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Fastenal Co. of Winona, Minn., was facing a federal false claims lawsuit for failing to provide the government with the best possible price on a hardware contract first signed with GSA in 2000. The company discontinued the contract in 2005.
GSA’s inspector general had accused Fastenal of failing to provide agency contracting officials with current, accurate and complete information regarding its commercial sales practices, including discounts for nongovernmental customers. To be granted a Multiple Awards Schedule contract, companies must agree to disclose their commercial pricing policies and practices.
“Misrepresentations during contract negotiations undermine the integrity of the government procurement process,” said Tony West, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division. “The Justice Department is acting to ensure that government purchasers of commercial products can be certain that they are getting the prices to which they are entitled.”
The investigation was prompted by a 2005-2006 post-award audit by GSA’s inspector general looking into allegations that Fastenal was providing better discounts to its other customers, in violation of the price reduction clause of its GSA contract. The clause requires companies to give the government at least as good of a price as its best commercial customer.
The settlement also resolves allegations that Fastenal improperly assessed delivery and sales tax charges, causing the government to overpay. In addition, prosecutors accused the company of violating the 1979 Trade Agreements Act, which prohibits businesses from selling products to the government that were manufactured in nations without a trade agreement with the United States; in this case, China.
Last July, Justice told Fastenal that it planned to file a federal false claims suit if Fastenal did not pay $9.5 million. The company countered with a $750,000 settlement offer, which the government rejected at the time, according to documents Fastenal filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2010.
“This case is another demonstration of the value of OIG audits in helping to uncover fraud on government programs,” GSA Inspector General Brian Miller said.
Fastenal, which sells a host of hardware, electrical and plumbing supplies, denies the allegations.
“We continue to believe that we complied with our obligation under the GSA contract in all material respects,” the company said in a statement. “However, we felt a continuation of our dispute with the DOJ and GSA was not the best use of our resources.”
The Justice Department secured $3 billion in false claims settlements and judgments from civil lawsuits in fiscal 2010, most often involving companies attempting to defraud the federal government, according to data the Obama administration released last November. The financial recoveries were the second highest in the nation’s history and represented a 25 percent increase from fiscal 2009.
– by Robert Brodsky – GovExec.com – January 14, 2011


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US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced plans to help the Philippines double its semiconductor facilities to diversify the global chip supply chain. This comes after a $1 billion investment by US companies in the Philippines. Raimondo aims to encourage Southeast Asian nations to invest in chipmaking to reduce reliance on Taiwan, China, and South Korea. The Biden administration seeks to curb China's technological advancement amid tensions over Taiwan.
FAQs - US Chip Supply 'Too Concentrated' in Few Nations, Raimondo Says
Frequently Asked Questions
1. FAQ: Why is the US chip supply considered 'too concentrated' in few nations?
Answer: The US chip supply is viewed as 'too concentrated' because a significant portion of semiconductor manufacturing is located in a limited number of countries, notably Taiwan, which plays a key role in the global supply chain. The risks of this concentration are exacerbated by geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities.
2. FAQ: What are the implications of having a concentrated chip supply?
Answer: The implications of a concentrated chip supply chain include potential disruptions due to geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, or natural disasters affecting critical production regions. This can impact a broad range of industries and national security.
3. FAQ: What is the US doing to address the concentration of the chip supply chain?
Answer: The US is taking legislative and policy steps to address the concentration of the chip supply. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has discussed the CHIPs Act and long-term strategies to strengthen domestic semiconductor manufacturing as part of these efforts.
4. FAQ: How do global tensions, particularly between the US and China, affect the chip supply?
Answer: Global tensions, especially between the US and China, heighten concerns about the semiconductor supply chain. Competitive dynamics in technological innovation underscore the strategic importance of semiconductors in US-China relations.
5. FAQ: Has the COVID-19 pandemic had any impact on the semiconductor supply chain?
Answer: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated vulnerabilities in the global chip supply chain. Demand surges for electronics, alongside disruptions in manufacturing and logistical challenges, have led to shortages affecting various industries.

domain: news


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Rasha El Ghoussaini, Group Vertical Lead at Snap Inc. in the Middle East, on how AR is literally changing the face of the beauty industry.
The Covid-19 pandemic has — for better or worse — radically changed the way consumers in the region are shopping. This is especially the case in the beauty and cosmetics sector. Many consumers are not currently able to receive the in-store shopping experience they once had. Thankfully, today’s creative technologies offer a solution.
Last year in particular, businesses across the sector have doubled down on their digital transformation efforts. More and more beauty brands have gone online to reach their customers. While e-commerce services have been one part of that transition, mobile-led augmented reality (AR) tools have now become a pillar of successful consumer engagement in the region’s beauty industry.
Today’s AR capabilities can bridge the gap in a beauty brand’s online and offline offerings, enabling real interaction with their consumers in a fun, personalized, and meaningful way. Through the use of AR Lenses, customers can virtually try on new beauty products in real time from the comfort and safety of their own homes. We have seen this approach succeed time and again on Snapchat, driven by the reach and scaled engagement of our community through the power of AR.
In one such campaign, Make Up For Ever developed an AR product trial lens experience for the launch of its new lipstick range that delivered exceptional levels of awareness and sales. In the UAE and Kuwait, the lens delivered remarkable results of +9% lift in action intent and +9% in brand favorability, showing the brand’s success in engaging users. In Saudi Arabia, exposure to the lens resulted in a cost-effective $0.36 cost per influenced person. This success also translated into footfall to Sephora Stores as the Lens converted >1.2K Sephora customers offline. With the addition of video ads, Snapchat’s gamified lens experience contributed to a sellout growth of +43% YOY at Sephora and +116% growth in the lips category.
In addition to its creative potential, beauty brands are also able to connect with unique, attentive audiences when investing in mobile AR on platforms like Snapchat. In Saudi Arabia and the UAE, for example, almost 50% of Snapchatters are female. Over 50% of Snapchat’s female audience are beauty mavens who interact with beauty content regularly, and 80% of female Snapchatters in places like KSA interact with AR experiences every month.
What this tells us is that the pivot towards creative, camera-led, mobile-first engagement in the region’s beauty sector is here to stay. Even as the region eventually recovers from the pandemic, consumer behavior has fundamentally changed, and there’s no going back. Brands at the forefront of the beauty sector have proven it is possible to evolve and even improve the customer experience by looking for innovative new ways to engage them. Moreover, it is now becoming easier and more efficient to develop quality AR experiences that facilitate virtual try-ons, and much more. As creative technologies like AR are applied at scale, the region’s beauty brands can provide a new level of utility that allows people to try and purchase their favorite beauty products.


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Norwalk’s first big indoor culinary event is right around the corner. From TownVibe, the folks who brought you Taste of Fairfield and WinterFest, comes a brand-new food-lovers festival celebrating even more local restaurants and businesses, highlighting the work of the Norwalk-based Family & Children’s Agency, with a special fun-filled and family-friendly day of tastings and entertainment at the newly renovated LaKota Oaks (32 Weed Avenue) in Norwalk.
The event takes place Sunday, March 24 from 1 PM to 4 PM, with a special VIP Experience Preview entry ticket from noon to 1 PM. Tickets can be purchased at savorlocal.org
Over 25 restaurants and businesses will bring their tastes and sips to share with the Savor Local guests that day. A complete list of participants and sponsors is available at TownVibe.com. In addition to the great food and drink, there will be a DJ and live entertainment by Lakeside Productions, a 95.9 Fox crew, comedians from the Fairfield Comedy Club, a kids’ craft area by AR Workshop, and pop-up shops featuring Connecticut-based entrepreneurs.
The event benefits Family & Children’s Agency of Norwalk through a “Chances to Win” table with terrific prizes including fine jewelry, hotel stays, and spa visits, and a donate link when tickets are purchased at savorlocal.org. “Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) is excited to be the beneficiary of the chances to win items and guest donations for the inaugural Savor Local event. As a social services agency serving more than 13,000 of our neighbors in need each year, our work would not be possible without the support of donors, volunteers, and companies like TownVibe. By partnering with Family & Children’s Agency to provide funding and awareness of our more than 30 programs, TownVibe is helping children, families, adults, and seniors have access to the critical services FCA offers,” says Robert F. Cashel, President & CEO of Family & Children’s Agency.
For more information contact Robin Phillips, rphillips@TownVibe.com


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Remember when Activision stated that there was already a new Call of Duty set for release in 2011? Well it looks like it’ll be set in the cold blackness of Space.
No, this is not a joke.
Gamasutra reported today that Sledgehammer Games, the newly formed Activision-owned studio, is supposedly working on a FPS Call of Duty title that will be set in “the future” and will feature “Space Marines.”
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first piece of evidence that a Space-themed Call of Duty title was in the works. According to Superannuation, Activision registered internet domains for Call of Duty: Future Warfare, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: Secret Warfare, and Call of Duty: Space Warfare back in May.
Here’s hoping that this never happens.


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If you think the teenagers in your life have been eating a lot of unhealthy food – you’re probably right.
U.S. adolescents get about two-thirds of their calories from ultra-processed food, and the more they eat, the worse they score on important measures of heart health, a new study says.
Nutritionists started using the term “ultra-processed food” about a decade ago. The study used a diet classification system called NOVA that sums it up as “snacks, drinks, ready meals and many other products created mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods or derived from food constituents with little if any intact food.”
Experts say not all processed foods are unhealthy. Some can still have nutritional value.
The ultra-processed food category includes chips, cookies, candy, soft drinks and ready-to-heat products such as pizza, instant soup, hot dogs and chicken nuggets. In short – a list of wrappers you might find on the floor of a teenager’s room.
A new study has shed light on the link between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and the shortening of telomeres; sections of chromosomes that can be used as a marker of biological age. The work was conducted by Lucia Alonso-Pedrero and colleagues with the supervision of Professor Maira Bes-Rastrollo and Professor Amelia Marti, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
The research, being presented at this year’s European and International Conference on Obesity (ECOICO 2020), held online this year (1-4 September), indicates that telomeres were twice as likely to be short in individuals who had a high consumption (more than 3 servings per day) of UPFs. Short telomeres are a marker of biological aging at the cellular level, and the study suggests that diet may be causing the cells to age faster.
What is the difference? Definitions vary, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture says anything that changes the fundamental nature of an agricultural product – heating, freezing, dicing, juicing – is a processed food.


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By Abhirup Roy and Malathi Nayak
(Reuters) - Video game retailer GameStop Corp, forecast full-year earnings below market expectations as it is yet to see an uptick in sagging video game software sales, despite robust hardware sales driven by the launches of Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 consoles.
GameStop shares fell as much as 9.3 percent in morning trading on Thursday, making the stock one of the top percentage losers on the New York Stock Exchange.
The Grapevine, Texas-based company, which reported a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter profit, had said in January that sales of games for older versions of Xbox and PlayStation consoles were sagging.
Robust sales of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles led to a 42 percent rise in video game hardware sales last month, according to market research firm NPD Group.
"Investors came into this quarter with high expectations of how new-generation consoles would drive sales of hardware and software," Morningstar analyst Liang Feng, said.
"New software sales over the past few years have been turning downward... You're seeing some investors get jittery that maybe it's a structural trend that will continue."
In addition to uncertainty around sales of new games, GameStop's used-game business, historically its most profitable, will face new competition from retail giant Wal-Mart, which said last week it would allow U.S. shoppers to trade in used games for anything from groceries to gadgets.
The company forecast full-year earnings of $3.40-$3.70 per share and revenue growth of 8-14 percent or about $9.76 billion-$10.30 billion. Analysts are expecting earnings of $3.76 per share on revenue of $9.85 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
"We've got through a very tough transitional quarter," CEO Paul Raines said in an interview. "But we're very bullish on the (new)consoles."
GameStop executives told investors in a conference call that a drop in software sales for older consoles had impacted its fourth-quarter results.
The company's net profit fell to $220.5 million, or $1.89 per share in the fourth quarter ended February 1 from $261.1 million, or $2.15 per share, a year earlier.
Revenue rose to $3.68 billion from $3.56 billion, helped mainly by demand for new game consoles from Sony and Microsoft.
Excluding one-time items, GameStop earned $1.90 per share, missing the average analyst estimate of $1.92 on revenue of $3.79 billion.
GameStop shares were down 4.1 percent at $37.29 in afternoon trading. The stock, which was trading at $25.30 a year ago, hit a 52-week high of $57.74 in mid-November when Sony and Microsoft released their new consoles.
GameStop's sales largely depend on consoles made by Sony Corp, Microsoft Corp and Nintendo Co Ltd, which increasingly must compete with games available on tablets and smartphones.
Console gamers are also buying more games online through digital platforms on PCs and mobile devices.
In recent years, GameStop has diversified its revenue stream by selling new and used games to console owners and expanding its digital and mobile offerings, including sale of iOS and Android devices in some stores.
GameStop Corp, the largest dealer of used videogames has a new competitor in Wal-Mart in the used games business. Sony also plans to launch a service to sell older games online.
Wal-Mart is also pitting itself against retailers such as Best Buy Co and Target Corp that are also in used games business, which involves refurbishing old games and selling them at a reduced rate.
Some analysts have said that GameStop would continue to be a dominant player despite the threat of increased competition.
"We're more watchful for how much of the old console market has moved onto the mobile and PC gaming platform and what's the trend in the console market itself as Xbox and PlayStation strengthen their digital market over time," Feng said.
(Additional reporting by Lehar Maan in Bangalore; Editing by Ted Kerr and Stephen Powell)


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The garment industry of bangladesh
The readymade garments industry acts as a catalyst for the development of bangladesh rmg helps effectively to change the economical scenery of bangladesh the made in bangladesh tag has also brought glory for the country, making it a prestigious brand across the world. After the bangladesh garment manufacturers and exporters association (bgmea) ordered owners to reopen factories on dec 26, employers fired and suspended more than 1,600 workers for their alleged involvement in the unrest labor leaders and activists in bangladesh and abroad demanded the reinstatement of all workers. Bangladesh’s disaster capitalism by how will bangladesh’s garment industry cope with the the bangladeshi garment industry illustrates how global. In bangladesh the garment industry is the principal although there are no estimates on the number of home-based garment workers, the bangladesh home. Although bangladesh has made remarkable recent strides like building green factories and meeting stringent safety standards, garment workers here are still paid one of the lowest minimum wages in the.
Bangladesh textile industry sets export record this phenomenal success can be attributed to bangladesh’s growing apparel industry. Bangladesh’s garment industry, the second-largest exporter of clothing after china, has a notoriously poor fire safety record since 2006. The garment industry in bangladesh has been expanded almost uninterruptedly since the late 1970s it survived multi-fiber arrangement (mfa) phase out at the end of.
Facts on the global garment industry 1 15'rising wages squeeze bangladesh garment workers as factories await upgrades' (dhaka tribune, 16 april 2014). Five years after deadly factory fire, bangladesh’s garment workers are still vulnerable the fast fashion industry needs to realise that for garment workers. While bangladesh has set out an ambitious export strategy, a variety of factors and challenges will ultimately determine its execution.
1 the journey to safety excellence in the garment industry in bangladesh: past, present and future dr m sam mannan, pe, csp, dhc regents professor and executive director. Bangladesh accord reaches 150 the accord has now also appointed inspection companies to roll out an inspection programme to more than 1700 suppliers/garment.
4 years after rana plaza tragedy, what's changed for bangladeshi garment workers : the incident shook bangladesh's $28 billion garment industry. The readymade garments industry acts as a catalyst for the development of bangladesh the made in bangladesh tag has also brought glory for the country, making it a prestigious brand across the globe bangladesh, which was once termed by cynics a bottomless basket has now become a basket full of wonders. Bangladesh: protect garment workers’ rights both the us and the eu called on the bangladeshi government and garments industry to to the bangladesh garment. Amna nawaz: tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of what many consider the worst garment industry accident in history, the collapse of rana plaza at the outskirts of the capital of bangladesh.
Dhaka, bangladesh – five years ago today, the collapse of the rana plaza building claimed the lives of 1,134 men and women, left thousands more injured and changed the bangladesh garment industry forever. The textile and clothing industries provide the single source of growth in bangladesh's rapidly developing economy exports of textiles and garments are the principal source of foreign exchange earnings. Garment industry started developing in bangladesh in the late 1970s when the high-cost producers, for example, us, eu, etc moved to low cost countries for outsourcing their merchandises.
Bangladesh's largest export industry has been thrown into disarray by a brutal terrorist attack that killed 20 people, nearly all of them foreigners. Bangladesh has emerged as an important supplier of quality readymade garments in the global market the impressive growth of garment sector in bang. Factsheet bangladesh 1 lina stotz facts on bangladesh’s garment industry key statistics: population: more that 160 million people (2014) bangladesh has the highest population density in the world1.
Concept by rifat chowdhury prince | supported by and ltd | hosted by ict layer internet is all about making lives easier, with the help of search engines and apps, inventors and designers have made it possible for the world to be connected and obtain information within seconds. Bangladesh's garment industry is the second-largest exporters of textiles after china and has a notorious fire safety record. Garment industry is a main source of foreign exchange of bangladesh it has been the key export division for the last 25 years garment factories provide employment to 40 percent of total industrial workers of bangladesh so garment industry are the source of employment in bangladesh. Readymade garments (rmg) sector of bangladesh has raised as the biggest earner of foreign currency this sector creates about 42 million employment scope.Get file


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October 5, 2020
New Zealand's Fonterra to sell its dairy farms in China for US$368 million
New Zealand-based Fonterra said it agreed to selling its farms in China for NZD 555 million (~US$367.97 million; NZD 1 = US$0.66) to focus on the New Zealand market and lower its debt, Reuters reported.
In 2019, Fonterra announced that it will stop its overseas expansion plans after being criticised by its cooperative, which has 10,000 New Zealand farmers, for its China market presence and its value-added consumer products that were negatively affecting its profits.
Miles Hurrel, chief executive officer for Fonterra said they have been reviewing their business for the past 18 months to ensure their assets and investments meet the cooperatives' needs, adding that the sale of their farms in China will ensure the company's focus on the domestic market.
The company also said the sale will help Fonterra better prioritse its foodservice, consumer and ingredients business efforts in China, which is its biggest market.
Two Chinese companies have purchased the farms. Youran Dairy Group paid NZD 513 million (~US$341 million) for two farming-hubs located in Ying and Yutian, while Beijing Sanyuan Venture Capital will acquire an 85% stake in Fonterra's Hangu farm.
Fonterra said the cash proceeds from the sales will be used to pay down its debt, which it had reduced by NZD 1 billion (~US$664.8 million) as of September this year.


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JCDecaux today announced the promotion of Oliver Newton to chief sales officer. This promotion is part of a suite of initiatives to ensure that customer success is at the heart of JCDecaux, strengthening areas of the business to deliver unrivalled customer experience and drive positive business outcomes for brands.
In his new role, Newton will lead the JCDecaux agency and direct sales teams across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, responsible for driving deeper engagement with media agencies and advertising partners in an increasingly progressive and sophisticated Out-of-Home marketplace.
Newton, who was previously general manager of sales, has more than 15 years’ experience in sales and joined JCDecaux UK in 2006 as Business Development Manager, before joining JCDecaux Australia in 2010.
JCDecaux chief commercial officer, Max Eburne, said: “Olly is a passionate and dedicated sales leader with a rare talent for identifying exactly what advertisers and agencies want. He has a proven capability in building strong, progressive and service-oriented sales teams that will continue JCDecaux’s success in realising the amazing opportunities that lie ahead of us.”
Commenting on his promotion, Newton said: “I am incredibly honoured to take on the role of Chief Sales Officer, ensuring that we deliver exceptional client service and have customer success at the heart of everything we do. We have a fantastic sales team across Australia at JCDecaux and I look forward to leading them to greater success.”
Newton’s appointment is effective immediately.
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Western Australian retailer Liquor Barons has partnered with audience engagement platform Komo to make weekly bottle shop runs more special. To launch its new engagement hub, the team at Liquor Barons are giving away a $5000 audio package through an Aussie Slang trivia challenge for users. Hub visitors can also engage in a Gage Roads […]
Interpublic Group has announced that Team Dynamic has been appointed the regional production and operations partner for the BMW Group in nine markets following a competitive multi-agency pitch. The win consolidates remit across eleven markets with IPG, following Team Dynamic’s appointment as production partner in Japan and India in early 2021. New markets include Australia, […]
Aussie food tech company and meat-free specialists, All G Foods, has commissioned Sydney-based agency, The One Centre to lead the positioning and branding for its stable of brands. The One Centre will now be responsible for all of All G Food’s positioning and branding, as well as that of plant-based ‘meat’ brand Buds, creating the […]


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The opening round of the 2020 Sparco Rotax Pro Tour will not take place this weekend.
Karting Australia released the following statement, citing a reluctance from competitors to travel interstate in the current COVID-19 climate.
Karting Australia, International Karting Distributors and the Go-Kart Club of Victoria advises that the opening round of the 2020 Rotax Pro Tour, scheduled for this weekend (March 21/22), has been postponed.
The postponement comes following feedback from Competitors and Team Members advising of their reluctance to travel interstate in the current climate of uncertainty that Australians currently face surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
It remains the intention to ensure that the 2020 Rotax Pro Tour is contested across four rounds. At this stage will proceed as scheduled and an additional date, likely to be in the latter part of the year, will be advised in due course.
All competitors who have entered the event will be provided a refund for their round entry fee to the same credit card on which the original payment was made.
Karting Australia – Chief Executive Officer


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Apple today unveiled its new Pandora competitor iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service that delivers music based on what users listen to through iTunes.
The Cupertino company also showed off at its annual developer conference in San Francisco iOS7, a massively overhauled new operating system for mobile devices.
Featuring over 200 stations and music from the iTunes Store, iTunes Radio will be ad-supported and free to use. It promises to evolve according to users' listening habits, creating stations around artists, songs, or genres.
Users can get ad-free service by buying Apple's iTunes Match service for $25 a year. ITunes match stores purchased music on Apple's servers.
Pandora (NYSE: P) is based in Oakland. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is in Cupertino.


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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Ford Lio Ho (FLH) celebrated last year’s achievements and promised to continue going further by bringing new products to Taiwan, at its annual media spring wine festival.
Around 110 journalists from 61 business, automobile and lifestyle media attended the gathering named “Chun Jiou” (Spring Wine) — a tradition of welcoming the New Year, during which FLH made a committment to build on its success in 2012.
“Ford had a really successful year globally, in terms of both operating profits and the introduction of new products,” said Thomas Fann, FLH president, during his welcome speech. “It also served as the prelude to the Taiwan Better Plan, which oversaw the local success of Ford vehicles in 2012. We will continue that momentum by keep on bringing more new products to the market.”
After launching the new brand promise “Go Further” and unveiling popular new model Ford-brand vehicles including the Ranger, Fiesta, Focus and Mustang, FLH’s 2013 plan also includes an upgrade of manufacturing facilities and more innovative campaigns to further promote the brand.
The Spring Wine banquet was also used to launch the 24-hour Focus Free Test Drive Program. Introduced last year as a groundbreaking long-lasting test driving campaign, the 24-hour Free Drive allows consumers to own the car for 24 hours by just leaving a small deposit at the rental company.
With its partner IWS Rental, FLH is committed to providing consumers with innovative service that promises a new product experience.
“Last year we had the 24-hour Fiesta Free Drive, which turned out to be a great success,” said Anderson Liu, director of Marketing and Sales, FLH. “We hope more consumers will get a first-person experience with the new Focus this year.”
Executives from Ford Asia Pacific, including Karen Hampton, vice president, Communications, Ford Asia Pacific, attended the banquet as VIP guests.
Attending journalists were excited about Ford’s plan and eager to see more action in 2013.
“Great to see how Ford is determined to go further. It will be a pleasure to see Ford make something different,” said Show-Wei Wu from ChinaTime.
Spring Wine for a better year: FLH and Ford AP executives toasting for a successful future.
The 24-hour Focus Free Test Drive Programs intends to further promote the already-popular nameplate in Taiwan


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Judging for the ‘Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ awards ceremony, to determine the best performing women-owned businesses, has drawn to a close.
An impressive line-up of carefully selected judges spent three days pouring over many applications and has arrived at the finalists and category winners. The exceptional performance of women in the business of exports has also been identified, with the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) Sri Lanka getting ready to hosting the country’s premier national woman entrepreneur awards on 5 August.
This year’s judging panel comprised corporate bigwigs such as Commercial Bank Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director Sivakrishnarajah Renganathan, Triad Group of Companies Co-founder and Joint Managing Director Varuni Amunugama Fernando, National Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka (NCCSL) Past Chairman and Hettigoda Group of Companies Managing Director Asoka Hettigoda, Industrial Development Board (IDB) former Director Geoffrey Tillekaratne who has served the Export Development Board (EDB) in export promotion and development for over three decades and Ceylon Biscuits Group Managing Director Sheamalee Wickramasingha.
President Maithripala Sirisena will grace the occasion as Chief Guest at WCIC’s bi-ennial gala Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, on 5 August. Sri Lanka’s prestigious national awards that celebrates the achievements of outstanding businesswomen, has on board Dialog Axiata as its principle sponsor among a host of other corporate sponsors. Sri Lanka Export Development Board (SLEDB) has come forward as the principal sponsor for ‘Woman Exporter of the Year’ award, the category of which was introduced just this year.
“WCIC, through these awards have been recognising the contribution of women entrepreneurs and their contribution to the economy of our Country. We look forwards to celebrating the stellar performances and achievements of exceptional women entrepreneurs on 5 August,” stated WCIC Chairperson Rifa Musthapha.
“It will be a celebratory evening of recognising success by building and leading entrepreneurial ventures that have made a significant impact on the economy and the community. Now it’s time we salute and support such women entrepreneurs from our midst,” she concluded.


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What the press release says
The exchange claims that the listing will be held at a time when the market circulation stabilizes, as well as liquidity conditions will be created.
Representatives of the platform noted that their exchange will be the first to support the launch of PYUSD. She is also going to constantly support the PayPal stablecoin trading pair with the Tether coin. At the same time, the pair will trade with zero commission.
Note that the payment giant launched the stablecoin yesterday. Paxos infrastructure company was chosen as the issuer. Almost 27 million coins have already been issued.
Tokens were created on the Ethereum blockchain using the ERC-20 standard. Experts believe that stable coins will make transfers and international payments easier. It will also help the future adoption of cryptocurrencies.
It should be noted that they started talking about the possible appearance of a stable coin backed by the dollar from the payment giant back in 2021.


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Victoria Beckham also posted an apology to customers who had a problem buying the collection online
There is little information online, but rumor has it that Victoria is keen to have the fifth baby since her close friend Tana Ramsey is expecting her fifth and Posh Spice seems to have been toying with the idea too
Victoria Beckham, Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, Justin Timberlake, Julianne Moore and Naomi Watts also set cameras flashing before they sat down to enjoy Woody Allen's third film which opened the 12-day festival
Priyanka Chopra attended the Television Critics' Association's bi-annual gathering in Los Angeles, wearing a hot pink dress by Victoria Beckham
The designers, who are gay and were in a long-term relationship with each other a few years ago, said it was the veteran British singer who was being judgemental
The former band reunited for a performance in 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony
Singer-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham will receive the Global Gift Philanthropeneur Award for her commitment to charitable causes
Victoria claims to be "addicted" to SoulCycle sessions, she admits they are difficult.
Harper is only two years old, and has a wardrobe full of designer labels. She is always dressed well by her uber stylish parents
Be it Hollywood or Bollywood, actresses put in everything to achieve success and stardom. But once they marry and have children, these glam girls prefer to be hands-on mothers and say neither meaty roles nor red carpet perfect looks distract them from their domestic preoccupations.
Singer-turned-designer Victoria Beckham has drawn up elaborate plans for her new London home, including a futuristic 500,000 pounds kitchen.
Fashion designer Victoria Beckham says that she and her husband David are very proud of each other.


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Heather Mills shows off a hair-raising new look as she celebrates anniversary of her vegan restaurant
She has never made a secret of her desire to be fashionable.
But today Heather Mills took her attempts to the next level as she stepped out with a hair-raising new look for the first anniversary of her vegan restaurant V Bites in Hove, Sussex.
The 42-year-old wore a psychedelic-style green and purple maxi dress for the event, which was attended by crowds of locals keen to show their support for Mills.
Hair-raising new look: Heather Mills wore an unusual green and purple dress for the first anniversary of her vegan café V Bites in Hove
Fashionable? The 42-year-old star had clearly tried hard with her appearance
With her bright blonde hair teased into a Jedward-style quiff, Heather had clearly tried to reinvent her look for the event.
She spent the afternoon making the most of the sunshine, chatting to locals and enjoying her restaurant's food and drink.
Before the event, Heather took to her Twitter page to tweet: 'Stunning weather in Brighton/Hove for our VBites BIg Birthday bash,Great bands,DJ's,Pizza and ice cream a true indulgence day,come say Hi xx'
Animal lover: Heather chats to a young girl and pets her dog as they enjoy the sun
Heather opened V Bites in Hove Lagoon after deciding there wasn't enough cafés which cater for vegans in the area.
Speaking about the venture before last year's opening, she said: 'It’s for everybody. It will be very family orientated during the day but it will be for all ages.
'My grandmother lived here for 38 years so I really want it to be somewhere elderly people can go as well.
'It is going to be really funky, with nice music and ambience and good staff.'
Popular: Diners enjoyed the food and the weather outside Heather's café
And it seems the café has proved extremely popular with local residents - with some even taking the opportunity to wear T-shirts with 'Heather Forever' emblazoned on them.
Heather added recently: 'I am not telling people to stop eating meat and dairy altogether.
'I’m just saying come and try it one day a week, have a nice meal and do your bit for the environment.'
Fans: Some even wore T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan 'Heather Forvever'
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Back in December HMD launched their first Nokia mobile phone, the Nokia 150 and now the handset is available in the UK.
The Nokia 150 is a feature phone rather than a smartphones and the handset is now available from the Carphone Warehouse in the UK.
Not everyone needs all the bells and whistles of a smartphone. In fact, in today’s hectic world, returning to the classic styling of a Nokia feature phone could be regarded as good as a complete digital detox.
Nokia has today released a brand new feature rich phone, which is available exclusively at Carphone Warehouse. The new Nokia 150 is packed full of all of the great things you love about Nokia features phones, but more modern distractions like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram still don’t make an appearance.
The Nokia 150 is available for £35 From the Carphone Warehouse on Pay as You Go, this includes a £10 credit, you can find out more details about the device at the link below.
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.


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More foreign companies quitting India is bad news for ‘Make in India’
After Ford announced not to make EVs, withdrew from PLI, and revive its plans to shift out, Tesla has decided not to sell EVs in India, jeopardising its future plans to manufacture in India.
RBI's rate hike to hit the brakes on auto sales: FADA
The auto dealers' lobby warns that high interest rates for vehicle loans will be an additional blow for the two-wheeler segment.
2022 paints a chaotic, uncertain picture for auto sector despite healthy demand
Indian automakers are struggling to bridge the gap between supply and demand as inflated raw materials jolts them with the semiconductor shortage.
Maruti, Hero, Tata, others invest ₹74,850 cr in PLI scheme for auto sector
95 companies have been chosen for the scheme – 75 for the components part, while the ministry had already approved 20 manufacturers for the vehicles part.
February auto sales: Tata Motors, M&M, Nissan India post growth in sales; Maruti, Hyundai buck trend
Barring Maruti and Hyundai Motor India, most of other auto companies reported growth on a year-on-year basis in February 2022.
RBI maintains status quo: Here’s how rate sensitive stocks reacted
The BSE bankex, realty, and auto index gained up to 1.2% after the RBI kept the policy repo rate unchanged and retained an accommodative stance.
Sensex, Nifty end tad lower; SBI, M&M, NTPC, Kotak Bank, Wipro fall
SBI topped the BSE Sensex losers’ chart by falling 2%, followed by Mahindra & Mahindra, NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Wipro, among others.
Budget 2022: Auto cos bear the brunt
Auto companies have been smarting under the influence of the pandemic, their woes exacerbated by the semiconductor shortage, rising fuel prices.
Budget 2022: Auto industry seeks breather from decade-low sales
Industry observers expect the government to strengthen its existing measures. Any tax relief for OEMs in manufacturing looks unlikely.


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After successfully raising $2.7 Million on Kickstarter for the OSSIC X 3D audio headphone earlier this year, OSSIC is now proud to announce that the X has been chosen by Popular Science magazine as the 2016 Grand Award winner for ‘Best of What’s New in Entertainment’.
Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations — breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. Being recognized as a technology that represents the future of entertainment reinforces OSSIC’s commitment to creating the world’s highest quality 3D audio headphone experience.
The OSSIC X is an intelligent 3D audio listening platform that redefines the way we hear sound in headphones. Integrating various IMU sensors, a beamforming array of 8 audio drivers, and smart audio algorithms, the OSSIC X enables accurate and immersive 3D audio playback that’s tailored to the unique anatomy of the listener.
“We are thrilled that Popular Science selected the OSSIC X to win the Grand Award in Entertainment,” says Jason Riggs, founder and CEO of OSSIC. “OSSIC is about revolutionizing the way we experience sound, and this award further validates that immersive audio will play a powerful role in entertainment experiences now and in the future. We’re excited for what’s next.”
Founded in 1872, Popular Science is the world’s largest science and technology magazine; with a circulation of 1.3 million and 6.8 million bi-monthly readers. The OSSIC X is featured in the November/December issue of Popular Science magazine, you can pick up your copy today and view the article HERE!
Learn more about 3D audio at www.ossic.com.


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New York Bitcoiners Move to Abolish Draconian BitLicense Regulation
While bitcoin and cryptocurrency regulation is essential, it’s also very important to draft these guidelines in a way that will be for the good of all. However, in recent times, most regulatory authorities have formed a bad habit of creating oppressive laws that do nothing but stifle the growth of the digital currency industry. One of such laws is New York’s BitLicense. Now bitcoin enthusiasts in New York have risen to fight against this punitive regulation.
Since introducing the BitLicense requirement for bitcoin service providers almost four years ago, the state of New York has not been crypto friendly.
Before the BitLicense law was enacted, there was a general consensus by early bitcoin adopters to have a set of clear rules and regulations that would govern the virtual currency industry. These regulations would offer consumer protection as well as ensuring that the finances of bitcoin-related businesses were as transparent as possible in order to prevent a recurrence of the Mt. Gox saga.
When Benjamin Meier Lawsky, the Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced the BitLicense proposal, the entire Bitcoin community at the time was quite appreciative of the willingness of the State authority to make collaboration happen.
However, after a long debate on the matter, almost everybody in the Bitcoin ecosystem concluded that the BitLicense proposal was too harsh and it would be almost impossible to trade in compliance with the regulatory framework suggested in the draft proposal.
A summarized version of the BitLicense Proposal read:
- Background check required for employees/founders with their fingerprints submitted to the FBI.
- Companies must keep at least a ten-year record of their transactions. It is also compulsory for firms to invest in New York bonds.
- Retained earnings and profits can only be invested in US dollars: Federal bonds, state bonds or money market funds.
- Firms must submit quarterly financial statements within 45 days of the closing of each quarter; financial statements must be audited using GAAP.
The proposal also requires a written approval of all new business activities and offerings; along with many other unnecessary requirements.
Abolish the BitLicense
Even though some companies have succeeded in obtaining their BitLicense for a huge fee, most of these cryptocurrency-related firms are no longer active in New York City.
From paying non-refundable legal fees of roughly $100,000 or more to meeting other draconian requirements, Firms in the cryptocurrency industry find it a herculean task to obtain their BitLicense therefore these bitcoin enthusiasts have deemed it fit to organize a movement to “Abolish the BitLicense.”
There is no denying the fact that BitLicense makes bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies legal in a way, it is, however, pertinent for authorities to review most of its regulatory requirements to make it easier for startups to obtain it, instead of chasing them away to other bitcoin-friendly states with the regulation.
Source: Read Full Article


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If any of you out there are interested in the HTC Flyer for some reason, you’ll want to check out this deal from Buy.com. They are selling the device for $200, though I should note that this is a refurbished unit. Don’t let that deter you, though, as referbs tend to work quite as well as new units. While the device has Android 2.3 out of the box you’ll be able to upgrade it to Android 3.2 with HTC Sense on top of that. If you’re interested be sure to give Buy.com a shout here. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
stars Popular this Weeklaunch
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Giveaways have become a Google IO tradition of sorts, with attendees annually anticipating what newly announced hardware will be given away to everyone at the event. Did 2016’s giveaway live up to the hype?
It seems that because of Android N’s “seamless updates” feature require dual system partitions, current generation Nexus devices wont be compatible. Bummer.
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more_vertSamsung rollable display demo
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Motorola is planning to unveil a new super thin RAZR smartphone and their latest teaser video all but confirms it. Take a look.
more_vertChromebooks outsell Macs in the US
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Allo wont offer a default encryption setting because it’d kill Google Assistant functionality in the app. For users concerned with privacy, Allo’s Incognito Mode is the way to go.
more_vertDownload: Resident Evil 5
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After years of rumors, Intel’s “Meteor Lake” processors will lastly arrive in PCs on December 14. Now referred to as “Core Extremely” as a part of the corporate’s new naming scheme, it will likely be the primary chipsets constructed on Intel’s “4” (7nm) structure, in addition to the primary to incorporate an built-in neural processing unit (NPU). ) to speed up the efficiency of synthetic intelligence. In nearly each method, the Core Extremely chips display Intel’s subsequent route: constructing environment friendly, highly effective chips that may sustain with fashionable AI calls for.
At this level, Intel seems to be squarely targeted on laptops with Core Extremely chips. The corporate is It is rumored that Raptor Lake CPUs for desktop PCs will be updated Later this 12 months. Whereas it might be stunning to see a laptop computer chip take the lead, this technique makes some sense. Meteor Lake’s effectivity enhance goes in opposition to what desktop customers truly need: as a lot energy as attainable. So, for now at the least, the corporate is healthier off splitting up its 14th technology CPU households.
The Core Extremely is virtually a showcase for Intel’s newest improvements. It is primarily based on the corporate’s FOVEROS 3D packaging; It options all-new P and E cores, with a concentrate on being as energy environment friendly as attainable; Graphics can be as much as 2x quicker in the case of efficiency per watt; Along with utilizing the NPU, it may possibly additionally leverage its GPU and CPU for different AI duties. Funnily sufficient, it won’t help the corporate’s lately introduced Thunderbolt 5 commonplace, and as a substitute the Core Extremely will characteristic Thunderbolt 4 and PCIe Gen5.
We’re nonetheless ready for closing particulars on Intel’s closing Core Extremely fashions, in addition to the corporate’s plans for its 14th technology desktop chips. However for now, at the least, we have now loads of causes to be enthusiastic about subsequent 12 months’s lineup of laptops.


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Well, paint us surprised: Google Pixel 7 is official. About. At Google IO 2022, our company took a long look at the upcoming Android phone and now we know a lot about it.
We did not expect it at all, because the expected boot window for Google’s next flagship phone is around October 2022. We also saw the Google Pixel 6a, which we actually expected.
Although the release of the Pixel 7 is still months away, we now know a lot about the phone – so here are some of the biggest facts we just learned.
There are two more members of the family
As with the Google Pixel 6 series, there will be Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
It’s clear that the dual-phone approach has worked since last year – and it also suggests that the XL name, which Google used for a few years for its Pro-like phones, is gone.
The image you see at the top of this article is the Pixel 7 Pro.
We know what they look like
We know there are two Pixel 7 phones because Google showed us both.
The headphones do not look very different from their Pixel 6 predecessors, with the large camera line remaining the striking design feature.
According to Google, one change now is that the camera bump is now the same continuous piece as the frame – they are made from recycled aluminum.
We also know about colors: both phones are available in white and black, while there is a yellow Pixel 7 and a green Pixel 7 Pro.
We know how many cameras they will have
There are no changes in the number of cameras from the Pixel 6 series: expect two in the Pixel 7 and three in the Pixel 7 Pro.
The layout of these at the back has been rearranged a bit and we could see newer sensors playing, but the number itself is the same. We can also say that the Pixel 7 Pro will use telephoto lens, not periscope, zoom.
They will use a new Google chipset
While the Pixel 6 series used Google’s Tensor chipset, the next phones will receive the second generation version of this home chipset.
We do not know what changes the new version will bring, but hopefully it will be a bit faster than the original Pixel 7 phones. It could also support some cool new AI camera features.
They will run Android 13
Something we could really guess, the Google Pixel 7 phones will come with Android 13.
In fact, these are likely to be the first phones to come with the built-in software, based on the previous one. Google has not said much, but it is what has happened most of the years so far.
They do a whole cycle of teasing
Something that Google did for the Pixel 6 series is that it started teasing phones very early, so we knew a lot about them from the moment they were released properly.
This is obviously the case this year as well, as the Google IO announcement undoubtedly made clear. But more: Google opens a new hardware store in New York in mid-2022 and obviously the upcoming devices will be available for viewing there.
So Google’s seemingly planning a whole cycle of teasing about these next devices.
They will come with the Pixel Watch
The Google Pixel Watch was also introduced in Google IO and we got some more information about it from the Pixel 7. It will have some Fitbit features as well as an NFC chip.
Obviously, this smartwatch will have a proper release when the Pixel 7 does and we will probably see some great pre-order packages that also combine the new phone and watch.


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The Smith Center for the Performing Arts celebrates the season with a holiday concert with singer and famed Broadway actress Linda Eder in Symphony Park. Known for her starring role in Frank Wildhorn’s Broadway production of “Jekyll & Hyde,” Eder will be the first to perform at The Smith Center’s 1.7-acre Symphony Park, which will be adorned in festive holiday décor with its 35-foot-tall palm trees strung with holiday lights. A traditional 23-foot Christmas tree will feature 11,500 lights. General admission tickets are currently sold out but reserved tables alongside the park sidewalks with food & beverage service are available for purchase for $50 per attendee or $600 per table by reserving online or by calling 749-2000.
Event posted Dec. 5, 2012
Last updated Dec. 5, 2012


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Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta confirmed it had completed its latest fundraising round, bringing in US$500m in fresh capital from investors, according to local reports.
Momenta has raised more capital than any other autonomous driving company in China. The latest round included investments from Toyota , Mercedes-Benz , SAIC Motor , Bosch and local internet giant Tencent.
The company was established in 2016 and specialises in high definition (HD) automated mapping systems used in autonomous vehicles. It said it plans to test driverless vehicles in 2022 and make its systems available for series production vehicles thereafter. It expects to become profitable by 2024.
CEO Cao Xudong said in a statement: "This round of financing marks an important new milestone for the company on the path to integrating our technology on vehicles worldwide.
"The company has always pursued a very strongly data driven approach to autonomous driving. In the past years, our focused strategy has enabled us to create products which have been widely recognised by our customers across the automotive industry."
The autonomous driving sector is gaining momentum in China with more companies looking to compete in the driverless taxi sector. Pony.ai , another Chinese startup, raised US$462m last month, lifting its market capitalisation to over US$3bn. Baidu last week received permission from the city of Cangzhou in Hebei province to carry paying customers in its autonomous taxis.
Consulting firm Mckinsey said it expected China to become the largest market for autonomous vehicles worldwide with mass deployment expected in the next decade.
It suggested self-driving vehicles could account for around two-thirds of paid taxi journeys in the country by 2040.


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Amazon outlines plans for Matter, custom Alexa commands at Alexa Live developers conference – CNET
Alexa Live, the yearly conference for app developers on Amazon’s voice assistant platform, kicks off Wednesday, with more than a few surprises. For one, the Alexa developer community is much more robust than one might expect, with 900,000 developers who’ve so far built 130,000 Alexa Skills (Amazon’s brand name for Alexa apps), some of whom are raking in over $1 million a year through in-app purchases.
Those numbers come from an interview (below) with Nedim Fresko, Amazon’s vice president in charge of Alexa, who added that 140,000 different smart home products interface with Alexa. That leads into two of the other big themes of this year’s Alexa Live — ambient computing and device interoperability.
Amazon’s Fresko frames the recent boom in digital voice assistants as another epoch in the history of computing, like the revolutions marked by personal computers, the birth of the internet and the transition to mobile-first.
To help further the spread of ambient computing, Amazon announced the Alexa Custom Assistant program earlier this year, which allows other companies to lease the technology behind Alexa to create their own voice assistants, which can answer to either Alexa or a wake word of the vendor’s choosing (or both). Verizon is among the partners expected to take advantage of this capability, based on a leaked FCC filing for a Verizon smart display reported earlier this year.
For computing to become truly ambient, smart devices have to communicate with each other. That’s one reason why Matter, the smart home interoperability standard expected later this year (formerly Project CHIP), will play a key role in this year’s Alexa Live.
Bring your home up to speed with the latest on automation, security, utilities, networking and more.
Amazon says it plans to integrate Matter compatibility with Alexa devices by sending an over-the-air update to most Alexa devices currently in customers’ homes, but additional connectivity — like using Matter-compatible bridges to connect to non-Matter-enabled devices — is also in the works.
Two huge competitors in the voice assistant space — Google and Apple — have already announced plans for incorporating Matter into their respective voice assistants, Google Assistant and Siri. Google has all but confirmed that Matter compatibility means its devices, specifically its Nest smart thermostats, will integrate with competing ecosystems from the likes of Apple and Amazon.
Apple has remained a bit more tight-lipped on the subject, but did include a brief tutorial at this year’s WWDC explaining how developers can integrate Matter into their HomeKit-compatible apps. For its part, Apple says it will expand the HomeKit framework to include Matter protocols.
Another area Amazon plans to focus on during this year’s Alexa Live involves Alexa shopping actions that allow developers to earn money through Amazon’s affiliate program. Basically, developers could promote physical products through their apps or allow users to browse Amazon product listings and purchase through Alexa, with the developer earning a small percentage of the transaction if users buy them.
via CNET News https://ift.tt/2dX8g0J
July 21, 2021 at 10:01AM


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LANSING, Mich. — The Hackett Auto Museum has been awarded one of only three electric vehicle-charging stations in Jackson through a new Consumers Energy rebate program.
“We are excited to see the strong response from business owners and community leaders to meet the needs of a new wave of electric vehicles on Michigan’s roads,” said Brian Rich, Consumers Energy’s senior vice president for customer experience.
As part of the PowerMIDrive Rebate Program, the Hackett museum will be awarded a rebate to help cover the purchase and installation costs of the charging station.
The museum has chosen to install the CT4000: Level 2 Public Charging Station. The CT4000 is six feet tall with two eighteen-foot charging cables and is capable of fully charging most electric cars within four hours.
Ted O’Dell, executive director of the museum said, “We are absolutely delighted to partner with Consumers Energy EV program considering some of America’s first electric cars were assembled in this very building from 1911 thru 1915.”
O’Dell also said. “We look forward to hosting and sharing the history of electric cars in the U.S., the CT4000 will help us in our educational programming while discussing the history of the electric car industry” O’Dell said.
The Consumers Energy program highlights three areas, residential, public and fast chargers. The museum is classified as a public place and will receive a rebate up to $5,000.
The Hackett Auto Museum located at 615 Hupp Avenue, served as the assembly plant for the Standard Electric automobile from 1911 thru 1915. During the early twentieth century the building also hosted the Argo car, one of America’s first cars designed to be energy efficient, the Briscoe, Hollier, Hackett, Hupmobile and Earl automobile manufacturers.
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Brewers say they are hoping the return of outdoor drinking and dining can revive their struggling industry.
An estimated 87 million pints of beer have been thrown away in the UK since the start of the Covid pandemic.
Businesses have been forced to adapt as a result, with brewers turning to online sales, home deliveries and developing new flavours to survive.
With beer gardens reopen for the first time in months one brewer said it was "fantastic to be back trading again".
Docks Beers, based close to Grimsby's docks, employs 40 people through its brewery, taproom and events space.
But when the first lockdown hit director William Douglas said the company lost 85% of its revenue overnight.
And, though business is picking up again, he said orders were still well below pre-pandemic levels.
"We haven't seen the landslide of orders from our trade customers, because there's lots without outside drinking space that aren't opening," he said.
"It's not anything like the levels of trade sales that we had before lockdown in February 2020."
In March 2020 Docks Beers converted a former church into a 300 capacity venue but within weeks it was forced to close, leaving the company with construction costs still to pay off.
In a bid to generate some extra income the firm hosted a two-week long season of drive-in films at Cleethorpes Football Club.
Mr Douglas said: "We've managed to push away our debts until November, my absolute earnest hope is that we're back to normal non-socially distanced customers by then otherwise we're going to really struggle.
"We will not be back to full health until we can trade with a full building."
Brass Castle Brewery, in Malton, increased its emphasis on canning beers to survive lockdowns and switched to online sales and home deliveries.
One of its lockdown successes was an unlikely partnership with a Caribbean cocoa producer, more than 4,000 miles away from North Yorkshire, to create an unusual chocolate beer.
Phil Saltonstall, brewery founder and owner, said: "Small breweries are adaptable and responsive by their nature and so we just applied that ability to the Covid crisis.
"That flexibility has been very important, as general uncertainty has given us huge problems with planning, because of the lead times in fermenting and finishing beers of different types."
The brewery, which started as an experiment in a garage in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, 10 years ago, says it's currently running at about 30% when compared to pre-Covid trade.
"We wait to discover if the behaviour of the public will change as a result of our shared Covid experience and whether people will feel confident about returning to the pub, he continued.
"The hospitality sector has, by and large, been the sector that has made the most effort to render its spaces safe - I hope the public will recognise that."
Ossett Brewery was one of the sites having to pour beer down the drain, with its cask brewing lines usually serving pubs, but deals to keep its drinks on supermarket shelves kept it afloat.
"We would have liked to be able to open inside [this week], but you've got to take what you're given," says co-owner Jamie Lawson.
"We've opened the beer gardens and it's really symbolic, it's fantastic to just get back trading again and to build momentum."
On Monday, the West Yorkshire brewer was able to open 20 of its pubs, with the remaining eight due to open next month.
"The next big date is going to be 17 May when we can open inside, but just to be back selling beer again and seeing the smiles on people's faces is amazing."


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PUBG Mobile Has Been Downloaded Literally One Billion Times
That's a lot of chicken dinners.
PUBG Mobile has just surpassed a frankly enormous 1 billion downloads worldwide.
The news was revealed by the official PUBG Mobile account on Twitter. A commemorative video has been released alongside the news, thanking players for their continuous support.
It's not clear how the game will coexist with PUBG: New State, the sequel to PUBG Mobile set in 2051, with futuristic equipment to utilise. The new game will add in-game weapon customization, drones, a combat roll ability, destructible windows, interactable objects, futuristic ballistic shields, and new environments to explore, including a defunct shopping mall.
PUBG Mobile recently introduced a number of music-based abilities as part of the Hundred Rhythms update, which sees players using musical armbands to commit abilities and thwart foes. Back in November of 2020, a special version of the game was reintroduced to India after the game was banned in the country. If you're just digging into the new content, here's a video covering everything you need to know about PUBG Mobile's Season 18.
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.


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NEW YORK — Though rising gas prices put a damper on consumer sentiment in March, Americans are no longer shocked by $4 gasoline.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment slipped to 74.3 from 75.3 in February, contrary to economists' forecasts for a gain to 76.0.
Despite this dip, consumers are confident the employment situation will improve.
"Overall, the data indicate that $4 gasoline has lost its shock value, although the drain on discretionary income will still affect spending, mostly among lower-income households," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.
"If gasoline prices approach $5 per gallon, however, a widespread and substantial impact is likely."


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WINNIPEG, MB. December 14, 2007:
A Winter Wonderland will be coming to Winnipeg’s Exchange District on Boxing Day.
On Wednesday, December 26, the lifestyle boutiques of the Exchange District will once again open their doors for Winnipeg shoppers to enjoy Boxing Day specials, in-store DJs and a Winter Wonderland afterparty at the King’s Head Pub.The Winter Wonderland campaign was conceived by the The Lunch Box Crew, a marketing and promotion collective comprised of the Bundown Sound System, Next Level Event Creation and Vantage Studios, Inc – the same team responsible for the massively successful Sex and The District campaign this past October. The aim remains the same: to promote the Exchange District as an exciting destination for shopping and nightlife.
CANDIE & DOLLS
CONNECT FOUR CLOTHING
To celebrate the Winter Wonderland experience, there will be an afterparty featuring the Bundown Sound System at the King’s Head Pub, a longtime fixture in the Exchange.As a special thank you, shoppers will receive a complimentary ticket into the afterparty for every 25.00 spent and the first 100 shoppers inside will receive a special Winter Wonderland gift bag.
Winter Wonderland was made possible with the support of the Exchange District BIZ.
More information on Winter Wonderland can be found at The Lunch Box Crew.
For information contact:
Angelou Jay Flores,


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Miranda Kerr has postponed Kora Organics' 10th birthday celebrations as the anniversary will coincide with the birth of her third child.
Miranda Kerr has postponed Kora Organics' 10th birthday celebrations.
The 36-year-old model is currently pregnant with her third child and as the baby is due around the same time as her clean beauty brand turns 10, Miranda told Marie Claire Australia that the celebrations have been put on hold for now.
Miranda believes one of its main advantages her company has over its competitors is that Kora - which counts Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry and Kourtney Kardashian among its celebrity fans - uses certified organic ingredients in its products.
A Kora spokesperson explained: ''Clean beauty is a massive trend at the moment, but the thing with 'clean' beauty is, whatever country is manufacturing the product gets to determine what's clean and what's not. Whereas 'certified organic' means you are certified by an independent body. That's something that sets Kora Organics apart from the whole movement.''
Meanwhile, Miranda - who has Flynn, eight, with ex-husband Orlando Bloom and Hart, born in May 2018, with Evan - previously revealed her entire family starts the day with a shot of celery juice.
She said: ''At the moment, our whole family's on celery juice.
''First thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
''I started doing it, and then I got Evan to do it. We do 16oz, Flynn does 30ml and the baby does at least 10ml in a little plastic syringe. Everyone loves it.''
Miranda's Kora range of beauty products feature extracts from the noni plant, and the Australian beauty has always been a big fan of the benefits of noni .
She said: ''My grandmother introduced me to noni when I was 13. My whole family is very much into health and wellness and the noni was something that stuck as a daily thing.
''It's basically a superfood super-fruit because it has over 100 vitamins and minerals and is full of antioxidants.
''People have been using it for thousands of years both internally and externally - and getting incredible results.
''When I started drinking it, I had more energy. I was getting tired at school and it really helped with energy and focus.
''If I had a breakout, my grandma would say, 'Put a big of noni on it, love'. My grandpa would drink it and it would help with his arthritis.
''There was even a friend's dog that couldn't walk properly. They put it in his water and he started jumping around.''
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Of all the digital success stories of the last 20 years, Amazon tends to live in the shadow of its more illustrious cousins, Google, Facebook and Apple.
But for many people Amazon is still very much a poster child for how to be a disruptive, online business. The Amazon story is clearly one of online growth and wild success. But in recent years that success has started to slow down.
Despite all the dire predictions of the death of the high street, Amazon faces the same challenges as any other business. Jim Sterne, author of Artificial Intelligence for Marketing said “I don’t go shopping on Amazon, that’s a terrible experience. I go to Oxford Street. But when I want to buy something – Amazon says you’ll have it tomorrow.”
So what we see here is a classic case of core competence. Amazon can do some stuff well, but not other stuff. To grow they need to move into other areas. Amazon knows this, and has moved from a simple online store towards a hybrid “clicks and bricks” model as they try to gain a foothold on the high street and beyond.
But perhaps more notably, the company has started to spend a lot of money on building its brand. In fact, the company spent the vast majority of its marketing budget last year on TV advertising, including a highly memorable Superbowl ad. [Edit: This trend continuus to this day. In the US, Amazon increased its Christmas TV adspend by 290 percent from the same period in 2017.]
The answer comes from new research by Les Binet and Peter Field. What Les and Peter have discovered is that products and services that sell online, (such as brands that are heavily researched or brands that rely on search) need to encourage people to search for their brand specifically.
For example, if you’re an airline called Liftoff Airways, you don’t want people to search for “cheap flights to Malaga,” you want them to search for “Liftoff Airways Malaga.” So paradoxically, the kind of brands that people actively seek online actually need more brand building and not less.
As Binet himself says, “brands that sell or reach online need a higher percentage of their spend going to brand building because they already have direct channels to conversion.”
Another example of his theory in action is the success and challenges of Dollar Shave Club. Like Amazon, the theory goes that this brand is one of a new generation of web native businesses that have disrupted old industries. To some extent that is true. But the way they’re doing it is as old as the hills.
In 2013, only one a year after its 2012 launch, Dollar Shave Club was already spending $3 million a year on TV ads. Fast forward to 2018, and no other razor brand spends more on TV than Dollar Shave Club. Over the last 12 months, their ad spend clocked in at a cool $20.7 million.
Go short and go long, go big and go small, go targeted and go mass
Clearly, digital marketing and online commerce platforms have given us an explosion of bright, exciting new brands and great business stories. But because of advances of marketing research, we now also know that programmatic, digital targeting and online commerce platforms aren’t the whole picture.
That’s because building a brand is a long game. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a no-brainer to invest 25-40% of your budget in short-term marketing tools. That’s perfect. But we now know that you need to think about the long term too. Which is why you need to invest around 60-75% of your budget in long term, emotional, creative brand building efforts.
For that you’re going to need to build your brand. To do that, you’re going to need to invest in things like newsmedia, TV, radio, outdoor and print. More importantly, that long term stuff isn’t about sales messages or targeting. It’s about big, creative messages that get your brand talked about. It’s about generating future value and future customers.


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Holiday sales up 7.6％ despite the squeeze of inflation
11:55 JST, December 27, 2022
NEW YORK (AP) — Holiday sales rose this year as American spending remained resilient during the critical shopping season despite surging prices on everything from food to rent, according to one measure.
Holiday sales rose 7.6, a slower pace than the 8.5% increase from a year earlier when shoppers began spending the money they had saved during the early part of the pandemic, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards.
Mastercard SpendingPulse had expected a 7.1% increase. The data released Monday excludes the automotive industry and is not adjusted for inflation, which has eased somewhat but remains painfully high.
U.S. sales between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, a period that is critical for retailers, were fueled by spending at restaurants and on clothing.
By category, clothing rose 4.4%, while jewelry and electronics dipped roughly 5%. Online sales jumped 10.6% from a year ago and in-person spending rose 6.8%. Department stores registered a modest 1% increase over 2021.
“This holiday retail season looked different than years past,” Steve Sadove, the former CEO and chairman at Saks and a senior advisor for Mastercard, said in a prepared statement. “Retailers discounted heavily, but consumers diversified their holiday spending to accommodate rising prices and an appetite for experiences and festive gatherings post-pandemic.”
Some of the increase reflected the impact of higher prices across the board.
Consumer spending accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity, and Americans have remained resilient ever since inflation first spiked almost 18 months ago. Cracks have begun to show, however, as higher prices for basic necessities take up an increasingly large share of everyone’s take-home pay.
Inflation has retreated from the four-decade high it reached this summer, but it’s still sapping the spending power of consumers. Prices rose 7.1% in November from a year ago, down from a peak of 9.1% in June.
Overall spending has slowed from the pandemic-infused splurges and shifted increasingly toward necessities like food, while spending on electronics, furniture, new clothes and other non-necessities has faded. Many shoppers been trading down to private label goods, which are typically less expensive than national brands. They’ve been going to cheaper stores like dollar chains and big box stores like Walmart.
Consumers also waited for deals. Stores expected more procrastinators to hit stores in the last few days before Christmas compared with a year ago when people began shopping earlier due to a global disruption of the supply chain that created thousands of product shortages.
“Consumers are trying to spread out their budget, and they are evaluating and shopping at different stores,” said Katie Thompson, the lead of consultancy Kearney’s Consumer Institute.
In November, shoppers cut back sharply on retail spending compared with the previous month. Retail sales fell 0.6% from October to November after a sharp 1.3% rise the previous month, the government said in mid-December. Sales fell at furniture, electronics, and home and garden stores.
A broader picture of how Americans spent their money arrives next month when the National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, comes out with its combined two-month results based on November-December sales figures from the Commerce Department.
The trade group expects holiday sales growth will slow to a range of 6% to 8%, compared with the blistering 13.5% growth of a year ago.
Analysts will also be dissecting fourth-quarter financial results from major retailers in February.
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Konami has announced, via a pre-E3 preview on IGN.com, that they are working a spiritual sequel to Contra: Hard Corps, which was originally released on the SEGA Genesis. The game is being developed by ARC System Works, which is most widely known for their BlazBlue and Guilty Gear fighting games series.
The game stars Colonel Bahamut, which for those who played the original would remember him as one of the bad guys in the original. He's had a change of heart and is now battling against the aliens with those he used to fight against. Co-op gameplay was confirmed both offline and online, but only two playable characters have been announced, unlike the four that were available in the original. Konami is hoping to add more via DLC, but nothing's for certain yet (either the number or if they will be paid or free).
Due to the new developer, the graphics have a very anime-like art style similar to that which the developer is known for, although IGN is reporting that it still "feels" like Contra nonetheless. A new "Rising" mode is available, which gives players three shots before they are killed, as opposed to the classic Contra style where one shot kills you.
Konami is set to release Hard Corps: Uprising to XBLA and PSN this Winter. The publisher will be releasing more information about the game during E3 2010, which takes places in two weeks.


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We're excited to announce our latest solution focused on OTT network launch and audience growth: DirectAgents.TV As a leader of OTT growth marketing, we've launched a stand-alone solution for OTT subscriber & audience acquisition, churn
You’re Invited! Join Direct Agents on March 6th from 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM at WeWork Santa Monica, for an informative discussion on the e-commerce giant, Amazon. Experts from Direct Agents will be speaking on how brands can utilize tools
Direct Agents’ EVP, Megan Conahan, will participate on Mediapost’s Amazon panel “Sailing The Amazon: Navigating The New Inventory”, on Thursday March 8th at 11:30AM with Arielle Heyman, the Digital Marketing Manager at Mustela.
Fifty-five percent of all consumers now start their search for a product on Amazon. As Amazon continues to dominate the ecommerce space, retailer competition grows within it. Our clients' find success by tapping into our methodology, focused on paid and


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Reliance Industries: Brokerage firm JP Morgan India has upgraded its rating on shares of Reliance Industries to ‘overweight’ from ‘neutral’ earlier and set a price target of Rs 3,170 implying an upside of more than 22 percent over the next 12 months.
Disclosure: Moneycontrol is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
Usha Martin: Promoters offload 63,000 shares in Usha Martin. Promoter entities Peterhouse Investments & PACs have sold 63,000 equity shares in the company via open market transactions on June 14 and June 16. With this, their shareholding in the company stands reduced to 1.91 percent, down from 1.94 percent earlier.
Jyothy Labs: Nalanda India Equity Fund buys 6.55 lakh shares in Jyothy Labs. Nalanda India Equity Fund bought 6.55 lakh equity shares in the company via open market transactions on June 14. With this, its shareholding in the company stands increased to 5.06 percent, up from 4.88 percent earlier.
Voltamp Transformers: HDFC Mutual Fund acquires 50,000 shares in Voltamp Transformers. HDFC Mutual Fund through its several funds acquired 50,000 equity shares in the company via open market transactions on June 14. With this, its shareholding in the company increased to 5.25 percent, up from 4.91 percent earlier.
UPL: UPL arm acquires Kudos Chemie for Rs 40 crore. UPL through its subsidiary USCL has acquired Kudos Chemie for Rs 40 crore, and is required to invest Rs 237 crore in Kudos over a period of 2 years as per resolution plan approved by NCLT. Kudos manufactures specialty chemicals used as beverage and pharmaceutical ingredients and has manufacturing facility near Chandigarh.
Indian Overseas Bank: Indian Overseas Bank to raise Rs 2,000 crore in FY23. The public sector lender said the board has approved the capital plan for FY23. The bank will raise up to Rs 1,000 crore by issuing equity shares and another Rs 1,000 crore by issuing bonds, in FY23.
NBCC (India): NBCC bags Rs 330.35 crore worth orders in May. The company has secured total Business of Rs 330.35 crore during the month of May, 2022.
Astron Paper and Board Mill: Astron Paper and Board Mill completes trial of new product at Gujarat unit. The company has completed the trial of new product named ‘absorbent paper’ successfully at its subsidiary Balaram Papers in Gujarat. Taking into consideration the current market situation of paper mills and paper industries, it is unable to continue the plant at its full capacity. However, the production will be carried on as and when the sales orders are received.
Rama Steel Tubes: Nomura Singapore buys 1 lakh shares in Rama Steel Tubes. Nomura Singapore bought 1 lakh equity shares in the company via open market transactions on June 15. These shares were acquired at an average price of Rs 371 per share.
KBC Global: Nomura Singapore offloads 3.2% stake in KBC Global. Nomura Singapore has offloaded 1,96,20,000 equity shares (3.19 percent) in the company via open market transactions, at an average price of Rs 4.4 per share. It had held 4.01 percent (2.46 crore shares) in the company as of March 2022. In this bulk deals, E Waste Recycling acquired 1.3 crore shares, Wealth 4 U Hospitality Consultancy bought 1.32 crore shares, Arihant Share Consultancy purchased 50 lakh shares and Nakshatra Garments bought 50 lakh shares in the company at same price.


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AXN is all set to come up with a brand new TV show very soon ‘AXN Jeep Bollywood Trails’
Colors TV is all set to come up with the other new TV serial ” Barrister Babu”
How to do Sur Nava Dhyas Nava Season 3 voting online Process
Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love Story is all set to launch on Colors TV
Tag: Dancing Audition
Colors Dance Deewane Season 2 started in 2019
Judge and Host the Sony TV Super Dancer Chapter 3, starting from 29 December?
When will come Dance Plus Season 4 with New Dance Move?


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Mobile devices and digital experiences play an important role in people’s decision-making and online networking processes. And as stated in Salesforce’s 2014 Mobile Behavior Report, 85 percent of survey respondents said mobile devices are a “central part of everyday life.” As a result of this dependency on these digital devices, consumers also rely on their smartphones to take and store billions of photos each year.
For instance, it’s estimated that New Zealanders take around 1.2 billion photos on their smartphones every year, many of which can be taken within the retail environment. But while people tend to consume and enjoy photos from their smartphones, as many as 20 million of them may be lost due to outdated technology and operating systems, warns Vint Cerf, Google vice president. This presents a new revenue opportunity for retailers that offer photo printing and ordering solutions in store.
Knowing your customers are using smartphones and tablets to make decisions, how can you entice them to print their photos in store? Here we share two mobile device solutions you can use to help your customers preserve their precious memories while driving new revenue for your shop.
Create a Branded Mobile App for Photo Ordering
In addition to driving engagement with brands, mobile apps influence customer behaviour—Deloitte reported 85 percent of consumers who used a mobile native app during a recent shopping trip made a purchase. With a branded mobile app, retailers can deliver localised marketing, promotions and product offerings to mobile users while in store and when they’re outside of the brick-and-mortar environment.
A mobile photo-printing platform is an innovative way to entice creative customers to take photos while in store and offer a solution to create photo prints. It gives retailers a way to capture customers on mobile and promote the in-store photo printing service. Customers can download the app for free and order prints from your store anytime and from anywhere using their own smartphones or tablets.
Provide a Digital Photo Printing Station
Large retail chains have photo centres at which customers can use large kiosks to print photos and order photo gifts. Smaller retail environments can also engage customers in the same fashion with tablet-sized kiosks that offer the same photo printing and gifting products.
An in-store photo-printing platform allows your business to capture consumer attention and provide an innovative engagement channel through smartphones and tablets. A fully integrated tablet kiosk accompanied by a branded mobile app offers a creative photo printing solution people can use when they’re in your store or on the go.
If you’re ready to reap new revenue with mobile technology, we share more creative strategies in our eBook, Tablets, Smartphones & Revenue: How Retailers Can Win the Mobile Customer. Download your free copy to explore how you can create a branded mobile app experience and provide a flexible photo-printing platform right in your store!


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Two of the payment banks that have launched full-fledged operations are relying on micro cash management services (CMS) to boost their bottom lines. Airtel Payments Bank and Fino Payments Bank are deriving a sizeable share of their revenues from managing cash collections for e-commerce firms and non-bank lenders.... read full story
"Our merchants become a natural point of contact for them. So, the companies' cash can be deposited on the route chart. We have nearly doubled our CMS business last year to Rs 24,000 crore in FY22 from Rs 11,800 crore in FY21,"


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UNITED STATES (OBSERVATORY NEWS) — An outbreak of coronavirus already has a negative impact on the global economy, and experts predict that a negative effect will have a lasting effect.
A variety of industries are suffering from the epidemic – from automobile manufacturing to tourism. Stock markets are also responding to the epidemic in China, as the economy of this country is one sixth of the global economy and has a significant impact on almost all industries.
Below we will talk about the main sectors of the global economy affected by the coronavirus.
Many companies were forced to suspend production at Chinese enterprises due to entry restrictions imposed by China in connection with the outbreak of the virus.
In particular, Airbus suspended production in Tianjin. An enterprise in this city produces about six A320s per month, so a shutdown can have a significant negative impact on the company’s performance.
There are other companies that were forced to take similar measures, among them Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen.
The effect of coronavirus is not only related to China. South Korean automaker Hyundai has also suspended production lines due to interruptions in the supply of spare parts between South Korea and China.
Another major automaker, Honda, has three factories in Wuhan, China, a coronavirus distribution center.
In recent years, the number of Chinese tourists traveling around the world has increased dramatically. And if in 2000 the number of Chinese tourists was only 10.5 million, then in 2018 it reached 150 million people. This suggests that tourism is one of the industries that has been hit hardest by the outbreak of coronavirus.
Coronavirus negatively affected the directions coming to China, primarily Japan, where Chinese tourists make up 40% of all visitors to the country and spend the most money.
Now, many cruise liners from China are not allowed in the ports of the country until passengers pass the virus check.
Royal Caribbean withdrew eight trips to China. The company does not allow all passengers who have been in China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days to its vessels. Such restrictions can cost the company $ 50 million.
Thailand’s tourism sector is also at risk. The country’s economy is in a difficult situation, and Chinese tourists give the country’s economy up to 4% of GDP.
Other popular tourist destinations such as Bali are also negatively impacted. Indonesia Travel Agents Association said 10,000 Chinese tourists canceled a trip to Bali in just one day.
In parallel with this, airlines are also suffering, which also note a decrease in passenger traffic. In addition, airlines have to cancel flights to and from China. So, Cathay Pacific has reduced the number of flights to China by 90%. The airline asked 27,000 employees to take unpaid leave for three weeks so that the company could cope with the crisis.
Another industry related to tourism is hotels. They also suffer losses, as tourists cancel their trips, therefore, hotel reservations are canceled.
UBS Bank experts note that the beauty industry may be in danger of a serious crisis due to an outbreak of coronavirus.
The fact is that this sector is highly dependent on retail customers. And this in turn means that the Chinese market accounts for a significant share of business, since Chinese consumers are among the most active in the world.
UBS analysts believe that Estée Lauder is particularly vulnerable to the situation around the coronavirus, as China accounts for half of the company’s revenue in the Asia-Pacific region.
The luxury brand Burberry, as well as other brands in this category, note that their business in China is in a very difficult position, which could worsen significantly if the coronavirus continues to spread.
Media previously reported that 24 out of 64 Burberry stores in mainland China were temporarily closed due to a virus outbreak.
UBS analysts also note the negative impact of the virus on all luxury products.
Another sector that feels the negative impact of the epidemic is the alcohol sector.
UBS analysts note that brands such as Brown-Forman, Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Rémy Martin are considered the most vulnerable.
In their review, they note that due to the reduction in the number of international travels, it is worth observing a reduction in the number of purchases in Asia Duty Free, which will negatively affect the sales of these brands. Among other things, the protests in Hong Kong also have a negative effect, experts say.
Moody’s analysts also believe that the spread of the disease will have a negative effect on the consumption of European alcoholic beverages in China, while China is one of the largest markets for these brands.
This article is written and prepared by our foreign editors writing for OBSERVATORY NEWS from different countries around the world – material edited and published by OBSERVATORY staff in our newsroom.
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