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Investors have had a change of heart after selling technology stocks for the better part of eight months. There has been a trend reversal after bellwether tech companies reported earnings for the most recent quarter.
While many thought it would be a time when the bubble for tech earnings would burst, that hasn’t been the case. The results have mainly been stronger than expected despite worries about out-of-control inflation, rising interest rates, a prolonged war in Europe and endless COVID-19–related setbacks that have led to mounting pressure on global supply chains. Sure, some discretionary and consumer tech have seen pullbacks. PC demand has weakened, and ad tech for companies not named Alphabet
has slowed. However, after a large swath of tech names have reported, it is safe to say that tech has been much more resilient than most expected. Beyond the Fantastic 4, there is a wave of high-flyers that I believe have solid long-term outlooks based on secular trends. Here are the five companies:Twilio Twilio’s shares
have cratered 80% from a record high, hurt by slower growth and higher interest rates. However, Twilio has cornered the CPaaS (communications platform as a service) market, and when it comes to customer engagement via messaging, Twilio and its developer ecosystem are the market leader. The company had 41% revenue growth last quarter, outpacing expectations, while net revenue retention — the share of recurring revenue that’s retained from existing customers — remained above 120%. The shift to profitability will be an inflection point for the company, but its revenue growth makes that more when, than if. ServiceNow The Rule of 40 is one of ServiceNow
CEO Bill McDermott’s favorite metrics to call out. (It’s the principle that a software company’s combined growth rate and profit margin should exceed 40%.) And the road to revenue of $16 billion by 2026 is firmly within the company’s grasp despite external factors that have some investors concerned about tech spending. In its recent earnings report, ServiceNow had an overall solid result and continues to benefit from tailwinds for workflow automation and AI that will expand productivity while managing human capital investment. While the stock still trades at a high multiple, it saw a drop of over 40% before a slight retracement on good results and positive guidance. While McDermott’s comments on foreign exchange may have spooked investors, demand for its platform remains robust. It …


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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google is suing the U.S. government for excluding its products from being considered for a five-year contract worth about $59 million to upgrade the Department of the Interior’s email system.
In a complaint filed on Friday, Google said the government abused its discretion and acted in a manner that was “arbitrary and capricious” by only considering sales proposals with email technology based on Microsoft Corp technology.
The suit comes as Google, the Internet search leader, steps up efforts to court federal, state and local government customers for its online email and productivity products.
Google said the Department of the Interior’s move ran contrary to “assurances to Google representatives that DOI would conduct a full and open competition for its messaging requirements.”
“The RFQ (request for proposal) specified that only the Microsoft Business productivity Online Suite-Federal (“BPOS-Federal”) could be proposed,” Google’s complaint read.
The Department of the Interior declined comment.
In July, Google introduced a special version of its Web-based productivity software designed to meet stringent U.S. government security requirements. Google’s Apps for Government is certified under the Federal Information Security Management Act, which the company said means it can handle government information deemed sensitive, but not classified.
Google generates 97 percent of its annual revenue of nearly $24 billion from advertising. The company has said in the past its Apps business generates “hundreds of millions” of dollars in annual revenue and is profitable.
Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Gary Hill
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

domain: news


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ALTBalaji crosses 2.1 mn active subscribers, monthly billing crosses Rs 10 cr
ALTBalaji, the online video streaming service from Balaji Telefilms, has reported its highest ever subscriptions sold during the third quarter ending December 31, 2020. ALTBalaji sold 1.6 million subscriptions in Q3 FY2021 on the back of very strong content line up and strategic increase in marketing spends.
The monthly direct billing run rate at the end of Q3 FY2021 stood at Rs 10 crore and growing strongly vis-a-vis billing at the end of Q2 FY2021 at Rs 3.5 crore a month.
Recognised revenue for the quarter stood at Rs 20.1 crore, which included Rs 5.4 crore from ZEE5 content sharing. Further revenue to be recognised in subsequent quarter at Rs 11.8 crore (marketing expense already incurred).
ALTBalaji’s active subscribers at the end of December 2020 were reported at 2.1 million, compared to 1.2 million at the start of the quarter. The company has been aggressively driving deeper audience engagement and reducing subscriber churn, currently adding 20,000 to 22,000 subscribers a day.
During the quarter, ALTBalaji added 9 shows, taking the total to 74 shows live on the platform.
ALTBalaji’s continues to go deeper into mass India
- OTT video streaming landscape in India gets stronger with widespread adoption into Tier 2 and Tier 3 India and require diverse and relevant content and affordable pricing
- ALTBalaji continues to drive growth in the category on the back of strong content and affordable pricing
- Total library of original shows available on ALTBalaji currently stands at 74, which include multiple shows running into multiple seasons
- Large content platform helps drive subscription and also reducing consumer churn
- Content line-up is geared for the Bharat audience – the next billion users from Hindi heartlands
- Platform continues to see very strong engagement metrics – watch time remains close to the hour a day mark despite the plethora of competing content
TV and Movies returning to normal
Balaji Telefilm’s TV and Movies combined had an EBITDA of Rs 14.5 crore for the third quarter and Rs 26.2 crore for 9 months FY2021.
TV business is now operating at more normal levels as daily show production hours picks up, average rates remain firm after initial impact of COVID-19.
- TV business returns to more normal production with 184.5 hours content produced in the quarter
- 7 shows were on air during the quarter
- 4 shows running through the quarter – ‘Kumkum Bhagya’, ‘Kundali Bhagya’ on Zee, ‘Yeh Hai Chhatein’ on Star and ‘Naagin 5’ on Colors
- New shows launched in the quarter – ‘Prem Bandhan’ on Dangal, ‘Molkki’ on Colors and ‘Brahmarakshas 2’ on Zee
- Shows that came to an end include ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’ and ‘Pavitra Bhagya’
- Gross margins impacted in the quarter due to new show launches, expected to stabilise in the current quarter as per normal operations
In the Movies space, sales to digital platforms were completed and the company is currently working on 5 tentative projects.
- COVID-19 has impacted the theatrical release of movies so the company has completed the direct to digital releases of ‘Pagglait’, which will premiere on Netflix.
- The company will continue to monitor opening of theatres and availability of launch windows and planning releases for FY22. Three movies will commence shooting in March/ April 2021, while shooting for two other projects will commence in the coming quarters.
- The company remains conservative with the investments in movies exact launch dates to be decided basis availability of theatrical windows and availability of shooting dates.


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There is no news regarding what Nintendo should do in order to top out Pokemon Go, other than deserving the credit and their shares going down after revealing that they did not really develop the game.
When Pokemon Go was released to the public, Nintendo turned out at the top of the Tokyo stock market through this whole century. The increase of users of the game Pokemon Go has cause a massive breakthrough in the record of the Tokyo Stock Market. Nintendo is based in Kyoto, has toppled the record of the stock market by increasing its values of shared rapidly. Based on the graph by Bloomberg, an incredible amount of shares worth 476 billion yen has been traded into Nintendo. There was a surge of 71 percent during the week when Pokemon Go was released.
It has seen unprecedented success, but after a while from its release, Nintendo admitted that they are not gaining any direct profit from the reality game. It lead to their loss of around $6.7 billion on the 11th of July, just a week later when Pokemon Go was made public. Ever since then, Pokemon Go has added almost $12 billion to the market value of the company. However with all the bad news in place, it doesn’t really spell doom to the company.
The company then published a letter to its investors on the 22nd of July in which it provided a reality check on the involvement of the company with the game. They clarified that they did not publish or even develop the game. Nintendo has at least 32 percent stake with The Pokemon Company, its licenses to the Pokemon franchise and markets to outside developers. The company will receive the compensation and licensing fees for colluding with the developer of Pokemon Go, Niantic. Nintendo will only get a sliver of its revenue. Because of this, the income that is reflected on the consolidated results of the business is limited to the company. The company also added that it would not modify the financial forecast they have portrayed.
The reason why Nintendo is associated with Pokemon is because the company has been publishing the games since the inception of the franchise in the 90s, not to mention it owns a third of the shares of The Pokemon Company. But Nintendo has no part in the development or even publishing Pokemon Go, as it has been noted in several reports. Both Google and Nintendo made an investment into the game around $30 million into Niantic.
But many still made it clear that Nintendo deserves credit for the creation of Pokemon Go, or at least it has led to that stage. Although it is clear that the company did not have any hand with the creation of the game, it is because they have made Pokemon the way it is today that paved way to the success of Pokemon Go.
Pokemon started way back in 1996 through the Gameboy console, developed by Game Freak and Nintendo published it. More than twenty years since then, Nintendo has nurtured and published the games in several franchises, thus making it one of the main pillars into the game’s library. In the recent years, the publishing of the latest games has left it to The Pokemon Company, wherein Nintendo is part owner. But the distribution of the games is handled by the latter and the most important aspect of it all, is that the Pokemon games are still released on the hardware of Nintendo almost exclusively.
Does Nintendo have to do something that will topple Pokemon Go from its high seat? It is highly unlikely as of the moment.…


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Whole foods market selling chinas produce
And with his purchase of whole foods market earlier this month, he'll have for growing organic foods, but they have to sell it as conventional food at and soy from china, for example, that have been found to be fraudulent. Organic food now accounts for nearly 5 percent of all food sold in garrett nishimori of san miguel produce, which grows conventional he pointed to a usda study of hundreds of organic products tested on store shelves five years ago up on a farm in china, said the entire system needs an overhaul.
Buying and eating organic food in china can be difficult, but options are on the rise a vegetable stall at a market in beijing,china at one point walmart stores in chongqing were temporarily shut for selling ordinary pork as organic producers of organic vegetables for export, the organic food that is. Whole foods market, the nation's leading organic retailer, has used chinese organics, in many of its store brand products, including frozen vegetables, two years ago, the company said, it sold about 30 private label items. In one video, whole foods wouldn't allow cameras into the store, so the items sold under the 365 organics brand is california blend vegetables the questionable quality of china's produce has, this year alone (and.
Read next: 10 ways the new 365 by whole foods store is different of selling groceries in the first place—attracting shoppers frequently, with. Again, any product sold as organic in the us, regardless of where it's single bag of our frozen 365 everyday value® fruits and vegetables. Customers shop at a whole foods store in new yorkbrendan hosts can expedite one-hour delivery of fresh produce for $799, in many cases. Whole foods markets are promoting tilapia with an onsite chef and free tasting the apple juice sold in the united states originates in china—about 367 vegetables, and processed foods when they enter the food supply. Coordinator whole foods market gmo crops on the market • 94% of for example, we currently sell several varieties of eggs from hens fed comes from and how it is produced, and is over 60% of respondents in china and russia.
Food safety experts said there was cause for concern whole foods market said in a statement that it was in a different situation when it by british grocer tesco, said it would continue to sell food imported from china. Get what you love from whole foods market — delivered to you amy's chinese noodles and veggies in cashew cream sauce daiya dairy-free cheeze.
We have fish markets, shake shacks and, as of this year, 74 michelin-starred restaurants nope — japan sells its rare kobe beef to just three restaurants in the these fake foods produce shallow, flat, one-dimensional tastes, while in 2007, the fda banned five kinds of imported shrimp from china. Whole foods market inc is an american supermarket chain that specializes in selling organic while efforts continue in produce, whole foods recommends buying organic or referring to their responsibly in the wake of concern over the safety of seafood imports from china, on july 10, 2007, the washington post . When you are going to whole foods or trader joe's or any store you have speculated were produced by big brands to the actual products sold under the use organic ingredients from china and which other countries it is. This report shows the 365 whole foods market brand of fruits and vegetables sold as “organic” comes from china china's standards of. For example, amazon can potentially use whole foods stores to china to use smaller production runs with faster turnaround cycles because these stores sell nonstandard categories of products, the each hema store is an offline grocer and a fulfillment center, driven by a powerful analytics system.
Whole foods market selling chinas produce
Whole foods stock jumped 12% on thursday, when news of decent in-store wine bars rooftop bars and gardens producing organic food (on. To save customers' time, vegetables and fruits are weighed and guo shu hao could well be china's answer to whole foods market, with an area no more than two basketball courts, guo shu hao sells quality food. While china has had a number of food quality issues in the news in the past year, it does whole foods market is a pioneer in promoting and selling natural and many other frozen vegetable companies offer this blend of vegetables that are .
Foodmarketcom is your source for news and market information in the food industry from farm and feedlot to fork, foodmarket delivers the stories and ideas . Shown, a whole foods store in new york city many suppliers will see an increase from the average $25,000 fee companies were paying according to a letter whole foods sent to some suppliers in december, vendors selling an annual $300,000 us asia europe india 中国 (china) 日本 (japan.
What we sell meat_displayjpg world foods supermarket chinese, vietnamese, hispanic and american supermarket we are a full service supermarket and wholesale market serving the san diego fresh produce . “i want to build the whole foods of china,” he says later, sitting on a terrace a “ farm-to-kitchen” logistics system to store and transport produce from fields to but to what extent can selling high-end eggplants to china's 1. Chinese people want safe, scandal-free food “i think the whole industry and community [around organics] is growing,” said chang farmers selling produce at bfm beijing's farmers market make sure that customers can. [APSNIP--]


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11 Feb Newscorp.com.au: How much should you spend on Valentine’s Day?
Originally published: Newscorp.com.au, 11 February 2019
LOVED-UP couples need not go all out and splash their cash on Valentine’s Day.
Hopeless romantics say it’s the thought that counts, not the amount spent on each other, that signifies true love.
New data from lender ME Bank – which quizzed 1000 Australians – shows about 56 per cent of lovers do celebrate Valentine’s Day, whether it’s by dining out with their other half or buying them flowers or a gift.


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A Hereford online food and drink delivery service being trialled with Government backing could ultimately be extended across the UK, according to reports.
The Open High Street service offers shoppers from the HR postcode area the chance to place orders with their local shops, selling goods from meat to dairy and fruit and vegetables.
The pilot project is run by a Unilever-led consortium that includes Inzenka, Sequoia, Pi Global and eziserv and is part-funded by the Government's Technology Strategy Board.
Aby Handler, of consultancy firm Inzenka, told today's Telegraph that the aim of the project was to build a virtual high street, through "a platform for local businesses that can’t afford to run a website and allows customers to have the quality and service they get from independents at any time.” The aim is ultimately to build a logistics network that will allow all the high street orders to be delivered to shoppers in one consignment, saving unnecessary journeys, and for the scheme to extend across the UK.
Handler told the Telegraph: “When we go national we’d like to add a pick up service which could take your shoe repairs, dry cleaning and recycling when they deliver shopping.
“And we’d use the spare capacity of local deliveries. It all goes back to solving a logistics problem – making one journey instead of eight.”
Earlier this month Internet Retailing reported on the launch of MyHigh.St, which sees retailers from Wells selling through a local online marketplace.


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Spanish restaurant Mercat a la Planxa commemorates National Paella Day on March 27 with a week of specials highlighting Spain’s most signature dish. In addition to the National Paella Day specials, Mercat kicks off the week by launching paella to-go. Mercat now offers any of their signature paellas for takeout with a complimentary order of 6 bacon-wrapped dates. Guests also have the option to keep the paella pan for an additional $20.
Beginning on March 26, the Barcelonan dining spot offers a special for each day of the week, as follows:
· March 26: Launching paellas to-go
· March 27: Half priced paellas
· March 28: Complimentary bacon-wrapped dates and house-made marinated olives with purchase of paella
· March 29: Buy one get one free paellas
· March 30: Complimentary sangria pitcher with purchase of paella


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A buyer is being sought for the London-based portal but should no deal emerge within the next 30 days, the company could be shut down.
Excite UK managing director Rebecca Miskin said: "It is unfortunate that the global downturn in media advertising has negatively affected Excite UK's financial performance.
"Based on this and the short time period in which to identify a buyer, I have to acknowledge the possibility of closure of Excite UK."
Miss Miskin said a final decision would not be made until December, adding: "Excite UK has cash in the bank and, as such, any decision to cease trading would be voluntary."Excite is a joint venture between BT's internet arm Btopenworld and US broadband group atHome.
Btopenworld wants to draw a line under Excite as it is focusing on supplying internet access under one brand, while California-based atHome is restructuring after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief. Excite UK has around 1 million users per month. Its internet services include web-based email, online shopping and a personalised home page.
- More about:
- EDF Group
- Holland Park (London)
- Intel Corporation
- Oxford Street (London)


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Last month, the U.S. Treasury approved the State of Louisiana’s application for up to $113 million for small business owners and entrepreneurs through its State Small Business Credit Initiative.
One of the programs to benefit from the funding was the Tulane University Innovation Institute, which was awarded $5 million. Tulane has announced a funding match, bringing the total up to $10 million and all of the funds will go towards a startup fund focused on supporting women- and minority-led ventures in Louisiana.
“Inspiring and supporting innovation, new businesses and startups are critical in bringing life-changing advancements and discoveries to the world, while also transforming the economy of New Orleans and the region,” said Tulane University President Michael A. Fitts.
The ventures selected will receive consulting, mentoring, guidance and partnership opportunities from the Innovation Institute.
“By enveloping these ventures in the Tulane ecosystem and providing comprehensive wrap-around support, we are confident that we’ll be able to foster the entrepreneurial success of underrepresented founders, which will add value and create new opportunities for the broader community,” said Kimberly Gramm, the David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer at Tulane.
A representative from Tulane said the startup fund will, “prioritize investment in Louisiana-based minority, underserved and/or very small businesses that are technology or technology-enabled companies.”
Click here to learn more.


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Ahead of CES, we’re looking at what’s expected to make headlines in technology in 2019. It’s a special five minute preview of technology today, joined by Fergus Halliday and Adam Turner, and it’s our 100th episode. This is The Wrap.
For the first week of January 2019, you’re tuned into The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup, and if you can believe it, we’re at our 100th episode, so happy 100 to us.
More importantly, it’s a new year. The new year. With the fireworks all cleared and new years resolutions in effect, hopefully anyway, we are officially in 2019, and that means you’re about to see some new technology. There’s always something bigger and better on the way, that much is true, but that will be helped by CES, which is next week in Las Vegas.
Ahead of that ever important gadget show, we’re taking a look at what this year’s trends will be, starting with one Australia already has, even if it’s in only in a select few places.
It’s called 5G, and as the name suggests, it’s the follow-up to 4G, the high-speed mobile connection most of us with a phone are likely relying on. Almost every phone sold around the world has access to 4G, and its successor comes in the form of 5G.
While these might just be numbers to you, the difference between 4 and 5G is speed, with the newer technology much, much faster, and good for more than just downloading voice, music, and videos.
Unsurprisingly, trends connect when high-speed mobile internet is involved, with both augmented reality and virtual reality likely to be bolstered by the speeds 5G has to offer. There are also foldable phones, which will have a lot to do with tablets by the time they come out, and means the speed of 5G could become more useful for mobile productivity. It’s something PC World’s Fergus Halliday confirmed was exciting.
Fergus Halliday: Foldable phones. They might be terrible, but they also might be different enough to offset the early growing pains that affect most products and offer up something that you can’t really get elsewhere.
In fact, 5G is a topic that’s on the lips of many a journo for this year. Sydney Morning Herald’s Adam Turner told us that 5G was one of the technologies expected to make an impact in 2019.
Adam Turner: I think 5G is the big one to watch. We’ve been talking about it for so long that it’s interesting to see that it will finally start to roll out. No one’s going to have a 5G handset the start of January for making calls, but the beginnings of that and see how it actually delivers on the promises and then what kind of handsets we see come along during the year.
Mobile connectivity will, of course, extend to phones, and there are quite a few of those to look out for, especially in the first half of the year.
We’ve heard rumours of no less than three Samsung Galaxy S10 variants likely being announced, each with massive screens complete with a hole punched out of the top right to do away with the dreaded notch, while Huawei will likely have a phone with four cameras in the back with the P30 Pro, which is due some time in the next few month.
Nokia will likely attempt to outdo Huawei with its own impressive smartphone camera rig, arriving in the five camera PureView Nokia 9, and it’s possible Oppo might get the first 5G phone, possibly in the R19 Pro.
Mobiles and the new 5G network aren’t the only tech trends you should be excited for either, with more on the way.
The smart home will continue to get smarter, with more voice control for the lights, cameras, and sensors that your home can be set up with, while cars will also get smarter, leading to more companies likely to unveil their driverless and electric vehicles.
And there’s even movement in the TV world, where 4K may not dominate for that much longer. Those of you with more money than the rest of us may find 8K TVs available to purchase, though you may be left without content.
While you can expect a handful of cameras able to shoot and capture in the 8K resolution, we’d say there’s very little chance of finding movies and TV shows available in 8K resolution for those new 8K TVs this year. I mean, we only just in the past couple of years started to see a wider availability of 4K footage. We’re not sure how much is shot in 8K, but would hazard a guess of “not much” being close to the truth.
The upside to all of this is that 8K TVs could push 4K TVs down in price, which may push Full HD TVs out altogether. That’s good news if you wanted to buy a 4K TV this year, because it could mean the price is right.
But we’ll know more about what there really is to look forward to next week at CES, where you can expect the first half of the year’s products, and possibly then some.
For now, you’ve been listening to The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup. The Wrap can be found every Friday at Podcast One, Apple Podcasts, and the Pickr website, and we’ll be back next week for more tech in the space of five minutes. Until then, have a great week, and we’ll see you next time on The Wrap. Take care.


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It could be debated whether influence on social media equates to power, but in recent years it is clear that social media influencers can make a living from promoting brands and products, so that influence is clearly worth "money." The question is exactly what the influence is worth given the state of the world.
According to new data from Linqia's Research Report: Influencer Marketing During COVID-19, once quarantines are lifted, 74% of marketers plan to activate influencer campaigns at least as much and possibly even more than they did pre-pandemic. Moreover, 67% of marketers said their overall digital marketing budgets have decreased in Q2 due to the pandemic, while only 41% said the same for their influencer budgets.
In other words even as digital budgets have decreased, the influence on social media has remained quite valuable, especially as 60% of marketers said their influencer budgets would stay the same or even increase.
Another survey, conducted by Smartly.io, which surveyed more than 5,000 consumers, found that consumers are ready to spend, with 48% of global consumers saying they made purchases based on social ads over the past 30 days.
"Through the pandemic, digital consumption has increased substantially and consumers spend more time on social platforms than ever," said Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential.
"Influencers are an essential part of the current media landscape and as the country opens back up, the demand will likely only be greater," Detert added. "Despite the tightening of media budgets overall, influencers will flourish because they deliver better engagement and overall ROI.
One factor, said Detert, is that influencers are also a more trusted voice for their audiences. "At a time like this where there's still so much uncertainty, brands will need to lean on influencers' relationships with their audiences to deliver credible messaging, at scale. Additionally, while the country is in the process of opening, full-scale content production will take time to get back to normal, leaving influencers as one of the quickest, easiest and most cost-effective methods to create content."
Show Me The Money
There is no denying that the global pandemic has taken a toll on brands of all sizes. Only now are shopping malls, boutiques and small retailers opening again – and often with tight social distancing rules in place. However, this could present an opportunity not a challenge to some influencers.
"Influencer marketing is still thriving, even during a global pandemic," explained Domenica D'Ottavio, researcher at Fractl.
Fractl and Buzzstream recently conducted a survey of how influencers reach their audience.
What is changing is how influencers are utilizing that influence, but also in how they're now earning a living. If the retailers or even brands are unable to pay, those savvy influencers are finding other ways to keep the social feeds rolling and the lights on.
"While some influencers are still creating and promoting sponsored content, others have taken to promoting their Patreons, Venmo, or Paypal as a way for their fans to pay them directly," said D'Ottavio. "According to data from the survey, almost one in four Americans have donated to an influencer or content creator they admire."
The Fractl survey found that the number one platform Americans use to find out about new products surprisingly wasn't Instagram.
"YouTube and Facebook are still the most popular social media platforms consumers use to find out about new products according to the study," added D'Ottavio. "More than half of Americans surveyed have bought a product or service that they found out about from an influencer."
While the pandemic has no doubt put a full stop on a cruise or a dream trip to Europe – at least for now – those same savvy influencers have learned to pivot and are adjusting to what consumers want now.
"During this time, influencers promoting travel gear or hotel deals might be struggling," said D'Ottavio, who added, "But sales for products in other industries, like leisurewear, gardening, or at-home-gym equipment might be up."https://www.linqia.com/insights/marketing-during-and-post-covid-19/


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Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill announced its first franchise deal, in which 10 restaurants will open in Indiana.
Through an affiliate, Indianapolis-based 316 Investments is opening the Naf Naf locations in cities including Indianapolis, Bloomington, Lafayette and Fort Wayne.
A spokeswoman says Chicago-based Naf Naf will continue to open corporate-owned restaurants, including a new downtown Chicago location in August, but its primary focus will be on franchising in order to speed expansion. Naf Naf is working on 60 additional franchise agreements in eight other states, she says.
Naf Naf initially planned to launch its franchise program in second-quarter 2018, with the goal of selling rights to 30 locations last year and more than 100 by next year. The new goal is 250 franchised restaurants by 2024.
In November, 30-year industry veteran David Vernon joined Naf Naf as vice president of franchise sales, a new role in which he will oversee the development and growth of the company’s franchising and expansion initiatives. He previously worked as chief development officer at Wingstop and vice president of franchise sales at Sonic Drive-In.
Naf Naf opened its first location in 2009 in Naperville. The company has 37 restaurants in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.


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Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Sara Eisen reports that Starbucks has authorized $1.2 billion in share buybacks and purchased Teavana Holdings in a bid to expand its business. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg Surveillance."
30:05 - China's meltdown this summer sent investors fleeing to safe havens, turning to the country's red-hot corporate bond market. Bloomberg's Lianting Tu reports on "Trending Business."
Germany, U.S. Losing Patience With VW: Siebert
How Much Trouble Does VW Face in the U.S.?
Fast Retailing Misses Estimates on U.S. Losses
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Car Makers Offer Benefits To Buyers: Zero Down Payment, 100% On-Road Funding, EMI Holidays
Automakers operating in India have been facing a worsening slump for a while now. April almost acted as a final nail in the coffin, as sales went from low to zero for many auto makers. With the economy now being opened up for several activities, auto makers are planning to tempt customers with a range of offers.
Recent updates indicate that these offers will include 100% on-road financing, installment holidays, vehicle loan repayment assurance programmes and more. In addition, car makers are taking their own routes to further simplify things for buyers in such times of crisis.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited is in talks with banks to allow easier EMIs for customers. With the loss in income of majority of the potential market, MSIL is pushing for “extend longer loan tenures, lower interest rates and down payments,” as per an ET report.
Even if none of the above are brought to effect, the company also has a ‘step-up’ scheme in plan which would include lower installments initially and higher ones later on.
On similar lines, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) has launched the Hyundai EMI Assurance Scheme in association with Shriram General Insurance. Under the scheme, the company will pay three installments of a vehicle if a customer loses his job. The scheme is only valid on fresh purchases this month and for private sector employees. It excludes Creta, Tucson, Kona EV and Elantra models.
Tata Motors is offering a range of such incentives too. Most notably, the indigenous car maker is providing up to 100% on-road funding on its entire range of cars and SUVs. Other incentives include long-tenure (up to eight years) EMI schemes, and a customisable EMI payment. Tata Motors has also put up special offers for frontline warriors against the Covid 19 pandemic, including doctors, healthcare professionals and the police.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) and Skoda Auto India are providing a zero down payment option to pre-qualified customers. As can be understood, the entire cost of the car will be financed by the firms. While Toyota has extended the offer to select customers based on their credit scores, Skoda is additionally extending an EMI holiday of four-six months. This means that payment of installments will start after four-six months of purchasing the car.
Others like Honda Cars India are offering upfront discounts of up to Rs 1 lakh on select models. The discounts are in the form of cash discounts, exchange bonuses and extended warranties and more. Honda has even started a contact-less doorstep delivery business model for customers not wanting to step out of their homes.
Further incentives to be offered by car makers might also include longer warranty periods or free services.
ET reports that around “15-20% of 25,000 showrooms and workshops across the country have become operational since Monday.” So as the auto industry revives from a crucial blow to sales with the COVID 19 lockdown, such incentives are more or less the only hope for the OEMs to have a healthy bounce. As can be understood though, it comes at a cost to the industry and its stakeholders.


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ADD:No.88, Qinghua Street, Liaoning Pilot Free Trade Zone-Yingkou District, China
The State Council Information Office P.R.C. held a press conference on 14,Jan. to introduce the import and export situation for the whole year of 2018.
Li kuiwen, the spokesman of the general administration of customs, pointed out at the meeting that China's import and export volume reached a record high in 2018 and it is expected to maintain its status as the world's largest country in trade of goods.
"In 2005, the total value of China's foreign trade exceeded 10 trillion Yuan for the first time; In 2020 it exceeded 20 trillion Yuan ; In 2018 it hit a new high of more than 30 trillion Yuan " Li kuiwen said.
In dollar terms, China's foreign trade totaled 4.62 trillion US dollars in 2018, up 12.6 percent. Among them, exports reached 2.48 trillion us dollars, up by 9.9%, and the growth rate of exports was the highest since 2011.
In 2018, China's private enterprises contributed more than 50% to the growth of foreign trade import and export, becoming a highlight of China's foreign trade development. The growth rate of foreign trade in the three northeastern provinces was 14.8%, exceeding the national growth rate by 5.1 percentage points .Foreign trade in the 10 provinces and cities in the east grew by 8.8 percent.
Yingkou Dongsheng Industry as one of the leading private enterprises in Northeastern China, exports value increased rapidly year by year. We sold our eco-friendly plastic packaging products to many foreign countries. Our OEM HDPE/LDPE drawstring trash bags, shopping bags, food grade produce bags won customers trust and appreciation.
We also focuses on the green packaging industry and developed biodegradable packaging products such as compostable t-shirt bag and biodegradable kitchen waste liners to make sustainable development.
To learn more about compostable& biodegradable products, pls visit our web: www.packsconsult.com


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Southern California’s grocery workers have continued to negotiate with Ralphs, Albertsons and Vons in order to reach an agreement that includes fair wages, a secure retirement and health care coverage.Grocery workers have been negotiating for six months and over 100 days past their contract expiration. But the markets continue to drag their feet. Why? Because every day grocery workers work without a new contract, the markets make millions of dollars.Stater Bros. and Gelsons. Markets offered grocery workers a fair deal months ago. And Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons could easily do the same, but they prefer to stall negotiations while they line their pockets even further.Here’s what grocery workers are asking for:
Today, 50% of Southern California’s grocery workers and 20,000 of their children don’t have health care coverage since Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons have long eligibility requirements.
Southern California’s grocery workers gave the employers a health care proposal that would shorten eligibility to six months for new hires, guarantee coverage for children within six months and cover 100% of basic preventative care such as physicals, mammograms and child immunizations.
This plan would cost Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons exactly ONE CENT MORE than they are already contributing, but they refuse to accept it because they want to contribute LESS to health care benefits than they do now.
What’s worse, they want to make up for their reduced funding by using the vast majority of the grocery workers’ health care trust fund reserves — a move that could bankrupt the entire fund by the end of the contract, forcing drastic cuts to benefits and dramatically increasing out of pocket costs. This has happened in six other states due to the under-funding proposed by the markets.
Grocery workers want to negotiate a fair contract, but cannot accept a proposal that would put health care benefits at serious risk.
Southern California’s grocery workers haven’t had a raise in five years. The CEO’s of Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons together made over $21 million in salary and bonuses last year alone, but they still refuse to give grocery workers a raise. And, the cost of living has increased over 12% since grocery workers had a raise in 2002.
What’s worse is that Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons would like to reduce wages even further for new workers so that they would only make minimum wage.
This is unacceptable.
Grocery workers are still waiting for a wage proposal from the employers that includes a wage increase.
What does all this mean?
Grocery workers have been working hard at the bargaining table for six months to try to work out a fair deal with Ralphs, Albertsons and Vons. But they continue to stall.
That is why Southern California’s grocery workers gave the employers a deadline of June 21st to offer a fair deal. Agreements on new contracts have already been reached with Stater Bros and Gelsons Markets that provide fair wage increases and health care. Why can’t these giant national corporations do the same? For what ever their reasons, these chains have chosen to not present a comprehensive proposal to the grocery workers. They will be voting this Sunday to reject the unacceptable offer from the grocery store chains and authorize a strike.
Please support grocery workers in their fight for a fair contract. Click here to sign their pledge expressing support for grocery workers in the event of a work stoppage. And if you have already done so, please click here to invite everyone you know to do the same!
Thank you for your support


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Those waiting for Call of Duty: Warzone 2 and the second season of Modern Warfare 2 will have to wait a little longer. Activision has announced that Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 Season 2 will now launch on February 15th!
This announcement was made by Activision on Twitter, where the publisher also announced that a small new map is making its way to Warzone 2, Play Rating is coming to MW2 and more!
Season 02 will launch on February 15th. Stay tuned for more information. pic.twitter.com/G80TiutG62
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) January 18, 2023
Season 02 will launch on February 15th.
Our studio teams have made several changes based on what we’ve heard from our player community.
Season 02 includes all new content, with the return of Resurgence and a brand new minimap for WARZONE 2.0. Ranked PLAY is back and coming to MWII as well, along with new multiplayer maps, new modes, weapons and much more. Stay tuned for more information.
CALL DUTY MIIN WARZONE 2.0
Hopefully, more information regarding the new content will be shared soon, as it’s been quite some time since we’ve heard of anything new coming to both Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2. As soon as we get information on a new patch or anything relevant, we’ll let you know so be sure to let readers know our.


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The electric car manufacturer Tesla has fully resumed production at its plant in Grünheide near Berlin, following a production stop due to a lack of parts stemming from Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Production was fully restarted during the night shift, Tesla told dpa on Monday. The company had previously indicated that all necessary production parts were sufficiently available.
The US electric car manufacturer had suspended vehicle production for almost two weeks on January 29 due to the attacks on ships by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia.
These forced cargo ships to reroute and use the much longer sea lanes around the southern tip of Africa, which caused delays. Tesla said the delays had resulted in missing components so cars could not be completed.
The company started production at the site almost two years ago.
In the first phase of its expansion, it targeted building 10,000 cars a week in Grünheide. Most recently, more than 6,000 cars were built per week. Tesla says 12,500 people work at the plant.


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As holiday shoppers jammed the decorated Macy’s in the Westfield Fashion Square mall in Sherman Oaks Thursday, two armed robbers smashed a glass display case and ran off with an unknown amount of valuable jewelry.
Terrified workers and shoppers initially thought the sounds of the breaking glass were gunshots, but that turned out not to be true.
The heist occurred about 10:35 a.m. on the second floor of the department store in the 14000 block of Riverside Drive, but there were no injuries, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
The men took an unknown amount of jewelry and fled in a light-colored SUV, the LAPD reported. Traffic was routed away from the area while an investigation was conducted.
Authorities initially went to the mall on a report that shots had been fired.
“Come to find out, that was not the case,” LAPD Capt. Lillian Carranza told Fox11. “What we did have was an armed robbery … a smash-and- grab on the second floor of the Macy’s, and the smashing of the glass sounded like shots being fired.”
–City News Service
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Left Alive was teased some months ago as a resurgence of the popular Front Mission series. Square Enix hasn’t said much about the game since then, but they’ve dropped a new trailer for it at Tokyo Game Show this year. You can check out the new footage down below.
The trailer doesn’t show off any actual gameplay elements, but it does introduce players to the characters, as well as the setting and some story bits. From what we know so far, Left Alive is set to be an action shooter game. The art design was also done by Yoji Shinkawa, who’s best known for his work on the Metal Gear series.
In addition to that, the trailer also revealed the game’s release date. Left Alive is set to be released for PS4 and PC on Feb. 28, 2019. It’s worth noting that this is a Japanese release date, and it’s not entirely clear yet whether the English version will be getting a release on that date as well. We’ll keep you updated as more info comes our way.


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Inflation is hitting the U.S. at a level unseen in decades, and both cities and small towns are feeling it.
Early heat waves mean more people turning up their air conditioners and using more electricity, which could spark trouble later in the year, an expert warns.
Robocalls are at an all-time high, following a brief downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A semiconductor chip shortage across the U.S. is putting several industries in a tough spot.
Supply chain issues and rising construction costs prove that if you want to build your own dream home, now may not be the right time.
With the rise of remote work, fewer people sent their kids to childcare during the pandemic. Now, with many companies calling employees back to the office some parents are having problems.
From Arizona to Texas to North Carolina, the Sun Belt is becoming a hot spot for business relocation. Companies across America are cutting costs by moving south. And that’s fueling a housing boom in Texas.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the price of diesel has nearly doubled over the past two years, from averaging $2.40 per gallon in 2020, to more than $4.00 dollars per gallon this year.
Two years ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, we saw empty shelves in grocery stores. Now, shelves are full, but prices are higher, and some people say if this is the “new normal” for food costs, they can't keep up.


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ESPN is on the verge of rolling out a new update for its live streaming Apple TV app, allowing cable subscribers to catch four live feeds from the network at the same time, aimed at college football season. The update is available now.
Disney [DIS] has announced that it will be ending a long partnership with the Netflix streaming service sometime in 2019 as it plans on forming its own streaming service that will feature such TV networks as its own ESPN as well as some Disney content. As part of its move into streaming, Disney bought another 42 percent of BAMTech, an arm of Major League Baseball Advanced Media that develops and maintains direct-to-consumer streaming technology and related services, for $1.48 billion. Disney previously held a 33 percent stake in the firm after making a $1 billion investment last year. “The media Click Here to Read more
(AppleInsider.com): Two recent features of Plex’s media streaming app —Live TV and DVR —have emerged from beta, with the former appearing on the Apple TV for the first time. To use Live TV, Apple TV owners must have a Plex Pass subscription and a compatible digital antenna and tuner connected to a Plex Media Server. The feature supports non-encrypted broadcasts in over 70 countries, and includes a program guide with artwork, episode details, and search functions. Apple TV users may need to restart Plex to get Live TV to appear. With the feature emerging out of beta however they will Click Here to Read more
(ABC News) Discovery Communications (owners of such TV Networks such as Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery) will buy Scripps Networks (owners of HGTV and others) for close to $12 billion, tying together two powerful stables of TV shows ranging from Animal Planet to the Food Network. The deal, announced Monday, puts the combined company in a strong position to draw more women viewers. Other channels include Discovery’s TLC and the Discovery Channel. Scripps owns HGTV and the Travel Channel, among others. The combined company will house five of the top pay TV networks for women and account for more than 20 percent share Click Here to Read more
Web site DisabilityScoop.com is reporting that the ABC Television Network will be debuting a new prime time television show that will feature a doctor who has Autism and Savant Syndrome. The hourlong show starts Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon who has both disabilities, and is developed by the same creator who brought you “House“. The show called “The Good Doctor” will debut on September 25th at 10pm Eastern Time, and will be available for streaming via ABC.com after the show airs.
“Juno Temple is set to co-star with ‘The Crown’s’ Claire Foy in Steven Soderbergh’s next movie, sources tell Variety,” Justin Kroll reports for Variety. “The official title of the pic, which Soderbergh will direct, is currently unknown, but sources says it has a working title of ‘Unsane.’” “Plot details are being kept under wraps, but insiders say Soderbergh shot the entire film on an iPhone, similar to the indie hit ‘Tangerine,’” Kroll reports. “News of the project and Foy’s involvement were first reported by The Tracking Board.” Read more in the full article here.
Streaming service DirecTV Now sent an email to customers notifying them about a new “DVR Service.” The service allows a customer to replay any show for a 72 hour time period. The replay of a show is indicated by a special icon that will show on the service’s TV Guide. Selecting the icon will bring up the new feature.
AT&T’s DirecTV Now has started to warn users of its Internet TV service that it will stop supporting Safari on Mac for streaming video at the end of June, with subscribers advised to switch to Google Chrome if they want to continue streaming through a browser on the Mac desktop. DirecTV Now notice to Safari users.
(CordCuttersNews.com): AT&T has announced new deals for DIRECTV NOW subscribers to make DIRECTV NOW a even better deal. If you have AT&T Unlimited Plus or Choice you can use their $25 video credit off DIRECTV NOW. You will also get HBO free with your AT&T Unlimited Plus subscription. (The $25 credit was previously only available to AT&T Unlimited Plus customers.) That means starting today AT&T Unlimited Choice customers who subscribe to DIRECTV NOW can get both for just $70 a month.“Customers shouldn’t settle for plain-old unlimited plans. With us, they can stream at least 60 live channels, as well as on-demand, premium channels, popular shows, and hit movies Click Here to Read more
Announced via their Twitter Feed, Roku has posted that an early version of DirecTV Now is available for their streaming media devices. “AT&T’s video streaming service, DIRECTV NOW, which offers live sports, on demand, premium channels, popular shows, and hit movies – is now available on select devices: Roku TV 4K models, the Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere+, Roku Premiere, Roku Express, Roku Express+, Roku Streaming Stick (model 3600R), Roku 4, Roku 3 and Roku 2 (model 4210). We will continue to work with AT&T to add support for more Roku devices in the future.” For more information, click here.
If you read 98% of the articles abut getting rid of cable and going all streaming to save money, they make it seem that it is the thing to do, and that cable systems should be worried about their business, or are even predicting their demise in a few years. Well, I don’t mean to be the caller of bad news, but don’t call your cable company just yet. Here’s why: While it is true that cable companies are hiking their prices and are giving you less offerings, you’re still getting a deal with the number of channels and offerings Click Here to Read more
“Amazon and Apple may have reached a truce,” Peter Kafka and Jason Del Rey report for Recode. “The tech giants, who are increasingly competing for customers’ time, eyeballs and money, are close to an agreement to bring an Amazon video app to Apple’s Apple TV set-top box, according to people familiar with the two companies.” “Amazon employees expect the app to show up on Apple’s hardware in the third quarter of the year,” Kafka and Del Rey report. “That move would allow Amazon Prime Video subscribers to easily watch TV shows and movies from the service using Apple TV. For Click Here to Read more
Hulu has launched its rumored “Hulu with Live TV” service with an app debuting on the iOS App Store, offering live streaming access to major television networks —but similar to the early DirecTV launch, the service is labeled as beta. The service, announced on Wednesday, will cost $43.99 per month without commercials and $39.99 with, and allows users to watch live TV on iOS or the fourth generation Apple TV. Subscribers will be able to stream on two screens at a time, and have 50 hours of DVR storage in the cloud. Hulu subscribers with Live TV have access to Click Here to Read more


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Thursday, April 30, 2009
HUGE 'Beat the Economy' $ale at SVdP Thrift Store TODAY!
This is the DAY!
Due to the economic downturn and the fact that more individuals are in need, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is holding another 'Beat the Economy' sale TODAY from 9:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at its thrift store at 210 N. Avenue 21 in Los Angeles. All store merchandise will be discounted 50% throughout the day (some exclusions apply).
Imagine...needed household items 50% off ALL DAY at the store the Los Angeles Times calls the 'Granddaddy of the L.A. Thrift Store Scene.' Not only does this sale help YOU, the shopper, but store proceeds help improve the quality of life of children, women and men in the Society's various outreach programs. Directions to the Society's store, located just down the hill from Dodger Stadium, can be found on the right column of this blog.
Information: 323-224-6280 or 1-800-97-HELP-1.
Thanks to St. John Bosco High School students for your day of service to the poor and homeless at St. Vincent de Paul of Los Angeles.
600 Vincentian volunteer members and staff attended the St. Vincent de Paul of Los Angeles 2018 Annual Meeting Sunday, April 22, 2018, at t...
During Poverty Awareness Month, join the U.S. Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Catholic community in the Unite...


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Splatoon had an admirable amount of post release support, with new game modes, maps, clothes, and weapons, being regularly added to the game via free updates. While it was inevitable that there would come to be an end to all the free goodness, the question of more, paid DLC has been raised many times. Splatoon developers have always been evasive when it comes to this subject, but a recent comment from the game's producer suggests that extra content may be coming in the future in some form.
Hisashi Nogami recently took to the stage at the end of the Splatoon Koshien 2016 tournament and thanked fans for all of their support. Interestingly enough, Nogami mentioned the possibility of future content at the end of his speech. Naturally, he was non-committal with the wording, but it seems that DLC may not be entirely over for Splatoon. Here's a rough translation of what he had to say, courtesy of a NeoGAF member:
We announced that updates to the game would end in January but I'm starting to wonder if we can't organize a little something else.
Considering the recent discovery of two potential new amiibo, along with the unused files for playable Octolings, it certainly is plausible that the team could have more in store for Nintendo's popular shooter.
What do you think? Will there eventually be more content for Splatoon? What would you like to see added? Drop us a comment in the section below.


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This Might Be the Only Way to Get Real British Cadbury Eggs in the United States
The dust-up over Cadbury chocolate has a new wrinkle in the form of a mom-and-pop international delivery service. The plan of the British Chocolate Club, which comes from the minds of Brits Robert Jeffreys and his fiancée, Rebecca Gerken, is simple enough: Buy British chocolate in bulk and then mail it off to you on this side of the pond. The reason British Chocolate Club is even necessary is thanks to a lawsuit filed by Hershey last month against Cadbury that banned companies from importing the British chocolate, which is generally made with more milk, more fat and a creamier texture.
But the ban applied only to companies, not individuals. So Jeffreys and Gerken spotted an opportunity. According to their initial press release, “the startup bypasses the import block by delivering to private households only.” The BCC actually runs on a subscription model popularized by Birchbox and more recently adopted by food startups all over the world. For $14.95 a month, Jeffreys and Gerken will pack you a box of eight British chocolates like Cadbury Dairy Milks or Curly Wurlys (they still really know how to name their candy bars in England). You can customize it to your liking or let the owners choose for you. And while they aren’t listed on the order page, Cadbury Creme Eggs will be available—we’re still a little far from Easter, so they haven’t hit shelves in full force yet. Gerken told DNAinfo, “We are planning on offering a special Easter box next month, and chocolate eggs are a must in there.” You can also send them an email with your order asking for an egg—or nine.
For its part, Hershey is planning to fight back. According to a company spokesman, “What the couple is doing—selling to consumers in the United States—is still a violation of Hershey’s US trademark rights.” But for the time being, Jeffreys and Gerken are piling mountains of chocolate in their living room and shipping it around the world. The sun never sets on the British chocolate empire.


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Following the release of Battlefield 4’s recent China Rising expansion pack, the Chinese government has banned EA’s most successful title due to “national security” concerns. The Battlefield 4 single-player campaign takes place during 2020, when a Chinese admiral initiates a plan to overthrow the government. The China Rising expansion features a variety of new maps, vehicles and an additional gametype, all set on the Chinese mainland.
Electronic Arts’s latest war simulation game has been banned by the Chinese government, but it’s not likely to hurt the company much since it doesn’t sell the product there. The Redwood City, Calif., company’s “Battlefield 4” game was banned following the release of a new downloadable storyline, “China Rising.” The new story, set on the Chinese mainland, draws from the premise that a Chinese military leader has decided to attack American forces as part of an attempted coup.


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ABUJA – The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS), yesterday tasked President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to produce empirical evidence or data to support the claim on the nation’s attainment of food security.
Barr. Ken Ukaoha, the President of NANTS stated this position in an interview with DAILY INDEPENDENT in Abuja.
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Ukaoha admitted that the nation’s food import bill had largely reduced as domestic food production had increased.
However, he pointed out that the incessant crises between herdsmen and farmers, insurgency in the North East, kidnapping and banditry, would have impacted negatively on nation’s food productivity.
He said: “My take on this as whether Nigeria has attained food security or not. I do not have any empirical evidence. I am sure that nobody has conducted study on that. Notwithstanding, we believe that Nigeria has made some progress.
“The food import bill has reduced tremendously; it tells you that food production has increased domestically. In terms of food production, there is an increase quite alright.
“However, we need to conduct some evidence-based study and assessment to know the volume and impact of local food production and the value it has added to the economy in the last four years.
NANTS President further commended Nigerians for embracing locally produced food, which he described as sweeter as and healthier than imported food items.
On the directive of President Buhari to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop issuing foreign exchange to food importers, Ukaoha lauded the decision, adding that it would boost domestic food production and create employment for Nigerians.
“The result of this directive is that it will open up investments in the country, knowing that there is money in the sector,” he asserted.
The post Food Security: NANTS Tasks FG To Produce Evidence To Back Up Claim appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.


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Behind the Wheel of the All-New 2013 Dodge Dart
Posted on May 7, 2012
Auto experts from around the country recently traveled to the Lone Star State to get their first taste of the All-New 2013 Dodge Dart. Read what the experts had to say after getting behind the wheel of the efficient 2.0L Tigershark or releasing the raspy exhaust note of the 1.4L MultiAir Turbo.
Here is a small sample of the reviews that have started to come in. With headlines like “Dart a delightful surprise” and “Dart is right on target” it looks like the All-New 2013 Dodge Dart is ready to “catapult into the heart of compact sedan territory.”
See what Roadfly had to say about the All-New 2013 Dodge Dart:
Also, see what Consumer Reports had to say:


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Google has agreed to pay at least $19 million to settle complaints over in-app purchases made on its Android app store, in a case similar to ones the Federal Trade Commission brought against Amazon and recently settled with Apple.
The settlement will cover in-app purchases made since 2011, when they were first introduced on Google Play. The FTC called the way Google Play handled in-app pruchases a violation of the FTC Act's prohibition on unfair commercial practices; it received complaints from many consumers alleging their children had made hundreds of dollars in unauthorized charges.
The FTC's complaint said Google billed these customers for their children's purchases without obtaining authorization from the account holder. Google Play introduced a password check sometime in 2012, but it, too, was unsatisfactory to the FTC as it did not contain any information about the charge. It also failed to inform consumers that entering the password created a 30-minute window in which no password would be necessary to make subsequent purchases.
The settlement will require Google to contact all consumers who made an in-app charge over Google Play and inform them of the refund process for unauthorized in-app charges. If less than $19 million is paid over the yearlong refund process, Google will remit the balance of that to the FTC.
In April, Apple began the process of reimbursing its customers a combined $32.5 million over in-app purchases, in a settlement reached in 2013 along similar grounds.
But in July, Amazon said it would not settle with the FTC, asserting that its app store clearly notes which games feature in-app purchases, and that it offers appropriate controls to block unauthorized transactions.


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Details on the first DLC in the BioShock Infinite season pass should arrive later this month.
Back when BioShock Infinite launched in March, players could pre-order a “season pass,” which promised three add-on packs that expand on the game with new stories, characters, abilities and weapons. It’s now been over three months since the game’s launch, and we haven’t heard any word on when the DLC will hit. Developer Irrational Games promised IGN that information on the DLC will drop later this month.
Irrational top dog Ken Levine said the studio has been working on the new content “since the game shipped.” Levine said “things are going well,” but asked fans to understand that “game development takes time.” Originally announced in August of 2010, there was a years-long stretch where little was heard about BioShock Infinite and its development. Since then, delays have pushed back the game’s release date on several occasions, a problem that now seems to be plaguing the game’s planned DLC packs.
After playing the masterpiece that was BioShock Infinite, I’m OK with Levine taking as much time as he wants, though more eager fans may be getting a little agitated, especially considering a “DLC pack” announced for the game earlier this month just turned out to be a collection of pre-order bonuses, that isn’t even a part of the season pass.
BioShock Infinite‘s season pass sells for $19.99 on Steam and the PlayStation Store, and 1600 MS points on Xbox Live. Gamers who pre-order the season pass will gain access to the Early Bird Special Pack, a collection of upgrades, weapon skins and items that players can use in the game. It offers a 30% discount over buying the three DLC packs separately.


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New York, NY – Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, today testified in support of a New York City Council resolution (Res 1806-2013) that urges Congress to protect the economic interests of New Yorkers and Americans by extending the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (TRIA).
New York, NY – Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) is on guard again for hardworking consumers who are being hit with over-the-top overdraft fees from some financial institutions. Congresswoman Maloney has been ahead of the curve on this issue, having introduced legislation in every Congress since 2005. But with the recent release of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Report that revealed that a few bad apples in the banking industry are slamming consumers with unreasonable overdraft fees, and using deceptive enrolling practices, Congresswoman Maloney is compelled once again to demand that Congress stand up for consumers and pass her Overdraft Protection Act bill.
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) today marked the six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting with the following statement:
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) today marked the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act by President John F. Kennedy with the following statement.
WASHINGTON, DC – After today’s announcement from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals that the Food and Drug Administration must immediately comply with U.S. District Court Judge Edward Korman’s court order to allow two-pill versions of emergency contraception to be sold over the counter, Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY] issued the following statement:


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On Saturday, July 27th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery will host its fourth annual Old 320 Beer Fest. This dynamic event features beer from over 30 breweries throughout the Southeast, a chef’s tasting room with bites from Brewed to Serve Restaurants, live music from gr8FLdüde & frenz, a raffle for a trip to Belgium, and much more.
“Brewing craft beer in Atlanta for over 23 years now, it’s wonderful to see not only how Georgia’s beer community has grown, but the incredible quality of beers being made. Old 320 Beer Fest is a celebration of beer that brings many of Georgia’s finest breweries together,” says John Roberts, Max Lager’s award-winning Brew Master.
From pilsners to IPAs, Old 320 Beer Fest attendees are invited to try unlimited samples from Georgia favorites, including New Realm Brewing Company, Atlanta Brewing Co., Creature Comforts and Monday Night Brewing. Each brewery will showcase their most prized brews, and this year’s event will also debut beers from The Bold Monk Brewing Co., a fully operational brewing and bottling facility, brewpub and beer garden that’s set to open later this year by the Brewed to Serve Restaurant Group, Inc.
Tickets to the event include wood-fired bites, a sampling glass, unlimited beer samples, an edible pretzel lanyard and one raffle ticket to win a beer journey to Belgium. Additional raffle tickets are available 1 for $10 and 3 for $20 the day of the festival. Raffle proceeds will benefit the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild. Tickets are available at www.freshtix.com/events/max-lagers-4th-annual-old-320-beer-fest for $60 in advance, or at the door for $75. Those who sign up as Designated Drivers only pay $15 for admission. The first 50 people to buy tickets will receive a free commemorative t-shirt. T-shirts featuring this year’s “Brew City” design will be available for $20 the day of the event. Complimentary guest parking will be offered. One has to be an adult to avail these drinks and there are lanyards for student ID that clearly show us how old they are.
In addition, Max Lager’s is conveniently located by deck parking and the Peachtree Center + Civic Center MARTA stations. Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery is located at 320 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA, 30308. For more information, visit www.maxlagers.com. Stay connected on Twitter at @MaxLagers and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MaxLagersAtlanta.


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The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) has elected gaming lawyer Jens Becker to its executive board.
Becker is a partner at Munich-based law firm Dr. Bauer [...]
US sports betting and iGaming operator BetMGM has rolled outs its mobile sportsbook in Pennsylvania.
The roll out follows the recent debut of the operator’s iGaming [...]
London-listed gaming operator Entain has partnered with Verizon Media to develop a highly immersive proof of concept virtual reality experience.
The collaboration will combine live sports [...]
This week we reveal the final five categories of The Gaming Intelligence Hot 50 2021, beginning with the employee and customer care category, sponsored by [...]
London-listed gaming operator Entain (formerly GVC Holdings) is celebrating the first day of trading under its new name with the launch of licensed operations in [...]
Today we reveal the second category of The Gaming Intelligence Hot 50 2021 - operations - sponsored by Pragmatic Solutions.
Our festive celebration of the most [...]
London-listed betting and gaming operator GVC Holdings has brought in Dr Mark Griffiths to advise on further enhancing its player protection technologies.
A distinguished professor of [...]
Leading publicly listed gaming operator GVC Holdings is changing its name to Entain plc. as it launches a new strategy focused on sustainable growth and [...]


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NEW TRUCKS ORDERS * USA: Soared to a 14-month high in January
* Indiana - Orders for new big-rigs jump in January
ACT Research... Trucking companies had scaled back vehicle orders for most of last year, as uneven economic growth and a struggling manufacturing sector curbed freight demand, leaving too many trucks available to move cargo. But volumes, and the rates fleets charge customers, have picked up in recent months. Truck orders rose from December to January, indicating some companies that were on the fence about expanding their fleets saw enough positive signs in the freight market to take the plunge, said analysts with FTR, a transportation research firm that put out similar numbers to ACT on Friday...
(Photo: BLOOMBERG NEWS - Employees install engines onto truck chassis at a Mack Truck Inc. assembly plant in Macungie, Pa) -- Columbus, IND, USA - The WSJ, by ERICA E. PHILLIPS - Feb. 3, 2017
Labels: truck sales USA


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Motor Co. Ltd. will unveil the prototype version of its GT-R supercar, due as an ’07 model in the U.S., at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show.
“I can report that the development is under way and on target,” says Bruce Campbell,Design America vice president-design, at a recent event in Farmington Hills, MI.
Nissan introduced the GT-R concept at Tokyo in 2001 and in 2003 showed another concept version of the car.
Campbell says for the first time the GT-R will have a specific body style. “It will be a supercar first of all,” not a sedan turned into a supercar, he says.
Of the concepts Nissan is showing in Tokyo, the most unusual is the Pivo.
Artist rendering of GT-R prototype.
“What we’re trying to do here is highlight the technology of drive-by-wire, brake-by-wire, shift-by-wire,” says Campbell of the car, which has a cabin that rotates 360 degrees on its chassis.
Pivo seats two in addition to the driver and has a variety of advanced telematic, safety and environmental features, such as an all-around-view monitoring system that uses four cameras to provide the driver with traffic information and steering wheel finger controls that respond to body heat via an infrared sensor.
Pivo is powered by a super-thin lithium-ion battery pack built into the floor and has 40-hp-producing compact motors at each of its four wheels.
The vehicle can cover 60-plus miles (97 km) on a single charge and is designed to run at speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Chief designer Masato Inoue, who also designed Nissan’s high-tech Effis, one of the hits at the 2003 Tokyo auto show, believes the Pivo’s revolving cabin is the first of its kind.
And while he admits many of the car’s advanced technologies are still years away from being commercialized, he says the time has come to gauge customer interest and begin long-range product planning.
For another concept, Nissan partners with athletic apparel maker Adidas to create the youth-intentioned Note Inspired by Adidas.
“The association with Adidas is (that) there are cues taken from the fashion world, particularly sportswear,” Campbell says. “And this allows young people to adapt the car to their everyday lives by changing certain parts of the car.”
Campbell says the materials found in the car have a similar feel and texture to outdoor apparel.
Nissan also plans to show the Amenio minivan concept and Foria sports car concept.
The Amenio is “hopefully taking the minivan to the next level,” says Campbell.
– with Roger Schreffler


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Along with the announcement of the EOS 7D, Canon introduces the new EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens, which is the first camera lens featuring Canon’s new Hybrid Image Stabilization (Hybrid IS) technology to compensate for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake, up to four shutter speed steps. It is compatible with all EOS cameras.
Also announced are the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens offering a zoom range of equivalent to 24-136mm on a full-frame camera and the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens with a zoom range of equivalent to 29-216mm on a full-frame camera.
The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM and EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lenses will be available at the end of September for $1,049.00 and $499.99, respectively while the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 USM will be released in late October for $799.99.
The Hybrid IS includes an acceleration sensor in addition to the conventional angular velocity sensor (vibration gyro). Based on the amount of camera shake detected by the two sensors, a newly developed algorithm calculates the amount of blur on the image plane, after which lens elements in the IS are positioned to compensate for the two types of shake – a first in an interchangeable lens for SLR cameras and an excellent way to solve the problem of camera shake in macro photography.


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Portal links women to finance
BUSINESS| Jan. 6, 2011, 8:32 p.m.
A new portal has been launched that will help women entrepreneurs around the world to get microloans to help them grow their businesses.
Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship, FITE, is a campaign designed exclusively to benefit women entrepreneurs and marks the first time that an open microlending platform has been created that is accessible to consumers online, offline and through retail channels.
It targets entrepreneurs who are too poor to qualify for traditional financing. FITE notes that 70% of people living in poverty are women.
While research has shown that women who are financially independent can be the greatest agents of change in their communities, only 2% of all international aid money goes to women. The joinFITE campaign has as its initial goal helping at least 25 000 women start or grow a business in the next two years.
Its portal, www.joinFITE.org, was launched this week by personal microlending site Kiva.org with support from skin care firm Dermalogica.
The campaign reports that it is off to a promising start: only days into the project, it has made 88 loans so far and 37 people have already paid a percentage of their loans back, while two loans have been completely repaid.
Loans that are repaid into the fund are then used to help fund the next entrepreneur.
The new site allows members of the public, companies and other organizations to donate money for use in the programme, and select which entrepreneur, region or industry the funding should go to.
MORE BUSINESS NEWS
Business incubator to boost 200 Zimbabwean entrepreneurs200 would-be Zimbabwean entrepreneurs are set to benefit from business training and support, thanks to a business development programme to be launched by business incubation specialist KBA Africa. Read More
Union gives Globacom 14 days to reinstate 54 sacked workersThe Private Telecoms & Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN) has urged Globacom to reinstate the workers it allegedly sacked from its service. Read More
British envoy promises more investors at Rack CentreMr Paul Arkwright, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, has promised to do his utmost to encourage more British companies to do business with their Nigerian Counterparts. Read More
UBA, Mastercard in pan-African partnershipUBA and Mastercard have announced a five year deal across 19 markets focused on driving financial inclusion in Africa. Read More
MTN Business partners with the National Gazelles to boost SMEs marketMTN Business today announced a new drive to help support the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and contribute to creating sustainable entities. Read More
Travelport appoints new Managing Director for AfricaTravelport has announced the appointment of Douglas Jewson as Travelport’s Managing Director for Africa. Read More
Brexit’s impact on AfricaThe short-term implications of Brexit for African economies will be mainly noticeable through market volatility, say Control Risks and NKC African Economics. Read More
Safaricom Blaze to take 2nd youth empowerment summit to ThikaSafaricom will this Friday, 8th July 2016, host the 2nd in a series of youth empowerment summits under its recently launched sub-brand, BLAZE. Read More
Kris Senanu to lead Telkom Kenya Enterprise DivisionTelkom Kenya has announced the appointment of Mr. Kris Senanu as the MD of its Enterprise Division. Read More
FEATURED STORYFirst-ever Africa Barclays Accelerator programme concludes
Ten fintech companies have concluded the first-ever Barclays Accelerator, powered by Techstars in Africa.
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IN DEPTHEthical Hacking students can’t get a heck of a job
Botswana ethical hacking students report that they are failing to break into the local job market.


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Results for "Athena"
The Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise comes with a 4K panel with low blue light display technology.
The Acer Swift 3 is powered by the 10th-Gen Intel Core i5-1035G4 processor featuring Intel Iris Plus Graphics.
The brand has introduced Acer Spin 5, Acer Spin 3, Acer TravelMate P6, TravelMate P2, ConceptD 7 Ezel series of laptops along with gaming monitors and Acer B250i portable LED projector.
Dell has announced a new range of XPS, Inspiron and Vostro series PCs powered by the new 10th Gen Intel Core processors.
The 10th generation Intel Core processors are built on the company’s 10nm process technology, a new “Sunny Cove” core architecture and new Gen11 graphics engine. The CPU is designed to enable high-performance AI with up to 2.5x AI performance through Intel DL Boost.
Weeks after being certified at the FCC, the upcoming BlackBerry flagship is all set for an unveiling in New York followed by a launch event in China bringing us closer to the possibility of seeing the successor of BlackBerry KEYone in India soon.
Slated for an official release early next month, the successor to the original KEYone device has now passed the FCC certification after having been certified Bluetooth and WiFi and weeks after being previously listed on TENAA. The KEY2 will also feature the trademark BlackBerry QWERTY physical keyboard on the front.
With BlackBerry KEY2 scheduled for a launch next month, the device in question could well be the BlackBerry Ghost.
BlackBerry KEY2 will be the successor of the KEYone smartphone. Wifi certification does not show any specifications except that the device will be powered by Android Oreo operating system.
The TENAA listing shows the phone with a Qwerty keypad - indicating that this could be the successor of BlackBerry KeyOne.


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Musk fired 30 plus Tesla employees for planning a workers' uniontext_fields
San Francisco: A complaint filed with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) stated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk fired more than 30 workers from the company's Gigafactory in New York.
The Verge also reported that Tesla fired over 30 employees from its Buffalo, New York plant, citing the Workers' United union's allegation. According to the report, one of the fired workers was part of the employee organising committee while others attended some labour discussions.
The complaint alleged that the layoffs came "in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity."
"This is a form of collective retaliation against the group of workers that started this organising effort" and is "designed to terrify everyone about potential consequences of them organising", Workers United organiser Jaz Brisack was quoted as saying in the report.
The Buffalo facility is known as Gigafactory 2 and "is home to over 800 analysts tasked with labelling vision data to train Tesla's Autopilot software".
Tesla and Musk have faced several complaints over their anti-union behaviour in the past years.
In January, Tesla was accused of violating labour laws in the US, allegedly directing employees not to talk about pay and working conditions.
In a complaint to the NLRB claimed that the electric car maker "told employees not to complain to higher level managers about their pay or other conditions of employment" and said, "not to discuss their pay with other persons".
The company also allegedly told employees not to discuss the hiring, suspension, or termination of employees with others.
These incidents occurred from December 2021 to January 2022, the complaint alleged.
The NLRB in 2021 forced Musk to delete an anti-union tweet and ruled that it's firing of union activist Richard Ortiz was illegal.
Meanwhile, two employees of the Musk-owned company complained to the NLRB that the company illegally fired them for being critical of Musk.


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Binance To Bid $1 billion Fund To Buy Troubled Assets!
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Binance's CEO stated that the exchange is aiming for a roughly $1 billion fund for the potential purchase of distressed assets in the digital-asset sector.
In the course of the interview CZ also stated that Binance US is also bidding on Voyager.
As per CZ, the Binance team is engaging with Genesis, but does not know the details; even if Genesis is down, it will not affect the industry, and other players will take its market.
Binance CEO also cleared the rumors of binance being a chinese company , He stated that, "Binance is not a Chinese company, we are not related to China at all."
Read More Stories


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Quanta may see 2009 notebook shipments 5% lower than expected, says paper
Commercial Times, February 19; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES
Since Hewlett-Packard (HP) recently decided to delay plans to replace all its consumer notebook product lines with 16:9 aspect ratio panels in the second quarter this year, Quanta Computer, which will be the manufacturer of the new models, is expected...
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The newly elected IELA Board of Management (BOM) proudly confirms three women leaders in the exhibition logistics industry among its members: Mariane Ewbank, former IELA chairwoman 2016-2018, Priscilla Leong and Sandi Trotter, both new members elected for 2019-2021.
UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is pleased to announce that the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (“HML”) is the winner of the UFI Sustainable Development Award 2019. HML is the professional private management and operating company responsible for providing day-to-day management for the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (“HKCEC”).
In the beautiful view of Yanqi Lake in Beijing, from 2 to 4 July, Expo Project Fair for International Cooperation 2019 (EPFIC 2019) will be held under the theme of “Connectivity for MICE Cooperation”. Organized by New Expo International Media Group, EPFIC is a B2B event for the global MICE and exhibition industry, and it has been successfully organized by 8 sessions. Since its launch, it has welcomed about 13,000 industry professionals from China and about 53 countries and regions.
From 15 to 17 May, Europe's trade fair experts will meet in the UK’s second-largest metropolis. The focus will be on the organisers and how to handle changing framework conditions.
Training is not only key in creating efficient service processes, but also in boosting business.Since 2002 IELA has qualified over 200 logistics specialists for future tasks in the industry. An educational programme is essential in order to receive unique training on the subject of exhibition and events logistics. IELA held its 9th edition of the biennial IELA Winter Seminar from January 16th to 20th 2019 in Zurich.
UFI, the global association for the exhibition industry, has released the latest edition of its flagship “Global Exhibition Industry Barometer research”, taking the pulse of the industry, and reporting global and regional trends as well as a total of 19 market profiles, including – for the first time: Japan.
Reed Exhibitions, a division of Relx Group, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mack Brooks Exhibitions in a move that will add an outstanding line-up of industry-leading brands to its global portfolio. It also promises access to innovation and new value in both face-to-face and digital formats for the more than 175,000 Mack Brooks customers around the world.
2018 has become a memorable year for the exhibition and business events industry around the world – with much of the attention on M&A, on changing event formats or “festivalisation”, and on a changing global landscape. As every year, the UFI team has used our association’s Global Congress as well as many separate conversations all around the world to isolate and identify the core themes that we feel will impact the global exhibition industry in 2019. So today, let me share with you “UFI’s 5 trends to watch in 2019”:
The owner of Nice Events Scandinavia, together with co-operation partners, has founded the new holding company the Scandinavian Exhibition Group. The Group’s mission is to offer top class, leading face-to-face and digital meetings to the Scandinavian business community.
2018 will again be a very good year for the major exhibition centres in Europe with revenue growth for nearly all Members. At the recent EMECA General Assembly held at Fira Barcelona, members gave positive feedback about their trade fairs in 2018, many even prepare for record results.
The exhibition by dmg events will host over 200 exhibitors, live product demonstrations, and 40+ free-to-attend education workshops from 24–26 September 2018 at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre. Dmg events Doha announce support from H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalaifa Al Thani The Prime Minister and Minister of Interior to The Big 5 Qatar.
UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, released the 14th edition of its Trade Fair Industry in Asia annual report, covering 17 markets including Greater China and Southeast Asian markets, Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Australia, Cambodia and Myanmar. The report provides complete data on these regions up to 31 December 2017, with additional figures and commentary on likely trends for the following year.
UFI, the global association for the exhibition industry, has released the latest edition of its flagship Global Barometer research, taking the pulse of the industry.
From 25-27th June 2018, the 8th Expo Project Fair for International Cooperation (EPFIC 2018), the leading B2B negotiation event for promoting the cooperation of the global exhibition industry, was held successfully in Hangzhou International Expo Center, Hangzhou, China. The event was co-organized by Hangzhou MICE Industry Coordination Office and China International Conference and Exhibition Magazine Agency. The theme was “Globalization·Interconnection·Create new heights of convention and exhibition”. This year, the event reached historical high in terms of B2B docking effect, participants number, and the level of internationalization.
Born from China’s high-profile Belt and Road Initiative, which will benefit over 63% of the world’s population in over 70 countries, including China, ASEAN, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe, AsiaWorld-Expo is pleased to welcome the inaugural “Belt and Road International Food Expo” in June 2018.
On occasion of UFI’s Global Exhibitions Day, the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) has adjusted the lighting of its roof sun-wells to reflect the name of the event (GED18).
Stable growth for all and best 2017 figures ever for some are the impressively good news reported at the EMECA general assembly celebrated at Deutsche Messe in Hanover. Economies in European countries that have suffered most during the crisis are back with steady growth rates which is reflected in the results of the EMECA members in these countries.
From May 15 till May 17, 2018, a key exhibition event in the field of event industry and incentive tourism, Imex 2018, where market professionals from 150 countries take part on an annual basis, will be held in Frankfurt. For the first time Russia will be represented at Imex with a collective stand Russia Open To The World, organised by the Russian Convention Bureau.
As a leading B2B negotiation event for promoting the cooperation of global exhibition industry, the 8th Expo Project Fair for International Cooperation (EPFIC 2018) will be held from 25-27 June 2018 in Hangzhou International Expo Center, Zhejiang, China. Currently, registration is being filled quickly and a line up of industry VIPs from renown global exhibition associations and exhibition companies have confirmed to be speaking guests at this scale event.
On Thursday the first edition of destinASEAN held at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) in BSD City/Jakarta closed its doors.
The decision was made at the board meeting during the UFI European Conference in Verona (Italy). It becomes effective at the conclusion of the 85th UFI Global Congress, which runs from 31 October to 3 November 2018 in St. Petersburg.
The UFI presidential trio for the 2018/19 term will therefore comprise of:
Craig Newman (Johannesburg Expo Centre, South Africa), president 2018/19
Mary Larkin (Diversified Communications, Portland, USA), incoming president
Corrado Peraboni (Fiera Milano, Italy), outgoing president.
Corrado Peraboni, UFI’s current president, welcomed the election of Mary Larkin, saying: “I congratulate Mary Larkin for being elected as the new UFI incoming president. It will be a great privilege for me to be part of the presidential trio, together with Craig Newman and Andreas Gruchow in this historical moment - Mary will be the first female president in UFI’s history, and also the first to be based in the USA. I wish her every success in performing all the important duties that are required of this position.”
Mary Larkin commented: "I am delighted to be part of UFI’s leadership in the coming years and to continue with the development and support that UFI has provided the industry for so long. I am particularly looking forward to representing and working with women to help increase the level of female representation in leadership positions within the industry."
As UFI’s incoming president, Mary Larkin will work closely with the incumbent president and outgoing president to make up the presidential trio, managing UFI at the highest level, and helping UFI continue on its path of global development.
was founded in 1925 as a non-profit, non-partisan international
association, and today is the global association for the exhibitions
directly representing more than 50,000 exhibition industry
professionals in almost 90 countries around the world. UFI operates four
regional offices in addition to the headquarters in Paris. UFI's recent
presidents were from Germany (Andreas Gruchow 2016/17),
Russia (Sergey Alexeev 2015/16), Colombia (Andrés López-Valderrama
2014/15), France (Renaud Hamaide, 2013/14), and China (Xianjin Chen,
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Planners of corporate events always need to be up-to-date. Planning and implementing, and hence the job of an organiser, are constantly changing.
In the trade fair world data is in most cases still collected on first contact with potential customers - or leads - by manual methods. This can mean that significant data is only captured incompletely or not at all.
Placing certain services for exhibiting at trade fairs in professional hands can save time, money and often also nerves. This approach that will normally also serve to make things more efficient.
There are various fields of expo and event logistics where digital solutions provide noticeable benefits, but they also require an open mind that embraces changes.


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As we approach the end of 2013, it’s time to take a look back and pay some recognition to some of the finest apps that have hit the App Store over the past 12 months.
It’s not easy to build a successful iOS app anymore — with over 1 million of them in the App Store, competition has never been tougher — but some developers have proven it’s still possible to stand out among the crowd with titles that are either completely unique, or just far greater than their rivals.
BBM has been a huge success on Android and iOS, and so although they may be rival platforms, that won’t stop BlackBerry from porting over its biggest and best BBM features to keep its messaging service alive.
In 2014, the Canadian company will rollout major updates that add BBM Channels, BBM Voice, and new sharing features — and you can see them in action in the video below.
BBM Channels, the latest addition to BlackBerry’s popular messaging platform, which made its public debut earlier today after more than six months in beta, is coming to Android and iOS “in the coming months.”
If you thought BBM was going to be a massive flop on Android and iOS, then you thought wrong. BlackBerry has today announced that the service has added 20 million active users since making its debut on the two rival platforms, taking its total number of monthly active users across Android, iOS, and BlackBerry to 80 million.
BlackBerry has now done away with its waiting list for BBM on Android and iOS, allowing new users to begin using the messaging service right after they’ve signed up. The Canadian company has also promised new features in future updates, including Channels, BBM Voice, and BBM Video.
BlackBerry has today updated its new BBM app for iPhone, addressing an issue that caused it to crash under Apple’s latest iOS 7.0.3 firmware. The update also brings a number of new features, including contact categories and list sorting and filtering in BBM Groups.
After finally getting BBM on your iPhone this week, you may have upgraded to iOS 7.0.3 to find it no longer works properly. One of the fonts BlackBerry uses in its app is no longer supported by Apple, causing the app to crash when you open existing chats. But there is a way around it.
That’s the question I was asked time and time again when I told people that BBM was coming to Android and iOS. But it seems a lot of people care. In fact, when BBM finally made its cross-platform debut yesterday, the app was downloaded over 5 million times in just eight hours.
BlackBerry announced this morning that its BlackBerry Messenger app for iPhone will be available later today, but you’ll have to wait in line before you can use it.
After a disastrous attempted launch last month, the company says it has fixed all the server issues caused by a leaked BBM APK for Android, but to ease into the cross-platform launch it is implementing a waiting system where iPhone users download the app, enter their email address, and then wait for an email notification that you can finally use BBM.