text:
Remember the RM4,799 deal for the iPhone X? Now there’s an even lower price if you’re looking for a brand new iPhone X with local Malaysian warranty. This isn’t from Lazada’s new Apple Store but it’s from Tesco, which also sell devices on its official store on Lazada Malaysia.
If you’re looking for the best deal for the iPhone X in Malaysia, we got some good news for you. Last week, some retailers have started offering the iPhone X for less than RM5,000 and now you can get one with further discounts as much as RM400 off. This is the lowest price yet for the latest iPhone.
Love the iPhone X but don’t want to pay more than RM5,000? The moment you’ve been waiting for is finally here. Just a week after the iPhone X is officially released in Malaysia, you can get one now with extra savings.


text:
PAYTM PAYMENTS BANK
RBI asks Paytm to reapply for payment aggregator licence
The regulator asked Paytm Payments Services Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of One 97 Communications, to reapply after getting the necessary approvals for foreign direct investment in the company to comply with existing rules, the company said in a notification to stock exchanges on Saturday.
RBI to Paytm: Reapply for payment aggregator licence within 120 days
The central bank has also directed the payment firm not to onboard new online merchant
Hot Stocks: Brokerages on Paytm, Axis Bank, Siemens, Cipla & PVR
Nomura has downgraded Siemens to neutral from buy as it has turned cautious after a strong share price rally. It sees potential order inflow growth weakening to low double digits.
Paytm’s 75% slump is world’s worst for large IPOs in a decade
Paytm’s grim first anniversary underscores an erosion of confidence in its ability to become profitable after debuting at a time when India’s IPO market was enamored with tech startups. It’s one among a slew of startups that listed with valuations seen by many as exaggerated.
New-age business shares bleed further; analysts recommend caution
Paytm, Nykaa stocks tank as rout deepens. More than 2.38 crore Paytm shares exchanged hands on the BSE and NSE on Tuesday.
NPCI in talks with RBI on UPI volume cap deadlineNPCI in November 2022 had proposed a 30 per cent volume cap for third-party app providers (TPAP) in a bid to avoid concentration risk.
ET Startup Awards on Saturday; profitability a must for IPO-bound companies: Accel’s Shekhar KiraniTop entrepreneurs, policymakers and investors will come together in Bengaluru on November 19 to celebrate the eighth edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards. India’s most coveted startup awards, which recognise entrepreneurial excellence, will be presented at an in-person event. Eminent leaders from the industry will be in attendance and they will discuss the hot-button issues impacting the ecosystem.
Stocks in the news: Nykaa, Baja Auto, UltraTech, Paytm, BEL and Blue DartPrivate equity firm TPG Capital will sell shares of Nykaa at floor price of Rs Rs 184.55 apiece worth Rs 1,000 crore through a block deal, according to reports. Citigroup is the banker to the deal.
Online job scam: Enforcement Directorate freezes 80 bank accounts with Chinese linksAccording to the agency, 16 locations of the banks and payment gateways, including Phonepay, Paytm, Googlepay, Amazonpay etc. and few banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Dhanalakshmi Bank, were searched between Monday and Tuesday in an alleged money-laundering case related to 'Super Like Online Earning Application (part-time job scam)'.
NRI investor sells Nykaa shares worth Rs 1,009 cr; 3 FPIs pick up stake in PaytmFurther, in One 97 Communications (Paytm), SVF India (SoftBank Group) sold 4.5% stake worth Rs 1,631 crore, showed NSE bulk deals data
Sandhya Devanathan is Meta India’s new head; Amazon begins mass layoffsMeta appointed Sandhya Devanathan as its India head on Thursday, a week after WhatsApp India chief Abhijit Bose left the technology firm, closely followed by Facebook’s director of public policy Rajiv Aggarwal. Devanathan’s appointment comes at a time when the Big Tech firm is undergoing major restructuring alongside mass layoffs.
The harsh reality of 5 famed Indian IPOs: $18 billion-wipeout!Indian IPOs raised a record $18 billion in 2021 on government efforts to foster startups combined with easy-money policy and a surge in retail trading during the pandemic. But investors have since dumped high-profile tech shares, even as the broader Indian stock market has outperformed global peers and scaled new peaks.
SoftBank sells 4.5% stake in India's Paytm for $200 million - sourcesSoftBank's sale of 29.35 million shares at that price amounts to a total consideration of $200 million, according to Reuters calculations. Paytm shares fell more than 9% on news of the trade, which comes a day after the lock-in period for investors in Paytm's November 2021 initial public offering (IPO closed.
SoftBank sells 4.5% stake in Paytm for $200 million: ReportSoftBank's sale of 29.35 million shares at that price amounts to a total consideration of $200 million, according to Reuters calculations. Paytm shares fell more than 9% on news of the trade, which comes a day after the lock-in period for investors in Paytm's November 2021 initial public offering IPO closed.
Paytm investors seem not in a hurry to sell: AnalystsPaytm's pre-IPO investors like Warren Buffet, SoftBank, Elevation Capital, Alibaba are long-term investors. SoftBank's Masayoshi Son is reportedly not in a hurry to exit from its investments like Paytm, PB Fintech, Delhivery. The investor doesn't want to trigger panic selling.
Paytm faces another reckoning after $10 billion selloffStocks often fall after lock-ups expire, as investor selling puts downward pressure on shares. It’s not immediately clear what the sale strategy of large Paytm shareholders will be. Ant and Alibaba own over 30% of shares between them, SoftBank owns nearly 17.5%, while Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s holding is about 2.5%.
ONDC, account aggregator network open up new avenues for startups: Nandan NilekaniThe opportunity, he said, could range from creating consumer-facing apps, working with suppliers or logistics providers to support the massive growth in shipping, or building new direct-to-consumer brands.
Pre-IPO lock-in of 14 companies to expire in 2022; analysts remain positive on major playersThe list includes startup players and traditional businesses from financial services, industrial mining, speciality chemicals, pharmaceuticals, real estate
Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay divided on UPI market share cap; government won’t interveneSenior officials told ET that the mandate to decide on this issue lies with the NPCI and the Reserve Bank of India. However, the Centre will monitor any decision that could potentially affect consumers
Firms divided on UPI market share cap; tax officials and CAs caution moonlightersMarket leaders PhonePe and Google Pay are seeking an extension while Paytm wants the rules to take effect “as per the timeline”. Officials told us the government is monitoring the situation but won’t intervene.
How to pay income tax using UPI, credit card, 4 other ways on new tax portalThe new e-filing income tax portal has introduced the facility of paying taxes. Earlier, taxpayers could use facility provided by NSDL website to pay income taxes to the goverment. The new income tax portal allows the taxpayers to pay income tax via UPI, credit card and 4 other ways. Read on to know the step by step guide for the same.
Huge supply of newly-listed co shares to hit D-Street as lock-ins end in NovThe Securities and Exchange Board of India cut the lock-in period for investors who purchase shares in a pre-IPO issue, or promoters' shareholding in excess of 20%, to six months from one year effective from April this year.
How to buy digital gold online including your favourite payment apps Paytm, PhonePe and Google PayIn the recent years, buying digital gold has become a trend. This is becuase buying off digital gold starts from Re 1 and it does not have any making charges, unlike gold jewellery. However, there are certain things that one must keep in mind while buying digital gold. Read on to know more about it.
SBI Cards hikes processing fee on rent payments, EMI transactions via credit cardSBI Cards has informed its credit cardholders via SMS that they have revised processing fees on certain transactions. The new revised rates will come into effect from November 15, 2022. The credit card company hs hiked the processing fee on merchant EMI transactions and introduced processing fee on rent payments made via credit card.
12 big-ticket IPOs leave investors high & dry as stocks crack 50-65% from highsTopping the losers' list are the known loss-making new-age tech stocks. PB Fintech, at the forefront, clocked over 67% fall from the high of Rs 1,470, shows data available from ACE Equity. Following it, and a close second is Paytm's parent One97 Communications which is down 66.5% from an all-time high of Rs 1,961.05.
UPI vs UPI Lite: What are the key differences? Transaction limits, payment procedure explainedThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched UPI Lite last week. How is UPI Lite different from UPI? Let's find out
Paytm among most compelling growth stories, says GoldmanGoldman said it expects margins to improve further and is forecasting FY24 to be the first year of adjusted EBITDA profitability for Paytm. This could be a key catalyst for the stock, it said.Goldman said if the Reserve Bank of India removes the ban on Paytm Payments Bank to onboard new customers imposed in March 2022, it could be another trigger for the stock. One97 Communications owns 49% in Paytm Payments Bank (PBBL).Load More
BACK TO TOP

domain: news


text:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has just revised the two of its postpaid plans and started offering more than double data. The two BSNL postpaid that has got revisions in the data benefits are the BSNL postpaid plan 525 and the BSNL postpaid plan 725. Both the plans offer extra data now. The BSNL Prepaid plan 725 now offers 50GB data while the 525 plan now offers 40GB data per billing cycle.
BSNL has 499 postpaid plan in some circles which offers its users the 45GB data per billing cycle. This makes the 525 plan below it and also the 725 plan below. But the plan 499 is only applicable in some of the circles while the postpaid plan 525 and 725 are available on pan-India. The revision on the plan is also valid on a pan-India basis. Here are the details.
BSNL Postpaid Plan 525 & 725 Revised
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is known for launching new prepaid plans for its users but the telecom operator also launches new postpaid plans, new broadband plans and FTTH plans for its users. This recent move by BSNL is a great one. BSNL is also offering free Amazon Prime Membership with its postpaid plans starting Rs 399.
The BSNL postpaid plan 525 now offers 40GB data per billing cycle while in the postpaid plan 725 users will get 50GB data. These two plans of BSNL offers free and unlimited calling to anywhere in India. The plans also offer free Amazon Prime Membership. But sadly, these postpaid plans of BSNL are still below the Airtel Postpaid plans. Airtel offers 40GB data with free Amazon Prime Membership and with the Airtel Plan 499 or above, the telecom operator is also offering free Netflix membership.


text:
When French luxury bakery and sweets maker Ladurée opened its first Canadian location in Vancouver in the spring of 2016, there were lineups for weeks along Robson Street. That prompted a second Vancouver location to open inside of Holt Renfrew in the spring of 2017. In December of 2017, Toronto’s first Ladurée also saw lineups when it opened at Yorkdale Shopping Centre. To mark Ladurée’s entry into the Toronto market, Ladurée’s President David Holder visited the Yorkdale location last week along with Canadian licensee partner Olesya Krakhmalyova, store designer Claudia Ravnbo, and other attendees including dignitaries such as the Consul General of France in Toronto, Marc Trouyet.
It was David Holder’s first visit to Toronto, and we sat down with him to discuss Ladurée’s Canadian operations, including plans for the future. He says that we might expect to see more Ladurée locations in Canada, as well as a pastry bakery that will open in Vancouver this spring, followed by a Toronto bakery about a year later.
Vancouver was chosen for Ladurée’s first two Canadian locations, in part, because local licensee Olesya Krakhmalyova is a resident of Vancouver. With her knowledge of the city, and working in partnership with brokers Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of CBRE in Vancouver, Ladurée selected popular Robson Street for its first store. Ladurée has “a new Canadian family,” Mr. Holder said, and the company is now on a journey to educate itself on the rest of the country in order to determine where other locations could open.
[Below: Videos of Ms. Krakhmalyova introducing Mr. Holder]
The Toronto market is large and the Yorkdale salon is rather small, spanning not even 1,200 square feet on one level. Mr. Holder said that the Yorkdale location is something of a ‘teaser’ to the Toronto market, and that the company could look to opening something a bit larger closer to, or in the downtown core. When Ladurée opened its first location in New York City, for example, it was only about 700 square feet — that was followed by a considerably larger Soho location measuring about 4,000 square feet.
Targeted locations could include the Bloor-Yorkville area, as well as something closer to the city’s thriving Financial District. Yorkville, he explained, features a European-like scale of low-rise commercial buildings with character — if Ladurée were to locate there, it might seek space with exterior patio seating for warmer weather. Yorkville is also known to be an affluent neighbourhood that is growing quickly, with luxury stores and condo towers being added with no end in sight.
If Ladurée were to locate in or near Toronto’s Financial District, it might take on a more ‘masculine’ look, according to Mr. Holder. Ladurée’s Yorkdale location includes liberal use of the colour pink, creating somewhat of a more feminine aesthetic. Mr. Holder pointed out that Ladurée is being open minded by opening locations that are unique, describing a future Mexico City location that will feature a restaurant, rooftop bar, and a 3-4 room boutique hotel.
Ladurée is also looking to expand its ‘Ladurée Picnic‘ grab-and-go concept, and Toronto’s Financial District could work for that as well, he said. Ladurée Picnic currently has one location in Paris, and London’s core will be next, he noted.
While finding street-level space in Toronto’s Financial District could be a challenge to Ladurée, it has options nearby. The charming St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood is located directly to the east, and the Entertainment District is to the west. The stretch of Queen Street West near the TTC Osgoode station could also be an option, given its proximity to the Financial District as well as to the Toronto International Film Festival, CTV Studios, art galleries, museums, sports facilities and other attractions.
As part of the endeavour to grow its Canadian operations, Mr. Holder said that the company might look to Montreal to open a Ladurée salon. This could be done through a local partner that knows the area — he explained that Ladurée will be calculated and careful with its expansion in Canada, and that it’s not in a rush to open too many locations at once. He also said that the company doesn’t necessarily have a goal as to the number of locations that it might open in Canada — much of it will be based on opportunity.
Ladurée is expanding its offerings in Canada, made possible by opening a dedicated bakery space in Vancouver to provide both of Ladurée’s Vancouver locations with fresh baked pastries. The bakery will be off-site and outside of the downtown core, where real estate is a bit less constricted, not to mention not as pricey. Expected to open this spring, the Vancouver ‘pastry laboratory’ kitchen includes a seasoned pastry chef who is moving to Vancouver specifically for the job. Mr. Holder explained that, as Ladurée’s operations expand further in Toronto, a bakery in the area would become necessary as well — that is, if a larger location with an on-site kitchen isn’t secured in the city’s core.
Designer Claudia Ravnbo discussed her vision for Toronto’s first Ladurée, which was the first in the world to reflect a new design aesthetic with an interior inspired by the colonial style of the 18th century. The pastel pink tea room is decorated with a white marble sales counter that is accentuated with gold lattice details and gold Lattice is also present on the walls of the salon. A Classic crystal chandelier contrasts with contemporary madeleine lights hanging from the ceilings, as well as the geometric marble tile flooring and velvet-accented furniture. The store’s soaring ceilings are dramatic with plaster ceiling treatments.
[Video: Ms. Ravnbo describes the Yorkdale location’s design, which is a first in the world for Ladurée]
Ladurée has a 500 square foot concession at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver, and it might not be the last in Canada, Mr. Holder noted. While there are no immediate plans for more Ladurée shop-in-stores, Mr. Holder said that he’s open to opportunities as they might present.
Mr. Holder said that the Toronto Ladurée is already a hit, and that the Vancouver locations are both strong performers. It speaks to the success of the brand in the eyes of consumers, which includes a diverse demographic — Mr. Holder explained how Ladurée is looking to not only cater to the refined tastes of an established clientele, but also to attract a new, younger consumer that desires fine food in a refined environment. Ultimately, Ladurée’s strategy is to cater to the tastes of local markets and as such, it will continue to educate itself on the Canadian market as it continues to expand.


text:
Startups Became Hot Picks For Big Corporates
Corporates acquired startups mainly to expand its product portfolio and learn and incorporate new age tools that will provide a strong foot in digitization
The year 2020 will go down in the history books claiming multiple lives, overworked medical professionals, debatable government decisions, vaccine hopes, empty sports stadium, tumbling economy, high unemployment rate and so on. When it comes to business, the pandemic has been ruthless. Pandemic was just like a category 5 cyclone bolting at a high speed and the businesses, majorly startups, were like localities situated in the way of the cyclone. For months, manufacturing sites remained shut, trucks once carrying manufactured products remained parked.
While big companies had the option to fall back on cash reserves to tide over these unprecedented times, the majority of startups crippled, as they relied on investor's money and didn't have enough cash runaways. It is during these times, a lot of corporates saw the opportunity to acquire startups for two reasons: To expand its product portfolio and to learn and incorporate new-age tools that will help in digitization.
As the year comes to an end, we look at some of the biggest acquisitions of startups by big corporates.
Titan Acquires Hug InnovationsIndian leading watchmaker Titan at the beginning of the year acquired Hyderabad-based wearable and Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform startup HUG Innovations. The startup was founded in 2012 by Raj Nevarati to address the women's safety post the Nirbhaya incident. The startup manufactured smart watches embedded with safety features in collaboration with Foxconn and fitness bands, for a customer base of 30,000 people.
Though the amount of the acquisition was never disclosed, Titan acquired the startup to expand its tech-enabled wearable items. According to S. Ravi Kant, chief executive of Titan, the company is the fifth biggest watchmaker in the world which has sold over 17 million time pieces in 2019 and dominating 50 per cent watches market share in this country.
Google Buys Appsheet
Tech giant Google earlier this year acquired a no-code application development platform Appsheet at an undisclosed amount early this year. Founded in 2012 by Praveen Seshadri had raised over $17 million on a $60 million valuation according to Pitchbook. The startup provides a no-code application development platform which is widely used by a number of enterprises across a variety of industries.
"With this acquisition, customers will be able to develop richer applications at scale that leverage not only Google Sheets and Forms which are already popular with customers, but other top Google technologies like Android, Maps and Google Analytics. In addition, AppSheet customers can continue to integrate with a number of cloud-hosted data sources including Salesforce, Dropbox, AWS DynamoDB and MySQL," Google had said in a press release.
Post the acquisition, Seshadri along with his team joined Google Cloud and continued running its service.
Infosys Acquires US-based Simplus
India's second largest software exporting firm Infosys in February announced the acquisition of Simplus, a Salesforce platinum partner. The Bengaluru-headquartered company said it closed the deal at $250 million.According to Infosys, Simplus is considered as a leader and advisor in cloud consulting, implementation, data integration, change management, and training services for Salesforce CPQ and billing application. The company with this acquisition wishes to enhance its end-to-end Salesforce enterprise cloud solutions. Later in 2018, the company had also acquired Fluido.
Infosys has also acquired another US-based company Kaleidoscope Innovation for $42 million in September this year.
Marico Expands Its Men's Grooming Lineup; Buys Beardo
Major fast moving major consumer goods (FMCG) in July acquired Beardo, a men's grooming startup founded in 2017. Marico in 2018 had bought 45 per cent stake in the Ahmedabad-based startup founded by Asutosh Valani and Priyank Shah to consolidate its presence in the men's grooming line up.
Beardo is well known among young men for its beard oil, hair serum, face washes and hair combs.
RG-Sanjiv Goenka Group's Move Into Digital News Platform
The RG-Sanjiv Goenka Group in July this year announced its acquiring a majority stake of 51 per cent in a newly formed digital news platform Editorji.
The move marked the group's first entry into the digital media space. Founded by former chief executive officer of NDTV, Vikram Chandra in 2018, Editorji from the beginning has relied on video storytelling and competes against major online emerging digital news platforms. Though the transaction amount was undisclosed, Chandra said that as a part of RPSG group along with support of existing investors such as Airtel and HT, the news platform is well-positioned to take advantage of the ongoing digital revolution. The news platform produces news in Hindi and English through audio, video, and texts medium.
SpiceJet Takes Travenues Under Its Wings
Domestic air carrier SpiceJet in July has acqui-hired team and technology of Bengaluru-based ecommerce-based airline company Travenues, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ixigo. This deal will help SpiceJet to strengthen its e-commerce platform. As a part of the deal, the Travenues technology team will join SpiceJet and the airline will absorb Travenues' airline technology and commerce platform that specialises with its deep tech advancements in mobile apps, cross-selling, payments, and others.
Reliance Claws Into E-commerce
If a company that has founded its space in most of the days this year in the business column, it has to Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) led by chairman Mukesh Ambani. The company has not only attracted a plethora of investments in billions from marque foreign investors for both its digital platform, Jio Platform and retail arm RRVL, but also has acquired two popular startups to consolidate its presence in the e-commerce segment, where it is locking horns with Amazon and Walmart owned Flipkart.
In August, RIL's subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) forayed into the growing pharmaceutical and healthcare sector by acquiring a majority equity stake in Chennai-based Vitalic Health Pvt. Ltd and its subsidiaries for approximately INR 620 crore. This investment will give Reliance 60 per cent holding in the equity share capital of Vitalic and 100 per cent direct equity ownership of its subsidiaries Tresara Health Pvt. Limited, Netmeds Market Place Limited and Dadha Pharma Distribution Pvt Limited.
The move also comes days after e-commerce giant Amazon launched its online drug sales "Amazon Pharmacy' in Bengaluru and will expand in other parts of the country.
Later, the company went on to buy 96 per cent stake of an online furniture startup Urban Ladder at an exchange of INR 182 crore. RRVL has further mentioned that it has an option to buy the remaining stake and is willing to invest INR 75 crore which is expected to be completed by 2023.
NSE Academy Picks Majority Stake in TalentSprint
National Stock Exchange (NSE) Ltd's wholly-owned subsidiary NSE Academy last month bought a majority stake in edtech platform TalentSprint. The Hyderabad-based startup provides advanced certification programmes in emerging and deep technologies to professionals using a hybrid online/onsite mode. The startup provides courses on artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning, fintech, and other advanced topics. NSE's managing director and CEO Vikram Limaye had said that it is important to add new and emerging technologies in the education space and TalentSprint's vision and offering complement their growth ambitions.


text:
Following AOL’s announcement late last week regarding its latest push to provide its “AOL High Speed” broadband network coast-to-coast, the company has also launched an aggressive marketing strategy to catch up with the fast-paced internet world they’ve since been lagging behind in. The partnership with leading providers including BellSouth, Time Warner Cable and Verizon, as well as other major DSL suppliers, hopes to finally bring AOL up to speed with its high speed connection competitors.
As AOL tells ADOTAS, “Upgrading the AOL network has been a priority for us. We felt it would allow us to build a better experience for our members, bring new subscribers to our network partners, and enhance the lifetime member value of our customer relationships,” they said. “We actually began testing bundled offers with select partners in Q4 ’05 and the reaction was very positive, so we decided to work to expand the network with additional partners.”
Users who landed on AOL’s home page over this past weekend would’ve caught a glimpse at its track racing theme which featured runners lined up at the bottom of the page, just waiting for the gun to go off. The central theme of this “Everyone is Fast” online campaign, which also has print, radio and television components, as AOL tells ADOTAS, “features regular people effortlessly keeping up with elite athletes who are competing in skiing, cycling, swimming and other sports. It simply inserts the phrase ‘high speed’ into our existing tagline of ‘Want a better high-speed Internet? You belong at AOL.'”
While Interpublic Group’s Initiative is handling media planning and buying, Atmosphere BBDO, the digital agency arm of BBDO North America (who also covered the offline components), did the dirty work for the online campaign. The target audience the company hopes to reach is mass but with a focus on women and families, and its goal is to appeal to AOL members and those considering upgrading to a high-speed connection. The ads aim to highlight the campaign’s premise that everyone wants to be fast and can be with AOL High Speed.
The online campaign, which launched on 1/27, will run through the first half of this year with offer lengths varying by partner. “Ads are running on a variety of sites and ad networks including bhg.com, cnet.com, discovery.com, weather.com, homestore.com, and Google,” AOL explains. “We will run both page take-overs and in-banner ads.” Not surprisingly, those aforementioned Flash enabled page take-overs were provided by none other than rich-media whiz kids, Pointroll.
The company’s President of AOL’s Access business summed up its hopes, saying, “We’re starting to let AOL members know about this opportunity now to strongly encourage them to improve their online experience with a better, faster Internet connection,” he says. “AOL is committed to offering our members the best high-speed experience — not just faster dial-up but true broadband from a cable or DSL connection. We’ve seen in recent market tests that our members respond very strongly to the ability to more simply combine what they have from AOL with what they want from a broadband connection, and now we’re going to deliver it from coast to coast.”


text:
The Federal Trade Commission, in its antitrust investigation into social media giant Facebook, is considering taking action against the company in regards to how its products interact, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
The FTC is considering seeking a preliminary injunction against Facebook over how it integrates its apps, people familiar with the matter told the publication.
Facebook shares fell on the report.
A preliminary injunction would prevent the company from pursuing certain actions. According to the Journal, it could prevent Facebook from further integrating apps that regulators may later unwind as a “potential future breakup of the company.”
Facebook owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. The way these products interact is what is considered potentially anti-competitive in nature.
Facebook did not immediately return FOX Business’ request for comment.
Sources told the Journal that if the FTC decides to move on an injunction or antitrust action, it could occur as soon as next month.
The FTC declined to comment.
The Department of Justice is also looking into Facebook over potential antitrust concerns.
In July, the FTC approved a $5 billion fine against the social media company over how it handled users’ personal information.
Meanwhile, discussions are rumbling about potentially breaking up the country’s largest tech companies, including Facebook. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination in 2020, released a plan in March to break up companies that have “too much power” and have “bulldozed competition.”


text:
The company announced this new logo in a blog post to help make it easier for users to check that the device they are buying is certified and secure. Google has emphasized the need for clarity and user-friendliness, pointing out that there are over 2 billion active Android-powered devices across the globe.
For the uninitiated, Google certifies Android devices to ensure that the users buying the devices will get a stable and secure experience. The company is working with device manufacturers ‘to run hundreds of compatibility tests’ to make sure that the devices are following Android permissions and security model defined by Google.
One thing to note here is that the certification also acts as a verification measure to indicate that all the Google apps pre-installed on the devices are authentic and untampered. Google also clarified that certified devices will also come with ‘Google Play Protect’ out of the box.
This means that these devices will pack ‘automatic device scanning’ to detect malware providing ‘baseline’ security against privacy hacks, malware infections, and others.
The company has also posted a list of the partners that it is working with to certify devices.
News Source: TECH2Last modified on Monday, 25 September 2017


text:
Sonal Dutt is the food and lifestyle director of PEOPLE, overseeing the food, travel and home editorial team. She launched People.com's first lifestyle-focused vertical and celebrity recipe
We independently selected these products because we love them, and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase someth
Login / Register
Updated At: Sep 25, 2022
March 29, 2022 10:30 ET | Source: Chart Industries, Inc. Chart Industries, Inc.
Read AARP The Magazine, the AARP Bulletin and lifestyle newslet
Hi, what are you looking for?
The global Hydrogel Dressing market was valued at 177.46 Million USD in 2020 and will grow with a CAGR of 5.69% from 2020 to 2027, based on a newly published
Researchers at Wuhan University in China seek to develop hydrogel glass that will keep buildings and living spaces cooler, without the loss of visibility to the outdoors.
According to a re
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.
New Brunswick lifted all provincial COVID-19 restrictions — including mandatory mask-wearing in indoor public spaces —


text:
Technology News Archive - July 25, 2009
ESPOO, Finland, July 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following the outcome* of the auction for the CDMA and Long Term Evolution (LTE) assets of Nortel, Nokia Siemens Networks (NYSE: NOK) remains focused on maintaining its leadership in the global wireless infrastructure industry and sustaining its recent momentum in the North American market. "Our final offer for Nortel's assets represented a fair price, and we did not enter this process with a win-at-any-cost mindset," said Bosco Novak, Chief Markets Operations Officer, Nokia Siemens Networks.
Microsoft is offering a viable solution in an effort to appease European Commission (EC) regulators who are considering possible remedies to avoid further legal action with the European Union.
US computer giant Microsoft Corp says it is preparing to issue a pair of emergency security patches for its Internet Explorer Web browser.
Twitter is developing a marketing promotion in the next few days to teach users ways to make a profit off the trendy microblogging site.
Google's book scanning project is already facing anti-trust criticism and awaiting court approval, and now it has also raised concerns amongst privacy advocates and civil liberties groups.
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corp and one of the wealthiest people in the world, was forced to give up the social networking phenomenon Facebook after too many people wanted to be his friend.
HONG KONG, July 25 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The global trade volume will see a 10% decline in 2009, higher than the previous 9% forecast, and China will overtake Germany as the biggest export country in the world, according to the WTO's newly released annual world trade report.Meanwhile, Asia Development Bank says in its July 23rd report that amid the general slump of East Asia economies, China has maintained a good growth momentum in the first half of 2009, acting as the engine for East Asia's recovery.
- A hairdresser.


text:
The boom of shopping malls in the United States gave hotel owners and developers ample room to build, but malls’ fall in popularity means the hotel industry needs to think about the future of retail space.
It might not seem obvious, but the fortunes of the hotel business—especially in the United States—are linked to the bricks-and-mortar retail industry. And as you’ve probably read, retail in general and shopping malls in particular are in economic trouble—a trend that presents both challenges and opportunities to hotel owners and developers.
While it’s hard to quantify how many hotels in the U.S. depend on nearby retail for large chunks of their business, a lot of data exists showing the rapid erosion of the country’s retail business. So far this year, according to Fung Global Retail & Tech, the number of retail store closure announcements increased 218% over last year, with 5,321 closures to date and more certain to follow.
Many large regional shopping malls and outlet centers are surrounded by hotels, with those properties depending to varying degrees on business generated by that retail. Unfortunately, fewer shoppers are visiting malls and instead relying on the internet for the bulk of their shopping needs.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact that, compared to the rest of the world, the U.S. has a glut of retail space. According to data from Cowen and Company, there is 48 square feet of retail space per person in the U.S., compared to 22 square feet per person in the U.K. and 12 square feet in Canada.
While retail stories are closing at a record pace, some new development is underway. Unfortunately, it’s generally not the kind of retail that generates business for hotels. Fung Global Retail & Tech says there have been 3,262 store openings so far this year, up 53% over 2016. However, more than 2,000 of them are Dollar General, Dollar Tree or Aldi stories, none of which are likely to support the hotel industry or spur any new development. Similarly, of the 2,139 retail openings in 2016, 69% were one of the dollar store concepts.
There has been a long history of mutual dependence between the retail and hotel industries. As example, Randall Park Mall opened in suburban Cleveland in 1976 as one of the largest enclosed shopping malls in the world. A large Holiday Inn was developed adjacent to the mall and soon became one of the most-successful properties in the region and in the Holiday Inn system. But shortly after the mall closed in 2008, the Holiday Inn also floundered and closed as a hotel.
Like other industries that have been disrupted by new concepts and technologies, some segments of the retail business have begun to move in new directions. And in much the same way the hotel industry has embraced enhancing guest experiences as a way to combat Airbnb and other disruptors, some shopping mall owners are emphasizing experience over shopping as the focus of new and renovated malls and centers.
These new-look shopping areas have become experience-oriented destinations with theaters, restaurants and other attractions, all activities that can create demand for hotels.
Some ambitious owners are recasting existing and aging malls into new multi-purpose developments that de-emphasize retail in favor of other uses, including entertainment, residential, wellness and office.
In Dallas, for example, Beck Ventures recently broke ground on a $500-million first phase of a project to transform the existing Valley View Center shopping mall into a corporate destination. While the company envisions a much larger $4-billion development, the first phase will include 500,000 square feet of office space, 1,000 apartment units, 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, a fitness and wellness center, a 10-screen movie theater and a 440-room luxury hotel. SB&G Hotel Group, the largest owner of IHG hotels in Australia, is involved in the development of the hotel, which has yet to be branded.
Not all shopping malls or outlet centers will be suited for redevelopment at this scale, and many will shutter and rob surrounding hotels of major pieces of business. Yet, as retail real estate continues to simultaneously contract and recycle, opportunities will open up for smart and visionary hotel developers who can see the possibilities beyond what exists today.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or its parent company, STR and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to comment or contact an editor with any questions or concerns.


text:
The U.K.'s manufacturing sector ended 2019 in contraction territory, with December output declining at the fastest pace since July 2012, data from IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply showed.
The seasonally adjusted manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, fell to 47.5 in December 2019, compared with the flash reading of 47.4. A reading below 50.0 indicates contraction.
Intermediate and investment goods sectors contracted, while the consumer goods sector recorded a marginal expansion.
"On this basis, it looks like U.K. manufacturing and the broader economy may both start the new decade as they began the last, too reliant on consumer spending and still waiting for a sustained improvement in investment levels," said Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit.
New orders declined for the eighth consecutive month amid economic, global trade and political concerns. Businesses remained optimistic about the upcoming 12-month period, though the degree of confidence was subdued compared with historical levels, the data showed.


text:
NFTs or Non-fungible tokens have been the talk of the crypto world lately. It is the latest addition to the ever-growing crypto industry and has helped artists all over the world in tackling several digital-world problems. With the recent surge in popularity, several new platforms have taken the plunge and only few have been successful so far. One of such platforms which are not new in the crypto world but has been in talks is OpenSea.
OpenSea is one of the few NFT marketplaces with excellent use cases and is popular among its peers. While there are several new startups trying to establish their space in this fast-paced industry, investors are not so far behind. OpenSea recently raised over $23 Million in its recent rounds of funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. Among the investors, there were few of the known crypto angel investors such as Naval Ravikant, Alexis Ohanian, Mark Cuban, Dylan Field, and Linda Xie.
OpenSea joined the crypto world in 2017 and only a few months later announced a $2 million round from Founder Fund and a few other crypto-centric firms. Back then, there were only a handful of NFT marketplaces, and the community was curious and eager to embrace this concept with open arms. However, it wasn’t until late 2020, NFTs became popular partly because of acceptance from digital artists’ communities.
OpenSea effectively taps true NFT potential
The popularity of NFTs has risen so much that digital influencers such as Elon Musk are tweeting memes about NFTs, supporting their popularity and influence over digital content creation. There are still few wrinkles that need to be ironed out, which can account for the fact that NFTs are still considered to be a superior commodity and are used for high-dollar artwork sales.
Regardless, NFTs are bound to blow up because of their immense potential, and platforms such as OpenSea are doubling down before anyone else. Towards this end, OpenSea announced their support for Tezos-based NFTs that are far more efficient. By providing a robust marketplace and facilitating the onboarding process for more users, OpenSea might just sail through effortlessly. NFTs are here to stay, and OpenSea is here to ensure a smooth transition.


text:
- Promote Korean food through additional subtitling in six languages including English, Chinese, and Japanese -
SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Korean Food Promotion Institute (KFPI) translates the Korean food documentary 'Hansik, The Taste of Korea' (UHD Hansik), which produced last year to effectively promote Korean food culture and excellence of domestic food ingredients, in multiple languages and once again expected to show the value of Korean food culture worldwide.
'UHD Hansik' is part of the public TV network documentary production in 2017 that produced a total of 30 episodes with an Ultra High Definition video (UHD). It was designed to make consensus and support base about Korean food promotion and vitalization of Korea food tourism, and to convey the value and philosophy of Korean food.
'UHD Hansik', with the theme of promoting Korean traditional food culture and the excellence of domestic food ingredients, has 30 episodes in total. One of the topics is about fermented food 'dish made with traditional fermented pastes' that shows the characteristics of Korean food. It was broadcasted last year on KBS 1 Channel, Cooking Humanity Program, and the program had the best viewer rating of 8.0%, catching Korean viewers' attention.
Based on these interests and effectiveness, KFPI will reveal a total of 180 episodes of the Korean food documentary, which subtitled in six languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Arabic from this September to November, for redistribution.
Chairman of the board of the KFPI said, "Today's Korean food is a touchstone of culture in which the Korean's unique values and traditions are embedded. By promoting Korean food culture and the excellence of food ingredient, and spreading the Korean food documentary subtitled in six languages worldwide. I hope people from all over the world will be interested in Korean food."
Meanwhile, the KFPI posted 180 'UHD Hansik' documentary, which subtitled in six languages, on the official website of the KFPI (www.hansik.or.kr) and its social media channels, and are making efforts to continuously spread the Korean food specialized documentaries.
Related Links :


text:
|Photo by Fundraisingnetz|
How’s this for a Friday Fail? A french phone network attempted to charge one of its customers €11,721,000,000,000,000 to cancel her contract. That’s €11.7 quadrillion, nearly 6000 times the country’s GDP.
Solenne San Jose had contacted the phone company, Bouygues Telecom, to terminate her contract back in September. She was told that there would be a cancellation fee, but wasn’t expecting it to be quite so steep. When the bill arrived, it stated that the amount would be automatically taken from her account.
Realising that it was a mistake, Ms San Jose called the company to let them know. Unbelievably, she was told that it was an automatic billing system and her account would be charged. The customer service representative then unhelpfully suggested she set up an installment plan – not taking into account that it would take a few million years to pay off a reasonable monthly figure.
After a series of frustrated phone calls, Bouygues Telecom agreed that there had been a printing error and the actual bill came to €117. The company eventually waived the amount.
Despite this small gesture of goodwill, the story only goes to highlight the fact that ‘robotic’ customer service is all too common – a lot of stress (and bad publicity) could have been avoided if the customer service department had taken a common-sense approach to the original complaint.
Find us on Google +, Facebook and Twitter


text:
Bia Analytical Ltd. is delighted to announce that they have achieved ISO 17025 accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) across their herbs and spices authenticity testing methods in their laboratory. This accreditation serves to highlight the company’s commitment to providing the highest quality services to its customers and partners, as it delivers world leading testing and products.
The accreditation recognises Bia Analytical’s technical competence and demonstrates that their Belfast based laboratory has achieved a level of impartiality and operational consistency.
Terry McGrath, Bia Analytical Founder and Chief Scientific Officer stated “Since our inception we have been striving to ensure our laboratory-based testing has been at the highest level of excellence. To achieve this accreditation is testament to the dedication and hard work of the Bia Analytical team and gives our customers external validation of what they already knew, regarding the high quality of our services”.
Bia Analytical reduces exposure to the risk of food fraud across the entire food supply chain using industry-leading, cutting-edge spectroscopy and data science-based testing methods. Spectroscopy combined with chemometric modelling is the most reliable method for adulteration detection. This technology enables Bia Analytical to provide results within a guaranteed three working day turnaround, empowering food producers and their suppliers to make decisions and retain consumer confidence in their products.
Simon Cole, Bia Analytical CEO commented: “We are thrilled to have been accredited with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for our laboratory testing. This is the result of an incredible amount of hard work and dedication by the team and highlights the efforts that we are investing to bring the best service possible to our customers and partners.”
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 is globally recognised international standard that sets a recognised and verifiable level of best practice so that customers can be confident that a testing provider operates competently and generates valid results.
Cole further added “As supply chain pressures continue to be exerted upon the food industry, fraud and the associated risk are a constant concern. This certification further signals our intent to lead the global industry with ground-breaking testing methods to ensure confidence for both the consumer and the supplier alike.“
For up-to-date information on the range of commodities that Bia Analytical now offer ISO 17025 accredited rapid authenticity testing for visit: Bia Analytical Lab Testing Service. New and expanded tests are constantly being added to the list.
Keep up-to-date with the latest food fraud news and alerts


text: By PSW Staff • December 20, 2010 Gemini's Powersoft Amp Rack From their first experience with Powersoft amplifiers at Edgefest 2010 in Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX, with 25,000 attendees, to a string of successful concert performances, Gemini Light, Sound, Video has stepped up their systems with Powersoft amplifiers. Gemini’s positive experience with the inherent green design efficiencies, crystal clear sound and extremely tight bass response of Powersoft amplifiers has prompted the adoption of Powersoft as a mainstay amplifier for its systems. “We used the Powersoft K10 amplifier to drive our EAW SB2001, double 21-inch sub woofer speaker cabinets at the KDGE-FM Edgefest last May,” said Tim Cain, owner of Gemini Light, Sound, Video. “We provided the audio system for groups that included Limp Bizkit, Three Days Grace and 30 Seconds to Mars and the bass response for the system needed to be outstanding.” “We tried out the Powersoft K10 series for this and the results were beyond amazing, to say the least. The bass sound was thunderously loud, yet clear and tight.” “From this experience, we purchased eight K2 and eight K3 amplifiers to exclusively drive our newest EAW KF740 system and, once again, the results were very impressive.” The new Powersoft K2/K3-EAS KF740 system has also been successfully used for major corporate events and a string of concerts, including BB King, Buddy Guy, Kenny Loggins and most recently Sheryl Crow. “Every time we look at the size and weight of the Powersoft amplifiers compared to the giant sound they produce, we are amazed,” said Cain. “It is hard to believe that so much quality sound can be coming out of an amplifier that compact. While all sound systems are about delivering quality sound, the logistics behind putting that sound together are equally important in terms of hauling, AC load, ease of use and flexibility.” “These are areas where Powersoft is well ahead of the industry curve.” “With Powersoft, hauling and allocating truck space is now extremely easy as I am getting the same power and better sound in just a third to half the space and weight as in the past,” Cain said. “Because of Powersoft’s incredible efficiency, the AC power distribution at an event is much easier.” “This efficiency is particularly valuable at locations where the available power might not be great. With Powersoft, I know I can deliver high-level sound no matter where I go with far fewer headaches and that is good for my bottom line.” Powersoft Website Comments Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Name * Email * Website Tagged with: Amplifiers Audio Live Loudspeakers Poll Power Sound Reinforcement · all topics Subscribe to Live Sound International Live Sound International brings you information on a wide range of pro audio topics. Stay up-to-date, get expert tips, industry news, new products and technologies delivered. Discover how to make smart use of today’s sound technology, Subscribe Today!


text:
Sustainability is dominating discussion at ACI’s annual convention, currently under way in Orlando, as cleaning products companies push to reformulate to meet the needs of savvy consumers.
Suppliers are working hard to innovate and offer soapers more sustainable, convenient, and differentiated formulations.
To help the cleaning products industry navigate the changing landscape, ACI’s board has approved a new, three-year strategic plan focused on business, science, sustainability, and communications. The plan will “help ACI be stronger, more agile, and more forward thinking,” said Melissa Hockstad, ACI’s president and CEO, in her opening address. The plan will enable ACI to “nurture impactful relationships to accelerate growth and innovation across the cleaning products industry” and “advance, promote, and utilize science to drive informed dialogue and decision making.”
There is a lot to be happy about in this industry, Sundar Raman, president/fabric care, North America and P&G Professional, Global Procter & Gamble, said. Demand is up in North America, and the industry is growing. “And there are more opportunities for innovation,” he added. “People’s lives continue to be time-starved, and solutions that make their lives easier are in demand.”
Macro trends favor the cleaning products industry, noted Timothy Mulhere, executive vice president and president, global institutional, at Ecolab. The global population is growing, as is the middle class. And with that growth comes increased expectations for health and hygiene. “For industry, that bodes well,” he said. “Innovation is key to taking advantage of these tailwinds.”
F. Quinn Stepan, Jr., chairman and CEO, Stepan Company, noted that the cleaning products industry is in a strong position. “The mission of the industry is fundamentally good. Markets are growing, and we have significant opportunities to grow…and with technology and science, we can make a big impact on the world.” He also highlighted the tremendous gap in health and hygiene practices globally, Stepan noted. “Our penetration is high, but can be much higher.”
Discussions around sustainability have “become much more concrete,” says Ralph Schweens, president of BASF Care Chemicals. “It’s a much stronger theme in 2020. It’s a deeply dominating topic.” Sustainability discussions must coincide with innovation, he adds. “Sustainability solutions will come from innovation. It’s not just a trend. If you play in this field, it’s part of your license to operate in the future.” Schweens says BASF is shifting R&D spend into biodegradable and biobased solutions, including products based on its enzymes technology.
“Sustainability is absolutely a key driver of this industry now,” says Eric Peeters, global business director, home and personal care for Dow. “We see that in every meeting and every site discussion. It’s what every consumer has on their minds.”
The growing influence of sustainability is accelerating the pace of innovation, says Vincent Gass, head of global marketing industrial & consumer specialties at Clariant. “I’m very optimistic. The market in 2019 was a little bumpy, but I also feel this was a transition year,” Gass says. “The speed of innovation, the new tools allowed by digital, and an appetite for sustainable concepts where consumers can feel empowered by a brand is [opening new opportunities].”
It is no longer a discussion about the premise or concept of sustainability but rather “Do you have the solutions required, how do we get there, and how fast can we get there,” Gass says.
Stuart Holt, global technical marketing manager, cleaning surface chemistry at Nouryon, agrees that the sector is dynamic. “Consumers are more educated and sophisticated in terms of product selection, so you have more product line diversification to meet these niche needs. These can be biobased materials, perfumes from natural sources, or third-party accreditations.”
By Rebecca Coons and Robert Westervelt
Source: Chemical Week
3M and Dow have announced they are cutting thousands of roles from their global workforces in response to economic pressures. Dow has said it will cut 2,000 jobs across its global workforce (around 5%) in a bid to save US$1bn in 2023. The company says it will also cut costs by shutting down “select assets”, though it did not note where it would halt operations.
Sweden’s state mining firm has discovered what could be Europe’s largest rare earths deposit, and says it could help the bloc reduce its reliance on imports of minerals needed to manufacture clean technologies and meet climate targets.
Henkel and Avantium have been partners since 2019, when Henkel joined the PEFerence consortium. This consortium of partners, coordinated by Avantium, aims to establish an innovative supply chain for FDCA and PEF (polyethylene furanoate).


text:
Facebook owned Instagram has introduced a new platform which will allow long-form video content up to 60 minutes. It will also be available as a feature inside the main Instagram app aside from the general feed. This platform will particularly cater to content creators who want to take advantage of the huge base of audience Instagram has. The photo-sharing app also announced that it currently has 1 billion monthly active users.
One of the major differentiators between IGTV and YouTube is that the former is banking on support for vertical videos instead of the traditional horizontal alignment. Instagram also allows videos on their platform but the length is restricted to 60 seconds. With IGTV, creators can now put up videos up to 60 minutes.
While introducing IGTV, Kevin Systrom, Co-founder & CEO of Instagram said that this is the latest step in the company’s evolution as a platform. He also indicated that horizontal video format is quite inconvenient in an age where most media is consumed on smartphones.
YouTube has been receiving flak off late from some of the top creators over issues relating to revenues and copyrights. It can prove to be a great timing for Instagram if it can offer creators a good platform for their long-form video content. Unlike YouTube though, the social network has announced that they have no plans to create original content as of yet.
For a social media platform, it is important to keep the users engaged for a long period of time. Currently, Instagram claims that users spend around half an hour each day on average. With the launch of IGTV, this metric is sure to go up. So along with getting photo and short video updates from friends and celebs, users can now see full-fledged shows on the platform without having to leave the app.
You can download IGTV as a standalone app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. But you can also access it directly via the main Instagram app by clicking on its icon positioned in top right, next to the DM icon.
It will be interesting to see how creators as well as users respond to this new feature. We’ll have a clearer picture of the new platform probably after a few months when there are enough creators on it.


text:
Homegrown connected lifestyle brand Noise has entered into an exclusive partnership with Bragi, the inventor and largest intellectual property owner of true wireless headphones. It is Bragi’s first partnership with an Indian originated brand. Under this partnership, Noise will exclusively work with Bragi to launch an intelligent range of audio devices powered by the proprietary Bragi OS in India. The products will be collaboratively designed by both the teams. First of its range is expected to be launched in the first half of 2022.
Noise has signed a long-term partnership with Bragi to infuse smart hearable devices in India. With this, the Noisemakers will be able to leverage the next generation of features in TWS – never seen before in India. This partnership is in line with Noise’ vision to introduce more intelligent products and continue to innovate for the Indian market, it said in a statement.
Amit Khatri, Co-founder at Noise, said, “We are ecstatic to have Bragi on board as our technology partners. Bragi has not only delivered the most innovative technology but, it has also emerged as one of the leaders in the world within no time. Bringing together Bragi’s innovative technology and Noise’s knowledge of the Indian market will enable us to transform the hearable industry in India. The Indian hearable segment has observed massive growth in recent years, with an increased appetite for tech-froward and feature-packed gadgets. Noise is already amongst the top five hearable brands in India. With this partnership, we at Noise, intend to offer hi-tech and revolutionary products to the Noisemakers and become India’s No. 1 hearable brand in the coming days. We are thrilled to kickstart our partnership and change the game for Indian hearable category.”
Also Read: 73% Indians created playlist for their loved ones during pandemic: New JBL Research
Nikolaj Hviid, Founder and CEO, Bragi, said, “With our partnership with Noise, we intend to explore new possibilities for innovation and technological advancements in the Indian hearable sector. Both the brands have been bringing ground-breaking technologies and designs to ease the lives of several individuals. Noise is one of the leading players in India, with a compelling product portfolio and customer base. This partnership will bring several industry-first products carefully curated for the Indian market. We are geared up to work together as partners.”
The brand has introduced several TWS hearable products in 2021, considering the distinctive demands of the users. According to the latest report by Counterpoint Research, Noise is the third-largest player in the TWS market based on its shipment volumes. This partnership will help Noise grab a larger market share and offer an unparalleled experience to the Noisemakers.
In 2021, the first Bragi enabled products, fully powered by the Bragi Operating System have been launched and went straight to the top of the market, winning several nominations like Best Earbuds for Music by RollingStone and Best 100 Inventions ’21 by Time Magazine.


text:
Rocky Hill shops were vacant Saturday afternoon on a day devoted to bringing commerce to small businesses around the country.
November 26 is Small Business Saturday, which is a movement to get more people to shop at community stores. For the Rocky Hill Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Saturday is a chance to support the local economy.
"My goal on Small Business Saturday is to encourage people to shop locally and promote a sustainable living economy," said Executive Director Paul Carr.
Carr stated that small businesses pump more money into the local communities than "big box" stores. Local business owners also offer better wages to employees, he added.
"It is incredibly important. As a community, we need to build small businesses."
The Rocky Hill Chamber of Commerce is expected to join BALLE, which stands for Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, within the next year. The goal of BALLE is to build sustainable local economies, according to their website.
was slow on Saturday with very few customers coming into the shop. However, their business relies heavily on return customers because they do not get a lot of road traffic.
"All businesses have been very slow," said an employee at . "With the economy being what it is, it is no surprise."
Even with the down economy, , which sells new and refurbished pianos and guitars among other items, has had steady business. On Saturday, the store was empty and only had a few customers on Friday. However, Owner Robert J. Rustigian said his business caters to a particular clientele, ones who want "quality" products and services, not just low prices.
"I am selling to people who play music."
According to Rustigian, he, who has owned since the summer of 2008, drove his 'big box' store competition, Falcetti Music, out of town last summer because of high quality of services and products. He said that he prides his business on services before and after the sale. He offers a 20-year warranty when other stores only three to five year warranties.
"I never have to fix a piano."
The high quality equipment leads to "better results," Rustigian stated. Those results do not only apply to instruments, he added.
"You have to give them good quality equipment."
Children need good equipment to succeed in sports or music and often, ones who do not have it quit, Rustigian said.
"It is no different when you expose your child to piano. It has to play properly," he said. "We have some families that just don't get that."


text:
High street retailers faced a dismal end to 2017 despite Black Friday efforts as inflation-hit households cut back on overall spending and shopped online, figures from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG have revealed.
This comes as the number of retailers going into administration rose in 2017 for the first time in five years, according to Deloitte. Furniture company Feather and Black was one of last year’s major casualties and childcare retailer Mothercare's shares hit an all time low following a profit warning on Monday.
Retail sales fell by 1.9pc on a like-for-like basis including online and in-store purchases in the three months ending December 2017 – the weakest retail performance in...
Start a 30-day free trial for unlimited access to Premium articles
- Unlimited access to Premium articles
- Subscriber-only events and experiences
- Cancel any time
Free for 30 days
then only £2 per week
Save 25% with an annual subscription
Just £75 per year


text:
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The Beige Book, a collection of anecdotal comments on the U.S. economy, breaks down activity by each region. Here are the regional summaries. Here are the regional breakdowns: See story on Beige Book.
Economic activity in the Boston District continued to expand at a steady pace. Residential real estate firms were “finally” mentioning recovery, but said it was “fragile.” Growth in the software and information-technology sector was relatively strong and the only one doing substantial hiring. A couple of firms talked about making contingency plans for a potential slowdown.
Activity in the New York District was seen as moderate. Contacts, on balance, said they planned to add workers in the months ahead. Selling prices were seen as stable. Bankers reported widespread increases in loan demand. Canadian shoppers continue to boost retail sales. New York City’s office market has tightened slightly.
The pace of growth slowed slightly in the Philadelphia District. Manufacturing activity eased and retail sales slowed in April but appeared to be making a comeback in May. Firms noted that growth was slower compared to the sunnier views expressed in the last Beige Book.
Business activity in the Cleveland District was seen as moderate. Factory output was seen as stable. Manufacturers were upbeat about the rest of 2012. Retails sales held steady. Exploration of shale gas continued to expand. One supplier of building materials said suppliers were raising prices because of a perception that the housing industry is on a comeback. Overall freight transport volume moved higher.
There was only a modest improvement in economic activity in the Richmond District. Retail sales were tepid in recent weeks. One retailer in central Virginia said customers were showing “yo-yo spending,” meaning up one month and down the next. Growth at services firms also slowed. Residential real estate agents saw encouraging signs of improvement. There were mixed signals on manufacturing activity.
Economic activity in the Atlanta District was also seen as moderate. Reports were more positive than the last Beige Book but uncertainties from Europe weighed on the outlook. Retailers noted a modest increase in activity. Cash buyers and investors were active in the Florida real-estate market. Drought conditions worsened in most of Florida, Georgia and parts of Alabama.
Economic activity was seen as moderate in the Chicago District. The rate of growth was a touch slower than during March and April. Consumer spending growth slowed, especially for big-ticket items. Manufacturing production rose at a steady pace. Demand for heavy equipment decreased slightly. Planting of corn and soybeans was well ahead of the normal pace. Construction and real estate activity increased.
The economy of the St. Louis District grew at a modest pace. Retail and auto sales increased from year-earlier levels. The sales outlook for the summer was positive, with 56% of retailers expecting sales to increase over 2011 levels. Reports from manufacturing firms and the services sectors were mixed. Lending activity was also mixed.
The economy in the Minneapolis District grew at “a modest to firm pace.” Strength was seen in consumer spending, tourism, services and agriculture. Activity in the energy and mining sectors grew. Warm weather allowed farmers to get into fields early. Drought conditions eased.
The economy in the Kansas City District improved moderately. Retailers reported stronger sales. Agricultural growing conditions improved and farmland values continued to climb. The energy sector continued to expand but the oversupply of natural gas was leading to a slower pace of activity. Auto sales fell sharply with large SUVs and trucks continuing as weak sellers. Transportation activity was flat.
The economy in the Dallas District expanded at a moderate pace. Energy activity remained strong while manufacturing was “flat to up.” Drought conditions improved. Firms were optimistic abut many expressed concern about U.S. political uncertainty and the European debt situation. Retail sales rose moderately and auto sales were strong. High-tech manufacturers expect mild to moderate growth over the next six months. Retail sales grew modestly.
Economic activity in the San Francisco Fed District continued at a moderate pace. Price increases were very modest and wage pressures limited. Retail sales rose and manufacturing activity picked up. Residential real estate demand rose modestly. Sales of new and existing homes ticked up in many areas. Tourist destinations like Southern California, Hawaii and Nevada reported improvements in visitor counts and hotel occupancy rates.


text:
A remastered version of South Park: The Stick of Truth will come to PS4 and Xbox One, Ubisoft announced at its E3 2016 press conference.
Anyone who purchases its sequel, the upcoming South Park: The Fractured But Whole, will receive the game for free on that same console or on Steam (Stick of Truth was previously available on PC), and anyone who pre-orders Fractured But Whole starting today can begin playing Stick of Truth right away.
First released in 2014, Obsidian Entertainment's South Park: The Stick of Truth puts players into the shoes of The New Kid in South Park as the town's kids fight for control of the titular Stick of Truth. A sequel to the game, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, was announced at E3 2015 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC. Ubisoft revealed that, as of May 2015, The Stick of Truth had sold over 1.6 million copies.
For more on all of the games at the show, stay tuned to IGN's E3 2016 events hub.
Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.


text:
Crypto.com Aims for Its First Profitable Year Despite Asian Setback
Cryptoasset-power debit card and trading services firm Crypto.com said it is on track to end the year with its figures in the black for the first time in its history. But it will have to accomplish this feat without one of its key partners, after an accounting scandal involving the German card issuer Wirecard forced Crypto.com to halt an enrollment dive in Asian markets.
He also noted,
“August was another record-breaking month for the company in terms of revenue and all transactional metrics.”
But the CEO conceded that Crypto.com is now “in the process of migrating away from Wirecard both in Asia and Europe.”
The Wirecard scandal involves a series of accounting irregularities dating all the way back to 2008 and partially exposed in 2015, involving what the Financial Times labeled a significant gap between the short-term assets and liabilities in Wirecard’s payment business operations. The scandal came to head earlier this month after the German parliament announced it would launch a probe into the firm and the state’s failure to prevent what it has termed widespread corporate fraud.
The Crypto.com chief stated that his firm is continuing to enroll new debit card users in Europe. However, rollouts have been put on hold in Asia until the firm finds a new partner in the region.
Previously known as Monaco (an ICO from 2017), the company acquired the Crypto.com domain in 2018. Monaco was already lead by Marszalek back then.
Crypto.com currently offers a metal Visa card with a cashback of up to 5% on all spending to its customers in Europe, the USA, and Singapore, with more markets to be added soon.
Building on the success of its crypto.com chain coin (CRO), which has become the 11th-largest cryptoasset, with a current market capitalization of some USD 2.9bn, the provider said it is developing a community around its token. It offers a range of cashbacks on purchases, promotions, discounts, and referrals that it thinks will to lure more people to the crypto sector.
Crypto.com has also been hosting competitions that it hopes will see increased crypto activity from its users. After listing the DeFi app Decentralised Information Asset (DIA) token on its platform this month, Crypto.com launched a campaign with a prize pool worth USD 20,000 in DIA tokens for users making DIA deposits.
Also in September, the company launched DeFi Swap, “a decentralized protocol deployed on the Ethereum blockchain” for swaping and “farming” DeFi coins.
The company claimed it had met key milestones for this year, including the launch of its wallet and initiating the shipment of MCO Visa cards in Europe, both of which took place in May. Crypto.com said that in the months ahead, it will look to launch of its Chain mainnet, as well as expand the MCO Visa card’s coverage to the Asia-Pacific region and Canada.
At pixel time (13:01 UTC), CRO trades at USD 0.169 and is down by almost 2% in a day, trimming its weekly gains to 13%. The price is unchanged in a month, while it rallied by 329% in a year.
CRO price chart:


text:
In an interview with Eurogamer, Microsoft Xbox head Phil Spencer confirms what many suspected – Rise of the Tomb Raider will only be exclusive to Xbox One for a “duration” of time. There were a lot of people going up in arms over the fact that it could be for good and I wanted to wait until it was confirmed to be a timed exclusive before posting.
When asked to clarify the terms of the exclusivity deal Microsoft signed with publisher Square Enix, he said:
“I have Tomb Raider shipping next holiday exclusively on Xbox. It is Xbox 360 and Xbox One. I’m not trying to fake anybody out in terms of where this thing is. What they do with the franchise in the long run is not mine. I don’t control it. So all I can talk about is the deal I have. I don’t know where else Tomb Raider goes.”
Later he added,
“Obviously the deal does have a duration. I didn’t buy the IP in perpetuity.”
So, while the game will launch in fall 2015 exclusively on Xbox One, there’s a good chance that it will eventually be released on other platforms. Playstation owners may just have to wait a while before they can experience it all. For those of you who haven’t seen it, check out this years E3 Trailer below:
For more on Tomb Raider and the situation at hand, Stay Tuned.


text:
"The Labor Department today reported that nonfarm productivity rose 9.5% in the third quarter, the fastest pace in six years. Boosted by lower than expected labor costs, the bigger-than-expected jump was widely hailed as positive by economists and stock traders. Huh? In a debt-challenged, consumer-dependent economy like ours, where a growing number of Americans are struggling to get by, the fact that businesses continue to benefit from squeezing wages and cutting jobs would seem to be the recipe for social unrest and revolution, not a return to economic good fortune."Funny I should hear about revolution from a veteran investor in FinancialSense.com, not from KPFA.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Market Observation - Michael Panzner 11.05.2009:
Posted by Mother of All Carry Trades at 11:57 PM


text:
Apple Announces 2016 Black Friday Sale With Teaser Showing Apple Watch
Posted on November 22, 2016
The Apple Store will be running a Black Friday sale this year. Apple opted out of Black Friday last year. In the past Apple has offered modest discounts and free shipping on Black Friday. The Apple Black Friday shows an Apple Watch with the Black Friday date and says "Save the date." This could mean there will be Apple Watch discounts.Many other retailers will also be offering Apple product discount and deals on Black Friday. You can read about some of the Apple deals available elsewhere in our articles on the Top Smartphone Deals for the iPhone and the Top Wearables Deals for the Apple Watch. Be sure to also check Amazon.com for deals on items like iPhone 7 accessories and Macbooks.
Discounts on Apple products are rare and even small discounts can amount to big savings. This has made the Apple Black Friday sale a popular one in the past. You can view the Apple ad teaser here.
Business Insider reports that Apple wanted to give store employees a break last year. They are not getting one this year as Apple is extending store hours at its retail locations. The Apple teaser says, "Our one-day shopping event will be here before you know it. Come back this Friday to check everyone off your list."
Note: We may receive a commission from sales made through product links in this post.


text:
Head start: Swanky co-working spaces boost Capital’s start-up scene
The large, colourful room is abuzz with the excited chitter-chatter of youngsters in their mid-twenties. A life-size portrait of Steve Wozniak, the unsung co-founder of Apple, is painted on one of the walls. Contemporary chic interiors and soft pendant lights adorn the place.delhi Updated: Jan 31, 2016 11:50 IST
The large, colourful room is abuzz with the excited chitter-chatter of youngsters in their mid-twenties. A life-size portrait of Steve Wozniak, the unsung co-founder of Apple, is painted on one of the walls. Contemporary chic interiors and soft pendant lights adorn the place.
These young men and women — white chits with their names are pinned on their arms — are exchanging pleasantries, business ideas and phone numbers. Many others are sitting alone, hunched over their laptops. These aspiring entrepreneurs are attending an open co-working event called Delhi Jelly at Coworkin, a co-working space in Lajpat Nagar that hosts a range of events for start-ups. “They not just get a space to work here but also mentorship to bring their ideas to fruition,” says Yatin Thakur, 28, the founder of Coworkin.
In the past couple of years, a whole new kind of co-working spaces such as Coworkin, Investopad, Stirring Minds and 91 Springboard have come up in Delhi and NCR, giving a fillip to the start-up culture. They organise learning programmes, networking events, hackathons, pitching sessions, workshops, etc.
Apart from providing regular services such as a desk to work, private lockers and cloud telephony, many of these co-working spaces such as Stirring Minds at Asaf Ali Road provide sleeping bunks, legal clinics and accounting consultancy.
Then there are those that double up as incubation spaces and even make investments in start-ups. Delhi and NCR has over 40 co-working spaces and their membership fee ranges from `4,000 to `8,000 per month.
“Our co-working space has a diverse mix of entrepreneurs who contribute to each other’s knowledge and create a win-win opportunity for each other. Our pitching events have been attended by venture capital funds such as Sequoia and seed funds such as Unitus. Many young entrepreneurs have found funding for their start ups at these events,” says Pranav Bhatia, founder, Stirring Minds. “We are not just a collaborative co-working space but also an incubation space.”
Thakur, who set up one of the city’s first co-working spaces, says that many start-ups such as Oyo rooms, Urban Clap and Qlicket have passed through his co-working spaces. “Youngsters no longer like the idea of reporting to others, they want to be on their own. Instead of setting up their own offices, they prefer to work out of a space where they get mentorship and become part of the larger start-up community.”
These co-working spaces in Delhi and NCR also attract youngsters from smaller cities such as Jaipur, Dehradun and Lucknow, many of them from the service class. What brings them to co-working spaces is the belief that home is not where one should attempt to start a business. Take for example Anurag Murli, 25, a member of Stirring Minds, where he is preparing for the launch of Vigour Fitness with his college mate Divya Jain 23. His App, he says, is India’s first virtual solution for fitness and nutrition.
“One cannot create a company at home and I cannot afford an office right now. I needed an organised space where I can come every day,” says Murli who quit his job with a multinational realty firm to launch his own company. Like Murli, there over a dozen youngsters at Stirring Minds, trying to realise their start-up dreams.
The Stirring Minds brands itself as the ‘boarding school for the stirred ones, where they are mentored and made ready for the market’.
Its yellow-white walls are adorned with framed motivational quotes and pictures of the likes of Lary Page, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Tony Hsieh. Bhatia says that about 50 start-ups including Prozo, Velfie and Karma Circle were born at Stirring Minds.
In fact, some co-working spaces such as Investopad offer not just mentorship but also early-stage capital. “But we do not allow everyone to become a member. First one has to make an online application, and a decision is taken based on the team, idea and whether it is the kind of start-up that we can invest in. We only work with technology-start-ups,” says Rohan Malhotra, co-founder of Investopad.
Right now about 45 start-ups are working out of Investopad in Delhi and Gurgaon where it has a whopping 33,000 sq ft co-working space. Malhotra says Investopad has already made investment in 9 start-ups since it was set up in 2014.
Raghav Gupta, a member of Coworkin, who is about to launch Befinicky, a video content sharing platform, says co-working spaces allow one to focus on the essentials. “You do not have to bother about electricity connection, furniture and water. Besides, working out of a co-working space gives you the option of easy launch and easy exit.” Adds Devashish Dey, Gupta’s partner in the start-up: “With so many overheads that setting up your own office entails, your start-up dream never becomes a reality”
Bhatia, who founded Stirring Minds in 2013, says that Delhi’s start-up scene has grown exponentially in the past two years. And the reason, he says, is that today Delhi offers better funding opportunities than Bangalore and the fact that it is a seat of government also helps. “Founders of many big tech companies that have grown out of Delhi’s ecosystem have become big investors in start-ups,” says Bhatia.


text:
The cannabis market is growing each year and bringing more jobs as it expands. Recreational marijuana is now legal in 18 states across the United States, and the push for legalization in other states is never ending. With the number of jobs and the amount of revenue the cannabis market brings to states, it is safe to say that more states will legalize recreational marijuana in the coming years.
Why Legal Cannabis is Booming: Legislation
In the past year alone, legal cannabis supported 321,000 full-time or full-time equivalent jobs across the U.S. Jobs are available due to the fact that 1 in 3 Americans now live in states with legalized cannabis, and there are even more states that are preparing to legalize in the next few years. In 2020, cannabis employment exceeded that of many mainstream industries such as engineers, web developers, and even jobs in healthcare such as nurses and paramedics. This is because of the amount of jobs that are available within the cannabis industry.
Some jobs require scientific background such as positions in the actual greenhouse or in the lab crafting new products and ensuring the quality of crops, but other jobs have no experience needed. Many restaurant workers or retail workers find themselves in positions in dispensaries or in the greenhouse helping growers to keep up the maintenance of the crops. Dispensary workers help customers find the right products for them and keep an overall friendly atmosphere.
Retail workers that find themselves working in the cannabis industry often report finding a more supportive and welcoming workplace. Oftentimes this comes from the amount of people who work in the cannabis industry. Retail and restaurants are experiencing short staff which causes more stress for existing employees, but the cannabis industry doesn’t see these problems.
The Legal Cannabis Market Opened Doors for Employment
The pandemic saw many Americans lose their jobs due to many businesses shutting their doors. This is when many workers turned to the cannabis industry to find new careers. In 2020 during the peak months of the pandemic, 243,000 workers found jobs within dispensaries, labs, and greenhouses. The cannabis industry didn’t just supply thousands of jobs, it also provided another way of bringing profit into the country during an economic decline. In 2020, recreational marijuana saw $18.3 billion in sales, a 71% increase from the previous year.
Getting started in a job can be very easy. There are many websites that post job opportunities in the cannabis industry that can start the job search process. Expanding cannabis-related knowledge can be helpful too. People who work in the cannabis industry are professionals more than enthusiasts, and so having knowledge on the history, social impact, and medical benefits of marijuana can help in getting a job. In some cases a marijuana worker license may be required, but that is dependent on the state.
With the wide variety of jobs and the many benefits of working in the cannabis industry, the amount of people joining the industry is going to continue to grow each year. There are many opportunities for advancement as well as competitive wages, so it is no secret why so many people are choosing to find jobs in the marijuana industry. Will you find your next job in the cannabis job market?


text:
BANGKOK — McDonald’s Thailand today denied rumors the multinational franchise did not use fish from Thailand due to the use of slave labor.
Responding to a fake photo of a McDonald's sign saying it was boycotting fish from Thailand – which inspired some online to threaten a counter-boycott in response – the fast food chain’s local partner announced on Facebook page today that while it only imports fish from the U.S. state of Alaska, it does so just for the sake of great taste.
“Regarding the latest picture shared via social media, it’s not a true story! Please carefully consider prior to sharing that one,” read the post.
The viral photo on social media yesterday convinced some netizens their source of Filet-O-Fish is boycotting fishery products from Thailand out of concern about the use of slave labor in Thailand’s seafood industry.
“We don’t use fish caught in Thailand by slave labor in our fish sandwiches,” it read.
Some were incensed.
“They’re so clearly against us, so how can we still go to McDonald’s? Think about it … Are you actually Thai?” read a comment circulated with the image online.
McDonald’s isn’t known for making political statements on the signs of its stores, and the photo was quickly exposed to be fake made by an online sign generator.
The original image circulated online
Thailand’s seafood industry has been criticized internationally since its dark realities were exposed last year by investigative reports from major news outlets. Those reports contributed to Thailand being ranked again at the lowest level in an annual human trafficking report issued by the U.S. State Department.
The European Union has also warned that Thailand might be given a “red card” this month due to its failure to curb illegal fishing and labor abuse after the country was warned in April. The ban would severely affect the over 200 billion baht industry, which is heavily dependent on exports.


text:
LeBron James has spent his NBA career making millions off sponsorships. From Nike to Powerade, he’s one of the most successful spokespeople in history. Sometimes, James chooses to walk away from a lot of money offered by companies that can make his star shine brighter. However, in his departure from McDonald’s, there was a reason behind his decision to walk away from a lucrative deal.
LeBron James’ endorsements
James has made headlines since he was 15 years old. As soon as he exited high school and became the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft, things changed forever. He immediately followed the Michael Jordan path by signing with Nike as his official shoe sponsor, although his portfolio of deals has grown much bigger with every passing year since then.
James earned an astounding $35.7 million from his NBA salary. This is more than many icons of past decades made throughout their whole careers. However, that is chump change next to his endorsement deals. Coca-Cola, Beats By Dre, 2K sports, and several other companies have partnerships with the basketball legend.
James has always been a different type of star. Yes, he takes the basketball side of his career seriously. On the flip side of that coin, he embraces his side career as a celebrity and businessman. Now, calling him a basketball player is underselling his impact. He’s shown players that the business side can be as important as any other aspect of the game. When he walked away from $15 million in 2017, reports Forbes, he showed how this mindset can still be lucrative.
LeBron James ditches McDonald’s
Like Michael Jordan before him, one of James’ earliest partners was McDonald’s. The fast-food giant featured James in several promotions throughout his career. However, in 2017, James left the company with $15 million on the table. It was a movie that many questioned, although James let everyone know exactly why this was the case.
According to James, the partnership could not coexist with his large-scale ownership of Blaze Pizza. James was one of the pizza chain’s earliest big-name investors, details Business Insider. Since latching onto the chain, James has purchased over 10% of it. He also owns 17 Blaze franchises throughout the company. The company may be worth as much as a billion dollars shortly. This was the reason he walked away, as he told Maverick Carter on his web series. James said:
“I believed in the actual product, first. I remember going to UC Irvine, the first-ever Blaze, and we tasted the product and the product was phenomenal … And you came to me with the proposition that we actually own our own and be franchisees of a couple cities in America. And the numbers that you were showing me, the numbers that we could make if we just put the time in effort into it, would be exceeding what McDonald’s would be giving me guaranteed over the next four years.”
Still, McDonald’s isn’t hurting for other celebrity sponsors.
McDonald’s reaches for the stars
McDonald’s has always pulled its endorsements from several pools, reports Barron’s. Everyone from Tony Hawk to Kobe Bryant to JB Smoove has endorsed the chain throughout the years, and it’s ramped up its celebrity connections in recent months. After Travis Scott’s meal proved to be a wild success story, the company is now searching for more talent to endorse its products.
James may have left the company three years ago, but his impact on the endorsement world could be linked to the Scott meal. Whatever the case may be, however, James is all in on Blaze Pizza. However, despite being in his 17th NBA season, James still has his day job to worry about before taking his business practices to yet another level.


text:
Hijacking of social media accounts has reached epidemic proportions within the final 12 months, in keeping with the Id Theft Useful resource Heart.
The non-profit which supplies help to the victims of id theft revealed in its 2022 Shopper Influence Report that social media takeovers have enhance 1,000% through the interval.
In a survey of customers, the ITRC discovered that 85% had their Instagram accounts compromised, whereas 25% had their Fb account hijacked.
The report additionally discovered that 70% of the victims of account hijacking have been completely locked out of their social media accounts and 71% had buddies contacted by the hackers that compromised the account.
It might be straightforward to dismiss this kind of id crime as a mere inconvenience, the report famous, however it may well have a profound monetary and emotional affect on folks.
For instance, 27% of account hijacking victims advised the ITRC they’d misplaced gross sales income once they misplaced management of their social media.
“For some folks, the place social media is a communication platform for household and buddies, shedding entry can vary from an annoyance to heartbreaking,” stated Mike Parkin, senior technical engineer at Vulcan Cyber, a supplier of SaaS for enterprise cyber threat remediation, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“For others, the place they’re being profitable from Instagram, YouTube or TikTok, shedding their account can imply a considerable hit to their revenue,” he advised TechNewsWorld.
One of many greatest belongings for any type of phishing assault is having a “trusted” channel of communication, noticed John Bambenek, a principal menace hunter at Netenrich, an IT and digital safety operations agency primarily based in San Jose, Calif.
“If I get a phishing e mail from Citibank, I do know I can ignore it as a result of I don’t financial institution there,” he advised TechNewsWorld. “In case you are utilizing a social media account to assault the contacts of your sufferer, they’re already preconditioned to simply accept your message as legitimate.”
“We are likely to belief folks we’re near once they message us on social media,” added Paul Bischoff, a privateness advocate at Comparitech, a evaluations, recommendation and data web site for client safety merchandise.
“If I get a message from my mom, I’m going to implicitly belief it,” he advised TechNewsWorld. “If somebody takes over her social media account, it wouldn’t be exhausting for them to trick me into sending them cash, my Social Safety quantity, or my account password.”
“By abusing this type of trusted relationship,” he stated, “account takeovers can unfold and be troublesome for victims to detect when in comparison with, for instance, a phishing e mail.”
Reputation Breeds Hackers
An account proprietor isn’t the one sufferer of an account hijacking, famous Matt Polak CEO and founding father of the Picnic Company, a social engineering safety firm, in Washington, D.C.
“By impersonating the precise proprietor of the account, a foul actor can create posts or ship non-public messages that idiot contacts into doing one thing they’d not in any other case do, comparable to clicking on a malicious hyperlink, handing over bank card info or their credentials — which may result in additional account compromise — or depositing cash into the attacker’s account,” he advised TechNewsWorld.
“So social media account takeover might be not solely be dangerous to the particular person whose id is being impersonated, but in addition to those that are focused by the legal utilizing the account,” he added.
Social media’s reputation has made it a goal of internet predators, maintained Roger Grimes, a data-driven protection evangelist with KnowBe4, a safety consciousness coaching supplier, in Clearwater, Fla. “No matter turns into common turns into hacked,” he advised TechNewsWorld. “It’s been true for the reason that starting of computer systems and is simply as true right now.”
“That’s the reason it’s essential that we create a private and organizational tradition of wholesome skepticism, the place everyone seems to be taught methods to acknowledge the indicators of a social engineering assault regardless of the way it arrives — be it e mail, internet, social media, SMS message, or cellphone name — and regardless of who it seems to be despatched by,” he stated.
Sturdy Authentication Wanted
A number of the blame for account hijacking might be pinned on social media operators, maintained Matt Chiodi, chief belief officer at Cerby, maker of a platform to handle Shadow IT, in San Francisco.
“Not one of the outstanding social media platforms supply sturdy authentication choices to their billions of customers,” he advised TechNewsWorld. “That is unacceptable for instruments which are so extensively utilized by customers and important to enterprises and democracy.”
“These ‘unmanageable purposes’ don’t help safety requirements, comparable to single sign-on or automated consumer creation and elimination by an ordinary often called SCIM,” he stated. “These two requirements are the bread and butter of what retains many enterprises’ crown jewel purposes safe. However none of them are supported, and it’s the principle cause criminals go after social accounts.”
The ITRC additionally reported a slight decline in repeat victims of id theft. In 2022, 26% of surveyed victims stated they’d been a sufferer earlier than, in comparison with 29% in 2021.
Consciousness could also be one cause for that decline, posited Carmit Yadin, founder and CEO of DeviceTotal, maker of a threat administration platform for un-agentable gadgets, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“When somebody will get hacked, he takes it severely,” she advised TechNewsWorld. “He’ll study and know what to not do subsequent.”
“Earlier than getting hacked,” she continued, “he could have heard about these assaults however wasn’t conscious of their penalties.”
Tougher To Discover Targets?
One other doable cause for the decline was supplied by Angel Grant, vice chairman for safety at F5, a multi-cloud utility companies and safety firm, in Seattle. “Victims of id theft usually wrongfully really feel disgrace and embarrassment that they did one thing improper,” he advised TechNewsWorld. “Due to that, they usually don’t report when they’re impacted.”
The decline may be an indication that id thieves could also be discovering it tougher to seek out straightforward targets and tougher to get new ones, instructed Ray Steen, CSO of MainSpring, a supplier of IT managed companies, in Frederick, Md.
“After falling prey to 1 id assault, victims incessantly clear up their digital footprint and undertake higher safety practices,” he advised TechNewsWorld.
“On this gentle, a 3% lower in victims shouldn’t be as encouraging as it could first seem,” he stated. “I might hope for bigger enhancements.”
“Sadly,” he added, “cyber actors take no less than one step ahead for each step their victims take in the direction of higher safety, and they’re continuously growing new strategies of assault.”