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This past Friday Facebook disclosed that they have identified a security breach in their network that directly affected 50 million users globally. As many as 90 million users have been automatically logged out and required to log in again from their respective devices. This is not the first time that a major tech giant got hacked (or their security have been breached) and I doubt that this would be the last time. As a consumer, it’s hard to keep track of everything we are doing online including signing up for newsletters, register for an account or simply using an email address to do something. And as more and more organizations are falling victim to the cyber attacks, more users data are being popped up in some shady internet sites. This is creating a huge problem as some organizations are trying to cover-up the security breach or just downplay the effect. And many don’t inform their users on time so that the user can minimize the exposure to the risk.
Luckily, Mozilla, the maker of open source web browser Firefox, has introduced a free and easy service to address this issue. They have introduced Firefox Monitor, a service that uses an email address to check whether that address has been affected by any publicly known hacking or already disclosed security breach. In addition, they also provide some basic password security and safety tips that a common internet user should know and follow in day to day activity over the internet.
Try it out and inform others about it. It’s better to be safe than sorry.


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Attys' Business Ties End Class Cert. Request In TCPA Suit
By Joyce Hanson (February 11, 2019, 6:49 PM EST) -- An Illinois federal judge has denied class certification to a group of consumers in a suit claiming that a vacation cruise marketing company violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending unsolicited text messages, saying the plaintiff is a lawyer with "significant business ties" to the proposed class counsel.
U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee wrote in his order Friday that the lead plaintiff in the TCPA suit against Caribbean Cruise Line Inc., Richard S. Gordon, is a class action attorney himself and has jointly represented class action plaintiffs in five different matters — three of them still pending — with...
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text: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are currently suing YouTube founder Chad Hurley because they believe that since their engagement video was leaked online, they lost out on a lot of money that they could have received from selling it, like all truly loving couples do. Chad reportedly made them a significant settlement offer of donating money to a charity of their choice, but they allegedly turned it down because they want to take this thing to court and get the money for themselves. According to the Daily Mail, though, a rep for Kim and Kanye claims that is “False” and offered no additional information. That’s probably because their reps are just trained to fire off denials like, is it true your clients are in a loveless marriage that was only ever intended to benefit them both financially? “False.” Did Kim only become famous because she sucked an unknown rapper’s dick on camera because her mom told her it was a wise business investment? “False.” Is Kim’s entire family’s downfall bound to be one of the most enjoyable things we’ve ever watched? “False.” That’s good, believable PR work right there.


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Hedge fund Third Point is pressing the Japanese company for a spin-off
The board of Sony Corp. may evaluate a proposal from one of its major investors that would see the entertainment and technology company spin off portions of its entertainment division, according to a report on the Japanese daily Nikkei.
Hedge fund Third Point and its billionaire CEO Daniel Loeb have argued that jettisoning Sony's movie and TV studio and its record label would allow it turn its attention to revitalizing its struggling electronics business. In a letter addressed to CEO Kazuo Hirai that was made public last week, Loeb offered to help orchestrate a public offering for the entertainment business.
A spokesman for Sony declined to comment on the Nikkei report and a spokeswoman for Third Point did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nikkei reports that Loeb met last week with Hirai and offered to invest 200 billion yen to help with the spin-off.
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What!? Buy someone else's clothes?
It's a reaction many people have until they see the typically low prices, good quality and large selection at many of the more than 25,000 resale, consignment and thrift shops in the USA. And with back-to-school season in full swing during trying economic times, the resale industry is geared up for better-than-usual sales.
"When people perceive things are getting a little tighter, we do see the benefits in our retail stores," says Taylor Bond, CEO of Children's Orchard, a chain that specializes in "gently used" kids' clothing, toys and products. Secondhand clothes have "become more acceptable," he says.
The National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS) estimates sales in the secondhand industry have risen about 5% each year for the last decade. America's Research Group says up to 15% of people shop at resale or consignment shops at least once a year; 21% visit a department store at least that often.
Thrift stores, which are operated by non-profits such as Goodwill, have been around for decades, but more-upscale resale and consignment shops didn't really take off until the 1980s. Resale shops buy good-condition used clothing outright from consumers, while consignment stores will sell them but don't give the donors their cut — usually half of what the clothes sell for — until after the sale.
Many shoppers steer toward resale and consignment shops for children's clothing, designer or vintage apparel and even wedding dresses, while others look for more mainstream brands such as Banana Republic and Ann Taylor at a fraction of their retail price. In an informal survey, most USA TODAY shopper panel members who have children said they have shopped for their kids at secondhand stores, and many said they'd be doing so this year.
Christina Griffey of San Mateo, Calif., always considered resale/consignment shops to be like thrift stores. But after a friend, who is "as finicky as I am about wearing other people's clothes," told her she shopped at Palm Beach vintage shops, Griffey decided to give secondhand a chance. She and her 17-year-old daughter went shopping for prom dresses at upscale San Francisco stores and found great buys.
"We will certainly be looking, come back-to-school time, for clothes for my daughter," Griffey says of resale shops. "She had, in the past, looked down her nose at those types of places, but now we have both come to realize that they are not 'those kinds of places' any longer."
Children's secondhand stores "are definitely busier before the school year starts," says Adele Meyer, executive director of NARTS. "Clothes are so expensive, and this is a good way to find good clothing at a good price. Kids grow quickly, and many times, they outgrow clothes before they have a chance to wear them."
Bond acknowledges that finding kids' casual clothing that is both used and presentable isn't easy: "The toughest things to get in resale are boys' jeans." To help compensate, Bond says, Children's Orchard stores have "playwear" sections that have clothes that "might not come up to our highest standards."
Rhea Lubich of Prescott, Wis., says her children have friends who find great buys at secondhand stores, but it's definitely not for them. "Once we did go into a consignment store, and the girls reversed immediately out the door. The store had such a foul odor."


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The money from the Facebook COO will be used to support anti-hate education programs, research and advocacy.
Other new camera features include better zoom, astrophotography and dual photo exposure controls. CNET has an exclusive look.
What’s the secret behind the best phone cameras? Something called "computational photography." It's high-tech, but Google takes inspiration from historic Italian painters.
But the carriers are still facing opposition from 18 state attorneys general.
Along with the Pixel 4 phone, we got a preview of the new Pixel Buds, Nest Mini, Nest Wifi and a new $649 Chromebook, the Pixelbook Go.
Haha, just kidding: It's still the day after Thanksgiving, so Nov. 29 this year.
Even more Google: Pixel 4 details, Pixelbook Go and the death of Google VR.
Check out these offers from Amazon, Best Buy, Verizon and Visible.
The Pixel 4 and 4 XL come with a new industrial design and square camera element, all belted in on the sides by a slick-looking aluminum band. And good news, the Pixel 4 XL loses the Pixel 3 XL's ugly notch.
Google's phone is closer to the iPhone 11 when it comes to face unlock and mobile payments.
In an exclusive interview with CNET, Oppo's Western Europe president talks foldable phones and aiming for the top spot.
You don't need to buy a new iPhone to get an ultrawide-angle camera.
Sublime suburban chariot
High on style and technology, the 2019 Volvo XC90 is an incredibly satisfying everyday crossover.


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Tuesday, 14 July, 2015 at 13:10 GMT
PayPal merges Xoom, the San Francisco based company, which has been the developer of the online system transferring assets and services. The company has gone public in 2013. PayPal is going to pay $25 per every share. The total amount to be paid for the deal to be completed makes...
Tuesday, 14 July, 2015 at 11:11 GMT
Take your time to see the latest news from three hyips listed at HYIPNews. For a start let us share the news from one of the leading and top listed hyips, Poker Automatics, which is constantly expanding the representatives network, this time adding two more official...
Tuesday, 14 July, 2015 at 10:27 GMT
The management of RoyalTrust has issued the update to the members explaining the details of the new deposit option, available from recently. "Freedom" option allows taking back the initial deposit back any time. The rules to use the new deposit are simple. One should follow them...
Friday, 10 July, 2015 at 19:53 GMT
Back on Friday we are glad to offer the Hyip Information Survey #419 at your attention. Slight changes are observed today in the Top Choice section, particularly in the Sticky listing of HYIPNews. One program has been added lately to our hyip monitor, which is why the Openings...
Friday, 10 July, 2015 at 15:23 GMT
Starting from July 20 PayPal becomes independent company, providing services in the sphere of online payments. The corresponding decision to split the two companies has been approved by the eBay Inc. board of directors.Let us remind you that eBay purchased PayPal on 2002 at $1.5...
Your AD here for $14.99 weekly!
Thursday, 9 July, 2015 at 14:40 GMT
The C-7, Sticky listed at HyipNews, the hyip reviewed by HYIPNews.com, has issued the informative newsletter marking the completion of 515 days online performance. As reported since the very beginning of the program around 600 millions of dollars have been paid out and nearly 65...
Wednesday, 8 July, 2015 at 08:32 GMT
It's been a week after the previous Hyip Information Survey was released. Due to technical reasons we didn't manage to publish one on Friday and hence survey #418 is presented at your attention todayAfter a week time there have been some serious changes in the programs rating....
Monday, 6 July, 2015 at 11:37 GMT
The Cryptoconomist HYIP has been listed at HYIPNews for 63 days. At the same time, the admin of the HYIP has recently issued the newsletter reporting about completing 1 year online. The team of the project is very excited on completing such a huge milestone and looking back to...
Saturday, 4 July, 2015 at 11:01 GMT
Starting from the year 2013 the Perfect Money payment system has been using the perfectmoney.is as the main domain name. On June 26, 2015 the board of directors of the Startup Research & Investments company took the unanimous decision to terminate the work of an old domain...
Saturday, 4 July, 2015 at 10:09 GMT
Independence Day is a major national holiday in the United States, celebrated in honor of the Declaration of Independence (Declaration of Independence). On July 4, 1776 13 representatives of the states inside the building of the Philadelphia City Hall signed a document...
Your AD here for $19.99 weekly!
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Last April, Amazon fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, two former user experience designers, for “repeatedly violating internal policies.” Cunningham and Costa argued they were fired in retaliation for their continued criticism of Amazon.
Costa and Cunningham were members of the employee advocacy group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, which has called on Amazon to develop a comprehensive climate change plan, among other environmental initiatives.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Costa and Cunningham raised concerns about the company’s treatment of warehouse workers and a lack of safety measures for front-line employees.
They also participated in a series of actions to pressure Amazon to change how it responds to workers who speak out against its policies. Last January, AECJ organized hundreds of employees to intentionally violate Amazon’s external communications policy, which forbids employees from speaking about the company’s business without approval from management.
The NLRB told Cunningham and Costa that it would accuse Amazon of unfair labor practices unless it settles the case, according to the Times.
Representatives from Amazon and the NLRB didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
It comes as Amazon is staring down a closely-watched union vote at one of its Alabama warehouses. The NLRB began counting votes last week and it could take a few days or weeks to reach an outcome.
The union vote is just the latest turning point in Amazon’s growing tensions with its frontline workforce. Warehouse and delivery workers have raised concerns about a lack of coronavirus safety measures during the pandemic, along with other issues around working conditions.
A number of Amazon employees who spoke out about pandemic working conditions have since filed complaints with the NLRB alleging the company illegally fired them, among other company retaliations. The NLRB has sided with the Amazon workers in several cases, while other cases are ongoing.
Enough Amazon workers have filed charges against the company over the last year that the NLRB is considering launching a national investigation, NBC News reported last month.
— Reuters contributed to this report.


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Irontek Constructs $1.5 Million Expansion to Accommodate Demand for Co-Working Space
Leasing now available for private offices and dedicated desks, available in Spring 2023
Red Circle Inn, Wisconsin’s Oldest Restaurant, Now Open
Iconic Pabst family supper club opens as part of Geronimo Hospitality Groups’s growing collection of award-winning brands.
Riverfront Luxury Lofts Coming To Beloit, Future Tenants Can Pre-Lease Now
Hendricks Commercial Properties announced Wednesday that it is pre-leasing for future tenants of its newest riverfront lofts.
Delafield’s First Mass Timber Development Takes Shape
Hendricks Commercial Properties proudly announces venture backed AI company. Synthetaic and Midwest Insurance Group as the first two tenants of The Grain.
Pre-Leasing Now Available at Wright & Wagner Lofts Riverfront Building in downtown Beloit
Floor plans include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.
Bottleworks District Earns Top Honors at the ICSC Global Design & Development Awards
The district was also recognized as a Gold Winner of Renovation and Expansions of Mixed Use Projects with a sustainable commendation.
Explore the Charm of Delafield
The American Dream TV
JJ Hausmann is joined by guest Rob Gerbitz of Hendricks Commercial Properties and together they will unveil the plans for 705 N Genesee, development in progress in the Center of Town.
HCP Presents Rock County Cancer Coalition with $123K to Support Community
HCP raised the funds at its 10th annual Rockin’ the Greens golf play day at the Beloit Club in September.
Beloit sees building projects advance
Rob Gerbitz gave an update of construction projects the company is involved with during a Society for Learning Unlimited (SLU) presentation
Bottleworks District Announces New Tenants
Stretch Lab, First American Title, and FORVIS to join the district lineup
The Fountain Room Supper Club Opens July 25 at Bottleworks
Clancy’s Hospitality welcomes second eatery inside the Bottleworks District
Blue Collar Coffee Co. Moves Locations in Downtown Beloit
Blue Collar to offer expanded menu, more seating at new downtown location.
The Warehouse Food Hall Opens in Downtown Boise
Downtown Boise’s hub of an eclectic mix of culinary talent and specialty retail is now open.
Cinema West Theatres to Open BoDo Location
Cinema West plans to transform the former Regal Edwards Boise Downtown theater into boutique cinema.
FOOD AND DRINK: Coming Soon to The Warehouse
Want to learn more about who and what's happening inside The Warehouse? Idaho Press-Tribune shares what you can expect see, taste and smell when we open our doors in July. Read on.
Bottleworks District Announces Newest Tenants
Staffing agency, consulting firm & virtual reality experience to join Bottleworks District
Warehouse Food Hall Set to Open July 12
Boise-area locals and visitors will have a new go-to culinary destination this summer when The Warehouse Food Hall opens to the public on Tuesday, July 12 at 10:30 a.m.
Downtown Beloit developments earn statewide recognition at 31st Wisconsin Main Street Awards ceremony
ABC Supply Stadium was named “Best New Building Project” and Lux Cuts won “Best Interior Renovation Project Under $50,000”
Construction Breaks Ground on Hotel Renegade in Downtown Boise
The 122-key boutique hotel will include on-site restaurant, rooftop bar & event space.
Bottleworks District Announces Plans for Phase II Expansion
New renderings and video show office, retail and parking additions to the district.
More improvements for downtown Beloit
Beloit Daily News
The projects involve the Strong Building in the 400 block of East Grand Avenue and the vacant building once occupied by Kerry and, later, FatWallet at 100 East Grand.
Mass Timber Development Breaks Ground in Downtown Delafield
Hendricks Commercial Properties shares renderings for ‘The Grain" as construction begins.
New Beloit business offers skincare, love for community
Beloit Daily News
Bath + Body Fusion is now open in downtown Beloit at 430 E. Grand Ave. The local retailer will offer apothecary skincare products, design-your-own fragrances, space for make-and-take events and much more.
Synthetaic raises $13 million, will move into new Hendricks development in downtown Delafield
Milwaukee Business Journal
Artificial intelligence (AI) data startup Synthetaic has raised $13 million and moved into a new office in downtown Delafield, the company said this week.
gALPHA Beloit Now Accepting Applications For 7-Week Venture Creation Workshop
Businesses are born in Beloit through the gALPHA program, a free seven-week venture-creation workshop happening March 26 - May 11 at Ironworks Campus. Entrepreneurially-minded individuals or teams who have technical skills in computer science, engineering, design and emerging technologies are invited to apply for the workshop now through March 22.
Downtown Beloit Association honors businesses making downtown even better
Beloit Daily News
The Best New Business Award went to Lux Cuts. Gerardo Sanchez and Jesus Soriano opened Lux Cuts at 444 E Grand Ave., Suite 101, creating a hip and luxurious barbershop experience. Lux Cut also won the Best Interior Renovation Project Under $50,000 Award.
Haute beauty business empire expands in downtown Beloit
Beloit Daily News
Annētta Michelle McBain is not only bringing beauty to her clients, but is beautifying Beloit’s downtown as her new businesses continue to expand and draw in clientele from around the country.
17 Stellar New Hotels that Embrace their Geography, National Geographic
A 1920s Coca-Cola bottling plant is now the opulent setting for the most distinctive new hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Beloit continues to see commercial, residential growth
Beloit Daily News
City of Beloit Economic Development Director Jennifer Hall, who joined the city in January of this year, said she felt the pandemic caused a major impact on Beloit, but the city fared better than other municipalities thanks to strong partnerships and continued growth in commercial and residential sectors.
Hungry? Boise’s first food hall has lined up 9 vendors and counting. Here’s the latest
The menu just got bigger at a new food-and-drink hub coming to downtown Boise’s BoDo district next year.
Bottleworks Wins Big at the Indy Chamber Monumental Awards
Bottleworks District made a splash at the 44th Annual Indy Chamber Awards, taking top honors in three categories.
Hendricks Commercial Properties Presents Rock County Cancer Coalition with $116K to Support Community Members Battling Cancer
Hendricks Commercial Properties (HCP) presented a check in the amount of $116,254 to the Rock County Cancer Coalition (RCCC), a local organization focused on reducing the financial burden of cancer patients within the Rock County community.
Bottleworks Hotel is featured as a top place to stay in this Guide, where style, seclusion, and self-care lead the way.
10 Last-Minute Midwest Vacations for Labor Day Weekend
When you hear the word “hipster,” you don’t necessarily think Indiana. But a recent trip to Indianapolis’ newest neighborhood, the Bottleworks District, proved the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
TIMES World's Greatest Places 2021
Indianapolis may be a smaller city, but it’s packed with standout restaurants, museums and sports centers.
The Best Last-Minute Weekend Getaways from New York City (Harper's Bazaar)
Check out the new Bottleworks District, born from the rubble of an old Coca-Cola factory, complete with a chic Art Deco hotel, expansive food hall, adult arcade, and a smattering of local boutiques.
Destination Indiana: Here's Why the New Bottleworks District is Perfect for Your Next Weekend Getaway
The pandemic has shown us that we don’t have to travel far to indulge in good food, and entertainment. Staycations are more popular than ever before and there’s one destination in downtown Indianapolis that’s perfect for your next weekend getaway.
Hendricks Commercial Properties Shares Timeline for BoDo Development
Food Hall project slated to bring eclectic mix of food, retail offerings to historic BoDo block
The Garage Food Hall Opens at Bottleworks District January 5
Discover the best of Indianapolis' chefs and artisan craftsmen in new modern market
Conde Nast Traveler: 21 Best Places to Go in 2021
Indianapolis has been named one of the 21 Best Places to Go in 2021, citing Bottleworks Hotel and The Garage Food Hall at Bottleworks District must-visit destinations in Indy.
The Bottleworks District: The Modern Day Revitalization of an Iconic Structure
The Coca-Cola Bottling Plant was once a center of activity on the urban side of Indianapolis. With its construction completed in 1931, this art-deco inspired building was considered lavish for its time.
HCP Presents Rock County Cancer Coalition with $105K to Support Community
Hendricks Commercial Properties (HCP) today presented a check in the amount of $105,000 to Rock County Cancer Coalition (RCCC), a local organization focused on reducing the financial burden of cancer patients within the Rock County community.
gener8tor announces 50 companies in pre-accelerators nationwide
The 50 startups are located across the country, and represent a wide variety of industries and verticals, including IIoT, Medtech, SaaS and beyond.
Wright and Wagner Lofts project looks to honor Beloit's past, build for the future
Construction continues on the Wright and Wagner Lofts in downtown Beloit as Hendricks Commercial Properties looks to hold onto the historic feel of the site’s past uses.
Beauty and Bridal Shops and Photographer Coming to Downtown Beloit
Hendricks Commercial Properties announces Haute Luxe Beauty House, Haute Bridal Official and Leigh Photography as the newest tenants at 406 Pleasant Street, located above truk’t in downtown Beloit. Both businesses will open Fall 2020.
The Bottleworks District has released a new suite of renderings for its Bottleworks Hotel as construction continues on the $300-million, urban, mixed-use development in downtown Indianapolis.
Deploying New Methods in a New Economy
Not only does Beloit’s location along Interstate 90 make logistics easier for companies to do business, it makes the area more accessible to workers.
Construction Breaks Ground on Downtown Beloit Stadium
Final renderings released as development begins
Wright & Wagner Lofts to debut in downtown Beloit
Residential community brings industrial modern living to city’s revitalized downtown
The Oaks II offers new build opportunities in Beloit
Residential community expands with addition of 21 lots open to all builders
New Renderings Released for Downtown Beloit Stadium
Development plans move forward for state-of-the-art community venue
Minnesota Good Age-November 6, 2019
See why Beloit and Janesville have become tourist attractions in southern Wisconsin.
New owners of The Owyhee plan boutique hotel
Hendricks Commercial Properties, which purchased the historic Owyhee and several surrounding surface parking lots from LocalConstruct earlier this year.
First look at new vision for Bodo: major changes on the way inside and out
Bodo in Downtown Boise will soon have a totally new look and focus. Hendricks Commercial Properties purchased several large portions of the development in 2017, and teams started work on re-imagining the project in the years since.
All the new restaurants coming to Bottleworks District food hall on Mass Ave.
If you think downtown Indy’s Mass Ave. has a lot of restaurants now – 45 in all – just wait until the giant food hall opens at Bottleworks District, where six of 26 expected vendors have already signed up to serve everything from ice cream to oysters, tacos and poké bowls.
Record Store to Join Bottleworks Plans
Inside INdiana Business
Indianapolis-based Hendricks Commercial Properties has announced the record store Square Cat Vinyl is set to open in 2020 as part of phase one of the Bottleworks District.
All the new restaurants popping up on Mass Ave.
Developer Hendricks Commercial Properties is still mulling over some 20 tenants for the 30,000 thousand square feet of open space that will seat 500 people
2019 Forty Under 40: Isaac Bamgbose
Indianapolis Business Journal
Bamgbose started as a financial analyst at Hendricks Commercial Properties, then moved into the role of asset manager for the eastern half of the ...
Waikoloa Highlands Shopping Center opens food court
West Hawaii Today
Cuisine options have expanded in Waikoloa Village with the opening of a food court at the Waikoloa Highlands Shopping Center.
Hendricks Commercial Properties Sells Shopping Center in North Carolina for $29 Million
Shopping Center Business
Hendricks Commercial Properties has sold Southern Pines Village, a 179,276-square-foot shopping center in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
Seal-Rite Door relocating from Illinois to $16M plant in Beloit
Milwaukee Business Journal
The Wisconsin Stateline Industrial Park is a 28-acre business park with more than 400,000 square feet of industrial space. It was developed by Hendricks Commercial Properties and constructed by Corporate Contractors Inc.


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Google has collaborated with Sequoia Capital-backed digital payments platform MobiKwik to introduce prepaid mobile recharge search for India. A user can now search for, compare and recharge prepaid mobile plans from MobiKwik through a Google search, the companies said in a joint statement. “India is a 97% prepaid mobile market -- a billion Indians like to pay as they go -- buying talk-time minutes or data packs at least twice a month. So Indians were, in any case, searching for queries such as best prepaid recharge, and now the mobile recharge search experience enables users to do so in a more structured manner, redirecting them to MobiKwik,” Upasana Taku, co-founder, MobiKwik, said.
Read: Mobikwik targets Rs 1,500 crore in loan disbursements for FY20
Iron Pillar in talks to raise $30 mn add-on fund
Venture capital fund Iron Pillar is in talks to raise a $30 million add-on fund, financial daily Mint reported. With its new fund, the company will invest in its existing portfolio companies, which includes online meat seller FreshToHome and phone service management firm Servify, the report said. Iron Pillar is a growth-stage investor and invests between $7 million and $15 million in Series B and Series C rounds of funding, the report said.
As more investors eye Dream11, valuation may soar to $2.25 bn
Multiple investors like homegrown private equity firm Chrys Capital and co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin’s investment vehicle B Capital Group may undertake a sizable secondary transaction in Mumbai-based online fantasy sports platform Dream11, The Economic Times reported. Dream11’s valuation is set to hit $2.25 billion, the report added. The deal will include a $100 million secondary transaction and a $20 million primary round.


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Lionsgate on Thursday swung to a second-quarter loss on lower overall revenues and continuing growth at Starz.
The premium cable and streaming channel added a record 1.8 million streaming subscribers in the U.S. during the latest quarter to get to 9.2 million streaming customers domestically. The studio added 2.3 million Starz streaming customers in international markets, including for STARZPLAY Arabia the Pantaya Spanish language platform, to get to 13.7 million subscribers overall.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer on an analyst call put the record subscriber growth at Starz as it continues a pivot to the streaming arena down to new TV show launches like Ghost, the first Power spin-off, the second season launch of Spanish Princess and P-Valley. Starz’s international business also gained from launches in the UK, Brazil and other key territories.
“Our best of global SVOD content strategy is resonating with consumers while our partnerships with top global streaming platforms and local distributors are creating exciting new bundling opportunities,” Feltheimer told analysts. He forecast Starz would reach the top end of a forecast of 13 million to 15 million global streaming subscribers by the end of fiscal 2021.
“We expect OTT (over-the-top) revenues and profits to soon follow subscribers across this milestone as we continue to transition from a primarily wholesale licensing model to a more global, data-driven, direct-to-consumer world,” Feltheimer said of the Starz streaming strategy.
Stock in Lionsgate jumped by 55 cents, or nearly 8 percent, to $7.59 in after-hours market trading on news of the record streaming customer growth at Starz.
“We’re pleased to report another strong quarter, including record over-the-top subscriber growth at Starz both domestically and internationally. Together with the resumption of film and television production and another great revenue performance from our library, it added up to a quarter that reflected strong financial results, acceleration of our key non-financial metrics, and affirmation of the business plan we created four years ago with the acquisition of Starz and our pivot to the streaming world,” Feltheimer said in a statement ahead of the analyst call.
Lionsgate during the latest quarter reported a net loss attributable to shareholders of $18.4 million, against a year-earlier $1.8 million in earnings for the three months ending Sept. 30. The indie studio posted a per-share loss of 8 cents, against a profit of 1 cents per share in the year-ago period. The adjusted earning per share of 33 cents beat an analyst estimate for 17 cents.
Overall revenues came to $745 million, well down from a year-earlier $983.5 million amid the pandemic. The revenue line also missed on an analyst estimate of $760.4 million. Media networks revenue, which is mostly Starz, came to $388.3 million during the second quarter, up 3.8 percent from a year-earlier $374 million, which was driven by domestic streaming subscriber growth.
Motion picture group revenue fell sharply to $257.6 million, against a year-earlier $405.8 million, amid movie theater closings amid the COVID-19 crisis. The loss of theatrical revenues was offset by titles being diverted to premium video-on-demand and digital home entertainment platforms.
Joe Drake, CEO of the Motion Picture Group, discussed cuts of 15 percent of an overall film group workforce of around 450 employees unveiled earlier in the day, as he argued the streamlining was due in part to the pandemic, but came about more amid a shift to streaming viewership.
“The new windows that people are talking about are only accelerating and that has created real distribution opportunities for us… The windows will continue to evolve and we just see a ton of opportunity moving forward in our business,” Drake told analysts. He also revealed the Hollywood studio would be opportunistic in whether it released movies theatrically, via premium video-on-demand or on streaming platforms.
“What we’re seeing is that monetizing in these new windows, whether it is leading with theatrical, whether its theatrical and PVOD combined or whether you go direct to consumer or other ways of exploiting, the values are there for us to go and monetize,” Drake argued.
TV production revenues were $197.2 million, compared to a year-ago $274 million, due to the timing of production schedules and episode deliveries during the pandemic.
Feltheimer on the analyst call revealed Lionsgate’s film and TV divisions had returned to production amid the pandemic. On the TV side, the studios has a dozen scripted series and over 20 unscripted shows back before the cameras, and the feature film business has greenlit eight films in the past six months to meet pent-up demand for content by global distributors post-pandemic.
“One has already wrapped, four more are currently shooting and three others are slated to begin production early next year,” Feltheimer reported.
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MONTEREY – Television owners who use antenna to watch programming in the Monterey and Salinas areas will need to rescan their sets between now and July 2020 in order to continue to watch TV.
The Federal Communications Commission is conducting a nationwide effort to disseminate consumer information about the more than 1,000 television stations, including KDJT and KMMD in the Monterey-Salinas area, that have or will be transitioning to new frequencies to make room for new 5G and other mobile broadband.
“While we don’t have a figure specific to the percentage of households in the Monterey-Salinas area that watch TV exclusively over-the-air with an antenna, the percentage nationwide is 13.9 percent, or 16.6 million households,” said Neil Grace, FCC spokesman.
Fifth generation, known as 5G, is the next generation of mobile broadband that will eventually replace, or at least augment 4G LTE connection. It boasts faster download and upload speeds and a decrease in latency, or the time it takes devices to communicate with each other over wireless networks.
According to DigitalTrends.com, the shift to 5G will change daily interactions with technology and is a necessity to continue using mobile broadband.
Carriers are running out of LTE capacity in many major metropolitan areas. In some cities, users are already experiencing slowdowns during busy times of day.
The FCC has started opening up more frequencies to accommodate the move.
To continue watching TV using an antenna, viewers will need to perform a few procedures to rescan their televisions.
By rescanning, viewers watching TV for free using an antenna will keep their existing channels and may even discover new channels in their broadcast area. TV stations are changing frequencies on a rolling basis, so consumers will likely need to rescan their television more than once.
Viewers do not need any new devices, equipment, or services to rescan their TV. Subscribers to cable or satellite TV do not need to rescan.
To rescan, TV viewers will need to find the “Channel Scan,” “Channel Tuning,” or “Auto Search” in the “Setup” or “Channel” menu of their digital TV’s remote control or analog TV’s converter box. Once a viewer finds the “Channel Scan” or “Channel Tuning” button, choose the automatic option to rescan.
If consumers need further assistance, they can visit www.fcc.gov/TVrescan or call 1-888-225-5322 and press “6” to speak with a help desk representative, seven days a week, from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. The call center is available in English and Spanish and the information on the website is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog.


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PES 2013 is to receive a playable demo from next week, Konami has announced.
The downloadable teaser of this year's football game will be available free on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC from July 25.
It offers eight licensed teams, including international sides Germany, England, Portugal and Italy, as well as club teams Santos FC, SC International, Fluminense and Flamengo.
It will also feature a number of difficulty settings and localised language options.
The demo will showcase a number of changes coming to this year's title, including FullControl for improved control options over every pass, shot and first touch.
Gallery - view screenshots from PES 2013's demo below:
Dribbling, meanwhile, has been slowed for the new game, giving players better close-control of the ball, allowing them to hold it up within a 360-degree circle, or nutmeg opposing players and run onto the loose ball.
Shooting and passing has been modified to give players more control over height, power and pace, while players now have the ability to control teammates' runs during one-two passes.
Defending has also been tweaked, giving defenders the opportunity to slow attacks, before making a tackle from almost any angle.
PES 2013 releases this autumn for the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS2, PSP, Nintendo 3DS and Wii. A PlayStation Vita version was recently ruled out by Konami.
Watch the latest gameplay trailer for PES 2013 below:


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Why New York Magazine sees responsive design as the future
New York Magazine recently launched a fashion site that the publication is using as a pilot in gauging the efficacy of responsive design. The advantage of responsive design — which The Boston Globe and Say Media use — is that it allows a publisher to design once rather than go platform by platform.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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News stories featuring Santander:
February 25th, 2015
MasterCard is currently conducting more than 25 host card emulation (HCE) projects in 15 countries, the payments network has announced, with multiple issuers now moving close to commercial deployments. “In offering an alternative to the…
October 8th, 2014
Zapp, the mobile payments startup formed by UK payments infrastructure operator VocaLink, has announced that major retail chains including Sainsbury’s, Asda, House of Fraser, Thomas Cook, Shop Direct, Spar and Clarks are to use its…
January 15th, 2014
The UK’s HSBC, First Direct, Nationwide, Santander and Metro Bank are to provide their 18 million UK customers with the ability to make NFC and QR code payments from next year, using an online and in-store mobile payments service that integrates with the banks’ existing mobile apps.
February 25th, 2013
MasterPass covers in-store and online payments, supports both NFC and QR codes and enables “banks, merchants and partners” to offer their own wallets to consumers.
February 26th, 2012
The banking giant, the eighth largest in the world, has partnered with Orange for the development and introduction of the first NFC payments solution to support cards issued by both Visa and MasterCard.
Feed for stories featuring Santander.
• Find a list of all the companies and other organisations that have been featured in NFC World+ in our directory.


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Fabula Nova Crystallis" returns from the abyss, once again, with the company's recent trademark registration of Final Fantasy Agito. Gematsu took note of the registration – or re-registration depending on your perspective – of the trademark with the similar name to the game once known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII, which eventually launched in Japan as Final Fantasy Type-0 in 2011 on PSP.
Whispers of a western release for Type-0 have been around for two years, but never really went anywhere. All we know for certain is that Square Enix Presents is scheduled for E3 and some Final Fantasy news is planned... because there's always Final Fantasy news planned. Always.


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Baugur, the Icelandic retail investor, has emerged as the unexpected backer of a management buyout bid that is being worked up at Hamleys, the toy shop.
It is thought that Hamleys, with its world-famous store on Regent Street, has also attracted the attention of at least one other potential suitor.
Baugur is understood to be providing money for a management offer worth up to £46.2m or 190p to 200p a share.
In March, Hamleys gave "authorisation" to its chief operating officer, John Watkinson, and finance director, Ian Parker, to "explore financing for a possible management buy-out". The source of that finance was not known until yesterday. Analysts said it was a new departure for Baugur to choose a company that is not considered to be in trouble. The Icelanders have previously bought stakes in the likes of Arcadia and are currently sitting on a 23 per cent holding in Big Food Group.
Rhys Williams of Seymour Pierce said: "This is bizarre for Baugur. They buy real down-and-out stock. Hamleys has been on a recovery path for two years and the shares certainly haven't under-performed the market."
A deal would make Hamleys the latest in a series of retailers that have been taken private or are currently to be on the receiving end of a bid. The company's shares closed up 14.5p to 191.5p. No formal approach has yet been made by the buyout team. Analysts said its reported 190p to 200p bid proposal would be attractive but not a knock-out offer. The other interested party is believed to be a UK company that has private equity support.
Peter Jones, of KBC Peel Hunt, said: "You have to take a view on what the company can do. Hamleys is highly dependent on one store. It is yet to be proven whether it can leverage the brand, for instance through direct mail or internet sales ... It is facing a tougher consumer climate and uncertain levels of tourist trade given the fear of terrorism."
Simon Burke, Hamleys' chairman, has spearheaded the revival of the business, which was suffering from poor product supply and uncompetitive pricing. He is not believed to be interested in any management buyout bid and is reckoned to be looking to a job with a bigger retailer.Reuse content


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She originally studied ornithology but shifted course when she realized the limited professional opportunities for bird specialists, and began working in pest control in the early 1990s. “It was really a good old boys’ club,” she said, interrupted by her whining Newfoundland puppy, Karina (named for the Bob Dylan song).
During the pandemic, Dr. Gordon said, the rats effectively took over New York. “This year there is a rodent population in places I’ve never had problems,” she said, noting that buildings with pandemic-shuttered ground floor restaurants were as challenged as more publicized outdoor dining spaces, if not more so. “A restaurant closes and the rat has to get their food somewhere so they go up. A rat eats an ounce of food a day.”
One client, she said, left a condo in Boca Raton, Fla., unoccupied during the first months of quarantine. When the owners returned, three dozen rats were living in the apartment with litters of baby rats nestled in their clothing drawers. The couple has since embarked on a gut renovation.
“Moths don’t get as much attention as rodents,” Dr. Gordon said, “but they should and they’re definitely on the rise.” (Climate change, she said, is also a factor; moths thrive in warmer weather.)
Lloyd Garten, the president of Select Exterminating Company, which specializes in “high end residences” and businesses in Manhattan and Long Island, concurred. “We’ve seen a tremendous increase in clothing moth complaints in the last six months,” Mr. Garten said. “Really, really dramatic, to the point that we have specialists running all over the city every day for moths, which wasn’t always the case.”
He was not surprised. “Clients are in the Hamptons all of Covid, they’re not wearing the suits to work, then they’re coming back into New York and moving the clothing around and finding webbing and damage,” said Mr. Garten, 67 and a grandfather of 12. “Before they were cycling through their garments the insect wasn’t producing. A lot of people always had webbing clothes moths, maybe a few, but left uninterrupted with the temp at a constant and the lights off, it’s an ideal situation.”


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With rapid globalization and technology infusing into our daily lives, we are almost always surrounded by gadgets, technology, and electricity. Technology has revolutionized everything around us, from answering our doors to driving our cars. One of the numerous advantages of this technological evolution is the presence of nature and fossil fuels. As transport is a fundamental requirement of today’s daily life, vehicles are necessary, but the traditional design of the vehicle and its utilization of fossil fuels is emptying the natural resources. Thus, electric vehicles are the new solution, allowing us to utilize the remaining fossil fuel smartly and storing for later instead of the rampant transportation fueling, especially for a population like India’s.
India is going through the electric vehicle resolution, with the rapid adoption of people choosing electric vehicles instead of conventional petrol or diesel-fueled vehicle. However, the adoption of electric vehicles has raised the question of charging stations not being as widely available as petrol pumps. Worry not, because as the government has supported and raised awareness towards making the smart choice of going for electric vehicles, similarly, they are working towards installing various charging stations over the country. In fact, according to Markntel Advisors, the Indian government policies supporting the shift to electric vehicles and various programs to install a charging stations in cities and slowly reaching towns have become a trend supporting the electric vehicle revolution.
Why Should You Go for Electric Vehicles?
First and foremost, for any vehicle, the consumer looks first at the price tag and maintenance cost. Electric vehicles have way fewer moving parts installed in their machinery than internal combustion vehicles; thus, they have a very low maintenance cost. And subsequently, your vehicle’s yearly maintenance cost will be way less than your wallet might thank you. Moreover, electricity is much cheaper than fossil fuels like petrol or diesel. Thus, your travel requirement budget is going to save you a big chunk, especially if the charging is done with renewable energy sources, adding to the eco-friendly advantages of electric vehicles. Talking about the eco-friendliness of EVs, you can reduce your carbon footprint and be part of saving your ecosystem because EVs, your tailpipe emission, would be zero.
India’s Future Is Full of EV Charging Stations
India is adopting electric vehicles at a rapid rate, with two-wheelers and electric rickshaws sales bolstering the automobile industry. Many consumers have been worried about the lack of charging stations within the country, but as the government and manufacturers have observed a positive response to electric vehicle adoption, the next step of installing EV charging infrastructure has also begun. The government plans to install charging stations in shopping malls, restaurants, big parking, and other public places are there to fulfill your needs of charging your vehicle and taking away your anxiety about emptying power or battery while away from home.
To meet the growing demand, companies, and the government are both working towards introducing more charging solutions for your vehicle. Under the scheme of FAME 2, the incentive to install thousands of charging stations over the country by 2030, is the final push taking away your worry about public charging. Especially with the electrification of public transport including buses, autos, and more, the government is enthusiastically working towards fulfilling the goal of public charging infrastructures, as you may charge your vehicle at home, but public transport would need the charging stations. Therefore, throw away your worry of having to keep the electric vehicle always close to home, recharge it, and open your eyes to traveling long distances with charging stations present all over the country in the future.
Enjoy the added Benefits of India’s Policies Supporting Your EV Choices
There are added facilities you can benefit from by adopting electric vehicles over combusting fuel-engine vehicles, such as the Ministry of Road Transport & Highway giving green license plates to battery-operated vehicles to exempt them from permit requirements. Furthermore, they also notified states to waive the road tax on EVs to reduce the initial EV cost. By being part of the country’s EV resolution and enjoying the benefits while helping the planet and reducing pollution, one can gain the upper hand with the technological advancements in automobiles.
In A Nutshell,
The rising establishment of EV charging infrastructures over the country is slowly facilitating EV resolution, which you can also be a part of. With the latest designs of charging stations such as those of smart metering, better cellular capabilities, and more, there is more to come, and even faster charging in the future, which you can experience from the front seats by going for electric vehicles.


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US markets witnessed another day of sell-off after a surprise decline in durable-goods orders and disappointing corporate earnings
US markets lost steam after consumer confidence fell in July, indicating consumer spending could fall in the coming months. ;Financial companies reported strong results
US markets fell sharply on Friday as companies reported earnings that missed expectations, wiping out the week’s gains
Fans who lined up outside New York’s flagship Apple store for days
waiting for the release of the iPhone 4 talk about their favorite new
Mobile phones are being snapped up by the world’s poor like never before. Experts talk about what this means for the mobile health care industry.
Two DJs in New York City spotted a business opportunity in the mid-nineties and soon had young desis dancing to their tunes
Despite the telecom industry’s recent woes, Jagannadham Thunuguntla of SMC Capital, says some of the industry’s stocks may be a good buy


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — BlackBerry jumped on Wednesday after revealing an order for 1 million BlackBerrys, the biggest single sale in its corporate history.
Top Tickers Trending
$BBRY: BlackBerry US:BBRY rebounded after the Canadian telecom company said an established partner bought 1 million BlackBerry 10 smartphones, which it called a “tremendous vote of confidence.” BlackBerry did not disclose the identity of the purchaser.
$JCP: J.C. Penney US:JCP shares ended flat in a session marked by wild swings. The stock started weak, surrendering most of its gains from Tuesday when it rallied 4% on speculation that Chief Executive Ron Johnson would step down. It then recovered to trade higher by mid-Wednesday as Chief Financial Officer Ken Hannah spoke at an investors’ conference. However, the stock pared most of its gains to end the session unchanged.
$HLF: Herbalife Ltd. US:HLF was generating chatter after a consumer advocacy group called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate allegations that the nutrition supplement company is a multilevel marketing company.
“Herbalife’s business practices have recently come under intense investor scrutiny, and NCL is now calling on federal regulators to examine both the claims lodged against Herbalife and Herbalife’s responses,” the National Consumers League said in a statement on Tuesday.
Bill Ackman, who characterized Herbalife as a Ponzi scheme in December to publicize his short position in the stock, wasted little time to capitalize on the move.
“We are pleased that the National Consumers League [...] has requested that the FTC launch an investigation of Herbalife. We believe that a thorough investigation of Herbalife will reveal it to be a pyramid scheme that has harmed millions of consumers in more than 80 countries around the world,” Ackman said in a statement released through his hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management LP.
In its own statement, Herbalife claimed that Pershing should be investigated for its “reckless $1 billion bet against the company based on knowingly false statements.”
$AAPL: Apple Inc. US:AAPL bounced back from its intraday low to trade higher but finished fractionally lower as rival Samsung Electronics Co. KR:005930 prepared to unveil its latest Galaxy S smartphone on Thursday.
$COH: Retail stocks including Coach Inc. were trending online with several retailers releasing earnings on Wednesday. Coach was raised to a buy rating from neutral by Citigroup.
Netflix Inc. US:NFLX shares rose 5.6%. The online video-service provider on Wednesday introduced a new feature that allows users to link their Netflix accounts with Facebook US:FB.
Walgreen Co. US:WAG is one of the S&P 500 US:SPX leaders, advancing 4.5% after the stock was raised to buy from neutral at UBS.
Staples Inc. US:SPLS added 4.3%, its best performance on a percentage basis in nearly a month. The stock is up 19% so far in 2013 but down 13% over the past 12 months.
Washington Post Co. US:WPO shares climbed over 5%, their best percentage gain since November. The stock is up 20% so far this year.
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. shares US:CLF dropped 4.9%, pacing the laggards in the S&P 500. On Monday, the mining company said it was planning to idle its Wabush Pointe Noire pellet plant in Quebec because of high production costs and lower pellet premium pricing.
Shares of Dole Food Co. Inc. US:DOLE declined 9%. The company on Tuesday posted a loss in the fourth quarter, missing analysts’ expectations, on a divestiture and its associated costs.
EBay Inc. US:EBAY lost 3.7%, one of the weakest stocks in the S&P 500, on reports that upscale department store Neiman Marcus had decided to shut down its store in the online marketplace.
Shares of Valero Energy Corp. US:VLO slid 4.7%, one of the worst losers in the S&P 500. The stock was downgraded to neutral from outperform by Chi Chow, an analyst at Macquarie. Chow cited unintended consequences of the government’s policy to force increased usage of biofuels which could negatively impact refiners’ earnings.


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Lenovo's Legion 2 Pro gaming smartphone is coming on April 8 and it will have a 6.92-inch 144Hz E4 AMOLED display made by Samsung. The panel will have a 2460x1080px resolution.
We already knew the Legion 2 Pro would use a Snapdragon 888 chipset thanks to a Geekbench leak, but Lenovo confirmed the chipset itself through its Weibo profile.
EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung Galaxy M62 Price in Qatar
EDITOR’S PICK: Vivo Y72 Price in Qatar


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The challenge for internet companies in India has always been about making a shift in consumer behavior in a country that is eventually going digital. They may provide the most convenient way for people to connect online but encouraging reluctant masses to start transacting online is the first and the most difficult hurdle every online business has to face.
Most of the brand communication for online classifieds website Quikr has been around its benefits over traditional classifieds options. This year, the brand has given multiple reasons with ‘Quikr Nxt’. This January, Quikr had announced the launch of this new feature that allows buyers and sellers to chat using the website or mobile app. Sellers can opt to make their listing private, which hides their email ID and phone number on the site. The only thing that is known is their Quikr ID.
Besides solving personal concerns regarding having your number listed on a website and increasing the chances of receiving spam calls, Quikr Nxt also offers the convenience of voice chat for those who hate texting or can’t. And, that’s not all. One can also send as many photos as they want through the new chat feature to buyers who are looking for more.
Quikr Nxt also stores chat history enabling sellers to remember what price they had quoted to which buyer. All in all, the new feature solves multiple pain points for existing users as well as encourages first time users.
So, how has the brand been communicating that? Quikr has been creating a series of entertaining, educational, informative ad films to promote Quikr Nxt, for digital as well as television. Each of the ads showcase one of its important features with a splash of humour.
This 25-second film depicts a real life situation to highlight how chat history can help. The over dramatization adds the much-needed humour quotient, especially when quoting rent, selling price, etc to keep track of the negotiation.
The guy here exemplifies sellers’ frustration of having to repeat the same thing over and over to buyers’ calls after placing an ad.
The ‘Don’t become a tape recorder’ film is a recent addition like the one about number privacy to the rescue. Both have been overtly dramatised but communicate the message well. A fictional call center called ‘All India Call Center’ is really happy when a seller is seen entering his phone number but soon get disappointed.
In this film highlighting the ‘Voice chat’ facility, we see a grandfather has bought a new bike for his grandson, leaving the father very surprised. When he learns that he sold off his old car through chat, he was even more surprised at how the old man did it when he couldn’t even SMS. The film then moves to the time when he had cracked the deal by availing the voice chat feature of Quikr Nxt.
These films have been doing the rounds on television as well as being shared on Quikr’s social media pages. Apart from that, there is a series of demo films each for explaining how to ‘Direct Chat’, ‘Voice Chat’ and ‘Number privacy’ on Quikr YouTube. Here’s the demo film for Quikr Nxt:
On social media, the communication focuses on the message with the help of situations and visuals.
With Quikr NXT, say goodbye to calls. Share your #QuikrNXTStories with us in the comments below! pic.twitter.com/xrPQ3yOrhl
— Quikr (@Quikr) March 19, 2022
Mr. Sharma ko na karo disappoint, karo unse baat Quikr NXT par. Download the app now: http://t.co/0I2Gn6blkJ pic.twitter.com/gB7KJAn3ke
— Quikr (@Quikr) April 4, 2022
Quikr Nxt seems to be the one answer for many concerns, each of which have been addressed to and communicated well in the ad films created by Scarecrow Communications.


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2013 is set to be a landmark year for global technical mountain bike brand Royal. With an increased product line, including brand new women’s and children’s ranges, it has launched a brand new website to showcase its latest developments.
The Royal brand – which supports some of the most recognized mountain bikers in the world – has also developed the site to give users the most up-to-date information, not only on its clothing and equipment ranges, but also its sponsored riders and the events it supports.
This is the first phase of the development of the site, which has planned a B2B area for both trade orders and marketing information. The site is also fully integrated into Royal’s social media presence and riders can access wallpapers, screensaver, get in-depth product information and just kill some time looking at some of the best videos and images that mountain bike has to offer.
This is the latest stage in the development of one of the most loved brands in mountain biking that was purchased back in 2010 by a consortium mountain bike industry veterens including one of the original founders (and mountain bike legend) Steve Peat. So go have a look around at www.royalracing.com.
Click on a cover to view issue.


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Apple Pay continues its global expansion as it enters two new major international markets this week. Apple’s mobile payment solution officially launched in Canada on Tuesday, and will become available in Australia starting this Thursday. In both countries, however, Apple Pay will be limited to supporting American Express cards for now, as part of Apple’s global partnership with AmEx. Moreover, Apple Pay has also added support for two major British banks Tesco and TSB 4 months after its initial launch in July, further expanding its scope in the U.K. market.
What Brands Need To Do
Since its initial launch over a year ago, Apple Pay has come a long way, gaining growing support from banks and merchants. Last month, Starbucks, KFC, and Chili’s became the most recent companies that added support for Apple Pay in their U.S. stores. As Apple pushes Apple Pay into more global markets, it is set to capture more global users in the process. For brands that have a presence in those aforementioned markets, this presents a good opportunity to target local consumers using Apple Pay’s integration of reward programs.
Source: Apple Insider
Apple is pushing Apple Pay worldwide with a new partnership with American Express, which will bring Apple’s mobile payment solution to consumers in Australia and Canada soon, before expanding to Spain, Hong Kong, and Singapore in 2016. Apple Pay is said to be growing by double digits, according to CEO Tim Cook during Apple’s Q4 earnings call yesterday. Previously, Apple Pay launched in U.K. in mid-July, marking its first entry into international markets.
Since its initial launch over a year ago, Apple Pay has come a long way, gaining growing acceptance at retailers around the U.S. Earlier this month, Starbucks, KFC, and Chili’s became the most recent companies that added support for Apple Pay in their stores nationwide. Now with AmEx’s help, Apple is set to push Apple Pay into more global markets, expanding its scope and capturing more users in the process. For brands that have presence in those aforementioned markets, this presents a good opportunity to target local consumers using Apple Pay’s integration of reward programs.
Apple Pay continues to gain momentum as Apple announced today its planned roll-out in Starbucks, KFC, and Chili’s locations across the country. Apple’s mobile payment solution will be tested in a few select Starbucks outlets later this year, with a nationwide roll-out in 2016. Both KFC and Chili’s will also start supporting it early next year. Given the early success of Starbucks’ own mobile app, which includes features such as a loyalty program and, more recently, mobile ordering, it will be interesting to see how Starbucks will integrate Apple Pay into its existing mobile assets.
These new partnerships, especially the one with Starbucks, will undoubtedly broaden Apple Pay’s reach and help accelerate the mass adoption of Apple’s mobile payment. For retailers, this means now is the time to start thinking about incorporating your existing reward and loyalty programs into new point of sale systems, in order to give your customers a frictionless shopping experience.
Apple has struck a new partnership with PayAnywhere, a POS solution provider that serves more than 300,000 locations around the United States. As part of the partnership, the latest version of the PayAnywhere card reader will also be sold in all Apple Stores.
What Brands Should Do
This new partnership undoubtedly broadens Apple Pay’s reach, which in turn could only help the mass adoption of Apple’s mobile payment. For brands, especially those in retail, this means now is the time to start incorporating your existing reward and loyalty programs into point of sale systems, offering your customer a frictionless shopping experience. To promote Apple Pay usage, PayAnywhere is also offering merchants $5,000 worth of free Apple Pay transaction processing, something that SMBs and independent merchants could take advantage of.
Yesterday Samsung unveiled its newest phablet offers – the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+, both of which will come with Samsung’s answer to Apple Pay built in. Similar to its competitors, Samsung Pay allows users to pay at stores with major credit cards by simply tapping their phones at a NFC-enabled card reader and authenticating their identity with a fingerprint scan.
More importantly, however, Samsung Pay can also work with traditional magnetic credit card readers. In addition to the NFC support, it also broadcasts short-range wireless fields that mimic magnetic card swipes. Samsung has planned a beta program in August, and will be rolling it out to Note 5 and S6 Edge+ users in September or October.
What Brands Should Do
As the mobile payment space continues to evolve and diversify, a rapidly increasing number of smartphone users will be adopting it as more options become available. Businesses would be wise to start developing a holistic digital payment strategy to stay ahead of the adoption curve. In addition to its aforementioned compatibility with the vast majority of payment terminals, Samsung Pay will also support some store credit cards, which means retailers can easily incorporate their rewards and loyalty program into point of sale system.
National drugstore chain Rite Aid will start accepting both Apple Pay and Google Wallet this upcoming Saturday in all its 4,600 stores across the country. The company also plans to accept Google’s forthcoming Android Pay, as well as tap-to-pay credit cards.
What Brands Should Do
Despite being a member of the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) consortium that backs its own mobile payment system CurrentC which aims to compete with the likes of Apple Pay, Rite Aid has seemingly realized the importance of giving customers the option to use their prefered mobile payment method. Best Buy, also a member of MCX, announced a similar decision earlier this year. Such newfound acceptance among the national retailers will no doubt furher boost the adoption rate of mobile payments. For brands that wish to stay ahead of the digital curve, now would be the time to start developing a digital payment strategy and incorporating existing reward and loyalty programs into point of sale systems.
Source: New York Times
Read original story on: Marketing Land
Just weeks after announcing its plan to dive into social ecommerce with “Buyable Pins”, Pinterest officially launched the new feature today on iPhones and iPads, allowing iOS users in the U.S. to purchase products directly from the social network. Purchases can be made seamlessly within the Pinterest app using Apple Pay or a credit card. Pinterest says it currently has 30 million buyable pins from a various retailers, including Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom, as well as e-commerce sites powered by Demandware and Shopify stores.
Read original story on: 9to5Mac
At the WWDC event last week, Apple Pay received a major update that added support for rewards and loyalty programs. Now, new reports claim that with the new Wallet app in iOS 9, revamped from the old Passbook app, Apple will allow brands to send out customized offers through its mobile ad platform iAd.
As Apple noted on its blog, The Offers feature will allow marketers to push out personalized brand messages that can also be “triggered with updates specific to a store location via iBeacon”, or alternatively targeting users by age, gender, location, or “specify custom demographics using their own data”.
If Apple could smoothly integrate this new feature into Apple Pay without being too intrusive, it would be of great use for brands and marketers alike, as it can reach loyal customers with specific messages that reflect their preferences and interests, or help acquire new customers by presenting a location-sensitive value offer at moments that matter. We see great potential in this new feature, as Apple sure loves that it offers advertisers more reasons to jump on iAd, where it takes a 30% cut of the ad sales.
Read original story on: Business Insider
Months after the official launch of Apple Pay, Microsoft is finally catching up and readying the launch of its own mobile payment system. A few weeks ago at the WinHEC developer conference in Shenzhen, China, Windows showcased a “tap to pay” feature baked into Windows 10 phones. And now Idaho has reportedly approved the company’s plan to launch its own payment transfer service, which will undoubtedly be made available throughout the states.
Read original story on: Re/code
In its latest attempt to compete with Apple Pay, Google has inked a distribution deal with major US carriers: Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and AT&T will pre-install Google Wallet on their Android phones for US consumers starting later this year. Meanwhile, Google is also licensing payment technology from Softcard to help smooth its impending expansion. Given that Apple Pay comes with every new iOS device, it seems fair for Google to try the same tactic.


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Welcome to The Business Barn
the gateway to rural business success
Should a start-up business or enterprise go to the bank first? Read More
Taking dairy produce to the next level Read More
A beginner’s guide to rearing game birds Read More
Regional solicitors with a personal approach to business providing agricultural, commercial and private specialist advice.
"If you have a story to tell, tell it."
Paula Steer, Lily Warne Wool
Held between the 20 and 22 September at Stoneleigh Park, this is a three-day event dedicated to the glamping industry.
Tulip are looking for suitable land to rent for outdoor pig production, paying highly competitive rents. Find out more here.
Search for suppliers relevant to your business
The first six months of 2018 have seen UK food and drink exports hit record levels – rising to £10.6 billion, up 4% compared to the same period last year.
Consumer campaign aimed at reminding the public of its love for dairy finds 11% of 26-41-year-olds are less likely to replace dairy products with alternatives.
Rhug Estate near Corwen in North Wales has made retail history this week opening the first on-farm drive-thru.
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Twitter’s move into the online music scene is unlikely to be the last expansion we’ll see from the micro blogging company this year.
Late last week, Australian start-up We Are Hunted formally announced that it had been acquired by Twitter, and that the social networking site would be launching its own music service.
Twitter’s sudden growth spurt may come as a surprise to some, given that it launched another service – a six-second video offering called Vine – just three months ago.
But then again, wouldn’t you be doing the same do if you had a pile of spare cash in the bank and an IPO looming over the horizon?
It may be hard to believe, but yes, Twitter has a cash pile. Despite the gloom still emanating from Facebook’s botched IPO, Twitter is still very much a success story.
A recent study from IDC ranked Twitter as the third largest mobile advertising company on the planet. The platform earned around $100 million in mobile ads in 2012, around half of what its two (rather larger) rivals Facebook and online radio company Pandora earned in the same period.
In fact, Twitter is doing so well that another report from eMarketing, earlier this year, suggested that that the company was beating its own internal ad targets. In other words, its revenue is on the rise.
So with its cash pile growing and an IPO on the horizon, it’s no wonder Twitter is moving to expand its offering with service like Vine and now Twitter Music.
The Twitter Music guessing game?
It’s really anyone’s guess as to what Twitter’s new music offering will actually do. We know it exists because of a statement on We Are Hunted’s website and because Twitter has launched a homepage for the service.
But that’s about it, the rest is just speculation and We Are Hunted isn’t willing to spare any information on the deal.
“We wish we could say but we're not yet ready to talk about it. You'll hear more from us when we are,” the start-up wrote on its site.
Given We Are Hunted’s core business, it’s a fair guess that the service will include some form of chart that will rank music based on what people around the world are listening to.
Even the celebrities who were given early access to the app to help promote it have been rather sparing with their descriptions of it. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest tweeted that it “shows what artists are trending [and] also has up and coming artists”.
As for blogosphere’s input, designer Youssef Sarhan delved into the home page’s source code and says Twitter’s offering will integrate with a couple of popular music services like Spotify and iTunes as well as services that are used to promote up-and-coming artists, like Soundcloud and YouTube.
Then there’s the matter of launch date and on that, nobody seems to be in the know. AllThingsD contended that it was supposed to launch last weekend, but that didn’t come to pass. There’s talk now that it might happen next week.
When it does finally hit the market, it will be interesting to see whether Twitter’s service will actually sells digital music, or whether it will just serve as a hub for it.
Given Twitter’s current success with online marketing, it’s more likely that it will want to stick to this revenue stream rather than branch out into digital music sales. Twitter will simply use this service to draw more users to its site.
Expect Twitter to launch even more services as it works towards a predicted early 2014 IPO.
And it’s set to be a big one, with Greencrest Capital saying that by late 2013, early 2014 the company will be worth around $US10.5 to $US11 billion.
In order to improve its valuation, Twitter now needs to focus on drawing more users into its service. It’s already found a way to profit of mobile marketing, so now it just needs the user numbers to grow it. And that’s where services like Twitter Music and Vine come into the picture. They simply give users another reason to sign up for Twitter.
Who knows, if the model for Twitter Music works, Twitter Movies could be just around the corner?


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Now open Thursday-Sunday, the Italian Cellar at 323 W. St. John St. rests below the future Italian Cultural Center and Museum.
The Italian Cellar —modeled after a Prohibition-Era speakeasy — is open to members and guests, with revenues from memberships and drinks going to fund the completion of the center. Memberships cost $50 each year and those who sign up now will receive free membership for the remainder of 2023. Also, a $5 Sharks guest pass is available on game nights at the SAP Center. Memberships.
“We have an extensive specialty cocktail menu such as the Old Fashioned, Sambuca Espresso Martini, Limoncello Gin Collins, Aperol Spritz as well as beer and wine,” said Joshua DeVincenzi Melander, president of Little Italy San Jose. “We also have an outdoor wine barrel bar and wine barrel tables.”
Since 2010, the non-profit Little Italy San Jose has made progress revitalizing San Jose’s original — and much larger — Italian settlement along two blocks nestled between Highway 87 and Guadalupe River Park. Melander and Debbie Caminiti co-founded the organization.
A 1910 “Beltramo” home is being restored into The Italian Cellar and museum/cultural center. The space above will celebrate Italian culture and heritage and highlight the numerous contributions Italian-Americans have made to Santa Clara County.
The neighborhood includes: The Painted Lady Salon; The Little Wine House; Henry’s World Famous Hi-Life; Paesano Ristorante Italiano; Famiglia Meduri’s Poor House Bistro; and the “Littlest Little Italy,” which includes Bird by Pour Decisions, Ancora Vino and Salumeria by Enoteca La Store, Bibo’s Little Italy Pizza, and Torino Panino.
More at littleitalysj.com.


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Strong May sales down to extra selling days, says PwC
Autofacts' monthly review shows that the German market grew by 22%, which is the largest year-on-year growth since the 2009 boom year. The upwards swing is believed to be due to strong performance of luxury cars, SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and vans dominating the market.
Conversely, Spain saw a drop of 23.3% in May sales against May 2010 reaching 78,780 units. The Autofacts' review highlights the drop could be down to trends in the personal vehicle market.
in the UK, car sales overall were down slightly in May by 1.7% and 150,431 units, in comparison to May 2010. Growth did occur in fleet and business sales which seem to have slowed down the overall market decline with an increase of 10.3% up on last year. In fact, fleet/business sales now stand at 56.9% of the entire UK new car sales market against 50.6% in 2010.
Calum Macrae, PwC Autofacts lead analyst, said: 'We estimate that May was the strongest growth month in the market in the year so far. However, we believe that the 7.1% was largely superficial based as it was on three more selling days in many markets than was the case in 2010. In France for example, actual sales in May increased by 6.3% but on a like-for-like basis with May 2010 sales would have actually declined by 8.3%.
'That said, there is evidence that the European market be over the worst of its post-scrappage blues as, for example, the Italian market posted its firstly monthly increase for 14 months. Our overall European sales forecast for the year which remains at 13.7 million is predicated on many markets performing better in the second half of the year, as private sales improve due to weaker scrappage distortion and lower bases for year on year comparison.'


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Two of Tesla’s its most senior financial executives have left the company in short succession within weeks of when the electric-car maker will give an update on the Model 3 sedan that it’s been promising to mass produce but hasn’t actually produced more than a few thousand of so far.
Susan Repo, Tesla’s corporate treasurer and vice president of finance, left to become the chief financial officer of another company, according to an article in the trade publication, Automotive News.
Last week, Tesla disclosed Chief Accounting Officer Eric Branderiz left the company for “personal reasons.”
Might they know something’s wrong with Tesla’s picture?
The electric car company is expected to report production and deliveries early next month; the target is 2,500 cars per week by the end of the first quarter. CEO Elon Musk has delayed manufacturing goals several times for the car that Tesla has spent billions on to reach more mass market consumers. A base version will eventually be priced at for $35,000 before incentives.
“Elon Musk has to be careful to stabilize his company” amid reports of quality issues with the Model 3, a recent production pause for the car and the spate of management changes, said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, the director of the University of Duisburg-Essen’s Center for Automotive Research. “That doesn’t look very comfortable.”
In addition to losing Repo and Branderiz, Jon McNeill, Tesla’s president of global sales and service, left to become the chief operating officer of Lyft Inc. in February. Musk said at the time that McNeill’s department would report directly to him and that there were no plans to search for a replacement.
After Tesla announced that former CFO Jason Wheeler would leave in April of last year, Bloomberg News reported on a list of more than two dozen executives who had parted ways with the company during the previous 12 months.
Since then, other prominent management departures have included Lyndon and Peter Rive, Musk’s cousins who had joined him in co-founding SolarCity Corp.; Chris Lattner, an Apple Inc. hire who left after leading Tesla’s Autopilot engineering team for less than six months; Kurt Kelty, a longtime battery executive; and Diarmuid O’Connell, vice president of business development.
I was just reading an article on the latest Silicon Valley Fraud, Elizabeth Holmes (hearing “her” talk will cause even an 18 yr old boy that just popped a bunch of Viagra to go limp) and in it was this gem. I couldn’t help but laugh and how it so perfectly applies to Tesla. Yet no one would ever dare make that connection to frog face…
“The Theranos story is an important lesson for Silicon Valley,” Jina L. Choi, director of the S.E.C.’s San Francisco regional office, said in a statement. “Innovators who seek to revolutionize and disrupt an industry must tell investors the truth about what their technology can do today, not just what they hope it might do someday.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/health/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-fraud.html (yeah, I know, lamestream source)
Choi’s warblings are typical of the New Business Model – which is premised on loopy promises about products and services for which there is little, if any, tangible market demand.
Hype it. Then try to get a government mandate for it.
Cue the shyster lawyer character on Saturday Night Live.
Yeah, that’s the ticket!
The way I see it – Musk is basically one hairless cat away from being the perfect bond villain…..
A combination of poaching and lousy stock options? My guess is probably poaching more than options, what with all the electric car announcements lately.
Maybe he needs to do some of those illegal no-poaching deals that are rampant in SillyCon valley…
Mr.Musk can be admired for His magnetic personality I suppose( why else would He be able to acquire all these talented people to make His wishes reality?) The good thing about all this , some of these people are leaving and going on to contribute in a big way to other parts of industry , He must be the best “Barker ” in the world.
This caveat, He has broken the ice on a lot of taboos, give Him credit for that, now a lot of the money sucking complacent industry has no choice.
Maybe they finally smelled a “musk” rat in the nest of vipers? I think all three of you are right, and when (not if) some high-profile celebrity gets hurt or killed by the damn “Thing”(God please make it Ralph Nader), Uncle’s gonna find a scapegoat real fast! Then all the shit with the money, the incendiary batteries, and the previous deaths-by-auto-drive, are gonna come right back up on the table like a bad case of food poisoning! They may even decide they want his personal assets, just because, and that will wipe that smug, shit-eating grin off his fat, lying face!
If Ralph Nader gets killed by one of those electric cars, I may be convinced that there is a god. It’s a wonderful wish, one of those cars hosting his death.
Nader’s a lawyer. He wouldn’t get near one of the things.
Repo , heck of a name for an auto exec , I would hate to be inside Mr.Musks head( i bet there is a vortex in there ) if history is any indicator , there is no way this little company can stay in business.
Rats leaving a sinking ship?
Tesla does have to collapse at some point. It’s inevitable due to it being a giant ponzi scheme. It’s actually amazing they have kept the house of card up as long as they have.
I am guess some are leaving since they don’t want to be indicted for fraud when it does blow up. That’s probably good enough reason for most, you don’t want to be the guy holding the bag that gets run over by the bus.
richb, you’re probably right. It’s one thing to be called on to give testimony about what you knew(who? me?)but it’s another to be in court day after day with prosecutors dreaming up question after question based on what’s already been said. A “good” lawyer will be sure to review that day by day but there’s not a great deal of “good” lawyers out there. After all, they get paid no matter the results. BTDT.


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In Pictures: 10 Big Data Trends Changing the Face ...
The Biggest Challenges Are as Much Cultural as Technological
While companies still struggle with technological challenges around big data, companies told Tata Consultancy Services that the biggest hurdle to achieving success in their big data initiatives is getting business units to share information across organizational silos. The technological issue of dealing with the volume, velocity and variety of data still ranks highly, but getting at the data in the first place takes precedence. Companies are also struggling with which data to use to make better business decisions.
In Pictures: 10 Big Data Trends Changing the Face of Business


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Rosstat Records Sharp Rise in Price of Minimum Grocery Basket
June 26, 2017
The price of the minimum monthly grocery basket in Russia has risen from the beginning of 2017 by 9.4% to 4,037 rubles [approx. 61 euros] , according to figures published on Rosstat’s website.
Significant growth was recorded in May. Compared to April, the cost increased by 4.2%, the report says.
The cost of the grocery basket in Moscow grew by 5% in the period from April to May and amounted to 4,946 rubles. Since the beginning of the year, it has increased by 11.1%, according to Rosstat. In St. Petersburg, the minimum produce basket has risen in price since January 2017 by 9.8%.
According to the agency, a significant impact on consumer price growth in May was due to higher prices for vegetables and fruits. The price for white cabbage increased 1.4 times, annd for onions, carrots, beets and potatoes by 1.2–1.3 times. At the same time, the cost of lemons increased by 11.1%, and apples, by 7.5%.
At the same time, as Rosstat noted, the price of cucumbers and tomatoes fell by 26.4% and 11.5%, respectively.
In January, Rosstat reported that, in 2016, the most expensive grocery item was butter. Its priced had increased by more than 20%. At the same time, the price of other dairy products increased by an average of only 9.5%.
In addition, a significant increase in prices was recorded for fish and seafood. They rose in price by an average of 8.6%.
TRANSLATED BY THE RUSSIAN READER


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Tech Talk: CEO gives mobile device safety tips
A Los Angeles-based company that provides mobile services wants to help you keep your smartphones safe. To do so, FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols gave some precautions consumers should consider when using their devices.
Stokols said that an online security application like Norton should be used and that virtual private networks should be used, if possible, to encrypt data.
“Just like computers, phones are vulnerable to viruses and malware,” Stokols warns. “It’s critical to use these types of apps to help ward off harmful security hazards.”
Stokols also recommended that consumers use a pre-encrypted phone and they turn off GPS and location-based settings.
In addition, consumers should be careful of terms and conditions they agree to. Always. Many sites and apps want access to things for not-so-savory reasons.
FreedomPop offers mobile services to consumers across the country. Skype Founder Niklas Zennstrom’s Atomico venture capital firm has invested money in the company.
Charity hackathon seeks projects
Help is on the way for charity organizations that want problems solved using technology.
A group of local technologists will host dsmHack, a 48-hour charity hackathon, to help organizations in need solve those problems.
The event starts at 6 p.m. June 12 and goes until the evening of June 14, at StartupCity Des Moines, 317 Sixth Ave., fifth floor.
The $20 registration fee includes meals, drinks, snacks and a T-shirt. Charity groups with projects to be considered can visit dsmhack.org to submit.
Committee members will pare down submitted projects to a small group that will then be worked on by engineers, computer programmers, software developers and designers throughout the event.
“Our goal was to bring the Des Moines tech industry together without having one specific company back or sponsor the event,” said Jennifer Oswald of Source Allies, an organizer of the event. “As an added benefit to Des Moines, we also get to do something good for a charity and to give back to the community.”
The selected ideas will be pitched to attendees, who can then decide which projects to work on.


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“Apple Inc.’s Asian component suppliers have started mass production of a new tablet computer smaller than the current iPad, people with knowledge of the situation said, as the Silicon Valley company tries to stay competitive against rivals such as Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. that are offering smaller, less-expensive alternatives to the iPad,” Lorraine Luk reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“Two of the people said the smaller tablet will have a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal display with a lower resolution compared with the latest iPad model that came out in March,” Luk reports. “South Korea’s LG Display Co. and Taiwan’s AU Optronics Corp. last month began mass production of the LCD screens for the new device, they said.”
Luk reports, “In July, people familiar with the matter told the Journal that Apple’s suppliers were preparing to begin mass production of the smaller tablet in September.”
Read more in the full article here.


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You can't escape the political machines of BLM and COVID-19 -- even hidden away in games, with Gearbox Software offering a new in-game face mask in Borderlands 3 to anyone who donates to Direct Relief to provide aid to medical workers responding to COVID-19.
All you have to do is donate $5 or more on Gearbox's own merchandise website, which then you'll receive a shift code that unlocks a new Antisocial head cosmetic for Borderlands 3. The donation you make goes go Direct Relief, providing aid and personal protection equipment (PPE) to medical professionals.
Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Direct Relief, explains: "This campaign and these contributions are coming at a critical time in the pandemic. While states are opening, we continue to see surges in the spread of Coronavirus and there is still a need to provide PPE for frontline healthcare workers. Direct Relief is deeply grateful to Gearbox for its partnership".


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Philippines looks to import 500,000 tonnes of rice
In this photo taken July 19, 2023, workers plant varieties of rice being developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos town, Laguna province. (Photo: AFP)
MANILA: The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture is recommending additional rice importation of about 500,000 metric tonnes to cover potential crop losses from the El Nino dry weather condition, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The additional importation by one of the world’s biggest buyers of the staple grain, which should be brought in by private traders, must arrive between November and January next year, agriculture undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla told a congressional hearing.
The recommended volume is on top of the additional approved rice purchases by private traders this year, of which 300,000 metric tonnes were supposed to arrive later this month, and another 300,000 metric tonnes in September.
Sombilla said 89% of the Philippines’ rice imports so far this year came from Vietnam, with the rest from Myanmar, Thailand, Pakistan and India, among others.
Retail prices for imported and locally produced rice in the Philippines rose further this month by as much as 14%, based on government data, as global and domestic farmgate prices soared, adding pressure on food inflation.
The government expects the impact of El Nino weather pattern on agricultural output to be felt between the last quarter until the first three months of 2024.https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2630519
Published Date: August 16, 2023


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Gambians will soon have access to the world’s richest lottery games after the country inked a deal with UK-licensed iLottery provider LOT.TO to power its first nationwide lottery.
LOT.TO announced that it is working on an advanced online game platform tailored to the Gambian market after the country decided to lift its ban on lotteries.
It would be recalled that The Gambia’s former President Yahya Jammeh banned the numbers game completely in 2015, depriving the country’s 2 million people access to international lottery games such as the U.S.’s Mega Millions and Powerball.
The LOT.TO games were created so that Gambians could participate in these lotteries without breaking the bank and for players to experience the thrill of winning large prizes, according to the company’s Customer Success Head Rob Lawson.
Lawson said LOT.TO is ready to meet the demand of the newly liberalized Gambian gaming market and that they’re excited to work with Lotto-Bi for the launching of The Gambia’s first national lottery.
For his part, Lotto-Bi co-founder Joop Logger is hoping to expand its business into 10 other West African nations, including Guinea Bissau and Senegal after signing a deal with LOT.TO.
Aside from big international jackpot lottery, Lotto-Bi also offers fantasy games and a popular 5/90 game, based on the Ghanaian national lottery.
“Having initially launched with an in-house solution back in December 2017, we quickly realized that we needed an advanced online lottery platform to meet demand and fulfil the potential of the business,” Logger said in a statement.
For the past few months, LOT.TO has been busy expanding its services and rolling out a suite of new, online lottery games into the African market. LOT.TO games, offered on a B2B basis, allow African players to play for and win full-scale prizes from some of the leading lottery draws around the world.
Before going to The Gambia, LOT.TO struck its first African deal with Nigeria-based gambling operator Western Lotto to offer the new games to players on the continent.


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The Co-op today hailed its return to the big league of food retailing thanks to a £1.6 billion takeover of rival Somerfield.
The deal - the biggest in its history - cements the Co-op's position as the UK's fifth biggest food retailer, creating a chain of more than 3,000 outlets with a market share of 8 per cent.
Retail giant Tesco currently leads the way with 31 per cent of the UK's £120 billion grocery market, followed by Asda and Sainsbury's with around 16 per cent and Morrisons which has more than 11 per cent.
Co-op chief executive Peter Marks said the Somerfield acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, meant "people should now be referring to the 'big five' retailers" rather than the big four above. It provided "rocket fuel" for the group's growth plans and was good news for consumers, he added.
Mr Marks said convenience stores were already winning customers from their bigger out-of-town rivals thanks to higher fuel costs persuading more people to shop locally.
"We will create a stronger fifth player in food and a convenience store chain with unrivalled geographic reach," he said.
"In terms of the convenience market, it has been been growing at a faster rate than the grocery market itself.
"People are concerned about time, but also about the cost of fuel.
"When they are making a decision 'do I drive five miles to a superstore or do I go down the bottom of the road and visit my local Co-op', that's affecting their decision making."
Somerfield, which is owned by a consortium including property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz, private equity firm Apax and investment bank Barclays Capital, has around 880 stores and generated £4.2 billion of net sales in the year to April.
Its owners were reported at the weekend to be looking for a price of £2.5 billion.
Mr Marks said: "We think we have got a very good deal, but it's a good deal for Somerfield in the current climate."
He added that competition watchdogs would likely require some of Somerfield stores to be sold.
"We will be working with the Office of Fair Trading to analyse which stores and how we deal with them," he said.
Other food retailers are expected to be interested in any of the disposals, Mr Marks added.
The takeover will result in "very significant" cost benefits, he said, which will be passed on to consumers. A "limited" number of job losses will also result, but it was too early to say how many.
Completion of the deal was expected within a few months, after which the Somerfield brand will disappear, Mr Marks said.
The Co-op's 2,300 food stores enjoyed a 4.7 per cent like-for-like sales rise during the first half of the year, while Somerfield's sales experienced "similar" growth.
Manchester-based Co-op, which is a mutual company with 2.5 million members, unveiled a three-year plan in April to double profits and invest £1.5 billion in transforming its retail estate.
As well as currently being the UK's fifth largest food retailer, it is the third largest pharmaceuticals chain, the biggest provider of funeral services and the largest independent travel business in the country.
The business can trace its roots back to 1844, when the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers was created by 28 impoverished weavers and artisans after being forced back to work after a strike. Each put £1 into the kitty and they opened up a shop selling food they would not have been able to afford.
The Co-operative Wholesale Society was formed in 1863, and by 1955 British co-operatives boasted a food market share of 20 per cent.
Its business was challenged by reward card schemes from rivals such as Sainsbury's and Tesco, and the group got a rude awakening with a very public hostile takeover attempt in 1997. The bid was thwarted as a result of the steadfast commitment, both by individual and corporate members, to its ownership structure.
Since then the group has differentiated itself by pioneering in areas such as Fair Trade products.
Somerfield began life as JH Mills in Bristol in 1875, but changed its name to Gateway in 1950 because the city was the "gateway to the West Country". The group dropped the Gateway name in 1994 to become Somerfield and listed on the Stock Exchange two years later.
It was taken private by its current owners in a £1.1 billion deal in December 2005.
Somerfield chief executive Paul Mason said today: "With Somerfield and the Co-operative Group as one business, we believe that we can learn from each other's strengths to ensure we continue to develop the best local grocery shops in Britain."Reuse content