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In what police believe to be a tragic accident, a submerged ute with the bodies of two men in their 50s will be pulled out of a Hanwood canal this morning.
Australia's workplace watchdog says it is encouraged by reforms at Baiada chicken processing factories, after a report on Four Corners last May about the exploitation of foreign workers.
After supplying fruit one of the country's oldest wine makers, for 100 years a Riverina grape grower doesn't see much of a future
Extraordinary letter from Riverina grape marketing board advises members to seek advice on whether to remain in industry
The Griffith City Council has started negotiations with Murrumbidgee Irrigation about breaching its channels during flood events.
An investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman reveals foreign workers are being exploited and underpaid at one of Australia's biggest chicken processors.
Murrumbidgee Irrigation says its Lake Wyangan upgrade has meant a massive injection into the local economy and there is more spending to come.
A Griffith Councillor says the release of a landmark flood study for the region is only the first step towards the implementation of mitigation measures.
Griffith citrus grower Louie Sartor speaks about why he and three other growers have decided to value add their fruit by building a new juice processing plant.
Police investigating a murder plot have raided an outlaw motorcycle gang's clubhouse in Griffith and charged a Hanwood man
The Australasian Meatworkers Union says it's not found evidence of rip-offs at a chicken processing plant near Griffith.
The days of shiraz, cabernet and chardonnay dominating the Australian wine industry are far from over however alternative varieties are becoming more readily available including some unique local drops.
A $9.3m expansion of a chicken meat processing factory has been cautiously welcomed by residents of the village of Hanwood.
Bartter Enterprises wants to treble the capacity of its operations near Griffith.
Riverina winemaker McWilliams is looking at a $53m expansion, but not in the short term.
Murrumbidgee Irrigation (MI) maintains it has no liability over the March floods.
A New South Wales juice company believes the processing industry still has a bright future despite the strong Australian currency.
Griffith's biggest employer, Baiada, has been given approval to expand its hatchery.
The future of ABC Learning's childcare centre at Hanwood, near Griffith, is still in doubt, causing anxiety for local parents.
The Federal Opposition says potential buyers of ABC childcare centres are being put off by licensing issues.
The inquest into the shooting of an underworld figure in southern NSW is due to be held in Sydney today.
Griffith police are investigating the bashing of a man at Hanwood on Saturday night.
Cherry King will take its application for a fruit fumigation chamber in Hanwood to the Land and Environment Court after Griffith City Council refused it for a second time.


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On the one-year anniversary of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), governing body of world football, has announced a partnership extension with Qatar Airways, which will thus continue on as the Global Airline Partner of FIFA until 2030.
Qatar Airways will support multiple FIFA tournaments as per the renewed agreement, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2030 FIFA World Cup, as well as all youth men’s and women’s tournaments.
Qatar Airways will also continue to work on various fan engagement activities through digital platforms, offering fans exclusive travel packages like match tickets for select FIFA events.
Gianni Infantino, President, FIFA, said:
“Today I am very proud to announce the renewal of our partnership between Qatar Airways and FIFA. It is a great partnership that has brought a lot of success to FIFA, and of course as well to Qatar Airways.
“My thanks to Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, the GCEO, and to the whole fantastic team of Qatar Airways. One year after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, here we are again to celebrate.“
Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways Group, said:
“We are excited to extend our partnership with FIFA as the Global Airline Partner. As an airline, we are committed to connecting the world, and this partnership allows us to reach millions of football fans. Football has the power to unite people across cultures and continents, and we are proud to continue to be part of this incredible journey.
“We eagerly anticipate the upcoming tournaments and look forward to creating unforgettable experiences for fans around the world.“

domain: news


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The BBC reports on the phenomenon of people who claim to have been made sick by wi-fi and mobile phones, and now seek refuge in Green Bank, West Virginia. This town is situated in the US Radio Quiet Zone, where there is no wireless allowed within a 13,000 square mile range to prevent interference with a number of major radio telescopes. Some of those "listening points" are part of the US government's spy network.
It's easy to mock the Wi-Fi refugees, as science does not support their claim that wireless waves are harmful to health. But the notion of living in a "quiet zone" sounds quaintly comforting. Snip:
There are five billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide and advances in wireless technology make it increasingly difficult to escape the influence of mobile devices. But while most Americans seem to embrace continuous connectivity, some believe it's making them physically ill.
Diane Schou is unable to hold back the tears as she describes how she once lived in a shielded cage to protect her from the electromagnetic radiation caused by waves from wireless communication.
"It's a horrible thing to have to be a prisoner," she says. "You become a technological leper because you can't be around people.
"It's not that you would be contagious to them - it's what they're carrying that is harmful to you."
Ms Schou is one of an estimated 5% of Americans who believe they suffer from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), which they say is caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields typically created by mobile phones, wi-fi and other electronic equipment.
More: BBC News - 'Wi-fi refugees' shelter in West Virginia mountains.
(thanks, Cyrus Farivar)
We just got the Sport model of the EPIKGO hoverboard at my office. Besides being terribly chic, it’s apparently bulletproof.
Ok, it’s not just solar powered. It’s also an anti-theft, waterproof marvel that keeps my phone’s power bar from ever getting into the red.Sure the idea seems obvious now – tuck a gigantic solar powered battery pack into an exposed slot and turn the wearer into a walking energy harvester. Simple maybe, but I didn’t […]
The office I work in is full of things old people buy to make themselves feel young again. I can honestly say that our awesome new toy, The Swagtron T3 Hoverboard, makes me feel very, very old. I’ll explain why later. Swagtron T3 Pros There’s no way to overcharge the battery and that means no […]
Although there will never be a consensus about the best way to make coffee, any coffee connoisseur will agree that controlling the grind of your beans and balancing water temperature are the keys to a tasty cup. Since your plastic coffee pot doesn’t really allow for that kind of customization, going back to the French […]
Not all hackers are malicious information thieves—white-hat ethical hackers work with technology companies to ensure the security of their computer systems and user data. With all of today’s high-profile data breaches, ethical hackers are in considerable demand. To learn these critical skills and break into the high-paying cyber security field, try taking the courses in this […]
Making people aware of goods and services in the digital age requires an array of new strategies from social media and email to number-crunching tools like Google Analytics. To get a handle on the techniques used to capture attention and convert traffic into dollars in a crowded online environment, the Full-Stack Marketer Bundle offers 22 hours of training to get […]


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MicroStrategy said Monday it bought about 13,005 bitcoins for $489 million in cash at an average price of roughly $37,617 inclusive of fees and expenses.
- The business-intelligence software company now holds some 105,085 bitcoins, which were acquired for a total of $2.74 billion. That’s an average purchase price of $26,080 per bitcoin, inclusive of fees and expenses.
- MicroStrategy said its newly formed subsidiary, MicroStrategy, holds about 92,079 BTC of the bitcoins.
- CEO Michael Saylor has made bitcoin acquisition a second mandate for his 32-year-old company. Its other business is developing software.
- The purchase follows MicroStrategy's raising of $500 million in case from the sale of debt to fund bitcoin buying. As the company subsequently filed to sell $1 billion in shares to help buy even more of the leading currency, we likely will see another purchase soon.
- Shares of Nasdaq-listed MicroStrategy are getting pounded today, down more than 7%, as their fate are now largely tied to the price of bitcoin, which fell after China's central bank continued the nation's crackdown on crypto. The People's Bank of China said financial institutions must not provide trading, clearing and settlement for crypto transactions.
- In recent trading, the price of bitcoin was down 4.49% to $32,540.54.
UPDATE (June 6, 13:47 UTC): Adds stock and debt offerings, share reaction, price of bitcoin.)
Read more: MicroStrategy Raises $500M From Bond Sale to Buy More Bitcoin


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A family business in Melbourne's west has been left holding a hefty damage bill after three men smashed a black van through the front door to steal five bikes.
The owners of Salter Cycles in Altona Meadows spent much of today cleaning up the mess with the thugs responsible still on the run.
Minutes before midnight, the smash-and-grab was so destructive glass and steel were sent flying.
Three men inside a black van reversed into Salter Cycles and stole several expensive bikes.
The brazen thugs rushed to grab what they could as the store alarm woke nearby residents who raised the alarm.
The store owners are still counting the total damage bill, but say about $20,000 in stock alone was stolen.
The front of the shop is now boarded up as they wait for permanent repairs in the coming days.
It's the fourth time the family-run business been targeted in the last two years. The trio behind the attack is still on the run.


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The signing of the Declaration of Independence, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, the invention of Gutenberg's printing press, The Wright brothers famous flight, the birth of the internet. All great accomplishments in human history. And now, April 15th, 2014 can be remembered as one of those truly memorable moments: Ht Mart has gone live with their new website!
Ok, so maybe it's not as important of these events in the eyes of the world, but for HT Mart, it's a pretty big deal.
"It's been a long time coming," says Mike Eslinger of HT Mart. "We've been working on it for what seems like an eternity. But, we're glad that the release is finally here and we hope that our customers enjoy the new look of the site as well as the easy ordering process."
The new site is still somewhat of a work in progress but Eslinger is convinced it won't be an issue: "Oh yeah, we'll constantly be making tweaks and changes here and there, but it won't affect the customer experience. We'll be doing things behind-the-scenes on our end so that customers can enjoy our website and browse and purchase items quickly and easily. We also hope to add more products and expand our offerings, making our site a one-stop shop for everything home theater related."
An improved design including a simpler layout, larger images, as well as a blog, links to new social media profiles, and the introduction of FREE ground shipping on all products highlight the new website. "We definitely think that our customers are going to like this new approach. Shipping costs factor greatly into the buying process for many of our customers, and providing free ground shipping takes the worry out of it," Eslinger says. "Our customers don't even need a minimum purchase to qualify for free shipping. So, it doesn't matter if they buy a $12 keychain or a $10,000 set of luxury theater chairs, they're still getting a great deal."
As far as social media goes, HT Mart hopes to be more involved in that particular arena and wants to start conversations and keep them going, involving anyone with a love for home theater products and accessories. Look for HT Mart to be increasingly active on these networks and increase its presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest among others.
Today is a big day indeed for home theater accessory leader HT Mart. Do yourself a favor and check out the new website today! You'll find it visually appealing, easy to navigate, and best of all, fun to see all of the available home theater products, accessories and novelties!


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Apple Working on 14.1-Inch MacBook Pro with Mini-LED Claims Kuo
In a new research note sent out to investors today, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that Apple is working on a total of six mini-LED products, including a new 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, MacRumors is reporting.
According to the veteran analyst, Apple plans to debut the new mini-LED products in 2020. He also noted that the iPhone maker does not want to delay the production of these new products due to coronavirus.
Here are the six mini-LED products Kuo says Apple is currently working on:
“Apple is developing a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a 27-inch iMac, a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch MacBook Pro, a 10.2.-inch iPad, and a 7.9-inch iPad mini”
We’ll update you once Kuo shares more details on the matter. Apple is rumoured to be launching ‘iPhone 9’ or ‘iPhone SE 2’ this spring, along with updates to its iPad and MacBook line up.


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Parents who bought their children the Oculus Quest 2 for Christmas could be in for a surprise as there have been several instances of child grooming within one of the virtual reality headset's most popular chatroom services VRChat.
VRChat is an online virtual world platform where users get their first taste of the metaverse and use full-body avatars to conceal their identity. There have been instances of child abuse, harassment, racism, and pornography on the popular chatroom service.
One clip shared by the YouTuber "VSF Studios" shares several instances of a massive problem in VRChat: child exploitation and sexualization.
VSF Studios said VRChat is "not a place for children."
The first example that "really shook" the YouTuber was seeing an underaged girl in a 12yo's body dancing for a 40yo Japanese man. He said it was "disgusting, to say the least."
Maybe there's a dark side to the metaverse that needs to be discussed, and that is how easily it connects users to predators. ...


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Elon Musk has one word for unions — “No!” He told the New York Times last week, “I disagree with the idea of unions. I just don’t like anything which creates kind of a lords and peasants sort of thing. I think the unions naturally try to create negativity in a company.”
Tesla sells a lot of its electric cars in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway — countries where labor unions are especially strong. According to CNN Business, 90% of workers in Sweden are unionized, as are about 80 percent of Norway’s labor force. Unions are considered an essential part of the social contract in those countries, where good pay and benefits are considered fundamental rights. So perhaps it is inevitable that Tesla and Scandinavian unions have clashed.
Good Wages, Good Pensions, And Good Insurance
One of the largest unions in the automotive sector in Sweden is IF Metall, which represents many of the metal workers who build cars and trucks in that country. About a month ago, union members in Sweden went on strike after the Tesla subsidiary they worked for refused to recognize the union.
On its website IF Metall says, “This is about good wages, good pensions, and good insurance for all our members who work at Tesla. We have been negotiating with Tesla for a long time. They have refused to sign a collective agreement and violate basic principles in the Swedish labor market.” The strike has since spread to include Swedish dockworkers who started blocking deliveries of Tesla vehicles at the country’s ports, electricians who stopped maintenance work for the carmaker, and other workers in Sweden, according to Expressen, a CNN affiliate in Sweden.
CNN reports that 3F, a Danish labor union that represents dockworkers and drivers, has agreed to support their Swedish colleagues in order to foreclose any possibility that Tesla might try an end run around the IF Metall strike by delivering cars to Denmark and then trucking them to Sweden.
Such a workaround “is no longer possible,” said Jan Villadsen, the head of 3F Transport. “IF Metall and the Swedish workers are fighting an incredibly important battle right now. When they ask for our support, we are of course behind them. Just like companies, the trade union movement is global in the fight to protect workers,” he said.
“With the sympathy strike, we are now stepping in to put further pressure on Tesla. Of course, we hope that they come to the negotiating table as soon as possible and sign a collective agreement. Even if you are one of the richest people in the world, you can’t just make your own rules. We have some labor market agreements in the Nordic region and you have to comply with them if you want to run a business here.”
CNN says it has contacted Tesla for comment. Good luck with that. Musk’s communication tool of choice these days is an emoji of a steaming pile of feces. Being the wealthiest person in history allows you to get away with such juvenile antics, proving once again that the line between genius and insanity is often determined by the number of zeros in one’s bank balance.
Now the strike against Tesla may be spreading further still. Unions representing dockworkers in Finland and Norway are also discussing taking action in solidarity with the striking Swedish mechanics, Anu Hietala, general secretary of the Nordic Transport Workers’ Federation in Stockholm told CNN on Tuesday.
Tesla Challenges A National Norm
Tesla employs only about 120 workers in Sweden, people who service vehicles for Swedish drivers at several different sites. Yet this small group of employees is at the center of a dispute that Swedish trade unions believe threatens the very existence of the country’s long established model of harmonious labor relations. Collective bargaining agreements between employers’ associations and unions cover entire sectors and are key to the way Sweden’s labor market has been governed for almost a century.
The result is a remarkably peaceful industrial landscape, even by Nordic standards: Sweden lost an average of 8,100 working days a year to industrial action between 2010 and 2021, for example, against more than 120,000 in Norway and Finland. But Tesla flat out refuses to play ball the Swedish way. After extended but fruitless negotiations, members at IF Metall opted to use the only weapon at their disposal — calling a strike.
“We have tried to negotiate with Tesla for the better part of five years, and we have tried to explain to them the benefits with the collective agreement. But if they still refuse, then we have the option to take action and finally we ran out of patience,” Jesper Pettersson, a spokesperson for IF Metall, told The Guardian.
German Bender, the head of investigations at the Arena Idé think tank and an expert on the Swedish labor market, said he could understand the union’s concerns. “It’s a very small conflict — maybe 120 or 130 employees. But it’s a huge employer, with potentially norm-setting consequences.
“I am not saying that if the unions lose, the next day the Swedish model ceases to exist. But it is important in principle, because if the unions were to allow Tesla to get away with this, other employers would start asking themselves why do I have to sign a collective agreement? It’s hard to say how fast that would happen, but we’ve seen that in Germany, collective bargaining coverage has come down substantially in the past 10, 15 years. So it is a plausible outcome of this event.”
Pettersson, of IF Metall in Sweden said, “Tesla is a major player in the green transition, and for us, I think it’s obvious that they should compete on the same terms as all other companies in Sweden, and respect the basic principles of the Swedish labour market.”
Sweden’s national mediator, Medlingsinstitutet has attempted to act as a go-between but its senior labor adviser Per Ewaldsson acknowledges that it is a difficult one to resolve. “In this case, the dispute is more about principles than matters of substance — because the trade union demands a collective agreement with this company and the company refuses such an agreement. So in terms of mediation, it’s rather complicated to find a compromise,” he said.
A month into its strike, IF Metall is firmly dug in for the long haul. Striking workers are being fully compensated for lost pay. With a strike fund worth an estimated £1bn, the union says it can cover the cost of industrial action for decades if need be. “We have always anticipated that it might take a long time,” Pettersson said.
Tesla is obviously seeing this work stoppage in Sweden in the larger global context. IG Metall, one of the largest unions in Germany, has been trying to organize the 11,000 workers at the Tesla factory outside Berlin with little success. And in the US, the UAW is fresh off a major victory against Ford, GM, and Stellantis and setting its sights on other non-unionized auto workers, especially those at Tesla. That may explain why Tesla is being so intransigent about a handful of workers in Sweden.
In the final analysis, there are sweeping changes coming to the auto industry as the EV revolution moves forward. Workers are looking for assurances that there will still be good jobs for them in the future. This is one dispute that deserves to be watched closely as the result will reverberate throughout the industry.
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What happens when the Blizzard of Oz meets the [artist id="3187077"]Bieber[/artist]? You'll find out on Super Bowl Sunday when Best Buy unveils a commercial co-starring [artist id="1004"]Ozzy[/artist] and Sharon Osbourne and Justin Bieber.
Best Buy confirmed on Wednesday that Grammy-nominated pop superstar Bieber will take his place alongside the metal legend and his equally famous chat hostess wife for the retail chain's first-ever ad during the big game, according to Business Wire.
Details on the concept of the commercial were not announced at press time, but BB confirmed that the ad is slated to air during the third quarter of the February 6 showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to a press release, it will "showcase creativity and humor to millions of football and advertising fans throughout the country."
"We're delighted to have Justin and Ozzy help us tell the Best Buy story," said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Best Buy. "We know people have high expectations for these ads, and Justin and Ozzy add a whole new dimension of fun."
Britain's Sun tabloid ran a photo on Thursday (January 27) that was purportedly shot on the set of the ad, in which the unlikely trio are dressed in black-and-silver futuristic space suits.
It won't be the only time you see [article id="1656282"]Bieber on Super Bowl Sunday[/article], as an ad for his upcoming 3-D concert movie, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," will also pop up at some point after the most-watched telecast of the year, during an episode of "Glee."
The film opens one week later, on Valentine's Day weekend. This is not the first time Bieber has teamed up with a major sporting event to support a release. During Game 3 of last year's World Series, the teen pop star debuted a mini-music video for the unplugged version of his song "Never Say Never" to promote his acoustic album, [article id="1651179"]My Worlds Acoustic[/article].


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The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism says the country stands to benefit from the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) which will ease movement of goods and services and create a larger market.
In an interview on Thursday in Lilongwe, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Henry Mussa said TFTA will increase intra-tripartite trade and address the socio-economic challenges facing many countries in the region.
He said: “There are several challenges that the TFTA will solve among them are high transport costs, low productive capacities, infrastructure gaps, a fragmented market and enhanced global value chains, among others.
“Agro-business is one of the sectors that has been identified for value chains in the work programme that has been approved because agriculture is important for the Malawi economy.”
Mussa said government is delighted that the tripartite framework has prioritised infrastructure development, adding that with good infrastructure connectivity, cost of doing business is reduced.
Comesa assistant secretary general Kipyego Cheluget said 20 countries have signed the TFTA agreement.
“You will note that at the launch of the TFTA, some work was still outstanding on negotiating rules of origin, trade remedies, exchange of tariff offers, legal drafting of the accompanying annexes to the agreement and movement of business persons,” he said.
Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) president Karl Chokotho said the TFTA is important for Malawi because it will open bigger markets and the availability of huge markets means growth for businesses.
“When businesses are trading internationally, it helps in improving quality of goods, expertise and even marketing skills which are essential in the growth of any business.
“As a country, we should take advantage of the TFTA and make full use of it since we are landlocked,” he said.
The TFTA was launched in June 2015 by the Third Tripartite Summit of Heads of State and Government after more than three years of intense negotiations.
It is anchored on three pillars, namely market integration, industrial development and infrastructure development.
The TFTA was established following the coming together of States from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to remove duplication and overlaps by other countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and EAC.
The TFTA has a population of 600 million people and gross domestic product of $1.2 trillion. n


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B&M have launched a huge health and fitness event to help you kick start your New Year’s resolutions.
After the Christmas chaos has ended, many of us are looking to swap our usual glass of prosecco for a protein shake, in an attempt to beat the festive bulge. So the Fitness Event at B&M couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Health and Fitness event launchs on Saturday 26th December, and will be available in all stores nationwide. Some items are also available online.
There’s also a whole range of healthy snacks including, brand new Mars, Snickers and Twix sticks, all under 100 calories each and will only set you back £1.99 for a pack of 10 – we can’t wait to get our hands on these.
Will you be trying any of these products from B&M? Or planning on a different resolution this New Year? Let us know in the comments box below.
Here are just some of our top picks:
- 10 pack Snickers under 100 Kcal Stick, £1.99
- Weight Watchers Hot Air Fryer 3.2L, £39
- Breville Blend Active, £20
- George Foreman Small Grill, £20
- 1.5kg Dumbbells, £6
- Portion Plate, £2
- Yoga Mat, £6
- Slimfast High Protein Vanilla Shake, £7
You can shop B&M's full fitness range, here.
Aldi have also unveiled a new range of home fitness equipment - priced from just £4.99. Launching online from the 27th December, supermarket Aldi had created a fitness collection - consisting of rowing machines, weights, yoga mats and more to help you reach your fitness goals at home.
Planning on doing Dry January? Well Gordon’s Gin have announced a new, alcohol free option 0.0% gin. Available now at Amazon and in Tesco stores, Gordon’s 0.0% delivers all the taste with none of the alcohol.


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Zelle is peer-to-peer payment network used by more than 1,000 banks and banking apps. Like other P2P services, Zelle makes it easy to send money to friends and family using their email addresses or phone numbers. But as convenient as it can be for you, it’s also that convenient for scammers who want to steal your money.
Zelle was introduced in 2017 by a company created by some of the U.S.’s largest banks. Given its connection to the banks, Zelle grew quickly, driving over $490 billion in transactions in 2021, twice as many as its nearest competitor Venmo. But Zelle’s immediacy made it a “preferred tool for grifters,” leading to widespread fraud and scams across the platform.
Widespread fraud on money transfer apps has affected nearly 18 million Americans.
Recently Senators Warren, Menendez, Reed sent a letter to Zelle Parent Company on Failure to Address Consumer Fraud and Scams.
“Alarmingly, both your company and the big banks who both own and partner with the platform have abdicated responsibility for fraudulent transactions, leaving consumers with no way to get back their funds. Zelle’s biggest draw – the immediacy of its transfers – also makes scams more effective and ‘a favorite of fraudsters,’ as consumers have no option to cancel a transaction even moments after authorizing it.” And banks have chosen to let consumers suffer, blaming them for authorizing fraudulent transactions,” continued the lawmakers.
According to Consumer Watchdog, banks were essentially “throw(ing) up their hands and saying ‘it’s not our problem because you authenticated it.’” A former executive at your company even argued that banks have not done enough to deter fraud on Zelle, warning that banks had not sufficiently educated consumers about the risks. One customer observed that “it’s like the banks have colluded with the sleazebags on the street to be able to steal.”
“Both your company and the big banks who both own and partner with the platform have abdicated responsibility for fraudulent transactions, leaving consumers with no way to get back their funds.”
Zelle has been asked to answer a series of questions that includes:
1. What are the procedures for rooting out scams on the online platform Zelle, and how has your company adjusted those procedures in light of “rampant […] organized crime” on the platform?
2. What are Zelle’s policies for determining which consumers receive refunds for fraudulent claims?
a. Is this a joint process with the account holders’ bank? If so, are these procedures standardized across all banks and financial institutions using the platform?
3. Does Regulation E of the Electronic Fund Transfers Act apply to the scams seen regularly on Zelle, including those that involve consumers induced into authorizing fraudulent transfers?
a. Under Regulation E, would Early Warning Services, LLC or the account holders’ bank be responsible for refunding the funds?
4. How many reports of fraud from Zelle customers have Early Warning Services received for each of the last five full calendar years, and from January 1, 2022, to the present? For each year, and for the period from January 1, 2022, to the present, please provide:
a. The total number of reported cases of fraud from Zelle customers.
b. The total dollar value of reported fraud.
c. The number of cases where Zelle provided refunds to customers.
d. The total value of these refunds.
e. The number of cases where Zelle referred fraud to law enforcement or to federal or state bank regulators.
In the meantime, consumers who are looking for relief should contact their banks again and cite this letter from Warren and Menendez. No promises that it will work, but it’s worth a shot.
Have you been a victim of fraud while using Zelle? Let us know here.
Disclaimer: Some information on this site may be considered attorney advertising under your state’s laws and ethical rules. This legal news site and its content is for general information only and is not legal advice. Information on this site may be incomplete or out-of-date.
No attorney-client relationship is created between you and any attorney who publishes content or online forms on this site. Hiring a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.


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Google revealed that it is joining the checklist of tech giants to deploy blockchain modern technology in order to provide consumers fintech and customer support options. The main declaration was out on July 23. The Google article mentioned that the users will likewise have the ability to try open-source assimilations for Hyperledger Material as well as Ethereum (ETH) in their GCP Market, later on this year.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin while talking at the Blockchain Top in Morocco Brin on July 8 revealed that he is Ethereum miner. He stated that Ethereum mining was a “side hustle,” and that cryptocurrencies are “mind-boggling,” CoinTelegraph reported. The business revealed that it has partnered with two blockchain-focused firms– Digital Possession and BlockApps. It is to provide brand-new dispersed ledger innovation (DLT) services on Google’s Cloud System (GCP), enabling individuals to “explore methods [consumers] could use distributed ledger technology structures.”
See also: Decentralised Twitter: Hit or miss? Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin supports the platform
Ethereum community appears to be rather thrilled concerning as a Redditor posted “Ethereum involving Google Cloud” and ecstatic Redditor akira_fmx composed, “Long overdue! Currently I’ll have the ability to rotate up a node with less steps as well as ideally less costly!” While another reddior kaibakker composed, “It reveals Ethereum is taken seriously by the tech Giants.”
With the brand-new collaborations, Google joins various other gigantic technology firms with blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) offerings, such as IBM, Microsoft, and also Oracle Amazon Internet Solutions (AWS), which introduced its blockchain system for DApps in April 2018. “We’re partnering with Google Cloud to offer designers with a full pile option so they could release the capacity for web-paced development in blockchain,” said Blythe Masters, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Property, in a declaration. “This will certainly lower the technical barriers to DLT application development by supplying our advanced distributed journal system and modelling language to Google Cloud.”
A mechanical engineer turned journalist, Shekar takes a keen interest in the study and analysis of cryptocurrencies and blockchain strategy. With the cryptocurrency world blooming in the recent days, he finds great interest in monitoring their growth and gathering every possible piece of information about them. He works as a crypto-journalist for the website Abstractblockchain.


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Bangalore-based start-up, 99tests launches app testing contest
99tests Bug-a-thon contest pays testers to find bugs
We are getting smarter and so are our gadgets and apps. Smartphones of today are more powerful than the PCs that sent the first humans to moon in 1969! Powerful smartphones and gadgets need equally smart apps. Apps that work without glitches and bugs.
Meeting app quality goals to make apps more brilliant is easier said than done. How do you predict your app’s performance out in the open?How do you recreate the myriad conditions that affect your app’s performance in the real world?
That’s the problem that 99tests, a Bangalore based software testing company resolves to solve. Through their crowd testing platform, they enable companies to test their apps out in the open in real world conditions. With crowd sourced testing, it is easy to connect with testers from across the globe and test your app across multiple devices and browsers without making any major investments.
The concept of crowdsourced testing is pretty new in the market. The company recently launched the daily bug bounty contest to help companies learn more about crowd testing. The daily online contest allows the registered apps with the highest votes to get access to valid bugs logged by professional crowd testers for free.
The 99tests Bug-a-thon 2016
The 99tests Bug-a- thon, is a daily online app testing contest that lets companies test their apps for free. The top 10 winning apps of the day are chosen by popular votes by the crowd testing community and the participating members. After getting tested by crowd testers, these winning apps receive access to valid bugs logged by the testers. The top app of the day can access up to 50 valid bugs while the rest of the winners gain access to up to 25 valid bugs. The registration is free and open for all companies.
The contest allows companies to learn more about crowd testing and at the same time opens up opportunities for professional testers to find valid bugs and make money. Professional testers registered for the event can test the latest apps and also interact with other software testing professionals. The prize money for testers is based on the number of valid bugs they find.
The event that was launched last month has generated interest from many start-ups & app developers. Participating companies were able to find difficult software bugs in their application through the contest. The free registration for the event is still open and you can check out this link to learn more the : https://bugathon.99tests.com


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Record March for Norwegian salmon exports
Norwegian seafood exports hit record high volumes last month, with farmed salmon once again out in front.
After a slightly disappointing January and February, overseas sales of fish of all types increased by 13.5% to NOK 10.9bn (£940m) in March.
Seafood and Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen declared: “Despite the fact that the corona pandemic continues to affect the seafood markets, it is gratifying that the export value of Norwegian seafood has never seen a stronger March than this year.
“Our seafood is sought after all over the world, and behind the numbers is an adaptable industry with good people at all levels.”
The country’s salmon farmers exported 108,200 tonnes of fish in March worth NOK 7.2bn (£617m). Volumes were up by 28% which led to a 22% or NOK 1.3bn (£110m) increase in value.
Salmon exports during the first three months of this year rose by 18 per cent to 297,200 tonnes and were worth NOK 18bn (£1.54bn), an overall decline of 4%.
Norwegian Seafood Council analyst Paul T. Aandahl said: “The value of salmon exports in March was the highest recorded in a single month, which is primarily due to record high volumes.
“Despite the fact that the Norwegian krone has strengthened against the main currencies the euro and the US dollar, the average price in March was only one per cent lower than in the same month last year.”
He said Asia was now the strongest growing market.
Seafood Council CEO Renate Larsen said a weak Norwegian kroner had helped to keep export values up in 2020. But exports have not had that traction this year since the kroner has now strengthened.
“Although Norwegian seafood has become more expensive for buyers outside Norway, there have been large volumes and a relatively strong demand for products of salmon, herring and king crab in the first quarter, “ she added.
However, March was not such a good month for the farmed trout sector with volumes down by 11% to 4,500 tonnes and value down by 5% to NOK 300m (£2.5m).
Fresh cod exports last month shot up by 76% to 14,300 tones and by 37 per cent in value to NOK 490m (£42m).
Frozen cod exports in March rose by 22% to almost 12,000 tonnes and the value was up by 3% to NOK 464m (£39m).


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With concern growing about rising childhood obesity rates, medical experts advised parents to limit how much candy they allow their children to eat.
"I don’t think the indiscretion of a single day or a couple of days around Halloween would have any measurable impact on that child’s health," said Dr Michael Kramer, a child health and development expert at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
But when the gluttony of Halloween stretches until the end of the year and beyond, it may be cause for concern.
If a child eats an extra 100 calories — which does not seem like a lot — every day for a year then it’s 36,500 extra calories, which adds up, according to Kramer.
"In a sense our society has prolonged the Halloween experience," said Dr. Diane Finegood, a nutrition and diabetes expert at the CIHR.
Americans are likely to spend over $5 billion on the holiday, with nearly three-quarters of the population spending an average $20 worth of candy to hand out, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation
What about the rest of the year?
"If you walk through a grocery store and look at the packaging of food intended for children, almost all of it really links the ideas of fun with food," she said in an interview.
"The food industry has recognized it can sell food by linking it to fun. That takes the concept of fun and food — which Halloween did once a year — to an everyday experience."
A recent report by the nonprofit Trust for Americas Health showed that the rate of childhood obesity more than tripled from 1980 to 2004. Approximately 25 million children are now either obese or overweight, it said.
Obesity increases a child’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes — a disease normally associated with adults.
Experts challenge parents to move away from just giving away candy at Halloween and to explore fun alternatives such as small toys.
"There are ideas out there for things to give away, things that are fun, but they don’t eat," said Finegood.


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Companies including American Express, REI, TOMS shoes, and Unilever have created initiatives that go beyond marketing campaigns to promote social causes, spur action, and unify people around a common cause. These successful brand movements—and others—share several common attributes, from providing purpose beyond the brand to driving behavioral change.
Too often, consumers get stuck while making a choice—leaving shopping carts abandoned or important investment decisions unresolved. Marketers can leverage behavioral design principles to help consumers overcome “analysis paralysis” and commit to taking action.
Engaged and motivated employees can give restaurant brands an edge in today’s competitive marketplace. By focusing on employee engagement programs—and five strategies in particular—restaurants can create a motivated workforce of brand ambassadors who take ownership of the customer experience.
The possibilities for digital reality technologies are seemingly endless, from entertainment opportunities in the home to far-ranging enterprise applications that could arm employees with the information they need, when and where they need it, enabling them to operate more efficiently in the workplace.
Many CIOs and other IT executives have fully embraced flexible consumption, the IT delivery model focused on subscription and pay-as-you-go services; however, they still have work to do to convince their IT staffs of its benefits.
At Clear Channel Outdoor, the commitment to cultural diversity in the workplace starts at the top. Dan Levi, CMO of the organization, discusses Clear Channel Outdoors’ efforts to drive gender equality and cultural diversity as well as the importance of accurately portraying diversity in advertising and programming.
Please note: The Wall Street Journal News Department was not involved in the creation of the content above.More from Deloitte


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May 5, 2015 |
WASHINGTON: Tech industry leaders including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg have raised $100 million for an education initiative aimed at "reimagining" schools from the elementary school level. The San Francisco-based AltSchool announced Monday the latest funding came from the venture capital groups Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation led by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla . Other contributors included Omidyar Network created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and venture investor John Doerr.
April 26, 2015 |
BENGALURU: Social media site Facebook has started a 'Safety Check' feature for users stranded in Nepal or any of the other affected zones, following a massive earthquake near Kathmandu that rocked the subcontinent on Saturday, the site's billionaire chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said. In a post on Facebook on Sunday, Zuckerberg said the feature is a simple and quick way to reach out to worried family and friends. "It's a simple way to let family and friends know you're okay," 30-year-old Zuckerberg said.
April 26, 2015
NEW DELHI: At a time when Nepal and parts of India have been convulsed by a devastating earthquake, modern web technology is turning out to be a boon as distressed family members are able to locate their loved ones. Social networking website Facebook, and Google's Person Finder have helped locate the whereabouts of those stranded in quake-hit areas. For instance, members of one Himmatramka family residing in Birgunj in Nepal marked themselves safe on Facebook. "Our relatives back in India were worried about our safety.
April 24, 2015 |
SAN FRANCISCO: Mark Zuckerberg is going to need to find some more pinball machines and rock-climbing walls. The social networking company, known for its many perks that make it a regular on the hottest-places-to-work lists, is increasing headcount at an incredible pace. Facebook, which reported on Wednesday that sales fell short of estimates, passed the 10,000-employee mark last quarter. With a total of 10,082 at the end of March, Facebook increased headcount by 48% compared with the same time last year.
April 23, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: Even as the debate on Facebook's Internet.org initiative violating net neutrality rages on, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg today said the platform has made free basic Internet services available to more than 800 million people in nine countries, including India. Internet.org is a Facebook-led initiative which states that it aims to bring 5 billion people online in partnership with tech giants like Samsung and Qualcomm . However, Facebook's partnership with Reliance Communications in India to provide free Internet access to 33 websites as part of its Internet.org initiative has raised quite a few eyebrows with free Internet activists saying that it violates the idea of net neutrality.
April 17, 2015 |
NEW YORK: Finding itself at the receiving end of the 'net neutrality' debate, Facebook today said its Internet.org platform has benefitted "millions" of people on RCOM network in India and it is open for all mobile operators. Asserting that universal connectivity and net neutrality "can and must" co-exist, Facebook Founder & CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said that he strongly disagrees with the criticism that Internet.org offering some services for free goes against the spirit of net neutrality.
April 15, 2015 |
NEW YORK: Amid a raging debate on ensuring equal Internet access for all, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg today rejected criticism that his internet.org programme, which has RCom as a partner in India, was against the concept of net neutrality. Internet.org is a Facebook-led initiative which states that it aims to bring 5 billion people online in partnership with tech giants like Smasung and Qualcomm. Facebook's partnership with Reliance Communications to provide free Internet access to 33 websites as part of its Internet.org initiative has raised quite a few eyebrows with free Internet activists saying that it violates the idea of net neutrality.
April 4, 2015 |
NEW YORK: Facebook and its founder must release documents and electronic correspondence to a defence lawyer whose client has fled from criminal charges that he falsely claimed a majority ownership in the social media giant, a federal judge said. US District Judge Vernon Broderick yesterday ordered Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg to relinquish documents by Monday that were requested by c's lawyer, Robert Ross Fogg. The judge said he received a letter Thursday from lawyers for Facebook Inc. and Zuckerberg asking that an order he issued earlier in the week to promptly turn over requested documents be suspended until Ceglia is caught.
March 8, 2015 |
BARCELONA: Taking on social networking giant Facebook's ambitious 'free internet' plans, telecom major Bharti Airtel chief Sunil Mittal has said the companies should do 'philanthropy' if they stop charging for mobile internet. Facebook has launched an 'internet.org' initiative under which users can access internet free of charge for select websites if they come through a partner telecom operator. Incidentally, Airtel Africa is one such partner for Facebook, while rival Reliance Communications has partnered Facebook in India for this initiative, which is based on assumption that bringing more people to the internet fold by offering them free service initially is good for the industry.
March 5, 2015 |
BARCELONA: Facebook is open to testing pilot alternative technologies such as solar-powered planes and satellites in India to provide broadband connectivity as the world's biggest social network looks at ways to participate in the government's Rs 1.13-lakh crore Digital India programme. "The government is going great in adopting broadband connectivity for delivering services to citizens," Chris Daniels, vice-president (products) for Internet.org, told ET. Internet. org is a Facebook-led global initiative that aims to connect people who don't have Internet access.


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With the 2014 Chevy Impala, GM aims to take retail market share from the Ford Taurus, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon and others in a large-sedan market that’s been shrinking for years.
Photo credit: GM
NEW YORK — General Motors today will unveil the redesign of the Chevrolet Impala at the New York auto show.
The next-generation Impala, the 10th version of the nameplate introduced in 1958, is an effort to take the car decidedly more upscale and accelerate retail demand while dialing back fleet sales. The 2014 Impala will mark the car’s first redesign in eight years and its first platform change since the late 1990s.
Automakers rarely unveil a car a year before it goes on sale, for fear of pulling the rug out from under the current model. But when most of the car’s buyers are fleet operators, not individuals, that’s less of a risk.
When the redesigned Impala arrives in showrooms roughly a year from now, GM executives believe it will erase what even they acknowledge is the last remaining blemish on Chevy’s car lineup in terms of quality.
GM is aiming to take retail market share from the Ford Taurus, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon and other rivals in a large-sedan market that’s been eroding for years as buyers have migrated to SUVs and crossovers.
The 2014 Impala will give buyers two new engine options: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with GM’s eAssist technology, 182 horsepower and an estimated 35 miles per gallon highway; and a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder expected to deliver 195 horsepow…er and 31 mpg. “When you drive this car … you have to stop after you’re done and open the hood just to believe that it’s a four-cylinder,” said Darren Post, vehicle line director. Also available will be a 3.6-liter V-6 engine delivering 303 horsepower and 28 mpg. The 2012 Impala offers fuel economy up to 18 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.


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4th break-in in 2 months reported by RV dealer
Electronics stolen from Caney Creek
For the fourth time in seven weeks, a Jackson RV dealer has reported a break-in.
More than $3,000 worth of TV, stereo and DVD equipment was stolen from an RV on the lot of Caney Creek RV Sales at 3849 Interstate 55 South, officials said.
The business has recently been a target for thieves, who have stolen about 65 flat-screen TVs from RVs. A nearby lawn mower company had also been hit by burglars during the past few weeks.
Anyone with information that can help police is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS.


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Yes Bank has partnered with Ola to set up mobile ATM’s and enable convenient cash withdrawals for citizens by swiping their debit cards.
Customers can swipe their Debit Cards to withdraw an amount of up to Rs 2000 per card by using PoS Machines which will be available in Ola Cabs stationed near Yes Bank branches.
This will ease the process of cash withdrawals for citizens pan India & provide seamless service to the customers with additional mobile infrastructure powered by Ola.
The service will be made available in over 30 locations across 10 cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Jaipur.
It is an important milestone for both banking and mobility to come together by helping people & beingfully committed to helping realize the Government’s initiative to propel digital payments in India and move towards a ‘less-cash’ economy.


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3G services enable users to enjoy a host of services like mobile TV, video calls, social networking on-the-go, video streaming and high definition gaming.
Bharti airtel today commenced the rollout of its 3G services in the North-East circle comprising of six states. With 3G services, users can enjoy a host of services including fast mobile internet access, mobile TV, video calls, social networking on-the-go, video streaming and high definition gaming.
"As we extend the promise of Airtel 3G services to North-East India, we invite our mobile customers in the region to leverage the power of high speed internet and a host of innovative application capabilities their mobile devices anywhere, anytime. We believe that Airtel 3G will lead the data and internet revolution in North East India, bringing our 20 lakh plus customers in this Circle closer to an all new world of possibilities", said Raghunath Mandava, operations director, East, mobile services, Bharti airtel.
To help the customers, the teleco promises timely updates and alerts on their data usage as well as an 'internet usage calculator' to help users analyse their current internet data usage and choose an Airtel 3G plan accordingly.
Airtel's third generation telephony services are already in key cities across India including Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur. Airtel successfully bid for 3G spectrum in 13 telecom circles across India and is rolling out state-of-the-art networks in these geographies.
Intex Aqua Classic has a quad core processor.
DataWind said that the tablet come bundled with the "free internet connection at no additional cost on the Reliance Communications network for 1 year”.
Oppo A37 has 2 GB RAM, dual SIM and 4G connectivity.
The Cool VR 1x will be made available for purchase exclusively on Amazon India from today onwards.
The Panasonic Toughbook CF-20 will be available in August 2016 from authorized Panasonic resellers at Rs 2.25 lakhs, plus taxes.
The new Kindle comes in white and black color options.
The new Canvas Fire 5 has front firing speakers and Auro 3D sound technology.
There is no information as of now about price or features of Honor T1 8.0.
Honor 5C is the first phone of the company to have the Kirin 650 octa core processor.
Skullcandy Grind Wireless Bluetooth headphone It has an integrated amplifier for higher power rating and less distortion.


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The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has reiterated the importance of adhering to institutional and technical standards as a means of boosting localisation in South Africa.
In so doing, the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) will improve to levels higher than the current 13%, a DTIC representative said on November 5.
Historically, South Africa’s manufacturing sector contributed more than 20% to GDP.
The DTIC’s localisation-focused webinar on November 5 aimed to educate consumers and manufacturers on the mandates of technical industrial institutions.
This forms part of supporting local production in South Africa, which the government has identified as a key policy objective to drive economic growth in the country.
Institutions participating in the dialogue comprised the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, the South African National Accreditation System, South Africa Bureau of Standards, as well as the National Metrology Institute of South Africa.
These institutions encourage the manufacturing of quality products, to be sold locally and internationally, and maintain a level of quality through various technical standards and requirements.
Together, these institutions unlock institutional capacity to drive industrial competitiveness and ensure the quality assurance of all locally manufactured goods.


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Some of the thousands of Harley-Davidson riders enter Wenceslas Square in the heart of Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo: Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Struggling with fallen demand for motorcycles, and higher costs from global trade wars, Harley-Davidson Inc. on Tuesday reported a 26% drop in first-quarter profits – while President Donald Trump threatened to launch a trade war with the European Union over tariffs imposed on Harley and other American companies.
“So unfair to U.S. We will reciprocate!” Trump tweeted after Harley said its net income for the recent quarter fell to $127.9 million, or 80 cents a share, from $174.6 million, or $1.03 a year earlier.
The president did not provide any detail on what actions he would take against the EU, but it’s


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Back in September 2009, I wrote about Line2 — a startup that offers similar functionality to Google Voice, but with a focus on catering to businesses and ‘prosumers’ (it offers easily-accessible phone support among its included features). At the time, the company was getting off to a difficult start: it took Apple three months to initially approve the app, largely because of the dispute between Apple and Google over Google Voice.
But they finally made it into the store, and things have gone very well since.
Two years later, Line2 has 50,000 paying customers (plans begin at $9.95/month) and forty employees, and is very nearly cash flow positive. The app is available for both iPhone and Android, and today it’s launching for the iPad — you can find the new app right here. The iPad app looks good, in part because Line2 received input from Apple, which nudged it toward making an iPad version. From a functionality perspective it’s identical to the service’s iPhone version, but that’s not a bad thing.
To start using the service you’ll need to sign up for an account, which needs to be done via the Line2 website. You’ll be able to pick a new phone number that you’ll use as your ‘Line2′ or you can port an existing one. After you’re set up, you can place and route calls, send messages, and browse through your message history for each contact directly from your iPad. Calls are placed over VoIP when possible, or you can elect to route a call to your regular phone.
Line2 founder Peter Sisson says that the company decided to make the app after it found that the iPad was its top-converting platform, despite the fact that it only offered the 2x scaled view of its iPhone app (in other words, it looked pretty bad, but people were still using it). So they took the hint and built an HD version from the ground up to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen real estate.
Line2 designs, builds, and operates software-based phone services that capitalize on the rapid emergence of smartphones, tablets, and the cloud. As this new paradigm changes how people work, play, and communicate, phone service needs to be smarter, more personalized, and device-independent. Line2 is making this happen with telecom services that improve productivity and protect privacy, offering a better work/life balance in a totally mobile world. Line2 targets premium customers who require enterprise-grade quality and reliability, ranging from solo “pro-sumers”...
Peter Sisson is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and Internet industries. A consummate geek, he spent his early school years programming computers, running from bullies, and avoiding gym glass whenever possible. He studied computer science at Cornell and went on to earn a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford. He started his career writing PBX operating system software at Bell Labs, which soon after began its transition from a national institution...


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Moviefone is shutting down its phone-in ticketing business to focus on its app, according to Jeff Berman, president of BermanBraun, which runs the declining movie ticket service.
Berman told the New York Times: “The call-in service has been in pretty steady decline… Our customers are much more interested in our award-winning app, and we need to invest our resources in the future, part of which involves a major reimagining of Moviefone.” This weekend, callers were informed that the service would soon go silent.
Once a dominant force in the world of movie ticketing and listings, the service is best known for the voice of “Mr. Moviefone,” provided by founder Russ Leatherman, that greeted callers. That voice will now go silent. BermanBraun assumed operational control of Moviefone from AOL in October, though the two continue to run it as a partnership.
Lloyd Braun, a founder of BermanBraun (his co-founder Gail Berman has left the company), augured this shift with comments he made to TheWrap a few months ago, saying his company “saw a big opportunity in the space to really reinvent Moviefone for the mobile world.”
He also promised an overhaul, and Berman told the Times that AOL and BermanBraun will present a revitalized Moviefone brand in the coming months, though he provided no detail.
AOL paid $388 million for Moviefone in 1999 and tried to reinvent the service as a destination for movie news. Moviefone co-founder Andrew Jarecki accused AOL of mismanaging the business, which AOL rebutted. Though an AOL executive said thousands of people still use the automated ticket service, there is no denying Moviefone has fallen behind its rivals, principally Fandango.
At its peak in the mid-1990s, Moviefone received more than three million calls a week, according to the Times.


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Researchers and engineers who examined this project have agreed this is a groundbreaking initiative that will lead to help a large number of consumers lead healthier lives.
NW, Washington DC, U.S (PRWEB) December 09, 2014
American entrepreneurs, Nadia Robinson and Louis Bookoff have started a groundbreaking initiative with the distribution of healthy, organic food from their social business, Locals Aquaponics Farm.
Sustainable aquaponics growing system to supply affordable organic food.
Locals allow for everyone to be able to eat organic produce regardless or income or location, and allow for cities to grow smart. Their mission is helping local communities.
The venture combines sensors with technology in a vertical aquaponics growing system to supply a sustainable source of organic produce. The project started on a small scale after years of research and development to meet the growing demand for organic produce that is affordable for the consumer and grown in a transparent and social responsible manner.
“This business grew out of a desire to preserve and protect the environment for this and future generations. Researchers and engineers who examined this project have agreed this is a groundbreaking initiative that will lead to help a large number of consumers lead healthier lives.
"Having access to organic food is the best way for them to avoid the supplements and synthetic items like food coloring, preservatives and chemical additives which damage the immune system and cause serious health problems every year,” says Mrs. Robinson, CEO of Locals.
A fundraising campaign was recently launched on the crowd funding site, Indiegogo, to raise money to start development and production of organic food and take the company to the next level. The business partners have invested thousands of dollars in the last five years to set up the small scale aquaponics farm and are now ready to take the venture commercial.
With the high-quality organic food produced, the company aims to significantly reduce the cost to the consumer and provide affordable alternatives for them to live healthier lives.
About the owners
Nadia Robinson has played vital roles in launching three start-ups prior to Locals. She has degrees in Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises, and has multiple years of greenhouse experience as well as other growing experience. Louis Bookoff is currently majoring in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises and Accounting at the Whitman School of Management. He has a passion for food and has led various marketing campaigns for restaurants and a startup company.
For more information, contact: Nadia Robinson
Address: 1103 r Harvard St NW Washington , DC 20009
Mobile Phone: 2025771009
Website: – http://localsgrowsmart.com
Indiegogo campaign: http://igg.me/at/localsgrowsmart/x/9223987


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If you ever dreamed about what the year 2022 would look like, you might not have envisioned wind farms spinning with a view of New York City in the background.
2022 will be a big year for renewable energy. Big projects have been approved and more customers will place a focus on the environment. Still, it won’t be without its headaches stemming from supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic.
Here are four things to watch out for in the renewable energy space in the year ahead:
1. More government renewable energy projects approved
As 2021 came to a close, big government projects were announced to help move the country’s big cities to 100% clean energy. Before leaving office, then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $191 million investment in offshore wind turbines that will help the city reach a goal of 100% clean electricity production by 2030 and complete carbon neutrality by 2050.
“The climate crisis is real,” de Blasio said in a release. “New York City will serve as the model for taking climate action and growing the offshore wind industry with a real long-term vision plan focused on equity. We have the opportunity now to deliver on promises and set the city on a path towards a sustainable future.”
Currently, offshore wind farms only generate less than 1% of the world’s electrical power. But according to the International Energy Agency, the market will expand fifteen-fold and transform into a trillion-dollar industry by 2040. That means more spinning wheels across landscapes throughout the country.
2. Supply chain disruptions
It doesn’t matter what industry you work in or what you’re trying to purchase – these days, everything from baby cribs to solar panels is delayed and a victim of supply chain disruption.
According to the consulting firm Rystad Energy, as much as 56% of worldwide utility-scale solar projects could be delayed or canceled in 2022 due to supply chain disruptions.
The problem stems from the fact that when production picked back up after the pandemic forced factory shutdowns, there wasn’t enough raw material to keep up with the demand for solar panels. This, paired with skyrocketing shipping costs, threatens many projects.
3. Retail electricity providers will continue to grow
Legislators across the country are passing bills to help residents save money on their electricity by utilizing retail energy providers.
Hundreds of retail electricity providers, which essentially are third-party intermediary software companies, enter into PPAs with the large-scale project and then pass on the renewable energy credits to multiple off-takers, or residents, to help lower electricity prices but take advantage of the local clean energy in the grid.
According to Consumer Reports, 48% of Americans said they’d be willing to pay $5 more for clean energy, but it often costs less with retail energy. Expect more clean-energy offers for local residents as large-scale projects want to offload their PPAs quickly to turn a profit.
4. Consumers prioritize environmental justice
According to a study done by GreenPrint, 64% of Americans are willing to pay more for sustainable products. However, 74% of buyers don’t know how to identify if a project is made sustainably.
78% of people are more likely to purchase a product that is clearly labeled as environmentally friendly. However, 53% of Americans never or only sometimes believe such claims. 45% of Americans said a third-party validator would lead them to believe the sustainability claims.
“Businesses are in a bind. Broadcasting sustainability would capture an untapped consumer base but also sow distrust,” Pete Davis, CEO and co-founder of GreenPrint, said in a release. “We’d suggest they follow the data. Third-party validation helps certify progress in the eyes of consumers.”
As 2022 continues, expect more companies to find tasteful ways to tout their sustainable practices.
- 87% of Utilities Have Experienced at Least One Data Breach in Last Three Years - February 5, 2024
- Can Drones Lower Your Next Utility Bill? - January 10, 2024
- Onshore Wind Farms Are The Next Big Thing In Renewable Energy - December 6, 2023


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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) led the Senate to pass a bill today boosting U.S. exports by establishing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia. The legislation, which passed by a vote of 92-4, is expected to double American exports to Russia within five years and support thousands of jobs across every sector of the U.S. economy, including manufacturing, agriculture and services. The bill also helps fight human rights abuses in Russia and extends PNTR to Moldova.
Russia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in August, and as part of the WTO accession process, it lowered tariffs and increased market access for foreign businesses. However, to this point, American businesses have been prevented from fully capitalizing on the new market access, because the U.S. has not yet extended PNTR status to Russia. Doing so will put American exporters on a level playing field with their competitors in Europe, China and among the more than 150 WTO member nations. Additionally, the benefits of passing PNTR will be one-sided: the U.S. is not required to make any market access or tariff concessions to Russia as part of establishing PNTR or with Russia’s WTO accession process. Instead, establishing PNTR would help to boost the U.S. economy and create jobs here at home, across every sector of the economy. The House of Representatives passed PNTR legislation last month.
Thursday December 6, 2012/ Senate Committee on Finance/ United States.


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Radio has become one of the most persistent forms of media the public knows today. It has remained a steady source of news and entertainment for its audiences, but a new study says the medium might not have a bright future.
This new study is courtesy of Larry Miller, head of the New York University’s Steinhart Music Business Program. In his report, Miller said radio has “failed” to spark the engagement of Generation Z audiences, or those born past 1995.
The statistic seems relevant as Generation Z listeners will soon become an integral part of the market in the United States. They will possibly be 40-percent of all consumers in the U.S. in three years. Exposure to a digital environment may have urged Gen-Z consumers to lose interest in traditional media which, unfortunately, includes the radio.
The “gloomy” news also pertains to devices people use to listen to the radio. By 2020, most new cars are expected to be “connected” to digital services. This means radio will find itself to have competitors for audio options of drivers.
This extends to “smart speakers” that are becoming popular in the market today. As some of them do not even have AM/FM capabilities, users of the products will inevitably have to rely on digital services to listen to songs and other services.
Miller concluded that “unless the industry is set to make peace with a long and steady decline,” then radio must start investing on strong digital services.
Dennis Wharton of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and a representative for Nielsen responded to the report, disagreeing with the claims.
Nielsen cited the first quarter data of its 2017 Total Audience Report, where it says Generation Z respondents have in fact spent at least a day tuning into AM/FM radio monthly. They added that a huge number of Americans in fact use the radio for useful and informative programming every week.
The Nielsen representative wrote for Variety that their data proves that radio wouldn’t be in any “danger” as the medium was able to adapt to its market. The representative added that radio is also capable of reaching a lot of media, again as evidenced by their data.


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Alipay wants to make it easier for outbound Chinese travelers to pay abroad. The Alibaba Group affiliate — which has become the biggest payment platform in the world in 2013 — wants to cater to Chinese tourists coming to Europe. In order to do so, the financial company has began introducing payment services in several European countries.
More and more European merchants, big or small, are interested in acquiring the payment method. Indeed, about 180 Million Chinese travelers are going outbounds in 2019, according to the latest estimates. The payment giant is partnering up with 6 European firms, listed thereafter.
- momo Pocket (Spain)
- Pagaqui (Portugal)
- ePassi (Finland)
- Pivo (Finland)
- Bluecode (Austria)
- Vipps (Norway)
For the longest, the only options available for inbound Chinese travelers were the restricted number of businesses that accepted UnionPay — although it is the main credit card issuer on the planet. Often depicted with piles of cash, for which they often had to queue to change — at a disadvantageous rate — Chinese tourists are apparently taking the news with content. No words have emerged yet on French businesses’ will to join the partnership program, but with more and more tourists coming to the Hexagon each year, chances are you see an Alipay stamp next time you go to the boulangerie.


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The country’s biggest automotive extravaganza, the Delhi Auto Expo is scheduled to be held from February 5 to 9 in 2016. Apart from the regular bunch of manufacturers, several international brands are also expected to be present at the 13th edition of the Auto Expo which will include the likes of Aston Martin, Maserati and Bentley!
When you talk about Bentleys, the ‘Speed’ suffix brings to mind a car with a name that is also found on Royal Enfield’s flagship motorcycle. That’s a superfast, two-door, four-seater GT car that we are talking about, and even its four-door version, the Flying Spur,
Bentley, one of the world’s largest selling luxury car automaker has released a smaller engine variant of its flagship model, the Flying Spur, in India.
In a glittering ceremony at Exclusive Motors, Delhi, Bentley has unveiled its latest iteration of the luxury sedan Flying Spur. The new Flying Spur occupies with panache its position among the high and mighty luxury sedans.


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Nike Roshe Run 2013 has a new official name: Rosherun FB. Roshe 2.0 turns out not to be a sequel. Instead, it's a sporty variation with indirect futbol theme. Roshe Run FB moves the Swoosh forward and puts a textured panel in its place. The NikeTalk thread where all this news seems to originate also reports some stores already have them for sale.
Nike Roshe Run FB
Nike Roshe Run FB Colorways
Copyright © 2013, SNEAKERscholar.


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Mazda has announced that its special edition models will now be available for company fleets, ultimately giving fleets a new stylish edge.
Mazda is well known for its stylish special edition models, with each offering a unique rendition on some of its most popular models – including the Mazda MX-5 and Mazda 2. Mazda is now making these vehicles available for company fleets.
Available special edition models to fleets will now include the Mazda MX-5 Kuro and the Venture range, which offers special edition versions of the Mazda 2, 3 and 5.
Mazda Head of Fleet Steve Tomlinson said: “Historically special edition Mazda models have been excluded from our standard support terms to contract hire and leasing companies and subsequently have had less appeal to fleets.
“However, as we continue to move from fifth to sixth generation Mazda models with the launch of the all-new Mazda6 following the recent arrival of the Mazda CX-5, we decided that our support term agreements would now include special edition models.”
The Mazda MX-5 Kuro may prove to be one of the most popular models as the MX-5 is the worlds best selling two-seat convertible sports car.
The MX-5 Kuro is one of the newest special editions and it is based on the MX-5’s SE and Sport Tech trim levels. The Kuro comes available with a 124bhp 1.8 petrol and an even punchier 158bhp 1.6-litre petrol.
Mazda MX-5 Kuro prices start from just £18,495 on-the-road. Mazda vehicles are available from Perrys Mazda dealerships.


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Mobile payments specialist Seamless has appointed two industry veterans to assist in establishing its Seqr NFC and QR payments platform in the US. Former Giesecke & Devrient director Emilian Elefteratos and payments executive Kenny Douglas will head the new US division. The additions come just weeks after Seamless announced the adoption of Seqr by McDonald’s restaurants in Belgium.
- Brunei’s largest bank to use Rambus’ Token Service Provider platform to secure mobile payment transactions
- HID Global enables workers to log in with NFC mobile phones
- Costa lets customers make payments with their coffee cups
- Vancouver commuters ‘queue down the block’ for TransLink transit ticketing wristbands
- European Central Bank switches on low cost instant payments system


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Coca-Cola Beats UK Supplier's £11.5M Market Abuse Claim
By Christopher Crosby (September 7, 2021, 3:54 PM BST) -- A court has tossed a British soft drinks supplier's £11.5 million ($15.8 million) lawsuit accusing Coca-Cola of acquiring its customer data to undercut sales, saying on Tuesday there was no evidence that the soda giant abused its market dominance.
In a unanimous decision, the Competition Appeal Tribunal struck out claims that Coca-Cola European Partners Great Britain Ltd. had lured Forrest Fresh Foods Ltd. into turning over customers' names and information about distribution quantities in a move to cut the middleman out of sales.
The tribunal found that there was no evidence to support the wholesalers' allegations that Coca-Cola was engaged in anti-competitive behavior. Forrest Fresh's...
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- CFPB explains proposal to prohibit anti-class action language in arbitration clauses
- Simmons Foundation gave $2.5M to Columbia Univ. over four years; Simmons firm received 26 asbestos referrals over same period
- Sheldon Silver, a high-ranking N.Y. politician and asbestos lawyer, found guilty of corruption
- JCPenney to fork out $50 million to settle class action over alleged deceptive discount pricing
Top Latest News
DETROIT (Legal Newsline) – A group is suing a Japanese shock absorber manufacturer over shock absorber price-fixing claims.
NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) – A New York man and a California woman are suing Ricola over claims it deceptively and falsely advertises certain products.
DENVER (Legal Newsline) – Colorado Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman has announced that a civil settlement has been reached with a Colorado tobacco store owner after allegations of selling dangerous spice products.
Metal Cycling, Prolerized New England to pay $1.25 million for alleged health, environmental violations
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) – Alleged violation of several environmental and public health and safety statutes has resulted in a $1.25 million judgment against two vehicle and appliance crushing and recycling companies.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – An e-liquid manufacturer is being sued over deceptive, false, and misleading claims about its products.
NEWARK, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – Two New Jersey men are suing ticket sellers over claims they withheld more than 5 percent of tickets to the general public in order to charge much higher than face value.
The car dealership, on appeal, argued the trial judge misinterpreted the “closing fee” term, and that the case shouldn’t have reached the trial phase to begin with.
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A California woman is suing a marketer and seller of feminine hygiene products over claims it automatically charged her for continuous service without her consent.
SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) – A California man is suing a marketer and seller of male enhancement products over claims it automatically charged him for continuous services without consent.
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – A California man is suing the manufacturer and seller of sexual health products over claims that one of its products does not produce its advertised effects.


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For the record
July 23, 2001-- Home Textiles Today,
In the July 9 issue of HTT, the following quote was incorrectly attributed to Tom McCain, former sales manager of pillows for Latex Foam Products.
"It was [Tom McCain's] idea [to enter the agreement with DuPont]," said Peter DeMarco, gm/coo of LFP. "This is a very unfortunate event from our standpoint."
Related Content By Author
Previewing Heimtextil 2017


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It was first and foremost the growth rates noted by the two major European competitors CMA CGM and MSC that made Maersk Line raise the target bar for how big a share of the global container market should belong to the Danish carrier.
The material distributed at the Maersk Group Capital Markets Day on Wednesday in Copenhagen clearly illustrates how Maersk Line's global market share has in fact decreased slowly and steadily from around 18 percent ten years ago to 16 percent today. Maersk Line's market share stood at 13.2 percent in 2002.
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By SAMSON AKINTARO
With a fast growing mobile internet penetration, Nigeria is poised to record significant boost in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, if service providers enhance their mobile broadband services delivery. This became clear with a recent Ericson report, which confirmed that every 10 per cent increase in mobile broadband penetration causes a 0.6 per cent to 2.8 per cent rise in GDP of a country.
Nigeria currently has over 91 million mobile subscriptions and leads Africa as the fastest mobile broadband growing country. Indeed, according to a recent study by Jumia on African mobile trends, about 71 per cent of its users in Nigeria access the website through their mobile phones, compared to 53 per cent of customers in the rest of Africa.
The latest Ericson report, which details the findings of a research conducted in collaboration with the Imperial College of London, revealed that when a country adopts mobile broadband, the result is solid overall economic development. The report, entitled ‘How Important Are Mobile Broadband Networks for Global Economic Development?‘, examines data from 135 countries.
It reveals that as mobile broadband penetration increases by 10 percent, it causes a 0.6-2.8 percent rise in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). That translates to an equivalent of approximately USD 500–2000 billion, worldwide in 2016.
Ericson noted that previous reports had examined fixed broadband, and researchers have only been able to estimate its effect on economic growth. “This study, on the other hand, has been able to conclude that the introduction of mobile broadband has an immediate positive effect on a country’s economy, and a longer-term knock-on effect as mobile broadband gradually spreads to different economies” it said.
HaraldEdquist, Master Researcher in Macroeconomics at Ericsson Research and one of the report authors, said: “Many countries in the developing world have used mobile broadband technology to leapfrog in their economic development in the past 10–15 years.
I believe that if these countries, and others, continue to invest wisely in mobile broadband, they will have an excellent opportunity to continue to reap the benefits of continuous productivity improvements and new economic opportunities that simply would not be possible without mobile broadband.”
According to Ericson, mobile broadband networks have spread rapidly, and are set to continue doing so. The Ericsson Mobility Report (June 2017), states that at the end of 2016, around 3.2 billion subscribers (out of the world’s total population of 7.4 billion) had access to the Internet via mobile broadband technology. It is forecast that an additional 2.6 billion subscribers will have mobile broadband Internet access by 2022.
A GSMA study shows that in Africa, limited network coverage remains a key barrier to mobile internet adoption. Presently, mobile broadband networks cover around 50 per cent of the population, meaning that 600 million people in the region do not have access to a mobile broadband service.
Ericson added that to ensure efficient mobile broadband adoption, stable and efficient policies and regulations are essential for mobile operators to have the best conditions to roll out mobile broadband networks in under served areas, noting also that private investment depends heavily on the regulatory climate.
Edquist noted: “We have always challenged traditional ways of thinking. Being true to our company purpose of innovating technology for good and creating new economic opportunities we make life better, whether through connecting people in new ways, building technologies for industries in transformation or creating a more inclusive society. This is set to continue as we enter an era of 5G, IoT and cloud network infrastructure.”
Nigeria in 2013 set a broadband target of 30 per cent penetration by 2018 and it recently put the penetration figure at 21 per cent, although some stakeholders believe the figure is over bloated. Some believe that large chunk of the penetration figure being claimed has being through mobile broadband as opposed to fixed broadband, which the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) measures. Other experts, however, believe that the country can still achieve the desired economic growth by leveraging on mobile broadband as most Nigerians use their mobiles for internet.


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Travel throughout the coronavirus pandemic generally is a problem, however today Google said in a blog post that it will be including extra data to its resort listings to assist vacationers higher plan their itineraries.
Google already or restriction affecting your route or vacation spot, in addition to COVID-19 checkpoints and journey restrictions alongside any driving routes you map. Beginning subsequent week, whenever you search on Google Travel you will additionally be capable to see latest occupancy charges of motels you are contemplating and whether or not or not there’s any emptiness throughout your journey window.
An analogous “journey developments” characteristic will roll out for flight schedules as effectively, permitting customers to get a way of what number of flights out and in of a vacation spot have been working within the final week.
As a result of there’s a lot uncertainty proper now, many motels and trip leases are quickly providing free cancellation insurance policies. Google can even be including that data, too, in addition to the flexibility to filter by it.
#Google #provides #COVID19 #journey #development #information #resort #flight #listings


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Taro gets nod to market generic Zyrtec for kids
HAWTHORNE, N.Y. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic over-the-counter treatment for allergies made by Taro Pharmaceutical Industries.
Taro announced Monday the approval of cetirizine hydrochloride oral solution.
The drug, a generic version of Johnson & Johnson’s children’s Zyrtec, is used to relieve symptoms of indoor and outdoor allergies and is available in a sugar-free bubblegum flavor.
Halls gets the operatic treatment
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Kraft Foods on Friday presented a team of professional opera singers who performed impromptu operatic renditions of irritations submitted by audience members via Facebook and Twitter.
Titled "The Operahhh of Irritations," the marketing event supported the Halls brand’s spring allergy campaign and the brand’s commitment to soothing irritations by giving the audience a chance to vent about whatever irritates them — and have that irritation sung away by professional opera singers.
"Halls is committed to soothing irritations — including coughs and sore throats associated with spring allergies," stated Lori Mazuro, senior associate brand manager for Halls. "But if there’s one group who knows a thing or two about keeping throats in top condition, it’s professional opera singers. So we’re putting their tremendous throat power to work, helping soothe all kinds of irritations."
BSN extends endorsement deal with Jennifer Nicole Lee
BOCA RATON, Fla. — BSN Supplement on Friday announced the company has extended its endorsement deal and contract with fitness model Jennifer Nicole Lee through June 2013.
“BSN is proud to have Jennifer Nicole Lee on [its] roster of iconic living fitness legends, and is looking forward to two more years of having Jennifer Nicole Lee promote and endorse [its] amazing line of top-notch supplements,” the company stated.
Other names on the BSN roster include eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and online reality star Scott Herman.


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The SEC has commenced an investigation into Barnes & Noble's accounting, pushing shares of the bookstore chain sharply lower.
Friday's jobs report contained unambiguous good news, but a debt limit battle in Washington looms.
The CEO of gadget-buyback website Gazelle said consumer data indicates Apple tablets are a hot items this Christmas season.
Millions of unemployed Americans are gradually getting back to work. But their paychecks have barely budged.
A restaurant in New York is drawing customers (and buzz)with the city's latest food craze: a burger made with crickets.
Travel headlines for Friday include confirmation of Southwest's expansion at LaGuardia and sweet-spot holiday travel dates.
The California city of Stockton is nearly ready to climb out of bankruptcy but faces pension woes ahead.
Meggan Bailey of CNBC's "The Car Chasers" says bad paperwork is one of many mistakes people can make after buying a car.
GPS will tell you how to get to the nearest Apple store. With iBeacon, Apple aims to guide you around once you're inside.
Despite a five-year low in the unemployment rate, the long-term jobless need help, a White House economist says.
About 1,000 people are expected to attend a bash celebrating the one-year anniversary of weed's legalization in the state.
The U.S. should lead global growth in 2014 as fiscal drags relax, Goldman Sachs' Jan Hatzius tells CNBC.
Job creation moved forward again in November, with the U.S. economy adding a better-than-expected 203,000 to the employment rolls.
The estimate of third-quarter growth was revised to a 3.6-percent rate, but probably at the expense of economic activity during the current quarter.
Sears Holdings said Friday that it will spin off its Lands' End clothing business as a separate company by distributing stock to the retailer's shareholders.
From beach parties to ball drops, fireworks to waterfalls, CNBC presents the top 14 hot spots worldwide to toast 2014.
J.C. Penney Co said it received an inquiry from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, seeking an explanation on their financial position.
Starbucks is once again offering metal gift cards. But the company only plans to make 1,000 of the sought-after gift.
Charity catalogs and crowdfunding sites offer novel ways to donate. Your gift may change form, but the impact remains.
Clothing retailers are adding more in-store bars, encouraging shoppers to mix Happy Hour and holiday errands.
What's the hot gift this year and can you afford it? Whether it's presents for the kids, something sparkly for a spouse, or shiny on four wheels, you can't buy it before asking if you can afford it in this annual holiday special!
Rick, who's 69, asks Suze if he can afford to spend $39,000 to go on a National Geographic expedition.
Carol tells Suze she's bailed out her husband several times but he still keeps hiding money and lying. She wants to know what she should do.


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Facebook’s pre-roll ad test will only run in Watch, not News Feed
Facebook plans to test running pre-roll ads, but it is expected to be limited to Facebook’s Watch tab.
Despite Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s long-held stance against pre-empting videos with advertising, Facebook plans to test out pre-roll ads, Ad Age reported on Friday.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on the report, but a person familiar with the matter told Marketing Land that the company is expected to limit the pre-roll ads to Facebook’s new video hub, Watch, and not attach them to videos viewed in the traditional News Feed.
Facebook’s adoption of pre-roll advertising may be something of a shock given its executives’ past comments on the format. But the context of those comments is important. “We don’t think it would be a good experience in news feed,” said Zuckerberg during the company’s Q2 2016 earnings call. That was in July 2016, when Facebook’s only video experience was in the News Feed. The company had not yet rolled out apps for connected TVs or unveiled its dedicated video hub for TV-style shows, Watch.
But Facebook didn’t want the fact that videos would be watched within the feed to curtail its ability to make money from those videos. So it compromised. Instead of pre-empting videos with pre-roll ads — which would likely result in people watching “a lot less of the organic videos that were posted,” Zuckerberg said — Facebook would interrupt those videos with mid-roll ads, or “ad breaks.” That way, a video could pique a person’s interest first, and then Facebook and the video’s creator could capitalize on that interest by inserting an ad break after at least 20 seconds.
However, Facebook’s ad breaks have not proven to be so profitable. They have generated “pretty meager” revenue for publishers who receive a share of the revenue from ads Facebook inserts in their videos, according to Digiday. If that remains the case, it could hamper Facebook’s ability to attract programming from publishers at a time when YouTube, Snapchat, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and other video services are vying for original shows. It could also hurt Facebook’s ad revenue growth at an already delicate time.
Facebook has maxed out the ratio of ads to organic posts it can squeeze into people’s news feeds. That ad load issue is expected to slow the company’s ad revenue growth, and Facebook’s ad breaks have only complicated matters. While video ads are typically pricier than other ad formats, and in-stream video ads are considered particularly premium, Facebook’s mid-roll ads have not substantially boosted the company’s average ad prices and have cannibalized its ad supply. “There are less impressions when people are consuming video, so that also is a factor as more time is spent on video,” said Facebook’s CFO David Wehner in November.
By making people view an ad before they can watch a video, Facebook could recoup ad impressions and revenue. It could also boost advertiser completion rates and make video ads more attractive to attention-seeking brands. That assumes people will be willing to sit through the pre-roll ads. That’s why Facebook apparently plans to only show these ads within Watch, where a person is expressly indicating their intent to watch a video, just as they do when they turn on their TV or open YouTube. On those platforms, people are accustomed to ads interrupting videos and pre-empting them. And it seems that soon that will also be the case on Facebook, though only within Watch. At least for now.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.
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