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Sainsbury's shoppers have been left 'horrified' after seeing a staple children's food has soared to a whopping £7. Shoppers at the supermarket admitted they nearly 'fell to their knees' after seeing the price of some packs of fish fingers.
The cost of many necessities including food has skyrocketed amid the cost of living crisis. It has led to many families feeling the pinch and attempting to reduce the costs of their weekly shops.
But some foods have increased in price more than others, with Lurpak butter has been a particular point of conversation, with prices for a single packet reaching as much as £7 a pop. That's not the only food seeing astronomical price hikes, packs of fish fingers at Sainsbury's has also soared, with some shoppers expressing their discontent with it, according to Manchester Evening News.
READ MORE: The latest Sainsbury's news from EssexLive
The packet of Birds Eye 30 Cod Fish Fingers (totally 840g) were being sold for £7 at the popular supermarket. Other social media users rushed into the comments to share their disbelief. Shoppers took to Twitter to share the revelation, writing: “Nearly fell to my knees in de people food establishment.”
One user simply wrote: “ £7? Jesus soon reach.” A third commented: “I remember when this was £3.50. Wow.” A fourth replied: “Sainsbury’s absolutely bugging.”
Some even shared their shock at what other products were costing them, with someone explaining: “I paid £3.80 for @Warburtons gluten free wraps yesterday- it would be cheaper to live off mc ds at this rate. There’s 5 wraps in there. Sickening.”
One person worked out each finger would come to a total of 23 pence, asking: “23p each is bad???”
EssexLive's sister site Manchester Evening News approached Sainsbury's for comment.
DWP informs 125,000 Universal Credit applicants to give back COVID-19 payments
UK's next heatwave prediction as bookies slash odds on August being the hottest day of the year
The Queen and Kate Middleton's inside joke about Princess Charlotte and Prince George
Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys and Co-op recall numerous products amid safety concerns
DWP freebies could save State Pensioners thousands of pounds


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Pandemic Scams Often Target Seniors
From bogus miracle cures to attempts to steal stimulus checks, the pandemic has given scammers an opportunity to use new tactics to defraud older adults – and a new report shows they’ve taken full advantage.
In its 2021 Fraud Book, the Federal Trade Commission estimated that, in 2020, older adults lost at least $602 million to fraud and scams – with $100 million lost to COVID-related schemes.
“In the early days of the pandemic, many seniors isolated themselves to avoid contracting the virus, but in the process were cut off from family and friends. Fraudsters saw an opportunity, and they pounced,” said Senator Bob Casey, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. “Eighteen months into the pandemic, federal agencies, state governments, and advocates warn of con artists who will pedal fake cures for coronavirus, charge outrageous prices for personal protective equipment and seek to steal stimulus checks and unemployment benefits.”
The top five scams reported to the committee’s hotline are government impersonation scams. Others are sweepstakes scams, illegal robocalls/unsolicited phone calls, computer scams, and grandparent scams. To guard against fraudsters, the FBI recommends that you remind your senior to:
- Make sure all offers are legitimate. Search online to verify contact information and details about any proposed offers. Other people may have posted warnings about individuals and businesses that are trying to run scams.
- Resist pressure to act quickly. Scammers create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure victims into immediate action.
- Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door service offers.
- Never give or send any personally identifiable information, money, jewelry, gift cards, checks, or wire information to unverified people or businesses.
- Make sure all computer anti-virus and security software and malware protections are up to date.
- Disconnect from the internet and shut down the device if they see a pop-up message or locked screen. Also, pop-ups are regularly used by scammers to spread malicious software. Enable pop-up blockers to avoid accidentally clicking on a pop-up.
- Be careful what they download. They should never open an email attachment from someone they don’t know, and they should be wary of email attachments that are forwarded to them.
- Take precautions to protect their identity if a criminal gains access to their device or account. Immediately contact financial institutions to place protections on their accounts. Also, monitor their accounts and personal information for suspicious activity.
- Contact authorities immediately if they feel there is a danger to themselves or a loved one.
If you believe you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip online.

domain: news


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Christie’s and Sotheby’s saw combined jewelry sales of more than $1 billion this year as major pieces smashed auction records.
While neither company released a year-on-year comparison, Christie’s described 2017 as a “stellar year” for its jewelry department. Christie’s reported worldwide jewelry sales of $556.7 million for the year, while Sotheby’s garnered $551.3 million, it said.
Both auction houses recorded significant milestones this year, with Sotheby’s selling the CTF Pink Star diamond (pictured) for a world-record $71.2 million. It also achieved the highest price for earrings in auction history, selling the Memory of Autumn Leaves and the Dream of Autumn Leaves for a combined $57.4 million.


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Broadband subscribers reaches 300m
Research from Point Topic shows the number of broadband subscribers in March 2007, across the world, had reached 298 million. With current growth levels, this will now have surpassed 300 million. Growth levels above 10% in Eastern Europe for the last quarter has helped fuel the ever expanding broadband market. Greece in particular showed a 26.8% increase!
The USA tops the charts with just over 60 million users, closely followed by China, some 4 million behind. The UK is holding strong at just under 14 million, an increase of just under 850,000 users.
|Country||End 2006||End Q1 2007|


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The Amazon affiliates program could yield millions in revenue for New York state, and it won’t come from customer referrals.
From the New York Times:
… people owe taxes on what they buy regardless of whom they buy it from. But the seller only has an obligation to collect those taxes (and thus the only time taxes are ever actually paid) when the seller has a physical presence in the state of the purchase.
The state is proposing defining Amazon’s affiliates — Web sites that earn commissions by referring customers to it — as a physical presence.
Out of state retailers have until June 1 to register with New York as vendors, reports the New York Post. Companies that don’t comply could open themselves to back taxes and audits. However, both the Post and the Times say New York’s tax measure will likely be tested in court.


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The world’s largest digital asset, Bitcoin, fell as little as $34,042.78 on Saturday, marking a drop of seven.2%. It has recovered most of these losses, and was buying and selling at $35,445 at 14:19 GMT. Different cryptocurrencies noticed declines as properly, with Ethereum down 12%. Solana and Cardano every dropped no less than 17%, in accordance with Coinbase.
“Margin positions being liquidated brought on a wave of further promote stress, as belongings that had been held as collateral have been forcibly offered to pay for margin loans,” Hayden Hughes, chief government officer at Alpha Impression in Singapore, informed Bloomberg.
The professional expects the cryptocurrency to take a while for a backside to kind and for confidence to return, earlier than projecting any type of bullishness.
Bitcoin’s downfall from its peak has erased some $600 billion from its market worth, and greater than $1 trillion has been reportedly misplaced from the combination crypto market. In accordance with Bespoke Funding Group as quoted by the company, this marks the second-largest-ever decline in greenback phrases for each, whereas there have been a lot bigger proportion drawdowns for each Bitcoin and the combination market.
The hunch in each cryptocurrencies and shares was attributable to the newest transfer by the US Federal Reserve to tighten financial coverage at a quicker tempo than anticipated. In an effort to revive the financial system, the Fed could enhance key rates of interest thrice this yr, in accordance with Reuters polls.
The cryptocurrency market has additionally been rocked by China’s crackdown on digital currencies, in addition to Russian strikes of an identical nature. Final yr, Beijing prohibited cryptocurrency mining within the Sichuan Valley, triggering an hostile affect in the marketplace.
For extra tales on financial system & finance go to RT’s enterprise part
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Maybe THIS is why she's suddenly resurfaced!
Apparently, that's all thanks to her own personal curating ability!!
The 27-year-old actress has been pulling a ton of outfits straight from
The hottie has done a photo shoot for the new Armani Code perfume.
The campaign features a sexy Megan sporting a black bob, pale skin, and some gorgeous red lips.
Shot in El Lay, and with makeup done by Armani’s artist Linda Cantello, the ads are being released in print and TV this month.


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BetMGM extends deal with NFL in Canada
August 10, 2022
BetMGM announced it has extended its multi-year partnership with the National Football League in Canada.
As a part of the agreement, BetMGM now has the rights to use official NFL marks in Canada and advertise on NFL-operated digital platforms in the country. BetMGM also will offer Canadian customers access to exclusive NFL experiences.
“Expanding our partnership with the NFL into Canada sets the stage for amazing opportunities as we begin the upcoming football season,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt in a statement. “We’re already seeing great interest from our Ontario customers and this collaboration truly elevates the BetMGM experience.”
BetMGM was among the first gaming operators to go live in Ontario after the province launched online sports betting and igaming in April 2022. The partnership complements BetMGM’s 2021 agreement when the company became an approved sportsbook operator of the NFL in the U.S.
“We are thrilled to be working with BetMGM in Canada as an Official Sportsbook Partner,” said NFL Canada Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships Gavin Kemp. “BetMGM delivers a unique gaming platform to this emerging market and will enhance the NFL fan experience in Canada in new and innovative ways.”


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Subscription date : 04 July 2018
Messages : 1033
|Defending champion Roger Federer welcomed the emergence of new challengers after several unseeded players made the Australian Open semifinals for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The Swiss 19-time grand slam champion will face 21-year-old South Korean Chung Hyeon in one semifinal nike presto schwarz schweiz , while 23-year-old Briton Kyle Edmund will take on former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the other.
The last time so many unfamiliar faces reached the last four in Melbourne was in 1999 when Tommy Haas, Thomas Enqvist and Niclas Lapenti made the semis.
“I think it’s a good thing. They got to make a move. I find it disappointing when their breakthroughs come at 27, because then we know them for seven years, let’s say nike presto weiß schweiz ,” 36-year-old Federer said after beating Tomas Berdych 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday.
“I like it when we don’t know the guys. I hardly know Chung. I’ve hardly spoken to him. I had one (sponsor’s) appearance once with Edmund over in London. That’s about it.”
Federer expects the men’s game to become more unpredictable with a change back to 16 seeds, rather than 32 www.nikeprestoschweiz.com , in slams.
“We like our rivalries that do exist on the tour. New names are good, from time to time, of course for the tour. I think next year when we’ll have 16 seeds, it’s going to be quite different nike air presto schweiz ,” said Federer, who has reached his 43rd grand slam semifinal and is favorite to win a 20th major.
Chung defeated six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in the last 16 and followed up by beating Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Wednesdayy.
Chung became the first Korean to make a grand slam tennis semifinal.
“In last game air presto schweiz[/url] , I think at 40-love ... if I win one more point, I make history in Korea. I have to think about the ceremony, something,” he said [url=http://www.nikeprestoschweiz.com/]nike presto schweiz , explaining how he got slightly ahead of himself.
“After deuce, break point. I was like, no, nothing to do with ceremony. But just keep playing — keep focused.”
Then he fully embraced the moment Herren Nike Air Vapormax Flyknit 2018 Schuhe Olive Grün Schweiz , joking in an on-court TV interview, introducing the audience to his parents and his coach, and taking the microphone to speak in Korean to millions of new tennis fans back home.
“I think all the people is watching Australian Open now because we make history in Korea,” he said.
The No. 58-ranked Chung is the lowest-ranked man to reach the semifinals since Marat Safin in 2004. He’s also the youngest to reach the last four at a major since Marin Cilic did it here in 2010.
Two women who’ve been to this stage at a grand slam before will meet in the last four. Top-ranked Simona Halep recovered from an early break to win nine straight games in a 6-3 Damen Nike Air Vapormax 2018 Schuhe Rosa Schweiz , 6-2 win over No. 6 Karolina Pliskova and set up a semifinal match against 2016 champion Angelique Kerber, who routed US Open finalist Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2.
LUSAKA? Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Zambia joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World AIDS Day here Thursday with new figures showing that the country has recorded a decline in HIV prevalence rates.
According to results of the Zambia Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment conducted between March and August this year? HIV prevalence rate among adults aged 15 to 49 was recorded at 11.6 percent? down from 13.3 percent in 20132014? while the rate among children aged between 0 and 14 stood at 1.3 percent.
The survey further established that the country was recording 46?000 new HIV cases every year? a significant reduction from projections in 2009 where new infections were pegged at 72?000 per year.
Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said during the commemoration that the results show significant accomplishments in efforts aimed at eliminating HIV by 2030.
"However? a lot still has to be done ... We will pursue stronger partnership with all our key allies to ensure that we accelerate the fight against HIVAIDS?" he said.
The Zambian minister said the government will roll out vigorous campaign for HIV prevention in the coming months to all parts of the country.
Joint United Nations Program on HIVAIDS (UNAIDS) Representative Medhin Tsehaiu said Zambia was on the right path in its efforts to end the HIVAIDS epidemic by 2030.
She said the UN systems in Zambia will work closely with the government to ensure that the country continue its efforts to prevent new HIV infections through various interventions.
Zambia? she said? was among 13 countries in the world which are on the UN fast-track strategy to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Enditem
This is an ongoing debate presently, and considering that The British Retail Consortium (BRC) brought out their report detailing the fees connected with debit and credit card processing Herren Nike Air VaporMax Schuhe pure platinum Weiß Schweiz , and the fees linked to cash payment processing, there’s been plenty of contention about whether or not the banks should reduce these card processing merchant fees.
Since there are three major ways of paying nowadays (Cash, Credit Card and Debit Card) there’s little point in analyzing the costs for cheques and store cards etc; according to the BRC cheques amount for less than 1% of transactions currently and this will soon be zero as retailers become far more selective.
If organizations like The Payments Council wish to streamline the retail card processing industry they need to consider that cash payments are not going to decrease whilst merchant costs for credit card processing are still high. The store retains a choice in the matter. Whilst cash payment aren’t going to lose it’s appeal anytime soon, a rising and buoyant market exists for credit and debit card processing – buyers expect to be able to pay with their card and the retailer must decide on whether to adopt the modern technology to process the card payments.
At European level
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Silicon Echo Studios, a maker of terrible games hawked on Valve Software's Steam PC games download service, has thrown in the towel.
It comes just days after Valve's crackdown on 'shovelware' led to Silicon Echo's entire portfolio of games being thrown off Steam.
Valve axed almost 200 games from the Steam Store in the crackdown in an effort to cut out so-called "asset flippers", companies producing poor quality games based largely on un- or under-developed assets running on gaming engines.
The games were all developed by Silicon Echo Studios, which has a reputation for flogging low-quality, cheaply-made games in a bid to cut a quick profit on the PC gaming platform.
Following Valve's cull, Silicon Echo has announced that it had no other option but to call it a day.
"This situation has completely destroyed everything we have been working for in the past three years and we are forced to give up game development at this point for more that [sic] one reason," Silicon Echo wailed in a statement to Polygon.
"Mainly because our reputation is destroyed beyond repair, but also for financial reasons. We wish we have been warned about this before, in that case we would focus on a different business plan of development.
"The only information we have been given is that our games were consistently at the top of user reported titles primarily for practices that are deceptive to the customers.
"This did not fully explain the reason for complete account and business termination, so naturally we sent an email to Valve politely asking some additional questions."
Valve, which early last year also cracked down on devs posting 'bullshots' in Steam Store listings, pulled no punches about the quality of Silicon Echo's offerings and their popularity among Steam users.
We have removed those games from the Steam Store and ended our business relationship with them
"We have a full-time team monitoring reports and they identified an issue that lead to the removal of some titles from a few different Steamworks accounts," claimed Valve in a statement.
It continued: "These accounts were generating a lot of reports and frustration from customers and other developers. It turns out that the bad actors were all the same person operating under different accounts.
"What we found was a set of extreme actions by this person that was negatively impacting the functionality of the store and our tools.
"For example, this person was mass-shipping nearly-identical products on Steam that were impacting the store's functionality and making it harder for players interested in finding fun games to play. This developer was also abusing Steam keys and misrepresenting themselves on the Steam store.
Spamming cloned games or manipulating our store tools isn't something we will tolerate
"As a result, we have removed those games from the Steam Store and ended our business relationship with them.
"The Steam platform is open, but we do ask developers to respect our customers and our policies. Spamming cloned games or manipulating our store tools isn't something we will tolerate. Our priority is helping players find games they will enjoy playing."
According to YouTuber Sid Alpha, Silicon Echo Studios accounted for 'at least' 10 per cent of all games released on Steam in both July and August.
Silicon Echo, according to the 'Crappy Games Wikia', didn't even go as far as "developing" games: "Silicon Echo simply bought game engine tutorials and uploaded them without any modifications. Silicon Echo didn't even bother developing games."
So, good riddance.
Some parts of Atacama have not received rainfall for 500 years - but a sudden deluge of water upset the Desert's delicate biological balance
Spitzer Space Telescope could not spot Oumuamua, suggesting that it is actually pretty small
Greenland crater one of the 25 largest impact craters on Earth
This long-sought progenitor star was identified in an image captured by Hubble in 2007


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Many things Americans buy are made in China, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that some synthetic marijuana that can be easily purchased at stores on Frankford Avenue or Torresdale Avenue comes from China, too.
Erstaz grass doesn’t come into the United States packaged and ready to smoke, said Rafael Lamaitre, director of communications for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Synthetic marijuana is manufactured using chemicals that come from China and India. These chemicals, designer drugs known as synthetic cannabinoids, are brought into this country, legally or otherwise. Then they are sprayed on dried organic matter and packaged for sale, Lemaitre said.
They’re sold as incense with names like K2, Kush, Cloud 9, Spice or Herbal Smoke in convenience stores and gas stations all over the Northeast and other parts of the city.
Some of these products produce marijuana-like highs, but they are not illegal. Some are federally banned or are illegal in Pennsylvania. All of them are outlawed in New Jersey.
Legal or not, synthetic marijuana is now the No. 2 drug abused by high school seniors, Lamaitre told the Northeast Times last month. There are hundreds of synthetic cannibinoids used to produce it, said Dawn Dearden, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
A couple years ago, the DEA got five of them banned, she said, and Congress is considering a bill that would make all of them illegal. Right now, with only a handful of these chemicals outlawed, synthetic marijuana makers can move onto chemicals that are still legal, but have the same effects.
One of the attractions of “incense” is that it can’t be detected in drug tests currently in use. It gives its users a “free and clear” high. But public health officials insist it is dangerous.
The White House said American poison control centers have reported sharp increases in the number of calls nationwide related to synthetic drugs. Last year, there were 6,959 calls related to synthetic marijuana — more than twice the 2,906 reported in 2010.
Part of the health risks of synthetic marijuana come from its potency. The chemicals that mimic the highs of real marijuana often are used in greater strength and can cause symptoms like racing heart, elevated blood pressure, paranoid behavior and hallucinations.
Dearden said the DEA has made some busts around the country but has not located any “hubs” where synthetic marijuana is packaged for distribution.
Last March, Pennsylvania made synthetic marijuana illegal. New Jersey recently initiated a full ban.
In Philadelphia, there have been three arrests for synthetic marijuana so far in 2012, said Tasha Jamerson, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. All of those busts were made in Center City. In November, however, a Northeast businessman was arrested for selling synthetic narcotics, she said.
Jay Patel was arrested Nov. 2 in his store on the 7400 block of Torresdale Ave., Jamerson said. Patel will have a preliminary hearing at 8 a.m. Tuesday in Courtroom 1003 of the Criminal Justice Center.
“When he was arrested, he had K2 Kush, K2 Summit, K2 Strawberry and K2 Blackberry on him,” Jamerson said, adding that the products had a street value of about $650.EndFragment


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The electric motor firm's CEO - who has just welcomed a son named X Æ A-12 with musician Grimes - took to Twitter to announce he will be resuming production at their Fremont factory in California factory against Alameda County rules.
Over the weekend, the billionaire businessman threatened to move his California plant to Texas or Nevada.
And in an email this week, Tesla he responded to an order from California's governor allowing manufacturers to resume work and stated that he has invited furloughed employees to return.
On Monday (11.05.20), he announced: "Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules.
"I will be on the line with everyone else.
"If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me."
According to Reuters, part of the email to staff, which had the subject, 'Furlough Has Ended And We Are Back To Work in Production!', reads:
"We're happy to get back to work and have implemented very detailed plans to help you keep safe as you return."
Tesla has been warned by Alameda County health officials that it should not have opened without meeting certain local safety requirements.
In a statement they added that they "hope Tesla will likewise comply without further enforcement measures."
Musk sued the county over the weekend, accusing them of violating California's constitution by going against Newsom's order for manufacturers to re-open.


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Does the metaverse still hold promise for retail brands?
Some experts believe that the best is yet to come from this ever-evolving and often misunderstood virtual space. We take a look as part of The Drum’s latest Deep Dive, The New Retail Landscape.
Roblox reported 70.2 million average daily active users in the third quarter of 2023 / Adobe Stock
Most marketers will remember a time not so very long ago when the metaverse seemed destined to be the next big thing for their industry.
Like moths to a flame, brands were rushing into virtual reality (VR) and popular online gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, eager to establish a firm foothold in what was widely billed at the time as the marketplace of the future.
For a time, excitement about the metaverse became a borderline cultural obsession. Books about the metaverse were being published at a rapid clip; advertising conferences like Cannes Lions and Advertising Week New York were flush with conversations about the future of marketing in the metaverse; a futuristic depiction of this virtual space was plastered to the front of Time Magazine, beneath the headline: “Into the metaverse: the next digital era will change everything.” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg – who changed the name of his company a little over two years ago to signal its reorientation around the metaverse – confidently proclaimed his belief that virtual experiences represent “the next chapter for the internet.”
To many, that brief period of clamorous excitement about the metaverse might feel like the foggy memory of a dream. Things have changed quickly; only rarely does one encounter a headline announcing that a big-name brand has invested large sums of money in a VR-based experience. Moreover, the stunningly rapid ascension of AI into mainstream consciousness seems to have largely eclipsed public interest in the metaverse (which remains a fuzzy concept that lacks a single, universally agreed-upon definition).
All of this might leave many marketers with a vague sense of whiplash. After so many brands had invested such vast amounts of time, energy and capital into the virtual realm, is it possible that everyone has just forgotten about it and moved on to the next enticing tech trend? Were a few unfortunate PR moments (the collapse of the crypto firm FTX, for example, which produced a widespread distaste for all things associated with the terms ‘decentralized’ and ‘web3,’ and an unflattering virtual selfie shared by Mark Zuckerberg across social media) really enough to poison the entire metaverse well?
Not everyone thinks so. Some marketing experts are confident that, while public excitement about the metaverse has undoubtedly been in a slump over the past year, it’s poised for a major comeback – and that retail brands would do well not to give up hope on this virtual realm.
Separating metaverse myth from reality
Technology evolves in unpredictable and often surprising ways. Take AI, for example. A few decades ago, it was common to believe that intelligent algorithms would quickly lead to embodied robot assistants and self-driving cars, and very few people would’ve said that they were going to push people in creative roles – like graphic designers and music producers – out of the job market. Today, the prodigious rise of large language models (LLMs) has flipped that expectation on its head. We now have models that can compose whole novels in the style of Tupac Shakur or Dostoevsky, but we’re still a long way from ubiquitous autonomous vehicles or housekeeping robots in every home.
Experts are quick to point out that this same principle of uncertain evolution applies to the metaverse – and that just because the initial hype cycle has faded, the original dream of humanity’s virtual future still holds great potential.
“I don’t think [the metaverse is] a lost cause at all,” says Jen Jones, chief marketing officer of Commercetools, a company that helps brands develop e-commerce capabilities. Above all, Jones says she’s noticed a significant shift in the language used to discuss virtual experiences. “Meta taking over the term ‘metaverse’ almost killed the metaverse,” she says. “I don’t think it’s Meta’s metaverse [any more] – everybody’s parked that language a little bit.”
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So, what are people referring to when they speak of the metaverse these days? In Jones’ view, the concept refers to “the merging of online and offline, of our physical and digital lives … that’s [still] a really hot topic, particularly in retail.”
The metaverse has always held special appeal for retail brands. Perhaps catalyzed by Meta’s name change in late 2021, a slew of major brands – from Walmart to PacSun to Lacoste – began launching virtual experiences that almost always had some kind of commercial component, such as a fitting room where avatars could try on virtual goods that could then be purchased out in the real world. The market for virtual apparel and accessories began to skyrocket as brands realized that young people were beginning to covet such commodities as a new form of personal expression.
Beyond virtual clothing, the metaverse also gives one the freedom to explore new modes of personal identity – there’s no rulebook stating that one’s avatar must resemble one’s physical body. This, says Decentraland’s lead marketer, Kim Currier, is a major reason young people have flocked to virtual environments (with a legion of brands following in tow). “Maybe they identify with a different gender than they are physically; maybe they’re a shy person in the real world, but they love to party in the metaverse. Something about not having to show your face allows you to be a little more free and creative with how you show up every day.”
Currier, a mother of two, says that she is attracted to this quality of freedom and fluidity. “When I’m in the metaverse, I have some really cool neon rave outfit and pink hair,” she says. “I can’t [wear] that regularly, but that would be super fun; I would love to be raving at Coachella to some really fun music, but I probably just put my kids to bed and I’m not leaving my sweatpants.”
Jones, who’s also a mother, says she’s been impressed by the degree to which young kids are excited to spend time on platforms like Roblox. “They’re obsessed with it,” she says. “Boys, girls, artsy kids, math kids, sports kids, they all love it … that’s where they hang out.”
While Meta’s failure to hit its user targets for Horizon Worlds may have dominated the conversation about the metaverse for a spell last year, and while some may have concluded that the metaverse was a rocket that ultimately failed to launch, it can be easy to forget that platforms like Roblox, Decentraland and Fortnite – which many will insist are as much a part of the metaverse as virtual reality – remain strong. Roblox reported last week that its average daily active users stood at approximately 70.2 million in the third quarter of 2023, marking a year-over-year increase of 20%.
“As a brand owner,” says Jones, “you’ve got to think: Who’s your next market? Who are you trying to expand to? For anyone looking at Gen Z and below, this is where they are.”
An inflection point(?)
For now, the metaverse might be primarily populated by kids hanging out and playing games in Roblox. But advances in hardware could soon cause that to change, bringing a much greater swathe of the population into virtual environments.
In June, Apple unveiled its highly anticipated AR/VR headset, the Vision Pro. It has a sleeker form factor than previous headset models, which tended to be blocky and fairly uncomfortable, and it can be controlled without handheld controls – another deviation from the norm. But while its looks might be attractive, its price ($3,499) is likely to repel many potential buyers.
That same month, Meta revealed its Quest 3 headset, which will cost a relatively affordable $499. Zuckerberg described this headset as “the first mainstream mixed reality device,” referring to experiences that blend physical and virtual elements. The Quest 3 hit shelves last month.
Should this new generation of headsets become popular among a mainstream audience, more are sure to follow. Brands, in turn, could then start building experiences around these headsets, just as so many launched their own apps in response to the widespread adoption of smartphones.
Again, technology evolves in unpredictable ways, and no one can yet say definitively what brand experiences in the metaverse will look like one year from now, much less ten years from now. Still, the surge in innovation in the AR/VR headset space has Decentraland’s Currier feeling optimistic about the future. “With all the new tech coming out, we’re excited just to see what will be possible,” she says. “I think 2024 will be a big year for the whole space.”
Commercetools’ Jones encourages brands to maintain a watchful eye on the metaverse, regardless of the fluctuations of the hype cycle. “Technology keeps moving forward,” she says. “Don’t get too overly involved in the bubble, but also don’t get too discouraged by the trough that inevitably follows the bubble … try to keep a pragmatic view, and just keep testing and learning.”


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Apple's next iPhone will likely arrive in September or October. As the rumor machine cranks into high gear, we sort the solid predictions from the silly.
11 of 11
Wireless charging is cool, but today's implementations are a tad clunky, requiring bulky paraphernalia like third-party sleeves and charging plates. It's probably just as easy to plug your phone into a wall socket. Apple's working on inductive charging technologies, a development last year that led some industry watchers to speculate that an upcoming iPhone, perhaps even the 2012 model, might feature wireless charging.
The tech industry is serious about inductive charging, and the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) wants hardware manufacturers to integrate its Qi technology into their devices to eliminate the need for a charging sleeve. This may happen, but the iPhone 5 won't lead the way.
Building A Mobile Business MindsetAmong 688 respondents, 46% have deployed mobile apps, with an additional 24% planning to in the next year. Soon all apps will look like mobile apps – and it's past time for those with no plans to get cracking.


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NEW DELHI: Premium ice-cream maker Gelato Vinto
is looking to expand
its operations in the country in the next four years as part of its plans to have 200 outlets across India by 2017.
The company, which is p
resent in the country since 2005, has 53 outlets in the country at present, including 14 company owned-shops.
"We plan to h ave 200 outlets across the country by the end of 2017. Around 20 per cent of the total outlets would be company owned, while the rest would be franchisees," Gelato Vinto Chief Operating Officer Akshay Batra told PTI.
He added the company aims to close the current financial year with 75 outlets.
The company, which posted a turnover of Rs 10 crore last year, aims to touch a revenue
figure in the range of Rs 45 crore by 2017, Batra said.
The firm is looking to expand its manufacturing
footprint and operations in various parts of the country.
"We plan to open warehouses in Bhopal
and Pune in this fiscal itself. Next, we plan to open warehouses at Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh," Batra said.
He added the company is also looking to set up a manufacturing facility in South India, to cater to the growing market in the region.
"By next year, we plan to set up a manufacturing plant at either Bangalore
or Hyderabad. We see a good market in South India. The facility would help us contain huge supply costs involved in sending products to South India," Batra said.
Gelato Vinto, which markets around 500 flavours of ice cream, currently has a single manufacturing plant in Delhi.
Image Courtesy: Flickr


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AUSTIN, Texas, March 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Favor Delivery is excited to announce that it has joined the Toast Partner Ecosystem. This integration is designed to allow restaurants to streamline operations and directly integrate Favor’s marketplace platform to their point-of-sale for a seamless ordering experience.
Founded in 2013 in Austin, Texas, Favor is a Texas-born-and-based restaurant delivery service operating in over 400 cities with other 100,000 Runners (delivery drivers) statewide.
Toast is a cloud-based, all-in-one digital technology platform purpose-built for the entire restaurant community. It works with integration partners in its Toast Partner Ecosystem, a curated portfolio of more than 200 partners who deliver specialized technology and services to help restaurant operators increase sales, engage guests, and keep employees happy.
“We are thrilled to welcome Favor to the Toast Partner Ecosystem, and delighted to offer our Texas customers a way to simplify and streamline their restaurant operations by integrating the Favor delivery platform directly with their Toast POS,” said Keith Corbin, Senior Director, Business Development from Toast. “By partnering with Favor, restaurants across Texas can streamline the ordering process for their customers and manage their menus in real time, all in one place.”
“Integrating Favor’s popular platform with Toast’s efficient POS system is a no-brainer,” said David Galbreth, Owner of OrderUp in San Antonio, Texas. “Integration is seamless, resulting in more accurate orders and saved time by receiving orders directly from the customer. We have had a long, positive partnership with Favor, the Toast integration has only made it better.”
Now celebrating 10 years as the only delivery app by and for Texans, Favor is uniquely positioned to serve Texans and help restaurants increase sales and awareness across the Lone Star State. As Texas’ only Texas-based restaurant delivery app, Favor offers an incredible number of insights to restaurants on how Texas orders in, including in its recent inaugural How Texas Orders In Report, which provides an inside look into the palates and preferences of Texas residents across the state.
“Restaurants across Texas rely on Favor to offer the best delivery experience to their customers,” said Zach Nienow, Vice President of Revenue and Strategic Partners at Favor. “We could not be more excited to help restaurants streamline their operations and provide an even better guest experience through Favor and Toast’s integration. By partnering with Favor, Toast customers can decrease customer wait time, increase order accuracy, and boost joint merchandising and marketing efforts to bring in new customers and orders, while also gaining the expertise that only a Texas-born-and-bred restaurant delivery service can offer.”
Founded in Austin in 2013, Favor currently operates in more than 400 cities across Texas with over 100,000 Runners (drivers), who have delivered more than 80 million Favors to date—which range from restaurant meals and alcohol to groceries and everyday essentials. In 2018, Favor became the first US on-demand delivery company to achieve profitability, which prompted its sale to grocery retailer H-E-B, a trusted and deeply loved staple for Texans since 1905. For more information, visit favordelivery.com and follow Favor on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok and X.
Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/favor-delivery-announces-a-new-integration-with-the-toast-platform-302088184.html
Images courtesy of https://pixabay.com


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11:35 PM – BlackBerry’s hardware side may have suffered losses, but it’s software side is sowing signs of life. The company had a massive change in management recently, letting go of major players such as the former CEO Heins. Now focus is on the newer management and what they can do for the company.
The company’s mobile management services has seen improvement in recent months, per Reuters. BlackBerry on Tuesday stated that “the number of large business and government clients that have installed or are testing BlackBerry’s mobile device management service has risen roughly 20% over the past six months.” The company has welcomed this improvement and shows a good direction in which it’s headed.
BlackBerry also released an update to its BES software, which now stands at 10.2. In the new update, support for expanded multi-platform including Secure Work Space support for iOS 7 background email sync. There’s also BYOD enrollment for iOS and Android devices that will help users better keep their work and personal data separate, as well as self-service IT portal.
Do you see a bright future for BlackBerry?


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Archive for May, 2018
Arm announced a new IP family, including the high-performance Cortex-A76 CPU core, Mali-G76 GPU, and Mali-V76 VPU with 8k@60fps decoding support.
Microsoft's new family tools for Android, Windows 10, and the Xbox One aim to help parents keep tabs on their kids. But do they go too far?
Atari opened pre-orders for its Atari VCS console on Indiegogo, and the response has been overwhelming, to put it mildly.
ManoMotion today released version 2.0 of its software development kit for its smartphone hand tracking technology.
Nvidia will be presenting its "Next Generation Mainstream GPU" at Hot Chips 30 on August 20.
Context senior security researcher, Tom Court, found remote code execution vulnerability in Valve's Steam client, that seems to have existed there for the past 10 years.
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has published a Human Interface Device (HID) standard for braille displays.
Scope AR today revealed its plans to bring the Remote AR and WorkLink applications together as one. The company will demonstrate an early build of the new application at Augmented World Expo, and it will roll out the new product later this summer.
Kopin today introduced the Golden-I Infinity smart screen, a voice and gesture-controlled wearable device that works with Android and Windows 10 devices.
Zotac has a plethora of PCs on the way.


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Coins, a Philippines-based financial technology provider focused on blockchain-enabled payment services, has received a USD 30m investment led by Ribbit Captial.
The investment has been billed as a Series C round. Coins was acquired last month by Joffre Capital, a US and Singapore-based technology buyout investor. Previous investments include Naspers Ventures -...
Bertelsmann India Investments has earmarked USD 500m, provided by its eponymous German parent, for investment in local start-ups. The VC unit’s total deployment since its launch in 2013 is USD 285m.
UK-headquartered incubator Entrepreneur First (EF) has raised USD 158m, targeted in part at investment in Southeast Asian start-ups and expanding its reach in the region.
CDH Investments has agreed to sell New Zealand-based supplements manufacturer The Better Health Company (TBHC) to Nestlé Health Science for an undisclosed sum.
India and Southeast Asia-focused Panthera Growth Partners has reached a first close on its second fund with commitments amounting to more than half the overall target of USD 250m.


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Apple has started rolling out iOS and iPadOS version 14.2 today. The new update brings new features and over 100 new emoji for iPhone and iPad users. The new emoji’s include a Ninja, the pride flag, a coin, bubble tea, a dodo, lungs, and many more. The new OS update also added features for the new Intercom for HomePod smart speakers that Apple announced alongside the Apple HomePod Mini.
According to sources, the new update also brings features that allow Magnifier to detect people nearby. It can further report their distance using the LiDAR sensors on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The new update has optimized battery charging for the AirPods to slow the rate of battery aging. It does so by reducing the time AirPods spend fully charged. The company has also added an alert feature. It let users know if their volume levels can impact hearing when using headphones.
The iOS 14.2 update brings new AirPlay controls that allow users to stream content throughout their homes. Another useful update is that the iOS version 14.2 offers an option that provides stats about exposure notifications to health authorities without identifying the user.
The OS update also brings along with it a ton of bug fixes on iOS 14.2. The company has fixed several bugs relating to Home Screen dock issues, camera viewfinder, the lock screen keyboard, photos widget. Also, bugs have been selected for voice memos, Netflix video playback, wireless charging, and many more.
The iOS 14.2 update is already available for iPhone users. To update their iPhones, users need to go to Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install on their devices.
Do check out:


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credit: David Imel/Android Authority
- LG will continue to provide software updates for certain mobile phones in certain regions after its mobile division is closed.
- Some LG phones may also use Android 12.
- However, the company’s plan is not static.
LG has officially shut down its smartphone business, although this means that we will not see any new LG phones in the future, but the company has not completely abandoned its existing devices. Not only that.
The company stated in a press release that it will continue to provide software updates for its phones, and these updates will vary by region.
In addition, the company also provides some clearer instructions (hours/tons) on its Korean website XDA developers) Software support plans for their mobile phones.
According to LG (Machine Translation), as previously announced, Android 11 updates for certain models are currently underway. Some LG phones will also be upgraded to Android 12. However, the operating system update plan will depend on Google’s release schedule, product performance and product stability.
The company also plans to continue to provide security updates to its phones, but said it can change its policies at any time in the future.
In essence, LG’s software support plan is pending. You might get the Android 12 update on LG Velvet or Wing, but you’re not so sure right now.
Given that the mobile sector is undergoing a major shift, we will not be surprised if some of the promised updates are also delayed. In addition, LG does not have a good track record of providing timely software updates. Its equipment is usually upgraded within a few months after its equivalent products, and we expect these timelines to become more uncertain in the future.
When asked about this, LG spokesperson Ken Hong told Android authorization“Yes, future Android updates will be launched for certain phones in some markets, although I don’t know if the United States is included in this list.”
The official pointed us to the US team to further clarify software updates for LG phones in the region. If we receive a reply from the company, we will update this article.


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The price for the yellow metal has crossed the level at $1,341.
Gold inches up with American inflation data in focus
On Friday, gold surged because market sentiment on the US currency turned to be vulnerable ahead of highly-anticipated data on American inflation due later in the day.
Gold futures jumped 0.20% in New York being worth $1,299.05 a troy ounce, which is off a two-and-a-half week maximum of $1,300.73 reached overnight.
The US currency was boosted after on Thursday the US Department of Labor informed that the previous week initial jobless claims sank more than anticipated to 243,000.
A separate report disclosed that in September producer prices soared 0.4%, which is in line with hopes.
Core producer, excluding food and energy also grew 0.4%, confounding hopes for a 0.2% jump.
The data emerged just a day after the minutes of the Fed’s September policy gathering unveiled that policymakers were still split on inflation.
The greenback weakened ahead of the long-awaited American consumer price inflation data expected to be published later Friday.
In July, Britain's inflation rate rallied for the first time in 2018, thus leaving many UK households feeling quite squeezed by prices, soaring at nearly the same tempo as their wages…
On Friday, the evergreen buck rallied versus its counterparts after data disclosed that the American economy generated more jobs than anticipated In October, thus backing the Fed’s case to proceed with gradual rate lifts…
On Monday, gold declined because the evergreen buck managed to gain early traction, thus putting pressure on the most popular precious commodity, which has been sticking with the year’s minimums…


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Threat of city diesel ban electrifies carmakers
Frankfurt motor show full of vehicles with batteries Industry still banking on strong sales of gas guzzlers
When Angela Merkel addressed Frankfurt’s motor show this week, it was not to a backdrop of gas guzzlers but displays of noiseless electric Golfs, South Korean hybrids and Japanese fuel-cell cars.
The UK and France have promised to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2040, while carmakers including Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover have pledged that future models will be electric. German cities plagued by pollution, including Munich, home of BMW, are mulling banning diesels from their centres.
The summer of love for battery cars prompted editorials heralding the end of the internal combustion engine. One bank forecast that all new car sales in Europe would be electric within 20 years. Meanwhile, diesel car values have plummeted.
So it is no surprise that electric cars are centre stage at the Frankfurt motor show, which opens to the public today.
BMW is showing off a new version of its popular i3 battery-powered car and new battery-powered Minis. Its German rival Mercedes-Benz has introduced an futuristic electric concept car, the EQA, which has pride of place at the centre of its display, and the company’s chief executive has promised that all models from 2022 will be electrified to some degree.
France’s Renault unveiled a electric concept car that could double as a backup battery for the home. Japan’s Honda launched a boxy battery-powered concept car, the Urban EV, which European motorists will be able to buy in 2019.
“This is not some vision of the distant future,” said Honda’s chief executive, Takahiro Hacigo, as he also pledged that all new models in Europe would soon be either hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric. South Korea’s Hyundai said more than half the models it sells in Europe by 2020 would be battery-powered.
Is the internal combustion engine’s reign ending? Carmakers here do not believe that, despite the rhetoric and prominent battery models at Frankfurt.
“That’s just hype,” said BMW’s Robert Irlinger, of the notion that conventional engines are dead. Irlinger, who heads the firm’s “i” division, expects electric models to make up only 15%-20% of sales by 2025.
“There is a change and we are really starting with electrified cars but we do not hide our normal cars,” he said, adding that BMW was putting a “huge amount of money” into battery-powered cars.
One Mercedes-Benz executive said that with €10bn (£8.8bn) committed to electric vehicles it was, if anything, overinvesting in the technology compared with its peers. “It’s something that might be overhyped,” said Jürgen Schenck, the company’s head of e-drive integration, of the suggestion that petrol and diesel cars are finished.
“We’re going on with diesel … it is a good technology for [cutting] emissions.” A ban on diesels entering German cities would, he claimed, be a “crazy idea”.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) argues that diesel is still the only serious way to meet EU carbon targets, despite concerns over air quality. Dieter Zetsche, ACEA president, said: “Any rash move away from this technology [diesel] would make it harder to meet the [EU] commission’s targets.”
With electric and plug-in hybrid cars making up just 1.2% of new car sales in Europe today, he called for a reality check on how big a contribution they could make to carbon cuts. “The reality is the market uptake of these vehicles remains low. It’s not due to a lack of availability: all ACEA members are expanding their portfolios of electric vehicles, you can see proof of that on display here,” said Zetsche.
“We don’t see the immediate death of the combustion engine,” said Joe Bakaj, vice-president of product development at Ford in Europe, which sees more efficient diesel as the most cost-effective way to cut carbon emissions in the short term.
“We’re not seeing a strong pull [from customers] on battery electric vehicles. There’s a lot of talk, a lot of hype, but there aren’t a lot of customer numbers.” He blames their limited driving range, high cost and a shortage of charging points.
The issue of the limited charging point infrastructure is cited by many carmakers at Frankfurt as a barrier to the greater takeup of electric cars. Steven Armstrong, Ford of Europe’s president, said investment was needed in ageing infrastructure.
“This is particularly true of the challenge facing our efforts to scale up the operation of electric vehicles in cities where we already have a strained energy grid,” he said, unveiling a joint venture with Aldi, Daimler and Porsche to fit fastcharging points on Europe’s motorways.
However, most carmakers agree that the future will probably be electric. “There isn’t a plan B; this is plan A: we go electric,” said Schenck at Mercedes-Benz.
There are plenty of reasons an electric switch might come sooner than many think: a higher oil price, changes in taxation and, most worrying for the European motor industry, the diesel exclusion zones being debated in many European cities.
A Mercedes-Benz electric concept car, the EQA, at the Frankfurt motor show. The manufacturer is investing €10bn in electric cars


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Airgle, a leading air purification systems provider, announced the testing data outcomes for the AG900 cleanroom air purifier, unveiling up to 99.999% virus reduction capabilities. This news overlaps with Airgle's announcement of its WiFi and App developments for AG900 and AG600 which makes clean are technology more efficient and convenient for all.
Airgle's top model, the AG900 was explicitly engineered to support airborne infection control at clinics, hospitals, and healthcare facilities. It will also help in removing viruses and bacteria pollutants and toxic particles down to 0.003 microns. The latest third-party testing in Japan by a university-affiliated lab has disclosed that Airgle's technology can reduce the airborne H1N1 Swine Flu virus to 99.99% in the test chamber, viral microphage to 99.999% in a 25 cubic meter test chamber, and single pass to 99.92% on a viral macrophage.
Airgle Vice President, Ralph Rathburn claimed that in every test that Airgle has conducted so far, it has surpassed testing equipment sensitivity, i.e. there is a possibility that their products can provide even higher air filtration capability. Rathburn stated that it has become essential for resorts, retailers, and businesses to proactively clean the air that they and their customers breathe. He called Airgle products as the best method for this.
The AG900 and the AG600 have similar technology and are designed to clean small and medium-sized rooms while carefully removing damaging particles down to 0.003 microns. The AG900 and the AG600 will also include App-enabled capabilities. These improvements will help it to regulate hundreds of units from a single convenient account. For large-sized corporations, it will give an extraordinary control of air quality in all clinics, business, retail, and hospitality locations.
The AG900 with App control is currently available and the AG600 with WiFi capabilities will be available from the beginning of October 2020.


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Game news Ubisoft, victim of a dramatic stock market crash. We explain why
What’s happening at Ubisoft? The French publisher suffered a fourth consecutive fall on the Paris Stock Exchange and lost 12.30% in the last 5 days. On Monday, January 9, 2023, the company led by Yves Guillemot recorded the largest drop in SBF 120. In one year, the price of the company to which we owe the Assassin’s Creed series fell like a rabbit on a banana peel. . What is there to understand in this visible and lasting distrust of the market?
- In the midst of the turbulence
- Fears of unrealizable forecasts, but not only
In the midst of the turbulence
Is the glittering spiral of the Ubisoft logo turning into a purple swirl? It’s been several weeks since the French gaming giant’s stock went into the red with repeated declines. Since January 1 of this year the stock has been unscrewing with a decline of more than 9%, at the time of writing these lines. Although specialists explain Ubisoft’s January 9 withdrawal by the profit notice from British developer Frontier (F1 2022 manager, The Evolution of the Jurassic World 2), the drop in Ubisoft’s share price doesn’t just date back to the last few days.
In one year, the share of Yves Guillemot’s company is dissolved by 44.15%, a figure in bright red compared to those of other market players – and direct competitors of the French brand – which are Take Two (-26.50 % over one year), Electronic Arts (-3.67% over one year) and Activision (+22.36% over one year, in particular thanks to Microsoft’s takeover proposal). In January 2021, Ubisoft’s price exceeded 80 euros. Today, the French publisher’s share is traded at around 24 euros on the Paris stock exchangea drop of nearly 70%…its lowest level in nearly 7 years.
In September 2022, it was during this period of underestimation that had already begun that Tencent decided to strengthen its ties with the French group by investing 300 million euros in the company (of which 200 million in the purchase of securities). The Chinese giant is already a shareholder of the company behind it Rayman thus owns 49.9% of the shares of Guillemot Brothers, the main shareholder of Ubisoft, and promises not to interfere with the decisions of the board of directors. However, it is not certain that Tencent – the largest publisher in the world – welcomes this new drop in quotation, he who bought his shares at the price of 80 euros in order to support the company in which he had already invested.
Fears of unrealizable forecasts, but not only
The descent followed by the Ubisoft title has several explanations. The drastic drop observed since September 2022, which coincides with the announcement of Tencent’s investment, can be explained by the disappointment of the markets who were hoping for a takeover bid rather than more help from the Chinese giant. It is worth mentioning that Ubisoft had seen his leap of course by more than 20% in just two days following simple rumors of a possible takeover. Then, the French publisher has been blowing hot and cold in its 2022 year, with the announcement of the referrals of Skull and bones and’Avatar: Pandora’s Frontiersbut also the promise of development of many new Assassin’s Creed projects, group locomotive licence. Despite results in the red in the first half of its 22-23 financial year, Ubisoft confirmed its full-year targets with an operating profit (non-IFRS) set at €400m. On Jan. 5, Bank of America revised down its target for Ubisoft stock, believing the company’s forecasts were too ambitious..
The mysterious licensing deal brandished at the presentation of the postponement of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora reassured investors for a while, but eventually the confidence dissipated. The threat of A profit notice, like the one shaking Frontier, is settling ahead of its fiscal 22-23 third-quarter results. Furthermore, these results will reveal if Just dance 2023 And Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope performed up to Guillemot’s expectations. Gaming industry had clarified that the strategy game starring Mario and the Rabbits had unfortunately had a less good start in the UK than the first episode released in 2017. Finally, it remains to remove the gray areas that still span the year 2023especially on everything related to the release schedule, the progress of the remakes of prince of Persia and of Splinter Cell makeover, what’s really behind the announced multiples of Assassin’s Creed and the level of quality of Skull & Bones (expected March 9, 2023). An extensive programme.


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"I don't see any slowdown in reforms. In fact, BJP has to accelerate the reforms process for them to show development," said Motilal Oswal.
The new rules prevent broadband providers from blocking or slowing any Internet traffic and from striking deals with content companies for smoother delivery to consumers.
Private equity investors JP Morgan and Pinebridge Capital had invested $100 million in the company in 2008 for a 25% stake.
Gagan Banga, VC & MD, Indiabulls Housing Finance, feels the bill brings in a fine balance between the rights of owners of land.
The busiest of people need a break and the fifth edition of Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai last weekend was perfect for some of India Inc. to unwind at.
PepsiCo India says a mix of age groups is important because the company wants to strike a balance between "experienced veterans and fresh blood".
While most CEOs still keep their faith with the Modi government, they are also taking note of the attacks on churches as well as the fresh spurt of tax notices.
Cote ruled that Apple played a "central role" in scheming from late 2009 into early 2010 with five publishers to raise e-book prices and impede competitors such as Amazon.com Inc .


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New Family Restaurant Opening Soon in Manhattan
A new restaurant is opening soon in Manhattan, just west of Bozeman. The restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
As a resident of Manhattan, I could not be more excited about this news. Mainly, because there aren't many restaurants in town to choose from. There's literally only one place to go out to dinner in Manhattan, and that's Sir Scott's Oasis, which can be pretty expensive.
In 2021, Nick's Garden Cafe closed for good. The Garden Cafe was a place in Manhattan where locals could meet, eat breakfast, and talk about things happening around town. Since it closed, there hasn't been a place to go out for breakfast in Manhattan.
Luckily, that's about to change. Manhattan resident and owner of the Camp Creek Coffee Bar, Ravyn Elizabeth Dighans, recently announced plans to open a new restaurant. The Porch at Nogans is expected to open for business on Friday, April 15.
We are totally thrilled to be able to partner with our good friend, and amazing chef, Tell Rothing, to give Manhattan what it’s been missing- a full-service breakfast, lunch and dinner joint!!! And yes, we’ll have soup!
The Porch will offer a full-service menu offering a variety of foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Grab and go options will also be available for purchase, including baked goods and ice cream. The Porch at Nogans will be located in the building formerly occupied by Z Cafe at 220 Wooden Shoe Lane.
If all goes as planned, the Porch at Nogans will open this Friday at 6:30 a.m. and will remain open through dinner time seven days a week. Once the weather gets nicer, outdoor seating will be available for customers.


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Two suburban Chicago Target stores are among several locations across the country that will be closing next week.
The Minnesota-based company will close a dozen underperforming stores in February, including one in Romeoville and another in Matteson.
45 Chicago Area Stores That Will Close on Thanksgiving
Other locations slated to be shuttered include several Midwestern stores, in Eastland-Harper Woods and Benton Harbor, Mich., plus two in Hastings and Fergus Falls, Minn.
All are set to close their doors on Feb. 3, 2018, the company said.
[NATL-CHI] Shocking Photos Show Inside Abandoned Lincoln Mall
The Target closure is just the latest to hit Matteson, after Lincoln Mall a short distance away was demolished last year.
Earlier this week, Toys R Us announced it was closing 182 stores nationwide, including seven in Illinois. One of those locations is in Matteson.
Sam's Club also plans to close its Matteson and Romeoville locations. The Matteson location was expected to shutter Friday.


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A tech twist is set to cut short the time spent browsing through Calcutta’s boi para. But only if you want it to.
Instead of spending hours in the countless shops, at the click of a mouse, book-buyers can find the titles they are looking for at www.boipara.com. An info-kiosk is also to come up at Bankim Chatterjee Street, where busy customers can get the list of the shops that stock the titles they need, on the move.
Both new and second-hand books will be part of the database, to cover College Street, Bankim Chatterjee Street, part of Mahatma Gandhi Road, Tamar Lane, Ramanath Majumdar Lane, Potuatola Lane and Beniatola Lane.
Mayor Subrata Mukherjee is slated to inaugurate the Rs 10-lakh project, initiated by local Trinamul Congress councillor Partha Bose and the Calcutta Publishers and Booksellers Guild, in April.
Around 5,000 bookshops, stalls and publishers have, over the years, blossomed around the student hub. With Calcutta University, Presidency College, Medical College, Sanskrit College, Hindu School and Hare School in the area, books have been a staple.
But apart from academia, College Street and Coffee House have lived on as icons for book-lovers across the city.
“College Street was where I started my political career 35 years ago, and it is a great feeling to give something back to the place,” said mayor Subrata Mukherjee. “The Bankim Chatterjee Street pavement is now being used as a toilet by passers-by. The kiosk should stop this nuisance as well,” said Bose.
The kiosk, in front of University Institute Hall, will sort the inventory by title and the author’s name and is to be available free of cost initially. The software is currently being developed. Exchange rates of currencies, like the US dollar and British pound, will be updated daily.
Information from stores and publishers on the current stock of books has already started flowing in. “A meeting was held in February, at which shop-owners agreed to hand over lists of the new and rare titles in their inventory,” said Bose. The site will also be constantly updated, he assured.
“We also plan to include facts about heritage sites of the locality to allow people easy access to information about the area,” said Sudhanshu Dey of the Calcutta Publishers and Booksellers Guild.


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The faster the action to stop or slow down the trolls, the better -- to ensure that consumers, including credit union members, don't lose access to convenient services, or even their favorite small financial institutions.
The cost of a merchant data breach -- whether it is at a large national merchant or a local merchant -- can be significant for credit unions of all sizes. Because of credit unions' cooperative structure, the cost of such breaches are ultimately borne by credit union members.
About 300 residents packed the six hour long meeting -- held at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium instead of the City Council chambers -- to discuss the city's plan to help families whose home values have plummeted through no fault of their own.
If moving your money to a credit union won't make Bank of America or Wells Fargo small enough to fail, it is a rational consumer decision. Making the switch may not be a revolutionary act, but it will certainly make your life easier.
More than 1.3 million people joined credit unions in 2011. The gain is strong evidence that consumers are fed up with high bank fees and are leaving in large numbers for credit unions. But when you dig a bit deeper into the numbers, the results are even more significant.
Consumers are upset about bank fees. They have also been intrigued by "Bank Transfer Day," another reason our credit unions are telling us new members are coming in the door. These new members have made the right choice, because they can now start saving.


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AR-enhanced navigation and 3D stereoscopic displays arriving later this year.
German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has never been shy about its love for immersive technology. In the past the luxury vehicles company has experimented with numerous VR and AR applications, from an AR owners manual and VR car-buying experience to an AR-enhanced vehicle tour and multiple 360-degree videos. Now it appears as though the company is taking things a step forward by applying that same technology to the vehicles themselves.
Mercedes today unveiled a slew of new improvements to the companies advanced MBUX infotainment system arriving later this year alongside the release of the brand new 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. This includes an AR-enhanced heads-up display that projects key navigation information directly within the drivers eye line, such as directions, vehicle speed, and distance to target; instead of looking away from the road to check your GPS, upcoming streets and arrows indicating which direction to turn are displayed directly on the front windshield.
Also included is a 3D instrument cluster powered by onboard eye-tracking technology. According to Car and Driver, the standard LCD display lies just below an additional LCD aperture grille that moves in sync with the drivers head, creating a stereoscopic effect in the process. Owners will have the ability to deactivate this feature should they find it too distracting.
Other futuristic additions include the “Hey Mercedes” voice-activated assistant, three backseat touchscreens which allow passengers to share media and set destinations, advanced gesture controls, and biometric security. While speaking to Car and Driver in regards to whether or not existing Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the current MBUX system would receive support, a Mercedes spokesperson stated, “Certain features will be available for purchase in the Mercedes Me store.”
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be available for purchase later this year and will include this new AR-enhanced MBUX Infotainment system.
Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz


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‘Part of Canada’s DNA’: Growth of culturally diverse grocery stores in Newmarket points to growth of many ethnicities
As Afshin Yazdani braced for a rush of customers ahead of Canada Day on July 1, he spoke of the cultural mix of people who regularly come to his Newmarket grocery store.
Yazdani is the owner of Paeez Fine Foods, which offers groceries and Persian goods, as well as a hot table from its location at 17440 Yonge Street.
Paeez, which opened on November 1, is one of several multicultural grocery and grocery stores launched in Newmarket over the past two years, indicating a growing population from many ethnic backgrounds.
“All cultures come here and love the store. I’m happy about it because I did something for the city, for the people, I created jobs, for my own people and for other cultures,” Yazdani said. “The food industry is all about delicious things. If something is delicious, it doesn’t matter your culture. When other cultures, Canadian and otherwise, try our foods and our products, and they love it, I love it.
Likewise, Yazdani, who came to Canada from Iran more than 20 years ago and moved to Newmarket five years ago, enjoys tasting foods and produce from all cultures.
Yazdani laughs as he recounts how everyone called him an idiot for opening his grocery store during the pandemic, but he’s thrilled the community embraced him.
Newmarket has welcomed a “significant number” of new culturally diverse grocery stores over the past two years, Mayor John Taylor said. “It reflects the growing diversity of our community. I’ve been to a lot of these new grocery stores and you see people from different demographics shopping there because it’s an opportunity for people to explore food from different cultures and a lot of people are taking that opportunity,” a- he declared. “I strongly believe that diversity is a strength of Newmarket, York Region and Canada. We are growing and diversifying more and more.
In addition to Paeez, Newmarket’s miscellaneous grocery list includes Panchratna Supermarket, T&T Supermarket, Ranch Fresh Supermarket, JB Supermarket, Win Kuang Asian Foods, Vatan Fine Foods, Golsun Fine Food, Alianza Latina Convenience Store, British Fine Foods and Bakery and Cotswold Cottage.
The growing cultural diversity of Newmarket’s population is highlighted by the June 28 opening of the Center for Immigrant and Community Services (CICS). This is their eighth location at 130 Mulock Dr. The settlement services agency has served communities in the Greater Toronto Area for over 50 years.
“If you look at the list of fastest growing municipalities in Canada, you will notice two things. First, none of the major Canadian cities of Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal top the list,” said CISC CEO Alfred Lam. “We are seeing the strongest growth in medium-sized cities and towns across the country. Second, there is a correlation between the growth of these cities and increases in population diversity, suggesting that newcomer populations are driving much of this growth. Newmarket is a perfect example of both phenomena.
The growth of culturally diverse grocery stores is a “great indicator” of a growing newcomer population, Lam said. “Diversity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of Canada’s national identity, our DNA if you will,” he added. “It strengthens its economy, enriches its culture and becomes a destination of choice for anyone looking for a place to raise their family. We envision that our Newmarket center will benefit the community by becoming a space and platform for people from all walks of life to come together and put the concepts of inclusion and diversity into action.
While diversity information from the latest Canadian census will not be released until October 26, the 2016 census shows that Newmarket has residents of countries around the world, including China, Iran, the Philippines, Brazil, India, South Korea, United Kingdom, Israel, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Moldova, Nigeria, United States, Iraq, Pakistan, Colombia, Vietnam, Syria, Mexico, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Japan, Egypt and Afghanistan.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Journalist Lisa Queen has noticed the growth of culturally diverse grocery stores in Newmarket over the past two years. Around Canada Day seemed like the perfect time to celebrate the city’s diversity.


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Public consultation on Consumer Rights Bill begins
May 21, 2021
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has announced a public consultation on the General Scheme of the Consumer Rights Bill 2021 is now open.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection law and the provision of information to consumers about their rights. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the consultation and encourage consumers, traders and stakeholders to submit their views on the Bill and influence the future of consumer protection in Ireland.
Consumer protection law is currently set out in a broad range of Irish and European laws, including the Consumer Protection Act 2007, the Consumer Rights Directive, the Sale of Goods Act 1893 and the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980.
The Consumer Rights Bill 2021 will consolidate some of the current pieces of legislation and give effect to a number of EU Directives covering sale contracts, contracts for the supply of digital content, contracts for the supply of a service and strengthening the transparency requirements for terms and conditions in consumer contracts.
Information on the Consumer Rights Bill and how stakeholders and interested parties can submit their views to the consultation is available on the Department’s website here.
The consultation, which opened on Thursday 20 May, will close on Wednesday 30 June.Return to News


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Juice Frauds: What's Really In Your Juice Slideshow
April 10, 2013
100 Percent Fruit Juice
The term "100 percent fruit juice" sounds innocent and wholesome, right? Sure — but you have to know what you’re looking for. The good news is that 100 percent fruit juice is made purely from the juices of real fruits. And that means you’re getting all the antioxidants and vitamins from fruit in one powerful punch. (One study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion even found that kids who drank more than 6 ounces of 100 percent juice had more nutritious diets than their peers.) But there are a few problems with 100 percent real fruit juice: you get way more sugar and calories, for starters. Your glass of 100 percent fruit juice has about twice the amount of calories as a piece of fruit; so, if you’re drinking a glass of orange juice, you’re getting the caloric equivalent of two to three oranges. And you’re not getting the full amount of fiber from 100 percent fruit juice either, as it’s stripped away when the juice is processed.
You might think that your fruity combination juice is a mix of all your favorite juices — but you’re more likely to find apple and grape juices in there. Apple and grape juices are seen as the "fillers" of most juices, because they’re cheap to make. So that blueberry-pomegranate juice may contain 100 percent fruit juice of blueberries and pomegranates, but may also have apple and grape juice in it. Pomegranate juice was one of the top "food frauds " found in a recent hot button study of fake ingredients from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention. As most versions are often diluted with grape and apple juice, pomegranate juice that’s straight-up pomegranate is harder and harder to find. Markus Lipp, senior director for Food Standard, told ABC News, "Pomegranate juice is a high-value ingredient and a high-priced ingredient, and adulteration appears to be widespread… It can be adulterated with other food juices… additional sugar, or just water and sugar." How to avoid that sticky problem? Stick to single-fruit juice (like 100 percent pomegranate fruit juice) and read the ingredients labels very carefully. The higher up the ingredient is on the list, the more you’ll find of it — so if your juice has apple and grape way up at the top, you’re getting a lot of those from your bottle.
Because juicing strips away the fiber from natural fruits, some juice makers add additional fiber back into their products. But some juice makers have been found in the past to add in synthetic fiber, making your wholesome juice not quite so natural. For example, one review of supermarket juices published by the nonprofit watchdog Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) found that Welch’s 100 Percent Grape Juice with Fiber (which suggests that one serving can give you 10 percent of your daily needs in fiber) was made with maltodextrin, an additive that acts more like a starch-like carbohydrate. However, the study said, the label advertised that the fiber came from the whole grapes, and not an additive. One other juice maker that came under fire for fake fibers? Naked Juice. In 2011, a lawsuit was filed against the company for misleading language on the labeling that ignored the "added synthetic compounds," like "Fibersol-2 (a proprietary synthetic digestion-resistant fiber produced by Archer Daniels Midland and developed by a Japanese chemical company), fructooligosaccharides (a synthetic fiber and sweetener), and inulin (an artificial and invisible fiber added to foods to... increase fiber content without the typical fiber mouthfeel)." You can still find maltodextrin on the ingredient list for Blue Machine Naked Juice.
Artificial (and Natural) Colorings
This one is almost a no-brainer: certain juices will contain dyes in them. The one under the most fire is Red 40, a dye that was linked to childhood ADHD (the link was later disputed by the FDA); another one, Yellow 6, was found in several brands of orange juice in one study. The CSPI points out that these bright colors in juice can often mask what’s really in your drink — so you might think you’re drinking a berry juice that’s really just bright red because of the dye. Of course, that doesn’t mean natural colorings are that much better for you. Take the Starbucks debacle when it was found to be using cochineal coloring for its Strawberry Frappuccinos — beetles may be natural, but we don’t want them in our juice. And as some point out, using additives like beet concentrate or carrot concentrate for color can cause big problems for those with food allergies, so it’s best to read those ingredient labels carefully.
This last one has everyone talking: ethyl butyrate, one ingredient you might see on your juice ingredient label, is better known as the "flavor pack" that makes your juice so appetizing. Tropicana Juice is one such company to come under fire (and lawsuits) for using flavor packs in orange juice to give it a "distinctive" and consistent taste. As Food Renegade explains: "When the juice is stripped of oxygen it is also stripped of flavor-providing chemicals. Juice companies therefore hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that formulate perfumes for Dior and Calvin Klein, to engineer flavor packs to add back to the juice to make it taste fresh. Flavor packs aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs, whether made for reconstituted or pasteurized orange juice, resemble nothing found in nature."Coca-Cola’s Simply Orange juice is another such example of a product "made with an algorithm." The "Black Book" model, Bloomberg recently revealed, is how Coca-Cola can replicate the same taste of orange juice despite the variables of juice production — using "natural fragrances and flavors."
Capri Sun recently made waves when mold was found in its kid-friendly juices — and not just a little bit of fungus. But Capri Sun is hardly the only juice lately to have been found to have levels of mold and fungus. Two other juices recently recalled? Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Apple Juice and Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Cranberry Juice Blend (found to contain pantulin), and Winn-Dixie Organic 100 percent Apple Juice. While the authors of the study on Capri Sun said the fungus levels weren't high enough to be dangerous, it still doesn't make us crave a juice pouch. And you know, maybe check your juice cartons, just in case.
Sodium benzoate isn't all bad; it's a naturally occurring salt found in many fruits and vegetables. The problem is that it's often used as a preservative as well, which means it often shows up in fruit and vegetable juices. Wisegeek notes that the FDA allows 0.1 percent benzoate in foods, and that it's not been shown to be a harmful ingredient. But some studies have raised concern that when benzoate is mixed with vitamin C, it turns into benzene, a known carcinogen. It's best to be wary when you see sodium benzoane on the label; better start drinking those fresh-pressed juices.
And speaking of sodium, if you're drinking anything but a freshly made vegetable juice, you should definitely be checking the sodium content on the nutrition label. Vegetable juices, such as the well-known V8 juices, are known sodium bombs. Those vegetable juice cocktails can have up to 480 milligrams of sodium in one cup.
Just be glad we didn't show you exactly where this "natural flavoring" comes from. Much like the controversy surrounding cochineal extract, we expect castoreum to start a debate. Castoreum, used to make raspberry flavorings in ice creams, Jell-O, candy, fruit flavored drinks, teas and yogurts, and — you guessed it — fruit flavored drinks and teas, castoreum comes from a beaver's anal glands. Rodale notes that companies don't have to state where their natural flavorings come from so, you know, you've been warned.


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'Chorley is open for business,' says council despite two months of looming town centre road disruptions
Chorley town centre is ‘still very much open for business’ despite eight weeks of looming road distruption as part of expansion work to the town’s shopping centre, the council has said.
Union Street, which links the A6 Chorley bypass to Park Road past the Flat Iron car park, will be closed after Easter from Tuesday, May 7 for two weeks.
After this, the road is expected to reopen with a series of one way diversions to access the Flat Iron car park, used by many to access the neighbouring Booths supermarket and many other town centre shops.
The work comes as part of the £16 million extension work to the Market Walk shopping centre which will see an M&S Foodhall and a six-screen cinema, among other retail outlets, come to town.
Mark Lester, Chorley Council’s Director of Business, Development and Growth, said: “Work on the extension to Market Walk shopping centre is progressing well with the town centre development starting to take shape.
"As part of the council’s town centre improvement scheme, work will start on improving Union Street after Easter, which will mean there will be some road closures in place and some disruption over the next eight weeks.
“Apart from the first two weeks in May, when Union Street will be closed between Fellery Street and Clifford Street, we will be operating a series of one way diversions and access to the Flat Iron car park will be maintained throughout.
"While these works are ongoing, Chorley town centre is still very much open for business.
"We’re just asking drivers to be aware that some diversions are in place and if you do wish to avoid the diversions completely, Portland Street and Friday Street car parks have over 400 spaces available.”


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Nov 16, 2012 4:00am EST
snow will reach from washington state to central california. >>> on cbs moneywatch it's do or die for snack maker hostess and the hiring outlook for the next crop of college graduates, ashley morrison is here in new york with more. >> reporter: this could be the day when hostess brand goes out of business. the maker of twinkies, won bread and other products say it may liquidate its business as early as today unless striking workers go back to work. 18,000 workers would lose their job. the company shut three plants earlier this week. some employees will return to work. continued concerns about the fiscal cliff in the u.s. slowed down stocks in asia. hong kong's hang seng grew up and the nikkei added 2%. wall street stocks posted a third consecutive decline driven by weak retail forecasts and higher unemployment claims. the dow lost 28 points on thursday. nasdaq ended nine points lower. investors will be watching today's meeting between president obama and congressional leaders for signs of a break in the fiscal cliff negotiations. federal reserve chairman says banks are keeping the
Nov 13, 2012 4:00am PST
me a lot better than that. i can understand somebody in l.a. or california doing it and making some kind of statement like that by watching the film. >> tuberville said he was angered over back-to-back penalties during texas tech's win over kansas. >>> when we come back, a soda that could fight fat. and costume controversy. victoria's secret under fire for one of designs at its annual fashion show. okay, now here's our holiday gift list. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate boxes. online pricing starts at $5.15. only from the postal service. caught up in david petraeus probe. why u-s commander in afghanistan is now under investigation. plus: sudden retirement. the port of oakland's director suddenly resigns. the possible connection to a stp club scandal. and heeding the call?
Nov 14, 2012 4:00am PST
: you won't find blastic bags at the checkout counter at bob's market in southern california. they are banned in 50 cities and counties across the state. francine shops with her own reusable bag and wants more communities to enforce similar bans. >> if they went through a garbage dump or a trash site and saw what was going on they would think twice about it. >> reporter: supporters of the ban say plastic bags crowd land fills, pollute streets and waterways and threaten marine life. where plastic is banned like here in santa monica, stores go through piles of paper bags. those also take a toll on the environment but about 50% do get recycled. that's compared to about 5% of plastic bags. but manufacturers say banning the bags is unfair. >> the amount of litter nationally that plastic bags produce is less than half of 1%. >> reporter: marine scientis is with the advocacy group heal the bay and says in los angeles plastic bags make up closer to 25%. >> litter on the streets gets washed through the storm sewer system, through our waterway systems. and plastic bags are part of that


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by Denny Jacob
Shares of Boston Beer Company fell 7.97% in late trading after Brewer lowered its annual earnings outlook as interest in hard seltzers like Trulli continued and gross margins were expected to be hurt by supply chain issues. have hope.
The company forecasts earnings per share for 2021 to be between a loss of $1 and a gain of $1. It had previously guided for earnings per share between $2 and $6.
The company’s lower outlook was driven by higher-than-expected reductions in inventory from wholesalers and supply chain costs.
The company’s current projections for 2021 include estimates that shipments will grow between 15% and 16% and that national value growth will be between 2% and 3%.
In July, founder and chairman C. James Koch said that a mature market and new hard seltzer brands resulted in “a proliferation and consumer confusion.”
On Thursday, the company said consumer demand for its products has been at the high end of its expectations since its last guidance update in October 2021.
The Boston-based company’s initial guidance for 2022 hasn’t changed since October. It expects reduction and shipment percentage growth to be between the mid-single digits and low double digits, with national value rising between 3% and 6%, and gross margin falling between 45% and 48%.
The maker of the Samuel Adams beer is down 47% over the past year, while the S&P 500 index is up nearly 26% during the same period.
Write to Denny Jacob at [email protected]


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Published: Sep 22, 2021
The personal details of more than 106 million international travellers to Thailand were exposed on the web without a password last month, Comparitech researchers report. The database included full names, passport numbers, arrival dates, and more.
Published: May 05, 2020
The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry is seeking to postpone the enforcement of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) as the Covid-19 crisis has been a major obstacle in the path of many companies and SMEs adjusting their systems accordingly, Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said.
Published: May 15, 2019
A NETWORK OF credit card salespeople and bank employees in Jakarta have been trading the personal information of bank customers and credit card holders with each other in an effort to make quicker sales, as reported by Kompas daily in a recent investigation.
Published: Apr 14, 2018
THE National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission (NBTC) has sought an urgent meeting with executives of TrueMove H, one of the country’s three major mobile phone operators, to question a probable massive leak of customers’ personal data.


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Paris and Frankfort, October 3rd 2016 – inWebo is pleased to announce the appointment of Carlos Pinilla as a VP of Sales for the DACH Region: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Mr Pinilla is a seasoned IT-security professional, having been among others a regional sales & marketing director for Utimaco, an Aachen (Germany) based hardware security module (HSM) vendor, and a partner of inWebo.
Based out of Frankfort, Mr Pinilla will spearhead inWebo development by building a channel of selected security partners, software vendors, and system integrators. As one of its first appearances in the Region, inWebo will be present at the IT-SA security show in Nuremberg October 18-21.
www.inwebo.com – email@example.com


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CHICAGO — WHILE THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE dipped to 6.7%, only 74,000 new jobs were added in December. Many economists caution that the lower rate may not be all that favorable, since many people have given up looking for work, and the latest rate would not include those 374,000 people.
“The U.S. economy closed out 2013 by adding 74,000 jobs, bringing the 2013 total to nearly 2.2 million new jobs,” says Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “With 87,000 new private-sector jobs in December, that makes 8.2 million jobs created by the private sector over the last 46 straight months.”
Still, far too many Americans are struggling to find jobs and secure a foothold in the middle class, Perez adds.
“Long-term unemployment in particular remains a persistent challenge, stuck at a staggering high: 3.9 million Americans, representing 37.7% of all unemployed workers, have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks.”
ON THE HOUSING FRONT, RealtyTrac reports that 9.3 million properties were underwater in December, 19% of all mortgaged properties in the country. The number is gained when comparing the loan amount is at least 25% higher than the property’s market value. The number is lower than in September, when 10.7 million properties were underwater (23% of all mortgages), and the December number is the lowest since 2011.
THE NON-MANUFACTURING SECTORS report from the Institute for Supply Management shows that economic growth continued in December. “The NMI registered 53% in December, 0.9 percentage point lower than November’s reading of 53.9%,” says Anthony Nieves, chair of the institute’s Non-Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. It was the 48th month of consecutive growth noted by the purchasing and supply executives.
THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS also reported positive numbers for the November/December holiday shopping season. Despite extreme weather conditions and a shorter holiday season, sales increased 3%, says the ICSC. The December figure was 3.4% higher than a year ago, and was stronger than November’s 2.1% increase.
EXPORTS OF GOODS AND SERVICES increased by $1.7 billion in November, the U.S. Commerce Department reports, for a new monthly high of $194 billion – up from $193.1 billion in October. Exports for January through November of 2013 totaled $2.1 trillion, another record-setting year.
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE WAS UP for households with incomes under $75,000, according to the Surveys of Consumers from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan. The end of the government shutdown eased concerns somewhat, but it did not increase consumer confidence in the nation’s economic policies.
“Consumers were clearly relieved when the D.C. gridlock ended,” says Surveys of Consumers Chief Economist Richard Curtin. “Confidence has bounced back to nearly the same levels it was before the crisis in mid-2013. Simply ending the shutdown or passing a new budget to keep the government open, however welcome, is not seen by consumers as a proactive step toward better economic policy. … Consumers are not ready to celebrate, aside from those who have benefitted from rising stock-market wealth.”
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].


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Whether its customers are spending money — or not — Burberry wants them to have fun as they game their way across the Shenzhen shop floor.
Jenner photographed herself at home, on her computer, and stars in a CGI video created by Riccardo Tisci, Nick Knight, Peter Saville and Katy England for the summer TB monogram campaign.
Riccardo Tisci has revealed a September show date, a signal that calendars might slowly be returning to normal.
The company has raised its revenue guidance despite a severe decline in Hong Kong, and has added an extra 5 million pounds in cost savings for fiscal 2019-20.
Same-store sales were up 3 percent in the crucial quarter leading up to Christmas.
Genderless fashion designers and global retailers discuss the segment predicted to be the future of the industry.
The second half will be challenging, as the British pound strengthens and Hong Kong deteriorates.
Sales rose 5 percent, boosted by currency benefits, while the brand has inked a deal with Tencent to develop social retail in China.
“I wanted to celebrate the spirit of togetherness,” said chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci.
Surveying members, connecting with FGI’s regional outposts and strengthening partnerships in New York with more advanced technology are among her priorities.
The company is naming a director of diversity and inclusion, and plans to offer staff unconscious bias training.
First-quarter retail sales rose 4 percent, defying analysts’ expectations.