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World Trade Center
LAST UPDATED : Jan 16, 2021, 03:35 AM IST
- India implemented several measures to facilitate trade during 2015-20: WTO
Geneva-based WTO said that the other trade-facilitation initiatives introduced by India since 2015 include introduction of Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE); Single Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade (SWIFT); the Direct Port Delivery and the Direct Port Entry facilities; and the increased use of the Risk Management System (RMS).
- Trump, Biden will both mark 9/11 anniversary in Shanksville
Both President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will commemorate the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in rural Pennsylvania where one of the hijacked planes crashed in a field, the White House and Biden's campaign announced Wednesday.
- WTO finds Washington broke trade rules by imposing tariffs on China
The World Trade Organization (WTO) found on Tuesday that the United States had breached global trading rules by imposing multi-billion dollar tariffs in President Donald Trump's trade war with China, a ruling that drew anger from Washington.
- 'Trade restrictive measures amid Covid-19 must be temporary, transparent'
Economic and trade ministers of 18 countries, including India, the US, and China, at the East Asia Summit agreed that trade restrictive measures taken to address the impact of coronavirus pandemic must be transparent and temporary, according to a statement.
- Amnesty: Rich countries have bought too many Covid-19 vaccines
Rich countries have secured enough coronavirus vaccines to protect their populations nearly three times over by the end of 2021, Amnesty International and other groups said on Wednesday. Britain approved Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine this month, raising hopes that the tide could soon turn against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million globally and hammered the world economy
- India considers trade talks with Taiwan as both spar with China
Support is growing within India’s government to formally start talks on a trade deal with Taiwan as both democracies see relations with China deteriorate. Taiwan has sought trade talks with India for several years, but PM Modi’s govt has been reluctant to move ahead because it would involve a messy fight with China once any pact is registered at the WTO, said sources.
- World may lose $11tn to Covid; just $260bn over 10yrs could cut future pandemic risk
The Covid-19 pandemic is pegged to cost the global economy a whopping $11.5 trillion, including $5 trillion to $5.6 trillion in GDP, a latest analysis by experts from the fields of medicine, economics, the environment and conservation, shows.
- Slowdown in G20 trade restriction measures as Covid-19 impacts world economy: WTO report
There is a slowdown in the number of trade restrictive as well as facilitative measures on goods implemented by G-20 member countries between mid-May and mid-October, due to the sharp decline in overall global trade since the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a WTO report.


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Consumers are dynamic not static and restaurant delivery companies, restaurant technology companies, need to be as dynamic as the consumer or they will lose business to someone else. Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, stated, “Marc Lore’s Wonder establishes a new standard within the retail foodservice sector for meals, meal delivery, elevating customer pain points too quality touchpoints.”
Grocery technology wizard Marc Lore founder of Wonder, a mobile restaurant startup recently raised $350 million to fuel its growth. That’s real money, disruptive money and as you read on you will understand why.
Wonder was founded last year with the goal to customers a better food delivery option by partnering with well-known chefs and owning the meal process from start to finish. Key to its business model are delivery vans that double as kitchens, allowing food to be heated, assembled, and finished steps from the customer's home.
Big goals require big bucks and the Series B funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures will allow Wonder to continue growing. Lore has plans to enter more markets in the tri-state area and launch 11 more restaurants for a total of 30 by this time next year.
Lore stated, "Wonder has a real opportunity to not only completely change how people eat, but also to create a better future with access to the world’s best food in a convenient, affordable, and sustainable way".
So, how does the concept work? Let’s see, consumers can use the Wonder app to order food on-demand from its various brands, which range from high-end options like Bobby Flay Steak to more casual fare like taco-bar concept Taqueria del Dia. The meals are started in a commissary and transferred to a Wonder-branded delivery van, where a chef fires, finishes and plates it outside the customer's door. Wonder also offers delivery and pickup services to local restaurants through a platform called Envoy.
Elevating delivery Wonder's model takes aim at some of the problems with food delivery, including food quality, which tends to decline in transit. "When our mobile restaurant comes to you, your fries are crispy, your pizza is melty, and your steak is juicy," according to the Wonder PR team.
So, after Lore left his role as CEO of Walmart's U.S. e-commerce business in 2021, the serial entrepreneur co-founded a number of tech startups, including "conversational commerce" venture Wizard and sports betting app Mojo. But Wonder was the one that truly captured his imagination, he wrote in a LinkedIn post in December. In that post, he declared that he was going "all-in" on the company as founder, chairman and CEO.
Lore continued, "It has a real opportunity not only to completely change how people eat, but also to create a better future by giving them access to the world’s best food—with nutritious options—in a convenient, affordable, and sustainable way,". Success does leave clues and I suggest that this company is one to watch for clues.
Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy. Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter

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Tata Motors rolls out 10,000th Nexon at its Ranjangaon plant
Tata Motors launched its all-new crossover, the Nexon in India at the end of September 2017, two months ago. The ex-showroom prices of the Nexon start from Rs 5.85 lakh for the petrol and 6.85 lakh for the diesel models. The Tata Nexon is manufactured at the company's facility in Ranjangaon. The Tata Nexon competes with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the Ford EcoSport. Tata Motors has announced that the 10,000th unit of the Nexon compact SUV has now rolled out of the Ranjangaon Plant.
The Tata Nexon is the fourth product from Tata Motors that uses the Impact design language. The headlight units feature projector lamps and DRLs while the tail light is an LED unit. The front of the car comes with muscular bulges, but the rather quirky looking rear has a very hatchback-like look. The side profile, however, looks butch with its 200mm ground clearance and 16-inch wheels wrapped in 215-section tyres.
The Nexon's all-new 1.5-litre diesel motor makes 110PS/260Nm and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. The motor offers impressive low end torque and doesn't need frequent gearshifts. Then there is a new 1.2-litre 110PS petrol engine as well that produces 110PS at 5,000rpm and generates 170Nm at 2,000-4,000rpm. This engine too will be available with the 6-speed manual.The engines will be manufactured at Tata's Sanand facility.
The company recently announced plans of doubling the production of the SUV to meet the rising demand. Tata dealerships across the country have a waiting period of close to three months for Nexon with 15,000 bookings. The company plans to attend these bookings in the coming six weeks.
Starts Rs 6.95 Lakhs
Starts Rs 7.99 Lakhs
Starts Rs 7.34 Lakhs
- Maruti Suzuki expected to launch Swift Cross to rival Tata Punch, as per reports
- Tata Motors experience a 38 percent rise in sales for the month of November 2021
- Upcoming Kia MPV officially named Carens, unveil on December 16
- Mahindra Bolero Neo: Neo World Order
- Supreme Court allows registration of BS4 vehicles sold before April 1, 2020


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Li Xiang, the CEO of Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto, released a letter to all employees on January 28, mentioning that the company expects to become the global leader in the artificial intelligence industry in 2030.
An advanced driver-assistance system has turned out to be a must-have for car buyers, as eight out of 10 are willing to pay for the feature, said Zhang Kai, the chairman of autonomous driving company Haomo.AI, at the firm's seventh AI Day event held on January 5.
Chinese artificial intelligence company Shanghai Zhizhen Intelligent Network Technology Co Ltd, also known as Xiao-i Robot, on December 20 submitted a prospectus to the US Securities Regulatory Commission, intending to list on the Nasdaq under the stock code "XI".
Jackson He, the senior vice president of Baidu and general manager of the firm's Mobile Ecological Business Group, on December 17 participated in the China pavilion for the second phase of the COP15 to share the firm's innovative exploration and achievements in ecological protection.
Since the global surge in use of ChatGPT, a prototype chatbot developed by San Francisco-based artificial intelligence lab OpenAI, many related mini-programs have appeared on Tencent's WeChat app popular in China, although they now appear to have been restricted.
Different Dimension Me, an anime photo generator developed by Chinese internet giant Tencent, has recently become popular on global social platforms. However, this AIGC tool has also received allegations of racial discrimination due to limitations of its algorithms and image recognition functions.
Chinese internet giant Alibaba has slashed its stake in SenseTime, an artificial intelligence software company, amid a rebound in the latter's Hong Kong shares.
At the HUAWEI CONNECT 2022, Ken Hu, Rotating and Acting Chairman of Huawei, delivered a keynote titled "Unleash Digital," where he talked about how the company is helping organizations make the most of cloud technology to leapfrog their developments.
SenseTime, an AI company that listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at the end of last year, has recently adjusted its core business unit related to smart cities and security technology, shrinking the division's team size by over 20%.
Digitalization brings about a more convenient life for society, but the needs of elderly and disabled people are underserved from time to time. Alibaba says it is committed to narrowing the digital divide through scientific and technological innovation.
According to an announcement by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx) on September 5, artificial intelligence software company 4Paradigm has submitted a listing application for the third time.
During the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) on September 1, Chen Tianshi, the chairman of Chinese AI chip firm Cambricon, disclosed that the company is developing three autonomous driving chips spanning L2-L4 functions.
As an advocate for social metaverse development in China, Tencent-backed platform Soul presented its two latest intelligent technology achievements – Ling OS and NAWA Engine – at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference on September 1.
On September 1, the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) commenced in Shanghai with the announcement of its top award, the Super AI Leader (SAIL).
Beijing-based AI giant Baidu, Inc announced on August 30 its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.
On the afternoon of August 16, SAIC's AI Lab announced plans to promote its SAIC Robotaxi 2.0 to take the lead in putting into operation "unmanned taxis" in Lingang.
Automatic driving solutions provider PhiGent Robotics announced on August 15 its securing of 100 million yuan ($14.8 million) in the second delivery of its round-A financing.
On August 9, SenseTime, an artificial intelligence software company, launched its first household consumer artificial intelligence product – "SenseRobot", an AI Chinese chess-playing robot.
According to the announcement on Shenzhen Stock Exchange on July 29, SenseTime, a leading AI enterprise in China, has been added into the list of stocks that can be traded through the Hong Kong Stock Connect platform.
SenseTime, an artificial intelligence software company, announced on July 26 that it has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with GAC Group.


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The Guild now has its own ale (and we went to try it)
It’s meant to taste like toffee
The Guild has joined forces with Knowsley’s Melwood Beer company to produce their own ale.
Alongside the opening of nightclub The Cellar on Saturday nights, the Guild has continued its developments in the form of creating its own beer.
Your favourite new cheeky pint, Sphinx, is now available for £2.50 at The Guild’s bar of the same name.
Melwood said: “Sphinx has been designed to give newcomers to real ales an easy drinking, refreshing pint to ease them in to the world of flavoursome beers.”
Three barrels were sold in the first two days of being on sale, with only half a barrel left on Thursday.
James Coe, deputy president of the Guild said: “We’re thrilled to have our very own pale ale, and I can say with complete confidence it’s a great pint.
“While it’s early days at the moment, it’s proving to be a popular choice with students and we’re pleased to offer them a locally brewed beer and show our support for local businesses.”
Curious to sample what has been billed as “a refreshing bitter” with “a sweet, almost toffee edge”, we went down to the bar to get a taste of the headline beer.
We decided to each mark the bev using four categories: smell, colour, texture and taste.
Adam: “There is a sweet undertone but it is kind of weak. I didn’t get the toffee. It just smells like every other ale”
Marisa: “It smells like beer, nicer than normal beer, though.”
Aesthetic value (colour)
Adam: “It is light dependent. From this angle I am thinking Fields Of Gold… the Sting version, not Eva Cassidy.”
Marisa: “It looks like normal beer and a bit like piss but quite golden.”
Adam: “This ale agrees with me. I’m not big on ale but it wasn’t too bitter. If ale all tasted like this I could see myself becoming a big drinker of the stuff.”
Marisa: “I don’t like beer.”
Adam: “It is smooth, goes down easy. Potential session drink. Could do with a bit more fizz though.”
Marisa: “Nice bit of fizz but I just can’t forgive the taste.”
The ale just about scraped a pass, although Marisa’s pre-existing anti-beer agenda did rather bring the mark down.
Disappointingly, we spent at least 20 minutes waiting for the toffee to come through, but it just didn’t come out to play.
We were far from enchanted with the Sphnix ale, but it is a cheap, pleasant-enough alternative to those boring old lagers and as said by James Coe, it is a really great way of supporting local businesses.


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- Green Growth
- Your Consultant
11:12 | 10/11/2018
Online shopping is expected to surge in the remaining months of this year with many e-commerce players launching promotions.
13:07 | 15/08/2018
It is estimated that by 2020, Vietnam will see 30 percent of its population involving in online shopping.
11:12 | 05/07/2018
Data leaks from global brands like Adidas, F21, and Sears show that online shopping is not really secure for consumers.
09:56 | 28/04/2018
Multi-channel shopping is on the rise, becoming a vital factor which will help retail businesses expand sales channels, thereby increasing their reach to customers and ...
10:19 | 05/03/2018
Despite the fast growth of e-commerce, Vietnam is not an easy market to crack open, with many players running losses and some being forced to ...
16:35 | 05/02/2018
Vietnam's online shopping scene is heating up with Tiki, Shopee, Lazada, and Cho Tot stepping up their game.
14:42 | 02/02/2018
According to market analysis by Criteo, consumers still go on the usual shopping sprees before the Lunar New Year, but are now increasingly moving online.
16:00 | 11/12/2012
E-commerce is booming and making its presence felt in Vietnam with online purchases doubling in many categories over the past year.
12:31 | 02/05/2011
Cimigo has just released NetCitizens, the most comprehensive study about internet usage and behaviour in Vietnam.
13:08 | 31/01/2011
Last year, the domestic stock market did not promise much and many banks decided to defer their plans to list on the bourses.


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June Mountain, the Eastern Sierra resort that has failed to make a profit in 26 years, is closing for the summer and won’t reopen for the upcoming ski season, the resort operator has announced.
The closure will give the resort operator time to evaluate how to make the mountain popular and profitable again, said Rusty Gregory, chairman and chief executive of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, which operates June Mountain and the more popular Mammoth Mountain.
Mammoth Mountain, the most popular ski resort for Southern Californians, has 3,500 acres of skiable area and a summit of 11,053 feet. June Mountain, about 20 miles north of Mammoth, is known as a less-crowded, family-friendly resort, with about 500 acres of skiable area and a summit of 10,090 feet.
In a recent radio interview, Gregory said June Mountain has been operating at a deficit of $1.5 million a year.
“It doesn’t make sense to continue to operate at such as loss as we have,” he told KMMT-FM in Mammoth Mountain. At its peak, June Mountain drew 80,000 to 100,000 skiers a year but in recent years has been attracting only 35,000 to 45,000 skiers, Gregory said.
Gregory said he plans to keep the lease to operate the resort on U.S. Forest Service property and work on a plan to revitalize the resort.
“I’m still a big believer in June Mountain,” he said.
Gregory’s company has long had plans to expand June Mountain and add long runs to increase the popularity of the resort.
But the resort operator said in a statement that the plans were “never realized and June Mountain has, in turn, suffered from an identity crisis that has both stifled its ability to achieve its full potential and required substantial financial subsidy from Mammoth on an annual basis.”


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Microsoft announced today that OneDrive for Business will be available next month as a "standalone" service offering.
Microsoft outlined some themes to expect at its SharePoint Conference, which is kicking off this week.
Microsoft provided a few technical details today about its upcoming OneDrive for Business releases.
Here's what you need to know about distributed transaction and when you should use one.
- By Denny Cherry
Organizations mostly expect to save on travel, teleconferencing and meeting expenses by adopting Microsoft's Lync unified communications solution, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Dell.
Microsoft released Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Office 2013 last week with little or no publicity.
Spike walks you through how to first find and use the the Document Workspace feature in SharePoint 2013.
- By Spike Xavier
Microsoft's monthly patch includes four 'critical' and three 'important' fixes that address a total of 32 vulnerabilities.
Dell today announced hardware product support for Microsoft's "storage spaces" feature of Windows Server 2012 R2.
Microsoft announced a couple of high-performance computing enhancements this month.
InfoPath will make way for a future "Office forms" technology.
Brien walks you through how to repair a failed drive within a storage pool to quickly get you up and running after an error occurs.
Here's how to determine which SharePoint version is right for individual machines and how to make sure they play nicely with different versions.
- By Spike Xavier
Here's how to differentiate between OS virtual disks and virtual machine virtual disks.
Microsoft reported positive financial results for the second quarter of its fiscal-year 2014 period.


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Omni-channel Payment Service Provider Anderson Zaks has been selected by Partridges to provide its RedCard payment services. Anderson Zaks’ solution has been fully integrated with the In‑Tech CHOISE EPOS system at the retailer’s five central London stores. The new solution will enable Partridges to implement Contactless payments at its outlets around Duke of York Square, its Food Market and its Café and Wine Bar.
The retailer implemented the EPOS solution first, and once this was well established within the business completed the second part of the project which was to introduce the card payment processing from Anderson Zaks. Faster processing at checkout has significantly improved customer satisfaction, and the company now has much higher visibility of purchase and sales data for each of its stores.
Ian Willard, a Director at Partridges who lead the project commented; “The implementation has been well managed and we have been very happy with the service. The integrated system has solved the issues that we had, and we are now processing card payments in about half the time that it used to take. This has reduced queues and significantly improved customer satisfaction, which was the aim of the project.”
The RedCard solution handles all cards including credit, debit and charge cards, using Chip & PIN, contactless and magnetic stripe technology. In addition the system can cater for e-Top Up, gift cards, dynamic currency conversion and loyalty transactions.
Barclays has signed contracts with six of the fintech startups that just graduated from its second New York accelerator programme.
Company card killer Pleo has raised $3m in new funding as it prepares for public launch in the UK and Denmark.
Cheques are become less and less common in the UK according to new research from global market research firm Mintel which claims contactless card use has overtaken cheque payments in the UK for the first time.
Payments for digital and physical goods made mobile operating system-based payments platforms like Apple Pay and Android Pay are expected to boom in the next few years according to new analysis from Juniper.


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Evel Knievel may have died in 2007, but the daredevil motorcyclist’s legend lives on. Now, you can own a piece of that legend – if you have a sizeable amount of cash laying around.
Knievel’s family is auctioning off one of his leather jumpsuits, made famous with his leap over fifty cars at the Los Angeles Coliseum on February 18, 1973 that was carried live on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. The suit is all leather with the kind of scuffs and scrapes you’d expect from someone who is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the person with “the most broken bones in a lifetime”. According to the Heritage Auctions website, it’s the first time one of Knievel’s motorcycle suits has been made available to the public.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
The cost might end up being roughly the same as you’d pay for four or five Harley-Davidson motorcycles themselves, however. Currently, bidding is at US$32,000, and expectations are it could reach more than $80,000 by the time the auction closes on February 26.
If that’s too far a jump for your bank account to handle, Knievel’s famous walking stick – complete with a hidden flask in the handle – is also up for grabs. Bidding is at a paltry $19,000.


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OmniMedicalSearch.com has launched a health and medical forum search engine across more than 120 different online forums. The health and medical forum search engine was developed through the Google Custom Search product.
The Senate’s passage of the Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008 was met with approval from the National Retail Federation. The economic stimulus legislation aims to boost consumer spending by providing taxpayers with rebate checks. Last month, the NRF board of directors urged the government to act after the nation’s slowing economy resulted in the smallest holiday sales growth in five years.


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Amid all the talk of Apple Watch, a new MacBook laptop and a partnership with HBO, a set of Apple tools aimed at promoting medical research didn't get much attention. The tools, called ResearchKit, promise to help researchers ...
Apple made a strong case for how you can use its upcoming Apple Watch, and the device stacks up well against the competition.
A consumer survey showed the popularity of the iPhone 6 has driven Apple's market share in China to its highest ever while Samsung has continued to lose ground.
Apple is in talks aimed at getting hold of content for a pay-television service, technology news website Re/code reported on Wednesday.
Rising smartphone star Xiaomi is moving upmarket and taking aim at Apple's iPhone.
Apple is turning its retail stores into art galleries featuring the work of professional photographers and other artists who use iPads, iPhones and Mac computers to create.
Cell phone use has become a common part of life as mobile devices have become one of the most popular ways to communicate. Even so, very little research exists on the impact of cell phone usage and specifically what happens ...
Apple and thousands of mobile software developers are feasting on people's ravenous app-etite for apps.
When the charismatic founder of upstart Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi took the stage at an Internet conference, he was open about his ambition: world domination.
The BlackBerry's blinking red light used to haunt me. Just when I thought I could relax, enjoy a nice dinner or go for a run, my BlackBerry would start blinking again, signaling a new message. I was an addict. Typing with ...


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SINGAPORE — The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) has been shortlisted for a $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation, for improving the livelihoods of 500,000 rice farmers while reducing environmental impacts.
SRP is a multi-stakeholder platform established in December 2011. The SRP is co-convened by UN Environment and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to promote resource efficiency and sustainability in trade flows, production and consumption operations, and supply chains in the global rice sector.
Members include Olam International, GIZ, IFC, WCS, Mars, LT Foods, Sun Rice, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The SRP is addressing the “rice paradox” through a framework for increasing production in a sustainable way.
According to the SRP, there is a paradox where rice is vital to food security yet simultaneously has the largest carbon footprint of all food crops. By 2050, rice production will need to almost double to meet the population demand, which under current conditions, will require additional land equivalent to the size of Chile, and add 300 billion kgs of CO2 equivalent emissions.
“Mobilizing investments for small-scale rice farming communities to shift toward sustainable rice production is essential for our planet’s survival and to preserve the backbone of global food supply,” said Matthias Bickel, chairperson SRP board, director Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. “Engaging these communities is key to combatting climate change and to preserving natural resources like fresh water. It’s high time to overcome the underinvestment in small-scale farming and to tackle farmers as agripreneurs in a market-driven environment.”
The SRP principles were first put to the test in a pilot project implemented by Olam, in partnership with the Thai Rice Department and German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Starting with 71 farmers in 2016, the project in Thailand has trained over 6,000 farmers to date on climate-smart practices and has produced the world’s first fully verified sustainable rice.
“With the SRP Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation, we have a definition and proven model for sustainable rice,” said Sunny Verghese, co-founder and group chief executive officer of Olam. “Together with our partners, Olam is aiming to bring 150,000 rice farmers in our Asia and Africa supply chains under the standard by 2023 and we’ll be monitoring the impact through our sustainable sourcing tool, AtSource. Yet, this is a drop in the ocean when we consider the millions of rice-farming households around the world, so this prize funding holds an extremely exciting opportunity for the sector to scale up action and re-imagine global rice markets.”
Today, SRP projects have reached 500,000 rice farmers across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, with results including a 10% increase in farmers’ income, 20% savings in water use and 50% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to reach 1 million farmers by 2023.
The program subsequently has been designated as one of the Top 100, in the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition, in recognition of its “real and measurable progress in solving a critical problem of our time.”
The shortlist, or Top 100, represents the top 21% of competition submissions. The final award recipient will be announced in fall 2020.


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US says will slap duties on $16 bn of Chinese goods, Beijing retaliates
SANAA, Aug. 8 (YPA) – The Chinese government responded to US Slap and said Beijing will also slap additional import tariffs of 25% on $16 billion worth of US goods ranging from oil and steel products to autos and medical equipment. “This is a very unreasonable practice,” the Chinese commerce ministry said on Wednesday.
The US will begin imposing 25% duties on an additional $16 billion in Chinese imports in two weeks, escalating a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. Customs will begin collecting the duties on 279 product lines, down from 284 items on the initial list, as of 23 August, the US Trade Representative’s Office said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. The new list covers products ranging from motorcycles to steam turbines and railway cars.


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Economic pressures are ushering in a new trend in the travel industry, with increasing numbers of tourists placing higher value on price than they do with established brand names, according to new revelations from the Abta Travel Convention in Turkey.
As Greece slides further into the unknown, many European travel companies are reportedly preparing for the country to exit the eurozone. Yesterday the government announced new elections to be held in June after efforts to hammer out a new government failed this week. Thomas Cook, and other major travel players, are preparing for the eventuality of a Greek withdrawal.
In news from ABTA, the speaker lineup for this year’s Travel Matters Conference has been announced. Their news also confirms that John Penrose MP, Minister for Tourism and Heritage, will be among the distinguished industry figures appearing in the program.


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Thieves cash in on Tesco self-service tills
LORNA MARSH Security loopholes at Tesco self-service tills have resulted in thieves stealing thousands of pounds from its customers, research reveals today.
Security loopholes at Tesco self-service tills have resulted in thieves stealing thousands of pounds from its customers, research reveals today.
The EDP warned of the dangers of the tills, where customers can scan through items themselves and then pay by debit or credit card up to a maximum of £50 without putting in their pin or being asked for their signature.
But the warnings were effectively ignored by Tesco earlier this year when the supermarket giant said fraud was kept down by security at the tills, transaction limits and CCTV cameras.
At around 200 stores - a number of which are in East Anglia, including several in Norwich and one in King's Lynn - self-service tills exist to make checking out quicker for shoppers. Critics claim it is a money-saving exercise as the company does not have to employ as many checkout staff.
And research by Which? magazine has shown that because the system does not require a pin or signature thieves use stolen or cloned plastic to pay for shopping at the tills.
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The magazine said it had been contacted by several angry people who had been stung in this way, with some being taken for almost £1,000.
Money stolen from customers by thieves using the self-service tills was later returned by the victims' banks.
Neil Fowler, editor of Which?, said: "It is hard to believe that the UK's biggest supermarket is making it so easy for criminals to use stolen credit cards in their stores. We think it is highly irresponsible.
"As a shop that prides itself on caring about its customers, we can only hope they close this obvious loophole and introduce standard security procedures in the very near future."
A spokesman for Tesco, said: "We do not have a higher fraud rate at self-service checkouts." But he added the supermarket would be rolling out chip and pin by the end of the year.


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Did you know that Leigh on Sea has its very own bespoke Bicycle maker! Groves Cycles.
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Leigh on Sea News - business
Businesses across the Borough have been successfully applying to the Council for the Restart Grant scheme in readiness for Step 3 of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown on 17 May.
The BBQ Barn is looking for a full time (40 hours per week) retail assistant for its store in Leigh on Sea.
Businesses based in and around Southend town centre can now apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to enhance their shop fronts as the council looks to invest and improve the town centre shopping area.
Plans to bring empty town centre units back into use have taken a positive step forward as the council has announced plans to offer 0% loans to owners and potential owners of vacant units in Southend High Street.
Southend Business Improvement District (BID) is delighted to announce Chris Johnson, owner of Énergie Fitness, as a new Director.
Leigh Handyman The Beach Buoy writes on how boarding up your loft can benefit you.
Mark Bartrip, franchisee of both McDonald’s premises on Southend High Street, has this week been appointed Chair of the Southend Business Improvement District (BID).
Southend-based businesses which have been significantly affected as a result of coronavirus restrictions may be eligible for further government grant funding.
Stobart Group, the Owners of Southend Airport, are changing their name to Esken.
We were so pleased to hear that our local Leigh-on-sea traders can now open again from Thursday 3rd December...
Community and voluntary organisations are being supported to put infection control measures in place, so they can reopen within Government guidelines, to ensure the prevention of infection. Grants of between £100 and £3,000 are being made available.
Businesses which have been ordered to close for four weeks due to the national COVID-19 restrictions may be eligible for a government grant of up to £3,000.
Southend Council is offering grants for small businesses that have had their income reduced as a result of the Coronovirus pandemic.
Create 98 are launching two new clubs this February and March.
Leigh-on-Sea’s very own Lizzie Page has just launched her fourth book - The Forgotten Girls.
Create98 & Corner Club are joining up together once more for an evening of fun crafts & cocktails...


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OG Partners With Blockchain Gaming Technology DMScript
OG, the eSports organization, has partnered with a blockchain-based gaming technology company DMScript.
It has been reported by The Esports Observer that the OG eSport team “CS: GO” will promote DMScript products to its fanbase by wearing clothes that display the company’s logo during participation in electronic sports tournaments held around the world.
A very promising and Breakthrough partnership between @OGesports and @DMScript. Congrats @romane_srn#DreamOG https://t.co/RLWBH2izP8 — Xavier Oswald (@Xav_Oswald) September 8, 2020
However, the partnership with OG will also allow DMScript to gain more insight into the needs of the eSports industry and help DMScript develop new ideas, high-value solutions, and products that improve the quality of life of players.
On the other hand, the partnership will help OG to develop and grow by taking advantage of the technical solutions provided by DMScript.
https://t.co/n5uR3hAIoN — DMScript (@DMScript) September 10, 2020
Xavier Oswald, the Co-Owner and CRO of OG, said that the partnership with DMScript will not be the last and they intend to forge more partnerships with tech companies next year.
As per the report, OG already has partnerships with both SteelSeries and Secretlab and has struck a deal with Red Bull whereby the Red Bull brand is incorporated into the OG logo.
Thus, eSports and blockchain have forged a closer relationship in the past few years as more firms look at the benefits blockchain can provide.
Source: Cointelegraph | Image: Times of India
#OG #CryptoNewsPoint #blockchaingaming #DMScript #DigitalNotice


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Microsoft Run Rate: $80 Billion
Wow, so Microsoft is in trouble... Or so say the critics. In the latest quarter it only pulled in nearly $20 billion in revenue and over $6 billion in pure profit. What a failure!
Once again, Microsoft knocked it out of the park, handily beating Wall Street estimates.
Sales were up in nearly every part of Microsoft's business, with Windows 7 and Office being particularly strong.
There are some signs of caution: PC refreshes in the U.S. have slowed, and Netbooks have lost their luster to tablets.
When it comes to online, Microsoft is still in pure investment mode, losing a bit over a half a billion in the latest quarter. In fact, its online losses almost matched its online revenue!
The weird thing is, no matter how well Microsoft does, its stock never seems to respond.
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/28/2011 at 1:18 PM


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pricey $1.1 billion purchase of the trendy social blogging site
is both a bold and risky move, which Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer seemed to indirectly acknowledge Monday with repeated vows to “not screw it up.” Mayer is betting that Tumblr will give the struggling Internet giant a new opportunity to reach a growing audience of young and creative Internet users, while providing fresh material for Yahoo’s own sites and helping the company’s effort to build a much-needed presence on mobile devices and the social Web. But analysts say Tumblr is an unproven platform for advertisers, whom Mayer must attract to justify her costly investment. Some pages are devoted to adult content, which major advertisers prefer to avoid. And Yahoo, under previous chief executives, has a poor track record with big acquisitions. “GeoCities, anyone?” joked Brian Solis, a social media consultant with Altimeter Group, referring to a popular Web-hosting service that Yahoo bought for $3.6 billion in 1999 and later closed after few profits materialized. Meanwhile, some loyal Tumblr users were already rebelling Monday, despite Mayer’s promise that “our strategy is to let Tumblr be Tumblr” by having founder David Karp continue running it as an autonomous business unit based in New York. “You ruined it Yahoo. I don’t even want to use Tumblr if it’s going to be run by you,” wrote one Tumblr blogger whose screen name can’t be printed in a family newspaper. Similar complaints are often raised when a small and trendy service gets taken over by a much larger and older company. Mayer addressed those concerns by telling analysts, only half-jokingly: “While we are acquiring the business, we are making a sincere promise to not screw it up.” Analysts say Mayer faces real danger if she makes changes that jeopardize Tumblr’s appeal to young, hip users who see it as a place to share irreverent musings, photos and creative visual work. “The big challenge for Yahoo will be figuring out how to balance their need to rapidly monetize Tumblr,” said Forrester analyst Zachary Reiss-Davis, “without alienating the current users and causing them to leave.” By some estimates, Tumblr’s $13 million in revenue last year covered only half its operating costs. Karp had long resisted putting ads on the site, although he recently began allowing some on the “dashboard” page where Tumblr members can follow other users and receive updates from various blogs. Yahoo will expand Tumblr’s 175-person staff and its technical infrastructure, while gradually introducing more ads, according to Mayer. But she said she agreed with Karp that ads on Tumblr should be “high-quality” messages that blend “seamlessly” with Tumblr’s other content. More than advertising, Mayer said she’s counting on Tumblr to contribute new content and visitors to Yahoo’s other sites. She said Yahoo will offer updates from Tumblr blogs to users’ personalized news feeds on Yahoo’s main pages. Mayer told analysts that Tumblr has more than 300 million active users, which combined with Yahoo’s 700 million users would give the company a reach of 1 billion. While there may be some overlap, she said the audiences are mostly complementary. “Our users are older; theirs are the youngest of any site of this scale,” Mayer said. The research firm
estimated Tumblr’s audience at 117 million in April. Experts said it’s not uncommon for Internet companies to overestimate such numbers, while independent firms try to account for cases where the same person uses multiple Internet addresses or devices to access a site. Analysts said the deal, which is Yahoo’s largest acquisition in nearly a decade, could help Mayer jump-start a company that has fallen behind Google and Facebook in competing for advertisers. But some were skeptical. “We see the relatively large $1.1 billion cash acquisition as risky and likely premature,” wrote Carlos Kirjner of Sanford Bernstein, after noting that Yahoo is still struggling with other aspects of its business. “There are lot of ways that Yahoo and Tumblr can win as a result of this transaction,” said Scott Kessler of
. But he warned that Mayer may be giving up too much flexibility by promising not to interfere with Tumblr’s operations. Karp, who will reportedly earn $250 million from the sale, praised Mayer and Yahoo in a blog post Monday while promising Tumblr’s values won’t change. He ended the post with an enthusiastic, four-letter expletive. Yahoo stock rose slightly Monday after the early-morning announcement of the deal. It closed at $26.58, up 6 cents for the day.


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Buyers’ incentives are not new and are often used in a buyers market. We’ve seen the UK property market slow to a near halt in recent months with house prices falling this month for the first time since 2010. It seems the traditional “autumn bounce” in the market is simply not happening this year with many waiting to see how Brexit plays out. So for those that are selling right now it’s no surprise that we’ve witnessed a rise in sellers and developers offering incentives to prevent their properties from languishing on the market for months on end. While one option to increase the likelihood of a sale in today’s market is to lower the asking price, offering an incentive can offer an alternative to increase the number of viewings and give the illusion of a better deal for the buyer.
Traditionally buyers’ incentives have included throwing in the curtains and any furniture built for the space or paying the stamp duty or solicitors fees. But it seems that developers are getting more creative with their incentives, particularly when it comes to trying to appeal to Millenials and Generation Z. While some of these incentives seem rather superficial, especially when compared to paying the stamp duty, what they do seem to do is reach the headlines thereby creating more interest in the properties. Here are just a few that I’ve come across recently:
Last year the Notting Hill Housing Group offered to cover the cost of a yearly TFL travel card if contracts were exchanged within 4 weeks on apartments in their Traders Quarter development. This sort of incentive doesn’t necessarily encourage someone to buy a home but once they’ve chosen to put an offer in it does serve to incentivise a speedy completion therefore decreasing the likelihood of the sale falling through. In the UK around 50% of all house sales fall through before completion with the most common cause being the buyer changing their mind.
Recently, the Manhattan Plaza development in Canary Wharf was offering buyers of the penthouses a holiday to New York, with first class flights, a 5* hotel and £10,000 of shopping and restaurant vouchers included. Buyers would also receive a one-year free subscription to bespoke concierge service Quintessentially. Buying a two-bedroom apartment in the same development would also come fully furnished and stamp duty paid for first time buyers. All the apartments in the development are now reserved so one could argue that the incentives have had the desired effect.
In Stratford’s New Garden Quarter the developer, Telford homes, is offering buyers a free interior design and furniture package as an incentive for its new duplex apartments and beyond London, in Aylesbury, first-time buyers are being offered a furniture pack worth £15,000 when buying a home at The Arc’s new 59-apartment development. These offers go quite a bit further than just leaving the curtains and built in wardrobes.
And while incentives are often offered on multi-unit developments there are cases where individual sellers also offer unusual or outlandish incentives. In 2010 I remember seeing that a seller in Malibu was offering his Ferrari F40 to the person that bought his $4m home. Not only did this story get international publicity I’m certain it also led to a sale. And while not in the initial offer, when George Hamilton bought an apartment from someone that runs a bakery he wrote into the purchase offer that the seller had to provide him with free cookies for a year. An unusual ask but the seller was happy to oblige.
ambT Property Partners currently has available for investment several commercial properties in prime UK locations. You can view full details of our investment opportunities by joining our Investors Club or by contacting a member of our team via email@example.com.


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Bauer Xcel Media, Bauer Media’s digital division, has announced the digital relaunch of its two flagship brands, Woman’s Day and The Australian Women’s Weekly, both unveiling fresh new looks online today.
Taking a mobile first approach to design and user experience, the new sites mark an exciting new digital editorial direction for two of Australia’s longest running media outlets targeting Australian women.
The Australian Women’s Weekly website will provide a trusted source of quality rolling news and commentary on a site designed to help women get the most out of every day. With a strong focus on careers, relationships, fashion, beauty and of course royals, it will complement the magazine which will remain a go to source of long-form journalism.
The new website will also be the home of ‘Let’s Talk’, a new weekly online series hosted by editor-in-chief Helen McCabe.
On the new look website, McCabe, editor-in-chief of The Australian Women’s Weekly said, “This is a site that, like The Weekly embraces all women. We want to interest women of all ages and backgrounds. It will be inspiring, original but importantly fun. We want to help women enjoy the day, the moment or whatever time they have.”
Woman’s Day will continue to build upon its position as Australia’s leading entertainment brand online. With a focus on celebrity and entertainment news, the new look Woman’s Day will work with international teams across the Bauer Xcel Media network in the US and UK to provide a 24/7 user experience, delivering the very best source of global celebrity news – anytime, anywhere.
“Womansday.com.au is the authority on Aussie celebrities and is the first stop for Australia’s biggest celebrity stories, exclusive photos and videos. Our team breaks irresistible and highly shareable stories around the clock. I am confident the new site will satisfy anyone with a hunger for gossip, anytime they want it, on any device,” says Fiona Connolly, Woman’s Day’s editor-in-chief.
Tony Kendall, Bauer Media director of sales added, “The relaunch of The Weekly and Woman’s Day online, combined with the launch of FOOD TO LOVE, supports our strategy to make our TO LOVE network the number one digital destination for Australian women, while providing our advertising partners with content and data solutions that will create smarter ways to connect their brands to consumers.”
Locked down Victorians who don’t currently have an Optus Sport subscription will have complimentary access to Optus Sport from this weekend to enjoy the UEFA Champions League tournament plus access to premium health and fitness content through the Optus Sport app. UEFA Champions League – the world’s premier continental football tournament – kicks off at […]
Torrens University Australia has launched ‘Career Crush’ via VCCP Sydney and Lash, to help match students with a career they’ll love. Career Crush is an online quiz that determines prospective students’ personal strengths, passions and aspirations to match them with the careers and courses they’re most compatible with. One of the toughest decisions young people […]
Pedestrian Group has partnered with Nine subsidiary Mi9 New Zealand to offer NZ brands the opportunity to partner with the likes of Business Insider Australia, Pedestrian.tv and Gizmodo Australia. Next month, Mi9 New Zealand will be representing Pedestrian Group in the NZ market, offering clients the opportunity to work with leading youth publications including Lifehacker […]
ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), a division of ViacomCBS, is launching a premium streaming service internationally, appealing to audiences of all ages. The new SVOD service will start its international roll-out early in 2021, offering exclusive premieres of all new SHOWTIME series, including Halo and American Rust. CBS All Access originals will also premiere exclusively on the new service, such […]
As part of a larger project to refine their brand with partner branding agency Re, Optus have engaged experimental creative studio FutureDeluxe to explore how the iconic ‘Yes’ brand mark behaves in a sophisticated 3D environment. FutureDeluxe have produced a series of 8x idents and a number of static key visuals which will be used […]


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Apple is working with a Chinese firm on research and development of car batteries, despite claiming it was only developing the software for vehicles.
China’s Yicai Global claims the Cupertino tech giant has been working with Contemporary Amperex Technology to develop car batteries.
CATL was previously a part of Amperex Technology Ltd, which supplies batteries for other Apple products, but has since been spun off into a separate entity.
Based in China’s Fujian province, it is believed the parties are working together in the field of batteries, sources involved with the cooperation said.
CATL currently produces battery packs for electric buses, electric passenger vehicles, electric trucks, and for stationary energy storage.
The company has been the third-largest battery manufacturer in the world for the past two years, shipping 6.8 GWh worth of batteries last year, up from 2.4 GWh shipped in 2015.
Earlier this year Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook has confirmed that the company is working on software for self-driving cars for the first time.
The company has long been rumoured to be working on driverless technology, and recently autonomous vehicles have been spotted around its California headquarters.
But Apple, which has already invested heavily in machine learning and automation in computing, had refused to reveal its plans on cars until now.
In a recent interview, Mr Cook finally confirmed Apple’s intentions, describing self-driving technology as ‘the mother of all AI [artificial intelligence] projects’.
‘We’re focusing on autonomous systems,’ Mr Cook told Bloomberg.
‘It’s a core technology that we view as very important.
‘We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects – it’s probably one of the most difficult AI projects actually to work on.’
The intentions of Apple’s move into driverless car technology, codenamed Project Titan, changed last year when the company stopped working on its own car to develop self-driving AI that could be fitted into other vehicles.
Mr Cook declined to say whether Apple wanted to build its own car in future.
‘We’re not really saying from a product point of view what we will do,’ he said.
While Apple had not formally announced plans to build self-driving technology before, the company’s interest was confirmed earlier this year when it was granted a permit to test the vehicles.
In April, one of Apple’s fleet of prototype self-driving vehicles was captured emerging from a Silicon Valley research facility.
The kitted-out white Lexus RX450h SUV was snapped by a passerby just two weeks after Apple was granted permission to test its autonomous vehicles in California.
The vehicle was dotted with an array of sensors and other equipment, according to the person who saw the vehicle and provided photos to Bloomberg.
The sensors used by the vehicle appeared to be bought off the shelf rather than custom-made by Apple, according to an industry expert who saw the photos.
They included Velodyne Lidar’s top-of-the-range 64-channel sensor for obstacle detection, at least two radar and a series of cameras.
Cameras can be seen at the back, top, front and sides of the car.
California’s state Department of Motor Vehicles announced that Apple officially secured a permit to test autonomous vehicles in the state on April 14.
Apple joins a growing list of traditional car-makers, technology companies, and small start ups to test drive cars in California.
All are vying to be the first company to bring self-driving cars to the masses.
Companies that have been issued permits also include Alphabet Inc’s Google unit, Ford Motor Co, Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG, Tesla Motors Inc and General Motors Co.
Many companies have said the first cars will launch in 2020 but some experts believe it may take much longer due to regulatory challenges.
By MARK PRIGG


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St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) have reported a break-in at the Basseterre High School’s (BHS) Food and Nutrition lab.
According to the Police, the break-in occurred on April 24, 2023, at the BHS lab on the Beach Allen Primary School grounds.
Several items were reported missing from the lab, including a Master Tech coffee maker; two Master Tech blenders; a Brentwood Air fryer; an undisclosed amount of money from a cash pan; and an assortment of keys.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
On April 19, law enforcement notified the general public of Larceny reports suggesting that assailants were targeting personal property ranging from items as small as cellphones to bicycles and bulk consumable items (foodstuff).
Police are also investigating the armed robbery of a supermarket on Cayon Street opposite Uncle T’s on April 23. Two masked men stole an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register and fled through an alley north of the supermarket.


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Hertfordshire plugs into new E-Car hire club
The University’s Environment and Sustainability team has partnered with Source East (the region’s electric vehicle recharging network) and E-Car Club (the UK’s first entirely electric pay-per-use car club) to run the scheme, which offers two Renault ZOEs and one Renault Fluence ZE for hire via a yearly membership programme.
12 staff members have already signed up to hire the E-Car vehicles for business use, with a target of 30 for the end of the year. The university hopes to have over 100 members signed up by 2015, with a mixed utilisation of business and private use.
The scheme is marketed to students as an affordable and cost effective way to enjoy the freedom of a car without the expense of campus parking permits and associated insurance costs. Standard membership costs £25 a year (£50 after 28 February), with rates starting at £5.50 for an hour’s rental.
Vehicles are accessed using the E-Car Club membership card, and are compatible with all Source East and Source London charging points, as well as the Electric Highway. Compatibility can be ensured if travelling further afield by contacting the E-Car Club helpline, which is available to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Instructions on how to use the charging points and a demonstration video are emailed to all new members; a system that Christopher Morris, development director of E-Car, said meant only one in ten customers required further assistance understanding how to use the new technology.
Speaking at the launch of the E-Car Club, Dr. Stephen Boffey, pro vice-chancellor for regional affairs at the University of Hertfordshire, said: ‘The University is always looking at ways to improve the travel choices for staff, students and the local community and we are proud to be the first university to launch an electric car club.
‘We hope that by offering access to a low carbon form of transport, we can work together to reduce the cost and environmental impact of each journey undertaken.’
Anyone over the age of 19 can register for E-Car membership and all registrations before 28 February 2014 will receive a 50% discount on the membership fee and one hour free driving credit using the following promotional code: ‘UHECAR114’. For more information, visit www.e-carclub.org.


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It’s no secret that consumers are living on-the-go lifestyles, but they also are looking for products that allow them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The product that can fulfill both need states can be valuable to consumers as well as the readers of Beverage Industry.
When it comes to food and beverage development, healthy usually is among the top considerations. In Beverage Industry’s 2016 New Product Development Outlook report published in the January issue, only 14 percent of respondents listed convenience a low need/interest.
With the release of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans earlier this year followed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new Nutrition Facts label, many changes are instore for consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers.
Although the main tasks of a warehouse are to produce and store products, warehouse managers have an even bigger day-to-day goal: safety. For the Industrial Truck Association, safety has taken center stage through its sponsorship of National Forklift Safety Day, which took place June 14.
As the saying goes, “the sky’s the limit.” When it comes to the beverage market and introducing new products, that saying certainly holds true. However, beverage-makers aren’t just expanding their year-round portfolios to capitalize on their limitless potential, but also are taking a much more “limited” approach.
Americans continue to show their affinity for coffee; but when they opt for this beverage, they are taking a more premium stance. “The coffee production industry exhibited growth over the past five years, propelled by an increasing number of consumers purchasing high-cost gourmet coffee,” IBISWorld states in its report “Coffee Production in the US,” which was released in January.
Functional is the name of the game when it comes to new product development these days. For the readers of Beverage Industry, this theory proved true as Trimino Protein Infused Water was the Readers’ Choice New Product of the Month poll for July.
It’s not uncommon to hear mainstream media toss around phrases like “a new era” or “the next frontier.” The frequency of their usage can sometimes fall upon deaf ears; however, members of the beverage market should not ignore these phrases when it comes to latest in food and beverage labeling laws.
As the saying goes, “a cold is nothing to sneeze at.” However, that might not be the case based on a national Career Builder survey conducted by Harris Poll. According to the survey, 54 percent of employees stated they went into work when sick because they felt the work wouldn’t get done otherwise.
The term “information superhighway” might have first gained traction in the 1990s in reference to the Internet and other forms of digital communications, but the prominence of digital in Americans’ day-to-day lives has taken this “superhighway” to another level.


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Since the summer, OceanCity.com has been collecting votes for its annual Best of Ocean City® awards, providing readers the chance to cast their votes in over 40 categories to help their favorite businesses in dining, bars, activities, and on the Boardwalk win for 2014. Originally scheduled to run throughout 2013, OceanCity.com has extended voting through February, in order to give those who love Ocean City ample time to recognize their favorite businesses.
Now in the 4th year, OceanCity.com’s Best of Ocean City® awards are the longest running, most prestigious of their kind in the area and honor the achievement of the town’s top businesses, as voted on by Ocean City residents and visitors, each year. The OceanCity.com Best of Ocean City® awards provide a unique opportunity to voters as ALL Ocean City area businesses are eligible to win.
Winning an Best of Ocean City® award is an incredible triumph for local businesses. Winners are prominently recognized within the local community and receive a coveted certificate of achievement and distinctive window decal to display throughout 2014. All winners are also honored in OceanCity.com’s Best of Ocean City® printed pocket guide. Over 20,000 of these guides are distributed through hotels and visitors centers throughout the Ocean City area each year. A Best of Ocean City award is a great promotional tool for businesses to highlight on advertisements, brochures, menus, websites, and social media to help increase customer awareness of their products or services.
The awarding of the title of ‘Best of Ocean City’ falls on the readers of OceanCity.com and its 19,500+ Facebook fans. The 2013 polls saw 45,000 votes cast across 30 different categories as residents and tourists recognized the businesses they felt most deserving of the esteemed awards. With more categories and more businesses up for awards in 2014, this year’s voting is well on its way to seeing the largest voter response the history of Best of Ocean City® polling. Due to popular demand, voting for has been extended through February.
“Voting in the Best of Ocean City® awards is an unprecedented opportunity to make your voice heard and to help the businesses you love most receive the recognition they deserve” said Ann McGinnis Hillyer, CEO of StateVentures, the publisher of OceanCity.com. “Everybody who loves Ocean City should visit OceanCity.com/BestofOC to fill out ballots and help to honor the best Ocean City has to offer.”
Do you love Ocean City? Vote now and prove it.


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SILVER SPRING, Md., -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that Peng Bandith, owner of the Lao Trading Company of Nashville, has signed a consent decree that permanently prohibits Lao Trading Company from distributing food held under insanitary conditions in interstate commerce.
The consent decree, approved by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on Oct. 13, 2010, stems from evidence of rodent activity throughout the company's food storage warehouse found by inspectors from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the FDA.
The Lao Trading Company distributes food through its retail store and food stores throughout the Middle Tennessee area, including the cities of Nashville, LaVergne, Smyrna, and Murfreesboro. Among the types of food distributed by the company are seafood items, tofu, canned fruits, vegetables and drinks, rice, rice sticks, fruit juice drinks, coconut milk, fish sauce and soy sauce.
This is the second enforcement action the federal government has brought against the company. In 2005, U.S. Marshals, acting at the request of the FDA, seized adulterated food at the firm's warehouse after inspectors found widespread rodent activity and structural defects.
"The violations at Lao Trading Co. are serious and repetitive," said Dara A.Corrigan, the FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The FDA took this action because the company failed to provide adequate safeguards to ensure that products they produce or hold for sale remain free of contamination."
Under the consent decree, Lao Trading Company agreed to follow appropriate pest control practices, maintain its facility in a sanitary condition and undergo routine inspections to ensure continued compliance.


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Jeff Bezos unveiled his space travel company Blue Origin’s brand new rocket on Tuesday morning at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
It's official—Apple will hold an event on Sept. 9.
Do you think it is OK to use your phone while eating? How about to make call in a restaurant? Or to take a photo at a family meal?
If you’ve had a run of blurry photos taken with an iPhone 6 Plus smartphone, the problem may not be your photographic skills.
Pakistan has banned BlackBerry’s enterprise server and its internet and messaging services “for security reasons” in a crackdown on privacy.
Microsoft’s mobile business just keeps calling wrong numbers.
Mobile roaming fees will be scrapped in the European Union (EU) from June 2017 after lawmakers reached a deal in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Sick of kids waving selfie sticks around? Head to Disney's theme parks.
A new Kickstarter campaign offers up the chance to help fund the creation of a Hotline Miami themed action figure.
Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference kicks off next Monday and here is what you should expect.
You can now play your PS4 games remotely over your home network with PS TV.
A double-amputee has been testing two new limbs controlled by his thoughts.
Today's Microsoft latest features news about Kinect 2.0, Nokia Lumia and the widely rumoured Surface mini.
The Microsoft briefing dropped the big news today.
HoloLens will let users play games, watch movies, collaborate on projects and more, using augmented reality.
Samsung has unveiled the latest editions of its Galaxy handset, featuring a curved screen and payments technology designed to replace credit cards, as the South Korean group attempts to reboot its flagging smartphone business.
Remember the iPod mini? When Apple launched that in January 2004, at a time when a huge swathe of the fast-growing digital music player market was still up for grabs, people thought Apple was crazy.
With the World Cup nearly upon we are going to look at 5 technologies that will be used in the tournament.
Apple and the US Justice Department are headed back to court over a locked iPhone. And once again, both sides are accusing the other of being duplicitous.
The US government dropped its court fight against Apple after it successfully pulled data from the iPhone of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook, according to court records.


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How Dineout is bringing back a sense of normalcy post-pandemic as more people eat out
Founded in 2012,is a restaurant discovery and booking platform operating in 20 cities across the country, including in Tier-I and II cities. The restaurant-tech platform recently released a report revealing that there has been an overall 20 percent increase in ATV (Average Transaction Value) across India, with Delhi, Kolkata, and Hyderabad showing maximum recovery among the metros.
In a conversation with YourStory’s Daily Dispatch, Ankit Mehrotra, Co-founder and CEO, Dineout shares that it has been an interesting 18 months for the company. Since the end of the second wave, the startup has been seeing a return of business as people are now dining out a lot more. “The same user who was dining out two to three times a month is now dining out five to six times a month,” he says.
Since many people are now vaccinated, dining out has now become a more feasible option.
While Tier-I cities have naturally seen a good increment of 20-25 percent, Tier-II cities such as Agra, Indore, Lucknow, etc have seen an increase in traction, transaction, as well as transaction values, says Ankit. Reverse migration of people back to their hometowns is also a driving factor behind the increase in traction in Tier-II cities.
He shares that one of the prominent post-pandemic trends noticed is that people are now opting for fine dining or good quality restaurants as the hygiene factor comes into play. This has contributed to the average transaction value increasing by 20-25 percent across the board at Dineout.
“We are seeing a very high increase in Tier-II cities because typically, the transaction value over there is sub-2,000, and now, that has become near 2,800,” he says.
Ankit explains that the last 12-18 months have been a complete rollercoaster for Dineout, which has seen both troubling lows and relieving highs. At the beginning of the pandemic, the business stopped completely, owing to the lockdown. After the end of the second wave of the pandemic, within just three months, the company is now at much higher levels of business than the pre-pandemic phase.
“The month of September for Dineout is going to be nearly 1.8x of our pre-pandemic numbers,” he says. The factors accelerating the numbers are revenge consumption and a lot of disposable income as people are not spending much.
“Dining out gives people a sense of normalcy back to pre-pandemic levels and that is something that a lot of people are capitalising on,” says Ankit.
He mentions that Dineout has recently acquired an event curation company called SteppinOut, with the motive to explore the event space, especially as things start to open up, people would want to go out and have different kinds of experiences. As more people get vaccinated and are ready to go out, Dineout is also planning to go forward with a ten-city tour with artists such as Divine, Anuv Jain, etc.
“We have done many events inside restaurants such as Comedy Nights, where we have partnered with some of the best comedians across India to give people a live experience,” says Ankit.
Lastly, Ankit shares that the goal for Dineout is to go beyond the pre-pandemic levels as it would be a remarkable turnaround story for the company.
Edited by Kanishk Singh


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Yahoo fighting back?
Unfortunately for Yahoo Europe, this was referring to their US and Asia spends only, as in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Google still has more than 90% of the paid search spend, up more than 10% from a year ago and nearly 2% from the previous quarter.
Also, the study is based on only 12 of Covario’s clients, all of which are technology companies, which is hardly representative of all Global spends, but still it represents over 128 brands and more than $225 million worth of paid search spend.
The other interesting result of the study was that the spend on Paid search although still increasing, is increasing at a lower rate than the previous period, down to 43% from 52%.
The slow down is being attributed by Covario to the tightness of marketing budgets in the face of slowing economies, as well as, more positively, the improved ability of customers to optimise their campaigns.
The increased use of Yahoo, on the other hand, has been attributed to possibilities such as the reorganisation of Yahoo’s sales team and the upgrades to their search marketing interface.


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As the year winds down, it's natural to look at the previous months and see how far we've come in the last year. Some incredible automotive..
Nothing has transformed the auto industry quite like the electric vehicle. What was once a novelty has now become a viable mode of..
As the automotive industry continues its steady return to normalcy, the supply chain is still relatively fragile. So, manufacturers at..
The automotive industry is finally starting to get back into rhythm after a rough few years of pandemic-related supply chain issues. While..
After the last few years, the automotive industry is finally getting back on track to pre-pandemic levels of manufacturing and sales. In..
One of the most important things to understand about automotive innovation is that there is no such thing as a "small advancement."..
Most electric vehicles (EV) fanatics know that the EV is nothing new. However, the casual observer might be surprised to learn that these..


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A former bank employee is accused of stealing personal information from customers and using it to rack up online purchases totalling more than $11,000.
City police say that between June 2012 and November 2013, the woman was working in a call centre at an unnamed financial institution in southwest Calgary where she was tasked with helping customers with their banking and credit card inquiries.
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“When you do that, you have to provide all sorts of personal information. She would take that personal information and use that credit card data and the identity of the person, go online and buy goods and services,” said Staff Sgt. Kristie Verheul of the Calgary Police Service’s economic crimes unit.
“She used some of the information to get a phone account and she would buy pay-as-you-go minutes on phones and whatnot. A lot of the companies were out of the States.”
Verheul said the woman “got a little sloppy” when she called the same call centre where she worked, pretending to be a customer, and asked for a change of address and contact number on an account.
The call centre worker she was speaking with became suspicious, flagged the conversation, and an internal investigation was launched.
The fact that call centre conversations are recorded was key for the police investigation, Verheul said.


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Smartphone companies Xiaomi, Samsung and Oppo are continuously offering discounts on their premium flagship models. Apple Due to the aggressive price of iPhones and the festive season offers, the war in the premium smartphone segment is a big reason.
Chinese handset maker Oppo has reduced the price of its premium devices by 7 thousand rupees. At the same time, Xiaomi has reduced the price of a total of 8 models including 5G smartphones. The price of two high-end phones of Samsung has been reduced by 28 thousand and 30 thousand rupees on the company’s website.
Taiwanese brand Asus has also made its premium smartphone cheaper by Rs 7,000. Affordable and mid-range phones of all smartphone brands are being sold between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2000.
Analyst Prachir Singh of Counterpoint Research says, “With the aggressive pricing of Apple iPhones, we are seeing a big discount in the premium portfolio of other brands. Brands also understand that the demand will not be as high after the festive season as purchasing power has decreased. Customers are postponing smartphone upgrade cycles for next year. Therefore, brands are offering such deals to woo customers. ‘
Let us know that mid-range smartphone companies like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Realme have entered the premium category and the price is more than 30 thousand rupees. This information was given in a report by Economic Times.
Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President, Samsung India said in a statement, “This festive season customers can expect up to 60 percent discount and 12.5 percent cashback offer on select products.”
The South Korean smartphone maker once again occupied No.1 in the Indian smartphone market in July and August. The company benefited from online sales due to anti-China sentiments in the country. Counterpoint revealed this information in its Monthly Market Tracker report.
Experts said that offline and online deals and discounts are the same. But the online channel has a market share of 45 percent and offline sales will be lower this quarter. He said, “After Kovid-19, online sales have increased a lot, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. People have done online shopping for the first time.”


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In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter we report on what retailers of all sizes are doing to boost sales at a time when visitor numbers continue to fall in store. The latest figures from the BRC and Springboard show that the number of people going into stores fell by 1.7% in September – and overall by 10% in the last seven years. So what do retailers do about that? It’s a question that’s always important but assumes fresh significance at this time of year as peak trading season looms.
Harrods’ latest figures suggest that it has invested further in ensuring that its own flagship store is a more luxurious place to go than ever. It’s put money into its in-store boutiques and in its current financial year has invested in its beauty hall. Nonetheless, one analyst suggests the retailer must not forget about the potential reach that online offers to those shoppers who don’t visit the store regularly.
Superdry’s Julian Dunkerton – now reappointed as chief executive until 2021 – says he’ll be revisiting the retail basics, which include exploring the full potential of online, and focusing on customer-led design as he aims to reinvigorate the label that he founded.
Meanwhile, H&M is looking to the circular economy as it taps into new customer eco-expectations, and both Esprit and Ahold Delhaize are looking to machine learning and automation to help them boost sales.
Vital to peak trading – which this year coincides with peak Brexit uncertainty – is how retailers display their products online and across sales channels, as Katie Woodhead of Attraqt reminds us in today’s guest comment.
A final word of warning comes from the latest Forter research, which suggests that multichannel services and customer accounts are fast becoming the target for fraudsters now less able to attack the payment methods themselves as security has improved.


text: Following Apple TV rumors from 9to5Mac last week, the sites often-reliable Mark Gurman has revealed more details on the next-generation of Apples set-top box. While last weeks report focused on the ability to play games through Apple TV, this week Gurman reveals a number of features that would make the new box a total overhaul of what Apple TV is, rather than a simple refresh. Apple TV could control your existing cable boxes and TV stations 9to5Mac reports that Apple is toying with the idea of integrating a TV tuner component that has the ability to control your existing cable boxes and TV stations. This functionality, which sounds similar to both the Xbox One and Google TVs approach, would allow users to watch live TV through their Apple TV boxes with an Apple-designed user interface atop their content. One other possibility mentioned is that the company could integrate an Airport Express into its Apple TV, allowing it to perform as a router as well as a set-top box.


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The AEMC is trying to get a better deal for embedded network customers by introducing a comprehensive reform package to give this fast rising sector of the market access to the same rights, protections and prices as everyone else.
The proposed changes would extend important consumer protections and access to retail market competition to customers in some existing embedded networks. This is significant as hundreds of thousands of people are customers in embedded power networks like apartment buildings, shopping centres, retirement villages and caravan parks, and are regulated differently to the national grid.
As part of the ongoing consultation on the package, the AEMC held a workshop on 8 May 2019 in Sydney to enable stakeholders to provide input on whether and how to transition existing embedded network customers to the proposed new arrangements.
The AEMC welcomed input from representatives of industry, consumers and state governments and regulators on the:
- Types of existing embedded networks that should be covered by the new arrangements, including proposed time-based and size-based triggers
- Process for transitioning the relevant legacy embedded networks into the new arrangements through retail authorisation and network registration
- Overall approach to the implementation of the new framework, including the process of amending the national energy laws and rules, the review of legislation by jurisdictional governments, the updating of guidelines and systems by other market bodies, and industry readiness.
The AEMC will release its final report on embedded network reform in June.


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Investigators from the Technische Universität München and the Helmholtz Zentrum München have shown for the first time that certain engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have a direct effect on the heart rate and rhythm. ENPs are more and more used and produced for industrial products, food, cosmetics and drugs. However, their precise effect on our health is largely unknown. To investigate the cardiovascular effects of several nanoparticles, the research team headed by Andreas Stampfl and Reinhard Niessner used an enhanced Langendorff Heart setting (isolated beating heart, see above).
In their study, recently published in ACS Nano, the researchers found that ENPs made of carbon black (spark-generated carbon, titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide) caused heart rate increase and were arrhythmogenic. Other tested ENPs (flame derived SiO2 and monodisperse polystyrene lattices) had no effects. Stampfl and Niessner stated that it is likely that norepinephrine (noradrenaline) released by sympathetic nerve endings in the myocardium is responsible for the increase in heart rate. Their study findings support earlier observations in epidemiological study setting of ENPs affecting heart rate and rhythm.
We are exposed to nanoparticles everyday, for example, spark-generated carbon in daily traffic jams, and carbon black, used in products like plastics or ink. In medicine, nanoparticles are increasingly being used as drug transporters in the human body. Most of them are made of carbon or silicate. Current and future study findings could help in selecting the particle types that do not affect the heart in a negative way.
The study team from Munich will investigate in future studies why the ENPs have these cardiovascular effects and they encourage the use of the Langendorff Heart as a model to learn more about nanoparticles’ toxic effects on the heart.
Abstract in ACS Nano: Langendorff Heart: A Model System To Study Cardiovascular Effects of Engineered Nanoparticles


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Editor’s note: Grocery Pup is now known as A Pup Above.
A new startup called Grocery Pup is bringing freshly cooked meals—for your dog—right to your doorstep. Billed as the “tastiest and most nutrient-rich cooked dog food,” Grocery Pup uses sous-vide cooking to achieve what it claims is the highest quality, human-grade, and most convenient dog food around.
Shoppers can buy products on a one-time basis or opt for a subscription method like human-focused meal kits. The subscriptions are based on the dog’s weight for proper portion control.
Using the sous-vide cooking method, Austin, Texas-based Grocery Pup fills BPA-free vacuum-sealed bags with high-quality raw ingredients rather than livestock-grade feed. The brand adds that sous-vide cooking method is also helpful at keeping the food from drying out.
This company is catering to health-conscious dog owners who don’t want any canine side-eye when bringing Whole Foods totes into the house. According to co-founder Ruth Marriott, 31 percent of pet owners cook for their pets, which could obviously be a significant time sink. She added that the brand’s food is “a product that’s really enabling those people to feed that type of food more conveniently.”
According to the website, Grocery Pup is also selling its doggy meals at certain brick-and-mortar pet stores as well as same-day delivery through Jet.com.
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A “lousy” marketing campaign saw Bell Mobility’s 1X network allow data downloads before customers were informed of potentially massive charges, said a woman now faced with a $600 phone bill.
“I was speaking with a person that actually works at NMI (Mobility) and he told me what a lousy job they did of rolling it out,” said the woman, who spoke to The News on condition of anonymity.
She fears the situation has led to scores of Whitehorse parents being faced with huge phone bills from their children’s cell downloads this month.
And she’s concerned that many parents will pay the bills, as they may not understand what a megabyte is, and that $51.20 is too much to pay for one.
“I can’t imagine how many parents are out there that are going to end up getting huge phone bills because all the kids are into it,” she said.
Bell’s 1X service was “live” and being tested days before the official launch on October 17, confirmed Bell officials at the event.
That meant eager Whitehorse customers could begin downloading before the marketing arms of Bell Mobility, NMI Mobility and Latitude Wireless were able to explain the enormous hidden fees slapped on those who fail to subscribe to a data plan, she said.
She is one of those eager downloaders now feeling the pinch.
“Basically it was live but still testing, so nobody was made aware,” she said.
“There was no informing of the customers; nobody knew it was coming ahead of time. It was just pushed into production, then hyped after the fact.”
Her son downloaded a game and two ring-tones; she downloaded one ring-tone and one game.
When her bill arrived it was for $600; her usual bill is for about $60, she said.
On Wednesday, The News spoke with another woman whose son had downloaded 27 megabytes of data on the 1X network, beginning four days before the official 1X launch.
Her bill, which has subsequently been waived by Bell, came to more than $1,275.
This woman, the latest Bell customer to come forward, said there was no warning on the phone explaining the large fees for bandwidth.
“When we went to download, it states, ‘Do you want to pay $3.50 for the ring-tone?,’” she said.
“But it didn’t say anything about having to pay like $52 a meg for data. It may have said ‘You will be charged a fee,’ but it doesn’t say what that fee is.
“If I had known about the unlimited package that they have, I totally would have signed up for that,” she said.
In fact she has signed up for the monthly $7 package that allows unlimited downloading, “now that we know it’s available,” she said. “But it would have been nice to know ahead of time.”
She plans to speak to Bell about waiving the $600 bill, she added.
The situation developing in Whitehorse has never happened in any other market in Canada, said Paolo Pasquini, spokesperson for Bell Canada.
A combination of factors seems to have led to the problem, he explained.
People with 1X capable phones were on “voice-only” plans in Whitehorse as that was all that was available in the past.
And the 1X service went up before the official launch.
“So people wanted to experience the 1X network, and when they did this, although there’s some pop-ups that come up, people have continued to go on, unknowing of the cost, and they are now getting large bills,” he said.
“We were intending when customers come to update their phone, at the point of sale, to notify them of that. I think the unfortunate incidents are folks that had capable phones.”
But Pasquini is adamant there are warnings built into the system, which explain how much data costs without being on a dedicated plan.
“When you select a song from the music store, when you select ‘download,’ you have pages that appear.
“You have a ‘confirm purchase’ page; it tells you the price is, say, $3 plus applicable browser charges.
“Every single time, if you’re not already on the (data) plan, it tells you that due to the large size of the file, that Bell Mobility strongly recommends that you purchase or subscribe to a $7 unlimited mobile browser bundle,” he said.
The option allows the user to call a Bell call centre and subscribe to the bundle or buy it on their phone.
And literature on the web page appearing on the phone, in “browser charge details” that explains the pay-per-use fee, he said.
“Every time that purchase decision was made, the warning information had to have been read, and an ‘accept download’ had to have been pressed,” he said.
Bell empathizes with customers and is examining billing issues on a case-by-case basis as a result of the mix-up, he added.
Those with bills far higher than in the past should call Bell, he said.
Technology critics have noted that Bell could easily bar people from accessing the internet on their phone until they buy the unlimited download bundle.
But that would block some from needed access, said Pasquini.
“It’s hard to speculate, but there are instances when people need to access information over a web browser on a phone that they have no intention of using again,” he said.
“It’s obviously not Bell’s intention to have our customers get impacted with invoices like this.”
However, the latest woman to come forward feels Bell was aware of the situation.
“I can see that it would be a really good business decision and not tell anybody, and then hope that 80 per cent of the people don’t complain about the bills,” she said.


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Economy of Nepal is likely to grow at 6.2 percent in Fiscal Year 2019: ADB
PTI : The Asian Development Bank on Wednesday projected Nepal’s economic growth at 6.2 per cent for this fiscal year and said the country has the potential to achieve and sustain higher growth rate.
The Manila-based regional lender in its latest Nepal Macroeconomic Update released on Wednesday said the country’s economy is anticipated to grow at 6.2 per cent in fiscal year 2019 and 6.3 per cent in fiscal year 2020.
Challenges to smooth implementation of fiscal federalism and maintaining fiscal discipline at large could pose potential risks to the outlook, he pointed out
He said Nepal has the potential to achieve and sustain higher growth rate over a long period of time if these challenges are addressed.
The Bank predicts that the agriculture sector may grow up to 4.5 per cent from 2.8 percent of the previous year, owing to a good monsoon that is expected to boost paddy production to 5.5 million tonnes, a rise of 8.4 per cent from the previous year.
Likewise, the industry sector is expected to expand by 7.1 percent this year due to improved electricity supply and efforts to improve the investment climate.
And the services sector is likely growing by 6.4 percent in FY2019 with the expansion of wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, and financial intermediation, the report said.


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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s wineries are hopeful that this year’s warm, dry summer creates a big harvest for grapes.
Botham Vineyards’ president Peter Botham tells the Wisconsin State Journal that this year’s yield is a “once-in-a lifetime harvest” after a late May freeze cost many their crops.
Botham says the crop volume changes dramatically from year to year in Wisconsin, but this year the fruit is extraordinarily ripe. Other growers are reporting strong results.
The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection does not keep statistics on the small grape-growing industry in Wisconsin.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Fingerprint scanner could show up on Android phones within 6 months says alliance22
The CFO of the non-profit FIDO Alliance (Fast IDentity Online), Michael Barrett, said in a published report on Wednesday that fingerprint scanners expected to soon be on Android models, would be based on an open source system rather than the locked down Touch ID that Apple is using on the Apple iPhone 5s.
The FIDO Alliance is made up of 48 tech companies including Lenovo, LG and BlackBerry. As of this moment, Touch ID is not compliant with FIDO. Barrett says that Apple could eventually meet FIDO's requisites. "Our view is that it's possible Apple might choose to start using FIDO, but that's probably a couple of years out," the executive says.
The FIDO Alliance just formed earlier this year, in February, and has grown rapidly. The first Android devices with FIDO backed fingerprint sensors will launch early in 2014, according to Barrett.
source: USAToday via SlashGear


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Propel raises $4.5 million in Seed for its earned media management platform
Earned media is the fastest-growing channel in the marketing mix due to the need for brand credibility and rising ad costs
Propel, a productivity platform for public relations, has today announced that it has raised $4.5 million in Seed to help develop its AI-driven Pitch Network. The round was led by NFX with participation from VSC Ventures and Guy Schory, Chief Digital Officer at Endeavor. It was also announced that Christina Smedley, former CMO at Robinhood and head of communications at Facebook Messenger, and Avrom Gilbert, former COO of SimilarWeb, have joined the Propel Advisory Board.
“I owned a communications firm for nearly a decade before founding Propel in order to solve the pain points of earned media that I experienced,” said Propel Co-Founder and CEO Zach Cutler. “By developing advanced AI and workflows that allow marketing and communication people to work in harmony with journalists and influencers, Propel will help millions of businesses reach their audience, tell their stories and earn meaningful coverage. I’m very excited to partner with NFX and our other investors to continue revolutionizing earned media.”
Propel’s Pitch Network is part of its SaaS platform helping public relations specialists and journalists connect and discover relevant sources. It uses AI to connect both sides and reveal the preferences and requests for each party. The company hopes to democratize earned media for businesses and fix the growing schism between communication professionals and journalists. Earned media is the fastest-growing channel in the marketing mix due to the need for brand credibility and rising ad costs – and yet Propel claims that journalists and influencers were 32% less responsive to pitches from communication professionals last year, compared with 2020.
“In today’s changing media landscape businesses are constantly struggling to gain coverage. Propel is the first platform that allows businesses to automate and enhance their media outreach," says NFX’s General Partner Gigi Levy-Weiss, who has joined the Propel Board of Directors. “We believe every company needs the Propel solution and that the Propel network - connecting brands and media - will become the future of any business-media relationship.”
Propel has more than 150 business and agency customers such as Textron, Insurify, and other unicorns. The funding brings the company’s total funds to $6 million. Later this year, Propel expects to expand its services and the platform will help journalists and influencers discover sources, manage their stories, and measure reach and sentiment of their published work. In December, it launched accessibility features that improve ease-of-use for visually impaired, dyslexic, and other differently-abled individuals.