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A number of U.S. news sites have blocked European readers over concerns related to the EU’s new data privacy laws, TechCrunch reports. The guidelines, known as General Data Protection Regulation, went into effect on Friday. The law requires internet companies that collect personal data, including news organizations, to follow strict guidelines regarding how they handle the data.
The penalties for failing to comply are strict enough that Tronc decided to block all European readers from its websites rather than risk being found non-compliant. Tronic owns a number of major newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Lee Enterprises also blocked European readers from some of its websites, such as the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
While Tronc has decided that its European readerbase isn’t worth the hassle, at least not in the short-term, most other U.S. news sites took a different approach. Several sites, such as USA Today, offered a GDPR-complaint version of their site. Others requested that users opt-in to data collection. NPR even went so far as to offer a plaintext version of the site for users who did not want to agree to its terms regarding user data.
The majority of Tronc’s sites and newspapers serve a U.S. audience, so this move likely doesn’t affect a majority of their readers. Some of the company’s holdings are large enough to attract an international following, however. This has left some European readers frustrated with Tronc’s decision and some EU officials have openly criticized the company’s failure to create compliant versions of their websites. For the past few weeks, numerous businesses have been bombarding email accounts with privacy updates regarding this matter. The rules were adopted in April of 2016, giving companies two years to prepare for the changes.
“It didn’t just fall from heaven,” Andrea Jelinek, chairwoman of the European Data Protection Board, said in a recently released statement reported by the New York Times. “Everyone has had plenty of time to prepare.”
While Tronc’s decision has angered many of its European readers, the move probably makes sense from a business standpoint. The penalties for violating the GDPR can reach as high as 4 percent of a company’s globe revenue, so it makes sense that some may prefer to err on the side of caution if they aren’t certain that all of their sites are compliant with EU regulations.


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Copyright © 2015 - 2022 Lifecarenews.in
LIFE CARE IS REGISTERED MAGAZINE IN RNI, NO.GUJGUJ/2015/71283
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HashiCorp is excited to announce it is a recipient of a 2022 Regional and Global AWS Partner Award, recognizing leaders around the globe playing a key role helping customers drive innovation and build solutions on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Announced during a Partner Awards Gala at AWS re:Invent 2022, the Regional and Global AWS Partner Awards recognize a wide range of AWS Partners, whose business models have embraced specialization, innovation, and cooperation over the past year. Regional and Global AWS Partner Awards recognize partners whose business models continue to evolve and thrive on AWS as they work with customers.
Cloud infrastructure demands a new approach to security, commonly called ‘zero trust security’, which is predicated on trusting nothing, and authenticating and authorizing everything. HashiCorp products including HashiCorp Vault, Consul, and Boundary provide an identity-based solution to apply this approach to security, providing an added layer for companies looking to secure their infrastructure, applications, and data as they adopt the cloud.
“HashiCorp is honored to receive the Security Partner of the Year award from AWS,” said Armon Dadgar, co-founder and CTO, HashiCorp. “Our zero trust security products enable identity-based access across cloud infrastructure, applications, and networking. We look forward to continued work with AWS to help customers securely adopt and operate in the cloud.”
For the first time, Regional and Global AWS Partner Awards included a self-nomination process across a number of award categories and specialization areas awarded at both the regional and global level where all AWS Partners were invited to participate and submit a nomination.
The AWS Partner Network (APN), is a global program, focused on helping companies build successful AWS-based businesses or solutions by providing business, technical, marketing, and go-to-market support. The APN includes independent software vendors (ISVs) and systems integrators (SIs) around the world, with AWS Partner participation growing significantly during the past 12 months.
“AWS Partners are at the center of unlocking value for global customers, across a wide range of industries,” said Ruba Borno, vice president, Worldwide Channels and Alliances at AWS. “We are honored to launch the inaugural Regional and Global AWS Partner Awards, and thank all the nominees and winners for accelerating our customers’ cloud transformation journey.”
A panel of AWS experts selected the winners based on strict criteria. HashiCorp is excited to announce it has received the Security Partner of the Year Award in North America, recognizing top partners with the Security Competency. The award recognizes a Partner who has proven customer success securing every stage of cloud adoption, from initial migration through ongoing day-to-day management.
HashiCorp is sponsoring AWS re:Invent and is present in the exhibition hall at Booth #3410, directly across from the Developer Lounge and next to the Public Sector Pavilion. Visit the booth to chat with technical experts, watch daily demos, and learn the latest on HashiCorp integrations with AWS: https://events.hashicorp.com/reinvent2022
To learn more about HashiCorp’s full suite of zero trust products, including Vault, Consul, and Boundary, please visit: https://www.hashicorp.com/solutions/zero-trust-security
HashiCorp is a leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software. The HashiCorp software suite enables organizations to adopt consistent workflows and create a system of record for automating the cloud: infrastructure provisioning, security, networking, and application deployment. HashiCorp’s portfolio of products includes Vagrant™, Packer™, Terraform®, Vault™, Consul®, Nomad™, Boundary™, and Waypoint™. HashiCorp offers products as open source, enterprise, and as managed cloud services. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, though most of HashiCorp employees work remotely, strategically distributed around the globe. For more information, visit hashicorp.com or follow HashiCorp on Twitter @HashiCorp.
All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
HashiCorp Media & Analyst Contact
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cd2b0ba1-b0e9-4b81-b3ca-fc4ed9e8f275

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Pixar’s Soul beats The Office in streaming wars in US
Disney’s other series The Mandalorian also made it to the top five list.
Soul, the animated feature film from the Pixar, garnered 1.669 billion total minutes of streaming for the week of December 21 to December 27, according to Nielsen's weekly US streaming rankings. Released on Disney+, the film also edged out The Office on Netflix that posted 1.435 billion minutes of streaming.
According to Deadline, Disney's other series The Mandalorian made it to the top five with 1 billion minutes of viewing. The top five, however, was dominated by Netflix. Its space drama The Midnight Sky finished number 4 with 1.1 billion minutes of streaming, while Bridgerton got 1.2 billions of minutes.
ALSO READ: Netflix to roll out ‘Shuffle Play' feature globally this year
The report points out that Nielsen's rankings track only US streaming via a TV set and does not take the mobile viewing into account. Thus, overall streaming minutes could be much higher.
The rankings also do not mention HBO Max's grand release of Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day. According to reports, WarnerMedia plans to reveal subscriber data in the earnings report. The response, however, is believed to be positive as the company plans to fast-track the sequel.
ALSO READ: Netflix soars after subscriptions blow past 200 million
That said, Disney's Soul making it to the top of the rankings isn't a small feat for the platform. Disney+ is streaming in dozens of markets right now. The platform is available in India via Hotstar. It is said to have 86.8 million subscribers.
For Netflix, The Office has been a huge hit throughout the year. But the platform may have look for something else as the series is now going to be exclusive to Peacock, operated by the Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversal.
Follow HT Tech for the latest tech news and reviews , also keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.


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As weather forecasters predict the cold snap will continue, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s (NHSGGC) Acute Medical Director is urging people to stay warm and be careful when out and about.
Dr David Stewart has stressed the importance of people, particularly the elderly, taking a few simple precautions to ensure they remain safe and healthy.
He said: “As the forecast for this week is more snow it’s important everyone takes sensible precautions to stay warm and if people need to leave the house they wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
“I would encourage older people, in particular, to dress warmly when they go out and to eat at least one hot meal a day along with plenty of hot drinks.
“It’s also best to keep the whole house warm, even at a lower temperature, rather than heating just the one room to a higher temperature. Going from a warm room into a cold one can heighten the risk of cardiovascular problems.
“By taking a couple of simple steps you’re giving yourself a better chance of staying safe and healthy.”
For further information either telephone 0141 201 4429 or email [email protected] .


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Kendall Jenner has found herself in quite a pickle. She is just starting to learn what showbiz actually is and how sponsorship can go.
Fyre Festival employed many celebrities to promote their now infamous Fyre Festival, but things took a down as time slowly went by. Kendall Jenner was paid $275,000 to support their festival on her social media. Beside her, Emily Rajatakowski, Migos and Blink-182 have also found themselves in court due to their promoting skills.
The lawsuit stated that with the money the festival gave her she was supposed to say to her followers that the festival “would be filled with famous models on an exotic private island with ‘first-class culinary experiences and a luxury atmosphere.’” The lawsuit further states that Jenner “intentionally [led] certain members of the public and ticket purchasers to believe” that Kanye West would attend and perform at the festival. In a deleted Instagram post, Jenner stated, “So hyped to announce my G.O.O.D. Music Family as the first headliners for @fyrefestival. Use my promo code KJONFYRE for the next 24 hours to get on the list for the artists and talents afterparty on Fyre Cay.”
According to the lawsuit, Jenner “did not indicate to the public that she was paid to promote the Festival.” In a lawsuit settlement, Jenner paid $90,000 to Fyre Festival, while Billy McFarland is currently in jail due to fraud as he was the brains behind the whole organization.


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Students at Stony Brook University have a new multi-concept dining hall on campus.
The university upgraded its Student Activities Center (SAC) to add more food options to the student body.
Formerly a merchandise and apparel store that sold everything from quick snacks to sweatshirts, the market has recently been transformed to provide healthier quick dining options and a more diverse menu.
Inside the new SAC Market, three food concepts have been added — Tea Café, Craft Salads and Bowls and a self-serve international food bar, along with grab-and-go sandwiches, snacks, soups and freshly baked pastries and sweets.
The market is centrally located on campus, a convenient and popular dining spot among students and faculty.
“We want the campus community to join us at an amazing, fun space in the center of campus that offers variety and value for everyone,” said Van Sullivan, executive director of Stony Brook’s Faculty Student Association (FSA). “There’s a great craveability factor to the menu and we feel strongly that you deserve world-class foodservice options.”
Argo Tea will be offering a wide variety of beverages, including 12 different tea flavors including on tap, chai, matcha and bubble teas. They will also be offering unique “build your own” tea option where customers can choose a tea, flavor shot and type of milk. The tea spot will also introduce vegan muffins in flavors like green tea and lemon poppy seed.
At the Craft Salads and Bowls station, there are options to customize and build your own salads or choose from a curated menu of salads and grain bowls such as Santa Fe, Southern Fried Chicken or Mediterranean. Hot bowls include Spicy Chicken, Southern Mashed Potato Bowl or a Memphis BBQ Beef Brisket.
Part of the reason the university decided on changing the store was to improve sustainability. According to university officials, the Stony Brook University campus community consumes more than 300,000 tea beverages per year. Argo Tea offers different sustainable options and practices that including compostable sporks and knives, along with bags, sleeves and cups that are made from 100 percent recycled material.
The new space will also have a water bottle refill. Station, compostable bowls at the salad station and ADA accessible seating.
“A major goal for the project was to design a space for our diverse campus community where students could enjoy a social and interactive dining experience offering a wide variety of cuisines and healthy dining options,” said Amanda Alicea, FSA business development manager.
A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, Feb 21, at 2 p.m.
All photos courtesy of the Faculty Student Association


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- Jul 27, 2015
WinRAR is one of the most recognizable pieces of software in history and one that's effectively free to use, forever. Nevertheless, the company behind the product still has to deal with infringement, something that was highlighted in a complaint filed against a keygen creator this week. That said, WinRAR informs TorrentFreak that no one should really need to use a pirated copy of its software.
There’s a high probability that most people reading this article will be familiar with the image on the right. That’s because in computing terms, data compression tool WinRAR has been around for what seems like forever. Indeed, with its 25th birthday coming up next April, WinRAR launched before many of its users were even born. Nevertheless, it has stood the tests of time and according to the latest estimates, now has around 500 million users. Indeed, the company told us this week that WinRAR is the third most installed software in the world behind Chrome and Acrobat Reader. The reason for that, at least in part, is the company’s liberal business model.
Perhaps the most curious thing about this ubiquitous tool is that while WinRAR gives the impression of being free, technically it is paid software. Users get a 40-day period to trial the tool and then, if they like it, they can part with cash in order to obtain a license. However, WinRAR never times out and relies completely on users’ inclination to pay for something that doesn’t need to be paid for to retain functionality. As a result, WinRAR has huge numbers of pirate users yet the company does pretty much nothing to stop them. Those who do pay for a license get rid of a ‘nag’ screen and gain a couple of features that most people don’t need. But for pirates (and the tool is massively popular with pirates), an unlicensed WinRAR still does what it’s supposed to, i.e unpacking all those pesky compressed pirate releases. Of course, there are people out there who would still rather not pay a penny to use a piece of software that is essentially free to use. So, in order to obtain a ‘license’ and get rid of the nag screen, they use a piece of software called a ‘keygen’ that generates one for them. The company behind WinRAR doesn’t seem to care too much about casual piracy but it is bothered about keygens.


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Michael Splinter, Intel's executive vice-president, announced at a press conference today that the corporation considers the results of its work on the Russian market in 2002 to have been successful and hopes for continued success in 2003.
According to Splinter, sales of Intel products on the Russian market increased by 30% in 2002, with Intel Pentium 4 processors accounting for 50% of the processor market. The number of the company's Russian employees doubled to 450. Splinter also announced that Intel held over 150 events aimed at popularizing new computer technology in 20 major Russian towns last year, drawing over 2 million residents. 9 regional centres for teaching school teachers how to use computer technology in the classroom were set up as part of the 'Education for the Future' charitable programme. 7,500 Russian teachers have already passed through the centres.
Splinter announced that Intel is counting on continuing its successful work in 2003. He said that Russia is one of the company's five fastest growing markets, and that the PC market in Russia is growing by 30% a year. This year the company will continue to invest in the Russian market, and develop its educational programmes and collaboration with government structures.
The Russian Federation is capable of eliminating USA's state-of-the-art cruise missiles designed to attack targets at extremely low altitudes


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Earlier we reported that Microsoft have confirmed an issue in the Lumia 535’s touchscreen, causing it to be hypersensitive and respond erratically to touches. Microsoft mentioned that they were working on a fix to be delivered via software update; and apparently that fix is now live.
The latest software update for the 535 includes Alpha version of Cortana for other regions, data
Latest software release for Lumia 535 is Lumia Denim (02054.00000.14485.370xx / 8.10.14219.341)
Touch screen performance improvements.
Cortana, the most personal digital assistant, is now available in more markets.
You can easily switch your mobile data connection on or off in the action centre.
Install phone updates more easily by scheduling them for a time that works best for you.
Stability and performance improvements
You can grab the update by heading into the phone settings > Phone Update and hitting “check for updates”. Hopefully this will resolve all the touch issues on the Lumia 535, allowing for a smoother performance.


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E-commerce sales to reach $3b in 4 years
Bangladesh’s e-commerce market stands at $1.6 billion currently and will double to $3 billion by 2023 on the back of a digital foundation laid down by the government and a young and tech-savvy population, a German research firm said recently. In terms of e-commerce revenue, Bangladesh is ranked 46th in the global ranking, according to Statista, the online portal for statistics that makes available data collected by market and opinion research institutes and that derived from the economic sector and official statistics. Fahim Mashroor, chief executive officer of AjkerDeal.com, one of the popular e-commerce sites, contradicted the Statista figure, saying the market size would be a maximum $500 million. Industry players say the growing smartphone penetration with 4G network and rising purchasing power of consumers are propelling the e-commerce industry across the world, and Bangladesh is not out of the market. Ahmed, a community leader of Facebook in Bangladesh, said the industry should be thankful to the Information Communication Technology Division for its enormous support extended to the sector in the last five years. According to the Statista report, the online fashion market in Bangladesh is currently worth $598 million and it has the prospect to reach up to $1.24 billion by 2023. Electronic products amounting to $457 million and furniture and appliances worth about $196 million are sold online. The online sales of furniture and appliances will would go up to $352 million after four years. Online sales of toys and hobby products stand at $260 million and it can almost be double to $442 million by 2023. Ahmed, who heads the Women and e-Commerce Forum, a Facebook platform that promotes local products. e-CAB leaders say the e-commerce market is not more than Tk 3,000 crore, $350 million, with 50,000 deliveries daily. Bangladesh has laid down an exemplary digital foundation and is striving to prepare its citizens for the digital future, an UNCTAD assessment of the country’s readiness to engage in e-commerce shows.
New Investment Rules: Life insurers’ deposits with NBFI curtailed
The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) has recently come up with a set of new investment rules for life insurance companies in a bid to minimise risks and ensure safety of policyholders’ money. The prime one is a reduction in the amount of asset a life insurance provider can keep in a non-bank financial institution (NBFI). It has been limited to 10 percent, which might deepen the ongoing liquidity crisis of the lenders. As per previous rules framed in 1958, the insurers were permitted to keep 50 percent of their assets in the form of fixed deposits in banks or the NBFIs. There was no specific mention. Insurance companies usually opted for the NBFIs as they offered higher returns than banks. As had been before, life insurance companies must invest at least 30 percent of their funds on government securities. Of the remaining 70 percent, 10 percent will be allowed to be kept with the NBFIs as fixed deposits. According to the new regulation, life insurers will be able to invest 15 percent of assets in bonds issued for development of physical infrastructure and other bonds with rating of “AA” or above. Around 10 percent of assets can be invested in debentures of companies or securities issued by city corporations. A company will also be able to invest 25 percent of its assets in ordinary shares or preferential shares of companies but not junk stocks. The amount of investment in mutual funds and unit funds will have to be within 20 percent of the assets. A life insurer will be able to invest 20 percent of its assets in undisputed immovable assets located within city corporations and municipalities. The companies will have to submit statements informing of the assets within 30 days of completion of audits on investment. They will have to file investment returns three times every year within 21 days from the last day of March, June and September. According to the IDRA, currently there are 32 life insurance companies in the country and their assets totalled Tk 38,710 crore in 2018.
Middle Eastern suppliers eye Bangladesh
Middle East-based cement raw materials exporters are keen to expand their sales in Bangladesh as the country is increasingly scaling up its manufacturing capacity to produce the key construction material to feed the growing economy. Of the imports, clinker accounted for $900 million and the rest cost $450 million, according to Ikram Ahmed Khan, managing director of Shun Shing Group, Hong Kong. Cement industry grew at over 15 percent to reach $3 billion in 2018. This tremendous growth rate is enough to draw foreign raw material suppliers, market players said. The demand for raw materials is increasing in line with the expansion of the manufacturing capacity. The demand for the raw materials of the cement industry in Bangladesh will double within next four years. So, my company sees room for business expansion. In 2018, the company exported two million tonnes of gypsum to Bangladesh. Similarly, Al Jood Natural Resources has been exporting gypsum to Bangladesh for the last five years and supplied 50,000 tonnes of gypsum last year, said Ahmed Murshid, marketing manager (international) of the company. The local production of fly ash would save $130 million annually. Cement manufacturers import clinker, gypsum, fly ash, and iron slag from China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Oman, and the UAE. There are around 125 cement manufacturing companies in the country, out of which 37 are in operation. The total production capacity of the cement mills was 58 million tonnes in 2018.
Oil prices near three-month highs on US-China trade deal
Oil prices on Monday held near three-month highs, supported by last week’s announcement that an initial trade deal had been reached between the United States and China. Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 rose 17 cents or 0.3 percent to $65.39 a barrel by 0940 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate crude was up 10 cents or 0.2 percent to $60.17 a barrel. The United States and China announced on Friday a “phase one” agreement that will reduce some US tariffs in exchange for what US officials said would be a big jump in Chinese purchases of US farm products and other goods. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Sunday the deal would nearly double US exports to China over the next two years and was “totally done” despite the need for translation and revisions to its text. China’s State Council’s customs tariff commission said on Sunday it had suspended additional tariffs on some US goods that were meant to be implemented on Dec. 15. Data from China on Monday showing industrial output and retail sales growth accelerating more than expected in November offered some support for oil prices. Investors remained cautious as growth in China was expected to slow further next year, with the government likely to set its growth target at about 6 percent in 2020 compared with 6 percent-6.5 percent this year.
REHAB fair begins Dec 24
A five-day REHAB Winter Fair 2019 is set to begin in Dhaka on December 24 to showcase flats, plots and other real estate and housing products. Organised by the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh, the fair will house around 230 stalls at Bangabandhu International Conference Center. SM Rezaul Karim, minister for housing and public works, is scheduled to take part in the inaugural ceremony of the fair as chief guest. Building materials suppliers and financial institutions will also take part in the fair.
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Patna, Nov 19 (IANS) Shahina Bano, Nurjahan Khatoon, Rukhsana and Tarannum Khatoon have one thing in common: they have been busy making the special 'mitti ka chulha' or earthen stoves used to cook the offering for Chhath puja, a festival of Hindus in Bihar. It matters little that the women are Muslim.
The women say that the earthen stoves they make and sell offer some money. More importantly, they find themselves showered with praise, affection and respect from Hindu women who buy the stoves.
Shahina, Nurjahan, Rukhsana and Tarannum all live in Patna slums like Kamla Nehru Nagar, behind Adalat Ganj.
"We are proud to do this work, the earthen stoves are in high demand during Chhath as offerings are traditionally cooked on it. We get not only money but respect from devotees, as they count it an important contribution for the Chhath," Shahina, in her mid?30s, told IANS.
Shahina sells the earthen stoves for Rs. 100 each near New Patna Club on Bir Chand Patel Marg, a posh locality in the state capital.
Nurjahan, Rukhsana and Tarannum also expressed similar views about their experiences selling the stoves at this time of the year.
"Devotees praise our efforts in making the stoves for the Chhath. We are happy to see so much love and affection come our way. It does not matter to the devotees that we are Muslims. It is really nice that during Chhath, a festival of faith and purity, devotees use stoves made by us," Nurjahan said.
Nurjahan is in her early 40s. Her three children too sit with her at the Daroga Prasad Rai Path, selling the stoves.
Tarannum said that the stoves were made with special care, as they were used during the Chhath. "I gave up eating garlic and onion while making them, and I would only begin work after taking a bath," she said.
Rukhsana expressed happiness that devotees seldom bargain while buying the stoves.
"Soon after Durga puja, we began making the chulhas for Chhath. We buy clay from farmers in nearby rural areas at around Rs. 1,200 per tractor and the clay is distributed among those making the chulhas," Rukhsana said, adding that devotees do not usually attempt to beat down prices while buying the stoves, as it is all part of the festival preparations, for which no expenses are spared.
Renu Singh, a devotee, said that earthen stoves are considered especially pure. Traditionally, the offerings for the puja are cooked on the earthen stoves. "We are especially thankful to the Muslim families that make and sell the stoves," she said.
Saket Singh, a businessman, mentioned how hard it would be, in the normal course, to get the hand?made stoves in an urban centre like Patna. "They are available to Hindus during Chhath thanks to the Muslim families," he said.
Chhath, celebrated six days after Diwali, is a time of worship of the Sun god.
Married women observe a fast for 36 hours and devotees offer wheat, milk, sugarcane, bananas and coconuts to the Sun as part of the four?day festival that, this year, began Sunday.
(Imran Khan can be contacted at email@example.com)


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Smartphone vendor Honor's president confirmed the launch of its first 5G smartphone next month, as the tipping point of 5G smartphones is set to start in China in the coming one or two months, which industry insiders said was faster than expected.
Zhao Ming, president of Honor, a key smartphone brand targeting young consumers of tech firm Huawei Technologies Co, said in an interview with China Daily that in November Honor will unveil its "V30 series smartphones with 5G and some hard techs on board".
"Such a timeline is after careful consideration as the run-in period of 5G smartphones pretty much ended here in China. We believe the V30 series will be a hot series by then," Zhao said at the World Internet Conference, which ended on Tuesday.
Zhao said that the past few months did not see the popularization of 5G smartphones, mainly due to the immaturity of support networks and a lack of attractive selling points for current 5G handsets.
"In the next one or two months, Chinese consumers' passion for 5G smartphones will be fully driven. The tipping point of 5G smartphone users will come soon after then," he said.
Sales of 5G smartphones are expected to rocket at the beginning of next year. Around 100 million 5G smartphones are likely to be sold in 2020, he predicted.
His words came after Chinese consumers have shown huge enthusiasm for 5G smartphone and related mobile services. More than 10 million people have pre-ordered mobile package services for 5G earlier this month.
A report from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology also showed that a total of 497,000 5G smartphones have been shipped in China last month, almost double from 291,000 in the previous month.
"Chinese consumers have shown huge enthusiasm for 5G smartphones, which has outpaced our expectations," Lei Jun, founder and CEO of another leading smartphone vendor Xiaomi Corp, said at the WIC.
To tap into this demand, Lei said that Xiaomi plans to launch over 10 types of 5G smartphones next year and will cover all mid-and high-end types.
Fu Liang, an independent analyst who has been following the telecom industry for more than a decade, said a key hurdle in 5G adoption was the price of 5G smartphones and data packages, along with the 5G support network.
"But Chinese companies are adopting aggressive strategies to extend 5G coverage and lower the prices. The more quickly 5G networks are constructed and the cheaper the smartphones and data packages are, the easier it will be to convince people to purchase them," Fu said.
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In what is considered to be extremely encouraging, retail chains across categories are opening new stores and newer formats during the pandemic, bringing a lot of cheer to the ecosystem while also encouraging others to not give up, sustain and innovate. Here are a few notable ones which are most recent.
Pothys, a department store chain which originated in the southern tip of Tamil Nadu at Tirunelveli several decades back and eponymous for it’s grand stores across Chennai and other cities announced the opening of a new format – to sell Jewellery! As one would imagine, the pandemic has thrown a sharp spoke on the “India Shining” story and Jewellers across the country missed several precious shopping occasions in the year 2020 and 2021 such as “Akshaya Thrithiya” and “Dhan Teras” apart from several muted “Muhurat” days through the past 15 years due to small-scale Marriages. While weddings contribute significantly for Jewellery Retailers, Gold shopping in India is more for a rainy day and is considered the safest investment, especially for the aspiring middle class which doesn’t take an easy bet on real estate, mutual funds or Equity markets.
Pothys Swarna Mahal, the exclusive jewellery retail store from the group which once had South Sensation and Padmashree Dr. Kamal Hassan as their Brand Ambassador shall open the centre at Tirunelveli, the family’s home town where they opened their first store too. This could be the first of many more to come going by the scale and speed of thr group which now caters to the entire household, akin to Wal-Mart selling everything from apparel to grocery products. Incidentally, Nalli Silks, which also has a 70 year legacy in India launched their gold retail stores several years back. Local giants such as GRT, Lalitha Jewellery, Thangamayil, AVR Swarna Mahal have each over 15-25 stores spread across the state while national chains such as Tata’s Tanishq & Kalyan Jewellers have a presence pan-India.
Croma, the country’s second largest electronics retail chain with around 200 stores opened their newest one recently at Latur, a Tier 3 town in Maharashtra. Not surprising that CDIT Retailers are now focussing on smaller towns due to a large population which living in metro cities, has migrated to their home towns due to the pandemic and on WFH mode! KFC opened a new outlet at Chandigarh while Pizza Hut opened a new one at Hyderabad, Nanded and Vishakapatnam. Lotto, a globally renowned footwear and accessories brand opened a new store at Gauhati and Dehradun. Chaayos, one of India’s largest tea-retail chains opened at a mall in Delhi where footfalls are back after all the chaos that reigned between Mar-May 2021. It’s been raining new store openings for many while some have shut down their stores recently due to unviable business conditions and uncertainty due to the pandemic.
In Chennai, the renowned neighborhood coffee vending chain “Madras Coffee House” opened a new store today while Madurai based “Suxus” which focuses on street fashion with abundant range and deep pricing shall open a new store later this week, also in the State capital. Specsmakers, an Optical Retail chain with over 250 stores across South India announced its plans to expand it’s network through franchising with a returns of 200% and an average payback period of 3 years. Recently, there was a scathing report in the local media that many restaurants are up for sale in Chennai as well as many part of the State and the Country, since the owners or franchisees didn’t see a glimmer of hope in the coming months to continue their business any further. WITCO, a retailer selling luggage and travel gear, popular across South India for the past 3 decades with a 50 year legacy, recently wound up their business as they found that there was no scope for an immediate travel and tourism industry recovery.
Overall, it seems to be a mixed bag for retailers. Those who shall survive and thrive are those who choose to innovate while many others will have no choice left other than to perish. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and blaming the Government for poor economic support are easy choices to propose but there is a silver lining from those thousands of Entrepreneurs and Business houses who are finding newer ways not just to survive but also to grow. Kudos to them. May your tribe increase.


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Cunard Lines, owner of the world famous QE2, has hired Lexis PR to
broaden its image beyond the trademark luxury liner with a generic drive
to promote cruising.
The agency, which beat five others to win the contract last week, will
launch a ‘brand positioning’ drive for Cunard, encompassing all of the
company’s seven ships.
The new consumer, corporate and crisis PR brief was created as part of
Cunard’s bid to adopt a more pro-active marketing stance in the face of
numerous reported ‘PR disasters’ (PR Week, 17 May).
Cunard’s new head of communications for Europe, the Middle East and
Africa, Robyn Griffith-Jones said brand recognition for Cunard was
‘enormous’ but tended to be focused on the QE2.
‘People don’t realise we have 50 per cent of the luxury cruise market,’
said Griffith-Jones. ‘They couldn’t name our other ships.’
Lexis’ public relations drive will aim to attract a wide range of
audiences from families to the younger ‘jet set’ on to its other liners:
The Royal Viking Sun, The Countess, The Dynasty, The Vista Fjord and Sea
Goddess1 as well as the QE2.
Cunard is keen to shed the 1940s image of cruising by swapping its
traditional marketing emphasis on the heritage of the QE2 to promoting
the general benefits of a luxury cruise like five-star service.
The PR effort will be backed by a press advertising campaign by Bates
Dorland in the autumn which will move away from destination and price-
led marketing to a ‘concept’ campaign about Cunard and cruising.


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GRAPHIC-FTSE 100's changing face: A trip down memory lane
By Thyagaraju Adinarayan
LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Marks & Spencer's exit from the FTSE 100 .FTSE underlines how times have changed since the blue-chip index was launched in 1984, when it was dominated by British companies including household names like M&S, Cadbury and House of Fraser.
Home-grown talent is increasingly absent from the FTSE, now valued at $2.4 trillion, as failure to grow domestically or make the cut internationally has seen companies disappear via mergers, demotions, de-listing or privatisation.
MFI Furniture was among founding members of the index that failed to survive after privately-owned IKEA entered the UK market in the 1980s.
British Home Stores and Magnet & Southerns were other big retail names that have either failed or been bought by other companies.
These household brands have been giving way to big corporations that make the bulk of their revenues outside Britain. The most recent FTSE constituents pocket just 29% of their revenue from the UK.
Marks & Spencer MKS.L, which was the fifth-most-valuable company at the FTSE's inception, now ranks just 111th by market capitalisation -- too small to qualify.
M&S shares have lost about 40% of their value since January 2018 as the British high street stalwart has struggled with competition in clothing and food, particularly online.
Other famous names at the risk of falling through the trap doors soon are Morrison Supermarkets MRW.L, Sainsbury's SBRY.L and B&Q-owner Kingfisher KGF.L, now sitting at the bottom-end of the index.
Until recently, M&S, Sainsbury's and Tesco TSCO.L were some of the 28 original members still in the FTSE.
New joiners in the most recent reshuffle included precious metals mining firm Polymetal POLYP.L, Hikma HIK.L, a generic drugmaker earning the bulk of its revenue from the United States, and aerospace and defence group Meggitt MGGT.L.
By sector weightings, banks & financial services, mining and energy stocks now make up nearly 40% of the index, while retail has shrunk to less than 3% from 8% in 1996.
Other major sectors to take a hit in the last two decades were technology, media & telecoms, which together have shrunk to just 7.5% from nearly a quarter in early 2000s.
Here's the sectoral break-down of the index since 1996:
How British retailers M&S, Sainsbury's have underperformed the FTSE 100 index
FTSE 100 constituents by sectorhttps://tmsnrt.rs/2PQWk6M
FTSE vs. Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's since 1984https://tmsnrt.rs/2N5RUXw
(Reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan; Editing by Catherine Evans)
((firstname.lastname@example.org; +44 20 7542 7015; Reuters Messaging: email@example.com; Twitter @thyagu))


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As the world's leading brewer, responsibility for our products goes from the barley farms to beyond the last sip. This includes the glass bottles and aluminum cans used to package our beloved beers for enjoyment by consumers worldwide. To reduce the environmental impact of our packaging - which accounts for more than one-third of our products' carbon footprint - we are reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our value chain and taking a circular approach. We are increasing our use of recycled materials, working with partners to boost recycling rates around the world, and reducing the amount of material used.
Every day our teams and supply chain partners are reimagining what's possible in sustainable packaging and developing inventive, green technologies. Here are some of our latest innovations.
Bottles and cans, shedding grams
In June, we announced the development of a scalable solution to produce the world's lightest longneck beer bottle. The technology reduces a bottle's weight from 180 to 150 grams, a change that cuts CO2e emissions by 17% per bottle. It was developed by our Global Innovation and Technology Center (GITEC) in Leuven, Belgium, in collaboration with our suppliers, and features new coatings and state-of-the-art technologies to ensure strength and quality.
AB InBev has been reducing the weight of our bottles and cans progressively for years to reduce carbon emissions.
“Can manufacturing and filling is done at speeds over 2,000 cans per minute and can thickness is sometimes less than a sheet of paper,” says Evan O'Connor, Global Director – Metal Packaging Technology for AB InBev. “Meticulous design and engineering ensure lightweight cans offer the same high-quality experience for our consumers.”
Now GITEC is getting ready to unveil the next generation of lightweight cans in Mexico and the U.S. later this year. It's anticipated that converting just one canning line will use 350 fewer tons of aluminum and reduce GHG emissions by over 3,000 tons – the equivalent of removing nearly 650 passenger cars from the road.
“AB InBev is working closely with our suppliers to introduce lightweight cans across the majority of our brands globally over the next three years,” says Italo Verdi, Global Procurement Director - Cans and Metals. “Our hope is this innovation will have an even bigger environmental impact by becoming a new standard not just for AB InBev, but the entire can industry.”
Low carb meets low carbon
In a first for the canned beverage industry, our team at Anheuser-Busch (A-B) in North America recently entered a global partnership with Rio Tinto to produce cans that are
not only infinitely recyclable, but made from responsibly produced, low-carbon aluminum.
The cans were first made available earlier this year in Charlotte, North Carolina, where 2.5 million low-carbon cans of Michelob ULTRA hit the shelves after being produced in Jacksonville, Florida. As part of the partnership, Anheuser-Busch also donated eight million kilowatt hours of renewable electricity credits to Charlotte, or
roughly enough renewable electricity to power all city-owned facilities for one week.
The cans meet industry-leading sustainability standards thanks to innovative low carbon aluminum made with renewable hydropower along with recycled content. These are A-B's most sustainable beer cans yet, with the potential to reduce carbon emissions by
more than 30 percent per can compared to similar cans produced using traditional
manufacturing techniques in North America.
Beer packs made from barley
Corona has a long history of championing circular packaging and protecting nature.
In March, the brand introduced a six-pack carton made using renewable, recyclable paper made from barley straw – a material leftover after barley grain is harvested. The pack is another industry-first from GITEC who, together with partner Sustainable Fiber Technologies, spent three years perfecting the innovation.
“This ground-breaking technology incorporates barley - an essential ingredient in brewing beer – giving it a new life as a sustainable packaging solution that is as strong and durable as a regular six-pack, but better for the planet,” says Fredrik De Graaf, Global Director – Packaging Technology Development.
Compared to traditional pulping processes, the new technology uses 90% less water in
its production than the traditional virgin wood process, along with less energy and
fewer harsh chemicals, and it can be recycled like any other paper.
Not putting a ring on it
In 2020, Budweiser Brewing Group UK and Ireland put its last plastic rings on its beer cans, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois and Beck's. Instead, the breweries are now using alternative packaging like fully recyclable wraps and the KeelClip™, a new technology which uses recyclable paperboard to create a lighter weight pack.
Along with decreasing the usage of plastic shrink wrap, the change eliminates 850 tonnes of plastic waste, the equivalent weight of 67 double decker buses, every year.
“Sustainability and the wellbeing of our planet is one of the most important priorities for our business,” said Paula Lindenberg, President of Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I. “I'm so proud that we've met our target of removing plastic rings and shrink wrap from all our canned beers. Thanks to the hard work of our teams, there are no longer plastic rings on any canned beer that leaves our breweries in the UK.”


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Dell is upgrading the PCs with Intel’s “Meteor Lake” Core Ultra chips, which feature a dedicated “NPU” processor to handle AI-based workloads locally, rather than over the internet. They will also contain a dedicated key to access Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant on Windows 11.
The “hero” product of the group is the Latitude 7350 Detachable, a device similar to Microsoft’s Surface tablet. The Latitude 7350 functions as a 13-inch tablet built with a kickstand, though it can also connect to an optional keyboard cover.
“It’s really designed to bring the versatility of a tablet, but the performance of a laptop,” Dell’s VP for the Latitude line, Kevin Terwilliger, said in a press briefing. The same keyboard cover comes with a built-in stylus pen, which can be recharged in 30 seconds.
Another notable feature is on the keyboard’s “collaboration” touchpad. During a Zoom or Microsoft Teams video call, the touchpad contains four icons that’ll light up with actions you can take, including muting or unmuting the audio or turning off the camera.
The Latitude 7350 Detachable also features an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, which can record in HDR. The back of the device has a second 8MP camera as well. Users can configure the product with either Intel’s Core Ultra U7-164U vPro processor or an Ultra U5-134U vPro chip. In addition, the spec sheet says the tablet convertible will support Wi-Fi 7. Dell plans on launching the product sometime in Q2.
The rest of the Latitude portfolio is launching on March 12 through updates to the 5000, 7000, and 9000 series, with the goal of offering a variety of prices to customers. These laptop-focused products—which span nine different models—will also be the first commercial PCs to offer HDR technology in cameras, according to Dell.
The company is also releasing five Precision laptops through the 3000 and 5000 series on March 12. They're designed to offer workstation-like performance for power users, such as engineers, video editors, and animators.
Although pricing wasn’t announced, the laptops will probably cost more since they can include support for dedicated Nvidia graphics chips, including the RTX Ada GPUs for laptops. In a demo, Dell showed the Precision laptops can run the AI image generator Stable Diffusion locally with either Intel’s Meteor Lake CPU or even faster using the dedicated Nvidia GPU.
For desktop users, the company is also launching the Precision 3280 Compact Form Factor, which is small enough to sit behind a monitor. Dell says the product is the smallest workstation that supports Nvidia’s Tensor Core GPUs, including up to the Nvidia RTX 4000 Ada.
“Just because it’s small, doesn’t mean it’s not powerful,” says Dell’s General Manager for the Precision line, Charlie Walker. For example, the Precision 3280 is tailored to run Intel 65-watt CPUs at 85 watts to squeeze out even more performance. It launches on March 26.
The company also plans on launching a traditional desktop PC in the Precision 3680 Tower, which will also arrive on March 12. It’ll be equipped with Intel’s 14th-generation desktop Core processors and can be configured with up to Nvidia’s RTX 6000 Ada graphics cards.


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DRDO has developed a COVID-19 antibody detection kit ‘Dipcovan’ that can assess whether or not a person has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
The kit has been developed in association with Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, a New Delhi-based development and manufacturing diagnostics company.
The kit will help a person detect if they have previously been exposed to Covid-19 virus and if they have antibodies for it.
It can detect spike and S&N proteins of the virus with 97% sensitivity and 99% specificity. It requires 75 minutes for the test, has an 18-month shelf-life, and is expected to be priced at ₹75 per test.
It is said that the primary purpose of the kit is to detect antibodies. It will be used in Covid-19 epidemiology studies such as serosurveys
The indigenously developed kit was tested on more than 1,000 patient samples at various Covid hospitals of Delhi and three batches of the product had received validation last year too.
The DIPCOVAN kit will be sold commercially from June first week.


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Eurozone inflation dips from two-year high. Eurozone inflation cooled in June temporarily easing fears that the currency bloc’s economic reopening will underpin price growth, though economists expect the pressures to gather pace again in the second half of the year. Consumer prices rose by 1.9 percent from a year earlier, down from a more than two-year high of two percent in May. The inflation rate had exceeded the European Central Bank's target of "below, but close to" two percent in May. Core inflation, a less volatile measure of inflation that excludes volatile items such as food and energy, slowed to 0.9 percent. With businesses battling supply shortages, worries have increased in some quarters that steep price gains will start to become entrenched.
German unemployment drops further in June as recovery gathers speed. German unemployment fell further in June as more workers joined the labour market in light of a strong recovery. This was helped by falling coronavirus infections and an easing of containment measures, data from the Federal Labour Agency revealed on Wednesday. The number of people out of work declined by 38,000 in June from the previous month, much more than the expected fall of 20,000. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.9 percent in June, in line with expectations. Unemployment had decreased by 19,000 in May. Covid-19 cases have declined to their lowest level in months in Germany, allowing authorities to lift many restrictions, although they remain wary of the potential impact of the more contagious delta variant, whose share of new infections has been rising rapidly.
UK manufacturing growth slows in June. The UK manufacturing sector saw strong growth in June but the pace of expansion moderated from a record high, final survey results from IHS Markit showed on Thursday. The IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index dropped to 63.9 in June, down from May’s record high of 65.6. The reading was below an initial estimate of 64.2. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the industry. Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, says: “UK manufacturing maintained a near survey-record pace of expansion at the end of the second quarter, as the reopening of economies at home and overseas supported increased production, new orders and employment.
US economic growth unrevised at 6.4 percent in first quarter. Data published by the US Commerce Department on Thursday points to a nation that has regained its footing quickly after being hit by the global pandemic. The US economy grew at a solid 6.4 percent rate in the first three months of the year, setting the stage for what economists believe might be the strongest year for the economy in about seven decades. Growth in the gross domestic product, the country’s total output of goods and services, was unchanged from two previous estimates, the Commerce Department said, an acceleration from the 4.3 percent pace of the fourth quarter. Economists believe that economic growth has continued to accelerate in the second quarter, as vaccinations become widespread and Americans eager to get outside are being welcomed by newly re-opened businesses.
China manufacturing activity slows. A private gauge of China's manufacturing activity fell to a three-month low in June, as a recent uptick in Covid-19 cases and supply-chain constraints weighed on output and dampened demand. The Caixin China purchasing managers index dropped to 51.3 in June compared with 52.0 in May, Caixin Media Co. and researcher Markit said on Thursday. The result points in the same direction as a competing official gauge, which slipped to 50.9 in June from 51 in May, China's statistics bureau said Wednesday. Both the Caixin and official surveys noted disruptions brought by softening external demand and coronavirus resurgences in China's Guangdong province, an export and economic stronghold.


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As of right now, we’re allowed to tell you that we’re playing through Ghost of Tsushima for review.
What, you want more than that? Unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait until the embargo lifts for our full review. You’ll be able to read it right here on Push Square at 3PM BST on Tuesday, 14th July. That’s three days before Ghost of Tsushima hits store shelves.
Are you looking forward to Ghost of Tsushima? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article was originally published on


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Edinburgh-based health tech company PhysioMedics has secured an additional £1.5m in funding to expand commercial operations for its muscle and joints online self-assessment tool.
The Scottish company’s triage platform, called PhysioWizard, has been clinically validated and matches patients with advice and treatments once they’ve completed a 10-minute online assessment.
PhysoMedics said it plans to use the capital injection to expand into European and Indian markets.
The equity and grant funding came from business angel investment syndicate Archangels, economic development public body Scottish Enterprise and Innovate UK.
Founded in 2010 by chartered physiotherapist Kirsten Lord, PhysioMedics has previously received a £250,000 seed investment from Archangels in 2017, which is also based in Scotland.
“The further investment secured from Archangels and Scottish Enterprise comes at an important stage of our journey, as we move from product development and early commercialisation into a more focused phase of commercial growth,” said PhysioMedics chief Charles Sweeney. “The Innovate UK grant will also allow us to accelerate the pace of our product roadmap, which will revolutionise how musculoskeletal triage is delivered to customers.”
The company’s investors see growth potential for PhysioMedics in a market where patients have become accustomed to accessing treatment.
David Ovens, Joint MD of Archangels, said: “In a post-pandemic world, web-based clinical triage is becoming an increasingly important part of how healthcare is delivered in the UK and globally, providing a vital service and reducing the burden on healthcare teams.”
The funding from Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency, came as part of a wider £20m package for more than 25 products and services aimed at supporting people as they age.


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AG's Office Reaches Agreement with Online Storefront After Receiving Complaints Regarding Unfulfilled T-Shirt Orders
October 20, 2020
LANSING – The Michigan Department of Attorney General recently signed an agreement with an online business that allegedly violated the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCPA) after failing to fulfill online orders for screen-printed T-shirts totaling nearly $38,000 in purchases. The company advertised that a portion of its sales would be donated to a number of charitable causes; however, no monetary donations have been made to date.
The settlement is with online storefront Inspiring Clothing, and it was reached after the Attorney General’s office sent a cease and desist letter to the owner in September. The signed Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC) between the Attorney General’s office and the company resolves the dispute.
“My office remains firmly committed to protecting Michigan residents from being cheated out of their hard-earned money or from paying for products online that never show up at their doorsteps,” Nessel said. “Whether they are operating a major corporate enterprise or a mom-and-pop shop, my office will aggressively enforce Michigan’s consumer protection laws to keep businesses and entrepreneurs honest and to protect Michiganders’ pocketbooks.”
The AVC requires Inspiring Clothing to:
- Provide a $1,000 payment to the Attorney General’s office;
- Cease operations for one year;
- The owner must not partake in any business activities for one year, which includes any attempts to open another business under a different name; and
- In the event additional customers come forward with proof that an order wasn’t fulfilled or refunded, the company must make a $100 payment to that customer along with another $100 to the Attorney General’s office.
More than 100 consumers complained to the Better Business Bureau about Inspiring Clothing. At least 14 of those were Michigan residents. Complaints allege that months went by without communication from the owner and customers were left waiting for their orders to be fulfilled, or to receive refunds.
In mid-June, the business owner provided information to the Attorney General’s office showing nearly 1,000 unfulfilled orders, which totaled nearly $37,950. Several days after the initial contact, investigators followed up with the owner and were told the unfulfilled orders would be shipped to consumers in three to four days. However, the Attorney General’s office received additional complaints in August from consumers who placed orders and were still not receiving their items or refunds, and after following up with customers who made purchases earlier in the year it was discovered that several more had still not received their purchased goods or refunds.
The owner has since confirmed that all outstanding orders have either been fulfilled or refunded in full.


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ComfortWay presented a case with virtual SIM-card for iPhone 5/6 [video]
ComfortWay developed an innovative cover ComfortWay Travel Case, which allows to reduce roaming costs when traveling abroad dozens of times. This is stated in a press release.
Novelty is a protective case for the iPhone 5 / 5s and the iPhone 6 with built-in Wi-Fi, a virtual SIM-card and extra battery that provides up to 10 hours of uninterrupted operation of the smartphone, which is important when traveling abroad.
New technology management virtual SIM-card gives access to the mobile Internet in 100 countries at local rates – from $ 10 to $ 20 per 1 GB.
Similar technology in October announced by Apple in iPad Air plates 2 and 3, iPad mini, but it only works in the two countries and is not supported on the iPhone, the producer.
ComfortWay Travel Case will go on sale in spring 2015. The cost of the device is $ 149. The first ten thousand customers who purchase cover on the site of innovative gadgets Kickstarter, a 50% discount.
“We believe that our development will revolutionize the market of roaming services. ComfortWay Travel Case – a new philosophy in the mobile Internet access when traveling abroad. I am sure that the tourists love it “- says company founder Oleg Pravdin.
ComfortWay collects money for the production ComfortWay on the site Kickstarter. Developers plan to collect a half months $ 120,000 .
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VF Corporation to sell Majestic and Licensed Sports Group business to Fanatics
VF Corporation, one week after detailing its 2021 growth plan, announced that it will sell its Licensed Sports Group (LSG) business to Fanatics. The company has been exploring strategic alternatives for the LSG business since March 2016.
The deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter of this year, includes VF’s Majestic brand that is being replaced by Fanatics as a partner of Major League Baseball. VF was in talks with MLB to continue producing uniforms for the organization, which would keep the jobs of up to 600 employees at VF’s Easton, PA facility.
Majestic, the apparel and fan gear supplier, has been in partnership with Major League Baseball since 2004. The brand and Nike will serve as uniform partners of MLB through 2019, and will be replaced by Jacksonville, FL-based Fanatics and Under Armour in 2020.
The Greensboro, NC-based company may not have seen a fit for its Licensed Sports Group business in its five-year growth plan. The LSG business represents half of VF's Imagewear coalition that generated $1.1 billion in 2015, and it contributed as much as $550 million.
President and CEO Steve Rendle said the company will put its focus on its international business, particularly in Asia, and its direct-to-consumer business, as well as the strongest brands in its portfolio Vans, The North Face and Timberland.
VF expects to deliver revenue growth of 4% to 6% and earnings per share growth of 10% and 12% by 2021.
The terms of the transaction between VF and Fanatics were not disclosed.
Copyright © 2022 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Quavo from Migos will soon be signed to Big Baller Brand, according to MTO News' sources.
We heard the GREAT news - for urban fashion and for Lavar Ball's BIG BALLER BRAND yesterday. According to folks in the know - Quavo from the Migos is soon to be Big Baller Brand's NEWEST brand ambassador.
According to the streets, Lavar and folks are in the process of signing up some MAJOR brand ambassador's for their company. We're told that the deal with Quavo - is expected to be "in the $5 million range " when all is said and done.
Here's Quavo, already out DRIPPIN in BBB . . .
USA Today also reported that:
There’s no bigger supporter of the Big Baller Brand in the hip-hop world than Quavo. The oldest member of Migos first tweeted about LaVar Ball’s business last September, shouted it out on his “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho” album with Travis Scott in December and even asked Lonzo Ball for merch when the Los Angeles Lakers played his hometown Atlanta Hawks in February.
On Friday, Quavo rode into the weekend on a wave of love for the Triple Bs when he posted a photo of himself wearing a bomber jacket and track pants from the ZO2 Collection.
Besides this news, late last month Fader reported:
Quavo has been charged with battery after an incident on Saturday morning at the Encore Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas following a concert, TMZ reports. The Migos rapper and three members of his entourage reportedly confronted a valet who asked them to move their SUVs to make room for an ambulance. Hotel security allegedly detained Quavo and his associates, who were cited by police and released.


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A recent Reuters’ survey found 35 per cent of businesses have already changed their contracts so that issues are heard in courts elsewhere. Of those, 51 per cent have chosen for disputes to be heard in EU jurisdictions. All businesses surveyed conducted business internationally.
Following the publication of the White Paper on 12 July 2018, we consider the future jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) under the Chequers plan and contemplate just how real the risk of businesses taking legal disputes elsewhere is. Is the UK’s long-standing reputation as a global legal centre genuinely under threat?


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Following the success of the ‘Grand Diwali Mela’ in 2014, GroupM along with Google is bringing back the online Diwali celebration. This year the online festival initiative is bigger, with a new title sponsor Askmebazaar.com. The other brands to come on board are Lakme, Horlicks, Kurkure and Hungama.com renewing their partnership with the Grand Diwali Mela and new partners Eno and Godrej Securities.
Last year, the Grand Diwali Mela received over 5.5 Mn. visitors in a course of 30 days. Over 125,000 hours were spent browsing various online stalls in the ‘mela’ these stalls included products, food items, pooja needs, gaming and entertainment. The ‘Grand Diwali Mela’ emerged as the largest online sampling platform for brands. Over 150,000 samples were shipped across India, with 70 percent sample orders going to Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns. The samples ranged from make-up, skincare and household products.
Askmebazaar.com has a host of deals at the Grand Diwali Mela. With attractive discounts on home appliances, mobile phones, fashion apparels, home décor, personal care products, etc, Askmeaazaar.com has brought together all your Diwali purchases together at the click of a button.
For the spiritually inclined, this year the Grand Diwali Mela has the option of offering your prayers and receiving ‘prasad’ from a number of temples across India. Diwali is also about greeting your loved ones, and the Grand Diwali Mela makes this possible with a click of a button. Send festive greetings showing your ‘namkeen’ side with fun greeting cards from Kurkure.
Manav Sethi, Group CMO &Head, Digital Strategy, Askmebazaar, said, "We are excited to be the presenting sponsor of Grand Diwali Mela 2015. One of its kind virtual mela; one stop destination for entertainment, best deals and best brands in the biggest festive season of India. A truly immersive experience in one destination for consumers. This year look forward to the BIG deals everyday delivered at your doorstep. From furniture to fashion, AskmeBazaar has curated the best deals to ensure every home lights up this Diwali. Askme Group looks forward to India joining us on the GDM, 2015; the biggest mela of the year!”
On the second season of the Grand Diwali Mela, CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “After the success of the ‘Grand Diwali Mela in year one, we are excited to bring the online festival back again this year. We have a new naming partner on board AskMe.com as well and a range of new brands and products for consumers to choose from.” Speaking about the reach of the festival, Srinivas added, “With GDM, we were able to create a great platform for consumers to come and sample products and interact with brands. Last year we saw a clear spike in terms of mobile usage to access the Grand Diwali Mela. With a clear focus on taking the festival to not just metros, but also tier 2 and 3 towns, where the mobile phone is their window to the world, GroupM and our partners are integrating traditional print, TV and radio with mobile and digital marketing.”
Punitha Arumugam, Director Agency Business, Google SEA & India said, “Grand Diwali Mela organized by GroupM emerged as India’s largest online brand activation initiative during the festival season last year and surpassed any offline brand activation initiative in the country. As more and more consumer products companies embrace the Internet to drive sampling and consumer engagement, we’re delighted to partner Group M to scale this initiative further and help brands make the most of the opportunity online.”
Hungama.com, come back on board as one of the partners of the ‘Grand Diwali Mela’. Last year Hungama.com gave users access to films form their vast Indian and International movies catalogue, Users could also create a Grand Diwali Mela playlist of popular Bollywood numbers. This year Hungama.com brings on board ‘Hungama Play’ their premium video on demand service via the Grand Diwali Mela 2015.
Besides this, the Grand Diwali Mela is also running contests every single day with exciting prizes to be won.


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Through the partnership, new users who downloaded the app, and created and verified their LIMITLESS accounts from November 8 to December 10 will be entitled to a two-month COVID-19 in-patient treatment benefit of up to Php 10,000.
To avail of the free insurance, new members must fill out and submit the Igloo form that will be sent separately to their LIMITLESS-registered email after signing up on the app. The form must be completed within 25 days after receipt of the email. Igloo will send the confirmation email along with the COVID-19 insurance policy after verification.
This year, LIMITLESS partnered with other leading brands in the country to provide added value to its members, and encourage them to shift to contactless transactions via the app in exchange for perks and benefits. The brand has, so far, partnered with Coca-Cola Philippines, Shakey’s Philippines, and Nissin for different cross-brand promos.


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The Christmas Cheer Depot is open again for another holiday season. With the usual food and toy donations being delivered to the old Sears building in the Station Mall. the committee also emphasized on their need for teenage boy winter wear including gloves, hates and scarfs. ONNtv stopped by during their busy work day.
The power is back on!
Christmas Cheer Depot will re-open for business on November 22, 2019
As a reminder:
APPLICATION LINE PHONE NUMBER: 705-575-5770
Deadline to apply for Christmas Cheer:
Friday, December 6, 2019
Christmas Cheer Depot will be open Monday to Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm
- Saturday, November 23rd, 2019 from 10 am – 1 pm
- Saturday, November 30th, 2019 from 10 am – 1 pm
Delivery of the Christmas Cheer baskets:
- ONE DAY ONLY: Wednesday, December 18th, 2019


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Once Again, You Can Rent The Coolest Mustang On The Planet.
With the 50th anniversary of the Hertz Edition on the horizon, Shelby and Ford Performance teamed up to offer the iconic GT-H in 2016. At the New York International Auto Show on Monday, March 21, Ford, Hertz and Shelby American announced the availability of Shelby GT-H Mustangs beginning summer 2016 at 17 select Hertz Rent-a-Car locations.
Fifty years after the Shelby GT350-H was introduced, Ford Motor Company, Shelby American and Hertz unveiled a special run of performance-modified 2016 Ford Mustang GTs named the Shelby GT-H that will be available for rent beginning Memorial Day weekend. As a throwback to the famed Shelby GT350-H “Rent-A-Racer” program of the 1960s, a total of 140 2016 Ford Shelby GT-H’s will be available exclusively through the Hertz Adrenaline Collection at select airport locations in the continental United States.
“The 1966 Ford Shelby GT350-H became a legend from the moment it was introduced,” said Joe Conway, Co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Shelby American. “Ten years ago, the 2006 Ford Shelby GT-H earned the same ‘rock star’ status when it was introduced at the New York Auto Show. We worked closely with Ford Performance to make the 2016 Shelby GT-H the most exciting Mustang ever to wear the iconic Hertz black and gold livery.”
Fifty years ago, Carroll Shelby and Hertz saw an opportunity to put customers in the driver’s seat of high-performance special edition Shelby’s. Ford supplied the new Mustangs with V8 engines and mostly automatic transmissions, Shelby added extra performance and style and Hertz gave the public access to a unique driving experience through what was known then as its new “Rent-A- Racer” program. The companies repeated the same formula for the successful Ford Shelby GT-H program in 2006. Today, the story of the Shelby/Hertz “Rent-A-Racer” is legendary and the first two generation cars are among the most coveted by collectors worldwide.
Shelby American, Ford and Hertz repeated history to give the 2016 Ford Shelby GT-H a very classic, muscular look with additional performance capabilities.
“Our goal was to give everyone a chance to add some fun to their travel with a distinctive American pony car,” said Doug White, Ford Performance Parts manager. “So Ford Performance and Shelby American sharpened the handling, improved the performance, sweetened the exhaust note and added distinctive Hertz styling to the Mustang. Anyone who rents a limited edition Ford Shelby GT-H will enjoy a very special driving experience.”
Once Again, You Can Rent The Coolest Mustang On The Planet
The 2016 special edition Ford Shelby GT-H marks another Hertz car rental milestone in offering high-performance and specialty vehicles throughout the company’s 98-year history, and today through its Adrenaline, Dream Cars and Prestige collections.
“For nearly 100 years, understanding our customers’ needs and interests has remained at the forefront of our business,” said Matt Jauchius, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Hertz Global Holdings. “This special 50th anniversary edition of the Ford Shelby GT-H not only underscores our commitment to deliver a fun and personalized rental experience, but it also has helped Hertz become the premium brand it is today. It’s sure to be an exhilarating drive for anyone who has the chance to get behind the wheel of this one-of-a-kind ride.”
As with the past two generations, the 2016 Ford Shelby GT-H is instantly recognizable with several styling enhancements that celebrate its heritage. Each Shelby GT-H will wear black exterior paint, set off with gold racing stripes, a hallmark of Hertz vehicles dating back to the 1920s. Shelby’s traditional “Le Mans” dual racing stripes are combined with a set of rocker stripes that include special “Shelby GT-H” nomenclature. Each car will also wear a Hertz Edition emblem on the front fenders, and feature Hertz Shelby GT-H sill plates and a numbered badge.
Ford Performance is supplying a cat-back performance exhaust for that throaty sound that will make this car unmistakably a Shelby Mustang GT-H. To put all of the horsepower to the ground, the Ford Shelby GT-H also comes with the Ford Racing Handling Pack, including special-tuned dampers, lowering springs, sway bars and a staggered wheel kit. The Shelby GT-H rides on 19-inch aluminum wheels wearing high performance Michelin rubber.
To hint at the 5.0 liter V8 engine’s capabilities, the Ford Shelby GT-H is fitted with a unique Shelby- designed vented hood, carbon fiber front splitter and rear spoiler. Special badges appear in the front grille, rear faux gas cap and trunk lid. Inside, Shelby GT-H logos are on the head restraint, sill plates and floor mats.
Shelby American will build the cars at its assembly facility in Las Vegas. With total production expected to number only around 140 units exclusively destined for Hertz rental fleets across the country, this special-edition car will give Hertz customers a truly exclusive driving experience. To watch the build of a Shelby GT-H, visit www.shelby.com.
Source: Shelby American


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Apple ejects vendor following App Store security problems
On Tuesday, Apple ejected a company selling applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad from the App Store for allegedly defrauding users. The company did not reveal the extent of losses incurred. The Vietnamese vendor is suspected of gaining access to users' accounts and using them to purchase its own comic apps. The scheme came to light when the vendor's books suddenly shot into the top 50 best-seller list, at one point occupying a total of 42 places.
The case raises questions over security on Apple's App Store. The company is advising affected users to contact their banks to block their credit cards and get their money back.
According to the Wall Street Journal, there are now 150 million iTunes accounts. The newspaper quotes an Apple press release which states that approximately 400 accounts were compromised, that the iTunes server was not itself affected and that the app developers did not gain access to any confidential user data. Apple reportedly wants to improve security measures by, for example, requiring users to enter their credit card security code more frequently.
According to the report, Apple's iTunes Store has been a frequent target for fraudsters, who generally gain access to a user's account, change the access details and then download as many songs, videos and applications as they can. Victims only become aware of the problem when they receive their credit card bill or try to access the iTunes Store themselves.
Based on estimates by security experts, the extent of iTunes account hacking is much smaller than that of other digital crimes such as identity theft. Hacked iTunes accounts are offered for sale on internet forums, but the trade is much lower volume than that for stolen credit card details or social security numbers.


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UK inflation fails to rise in June, giving Bank of England pause for thought
- Despite motor fuel prices rising to their highest since September 2014, annual consumer price inflation held steady in June at 2.4 percent.
- Core consumer price inflation, which strips out energy and food prices among other things, fell to 1.9 percent from 2.1 percent in May.
- The news could challenge the Bank of England as it considers hiking interest rates next month.
British inflation failed to rise as expected last month, potentially giving Bank of England policymakers pause for thought ahead of a widely expected interest rate hike next month.
Despite motor fuel prices rising to their highest since September 2014, annual consumer price inflation held steady in June at 2.4 percent.
The figure was at the bottom end of forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists who had expected to see the first increase this year, to 2.6 percent.
Britain’s economy appears to be picking up after a slow first three months of the year, when unusually heavy snow hurt demand, and the central bank worries that growth is close to the modest pace at which it will start to push up inflation.
But Wednesday’s data brought disappointment on that front.
Core consumer price inflation, which strips out energy and food prices among other things, fell to 1.9 percent from 2.1 percent in May — below all forecasts in the Reuters poll and the weakest reading since March 2017.
The ONS reported the biggest month-on-month drop for a May to June period in clothing prices since 2012 as retailers slashed prices for the summer sales.
On Tuesday data showed British workers’ wages rose at the slowest rate in six months during the three months to May despite a record number of people in jobs, challenging the BoE as it considers raising rates next month.
Still, a Reuters poll of economists also published on Tuesday showed around 47 out of 75 think the BoE will raise rates to a new post-financial crisis high of 0.75 percent in August. The remainder thought it would stay on hold.
The Office for National Statistics figures suggested risingpressure in the pipeline for consumer prices.
Manufacturers increased the prices they charged by 3.1 percent in June compared with 3.0 percent in May. While a slightly weaker increase than expected in the Reuters poll, it marked the strongest rise this year.
Among manufacturers, the cost of raw materials — many of them imported — was 10.2 percent higher than in June 2017, the strongest rise in a year and up from growth of 9.6 percent in May.
The ONS also said house prices in May rose by 3.0 percent annually across the United Kingdom as a whole, the weakest rise since August 2013 and compared with 3.5 percent in April. Prices in London alone house prices dropped by 0.4 percent on the year.
Source: Read Full Article


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One of the UK’s most significant international business councils, United Kingdom India Business Council has signed up to a working partnership with International Festival for Business 2016 (IFB 2016) to help promote the festival and the benefits of attending to its corporate members across India and the UK.
UK India British Council’s chair, Rt Hon. Patricia Hewitt, met with festival director, Ian McCarthy, to officially sign the agreement. This supports IFB 2016’s objectives to encourage UK businesses in manufacturing, environment and energy, and creative and digital sectors to attend the three week festival, which runs between 13 June and 1 July 2016.
“The UK India British Business Council is delighted to be IFB’s international partner for India. 2014 was a fantastic experience – generating £300 million of business – and we’re sure that 2016 will be an even greater success!” said Rt Hon. Patricia Hewitt, chair, UK India Business Council
Ian McCarthy, festival director of IFB 2016, said: “IFB is very pleased that it can rely on the respected UKIBC, which provides a vital link to the international business community in both India and Britain. Their members are exactly the sort of motivated people we want to see attending our three week festival, which covers manufacturing, environment and energy and creative and digital.
“We are also delighted that UKIBC recognises the benefits we offer their large membership. But benefits don’t just start when the festival launches; numerous benefits can be accessed by any motivated business during the coming months when they activate free membership to our Business Club.
“Subscription to IFB’s Business Club opens doors for any business by offering Business Support Services, which includes advice, guidance and signposting to essential professional services such as market research, patents, banking and financial as well as international digital matching service and a comprehensive Meet the Buyer programme. This will be launched on ifb2016.com in the coming months and we expect demand to be high.”


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Under the plan, households with be entitled to receive 100,000 yen per child regardless of household income around spring next year, the paper said without citing sources.
The government will tap its reserves in state coffers to fund the cash payouts, the paper said, suggesting the plan will not lead to a huge issuance of government debt.
New Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration is also considering offering cash payouts to low-income households and temporary workers, the paper said, adding that details were being worked out by the ruling party.
"Compared with the previous blanket payout covering all households, more of the money could be funnelled into consumer spending this time because it targets those in need of cash," said Masato Koike, senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.
Kishida has promised to compile a large-scale stimulus package this month and the government is aiming for it to be passed by parliament by the end of this year. Kishida has, however, offered few clues on potential size of the spending and the amount of additional debt issuance.
"The prime minister has repeatedly said the administration is ready to offer payouts to those suffering from the pandemic. Discussions will proceed based on this understanding," Economy Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa told reporters on Friday when asked about Yomiuri's report.
The idea of offering cash to households with children was a campaign pledge from Komeito, a coalition partner of Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party, made ahead of the Oct. 31 general election. It differs somewhat from Kishida's call for targeted payouts to those in most need of help.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Sumitomo Mitsui, 4 Others Sought Info on IDBI Sale
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and one other global bank are among five potential investors that have sought information from the Centre about the sale of state equity in IDBI Bank through a formal query process that closed on November 10, people familiar with the matter told ET.Flipkart may go in for $700m Esop Buyback
Walmart-owned homegrown ecommerce marketplace Flipkart is likely to facilitate a $700 million employee stock buyback as part of digital payments platform PhonePe’s new financing round, multiple sources briefed on the matter told ET.Falling Input Costs may Cool Prices of Essentials, Apparel
Prices of groceries, daily essentials and apparel are likely to fall over the next two quarters as input costs are expected to decline, spurring sales in the process, according to consumer goods makers.
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Magna, Spirit, Leon and Joy, are LG’s 2015 mid-range handset series.
Mobile World Congress is right around the corner, and LG Electronics is in a rush to show us whats coming, as the OEM unveils today its mid-range 2015 smartphone series: Magna, Spirit, Leon and Joy.
LG Magna, Spirit, Leon and Joy are all Android 5.0 running phones, powered by quad-core processors with 1GB of RAM. 3G/4G LTE technology on-board, and they also borrow key design elements and features from premium devices like last year’s flagship, the G3 and/or G Flex 2.
“LG’s new mid-range collection continues our legacy of offering amazing smartphones at reasonable prices,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “For millions of consumers around the world, the deciding factor on which smartphone to buy isn’t how fast or how big it is but how balanced it is. With our new mid-range smartphones, more and more customers will be looking to LG for their next handsets.”
There is no word on their pricing or regional availability, but we are pretty sure that we will find out more during MWC2015 expo.


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Ultima creator preparing MMO game with NFT
Richard Garriott is working on a new project. It's an online role-playing game using NFT technology. It was reported by PCGamer.
The developer is best known for Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness, which was one of the first full-fledged RPGs, and Ultima Online, the first commercially successful MMO.
“Lord British”, together with long-time collaborator Todd Porter, wants to release another game, a new MMO using NFT technology. In an interview, both authors revealed that in their opinion, there is not a single interesting and successful NFT-based product on the market right now. Players want to avoid using the new technology.
The ambition of the creator is to create a decent game with blockchain capabilities. The name of the project has not been revealed at the moment, but Garriott has revealed that the novelty will resemble an improved version of Ultima Online. It's an isometric MMORPG set in a colourful fantasy world. The use of NFT technology will allow players to buy plots of virtual land in the game as a property.
At the same time, the developers understand the scepticism towards crypto-games and share the concerns. The game is not intended to involve large numbers of people in the crypto system, but the authors are confident that the project can make money for players.
Garriott has assured that the future MMO has already received sufficient funding.


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Mexico City, 24 March 2020
After the Mexican government's statement that it is starting phase two of its fight against coronavirus (covid-19), Banco Santander Mexico reports the measures it will take to look after the health of its customers and employees, and also to guarantee its operations throughout the contingency.
At branches and in order to continue with services, the staff has been reduced to 50% and they are working in teams on alternate shifts as a continuity strategy, and customers are being allowed entry in groups of ten for their own health and that of our employees. Cleaning has been increased in all of our spaces and antibacterial gel is available at the branches for customers and employees. The group discussions that usually take place at our Work Café branch have been postponed. Of the 1,209 Santander branches in the country, 84 have closed, basically due to the recommendations of local authorities, such as in the case of Jalisco, where we hope to resume business activity on Thursday in the 34 branches that were asked to close; those that were affected by the closure of shopping centres in the State of Mexico; and the Santander branches at universities all around the country that are now closed. At one Jalisco branch, where the staff were checked medically for symptoms (although no case of covid-19 was confirmed among its employees), the branch was closed for a sanitisation process and is due to reopen staffed by the alternative team.
The bank has encouraged customers to use digital banking and the use of digital channels has grown up to 20% over the past 10 days. Santander has almost 4.5 million digital customers that perform transactions via the app or online banking on a daily basis.
Santander is implementing business continuity plans so that the bank's substantive activities can keep operating with divided work teams, alternative branches and remote working for all possible employees, which means that more than ten thousand employees are working without leaving their houses, and it has also cancelled all meetings in person and travel.
The bank is already working on more extensive plans for supporting customers in the face of the current situation and these will be announced shortly. So far, it has confirmed to all customers that the bank's major medical insurance policies cover covid-19 when the product's general conditions are met, 3-months interest-free conditions are being provided for online supermarket shopping and 5- or 10-months interest-free conditions for payments to chemists, laboratories or hospitals.


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Sales of existing condominiums and cooperatives hit a ninth consecutive annual record in 2004, and median existing condo prices were up 17 percent, the National Association of Realtors reported this week. The pace of sales activity in the fourth quarter eased but remained the third highest quarter on record. There were 970,000 existing condo and co-op sales last year, up 8 percent from the previous record of 898,000 units in 2003. The sales pace slipped 3 percent in the fourth quarter to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 972,000 units from a 1 million-unit pace in the third quarter. The seasonally adjusted annual rate projects a monthly sales total over a 12-month period. Sales were 3.4 percent above the 940,000-unit rate of sales activity in the fourth quarter of 2003; quarterly re...
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PETALING JAYA: Touch ‘n Go (TnG) has been given a week to come up with an action plan to address service issues, says Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub.
The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, in a statement Wednesday (Jan 25), said that a meeting was held between the ministry, TnG representatives, the Works Ministry and the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) where several issues were brought up.
Among the issues brought up during the meeting included the difficulty in obtaining TnG cards and Smart Tag devices on the market, the time taken to transfer previous balances into new TnG cards and the use of the TnG Visa debit card to pay for tolls.
In response, TnG has been instructed to implement several follow-up actions.
They include adding more sales points and advocating and notifying users on their card's expiry dates.
It also said that TnG has been told to explain to users that the Visa TnG card is only for purchases, services and money withdrawals.
"The government recommends that the name of the Visa card be changed to not confuse users as the words Touch‘n Go is synonymous with toll payment," he said.
He added that the ministry will take action against any party that is found to have been selling TnG cards above the stipulated price.
Meanwhile, the statement added that the Works Ministry is monitoring the full implementation of the RFID system for toll payment and that all toll plaza and concession companies must immediately upgrade their RFID capabilities to avoid congestion.