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Canadian Pacific Railway says it has cut 20 hours off its shipping time on the Toronto to Calgary route.
That means intermodal shipments — with freight cars that easily transfer from trains to trucks, carrying mostly household and consumer goods — can make the 3,400-kilometre trip in 64 hours. The railway says it is expediting fuelling and servicing of locomotives, as well as making fewer stops.
Given that western Canada is booming, this is part of a push to find a better and more efficient way to move goods westward.
“The retail landscape in Canada has changed,” said Jane O’Hagan, chief marketing officer, in an interview. “If you’re a customer that is producing or manufacturing goods in eastern part of Canada, Calgary represents a growth hub on our networks.
“Retailers are growing in this market. Obviously, we want to make our customers more competitive in the market they serve,” she said.
The intermodal business also represents an increasing part of CP’s business, representing about 25 per cent of revenues.
“I feel we have the fastest and most direct route from Toronto to Calgary in the business,” she said.
However, O’Hagan declined to say whether CP could charge a premium for faster service, emphasizing only that existing customers will get faster service and it now gives new options for potential customers.
Its main rival CN declined to comment on CP’s announcement.
Last year, just three months after former CN executive Hunter Harrison took over as CEO of CP after a bitter proxy fight, CP announced shorter times on its intermodal routes from Vancouver to Toronto, cutting a day, and from Vancouver to Chicago, which became two days faster.


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Earlier this week, Canberra's minister for territory and municipal services Shane Rattenbury launched a website to help residents living in Belconnen real estate find local outdoor fitness opportunities and to connect with others to share their experiences.
The 'Find Fitness Outdoors' website connects people with outdoor facilities, as well as allowing them to map out an exercise routine.
The website also makes available short instructional videos to ensure people use the equipment correctly in order to avoid injuries. These videos are hosted by health and fitness guru Lee Campbell and HerCanberra editor Amanda Whitley.
"We want to see more people using the great outdoor fitness facilities available and hope this new website encourages more Canberrans to lead active lifestyles while also creating a great opportunity for people to enjoy the outdoors," said Mr Rattenbury in a 23 March statement.
Mr Rattenbury encouraged people to share their exercises on Twitter and Facebook with videos and photos, as well using the hashtag #CBRoutdoors. The posts that gain the most attention will be in to win free personal trainer sessions – so get out and about to start working towards this!

domain: news


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UK media agency the7stars Group has created a new business acceleration consultancy called 13minutes, a cross-discipline consultancy which will help businesses grow and transform.
Able to work with a variety of forward-thinking and ambitious brands, including the7stars Group clients, 13minutes will close the gap between martech and media investment in order to promote growth.
The leadership team consists of the7stars’ commerce director Ben Walton, Pete Robins, and new-hires Leena Vara-Patel and Emily Braund.
Robins previously cofounded Agenda21 before working with the7stars in a consultancy capacity since 2019.
Vara-Patel and Braund have also worked with the agency during their time at adstem, working on various data infrastructure ad tech projects. Prior to founding adstem, Vara-Patel has garnered over 20 years’ experience in media and ad tech, having held positions at UM, Agenda21, 24/7 Real Media, Carat and AOL.
The leadership team is tasked with inspiring brands to deliver deeper and more connected communications through the use of advanced data and martech.
“Following a year of expanded digital behaviour and rapid technological advancement, there is a real urgency to unify and make good on the promise of joined up communications that frees great ideas and connects consumers," said Helen Rose, managing partner at the7stars.
“13Minutes pulls together a new breed of thinkers that can objectively identify the levers for future growth, be it tech, audience, commerce, or data solutions. This is about building a modern communication business that delivers digital transformation and growth holistically for our clients.”
“13minutes is such an incredible opportunity to not only take ambitious brands on a data and tech journey, but also to do more of what I love for a company whose tech neutrality can really benefit brands in being at the most advanced part of the market," added Vara-Patel.
Founded in 2005, the7stars is an award-winning independent media agency, recognised for its unique approach to media planning and manages over £350 millions of billings for clients including TSB, Suzuki, Entain, First Rail Holdings (Great Western Railway, South Western Rail and Trans Pennine Express), Nintendo and Iceland.
The new consultancy follows on the heels of Supernova, the7stars’ creative production arm which launched last year with the remit to help clients streamline creative and media strategies and drive campaign effectiveness.


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The Barclays Center will debut an unconventional horseshoe-shaped seating configuration for a preseason hockey game this fall — raising questions about whether the undersized arena could truly accommodate an NHL franchise. Comments (3).
A popular Park Slope playground reopened last week with a new name honoring a long-forgotten borough president — marking a minor victory for the barely remembered politico over the landmark-hogging forefather who snatched away his legacy. Comment.
The city will install 148 bike share stations in DUMBO, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, and Downtown — but Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Cobble Hill will be left out in the cold until next year. Comment.
Discount chain Century 21 will become the first new department store on the Fulton Mall in nearly 90 years when it sets up shop in a massive space at the planned City Point development in 2015. Comment.


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A new collaborative initiative that aims to turn the tide on the UK’s issue of plastic waste has been announced.
The UK Government’s 25 Year Environmental Plan is to be the first of a network of national implementation initiatives of the New Plastics Economy in several countries around the world.
Prime Minister Theresa May today (January 11) outlined the steps to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. To help achieve this, the 5p carrier bag charge will be extended to all retailers in England and supermarkets will be encouraged to introduce plastic-free aisles in which all food is loose.
The Government will also look at how the tax system or charges can encourage producers to take more responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and make them easier to recycle. It also “wills to inject new funding into plastics innovation through a bid into the Government’s £7 billion research and development pot”.
In a speech, Theresa May said, “We look back in horror at some of the damage done to our environment in the past and wonder how anyone could have thought that, for example, dumping toxic chemicals, untreated, into rivers was ever the right thing to do.
“In years to come, I think people will be shocked at how today we allow so much plastic to be produced needlessly. In the UK alone, the amount of single-use plastic wasted every year would fill 1,000 Royal Albert Halls.
“Today I can confirm that the UK will demonstrate global leadership. We must reduce the demand for plastic, reduce the number of plastics in circulation and improve our recycling rates. To tackle it we will take action at every stage of the production and consumption of plastic.”
The Prime Minister added, “I want the Britain of the future to be a truly Global Britain, which is a force for good in the world. Steadfast in upholding our values – not least our fierce commitment to protecting the natural environment.
“When we host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April we will put the sustainable development of our oceans firmly on the agenda.
“We will work with our partners to create a Commonwealth Blue Charter and push for strong action to reduce plastic waste in the ocean.
“We will direct our development spending to help developing nations reduce plastic waste, increase our own marine protected areas at home, and establish new Blue Belt protections in our Overseas Territories.”
The UK initiative is currently in development by sustainable production and consumption organisation WRAP, and is a joint partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
It will involve collaborative action and commitment by businesses, industry, governments, local authorities, NGOs, media and society to “redefine what is possible and create a plastic system that works – a circular economy where plastic is valued and never becomes waste,” according to a statement released by WRAP.
The initial focus of the plan will be plastic packaging and will aim to eliminate unnecessary and problematic single-use plastic packaging, ensure all plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable, significantly increase the collection and recycling of plastic packaging, increase recycled content in plastic packaging to drive demand for recycled material and impassion and enable citizens to play their part in reducing plastic packaging waste and litter.
Marcus Gover, CEO at WRAP commented, “So far the solutions to plastic waste have been piecemeal. I am pleased to be leading this holistic initiative which will transform the UK’s plastics system. Working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, we will bring together every ‘body, business and organisation’ involved in the life-cycle of plastics to make the move from a throw away culture to one where resources are used over and over again.”
Dame Ellen MacArthur added, “Creating a circular economy for plastics amounts to a huge opportunity for the economy as well as providing a longer-term benefit for the environment. Achieving it will require close collaboration and significant commitment from industry, government, and society at large. We are delighted to work with WRAP to help unleash such collaboration here in the UK, as a first national implementation initiative of our global New Plastics Economy initiative.”
In response to the announcement, Simon Ellin, chief executive of the Recycling Association said, “When it comes to the recycling, resources and waste elements of this plan, we’ve been talking about driving improvements for many years.
“It’s good that there now appears to be an understanding of the challenges and a desire to tackle them. But having a vision will not suffice. We need real and positive momentum to drive change.
“For this reason, we will continue to put pressure on the complete recycling supply chain to look for new solutions and do things differently. And that includes government.”
The British Plastics Federation (BPF) welcomed the UK Government’s “commitment to provide a higher level of funding for plastics innovation” but said it was “very disturbed that the tone of language used in the speech does not recognise the important benefits that the plastics industry brings to the UK, including 170,000 jobs”. A statement from the BPF called for a tougher stance on littering and an increase in recycling infrastructure.
The statement said, “Plastics themselves save energy. They are low carbon materials, crucial in the fight against climate change. Their light weight and durability cuts fuel consumption in vehicles and aircraft and reduces pollution. They provide protection for products and prevent food waste. By encouraging plastic-free aisles, the government is creating an impression that the use of plastics is inherently wrong.
“Typically, food waste in stores increases by a third without packaging. For example, a wrapped cucumber lasts 14 more days than one that is not. Cutting out plastic packaging for fresh produce will actually harm the environment through increased CO2 emissions because the energy used to produce food is much greater than in the packaging protecting it.”
The statement continued, “Plastics should not be in the sea and it is right that the UK, alongside other developed nations, should set an example of best practice. As has been pointed out, the vast quantity of plastics in the seas arrive there from the less developed economies of Asia, which have rudimentary waste management systems. Plastics get into the seas by a number of routes and each route needs to be dealt with separately.”
Aluminium food packaging manufacturer Advanta has responded to the announcement by calling for food manufacturers to explore alternatives to plastics, such as aluminium, glass and paper.
“The UK can tackle the plastic problem, but it is not just down to consumers and supermarkets,” explained Miguel Campos, export sales manager for Advanta. “With supermarkets proactively seeking plastic free product lines, we need to see an increase in food manufacturers developing products that are sold loose or contained in aluminium, glass and paper alternatives.
“These changes should be complemented by consumer recycling initiatives, backed by local councils, to educate the consumer. Ultimately, it will take a holistic approach to reducing the plastic packaging that reaches landfill as effectively as possible. I commend Theresa May on addressing this issue, but I also believe there are other avenues to explore in regards to promoting the benefits of choosing plastic alternatives.”
UK plastics recycler Vanden Recycling said the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan had “sensible suggestions for developing UK plastics recycling”.
The company particularly welcomed proposals including an emphasis on local material collections that return high quality materials back to the economy, a commitment to stimulating internal UK markets for recycled products while also recognising the importance of strong secondary material export markets, a proposal to work with industry to rationalise packaging formats to make sure that more plastics can be easily recycled and the quality of collected recycled plastics is improved, and the idea of reforming producer responsibility systems, including packaging waste regulations, to incentivise producers to take more responsibility including creating a better market for recycled plastic.
Managing director David Wilson said, “It is great that the Prime Minister is looking at the issues around plastics recycling. I welcome the sensible suggestions put forward in this 25-year Environment Plan.
“However, as recently calculated by us, 350,000 tonnes of material that was once exported to China will struggle to find a home in 2018. I hope the Government’s commitment to plastic recycling will now lead to more solutions in the short-term to stimulate plastic recycling in the UK, and ensure material is of high quality for export to recycling facilities abroad.
“If it takes 25 years to reach some of these aims, that will be too long for the development of an economically sustainable plastics recycling sector in the UK.”
He added, “We are pleased that the Government has recognised the importance of plastic recycling, and are encouraged that it wishes to work with the waste management industry and plastic reprocessors to increase the proportion of plastic packaging that is collected and recycled.
“Plastic can be an ideal packaging material that prevents wastage of food and products and we are encouraged that the Government recognises the importance of both recycling and lifecycle analysis in its plan.
“However, while a commitment to accelerating research and development in plastics and plastic recycling is welcomed, we would be concerned if this led to development of more biodegradable plastics that could contaminate the existing plastic recycling streams.”


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Search Results for " google play store"
Our devices are now more like accessories than gadgets, since they are with us pretty much 24 hours of the day. So what better way to make the object that
If you’re a power user like myself, you may notice that stock and most manufacturer versions of Android do not let you have two programs on your screen at once.
What has possibly been the most leaked phone to date, the HTC One (M8) is finally official. The HTC One (M8) is sporting Android 4.4.2 KitKat and Sense 6.0, an
Like most of us, you have probably yearned for an pixel-art styled multiplayer game that lets you shoot banana rockets and pineapple grenades at your friends. City Monkey provides that in
There you have it, Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen says his beloved game is making a return to app stores. The word comes way of a reply to a tweet
FlashScore.com has long been a destination for those looking to get their international sports scores. With the introduction of a Google Play store app, FlashScore brings what its readers online
There has been a big effort in the hiring industry to make it easier for possible candidates to apply for jobs. SmartRecruiters is changing that focus from the applicant to
If you’re tired of going to the store three times a week to purchase all the good stuff you forgot on your initial visit, Grocery King aims to end this
The gang over at LevelUp Studio has released a new version of its wildly popular Beautiful Widgets app for Android. Available in the Google Play Store in both free and
On the heels of launching Milk Music, Samsung has just announced a partnership with Russell Simmons and Steve Rifkind, co-founders of All Def Digital (ADD) and All Def Music, along with
For those of us who are overwhelmed by the vast array of video chat apps out there the new version of Opera may offer an appless video chat solution for
Fans of choose-your-own-adventure games can now fight evil monsters and explore strange lands in “Sorcery! Part 1” that just released for Android. inkle, a developer of interactive narrative apps, and
Samsung recently announced an application only for ‘Galaxy’ owners. It’s a free radio service without any ads; Milk Music is Samsung’s way of replying to Apple’s iTunes Radio. The app is available
The Samsung Galaxy S5, introduced at Mobile World Congress 2014, will likely go on to become one of the top-selling Android smartphones of the year. And why not? It’s the


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- IHG has added 100 new hotels in China in the last 12 months.
- The chief executive said the country's middle class is now replacing inbound travelers as the typical customer.
- Keith Barr said Airbnb had not proven to be a threat to the hotel industry.
The boss of hotel group IHG has downplayed the effect of a Chinese economic slowdown on his business activities in the country.
Official data published Monday said China's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018 grew 6.6 percent from the previous year, in line with analyst expectations but at its most sluggish rate in almost three decades.
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum (WEF) is being held, the chief executive of IHG, Keith Barr told CNBC, that while a headline slowdown was in play, his firm had added 100 new locations and inked record levels of Chinese business during 2018.
He added that while he expected to see some form of government intervention to aid the wider Chinese economy, the rise of the middle class meant it should continue to bring "really strong momentum" for the hotel and leisure sector.
"Twenty years ago, international hotel companies were dependent on inbound travelers. Now we are basically a Chinese business with local travelers across all the segments," Barr said Monday.
Outside China, Barr said expansion plans were currently focused on southern Asia, Mexico, as well as Germany.
The rise of online hospitality service Airbnb has long been touted as a threat to the traditional hotel business model but Barr said that fear had filed to materialize and Airbnb had in fact removed some competition.
"Airbnb has taken a highly fragmented market and rationalized it quite a bit. That has taken out quite a few players from the industry. We don't see it as a significant threat going forward or today," he added.
IHG has a market capitalization of around $8.3 billion. Last week, Goldman Sachs cut IHG's stock to a 'neutral' rating from its previous 'buy' assessment.


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Drinks giant Diageo has offered to sell the majority of its Whyte & Mackay whisky business to appease competition authorities.
Last year Diageo agreed to buy a controlling stake in India’s United Spirits – which owns Whyte & Mackay – for $2.1bn (£1.3bn). But retailers raised concerns with the Office of Fair Trading over potential price rises in the UK whisky market because Whyte & Mackay also makes own-label whisky for supermarkets and Diageo owns Bell’s, a key competitor in the blended whisky sector. The OFT’s investigation found that the deal could lead to a substantial reduction in competition in the retail sector between Bell’s and Whyte & Mackay whiskies.
Chris Walters, the OFT chief economist, said: “These companies are two of the leading suppliers of blended bottled whisky in the UK, especially to supermarkets and other large retailers. Our investigation considered a wide range of evidence and we concluded that the likely loss of competition could give rise to higher prices for retailers, and ultimately consumers.”
Diageo has offered to sell the bulk of the business with the exception of the Dalmore and Tamnavulin distilleries.
One analyst said of the potential buyers: “These are brands at the lower end of the market so you won’t see a Pernod Ricard coming in. It will probably go to a private equity buyer.”
The United Spirits deal is crucial to Diageo’s Indian-born chief executive Ivan Menezes’ plans to lift liquor sales in emerging markets.Reuse content


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Chile has announced that it will halt a further move to release its CBDC to carry out more research into the project. According to the central bank in the country, debuting a CBDC takes a great deal, and the country must get it right. In this regard, Chile intends to carry out more intensive research into the project before it is officially unveiled. Before the official unveiling, the country plans to look into more benefits, risks, and other information.
The central bank wants to carry out further research
According to the statement, Chile plans to release a new report that will embody all these details so residents can go through them. The central bank intends previously had a keen look into the current system used for payment in the country with a view to look into several features. Some of these features include its benefits and the high risk of using it.
The bank also looked into certain principles behind the issuance of the CBDC. Although the bank feels okay with the report on traditional payment methods, it believes the CBDC could be a game-changer for the country. The bank thinks that using a CBDC will help improve the payment system in the country while adding competition and security among several platforms willing to facilitate the payments.
Chile plans to consult stakeholders before its CBDC release
Regarding the launch of its official CBDC, the bank feels that it does not have the complete information to carry on with the launch. It hopes to involve and consult specific individuals and bodies across Chile and release a new report. Chile has been all about creating its digital Pesos since 2021 after forming a working group to look into the requirements of the project. The plan was to launch the CBDC around this time, but it will no longer be possible due to the update.
The bank also discussed its fears over certain ills in the crypto market, including laundering and scams. The bank feels that rolling out a CBDC will help them accelerate their drive towards eliminating digital assets like Bitcoin in the country. The bank believes that although most people aren’t adopting crypto, it can potentially disrupt its financial system, leaving it in bad shape. Chile currently ranks in the 18th position in crypto adoption across the world. A recent survey showed that only about 14% of its population had been involved with crypto in the past. However, it sits in the fourth position across South America regarding adoption.


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This move will halt such sales of gold at a huge premium against old currency notes, which jewellers were doing till the Income Tax (I-T) department raided them across the country on Friday and sent around 600 notices to jewellers asking the details of daily sales from November 7 to 10. The I-T department, in its notices, also asked for CCTV footages, especially of cameras near cash counters, to seek date-wise information and to check if PAN numbers or ID proofs were collected from customers.
Another strong rumour in the market is about banning import of gold till March 2017, which according to sources, is unlikely, but will not be surprised to see some restrictions on imports till end-December.
Sudheesh Nambiath, lead analyst, precious metals
demand, GFMS, Thomson Reuters
, said, Banning imports would send a wrong message to the industry. The government hasn't been against the industry and is only interested in streamlining the process and restrict movement of unaccounted money to gold and jewellery. The buzz that jewellers will be asked to deposit cash till November 15 in itself will take care of the diversion of old currency notes to gold, diamonds, silver and precious stones. Banks are heavy on data currently with multiple inter-relationships on variables and running a good analytics can easily identify accounts with spurious deals. That is a more intelligent approach than banning gold import.
If gold imports are restricted or banned for a few months as the buzz suggests, selling existing stock or recycled gold will be the only source for business. However, such restrictions will take premiums higher and some old idle jewellery with households may be sold in market at a premium, said an analyst.
Meanwhile, other methods of laundering black money hoarded in the banned notes are also flourishing. Some chartered accountants are using their smaller clients to launder their larger clients money. Up to 35-40% premiums are quoted for such entries by CAs. Some players have used daily wage earners to exchange Rs 4,000 and in return they were given more than their daily wages. In cities such as Surat and Ahmedabad, workers made Rs 600-1,000 for each exchange of Rs 4,000. Reports of very long queues outside banks also include such persons, said a Gujarat-based trader.
While the hawala market or unofficial foreign currency market has come to a virtual standstill, some dealers have sold dollars between Rs 85 and Rs 110 against the official rate of around Rs 67 per dollar.


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4:00 PM London – The UK indexes closed lower and retail sales rose in November. Irish GDP expanded 0.5% in the third quarter and factory gate prices remained stable in November. Rolls-Royce secured $89 million contract for U.S. Navy T-45 trainer engine support.
The Bank of England policymakers should not ""overreact"" reflexively to above target inflation, Adam S Posen, an external member of the bank''s monetary policy committee, said in a speech at Billericay today.
UK inflation was at 3.3% in November; above the central bank''s 2% target for a twelfth consecutive month and is expected to remain high for the next few months after the scheduled increase in value-added tax according to Posen.
In London, FTSE 100 Index declined 14.45 or 0.24% to 5,867.63 and the pound edged higher to close at $1.5605.
UK Retail Sales Up
The UK retail sales volume including automotive fuel increased 0.3% on a monthly basis in November following an upwardly revised 0.7% gain in October, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday. Sales grew for a second straight month.
On an annual basis, retail sales rose 1.1% in November, compared to the 0.3% rise in October.
In another report, the Bank of England-Gfk NOP Inflation Attitudes Survey, covering over 2,000 people, said consumer inflationary expectations surged to 3.9% in November from 3.6% in August.
The survey also revealed 52% of respondents expected interest rates to rise over the next 12 months, compared with 48% in August.
Irish GDP Expands, Current Account Balance Exceeds
Ireland''s seasonally adjusted gross domestic product increased 0.5% on a sequential basis in the third quarter, compared to a 1.5% fall in the previous quarter, a preliminary estimate by the Central Statistics Office showed. A year earlier, the GDP decreased 0.5%.
Annually, the GDP dropped 0.5% in the third quarter, following a 1.8% fall in the second quarter.
Ireland''s current account balance surplus was €255 million in the third quarter compared to €1.14 billion deficit in the second quarter, largely due to rise in merchandise trade surplus, the Central Statistics Office said on Thursday.
Ireland''s factory gate prices remained unchanged on an annual basis in November, after falling 0.7% in October, the Central Statistics Office said on Thursday. A year earlier, prices fell 2.8%.
On a monthly basis, factory gate prices rose 1.6% in November, compared to a 2.5% fall in October. The price index for export sales increased 1.6% in November, while the index for home sales grew 1.2%.
Rolls-Royce Wins Contract
Rolls-Royce Group plc said it won an $89 million MissionCare contract by the U.S. Department of Defense Naval Air Systems Command to provide support for the F405 engines that power the U.S. Navy''s T-45 training aircraft.
Under the deal terms, Rolls-Royce will provide all maintenance, support, trouble-shooting, parts supply and logistics for both the F405 engine and the aircraft gas turbine starting system.
Gainers & Losers
Begbies Traynor Group fell 2.75% to 62.00 pence after the corporate restructuring specialist said first-half revenues rose 0.4% to £34.37 million from £34.24 million last year. Profit for the period dropped 30% to £1.64 million or 1.8 pence per share, from £2.33 million or 2.6 pence per share last year.


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Energy storage company Bluetti recently introduced a range of home energy storage systems including the EP500 and EP500 Pro models. And now the manufacturer has announced a much more compact and affordable device called the Bluetti EB70.
Bluetti EB70 weighs only 9.5 kg, the case has dimensions of 320 x 216 x 221 mm. The battery capacity is 716 Wh, it is based on ultra-durable and safe LiFePO4 battery cells, which can withstand more than 2500 charging cycles.
Bluetti EB70 supports three charging methods. If charged from a wall outlet, it will take about 2.9 hours to recharge the battery from 0 to 80%. Charging from a car battery will take the same amount of time. You can also charge from the solar panel, it will take 4.5 hours.
The device is useful when traveling to nature, it is easy to take it with you in the car. Also, the gadget will help with a power outage at home. The Bluetti EB70 allows you to easily power most household appliances with four outlets, plus two 100W USB-C connectors.
The Bluetti EB70 is offered for $ 499.
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Assessment of the New Zealand Ecosystem
The international firm Startup Genome has prepared a report for the Council on New Zealand's startup ecosystem.
How do New Zealand startups compare internationally?
The Council has been gathering information about the environment for startups in New Zealand, often called our startup ecosystem.
The assessment included detailed survey responses from over 170 founders, in-person interviews, and analysis of other data sources. It provides useful insights into the strengths of New Zealand's ecosystem, such as the number of startups, the degree of funding they have received, the number of patents held in universities, and Startup Genome's analysis of where global startup sectors are trending. Startup Genome uses its own naming system for these sectors, which does not always align with the way New Zealanders talk about them.
By using a global organisation experienced in analysing startup ecosystems, we can benchmark New Zealand's current and future potential compared to our international peers.
Snapshot of Startup Genome's findings
|New Zealand has around 2,400 startups, with 58% in Auckland, 15% in Wellington, and 8% in Christchurch. According to Startup Genome the optimal number of startups per million people is approximately 1,000, which suggests that New Zealand could double its number of startups.
|In New Zealand, around at least a quarter of startup founders are women, which is higher than the global average and what other countries are doing.
|Nearly 10% of our startups have a Māori founder or co-founder.
|Our startups have a global market, with far more customers outside their own country than the global average.
|Our founders are more ambitious than those in many of our peer group ecosystems and believe that they are building a globally competitive product.
|Our founders feel that they can access other founders far more easily than their counterparts in places like Melbourne, Sydney, and Singapore.
|Areas for improvement found in the report
|Compared to our international peers, our founders do not perform well when it comes to helping each other and making the most of existing connections. This is not about opportunities to pitch or generate sales; it is about asking for support and advice.
|Our founders have below-average interactions with people from top ecosystems, and not enough of our founders are targeting global markets first. But many startups in New Zealand have customers in other countries and founders who moved here, which could help them succeed globally right away.
|Our startups raise less, take longer, and have a higher attrition rate of startups between funding stages than many of our peer group ecosystems at all funding stages but particularly at the seed stage.
|We struggle to attract high-level talent, and our startups have fewer experienced software engineers or employees with relevant global growth experience. We also have fewer founders with a technical background compared to our peers.
The Council appreciates the valuable insights gained from the ecosystem assessment report and acknowledges that Auckland is a crucial component of New Zealand's thriving startup ecosystem. While the report uses a methodology that suggests focussing on specific sectors, the Council recognises the complexity of these sectors in New Zealand and the importance of supporting unique and successful startups across all regions.
The Council also acknowledges the challenges of collecting data on startups and startup ecosystems and will use the information in the report alongside their own personal experiences, perspectives, and conversations with those working in startup businesses when making their recommendations to Government.


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OliKrom and its smart pigments, an innovation
Credits : https://www.youtube.com/@AFPfr
Facades that change colour over time to save energy, bottle labels that transform when the wine is at temperature: a Gironde-based company has developed a new generation of "intelligent" pigments that are "tearing through multiple industrial sectors, from luxury to aeronautics".
Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would dream of knowing the situation of OliKrom, a young start-up based on the university campus of Pessac, near Bordeaux: since its launch in October 2014, not a day goes by without a dozen companies or industrial groups calling it, interested in the innovative technology developed in recent years by its founder, Jean-François Létard.
A chemist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) for 17 years, the entrepreneur specialised in "intelligent" pigments capable of reacting, by changing colour, to temperature, light or pressure. From 2005 onwards, the patents accumulated and the researcher decided to take the entrepreneurial step.
A business school education and a few years of incubation later, OliKrom was launched. And the industrialists came running. Because, explains Jean-François Létard, they had been waiting for a long time for the renewal of technologies, after the appearance "some forty years ago" of the first pigments capable of changing colour, but "which were not resistant to ultraviolet rays. They had wear problems and could be toxic.
The processes developed by OliKrom therefore allow "molecules to change their conformation, and therefore their colour", "with the least possible disruption", and also allow very precise, reversible or irreversible modifications. The 'speed' and 'non-fatigability' of the process are also at the heart of the new materials, the researcher stresses.
OliKrom, the intelligence of colours, infinite applications
Another crucial factor in the "hypergrowth" of the young company, which has seven employees and plans to launch an industrial site by the end of 2015 thanks to a recent fund-raising of 740,000 euros: the fields of application seem quite simply... infinite.
The luxury, design, decoration and fashion sectors - with intelligent textiles - have already shown their interest in the paints, varnishes, inks or plastic granules produced by the company. "We can imagine perfume bottles that change colour, personalised objects", confides Jean-François Létard, but without giving further details, concerned about confidentiality.
"This can be useful in the fight against counterfeiting, thanks to hidden markings that reveal themselves under a certain light or at a given temperature, for food safety thanks to bar codes that change colour irreversibly when the cold chain has been broken. "says Camille Tanguy, sales manager.
Architecture and sport also offer many opportunities: curtains that become opaque in the sun, light storage thanks to luminescent ceilings, a tennis court that changes colour on impact for refereeing purposes, etc. Especially since the 'combinations' of pigment properties seem 'unlimited', emphasises Clément Chatelier, head of the laboratory.
But one of the broadest fields of application of this technological revolution is undoubtedly that of safety, particularly in industry. OliKrom is already working with the Airbus and Safran groups on the parts that will equip tomorrow's aircraft, because, for maintenance, "one of the challenges is to be able to see quickly if a part has suffered an abnormal shock". In factories, signs of wear and tear on equipment can, in the same way, be "visually checked".
One can also imagine a reduction in accidents at work or in the home thanks to the change in colour of tools or utensils subjected to high temperatures, or a change in colour of safety doors in the event of fire... possibilities opened up by pigments capable of reacting to the presence of gases or solvents, on which the company is continuing its research. "
"The market is huge, and other companies are going to start up," predicts Jean-François Létard, who is pleased that this innovative technology is French, while stressing the importance of the ecosystem of public aid that has enabled him to develop his project. And, like his "chameleon" pigments, he has been able to move easily from the status of researcher to that of contractor.


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Signadot, a startup that aims to simplify the development process for microservice-based applications by making it easier for developers to test their code, today announced that it has raised a $4 mil
Update: Google has now confirmed the delay, writing in a blog post that its engagement with U.K. regulators over the so-called “Privacy Sandbox” means support for tracking cookies won̵
Cybercriminals have taken out a number of Facebook ads masquerading as a Clubhouse app for PC users in order to target unsuspecting victims with malware, TechCrunch has learned. TechCrunch was alerte
Google today launched a number of security updates to G Suite, its online productivity and collaboration platform. The focus of these updates is on protecting a company’s data inside G Suite, bo
<a href="http://www.sandbox-network.


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October 29, 2013 |
HYDERABAD: The Department of Pharmaceuticals has rejected a review petition filed by leading drug makers, including Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) and Abbott Healthcare, on ceiling of prices on their products. While Abbott Healthcare filed the petition against the fixing of ceiling price of its Phenobabitone tablets--60mg and 30 mg--and Promethazine Injection, 25mg/ml, DRL opposed fixing of the ceiling price of Omeprazole 20 mg capsules. On May 15, 2013, the Department of Pharmaceuticals released drugs (price control)
October 10, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said it's US subsidiary has filed a lawsuit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware to enforce it's exclusive royalty-bearing licence agreement. The agreement is with Triax Pharmaceuticals, Astellas Pharma Europe BV and Astellas Pharma International BV. Under the royalty-bearing licence agreement, Glenmark is entitled to 180 days of exclusivity for its Hydrocortisone Butyrate Cream, as it is the first generic company to file an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA)
September 30, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said it has received approval from the US health regulator for its generic Hydrocortisone Butyrate Cream used for treating variety of skin infections. Glenmark Generics Inc USA , the subsidiary of Glenmark Generics Ltd has received nod for it's Hydrocortisone Butyrate Cream USP (0.1 per cent), abbreviated new drug approval (ANDA) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said in a statement.
September 29, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Pharma companies will get 15 days to respond after the price revision notification is made, NPPA has said as it moves towards a strict enforcement of the new drug pricing policy. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said it has been receiving representations from manufacturers seeking clarifications and corrections mainly with regard to applicability of price notifications on their products as well as regarding errors of omissions and miscalculations.
September 23, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for its generic Desoximetasone Ointment and will commence the shipping of the product immediately. "Glenmark Generics Inc USA, the subsidiary of Glenmark Generics Ltd has been granted final abbreviated new drug approval ( ANDA ) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for Desoximetasone Ointment USP, 0.25 per cent," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said in a statement.
September 17, 2013 |
HYDERABAD: Dr Reddy's Laboratories today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Azacitidine for injection 100 mg/vial, a bio-equivalent generic version of Vidaza (azacitidine for injection). Azacitidine is used to treat certain types of bone marrow cancers and blood cell disorders. Celgene Corporation's Vidaza brand had US sales of approximately $378.5 million for the most recent twelve months ending July 2013, according to IMS Health. "The launch of product in the market is planned in the near-term," Dr Reddy's said in a statement without specifying time-frame to launch the drug.
August 27, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: The government's efforts to fix prices of about 100 essential drugs have hit a roadblock, with drug firms yet to disclose details of prices and sales in answer to more than 6,500 letters sent by the National Pharma Pricing Authority . The regulator is also struggling to calculate price caps for another 150 such medicines because it believes the database is inadequate. Anti-epilepsy drug Sodium Valporate, oral contraceptives Ethinylestradiol and a combination of Ethinylestradiol and Norethisterone are some of the essential medicines for which the regulator has confronted scarcity of data.
August 1, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Drug major Lupin today said it has received US health regulator's approval to market generic version of Gilead Sciences, Inc's Ranexa tablets, a drug used to treat heart disease, in the American market. The company's US-based subsidiary Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc has received final approval for its Ranolazine Extended- release tablets, 500 mg and 1000 mg from the United States Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA), Lupin Ltd said in a statement. "Lupin believes that it is the first applicant to file an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA)
July 31, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Drug firm Lupin today said the company's US subsidiary has received tentative approvals for its Armodafinil tablets and Doxycycline capsules from the US health regulator. The company's US subsidiary, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc , has received tentative approvals for its Armodafinil tablets in the strengths of 50 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg and 250 mg. It has also got nod for Doxycycline capsules in the strength of 40 mg (30 mg immediate-release and 10 mg delayed-release)
July 27, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Drug firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories today said it has launched generic Donepezil Hydrochloride tablets, used to treat Alzheimer's disease, in the US market . The company introduced Donepezil Hydrochloride tablets of 23 mg strength on July 26, following approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for its abbreviated new drug application, Dr Reddy's Laboratories said in a BSE filing. The product is a generic equivalent to aricept tablets. Aricept is a trademark used by Eisai Inc under license from Eisai R&D Management Co, it added.


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words // Luis Sanchez
A familar color scheme is introduced over the Air Max Light Essential for the upcoming spring season.
NSW's latest release of the iconic Air Max Light features a traditional build, constructed with a combination of mesh, suede and leather. Black and dark grey team up throughout the AM Light's upper, while volt accents over the eyestay, classic Nike branding and outsole below.
The Black/Dark Grey-Volt Nike Air Max Light is now available online via SneakersNStuff.


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COVID-19 Highlights across Nigeria
- This event has passed.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced the closure of all public markets and gyms
March 24, 2020
Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced that all gyms and public markets apart from those selling food, water, medicine or other essential life-saving products would close from Thursday, 26 March for at least seven days.


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Social networks reducing voice minutes, not VoIP
from Human IPO
Speaking at LTE Africa conference in Cape Town, Matthaei said in terms of data opportunities: "We need to look at the growth of smartphones. The estimated shipments for the 2013 calendar year shows smartphones globally outstripping the sales of basic and feature phones."
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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THE Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) will strengthen its marketing efforts in new markets this year, which include China, India, South Korea, the Middle East and Australia.
The tourism body aims to do this through digital channels, travel tradeshows and fam trips for travel consultants, while sustaining efforts in its traditional UK and European markets.
Khalid Ramli, CEO of LADA, said: “This year we will also intensify our efforts to get more charter flights from Finland, Russia and Kazakhstan. We hope to attract at least 51 charter flights in 2013.”
Between January 2012 and end-March 2013, Langkawi will see 36 charter services to Langkawi from South Korea, Sweden, Finland, Kazakhstan and Vladivostok.
Khalid also revealed that Langkawi had recently picked up the slogan Naturally Langkawi to capture the essence of the destination, which lies in its natural attractions such as forests and 500 million-year-old rock formations.
The branding exercise will spearhead LADA’s plan to meet the targeted RM3.8 million (US$1.3 million) in tourism revenue and three million arrivals in 2015. The goal is for 2.6 million tourists this year.
Said Khalid: “By 2015, we want Langkawi to be among the top 10 island destinations in the world.”


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Britvic beats the gloom at £70m
Soft drinks maker Britvic reckons teenagers and teetotallers will keep slurping through the recession - but will return to trusted brands as they look to cut outgoings.
Half full: Britvic has promoted new generation of soft drinks
Britvic has invested millions promoting its new breed of soft drinks such as J2O and also now distributes Pepsi innovations such as V Water and Gatorade.
But stalwarts such as Robinsons and Tango could prove the winners during the downturn.
Chief executive Paul Moody said: "People are switching back to brands they know and love, like Robinsons, that offer better value."
Britvic profits rose 14% to £70 million in the year to the end of September. It upped the dividend by 14% to 12.6p.
Although Britvic is reliant on the pub sector for much of its sales, Moody thinks the flood of pub closures - five a day - should not affect the company too badly. It does most business in high endrestaurant pubs that will probably survive. The shares rose 19½p to 237½p.
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KATHMANDU, May 25: Local administrations in the Kathmandu Valley have decided to further extend the ongoing prohibitory order by a week more to break the chain of COVID-19 infection.
A meeting of the chief district officers (CDOs) of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur made a decision to extend the prohibitory orders by one week as the orders enforced four weeks ago have yet to substantially reduce the rate of COVID-19 infection in the Kathmandu Valley. With this decision, the prohibitory orders will remain in place until June 3 midnight, according to the CDO of Bhaktapur district, Prem Prasad Bhattarai.
Local administration offices in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur had decided to enforce prohibitory orders on April 29 amid rising cases of COVID-19. Although the prohibitory orders were enforced initially for 15 days, the local administrations had later further extended the period of the orders.
According to CDO Bhattarai, the meeting on Tuesday also decided to further tighten the prohibitory measures as the rate of COVID-19 infection did not see any substantial reduction even after the enforcement of the prohibitory orders. Grocery shops and departmental stores are also barred from opening during the period."Only those selling medicine, milk, vegetables and food items will be allowed to open till 9AM," said CDO Bhattarai.


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Pi Day. Lenten menus. A special dinner at Joseph Decuis. Those were some of the items in my March 11 column.
My, how things have changed in a week.
On Monday, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced new precautions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, closing bars and restaurants to in-person dining.
It was a move that many were anticipating but nonetheless will be far-reaching. Some establishments such as Saigon on Calhoun Street closed before the mandate. Others began promoting carryout and delivery options in an effort to get ahead of the curve.
But with the mandate, every restaurant has faced a decision as to whether to shut down or rely on carryout and delivery.
These are some of their stories:
• Mark Melchi had a feeling last week the restaurant regulations would be sweeping. Business had been strong at the Lucky Moose. He said February was the best month in all his years in the business. And up until Friday, sales were strong. On Saturday, they dropped more than 30%.
So on Sunday night, unable to sleep, he began to develop the response for the Lucky Moose, but he waited until the state made the announcement Monday to share the plan with his team.
“I didn't want to scare the employees,” the veteran restaurateur says.
The restaurant at 622 E. Dupont Road will offer carryout and delivery from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m. daily. Patrons can pick up food inside or wait in the parking lot.
Melchi says servers have volunteered to deliver food, and other workers can come in to clean. A normal schedule, though, will be impossible to maintain. The restaurant has 31 employees, and he does not anticipate enough carryout business to keep them busy.
“This situation is particularly hard on independent restaurants,” Melchi says.
• “How are you?” “I woke up and realized I need to do something.” “We are worried for you and our other small shops.”
The comments came from weekend visitors to Zinnia's Bakehouse on East Wayne Street. Krystal Vega, who owns the bakery, was touched by the sentiment from her customers as uncertainty was looming.
On Sunday night, she shared that restaurants were waiting to hear what the requirements from the government would be. Less than 24 hours later, she found out.
“The food and drink community is working hard at this moment behind the scenes to pull together, via (a Facebook) group,” she said. “Ideas are being shared.”
The collaboration was not surprising – “because that's who we are as a community, this industry,” Vega said.
On Sunday, the plan was to add curbside pickup. On Monday night, she made the decision to close operations for the time being.
“Fort Wayne is worth anything we need to do to keep us clean, safe, fed and moving forward,” Vega says.
• Marcus Spillson had preemptively closed dining room service over the weekend at '07 Pub, a popular spot at Broadway and Bluffton Road.
He announced, though, that carryout would be available from 4 to 9 p.m. daily.
“My biggest fear was having 100 people in the building on St. Patrick's Day,” he says, “and the potential health ramifications for the community.”
But the pub owner did have an update for patrons Monday. He was starting a fund to help staff members affected by the change.
Spillson, in a Facbook post, shared that 100% of sales and tips will be deposited into this fund and distributed to affected employees.
“I came to the decision because our patrons and the community have been so good to us,” Spillson says. “Our employees are a part of this community and the next few months are going to be difficult for everyone.”
The '07 Pub is also investigating delivery within a certain area and expanding carryout to lunch on the weekends.
• Umi Fort Wayne announced a similar move, creating an employee assistance fund. The restaurant is donating $15,000 to start, as well as 10% of all carryout orders until further notice.
“This fund will support our staff who face critical needs during this time,” the restaurant posted on Facebook.
In addition to Grubhub and Waiter on the Way deliveries, the 2912 Getz Road restaurant will offer curbside takeout orders from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Bravas and Tolon have also set up online tip jars and funds for their employees.
• The management at Auburn City Steakhouse has temporarily laid off 31 employees. They were allowed to take home all perishable food in the restaurant, worth $10,000.
In a message on Facebook, the restaurant said money from all gift cards sold will go to paying the workers' wages during the mandated closure. Gift cards can be bought by phone at 260-333-7337, at AuburnCitySteakhouse.com or in person from 4 to 7 p.m. at 203 Main St. in Auburn.
• Thomas Parisi was out of town when the governor announced that restaurants would have to close in-person dining. But the director of Casa Restaurants was working closely with the Casaburo family to adhere to the new state and local mandates.
The restaurant group will offer carryout, curbside delivery and home delivery via Waiter on the Way and DoorDash. Hours will be limited to 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We presently service approximately 32 percent of our guests through carryout and delivery and are well prepared to meet the need of our community,” Parisi says. “God bless us all during these trying times.”
Casa's executives will meet with managers today as they try to navigate the mandates.
• The Club Room at The Clyde, which has been a venue for a night out, will pivot to offer carryout service only. Hours will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In addition to plans for delivery, the Club Room is adding more moderately priced healthy items.
Heather Herron, vice president of communications for Sweetwater Sound Inc., says staff meetings are held daily to update and review precautionary procedures.
• Steve Gard at Oyster Bar, 1830 S. Calhoun St., says the restaurant will be open for carryout from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Fridays, and 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It is offering a 10% discount on food, beer and wine. The kitchen will produce a limited menu, which will be posted on its Facebook page and website, FWOysterBar.com. Call 744-9490 with orders.
• Sapporo Steakhouse, 6150 Lima Road, will be open for carryout from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Members of the online community are rallying around local restaurants via a new Facebook group.
Open to the public, 2GoFW was started to be a “community resource for up-to-date local restaurant, bar, brewery, and cafe listings during the State directive from Indiana Governor Holcomb, which states restaurants and bars be closed to in-person patrons until March 31.”
Mary Corinne Lowenstein, director of marketing for Hop River Brewing Co., started the group.
“It's such a difficult time,” she says. “We want to reach out and support one another, but we physically can't do that. We have to use the tools we have to comfort each other from a distance.”
There were more than 3,000 members by Tuesday morning, with the number growing by the hour.
“Everything has seemed to move so quickly, I think a lot of us are numb,” Lowenstein says. “We don't know the extent of the impact and just working on updates by the hour. The (Facebook) group was created to help pass along those changes to our community that supports every day.”
At Hop River, Lowenstein says the staff was taking a day to organize its takeout and delivery options. The brewery hopes to have ordering/paying options online and over the phone by today.
“We have various ideas on how to meet our community's needs as we navigate this new territory,” she says. “All of us are thinking outside of the box where we can. “
Posts in 2GoFW are devoted to restaurants and businesses that are offering carryout and delivery while adjusting to the regulations. It's a place to stay up to date as the situation is fluid.
The 2GoFW page can be found at www.facebook.com/groups/200887244539915 or search “2GoFW” on Facebook.
Food for kids
Several local restaurants are stepping up to help feed the community while schools are closed.
“We know that there is a concern about getting some kids in the community a good lunch,” Lucille's BBQ shared in a Facebook post Saturday. “We want (to) help those families in the community we serve.”
The restaurant at 9011 Lima Road is offering a free sack lunch for children in need. The lunches will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
All Elmo's Pizza and Subs locations and the Subway in Lassus, 7405 Maplecrest Road, will offer free bagged lunches while school is out. The meals will be available all day, Monday through Friday.
Caliente Cuban, 120 W. Wayne St., will give children a free bagged lunch – half grilled cheese or ham and cheese with chips.
“We will also be taking monetary donations from those who are able to help cover the cost of these meals, but there is no financial obligation for your (children) to get one lunch per day on us for the duration of the schools' closure,” the restaurant shared.
Dairy Queen locations at 1818 Coliseum Blvd. N.,7403 Maplecrest Road, 10180 Maysville Road, 501 Lower Huntington Road and 5115 E. Dupont Road, as well as in Decatur and Bluffton, are offering free meals for children in prekindergaten through fifth grade until schools are back in session. No purchase is necessary, and children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
• Ahead of the state mandate, Joseph Decuis canceled its dinner highlighting Australia with the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo that was planned for Friday. It will be rescheduled.
• Grubhub is deferring commission fees for impacted independent restaurants. The delivery service says delaying its revenue will increase cash flow for restaurants, allowing them to better weather the situation. It has also started a Grubhub Community Relief Fund. All contributions made by rounding up order totals will go to charitable organizations that support drivers and restaurants affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
• Dairy Queen is postponing this year's Free Cone Day, which was scheduled for Thursday in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
• Jack's Donuts, which just opened Thursday at 6731 W. Jefferson Blvd., will offer carryout.
• The corporate office for Joella's Hot Chicken announced that the brand will not open a location at Jefferson Pointe. Joella's cited “unforeseen construction costs” related to remodeling the former Bob Evans building.
The Dish features restaurant news and food events and appears Wednesdays. Fax news items to 461-8893, email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 461-8304 at least two weeks before event or desired publication.


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PC sales keep on taking hits: research bureaus IDC and Gartner both recorded a drop of more than ten percent in PC sales in the second quarter of the year. Meanwhile things have also changed at the top of the PC business: Lenovo is the new market leader, at the expense of HP.
PC market keeps losing to tablets
According to Gartner PC sales dropped 10.9 percent in the past quarter. It is the fifth time in a row sales have dropped, which is “directly tied to the shrinking installed base of PCs, as inexpensive tablets displace the low-end machines used primarily for consumption in mature and developed markets,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.
Jay Chou of IDC, who says sales dropped 11.4 percent, says the market is “still struggling with the transition to touch-based systems running Windows 8” and he continues by saying that producers are still not able in “justifying ultrabook prices in the face of economic pressures and competition from tablets and other devices.”
Lenovo new world market leader
Hewlett-Packard has lost its worldwide leadership to Lenovo. The Chinese now control 16.7 percent of the PC market, while HP has to get by with 16.4 percent. Dell is also on the podium with 12.2 percent, while Acer and Asus slightly drop back.
In the United States HP and Dell still make up half of the market. Apple remains stable at 11.5 percent.


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Brexit: Sandell hits out at 'disgraceful' lack of Norway deal
The deal will slash tariffs on exports of cheese, and other goods, while shrimps, prawns and haddock will be reduced in a boost for fish processing in Britain. Under the terms of the agreement, UK wines and spirits including Scotch Whisky will also now be recognised in Norway and Iceland, providing better protection to manufacturers of the products.
International trade minister Ranil Jayawardena celebrated the trade deal and said the country had delivered on the promise of Brexit.
He said: "We are delivering on the promise of Brexit by doing more than ever with like-minded democracies to help British businesses go further.
"Yesterday, I was proud to agree a ground-breaking deal with our friends in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, setting the standard for modern trade.
"This is one of the first in Britain’s next generation of deals, which will take our trade with these partners – worth £21.6 billion last year – to ever greater heights.
International trade minister Ranil Jayawardena
"We know that around 6.5 million jobs up and down our country have relied on exports, so the best way to drive forward our exports-led and jobs-led recovery lies in embracing opportunities overseas."
Mr Jayawardena added how the new deal "slashes foreign tariffs" that were as high as 277 percent for "exports on world-class British food and drink" so it can be better value.
He continued: "The benefits will be felt by businesses in every corner of our United Kingdom, from Yorkshire pig farmers to Scottish fish feed producers and Welsh cheesemakers.
"In turn, we are cutting tariffs on imports of shrimps, prawn and whitefish, which is great news for British fish processors from Grimsby to Glasgow, backing 18,000 jobs.
"And this deal cements Britain’s status as a global hub for services and digital trade. We have secured clearer rules for financial services, which will make sure that this trade, worth £570 million last year, can go to the next level."
In a move to scrap bureaucratic paperwork from being required when exporting goods, all documents and contracts will be allowed to be done digitally, speeding up the customs process at the border.
And Mr Jayawardena added how the new deal will cut through "ridiculous red tape" and British firms will be able to export to Norway and Iceland electronically.
He added: "Together, we are cutting through ridiculous red tape, with British firms now able to export to Norway and Iceland electronically without the need for cumbersome paperwork.
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"And, in a world-first, our free trade agreement clears the way for caps on international mobile roaming charges, which will help keep costs low for holidaymakers and business travellers.
"Meanwhile, this deal will enable musicians and entertainers to perform in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
"Faster and simpler visa processes, alongside routes to recognition of professional qualifications, will support a range of professionals such as vets, nurses and lawyers."
The deal has been hailed by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss as a victory for the whole United Kingdom with all four nations benefiting.
She said: "Today’s deal will be a major boost for our trade with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, growing an economic relationship already worth £21.6billion, while supporting jobs and prosperity in all four nations at home."
Sources at the Department of Trade said the deal was the most advanced done to date by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein after specific terms on digital trade and small businesses were included in the pact.
The provisionally approved deal will be signed off once formal checks on the terms have been completed.
As well as the deal opening up potential new markets for UK businesses, consumers too will benefit from the pact.
A cap will be placed on how much mobile phone operators can charge each other for international mobile roaming.
The terms, never before included in a free trade agreement, will help keep costs low for those holidaying in the countries.


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CoinMarketCap says data-related glitch which artificially inflated price resolved
The portal had acknowledged the “issue with the data” which caused the prices to show inflated as much as 1000%
August 06, 2018 / 12:24 PM IST
CoinMarketCap, a popular cryptocurrency analytics portal, has said that the glitch which caused the artificial inflation of the price of several coins listed on its platform on Friday has been resolved and all services are running fine.
The portal had acknowledged the “issue with the data” which caused the prices to show inflated as much as 1000%.
“There was a price calculation error on Tether which caused any listing with a Tether market to become artificially inflated. We will release a post-mortem in the near future giving more details and our plans for preventing this in the future,” CoinMarketCap said.
Tether is a cryptocurrency based on US dollar.
The error artificially inflated the price of Aeternity by 951% at one time. Bitcoin was shown 12% high trading at $8,400 and ethereum was up by 18%.
At the time of writing this report, the portal seemed to run glitch-free and all prices were reflecting correctly. The portal said that it will, nonetheless, provide a post-mortem of the error at a later date.
However, the glitch with VeChain (VET) seems to continue as there was no historical data available for the coin. Apparently, on Friday, it was also one of the few coins which were reflecting a sharp drop
in its price.


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Japan's central bank says business confidence among big manufacturers has dropped for the first time in nearly two years. The Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan survey shows rising concern among industrialists about slower demand for information technology products and weak export growth.
The government, however, sees the economy continuing its current modest expansion. Japan's ruling coalition has approved raising taxes for the first time in six years. It is expected that higher taxes will take an extra $1,400 a year from average wage earners or property owners.
The package recommends readjusting the entire tax system in 2007, including the unpopular consumption tax.
But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi does not appear to agree with all the recommendations. Mr. Koizumi said he wants to assure the public that the consumption tax, which adds five percent to almost every business transaction, will not rise while he is prime minister.
Japan's parliament is to debate and vote on the package next month.
Consumer entertainment giant Sony has received a boost from the successful introduction of its PlayStation Portable game machine. The company's share price rose after the new device quickly sold out in Japan.
Sony's game business unit says it shipped 200,000 units of the much-anticipated PSP handheld device for sale in Japan. It goes on sale outside Japan next year.
A Japanese tourism company plans to begin a taxi service for foreigners, after visitors complained taxi drivers either do not understand them or refuse to pick them up because they are not Japanese.
The company, Outdoor Technology, says its taxi drivers will speak fluent English and be able to interpret for their customers while they shop.
But all this will come at a price, a minimum three-hour hire starting at about $175.


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The European Commission announced Friday that member states had finally agreed a four-point plan to toughen up regulations following the incident that led to dioxin-tainted animal feed contaminating poultry and pig farms in Germany.
The rules, which are expected to come into force in mid-2012, followed what Brussels called “intense negotiations” with industry bodies and national governments.
“Some member states were concerned that the measure would introduce more red tape and costs,” EC health and consumer spokesman Frederic Vincent told FoodProductionDaily.com. “The new measures have come as quickly as possible. We had to discuss the measures with member states and that has taken a number of months.”
The scandal, which hit the headlines in December 2010 and January 2011, came after feed produced German company Harles and Jentzsch was found to contain industrial vegetable oil contaminated with dioxins that was given to pigs and chicken.
The incident led to a huge recall of eggs and pork as well as for calls to tighten up EU safety rules – including concerns over the lack of mandatory registration of firms, and the practice of industrial and food-use oils being processed in too-close proximity.
Under the new regulations, feed businesses processing crude vegetable oils, manufacturing products derived from oils of vegetable origin and blending fats, will have to be approved and registered, by the competent authority in each EU country.
Following the revelation that the German company had incorrectly mixed fatty acids meant to be used for technical applications such as paper processing, the plan also lays down that fats intended for feed and food will now be strictly segregated during production and transport from industrial fats in accordance with basic HACCP principles.
All laboratories will be obliged to alert authorities over excessive dioxin levels in produce. In addition, the labelling of the products must explicitly mention their intended use, which will help prevent products unfit for feed use entering the food chain, said the EC.
It also declared that a pan-EU plan that would introduce mandatory minimum risk-based testing for dioxins in the food chain.
The testing will focus on the risky products at the moment they enter the feed chain, to ensure the efficient use of resources and maximise the chances of detecting tainted product, said the EC.
The proposals also include a review clause so that lessons learned as the regulations are enforces can be applied to improve the industry oversight.
The plans, which have to be approved by the European Parliament and Council, were unveiled following a declaration on 24 January 2011 by John Dalli, EU Health and Consumer Commissioner, that new measures were needed.
After months of wrangling they were finally given the green light by member states at the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) on Friday.


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By Abimbola Johnson –
Nigerians have reacted to the continuous fall in the country’s currency as against the dollar and other (major) foreign currencies.
The naira, on Wednesday, recorded its worst value against some foreign currencies in the parallel market as the local currency exchanged at N380 a dollar, N505 a pound sterling and N395 a euro in Abuja while in Lagos, Naira traded at N375 a dollar, N504 a pound sterling and N396 to a euro.
This development has elicited reactions from concerned Nigerians who bear the brunt of the declining value of the Naira.
Reacting, some Nigerians who spoke to The Whistler expressed frustration over the free fall of the naira.
A concerned Nigerian, Ayodeji Agidigbi, said it is worrisome that the naira keeps depreciating, adding that the inflation has affected all spheres of the economy.
According to him, “It is sad the rate at which the naira keeps depreciating, and I must confess Nigerians are not finding it funny.
“There is inflation in all spheres of the economy and Nigerians are indeed groaning. Business men and women can no longer import goods due to the fall in naira. It has reduced the purchasing power of citizens abroad.
“Nigerians can no longer go on holidays abroad, the sick can no longer travel for treatments, and students who school cannot afford to pay their school fees.
“Investors are not willing to come into the country because the fall in naira keeps reducing the value of their holdings.”
Another Nigerian who identified himself as Uyiosa Asemota said that if care is not taken, Nigeria may record N1000 to a dollar.
While stating that the fall in the country’s currency is a great bother, Asemota noted that the prices of goods and services are already being affected.
He said, “We are heading to 1000 steadily at almost a speed of light. I sincerely feel the CBN especially has lost it, their unrealistic and area boy approach to regulating the supposed dollarisation of the economy is a complete miss.
“I am one of those who believes that even if we all start buying and consuming made in Nigeria Goods that will still not give strength to our naira.
“I just feel in the attempt to try and curb corruption, and block supposed route through which money leaves this country, they made a huge blunder.
“This we are experiencing is far more than the effect of the fall in oil price.
“The inconsistency in monetary policies, coupled with no clear economic blue print for the country is responsible. Then the icing on the cake been the fall in crude oil price.”
An economist and member of the Board of Economists of Daily Trust, Mallam Sanusi Abubakar, who spoke to the medium on the situation, said that contrary to the perception of many, devaluation will not help exporters.
“Actually it will not. As is the case in Nigeria, manufactures or farmers of exportable goods are themselves importers of a lot of machinery, spares or raw materials, so their costs would in turn increase, and they would lose even the current market advantages or penetrations they already have.
“Globally, manufacturers today actually import many of their inputs. They would end up exporting less because their production costs may end up being higher.
“The flip side of the argument is itself problematic. Imports would certainly look less attractive as we have to buy the dollar with more and more naira. But will total imports decline? Non-essential imports may, and people would try to substitute some items with cheaper or locally produced ones. Essential imports would continue even at higher costs.
“Pharmaceuticals, surgical tools, chemicals, reagents, machines and their spares, raw materials and even textiles and foods would be more expensive, but their imports would continue by an elite who have grabbed most of the nation’s wealth and are used to certain life styles” he said.
The fall of the Naira was occasioned by the fall in crude prices and deepened by Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) restrictive monetary policy.
You will recall that the CBN allowed the Bureaux De Changes (BDCs) to source for the foreign exchange independently from the market and suspended its weekly auctions to them, a move that has allegedly been a contributing factor to the dollar scarcity.
Nigerians have therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast before the country, which is supposedly Africa’s largest economy, is brought to a total standstill.
They further called on the president to put together his economic team and think out of the box in order to save Nigeria from going into a complete recession.


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A South Korean technology company, Samsung, has beat Apple in customer loyalty for smartphones for the first time.
Behind Samsung and Apple was LG in third place, while Nokia and Sony tied for fourth. "This is the first year that Samsung beat out Apple in smartphones," said Robert Passikoff, the president of Brand Keys, which saw its customer loyalty index surveying 39,000 consumers. "When Apple was number one, everyone said, ‘Well sure, it’s Apple.’ But the fact is that Samsung always had a larger share of the marketplace."
"It’s not terrible to be number two," Passikoff added. "But in both cases I think consumers are looking for higher degrees of innovation. It was only after Samsung and other companies came out with smaller tablets that Apple brought out the iPad mini. It was only in reaction."
During November 2012, for the first time since the iPhone launched, the percentage of the smartphone's owners who said they will definitely or probably buy another Apple handset declined.
Elsewhere, for the first time in three years, Apple was not ranked among the top 20 most trusted companies for privacy. LG, meanwhile, overtook Apple as the second leading U.S. handset manufacturer during December 2012, while Samsung topped that list. The South Korean technology giant also replaced the iPhone maker as the world's leading chip buyer.


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The General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25th May 2018 and has significant implications for marketers, and how organisations obtain, store, manage, or process the personal data of EU citizens. Research conducted by the HubSpot team revealed that only 36% of marketers had heard of GDPR, and 15% of companies have done nothing to comply with the regulation. The GDPR will apply to any organisation controlling or processing the data of EU citizens, even if they are based outside of the EU. Potential penalties for non-compliance can be severe, and companies may incur fines of up to €20 million or 4% of their global annual revenue (whichever is greater).
However, the legislation is a positive step and an opportunity for good marketers to put people and their concerns at the forefront, work harder to earn attention, and gain the right to communicate with people on an ongoing basis. The GDPR principles should be considered at various stages of the inbound marketing methodology. In terms of data collection, organisations need to ensure more transparency between themselves and the individuals whose personal data is being collected. Individuals must be informed clearly about how their data will be used and need to give informed, specific, unambiguous, and revocable consent. Data subjects also need to be told about their right to withdraw consent. Additionally, organisations need to collect data that is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the intended purpose of collection.
In conclusion, marketers need to become more creative and innovative to succeed under GDPR. The regulation is likely to hasten the demise of outdated marketing tactics like buying lists, cold emailing, and spam. By using transparent methods, delivering value to customers, and fostering long-term relationships, marketers can thrive and stay ahead of the curve.


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When buying for that someone special in their lives, men lose out to women on the deal, with the average spend for her being£114.70. He can only expect to get something costing an average of£75.
The report claims that the practice of 'me-gifting' is on the increase, with 39 per cent of shoppers planning to get something for themselves this year, costing on average£42.
John Lewis customer service director Simon Fowler said: 'Retailers say year after year that Christmas is starting later. This survey suggests the reason is that Christmas shoppers are only visiting stores once they've come up with a cunning shopping plan.'


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Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville Minnesota is holding an online auction fundraiser March 7 2021 – March 14 2021 (www.poproseville.org/tzauction) to support Iringa Hope and building projects in their companion congregations of Bomalang’ombe and Vikongwa.
The auction includes a wide variety of items including many items from Tanzania.
Bomalang’ombe is a member of Iringa Hope and has both a SACCOS and an AMCOS. Their members talk about the profits they have gotten from SACCOS, and they enjoy the AMCOS because it is so easy to get their farming materials for everyone in Bomalang’ombe!
Here are just a few success stories from Bomalang’ombe Iringa Hope members:
Hiari Kimata recognized the need for an electronics shop in Bomalang’ombe – now many people buy their electronics from him.
Loas Luhwago opened a new shop of clothes and now has a sewing machine. She helps many students make their school uniforms.
Andrew Luhwagila used his profits to send his children to school. He is especially proud of his daughter who went to tailoring school and learned to make shirts. She now has a sewing machine.
These stories and others will be shared at an online Adult Forum on March 7th at 10:00 am (and available later through YouTube), and at a closing Zoom event on March 14th at 6:30 pm.
For more information and links to the auction and events, visit www.poproseville.org/tzauction


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Posts from ‘Industry News’
Volkswagen announced today that most of its U.S.-market products will be covered by a standard 6-year/72,000-mile limited “bumper-to-bumper” warranty beginning with the 2018 model year. New Volkswagen Warranty.
Over the past couple of years, Volvo has released a surprising number of new or significantly revised models for such a small and focused automaker. The string started in 2016 with the redesigned XC90 midsize crossover, its technology and styling themes trickling down to the S90 sedan, XC60 compact crossover, V90 wagon, and “raised” V90 Cross Country wagon. At the start of the 2018 model year, some of those see new variants or powertrains, but the real news arrives later, with expected debuts of a smaller compact crossover named XC40 and a redesigned 60-Series midsize line. Also, all 2018 Volvos come with the Volvo On Call telematics system, which includes emergency notification, remote starting and lock/unlock capabilities, and the ability to find your car in a parking lot, with the free trial period being extended from 6 months to 4 years.
Chicago’s Michigan Avenue has long been one of the most important streets in the city. In addition to being a major north-south thoroughfare, Michigan Avenue is home to landmarks such as the John Hancock Center skyscraper, the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Millennium Park, as well as the famous Magnificent Mile shopping district.
Road tests and road trips netted a trio of Consumer Guide® Automotive Daily Drive bloggers gold medals when the 26th International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA) were announced on July 30, and one of the three picked up an additional “best in class” award.
Note: Presented here is a Consumer Guide blog post originally seen in May of 2012. At the time, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) was developing a fastback compact sedan for the Chrysler brand based mechanically on the Dodge Dart. Poor Dart sales, and a general shift in consumer interest to crossover vehicles prompted FCA to kill the compact Chrysler project midstream. The Chrysler 200, which also shared Dart elements, was also killed around this time. The text of the Future Car report below is presented unaltered and as it was published back in 2012.
Presented here is an unedited press release issued by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles this week.
New Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody Completes Dodge’s Most Powerful Muscle Car Lineup Ever for 2018
Blame the minivan. Prior to the 1984 arrival of the first minivans–the ground-breaking Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager–the vehicle options for a family of six were fairly limited.
Presented here is an unedited press release received by Consumer Guide today.
Porsche milestone: One-millionth 911 rolls off the production line
For years, Cadillac had a death grip on the funeral-vehicle market. While statistics are elusive, it’s safe to say that through the most of the Nineties, Caddy was the dominant player in the last-ride game.
The 2018 Cadillac CT6 is slated to offer Super Cruise–General Motors’ first true hands-free driving technology–when the car goes on sale this fall. That’s great, but we think GM had autonomous driving nailed more than 60 years ago. Well, maybe not nailed, but the company certainly had a good handle on what hands-free driving might look like one day. In the promotional film “Key to the Future,” GM explores the possibility of hands-free driving from the perspective of a family of vacationers. The film was first seen in 1956 as part of GM’s annual touring Motorama exhibition.


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General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Canada Valleyfield, Inc (GD-OTS), has determined a potential defect relating to certain lots of Accurate 2495, 4064 and 4350 propellants manufactured for Western Powders Inc. prior to October 1, 2016 and packaged under the Accurate brand name in 1 lb and 8 lb. canisters, may be defective. The use […]
A new Chinese Infantry rifle was revealed at the recent October 1st, 2019 Chinese National Day Parade, which celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. Some Western sources are quick in calling this rifle the Type 19, however, random pictures of it had been showing up as far back as 2014. By […]
Check out the new Firearm News “FAN” YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkLUuG6dr_6xZOEjMLOVhoA Here are few of out favor FAN videos so far Like and subscribe for more FAN contents.
When Magpul, a company known for magazines, stocks, slings, and the like got into the eyewear business about a year ago, I was a bit doubtful. My first thought was, what in the heck are they doing? Shall we say I was a bit hasty in my judgement? They knew exactly what they were doing. […]


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Bit-tech.net: During a briefing with UK press in London yesterday, Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of High Definition Strategic Marketing for Universal Studios and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group, shrugged off Blockbuster’s move to expand Blu-ray to 1450 new stores in America.
Graffeo pointed out that rental counted for less than one percent of its revenue and brushed it off as an insignificant event in the format war.
Ken cited the fact that HD DVD is still being offered in the original 250 stores and through Blockbuster’s online rental service. He claims that those 250 stores are stores where there are large numbers of early adopters and the latter, he believes, is Blockbuster’s major growth market.
Thus, he is not fazed by Blockbuster’s decision. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that this is potentially a bigger win for Blu-ray than it is a loss for HD DVD, based on the figures he’s given to us.
He remained adamant that HD DVD was on top at the moment and claimed that dedicated HD DVD set top boxes are outselling Blu-ray set top boxes at a rate of three to one in the US. In the last six weeks, the Promotional Group has sold over 50,000 HD DVD set top boxes on promotion in the US, proving that once the price is right, consumers will buy into the technology.


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COLUMBUS, IN – Used Class 8 truck same dealer sales increased again in November, recording a 1% month-over-month increase, according to the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, published by ACT Research. Historically, November sales volumes fall below average; however, this year it bucked the trend with a 37% increase year-over-year. “This unexpected bump was enough to move year-to-date comparisons out of the red for the first time this year, with volumes up 1% over the first 11 months of 2015,” said Steve Tam, ACT’s Vice President. He added, “The retail segment had a solid month, posting gains across the board, up 6% month-over-month, 38% year-over-year and 2% year-to-date.”
Used Class 8 exports also climbed, recording their best month of the year thus far in October. “Following two sequential monthly declines, exports rose 88% month-over-month in October, to 1,885 units, a 37% year-over-year increase,” noted Steve Tam. He continued, “Four consecutive months of year-over-year improvements conspired to offset weak early year volumes and push the year-to-date total up 4% over the same time period last year.”
New and net trailer orders surged in November, strongly indicating that the trailer buying season has begun. Driven mostly by Dry Vans, November net orders climbed 71% month-over-month, according to the most recent State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers published by ACT Research Co. (ACT). A drop in cancellations also helped boost last month’s sales.
“Dry vans were also nearly equivalent to year-ago levels,” said Frank Maly, Director–CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT. Speaking on the comparison to last year, Maly continued, “Even with that surge, total trailer orders for the month still trailed last November by 7ppt, and ytd net orders are down one-third from 2015 volume.”


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WordPress hosting provider Kinsta is warning customers that Google ads have been observed promoting phishing sites to steal hosting credentials.
Kinsta says the phishing attacks aim to steal login credentials for MyKinsta, a key service the company offers to manage WordPress and other cloud-based apps.
In an email sent to its customers, Kinsta said it has identified that the attackers are leveraging Google Ads, targeting individuals who have previously visited Kinsta’s official websites. The threat actors create sponsored websites that closely mimic Kinsta’s, tricking users into clicking on them.
“We are writing to alert you to a phishing scam where attackers use fraudulent sites to gather MyKinsta login credentials,” Kinsta noted in an email seen by BleepingComputer.
“The attackers are using Google Ads to target people who have visited kinsta.com or my.kinsta.com. The sponsored websites are dangerous, and you should not click on any links with URLs other than kinsta.com or access fraudulent sites in any way.”
Kinsta emphasizes these sites are malicious, and users should be vigilant not to visit links that do not directly lead to the official kinsta.com or my.kinsta.com websites.
The company also recommends users enable two-factor authentication on their accounts to prevent access to the account even if credentials are stolen.
Further, the company cautioned that these attackers might also send phishing emails or other forms of communication, convincing users to log into the MyKinsta phishing sites through these malicious links to steal login credentials.
In response to these threats, Kinsta is actively identifying and taking down the phishing sites but warns users to take proactive steps to safeguard their accounts.
Kinsta recommended accessing MyKinsta directly by typing my.kinsta.com in the browser and disregarding any text messages claiming to be from Kinsta.
Google ads increasingly used by hackers
It is important to note that this is not an isolated incident with Google ads, where there has been a notable increase in similar incidents, including a deceptive ad for Amazon.
As BleepinpComputer spotted in August, bad actors had published an ad in Google search results that appeared to be for Amazon.
However, when users click on this ad, they are redirected to a tech support scam masquerading as a tech support page from Microsoft Defender.
Other Google ads promoted websites that pretended to be download sites for legitimate software, including Grammarly, MSI Afterburner, Slack, Dashlane, Malwarebytes, Audacity, μTorrent, OBS, Ring, AnyDesk, Libre Office, Teamviewer, Thunderbird, and Brave.
However, these fake installers would install malware, such as Raccoon Stealer, a custom version of the Vidar Stealer, and the IcedID malware loader.


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The post Oppo A1 with 5.7-inch 18:9 display, 4GB RAM and face unlock goes official in China appeared first on TheGadgetOx.
Another Chinese OEM Oppo has introduced a new smartphone in the country. The latest smartphone from Oppo is the Oppo A1. In terms of specifications and features, the Oppo A1 comes with a 5.7-inch HD+ (1440x720p) display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The smartphone is equipped with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage….