting and efficient last-mile distribution. I believe that reimagining sorting using autonomous robots, as well as reimagining automation across software − and the way man and machine can interact − will have a tremendous impact on this industry. Secondly, creating a delivery ecosystem will also be a key differentiator.
A customer may order three parcels in one day and consolidating that delivery will be a huge benefit. And it is possible through a digitally transformed ecosystem that includes retailer, manufacturer and geographies. Lastly, this industry never really had to think about who ‘owned’ the customer; they were paid by other companies to ship goods.
But now, if a customer buys Gucci via Amazon, pays by Klarna and gets it delivered by PostNord, who owns the customer? The answer is the one with the right technology − cloud-first, service-oriented architecture and equipped with the right insights and advanced data-driven decisions.
What are the core principles that TCS follows for a successful relationship?
How to help our customers succeed in their mission is our key focus every day. We stand with customers during difficult times and use our contextual knowledge to do what is best for them. The partnerships we create are deep, and the understanding runs even deeper. It is one team whose only objective is to meet and exceed the business requirements.
How will the industry balance increasing demand with sustainability?
Sustainability is now an integral part of the operations of a business. We are working with customers where we are also committing to their sustainability goals and I believe this is a phenomenal way to bring the forces together to do something right.
While there are many initiatives − like green logistics, a circular economy − that companies embark upon, we are seeing a conscious effort by all our clients to put sustainability at the heart of their operations. Only a strongly data-driven organisation is going to win the first step in the game to make operations sustainable.
What now for PostNord?
Amazon entered Sweden in October 2020, a market where there are already many niche delivery players. How can IT innovation help PostNord in its journey to become a sustainable logistics business? TCS is working with this nearly 400-year-old company to incubate innovation in the organisation. If we can help PostNord meet the ambition of “making everyday life easier” and thereby making it the “favourite carrier of the Nordics”, we would get a great sense of satisfaction.


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So it’s official, Huawei is finally selling their budget smartphone unit for 15 Billions USD to the Digital China Group, and the local government of the brand’s home town, Shenzhen. And Honor users, this might be a bad news for you all.
We all know how the US placed sanctions on Huawei, due to which they faced various difficulties and were forced to start working with their own HarmonyOS. Now, the Digital China Group and the local government seem to rescue out the company for the troubling times, by buying their budget brand unit, which was only putting a strain on their already short budget and chip supply.
While there isn’t an official statement, but Huawei is planning to transfer all the departments, which includes the one responsible for the software used in the devices as well. And we all know how well the Chinese reputation is for developing “secure” software, at least Google steals our data openly.
There are going to be major loans for completing the transaction, which are again from banks backed by the Chinese government, making Huawei look all the more suspicious.
So what do you think about the changes is Honor ownership? DO you even have an Honor device? Let us know in the comments below!


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Experts from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 have uncovered a new tricky scheme called NodeStealer 2.0, which is targeting Facebook business accounts. The way this works is that the scam tempts people with things that sound useful for businesses, like templates for spreadsheets. But in reality, these scammers are taking full control of the accounts. This is a worrying trend because these bad guys have been more and more interested in Facebook business accounts since around July 2022.
In May 2023, a company called Meta shared a report about NodeStealer, a type of sneaky software that steals important information. It was first made in July 2022 and has been causing problems since then. The report talked about how NodeStealer does bad things, which were noticed in January 2023. In December 2022, a new version of NodeStealer showed up in a campaign. This time, it came with two different types that were made using a computer language called Python. These new versions could do more harmful things, like stealing digital money, downloading stuff from the internet, and completely taking control of Facebook business accounts.
The way this new NodeStealer 2.0 scam works is like this: they send fake messages that look like business ads. These messages trick people into clicking on links that seem to come from places where we store files online. But these links secretly make a ZIP file appear on the computer. Inside this file is a sneaky program that steals important information.
Vicky Ray, Director at Unit 42 Cyber Consulting & Threat Intelligence, Asia Pacific & Japan at Palo Alto Networks, emphasized the widespread use of Facebook. “Until 2022, Facebook remains the most popular social networking site, with over 3 million users, comprising 76.4% of the country’s population,” noted Ray. This means many people in Singapore are at risk from NodeStealer. This tricky software can cause problems for individuals and organizations. Apart from creating trouble for Facebook business accounts, it can also steal passwords from web browsers. These stolen passwords can be used to do more bad things. So, it’s really important for all groups to check their safety rules and follow the hints in the report to tackle this problem.
If you have a Facebook business account, it’s smart to use a strong and hard-to-guess password. Also, think about turning on something called “multifactor authentication” for extra security. And it’s a good idea to teach your team about these tricky online tricks, especially the ones that look like they’re about things happening right now or things your business needs. Stay safe online!


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Intel Is The Latest Western Tech Firm to Suspend Business in Russia
For a month, Intel stopped shipping to customers in Russia and Belarus. Intel has now stopped all of its business in Russia as well. Chipmaker Intel said on Tuesday that it has stopped doing business in Russia, joining a number of other companies that have done the same thing after Russia invaded Ukraine and took over the country.
The company, which had stopped shipping to customers in Russia and Belarus last month, says it has taken steps to keep its global operations running smoothly.
Related: Instagram restricted hashtags related to civilian deaths in northern Ukraine
“Intel continues to join the global community in condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and calling for a quick return to peace,” the company said in a statement, adding that it will support its 1,200 employees in Russia and “take steps to keep our global operations running as smoothly as possible.” Continues to speak out against Russia’s war against Ukraine and call for a quick return to peace, Intel said.
Besides Apple, other tech companies that have taken action in Russia include AMD and Adobe, as well as General Electric. Spotify, CNN, ABC and the BBC have all stopped service in Russia because of a new law that significantly limits free speech.
When Ukraine asked U.S. cloud-computing and software companies to stop working with Russia, they stopped shipments from Intel and International Business Machines. Intel has now released its Blockscale ASIC, which makes bitcoin mining more energy efficient.
There are a lot of servers made by IBM, Dell Technologies, and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise in Russia, where businesses and government agencies have used technology made in the West as the foundation for their own IT systems.
For more details, stay connected with us!!


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The old adage, "As goes GM, so goes the nation," can apply to Wells Fargo, which released earnings Friday, Raymond James analyst Anthony Polini tells CNBC.» Read More
Former AIG CEO Hank Greenberg should be able to depose US Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke over the terms of AIG's bailout, a federal judge ruled on Monday.
Wal-Mart is threatening to scrap expansion plans in the nation's capital because of a local law that would compel big box retailers to pay workers at least $12.50 an hour.
Contracts to purchase previously owned US homes fell in June, retreating from a more than six-year high touched the prior month.
The Federal Reserve's taper talk may have rattled the financial markets but it has had one notable beneficiary: Mergers and acquisitions.
Carl Icahn urged Dell special committee to not change voting rules in a way that would make it easier for a CEO-led group to take the personal computer maker private.
PPG Industries will sell its majority stake in lens supplier Transitions Optical to Essilor International for about $1.73 billion in cash.
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal warned that the Gulf Arab kingdom needed to reduce its reliance on crude oil and diversify its revenues.
Saks agreed to sell itself to Hudson's Bay Co., the Canadian parent of Lord & Taylor, for about $2.4 billion in a deal that will bring luxury to more North American locales.
One look at the BMW i3 and you'll know this is not your typical BMW.
Amazon.com said it is adding 7,000 jobs in 13 states, beefing up staff at the warehouses where it fills orders, and in its customer service division.
Congress is poised to increase the economic pressure on Iran and its nuclear program in a vote expected to take place late next week.
Steven A. Cohen did not let the filing of criminal charges against his SAC Capital Advisors get in the way of a party this weekend at his vacation estate.
Heading into another budget battle, more Americans say they have been negatively affected by the sequester budget cuts, an exclusive poll found.
The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. rose for the first time in 10 weeks, as retailers passed on higher wholesale costs to consumers, according to a survey.
If Larry Summers is appointed as the next head of the Fed, markets that have been expecting the dovish Janet Yellen to be the next central bank chief could be jolted.
The multi-billion dollar merger between advertising giants Publicis and Omnicom will create the world's largest ad agency but their competitors brushed off concerns about a more powerful rival on Monday.
U.S. generic drugmaker Perrigo agreed to buy fellow drug company Elan for $8.6 billion on Monday in a deal that will hand it royalty rights from a blockbuster treatment and tax savings from being domiciled in Ireland.
Would you pay to use micro-blogging site Twitter? If yes, how much would you pay per month?
Stocks bounced back from their lows Friday, with the Dow squeezing out its fifth-consecutive weekly rally, as investors digested the latest batch of mixed earnings and ahead of a busy economic calendar next week.
There is a shift toward the West Coast this year at the top of the America's Top Colleges list compiled by Forbes magazine. What's unchanged is the hefty price.
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The fast-food chain said it's replacing its Cantina platform with items packed with protein and fewer calories. USA Today reports.
This 1924 Tudor estate was built as a convent, until it was converted into a residence in 1988.
Nothing spells eternity like a McD's balloon wedding gown or a crystal McD's house wedding gift for some couples in Hong Kong.
People were still buying shares of CYNK Technologies on Thursday despite criticism of the company. CNBC's Scott Cohn reports on one site that was promoting the stock recently.
Eli, Pariser, Upworthy CEO, explains how he has turned Internet clicks into dollars. He says the website has 8.5 million core subscribers who get Upworthy every day.
CNBC's Rick Santelli reports Canada's unemployment report was weaker than expected.


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For a number of weeks now, the creators of Super Meat Boy have been informing everyone of certain aspects of their next game, Mew-Genics.
This week, the update on the Team Meat Blog was short, concise and to the point.
“Mew-genics isnt exclusive to iOS and will release on multiple platforms”
Team Meat have been saying that their game would be available on multiple platforms, and we now know one of them. The image that accompanies the post on their blog is of an iPad, but there’s no info on other platforms, just yet.
All of the information that’s dropped in the last two months has people itching to find out what exactly Mew-Genics entails. Here’s hoping for a more detailed break down on the game about cats, soon.


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The HQ trivia app has seen a rapid rise in popularity, achieving a cult-like following in a matter of months. The iOS game app engages users by offering cash prizes to players who prove their trivia savvy in a live virtual game show environment at 9:00 p.m. daily (in addition to a 3:00 p.m. round of trivia on weekdays). As with every app that earns mainstream popularity, countless developers are curious precisely what has made the HQ trivia app so incredibly successful.
Apple is in the midst of a first-of-its-kind firestorm surrounding its iconic iPhones, following the company’s recent decision to intentionally “slow down” earlier iPhone models with older batteries. The move came on the heels of the latest iOS update. But iPhone users were so enraged that they filed a class action lawsuit against the tech giant. This leaves many wondering, why did Apple slow down older iPhones?
You’ve been involved in mobile app-related discussions for a few months and finally, it’s time to proceed towards development! But before you can go before the company’s leaders with a formal proposal and price estimate, you’re tasked with making an important decision: should you develop a native or a hybrid app?
Mobile apps are no longer the exclusive domain of the most mainstream brands and the largest multinational corporations. Some predict that by the end of 2017, as many as half of all small businesses will have an app. For many, this translates into a consumer-facing B2C app, while for other companies, this will lead to the creation of a B2B or enterprise application.
Clash of Clans developer Supercell had a simple answer when asked to expand its offerings to include a desktop version of its most profitable mobile app.
They said, “No.”
It’s estimated that around 65% of mobile apps use advertisements as part of their monetization strategy. While B2B and enterprise apps have clear value as useful business tools and assets, the financial benefit of a public-facing B2C app is often less apparent. This leaves many companies wanting to learn more about app monetization, which, when done properly, is quite profitable.
Now that the excitement of your company’s mobile app launch has worn off, you’ve started focusing on install stats. Feeling underwhelmed by the results, you queried some key search phrases and discovered your app isn’t showing prominently for those terms. Now you’re wondering, “Did I pick the wrong app name?”
Technology evolves rapidly, making it challenging to prepare for the future. But wearables are one area where you can plan ahead, as this technology is gaining momentum in new and exciting ways.
A manufacturing plant is, by nature, chaotic. The constant hum of machinery combines with dozens of technicians, quality control inspectors and thousands or even millions of items rolling off the assembly line. Manufacturing facilities require a high degree of precision if they’re going to maximize efficiency, and in today’s modern world, technology is key to achieving that precision. According to a Forbes article, eight in ten CEOs regard mobile technology as a “strategically important” element in their operations, with 86 percent categorizing mobile apps as a “competitive advantage” that’s “key to the success of their investments.”
It’s among the most common wishes: the ability to predict the future. You’re probably one of the millions to think, “If only I’d invested in stock in 1984 when Apple first became a publicly-traded company!” The power of prediction is something we’ve been dreaming about and attempting throughout history, as evidenced by Nostradamus’ eerily prophetic quatrains in the 1500s.


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· Offers UPI in ‘Pockets’ for use by anyone including non-ICICI Bank customers
· Also available on ‘iMobile’ for its mobile banking customers
· One can instantly transfer funds to anyone round-the-clock on all days
Mumbai: ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, today announced the launch of ‘Unified Payments Interface’ (UPI) on two of its customer facing mobile banking applications – ‘Pockets’ and ‘iMobile’. UPI enables bank account holders (of banks participating in UPI) to send and receive money using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) without entering additional bank account details. UPI is available on ‘iMobile’, the bank’s mobile banking application for its customers and on ‘Pockets’, its digital bank for peer-to-peer and e-commerce payments by users including non-ICICI Bank customers. It is the simplest mode of making payments that aims to provide users with the convenience of completing transactions in lesser steps than earlier, thereby reducing the transaction time.Anyone, including non-ICICI Bank customers can access UPI by creating their VPA on ‘Pockets’.
Ms. Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank said, “UPI is a path-breaking concept which will enable convenient person-to-person and merchant payments using mobile phones. I believe that it will revolutionise the landscape of electronic payments in India and go a long way in reducing the usage of cash in the economy. It is the first time in the world that a project of such a scale is being introduced to customers. ICICI Bank is delighted to have partnered with NPCI to introduce UPI. We are the largest player on the IMPS and NUUP platforms and have also played a key role in conceptualising this new initiative along with NPCI. We have already received encouraging responses from users including non-ICICI Bank customers on creating their VPA using ‘Pockets’.
For using UPI, both ‘Pockets’ and ‘iMobile’ users need to create their own Virtual Payment Address (VPA; ‘xyz@pockets’ & ‘xyz@icici’ respectively ) on one of ICICI Bank’s mobile application. This will link the VPA to the customer’s bank account. The VPA acts as their financial address without having to reveal the 16 digit bank account number and the 11 digit IFSC code. Once registered for VPA, users can send & receive payments instantly from any bank account using their mobile phone instantly in a safe and secure way. They will also be able to make payments to merchants from their mobile phones where UPI is accepted as a payment mode. Users can make payments using UPI 24x7 on all days including bank holidays upto a maximum of Rs 1 lakh. Users on ‘Pockets’ can link their bank accounts with other banks (who are also on UPI) and make payments from that account as well using their VPA on ‘Pockets’.
The upgraded ‘Pockets’ & ‘iMobile’ application comprising the UPI system is available on the Google Play Store for smartphones with Android operating systems. It will soon be available on the iOS operating system as well. To know more on UPI enabled payments visit http://www.icicibank.
ICICI Bank is the most comprehensive player in the Indian mobile banking industry. It is the numero uno bank in FY’16 with close to Rs one trillion worth of transactions in mobile banking. It was the first bank to launch a mobile banking application in India, iMobile in 2008. The application today offers over 165 services, the most in the Indian mobile banking industry. It includes an array of industry first features including the recently launched ‘iMobile SmartKeys’ – Asia’s first payment service using a smartphone keyboard, advance tax for individuals, Positive Pay for cheque protection, rail-ticket booking from within the app on IRCTC as well purchase of mutual funds, travel & motor insurance
ICICI Bank’s mobile banking foray extends to ‘Pockets’, India's first digital bank on mobile. This comprehensive application allows anyone, even those who are not customers of ICICI Bank to instantly download, fund the wallet from any bank account and use it. 'In a short span of time, 'Pockets' has over four million downloads; over 75% of these users are new to the Bank. ICICI Bank recently unveiled ‘Touch & Pay’ on ‘Pockets’, the country’s first contactless mobile payment solution. It leverages the Host Card Emulation (HCE) technology to create ‘virtual’ cards for ‘physical’ credit or debit cards of the Bank, thus enabling customers to make electronic payments in-stores from NFC enabled smartphones by just waving his/her phone near a contactless merchant terminal.
ICICI Bank services its large customer base through a multi-channel delivery network of 4,451 branches, 14,073 ATMs, call center, internet banking (www.icicibank.com), mobile banking, banking on Facebook & Twitter and ‘Pockets by ICICIBank’ the country’s first digital wallet. (Figures as on June 30, 2016)
For latest information on the Bank, visit www.icicibank.com and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ICICIBank
About ICICI Bank Ltd: ICICI Bank Ltd (NYSE:IBN) is India’s largest private sector bank with consolidated total assets of US $ 138.67 billion at March 31, 2016. ICICI Bank's subsidiaries include India's leading private sector insurance companies, securities brokerage firms, mutual funds and private equity firms. Its presence currently spans 17 countries, including India.


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Here's why the Arab world needs a startup exchange program
Ten accelerators from around the world have announced the launch of a travel abroad program called Startup Exchanges. During one month, 50 startups from those 10 accelerators will benefit from free office space at another participating Startup Exchange accelerator and receive introductions to key players in their destination ecosystem.
The participating accelerators are:
- Chinaccelerator (Shanghai)
- Startupbootcamp (Berlin)
- Level39 (London)
- 50 Partners (Paris)
- FounderFuel (Montreal)
- Elevator (Tel Aviv)
- Execution Labs (Montreal)
- Launch Academy (Vancouver)
- Hubbog (Bogota)
- Startup Chile (Santiago)
This initiative is yet more proof that entrepreneurs from around the world are looking to explore new markets, and to decentralize tech entrepreneurship so that everyone, regardless of their country of origin, can launch their startup, increasing the odds of finding a real gem.
A growing curiosity in North America and Europe
2013 was marked in Europe and North America by the realization that not only do developing countries use the internet, they’re also very experienced with social networks, online shopping, and have created nascent tech ecosystems, using their own criteria. The European and American business and tech press hasn’t been shy with articles on that topic, and specialized media sites, like the French StartupBrics, and Tech.eu, which writes on European startups including the ones from South and Eastern Europe startups that are under a fuzzier media lens, have sprung up. This is good news.
If some only see opportunities for expansion à la Rocket Internet, or entering the Chinese market à la WeChat, others have been more intrigued by the entrepreneurial mindset and the innovatative spirit going on in the developing countrieS.
In France, I’m often invited to talk about this new wave of entrepreneurs in the Arab world, whose struggles and triumphs people here seem fascinated to know more about.
Now, an increasing numbers of entrepreneurs advocate for collaboration between the different ecosystems, trying to learn about what’s going on abroad, and get on the ground to see from themselves how entrepreneurs from different countries are working and thinking. Many initiatives have emerged to expand the boundaries of the techie business trip beyond Silicon Valley, like the round-the-world tour of innovation of Francis Pisani, the World Startup Report, the Startup Genoma, or the still-unnamed work of Martin Pasquier.
Now is the time for entrepreneurs from the Arab world
American and European entrepreneurs have as much to learn for Middle East and North Africa entrepreneurs that the latter have to learn from their counterparts from around the world, which is why Wamda has tried to cover stories on entrepreneurs in Africa and Asia.
Entrepreneurs within the region also have a lot to learn from their counterparts in other MENA countries. It is no secret that Tunisian and Saudis entrepreneurs for instance have their own, very different ways of doing things in their respective ecosystems, and have therefore much to learn from each other.
Whether it is to expand internationally – a strong trend exhibited by several Moroccan entrepreneurs looking to launch internationally or the Egyptian entrepreneurs accepted at YCombinator, the famous Silicon Valley accelerator, or to learn from other startup founders’ experience – entrepreneurs from the Arab world have much to win by travel.
It would be interesting to see accelerators in the Arab world take part in international initiatives, or create their own versions.
In a coming article, I will suggest a list of programs around the world open to international startups. Have you been mentored abroad? How did it help you? Would you recommend a program? Let us know in the comment sections.


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Rheumatoid Arthritis: Best and Worst Supplements and Herbs
WebMD explains which supplements and herbs may help relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and which ones you should not take.
At 35, Chicago flight attendant Michele Mason says her bones felt like “pins and needles” were in them, and her hands were so swollen that she found it difficult to put on her infant son’s socks. Her knees ached, too. “I couldn’t even get out of the bathtub by myself,” she says.
When her doctor suspected rheumatoid arthritis, Mason worried that traditional medicines might not be good for her breastfeeding baby. So with her doctor’s blessing, she took a very low-dose steroid and turned to herbs and supplements, including boswellia (Indian frankincense) and fish oil, to help relieve the pain and inflammation.
A year later, her diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was confirmed. “I was happier to go with what I felt was a safer route with herbs,” she says. “While they didn’t make it go away, they did give me some relief."
Like Mason, about 30% of patients surveyed from North Carolina with rheumatoid arthritis have tried supplements, according to a study in Preventing Chronic Disease. “And use is increasing,” says study co-author Leigh Callahan, PhD, associate professor of medicine, orthopaedics and social medicine at the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
So what are the best herbs and supplements for RA? And, are they safe? Here's what you need to know.
Supplements and Herbs for RA: The Basics
First, know that herbs and supplements haven't been studied in the same way that prescription medicines for RA have. “There’s a tremendous disconnect between their widespread usage and people’s belief in their efficacy compared to what we’ve actually proven scientifically,” says Chaim Putterman, MD, chief of rheumatology at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
That is changing as the National Institutes of Health has a well-established center dedicated to studying complementary and alternative medicine. In the meantime, experts say that although some herbs and supplements may help relieve inflammation, they're best used in combination with RA medicines. “It’s not a good reason to throw out their disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs," says William St. Clair, interim chief of the division of rheumatology at Duke University Medical Center.”


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Anyone awaiting a new Micro Four-Thirds camera from Panasonic will be disappointed, but the company did announce six new point-and-shoot cameras today at CES 2010.
Panasonic announced on Tuesday that the company has begun manufacturing a new, safer laptop battery, which will hopefully reduce the number of battery recalls we have seen in recent years.
Panasonic has expanded its Christmas bonus deals for televisions, offering a Nintendo Wii and two games with the purchase of a high-definition Viera plasma television.
Panasonic has announced a choice of free "high-definition" products for purchasers of Full HD Viera plasma televisions. Buyers can choose from a digital camera, a Blu-ray home theatre system, or a digital television recorder.
Panasonic is getting serious about robotics and has begun a push to commercialize a series of robots over the next few years.
The latest Panasonic plasma televisions -- the 42in and 50in panels in the G15 series -- offer access to online services including YouTube, Picasa and the Bloomberg weather service.
Panasonic has developed a robotic bed that transforms into a wheelchair at the command of the user. It's designed for people who have limited mobility and is intended to provide an extra level of independence.
Panasonic has unveiled a prototype 50-inch television and companion glasses that together give the viewer the illusion of three dimensions. The TV is being unveiled less than a month after Panasonic said it plans to commercialize 3D home entertainmen...
Panasonic has just released two new LUMIX compact digital cameras that are slim yet pack huge zoom lenses: the LUMIX DMC-ZR1 and the LUMIX DMC-FX65. The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZR1 has a 25mm lens with a massive 8x zoom and is a completely new model, whi...
Panasonic has a new weapon in its recycling arsenal for dealing with cathode ray tubes from old televisions: a powerful laser that can quickly weaken the thick glass and enable a three-fold increase in processing speed.
Panasonic has released information on its new Premiere Home Theatre Plasma series. The 65in and 50in Panasonic TH-65VX100W and TH-50VX100W are Full HD plasma TVs with a native 1080p resolution.
Several of Japan's largest electronics companies have halted business trips to Mexico after a deadly outbreak of swine flu in the country.
Panasonic's Viera Cast-enabled HDTVs just got more interesting.
Panasonic Australia has announced three new Blu-ray players, including the world's first portable model, the DMP-B15.
Panasonic Australia today launched two new Blu-ray disc recorders, the DMR-BW750 and DMR-BW850. The Panasonic DMR-BW750 is equipped with a 250GB hard drive (HDD) while the Panasonic DMR-BW850 comes with 500GB of onboard memory. Both models are VIERA...
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Starting Off 2023, Sampoerna Inaugurates Innovative Smoke-Free Tobacco Products Factory and First Export Shipment to Asia Pacific
KARAWANG, JANUARY 12, 2023 – PT HM Sampoerna Tbk. (Sampoerna) held an inauguration for the production facility and first export shipment of innovative smoke-free tobacco products for IQOS under the HEETS brand on Thursday (12/1/2023) in Karawang, West Java. This production facility is a part of the company's investment and economic value creation in Indonesia. The production facility, which started operations in the fourth quarter of 2022, was built since the end of 2021 with a realized investment valued at more than US$ 186 million, exceeding the previously announced commitment.
The HEETS factory in Indonesia focuses on fulfilling demands in Asia Pacific and the domestic market and is in line with the government's priority to encourage investment and increase exports of end-products. This HEETS factory is Philip Morris International’s (PMI) first production facility in Southeast Asia and the seventh in the world for innovative smoke-free products.
“I congratulate all Sampoerna management and employees on the production facility inauguration and the first export shipment of innovative smoke-free tobacco products. The investment made by Sampoerna is expected to have a positive impact in encouraging innovation, as well as creating economic value in many sectors, including the MSME sector, traditional retail, partnerships with farmers, and R&D capacity development,” Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia, Airlangga Hartarto said, marking the inauguration today.
The inauguration ceremony was witnessed by, among others, Chairman of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Laksana Tri Handoko, Chairman of the National Standardization Agency (BSN) Kukuh S. Achmad, Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Susiwijono Moegiarso, and Director General of Agro Industry of the Ministry of Industry Putu Juli Ardika.
“We really appreciate Sampoerna’s investment in Indonesia. Especially, not only investment, but (they are) also bringing new innovation. This is certainly an example of alternative products that are innovative,” said Laksana Tri Handoko in his speech.
This investment is a concrete manifestation of Sampoerna's support of the government's efforts to promote national economic resilience amidst challenging global economic conditions. Furthermore, the high-tech production facility also aims to support the manufacturing sector transformation that is aligned with the "Making Indonesia 4.0" roadmap introduced by the government.
During the occasion, President Director of Sampoerna, Vassilis Gkatzelis conveyed his appreciation to the Indonesian government for the conducive investment climate, as well as the government's commitment to maintaining national economic stability. "As a company that has been operating for almost 110 years, we aim to continue to contribute to the national economy through continuous investment as well as the economic impact on the national tobacco industry supply chain and ecosystem," Vassilis said.
Vassilis added that in addition to factory construction, Sampoerna is also committed to creating economic value added that includes R&D capability expansion, job opportunities for highly skilled workers, purchasing local tobacco supplies, MSMEs development that includes digitalization and capacity building for traditional retailers, operating a digital hub, as well as increasing export performance.
"The long-term investment by Sampoerna, which is part of Philip Morris International, is proof of our vote of confidence in the certainty of the investment and business climate in Indonesia. I hope that our investment will also strengthen Indonesia's position as an investment destination from within and outside the country," Vassilis said.
Innovative Smoke-Free Tobacco Products
Innovative smoke-free tobacco products are developed based on scientific research with a harm reduction approach. "Through science and technology-based innovations, Philip Morris International (PMI) has developed a variety of innovative smoke-free tobacco products without the combustion process in an effort to introduce better alternatives for adult smokers," Vassilis said.
For more than a decade, Sampoerna's parent company, PMI, has invested more than US$ 9 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialize innovative smoke-free tobacco products.1 This is supported by more than 980 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff, including those from Indonesia.
One of these smoke-free products is a tobacco heating device called IQOS. By leveraging science and technology, IQOS heats tobacco sticks, that use real tobacco, without combustion. Therefore, IQOS emits on average 90-95% lower levels of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.
"IQOS is an electronic device that heats tobacco instead of burning it. The heating process takes place at a maximum of 350 degrees Celsius. Therefore, there is no fire, ash, or smoke," Vassilis said.
He added that innovative smoke-free tobacco products contain nicotine. While nicotine is addictive, it is not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. Therefore, nicotine can be delivered using other methods without combustion process.
Currently, PMI’s smoke-free products are available in 70 markets globally. Vassilis said PMI estimates that as of September 2022, approximately 13.5 million adult consumers around the world had switched to IQOS and stopped smoking.2 In Indonesia, IQOS has been introduced through limited market testing since 2019 and is available in major cities in Indonesia, namely Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Bandung, Medan, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Makassar, Balikpapan, Samarinda, and other cities.
"Based on scientific research by PMI and independent bodies, switching completely to IQOS reduces the harm compared to continuing smoking," Vassilis emphasized. He also said that smoke-free products are not risk-free and specifically intended for adult smokers who decided to continue using tobacco or other nicotine products.
1 As of December 2021.
2 As of September 2022. Excludes Russia and Ukraine.
About PT HM Sampoerna Tbk. (Sampoerna)
Established in 1913, Sampoerna – an affiliate of Philip Morris International Inc. – is a leading tobacco company in Indonesia. Sampoerna owns and operates six factories located in Surabaya, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Malang, and Karawang. The Company establishes partnership with 38 Third-Party Operators (TPOs) in Java – with a total workforce of around 66,000 direct and indirect employees, mostly in the production of hand-rolled clove cigarettes. It has a total of 110 zone branches offices, sales offices, and distribution centers, as well as 25 third-party Exclusive Zonified Distributors (EZD) throughout Indonesia.
Sampoerna is one of the largest companies by market capitalization on the Indonesian Stock Exchange, where it trades under the ticker symbol “HMSP”.
For more information, please visit: www.sampoerna.com
Head of Corporate Communications
PT HM Sampoerna email@example.com


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We’re Only One Huge Event Away From ‘When The Food Runs Out’ …The Grocery Business Can Be Absolutely Brutal As CEO Warns: ‘Every Day We Have A New Problem, It’s The New Normal’ By Stefan Stanford – All News Pipeline
According to Kraft Heinz Foods CEO Miguel Patricio, not only are higher inflation and supply issues coursing through the food industrybut he doesn’t see an end to the issues anytime soon.
Telling CNN Business the issues of the past several years in the food industry will surely continue into 2023 if he is correct, besides more shortages and price increases, Patricio warns “beyond the double-barrel challenges of shortages of raw materials and inflation, issues like the continuing pandemic and the war in Ukraine……are adding to the uncertainty…..making things very hard for the entire industry.”
And while CNN Business reports Patricio has been keeping obsessive track of supply chain shortages, to the point where he can actually predict what shortages will be coming next, as he told CNN, “It’s a constant fight to try to minimize price increases” because “Every day we have a new problem. It’s the new normal.”
Also warning that “every day there’s a shortage of something,” with tomato shortages leading to some shortages on products such as ‘ketchup,’ as that story reported, despite the tomato shortage, Patricio vows Heinz ketchup will stay on the shelves as usual because “We predicted that we would have a problem with the crop of tomatoes…..so we bought them in advance.”
Outstanding words of advice for all as 2022 quickly winds down and 2023 prepares to come rushing in with more and more food shortages galore as heard in each of the 3 videos at the bottom of this story.
With the 1st video below via the Epic Economist titled “20 Big Grocery Stores Are In Deep, Deep Trouble,” linked to by Steve Quayle on his website with the SQnote “MUST WATCH!,” we see even more reasons to make sure we’re fully prepped for what Heinz CEO Patricio also sees as pointed out in the 2nd video below in the video titled simply “When The Food Runs Out.”
And with our videographer in that video warning us bluntly “We have reached the rollover point where it is now obvious that there will not be enough farm inputs like fertilizer to grow enough food to feed the planet. That would be bad enough but superglued supply chains will restrict exports and imports until April 2023 at best. Larger the crop losses, the more hollywoodesque the distractions will become,” as we’re warned of in the final video below and this story by Michael Snyder, “The Food Crisis Of 2023 Is Going To Be Far Worse Than Most People Would Dare To Imagine.”
According to this recent story over at CNET at least 13 Supermarket Items Are More Expensive or Harder to Find,” with supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine and other factors having fueled price hikes or shortages on everything from sugar and pasta to beer and butter.”
Reporting that baby formula, popcorn, bread, pet food, turkey, mustard, peaches and champagne were among some of the other foods and products that are either more difficult to find or more expensive, the Krazy Coupon Lady added in a hummus and a milk shortage among other items also being hit now.
And as we hear in that 1st video below from Epic Economist, while things were bad in 2022, there are all kinds of signs that things will continue to implode in 2023, with us warned in that video about all of the grocery stores in big, big trouble, “The truth is that the grocery business can be absolutely brutal.”
Reporting that in recent years, the nation’s grocers have been dealing with a series of issues that go from supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, disorderly mergers and acquisitions, and huge, huge piles of debt, we’re warned that for many grocery store chains,even with sales booming, liabilities were so significant that grocery store chains had no other option but to file for bankruptcy, shutter all their locations, and lay off all of their staff.


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In 1950 the Chinese machine-building firm Chang Feng Group (ChangFeng) which at first created military equipment was created. And only almost in thirty years release of CJY 6420 - the automobile SUV began in this company. Still later Chang Feng Group (ChangFeng) makes out the contractual relations on production of the license Mitsubishi SUV with Japanese automobile firm. The company of Mitsubishi in 2000 gets about 20 percent of shares from the Chinese machine-building firm Chang Feng Group (ChangFeng), having begun on the basis of Mitsubishi Pajero assembly of the Chang Feng Liebao SUV. The part of these cars in China is realized under the name of Mitsubishi.
After carrying out modernization of the production equipment, the automobile company Chang Feng comes out in China on top on production of the cars possessing the increased passability which belong to cars of a middle and small class. In 2006 in Beijing the first beach pickup of the Chang Feng Liebao UU CT3 brand was shown. The Leopard car – the Chinese SUV came to Russia same year on realization.
Two assembly plants and four big enterprises Chang Feng Auto possesses. At these enterprises production of automobile spare parts is organized. In firm it is created scientifically – the research center which is intended for developing of modern design decisions. Changfeng Flying make of the car differs not in high prices, but high reliability.
Under the contract with the Japanese Toyota firm the Changfeng Flying car which possesses the full drive is issued, has five seats and full clearance. 125 horsepowers and the full drive the Changfeng Sceo car - the popular Chinese SUV possesses.1 - 12
The company Opel looks set to go down the route laid Renault with its Espace: according to rumors, compactline Zafira and Meriva by 2016 will become crossovers. The manufacturer believes that cars in...
Rumors that Apple may try yourself as an automaker, appeared quite a long time. But now it became known that the shareholders of the company have found the easiest way to join the pool of high-tech a...
The head of the company Lotus has officially confirmed plans to release a new crossover model. The SUV from British car manufacturers will have to emerge by 2019. ...
The German manufacturer has officially confirmed that the family of the new C-class, introduced last year, will be modified in coupe only in the autumn of this year. However, Mercedes-Benz promises t...
Honda has set a new record for the number of collected cars of its brand in April . In the aggregate, from all the enterprises of the Japanese company has manufactured more than 327 thousand units. ...


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The scheme works this way: A suspect takes someone’s identity, files a tax return online, receives a refund on a prepaid Green Dot debit card and spends the ill-gotten gains. All four of those arrested Wednesday were carrying or using Green Dot debit cards that had other people’s names, police said.
Briana Latisha Keaton, 22, of Tampa used a card to pay off a 50-inch flat screen TV and a washer and dryer, police said. The card was in the name of a 92-year-old Alzheimer’s patient in a nursing home.
Wilma Lee Gallagher, 70, of Tampa tried to cash a Green Dot check using fraudulent power of attorney, according to police reports.
Police discovered a Green Dot card with multiple U.S. Treasury deposits on it when they pulled over Endrica Michell Simpson, 37, of Tampa.
Travis Rennard Johnson, 23, of Tampa used a Green Dot card in the name of an 82-year-old Illinois woman to buy jewelry at University Mall, police said.
The scheme, called “drop” because the government drops the money onto the cards, was discovered by police during traffic stops in which people had numerous prepaid debit cards containing the names of others.
Tampa police made dozens of arrests in a September sweep they called Operation Rainmaker.
The yearlong effort by local and federal law enforcement was able to intercept $100 million and recover $5 million in cash, jewelry, cars, entertainment systems and fraudulent refunds.
Warrants were also issued for four other people, who have been charged with similar crimes.
Source: St. Petesburg Times


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SAN FRANCISCO - Steve Jobs is Apple's most recognized personality, but much of the prestige of the brand comes from its clean design and inviting, from which we must give credit to their chief designer, Jonathan "Jony" Ive.
Ive, a British modest 44, Jobs helped to return to Apple from the brink of financial ruin with the playful design of the iMac, whose original designs in bright colors came at a time when the world was dominated PCs by the soft tones.
Later, he helped transform Apple into a hub for consumer electronics and the envy of Silicon Valley with the iPod, iPhone and more recently the iPhone.
Following the recent resignation as Director Jobs, Apple must demonstrate that it can continue to produce innovative products, even without its charismatic leader. The Apple chief operating officer, Tim Cook, now as CEO will assume the role of the public face of Apple.
However, in many ways, the real pressure will be on Ive Apple to continue its string of successes.
Ive has led the design team at Apple since the mid 1990's. Working closely with Jobs, Ive built a strong tradition in Apple, to promote products that are elegant and stylish, with rounded corners, a few buttons, brushed aluminum surfaces and lots of glass polishing.
Six of the works Ive, including the original iPod, they are still part of the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA).
In 1992, while Jobs was in exile for 12 years at Apple, the director of design company, Robert Brunner, Ive hired as senior designer.
Brunner started in 1996 and suggested that Ive took office, although he was only 29 years. When Jobs returned from exile and became acting director in 1997, Ive named senior vice president of industrial design.
With Jobs back at the helm and Ive style as their guru, Apple focused on the design and business dealt a blow that put the company back on track. Apple hit the personal computer industry in 1998 with the candy colored iMacs. The original model had the form of a futuristic TV at a time when most computers were square and black, beige or gray. It sold 150,000 in its first weekend. Apple sold 800,000 iMacs later that year.
The iMac changed the concept of personal computers and Apple's own consumers. Apple gave a vital impetus that helped usher in a new era of consumer electronics that was quirky, fun and colorful.The marketing team even went so far as to suggest to consumers that buy their way to five-color collection: strawberry, blueberry, grape, tangerine and lemon.
In charge of design Ive, Apple introduced the first iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and the IPAD 2010.
In recent years, the company largely abandoned the palette of bright colors (although you can still find some iPods) in favor of black shades, white and silver. However, their products retain the simplicity that made them accessible to everyone and their curves, shiny surfaces and luxurious look.
As a result, Apple products are more popular than ever, allowing the company exceeded last year to rival Microsoft Corp. as the most valuable technology company in the world.
"He was not responsible for them, but definitely could not have been created without it," said Leander Kahney, who has written several books about Apple and his blog, "Cult of Mac" (The Cult of Mac).
Ive and Jobs have worked closely and in many respects, have contributed to a mutual success. Ive always been in touch with Jobs, speaking the same language as him and have an obvious chemistry, said Paola Antonelli, chief curator of architecture and design at MoMA.
Don Norman, who worked at Apple in the 1990s as vice president of advanced technology group, said that although I've had good design ideas "sitting on the shelves," Jobs needed to get those designs into reality.
"Jony Jony has always been: brilliant," said Norman. "What we needed was a Steve Jobs who said 'Let's make it happen," he said.


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The rise in healthcare costs over the past few years has impacted both patients and providers alike. Consumers are choosing higher deductibles to secure lower monthly premiums, [...]
Making a payment online with your doctor should be a seamless and secure transaction. Adding a card on file for future transactions should likewise be the same. Keeping [...]
No matter the current event, healthcare providers have to collect revenue in order to function correctly. However, the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is already [...]
How to facilitate payment and improve cash flow for your medical practice.
Today’s healthcare payment system poses significant collection issues for the provider, especially with nearly 35% of revenue coming from the patient. Practices are having a difficult time collecting the [...]


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Logitech and SanDisk are featured in our latest financial reports roundup, following AMD’s 2014 results earlier this week.
Accessories vendor Logitech International announced financial results for its fiscal Q3 2015, with sales of $634 million and operating income of $65 million.
The firm has now increased its profitability outlook for fiscal 2015 from approximately $170 million to around $185 million in non-GAAP operating income.
“I’m excited about our strong performance in Q3,” said Bracken P. Darrell, Logitech president and CEO.
“We almost doubled sales in Mobile Speakers and also posted healthy growth in PC Gaming and Video Collaboration. Overall, despite the US dollar’s strengthening, our retail sales and profitability continued to grow and we generated robust cash flow. Based on these better-than-expected results and the strength of our product offerings, we have increased our full-year outlook for operating income for the second time this fiscal year.”
Meanwhile, flash storage specialist SanDisk announced results for Q4 and its fiscal 2014 year ending December 28th. Q4 revenue reached $1.74 billion while total revenue for fiscal 2014 was a record $6.63 billion, a seven per cent increase over 2013.
Q4 quarter net income was $202 million, down from last year’s $338 million, while net income for fiscal 2014 was $1.01 billion, compared to $1.04 billion in fiscal 2013.
“We delivered record revenue in 2014 with continued progress in shifting our portfolio towards high value solutions,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, president and CEO of SanDisk.
“Our SSD solutions reached 29 per cent of revenue in 2014, with strong growth from both client and enterprise SSDs. We are disappointed with our fourth quarter results, which were impacted primarily by supply constraints.
"We believe that NAND flash industry fundamentals are healthy, and we expect our financial results to improve as we move through 2015.”


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Millions of PlayStation users have been warned their personal information, including credit card details, may have been stolen. Gamers, 70 million users worldwide, have been locked out of the network for a week. Sony revealed yesterday that the system has been down since it was hacked last Wednesday.
Sony said it discovered that between April 17 and 19, there was an “illegal and unauthorized” intrusion of its network and warned users to look out for telephone and email scams. Names, PlayStation log-in details and email addresses are also thought to have been taken by the hackers. PlayStation members are also required to submit credit card and personal details to play online games and download software, films and music.
Sony said it had hired an outside security firm to investigate what happened and has taken steps to rebuild its system to provide greater protection for personal information.
PlayStation Network posted an apology to users through the Sony website saying it would email those who are suspected to be victims of the hacking. It said: “We don’t have an exact date to share at this moment as to when we will have the services turned on, but are working day and night to ensure it is as quickly as possible. Please note that we are as upset as you are regarding this attack and are going to proceed aggressively to track down those that are responsible.”
The company said it has no direct evidence that credit card information was taken, but said “we cannot rule out the possibility”.
Purchase history and credit card billing address information may have been stolen but the intruder did not obtain the three-digit security code on the back of cards, Sony said.
Josh Shaul, chief technology officer for Application Security Inc., which makes database security software, called the intrusion “one of the worst breaches we’ve seen in several years”.
Despite there being no direct proof of the theft of credit card information, he said Sony might just not know which files were affected. “They indicated that they’re worried about it, which is probably a very strong indication that everything was stolen,” he added.
If the intruder successful stole credit card information, the heist would rank among the largest known thefts of financial data.


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This year’s list of America’s Most Promising Companies has a bevy of new faces, thanks to almost 100 more submissions than we received for 2014. The unexpected influx gave us much to sort through but if there’s one thing we learned as we scoped through the reams of data it’s that each of these firms is doing something right and, in the end, all are winners. Check out the full list of America's Most Promising Companies here
Carvana (our #5) only launched in 2012, but the growth for the Atlanta, Georgia-based auto-sales platform is profound. After pulling in about $5 million in 2013, the company generated $45 million the following year. Chalk it up to services like financing and straight-to-your-door delivery of vehicles purchased (plus a healthy dose of funding).
RocketDrop is another new company to our list, coming in at #10. The firm is making a fortune shipping and distributing consumer electronics to the Far East and throughout Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. Founders Kamal Haddad, Henry Jamijian and Jason Haddad ended 2014 with over $187 million in generated revenue--up almost 158%.
A face we recognize from last year is Suja Juice, which takes the #2 spot this year. Founders Jeff Church, James Brennan, Annie Lawless and Eric Ethans brought in $42 million this past year. In our 2014 list, the San Diego-based juice mongers placed #3. This year the Suja team got so close to the top spot but Instacart kept the company from reaching the Promised Land. Instacart is everywhere these days, having just snagged a large helping of capital at a whopping $2 billion+ valuation after having grown 10x each year for the past two years.
Companies on the list are all private and generating under $300 million annually. Revenue growth plays a big part in choosing the ranking for America’s Most Promising, but that’s not all we take into account. We pay attention to growth rates, growth in employee numbers, how long companies have been doing what it is they do, operating margins, capital raised, product ideas, management and other factors. Placing one company before another is never easy but one thing you can be sure of is that each firm is going places—be it to an IPO, an eventual acquisition by a much larger player or simply on to greater profits.


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Apple Shows Off New Tiger Logo; Yanks Within Hours
by , 6:40 AM EST, February 17th, 2005
Mac users in Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland were treated to a worldwide exclusive Wednesday when their periodic Apple eNews e-mail arrived showing what appears to be a re-designed logo for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The release appears to have been an accident, as the logo was pulled from other versions of the newsletter within hours, according to TMO readers.
The logo, seen below, is a more bolder, platinum-colored "X" with a slightly off-center spotlight affect. The new design is similiar to the Tiger CD design Apple has been displaying on its Web site now for over a month.
According to TMO readers in Great Britain, the new box design arrived mid-day Wednesday in a periodic Apple electronic newsletter, but that it disappeared in later versions of the marketing piece.
"I noticed it immediately," said Simon Bird, a Mac user in Bristol, UK. "But later in the day another version of that same newsletter sent to a different e-mail account of mine showed a different design. I'm assuming someone (at Apple) screwed up and will catch hell for it later."
In the last few weeks, Apple Computer has been stepping up its marketing efforts to entice Mac users to upgrade to the US$129 operating system. Apple CEO Steve Jobs appears on the current cover of Fortune magazine holding up icons from the new OS, and those receiving electronic marketing pieces from Apple have been receiving promotions for Tiger periodically over the past four weeks.
Mr. Jobs told attendees at Mac Expo-San Francisco that the update would be released "during the first half of 2005," leading some to speculate it could be released in final form at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled for June 6-10, 2005 in San Francisco.
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