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Small-business owners aren’t nearly as optimistic about 2007 as they were heading into last year, thanks to a slowing economy and lower spending rates, a report from the National Federation of Independent Business shows.
Still, many small businesses in Indiana and elsewhere expect to grow steadily and add to their work forces in 2007. In the next three months, 14 percent of small businesses plan to create jobs and 26 percent plan to make a capital expenditure, the NFIB says.
The Washington, D.C.-based businessadvocacy group, which has an Indianapolis chapter, uses a monthly survey of 10 components to compute its Index of Small-Business Optimism. Factors include plans to increase employment, capital outlays and inventories, along with expectations for the economy to improve, current job openings and earnings trends.
The index exceeded its 100-point baseline at the end of 2005 and maintained that level through early 2006, but has fallen to 96.5 to kick off 2007. About 450 small businesses were included in the most recent survey.
A separate NFIB forecast-extrapolated from the surveys and other economic indicators-calls for steady economic growth with modest inflation in 2007. And there is no sign of a recession ahead for small businesses, said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.
“Things are not exuberant, but on the other hand the numbers are not signaling a major decline in economic activity,” he said.
Small businesses can expect “a solid, but boring year,” Dunkelberg said. In general, this year won’t provide the same jolt as 2006, which started especially strong.
But not every small-business owner is pessimistic about 2007. Jerry McColgin, president of Carmel-based product innovation firm Insight2, said his company plans to add as many as three positions in 2007 and is expecting a healthy jump in sales. And he’s optimistic about the economy.
“The companies we’re working with are spending more on innovation” in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage, McColgin said. Companies want to find ways to distinguish themselves and their products, since widespread outsourcing means few of them can maintain a cost edge over their competitors.
The nine-employee Carmel firm works with medium to large consumer-product companies to improve on items ranging from grills to paint-ball guns.
“We have aggressive growth goals,” McColgin said. “And when I look at what our first quarter shows, unless there’s a sudden unexpected dip, we’re well on our way.”
The problems facing small businesses in 2007 are familiar: taxes, potential new business regulations and the growing challenge of finding employees and insurance coverage.
Recruiting qualified people has been a top issue in the midst of record unemployment rates around 4.5 percent and as the percentage of adults with a job hovers in the range of 63 percent, the NFIB said.
Of small businesses that were hiring in the second half of 2006, more than 80 percent said they found few or no qualified applicants for their open positions. The scarcity has led to higher compensation, which could increase even more if a proposed minimum wage hike is approved.
One in 10 small-business owners surveyed said the availability of qualified employees is their most important business problem.
Some jobs are more difficult to fill than others. For Greenwood-based Pulse Creative Partners Inc., hiring a good Web designer took a little longer and required a higher salary than expected.
Designers are in demand, thanks to a push by more companies to make a Web presence part of their business plans, said company President Stefan Bean. Only a few applicants had the skills Pulse wanted.
But getting the right person was worth the wait for the three-employee company, which hopes to hire at least one person every year, Bean said.
“Around 10 people total will be the goal, which gives us the opportunity to stay personal with customers,” he said.
The company, which specializes in design, branding and Web site development, has been around for 20 years, formerly as Bean Graphics. Bean expects the growing base of Web work will help propel 25-percent revenue growth in 2007.
In December, 16 percent of small businesses reported adding an average of three employees, while 13 percent reduced their staffs by an average of two employees, the NFIB said. Forty-nine percent hired or tried to hire at least one employee.
At Avon-based A Bride’s Dream, a bridal shop and event-planning firm, owner Nancy J. Emans constantly struggles to find employees.
“It’s very hard to find people because I can’t pay competitively yet,” she said.
She started the company in October 2005 and has exceeded her sales goal every year. She works full time and plans to add two part-time employees to her four-person staff this year.
Emans already pays above the minimum wage. But if Congress approves a higher rate, it would affect other small businesses that employ many of the more than 10 million workers the NFIB said are making minimum wage.


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ANT and Ocean Blue Partner for HbbTV and Connected TV solutionsThursday, September 2nd, 2010
CAMBRIDGE, UK — ANT plc (LSE AIM: ANTP), the leading provider of software and services for the delivery of digital TV has today announced a partnership with Ocean Blue Software, digital TV middleware specialist to deliver a fully integrated connected TV software stack. The combined solution provides connected TV services including HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) by integrating the ANT Galio Platform with Ocean Blue’s Sunrise™ DVB and Voyager™ MHEG technology.
The ANT Galio HbbTV Platform is already the software solution of choice for many of the industry’s leading device manufacturers targeting the HbbTV and connected TV markets. The new partnership utilises Ocean Blue’s advanced Sunrise DVB middleware client and Voyager MHEG system to provide a fully integrated connected TV software stack. This is ideal for CE device manufacturers such as TV and set-top box manufacturers looking to quickly roll out connected devices targeting the HbbTV and other hybrid markets.
The first HbbTV services were launched by German broadcasters in December 2009 and included catch-up programming from ARD and ZDF, VoD (Video on Demand) from Tageschau, ARD digital text and Bayerische Runfunk radio applications. The French government regulatory body for TV issues, the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA), has since added its support of HbbTV with the launch of French interactive HbbTV services expected in 2011.
The connected TV market continues to grow with a need to deliver increasingly complex services while maintaining an intuitive user-friendly experience. The partnership between ANT and Ocean Blue meets the requirement of large mainstream CE manufacturers looking for an industry weight solution that reduces the development complexity of delivering connected TV devices. The widespread industry support for HbbTV is a strong reflection of this growing hybrid market trend.
Phil Evans, Director of Ocean Blue Software, said: “We’re pleased to be working with ANT. The respective software already deployed by both companies is recognised as market leading and by working together we’re able to deliver a unique market proposition not just for the fast emerging HbbTV market but all connected TV devices.”
Simon Woodward President and CEO of ANT, said: “As TV device manufacturers strive to deliver an increasing array of connected TV services presented in a simple, usable way, they are faced with developing an increasingly complex software solution. This partnership solves the problem by delivering a complete connected TV stack.”

domain: news


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A little over two weeks after Android KitKat (version 4.4) made its official arrival, the latest version of Android is already being used on 1.1 per cent of devices that run Android. This is according to data from Android Developers website that periodically collcts data pertaining to this. This latest data is foe 7 days preceding the week ending December 2, 2013
Android 4.4 was announced on October 31, 2013 and it was soon followed by the official arrival of the new OS. It has now arrived on select handsets which include the LG Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Acer Nexus 7 and Samsung Nexus 10. Google Play editions of the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4 also got the update. Most other popular handsets including the likes of the Galaxy S4, the Galaxy Note series and the LG G2 are all yet to receive the update. It is then surprising to see that Android 4.4 has already reached 1.1 percent of devices running Android. Here is how other versions of Android fare. As you can see, Jelly Bean is currently the most used version of Android.
Now, I might as well add that this data is gathered using the updated Play Store app that is supported only on devices running Android 2.2 and above. This app periodically “checks in” to Google servers from where the data regarding a lot of things that include the devices’ Android version, display size and other key bits are collated. Note that users don’t actually need to visit the Google Play Store to “be counted”.
It is expected that KitKat would soon replace JellyBean in the months to come as more and more JellyBean laden handsets upgrade to KitKat.


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The #Qualcomm #Snapdragon820 SoC isn’t expected to be available until 2016 at least. Given that we’re yet to see it on an actual device, there’s bound to be a lot of speculation on what will be new with the chipset.
An industry source is now suggesting that the chipset will be about 50% more powerful than Samsung’s Exynos 7420 chipset that is currently powering all of 2015 Samsung flagships.
This will give the Snapdragon 820 a significant advantage over the current market leader, which is excellent news for Qualcomm. However, we should also be mindful of the fact that Samsung will release its own flagship chipset soon, which will make for a better comparison with the Snapdragon 820.
The Snapdragon 810 chipset received some flak from the industry due to the overheating issues it faced. Although the chip maker resolved it to some extent with the 2.1 upgrade of the chip, some users still complained about seeing unusual amount of heat from the processor.
Via: G For Games


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Each and every one of us has a duty to ensure we live in an environment which is both healthy and sustainable. It has long been known that our actions in creating greenhouse gasses has resulted in climate change and unless we all reduce these emissions drastically it will have damaging effects on our planet and economy.
Reducing the amount of food waste has been deemed critical if the UK is to meet international targets on climate change, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and meet obligations under the European Landfill Directive to reduce biodegradable waste going to landfill.
Food waste was discussed at the 34th G8 summit with Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying “ We must do more to deal with unnecessary demand and do more to cut food waste”
In June 2009, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced the government’s “War on waste”, a programme aimed at reducing Britain’s food waste. The proposed plans under the scheme include: scrapping best before and limiting sell by labels on food, creating new food packaging sizes, constructing more “on-the-go” recycling points and unveiling five flagship anaerobic digestion plants. Two years after its launch, the “Love Food, Hate Waste” campaign is claiming it has already prevented 137,000 tonnes of waste and, through the help it has given to over two million households, has made savings of £300 million.
The food industry produces large amounts of food waste, with retailers alone generating 1,600,000 tonnes of food waste per year very little of this waste is recycled and goes to landfill. The food supply chain accounts for a fifth of UK carbon emissions. The effects of stopping food waste that can potentially be prevented have been likened to removing one in five cars from UK roads.
Internationally, food waste’s effect on the environment has been an issue. Ireland is facing fines of millions of euros if the amount of biodegradable waste it sends to landfill does not fall below the maximum quantity set by the European Union’s landfill directive. By 2010, the same directive will impose fines of £40m a year across England, rising to £205m by 2013, if its own targets on biodegradable municipal waste are not met; the amount of biodegradable municipal waste being sent to landfill in 2010 must be 75% of that sent in 1995, by 2013 it must be 50% and by 2020 it must be 35%.


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San Francisco considers ban on sale of most pets
Posted: 07/09/2010 07:26:20 AM PDT
Updated: 07/09/2010 07:26:22 AM PDT
SAN FRANCISCO — After several hours of hearings, San Francisco officials
have tabled a measure that would have banned the sale of pets, except
fish, throughout the city.
During the hearings that began Thursday evening and ran into the night,
supporters of the ban said animal shelters are overrun by people who buy
hamsters, parrots, snakes and other animals from pet stores on impulse,
then regret the purchase.
Under the proposal, San Francisco residents would have had to go outside
the city to purchase pets.
Pet store owners argued against the measure, telling the city's
Commission of Animal Control and Welfare that it would put them out of
San Francisco considers ban on sale of most pets - San Jose Mercury News


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She’s dominated the beauty world ever since her Lip Kits smashed onto the market in 2016 and now Kylie Jenner is expanding her ever-growing empire.
The 19-year-old youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan has set her sights on highlighting the faces of the world, one ‘Kylighter’ at a time.
Jenner took to Snapchat to announce her new range of products, showing off six different shades of highlighters ready to be sold to her legion of fans.
The mogul’s new line features a luxurious gold ‘Banana Split’ shade, a lighter ‘French Vanilla’ shade and a deeper ‘Salted Caramel’ colour.
She’s also created a ‘Cotton Candy Cream’ shade, a ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ hue and a ‘Chocolate Cherry’ highlighter.
Jenner then snapped telling her fans that all six shades will be available to buy in just six days time, on February 28th, however she failed to mention how much they will cost.
The metallic highlighters come months after Jenner released a range of Kyshadows and Kyliners and in just under a year and according to Vanity Fair, the teenager has made nearly $9 million from Kylie Cosmetics.
We can’t wait to see what she does next.


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By Patrick Avenell
SYDNEY: HTC this morning announced the new HD2 mobile phone handset at a press conference in Sydney. The release of the new Windows phone was met with a lively press conference, which almost overshadowed the very phone it was supposed to promote.
Fortunately, Current.com.au was able to touch and play with the phone, which has a formidable 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, a raft of in-built Telstra apps and Foxtel.
HTC sales and marketing director Anthony Petts said the phone was designed to be the complete solution for the business consumer. It has push email and web email functionality, intuitive user control through HTC Sense, 5-way conferencing capabilities and a consolidated contact book.
During the question and answer portion of the release, Petts and Telstra executive director Ross Fielding fielded a series of diverse and at times difficult questions.
The main points/official opinions from this session was that Microsoft Windows is not slipping in the mobile phone operating system charts; although the handset is ‘exclusive’ to Telstra at launch, it can be purchased outright and is not locked into a carrier; end users can now customise all the apps except for three permanent frontscreen apps; HTC isn’t conflicted by having close relationships with rivals Telstra and Google; and DNLA is the next big thing in mobile phones.
Perhaps the most interesting development during the press release was the reduction in price from the official press kit. Although originally listed as RRP $979 outright, the price quoted during the presentation was RRP $829. Plans for the phone start at $0 upfront at $80 per month for 24 months. This does not include data packages, which were recommended by the supplier and carrier.
The Foxtel capabilities of the phone are impressive. Users can access 31 channels on the handset, which does come at an additional cost – $15 was the non-binding quote offered by an HTC representative. Where there is a shortfall in the Foxtel offering is its absence of the three Fox Sports channels. Fielding said this was simply a rights issue, with Foxtel not releasing the channels for use. He denied this omission was strategic, so that the carrier could continue to sell NRL or AFL packages for mobile devices.
The key specifications of the HD2 are: Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system; 157-gram weight; 5-megapixel camera; audio support for all major formats; 16-gigabyte microSD memory card. Battery life is listed as up to 380 minutes talk time and up to 490 minutes standby time.


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As far as video streaming goes for my home entertainment, I have been late to the party. However, once there, I have realized how much of the video world I have missed.
So much so that for Netflix, Hollywood is starting to take them seriously and view them as a tough competitor.
“Netflix is bent on world domination and the industry’s most controversial content czar tells IndieWire how he’s doing it…
Cocky? Sure, but the next day he proved to already be a step ahead: News broke that Netflix lured ABC crown jewel Shonda Rhimes to leave her television home of 15 years for an exclusive deal, giving her the freedom to make content of any length without the onerous creative and schedule restraints demanded by ad-driven networks…
Enlightenment was slow in coming, but it has dawned on Hollywood that little disruptor Netflix is bent on world domination. With 104 million global subscribers and 193 other markets around the world, Netflix is no longer viewed primarily as a source of licensing revenue; it’s direct and fierce competition, with an open wallet for content and talent.
Netflix has darted ahead of the slow-moving studio behemoths still hanging onto a rickety economic model. Disney is the first studio out of the gate because it boasts must-consume content from “Star Wars” and Pixar and Marvel and can afford to challenge the status quo. Others are obliged to surely follow.
Netflix has proved — as Steve Jobs did at Apple — that breaking the rules can wreak powerful change. And it’s pushing aggressively to make Netflix a habit that its subscribers will never break…”


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A leaked police-training presentation from digital forensics company Elcomsoft (a company that made history due to its early run-in with the DMCA) advises officers not to look at Iphones seized from suspects in order to avoid tripping the phones' facial recognition systems -- if Iphones sense too many unlock attempts with faces other than those registered as trusted, they fall back to requiring additional unlock measures like passcodes or fingerprints.
“iPhone X: don’t look at the screen, or else… The same thing will occur as happened on Apple’s event,” the slide, from forensics company Elcomsoft, reads. Motherboard obtained the presentation from a non-Elcomsoft source, and the company subsequently confirmed its veracity.
“This is quite simple. Passcode is required after five unsuccessful attempts to match a face,” Vladimir Katalov, CEO of Elcomsoft, told Motherboard in an online chat, pointing to Apple’s own documentation on Face ID. “So by looking into suspect’s phone, [the] investigator immediately lose one of [the] attempts.”
Cops Told ‘Don’t Look’ at New iPhones to Avoid Face ID Lock-Out [Joseph Cox/Motherboard]
Last week at Defcon, a security researcher named Smea presented their findings on vulnerabilities in the Lovesense Hush, an internet-of-things buttplug that has already been shown to have critical privacy vulnerabilities.
Few states have voting machines that are simultaneously more obviously defective and more ardently defended by the state government than Georgia, where 16-year-old touchscreen systems are prone to reporting ballots cast by 243% of the eligible voters and where gross irregularities in election administration sends voters to the wrong polling places or sends co-habitating husbands […]
Apple's Faceid -- a facial recognition tool that unlocks mobile devices -- has a countermeasure that is designed to prevent attackers from scanning an sleeping/unconscious (or dead) person's face to unlock their phone, by scanning the face for signs of consciousness.
It’s a great time to be a maker. 3D printers are on store shelves for anyone to buy, and coder kits like Arduino and Raspberry Pi are letting kids as young as 9 or 10 dive into the Internet of Things. Here are a few examples of our favorite tech toys, all priced low enough […]
Want to make a hit? The right software is out there for anyone, but any music producer will tell you that finding the right sound can still take time and talent. Still, the right tools are a great shortcut, which makes this Synth & Sound Pack Bundle absolutely priceless. And now that it’s on sale […]
Let’s face it: People at the gym aren’t bragging about their headphones. If they were that great, they’d be listening to them instead of talking about them. So while we’re sure those new PowerBeats Pro earbuds are something special, why would you shell out $250 for a tiny pair of speakers when comparable ones are […]


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Last week, the Public Policy Institute of California issued a report showing that Californians are using their mobile devices to surf the web more than ever. The report says that people who live in the Golden State are now twice as likely to use their cell phones to access the Internet than they were just three years ago. Almost all Californians (93%) have cell phones, and 39 percent of these say they have a smartphone.
Consistent with this trend, California state government has been implementing an aggressive mobile strategy. Last year we launched a mobile portal, and the number of agencies targeting mobile users is growing fast.
Whether you are attempting to find the perfect fishing spot, buy a fishing license, look up the smog history on a used car, or make reservations at the nearest pet-friendly state park, state government has something for everyone.
As part of our mobile strategy, the California Technology Agency has a dedicated mobile app developer, Robert Meza, who spends most of his week training staff at various departments on how to use the newly developed mobile state template. Previously, it took about 2 to 3 days to develop an app. Now that a mobile template has been created, it takes a mere 2 to 3 hours to get a department’s application up and running. The template, which meets all section 508 accessibility standards, is being used by 25 departments so far; however this number is expected to grow to at least 50 by December.
Because it is web-based, the template reaches 100% of the mobile market rather than being developed specifically for the iPhone, Android or Blackberry. Mobile users can also now opt-in to location-based coordinates via GPS. This option allows users to view local field offices, resources, traffic, parks, etc. The portal, Mobile.ca.gov, receives about 1,500 hits per day, with 70% of users accessing CHP live traffic conditions.
Throughout all of the state’s websites, about 300,000 users who visit us online are doing so with a mobile device, according to a sample of statistics from Google Analytics for the last 30 days.
As California leads other states in our online presence, so will our strategy to reach people on the go.


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FT. LAUDERDALE, FL—Blockbuster, the flagging video-store giant that has recently resorted to eliminating late fees and waiving replacement fines for lost or damaged movies, announced Monday that it would also be doing away with its long-standing rental charges in an attempt to stay competitive in the ever-changing home-video business.
One of Blockbuster’s 39 Phoenix locations.
According to press releases, Blockbuster’s new nationwide program, "The End Of Fees," promoted using $7 million of the company’s last remaining $10 million, will eliminate all costs associated with DVD rentals as well as per-unit charges for its video games, snacks, carbonated drinks, gumball machines, promotional cardboard standees, and literally anything else a customer comes across at one of its thousands of nationwide locations.
It is really sad when it is impossible to figure out which part of an article from The Onion is real and which part is fake. What do you do with a company so big that has so little clue as to what is going on in its market of choice? Is there a corporate equivalent to shooting a wounded horse?


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1 min read
First it was dubbed the Xbox 720, and then it went by codename Durango. From there fans went wild and started speculating on what the next generation console might be called. Would it be Xbox Infinity? Or maybe Fusion, or Xbox 8? Well it turns out that all the speculation was wrong. Today Microsoft officially revealed their next generation console. The Xbox One has been announced and the name comes from the idea that the next gen console will be an all in one home entertainment system.


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February 11, 2020: Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CSIR-NAL for co-operation in.
News & Media News. 2020; 2019; 2018; 2017; Archive 2016; 2015; 2014; 2013; 2012; 2011; 2010; 05.26.2020 . Novo Discovers Broad Gold-Bearing Swale at Egina Mining Lease and Discusses Terrace Concept. 05.15.2020. Novo Recommences Exploration at Egina; Discovers Yet Another Broad Gold-bearing Swale at Paradise. 05.04.2020. Novo to Present at the OTCQX Resource.
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Media: PRNewswire — Anything Technologies Media Signs MOU to Acquire.
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31 Mar 2020.
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7 Dec 2017.
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Altona signs MoU to acquire majority stake in Malawi project. 2nd June 2020 BY: Donna Slater Creamer Media Staff Writer and Photographer.
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Anything Technologies Media Inc (OTCMKTS:EXMT) Finalizes MOU To Buy Bitcoin Super Highway. Anything Technologies Media Inc (OTCMKTS:EXMT) reported that the firm has finalized a MOU to buy the Bitcoin Super Highway as a 100% owned subsidiary unit of.
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24 Jan 2020.
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Can you walk us through the status of everything with Jake Fromm, his text messages and apology to the team? A: Sure.
Computer Accessories You can add numerous computer accessories and peripherals to a computer system to make it more functional. These devices can be the scanners, printers, To help narrow down your options, we have a list of the best computer desks money


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Another Twin Sector demo is now available, offering a new sample of the now gold action adventurer game that's due for release on December 5. A Twin Sector demo was released in September, but there's no word on what's different in the new demo, and we've seen it referred to as the "North American demo," so it may not be changed at all. Word is: "We are excited to release the Twin Sector demo and give players a good introduction to what the upcoming Twin Sector release has to offer," said Howard Horowitz, Founder of Got Game Entertainment, LLC. "This type of first-person exploration and puzzling is the right mix of challenges and action that any type of gaming fan should try." The download is available on AtomicGamer, ComputerGames.ro, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.
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Chatbear v1.4.0/blue++: Page generated 18 June 2018, 06:13.


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Lidl Ireland Eimear O'Sullivan
Lidl Ireland’s Combatting Period Poverty with Dignity campaign is the world’s first period poverty initiative run by a retailer which distributed free period products in stores nationwide. Positioning Lidl as a brand that stands for more, the campaign was designed to distribute products, to reduce stigma of periods, and highlight the need for change at government level. Aligning Lidl at the forefront of societal change, the campaign earned national and international praise, catapulting the issue into the public forum and making Lidl synonymous with support for female and societal issues.
Dogs Trust Ireland Ciara Murran
The ‘Life After Lockdown – Bark to Basics’ campaign was launched by Dogs Trust Ireland to combat the rising number of people looking to surrender their dogs as life began to return to normal following the easing of restrictions. After an increase in people advising they couldn’t cope with their dog’s behaviour while spending more time out of the home, an interactive booklet was created and made freely available to dog owners. The campaign generated massive media coverage and reached millions across social media. It also complimented our donor-acquisition strategy allowing us to continue our life-saving work.
Laya Healthcare Edel Cox
Laya Healthcare used market research to achieve unique insights, which informed its Brave New Era series, Ireland’s largest study of wellbeing in the workplace. The PR campaign, aided by Wilson Hartnell, centred around these insights. It sought to help businesses across the country encourage the support of mental health and wellbeing of their employees. Running during the COVID-19-saturated media cycle, the campaign cut through the clutter by focusing on angles and insights that resonated with key demographics. It ultimately delivered over 600k of PR value and a 55% uplift on KPIs for thought leadership media coverage.
Pieta Aisling Newton
During a year where COVID-19 restrictions inhibited an official walk from taking place, Legacy Communications strategically worked with Pieta to pivot all external constraints, creating a powerful movement that broke PR records and achieved a 37% increase on fundraising objectives, raising a total of €7.4 million through online donations for the charity. This was achieved by activating insightful PR moments that resonated within each target audience. The campaign generated millions in earned media coverage as well as key opportunities to see or hear about the fundraiser through TV, radio, social and digital publications.
Unilever Jennifer King
In 2021 Edelman were tasked with launching the Dove Self-Esteem Project for the first time in Ireland. We needed to find a way to earn attention and in turn drive awareness and consideration of the initiative that delivers a free programme featuring evidence-based resources to teachers, parents, mentors, and youth leaders across Ireland. To assess the size of the issue at hand we conducted research that revealed 87% of girls in Ireland do not have high body esteem. To tell this story, we created an integrated communications strategy to earn attention across print, broadcast, online and crucially in social conversation.


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13-year-old Jordan Phillips has loved to sew since she was 5 years old. But when her mom, Nicole, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, her pastime took on new purpose. Jordan says that sewing helped her keep busy while going through the uncertainty of her mom’s treatment.
“It was scary, not knowing especially in those first few weeks when we didn’t know how bad it was. Things like that. Even if she was going to live,” Jordan says.
Jordan thinks of her mom as her best friend. So she couldn’t stand by without doing something to make a difference.
Jordan was inspired when she saw people doodling on cardboard cup sleeves. She decided to use her sewing skills to create her own cup sleeves, which she dubbed “Cozys for a Cure.” Her mom agreed to post pictures of the cozies on Facebook, thinking that a few folks might be interested in purchasing them.
Folks were indeed interested. Cozy orders flooded in from all over the country, and both Jordan and Nicole were surprised by the level of support they received. People were excited to support Jordan and her mom—and score a cute cozy! Jordan has now raised over $18,000 for breast cancer research and support.
Even better, Jordan’s mom had a successful mastectomy and is now cancer-free!
So what is Jordan going to do next? “I’d really like to cure breast cancer forever and when that’s done then I’ll figure out the next thing I’m gonna do.” We love that response!
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Jordan’s impact increased exponentially when Greensource, an apparel supplier for Komen for a Cure, heard of Jordan’s project. Greensource brought Cozys for a Cure to Wal-Mart, and the retail giant is now featuring the adorable cozies in 1,500 of their stores. 35 cents from the purchase of every cozy will go to support Komen for a Cure.
Jordan was thrilled when she got the good news from Wal-Mart. “I started crying, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is awesome,'” she said.
We are so inspired by Jordan and her determination to make a difference! We think her cozies are the cutest and are excited to see what’s next for this entrepreneurial young lady. Thanks for being awesome, Jordan!


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A penny farthing probably isn’t the quickest way to deliver fast food but that doesn’t appear to have stopped this man.
A man with a box branded with Deliveroo, the London-based food delivery app, was spotted on the vintage bicycle in the capital.
It’s unclear if he works for Deliveroo but he was seen on the day hundreds of riders for the company staged a protest over changes to their pay.
You might assume the unusual scene was spotted in hipster hot spot Shoreditch; however it was actually captured by Andrew Potter in Trafalgar Square.
He wrote: “Deliveroo man on #PennyFarthing, spotted rolling through #TrafalgarSquare, very random #TragicallyHipDay.”
In another tweet he wrote: “He was heading down The Mall after turning off the Trafalgar Square roundabout, but I'm sure Hoxton was the destination
“Last seen heading directly for Buckingham Palace!”
He added: “He was building up serious speed with that giant front wheel...”
After the tweet was shared and liked by hundreds of users, he added: “I'm feeling like a proud parent.”
It pays self-employed cyclists and drivers to deliver takeaway food from restaurants without their own takeaway network. A smartphone app allows diners to browse local restaurants to order from, with Deliveroo itself taking a £2.50 fee.
A spokesman said in June: “We don’t comment on specific financials. Our current focus is actively investing in growth and creating the best possible food delivery experience globally. We’ve had a 25pc month-on-month growth since inception, while our daily orders have grown tenfold since January 2015.”


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At midnight on the morning of Friday, December 13th, Beyonce dropped a 32-track album on iTunes with no advanced notice, no promotion and not even a single. It was a tactic never-before done in music, and it could have been hit-or-miss…though since it’s Beyonce, the odds were way more in favor of the former.
Billboard closes its sales week on Sundays, and though BEYONCE only had 3 days to chart for this week, it has broken not only Bey’s personal record of best first-week sales, but iTunes’ record for fastest selling album ever AND the biggest debut week by a female artist in 2013! Bey will top the official charts when they’re released on Wednesday morning, with U.S. sales totaling 617,213 copies and worldwide sales of 828,773. It’s safe to say Beyonce will be seeing a platinum plaque before year’s end.


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Posted on Friday November 2, 2018
One of the UK’s leading law firms in the fast-growing legal cannabis market, Mackrell Turner Garrett, has said that the availability of medical cannabis under prescription from today could be the start of a boom for the industry.
The London-based firm, which is working with a number of companies that produce cannabis-derived products legally, believes that this initial move towards legalisation for medical use could be the catalyst that may one day see wider use of the drug in treatments.
Under the new rules, cannabis-based products can now be prescribed by specialist doctors in hospitals for certain illnesses, which include children with rare forms of epilepsy, adult patients experiencing nausea due to chemotherapy and people with muscle stiffness caused by multiple sclerosis.
Treatments using cannabis will also be available to adults in chronic pain and patients with HIV/AIDS that are experiencing appetite and weight loss.
NHS guidance, does, however, make it clear that cannabis should only be prescribed when all other forms of treatment have been exhausted.
“This is a big step forward for the UK’s legalised cannabis product market and has been rapid in its adoption,” said Robert Jappie, Head of Mackrell Turner Garrett’s Cannabis Regulatory Department.
“If we look back just 12 months ago, there seemed no possibility of cannabis-derived products being prescribed, in fact, the Government had been quite clear that they were opposed to such a move.
“Had it not been for the parents of Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, as well as countless other campaigners, I fear that we may still be in the same position now.”
Robert notes that in the Government’s own most recent impact assessment on cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPM) it states that “there may be an improvement in health and wellbeing outcomes for those receiving CBPM and consequential benefits for their carers.”
The report also notes that “there may be health-related cost savings if CBPM replaces existing medicines, or if the health improvement leads to lower treatment costs.”
“It would seem clear to me then that the Government has finally recognised the benefits to some patients and is willing to recognise that it could have further benefits in future, including reduced costs for the healthcare system,” he added.
Robert said that he believes that this initial loosening of the laws surrounding cannabis could lead to further change in the future.
“While the Government remains resolute that this change to the rules is a one-off, I and many within the cannabis industries believe that this could lead to further legalisation in future and further growth for the sector,” he added.
Robert said that full legalisation, including recreational use, wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility within the next decade, pointing to both Canada and several US states as examples of where the drug has been successfully legalised and regulated.
“We work with a number of lawyers in the US and Canada experienced in advising the cannabis industry who are part of our own global legal network, Mackrell International, and have spoken at length with them about how the various states and provinces have gone about regulating this industry.
“We don’t feel that it is incomprehensible that at some point the UK may follow their example – especially considering the benefits it can offer to patients, the economy and the effect that proper regulation can have on supporting people with drug dependencies.”
To find out more about Mackrell Turner Garrett’s services for the cannabis industry, please click here.


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LastPass, Onfido and Nuance pick up Infosec Awards for biometrics and authentication at RSA 2020
Cyber Defense Magazine has handed out the hardware for its annual IT security awards at RSA Conference 2020, singling out several biometrics and authentication companies for their innovative technology.
The LastPass Identity platform has been declared the Best Product in Identity and Access Management in the eighth annual Infosec Awards from Cyber Defense Magazine at RSA Conference 2020, LastPass by LogMeIn has announced.
LastPass Identity provides password management and single sign-on (SSO) functionality with adaptive multi-factor authentication and delivers a passwordless login experience for enterprise employees. The awards are determined by a panel of certified security professionals to recognize next-generation information security innovators.
“Today’s digital workplace and changing security threat landscape means businesses face more complex identity and access management challenges than ever,” comments John Bennett, general manager of Identity & Access Management at LogMeIn. “We’ve designed LastPass Identity as a complete identity offering built off our leading password management solution to help businesses get both the best security and user experience. We’re delighted to be recognized for our efforts by fellow security experts.”
LastPass is at RSA 2020 booth 3201.
Onfido has won Best Product for Next Gen Fraud Prevention from among 3,000 applicants, with Cyber Defense Magazine Editor-in-Chief Pierlugi Paganini saying the company “is leading the industry in identity verification, offering a new and unique approach to defeating bad actors and preventing fraud.”
“With the UN estimating that up to 5 percent of the world’s GDP is made up of laundered money (used in terrorist financing, human/drug trafficking, etc.), the imperative to stop bad actors has never been greater,” explains Husayn Kassai, CEO and co-founder of Onfido. “We feel privileged that our AI-based approach is being recognized as a key tool in this fight against fraudsters, especially from one of the most prestigious cybersecurity awards in the industry.”
The company recently reported impressive growth during fiscal 2019.
The award for Most Innovative Biometrics has been won by Nuance Communications for its fourth-generation deep neural network technology that identifies individuals with voice and behavioral biometrics, along with other characteristics.
The company launched the new cloud-native version of its technology, Nuance Gatekeeper, last year.
“The simple fact is that traditional passwords and PINs are not secure. Biometrics offers a huge opportunity for organizations to not only bring their consumers a more convenient option but to enable a whole new level of security,” states Brett Beranek, general manager and vice president of Nuance’s biometrics business. “We have seen our customers move from detecting and deflecting fraud to truly preventing it and guarding their data, assets and trustworthiness, not to mention driving a significant impact to their bottom lines.”
Nuance says a leading telecommunications customer improved its customer satisfaction score (CSAT) score by 20 percent by implementing its technology, and a large financial institution was able to avert $1.3 million in fraud in its first 30 days of deployment.


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The Nexus 4 will certainly have Google smiling after it was revealed that the big spec small budget smartphone sold out in under an hour on Google Play
The Google Nexus 4 has sold out in under an hour following its UK release this morning on the Google Play Store. At the same time Google launched its new Google Music cloud service and the Nexus 10 tablet.
Both the 8GB and 16GB versions of the Nexus 4 have sold out with the website now allowing customers to sign up for an alert when it becomes available again.
To coincide with the launch of their new Nexus line-up Google Music has now gone live in the UK letting users upload their music libraries to the cloud and then stream them or download them via any Android device or PC/Mac.
Letting you store up to 20,000 songs from your library or iTunes library Google Music also has a store which lets you try out and buy new music as well.
The Nexus 10 which features the world's highest resolution display on a tablet was also launched today with the 32GB model also selling out fast, it's not known when Google will have more stock.
Both the Nexus 10 and the Nexus 10 come with the latest update to Android Jelly Bean which gives you multiple user accounts on tablets and the new PhotoSphere feature which lets you take full 360-degree images.


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Church stands up for farmers in face of supersize supermarkets
Last updated at 13:17 05 November 2007
The report - called Fair Trade Begins at Home, supermarkets and the effect on British farming livelihoods - is set to outline concerns within the Church about the viability of some farming enterprises following a "squeeze" on farm gate prices.
The study from the Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group, (EIAG) comes in spite of reports of a renaissance in some parts of farming with rising grain and milk prices.
It also follows Competition Commission provisional findings which revealed that the UK lacks competition in the supermarket sector, with around 200 areas identified by the watchdog as having particularly weak choices for consumers.
The Rt Rev Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter and chairman of the rural strategy group of the Church's Mission and Public Affairs Division, said he was not calling for a boycott of the big supermarkets.
He added that they provide convenience, good value and a range of goods.
But he suggested that big investors in the supermarkets - including the Church Commissioners, who manage the Church's assets - should ask questions about whether codes of practice to protect farmers were being enforced across the board.
"I think everyone is agreed, supermarkets do a great job in many ways, they provide convenience, quality assurance, they provide a range of goods, they provide good value, some of their best practices are excellent," he told BBC Sunday programme.
"The focus though, is on some of the worst practices in some of the sectors which unfairly disadvantage farmers."
He said although world grain prices were on the up and there was movement in the "right direction" in terms of milk, there had been a 53 per cent reduction in dairy herds since 1995 and seven dairy farmers were still going out of production every week.
He said it was in the interests of the supermarkets as well as consumers to have "long term sustainability" in the market.
There was a concern that some practices at the moment do not "really encourage that," he said.
He said: "I think one of the concerns is at present the cost of that low cost (food) is unfairly distributed across the consumer, the supermarket, the processor and the farmer.
"If you just take the case of milk, whereas the mark up of milk for the supermarket 20 years ago was around 3 per cent it is now 30 per cent.
"I think you actually have to question whether it is right that one person, one aspect of the chain should take such a large mark up."
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A personal watercraft that starts at $4,999 with monthly payments under $100, an advanced, quiet engine, and a whole industry looking to get in on the action — this is the story of the Sea-Doo Spark. Approximately six months after its big announcement, this angular little craft is still the talk of the marine industry.
For the upcoming May issue of Boating Industry, I’m putting together a market trends feature on the PWC category. After interviewing most of the main players, it’s clear that Sea-Doo’s affordable boat was a shot heard loud and clear by the competition. Expect to see responses from Kawasaki and Yamaha.
Both competitors tell me their respective companies wouldn’t build something exactly like the Spark. With different engines, hulls and underlying corporate strategies, it’s a safe bet that the entry-level PWCs are about to become a lot more interesting, with many more affordable choices available to consumers.
After years of significantly reduced personal consumption, spending hard-earned money to have fun is a growing trend to the benefit of all in the marine and powersports markets.
As a category, PWC logged some significant growth in the past 12 months. With more models, attention, development and marketing, expect more of your customers to be excited about picking up their own personal water cruiser in coming years — and maybe doubling down and going home with a pair of them on the trailer.


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RFQs are MiFID exempt ?
August 2, 2006
“The benchmarking proposal could also create a dysfunctional market structure, says Liba. By promoting the use of e-trading systems to obtain the price data required for delivering and monitoring best execution, the proposal fails to recognise the importance of a voice market in the price formation process. This could lead to a distortion in the market in favour of dealing via an electronic “request for quote” model in an MTF market, which would not be required to deliver best execution under MiFID”
I’d be quite happy to see our electronic prices used to keep voice dealers in line. Most RFQs are multi dealer, so the competition and price transparency keeps dealers honest online. But which price source would be used: Bloomberg ?


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21 January 2019
Walmart is building a new consolidation centre in Colton, California
An automated site
In July 2019, Walmart will open a new high-tech consolidation centre. The centre will be 340,000 sq. ft, and will utilise automated technology to receive, sort and ship freight. It is expected that the new facility will be able to process three times more volume than other consolidation centres, and it ...


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Vermillion losses climb to $2.3M in Q3
Vermillion Inc. reported a third-quarter loss of $2.3 million on Thursday, with total revenue of $330,000, a slight increase from the same quarter last year when the company posted a loss of $2.29 million on revenue of $319,000.
Vermillion stock (Nasdaq: VRML) was down 11 cents on Friday, trading at $2.42. The Austin-based molecular diagnostic company hired Thomas McLain as CEO in March and in May – just after the sale of 12.5 million shares to raise $13.3 million – its stock reached a 52-week high of $4.04.
The loss brings Vermillion’s total losses for the year just over $7 million. As of Sept. 30 Vermillion had $14.6 million in cash and equivalents on hand.
In its SEC filing the company said it is continuing to expand sales of its OVA1 testing platform and had purchased an intra-vaginal device platform for product development. It also terminated a partnership with Quest Diagnostics over compensation terms for offering the OVA1 platform and its management is seeking a new agreement with Quest.
Chad Swiatecki covers Austin's creative industries, health care and education.
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(Photo Credit: Bella Bag)
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The Winning Design (Photo Credit: AldridgeMurrellphotography.com)
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On Saturday, February 9, the high-profile runway competition Fashion Uncorked returns for a fourth year to showcase Atlanta’s freshest design talent and raise funds for the non-profit organization Easter Seals of North Georgia. This year, the event will be held at the fabulous America’s Mart in Downtown Atlanta.
(Photo credit: FashionUncorked.com)
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(Photo Credit: Uptown Girl)
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Date Published: 23 April 2009
Caterers work hard to improve workers' health
Millions of employees are now enjoying healthier meals, thanks to the efforts of 12 of the UK’s leading contract caterers and two of the biggest foodservice suppliers, who have been working with the FSA.
The FSA has today published an update on actions taken in 2008 to help workers eat more healthily, as well as further commitments for the year ahead. Companies highlighted today are: Aramark, Artizian, autograph, BaxterStorey, Charlton House, Compass Group, Elior, Harbour & Jones, ISS Eaton, ISS Mediclean, Sodexo and 7 Day Catering. Brakes and 3663 First for Foodservice, leading suppliers to the catering market, are also involved. The catering companies cover around 85% of the workplace contract catering market.
The updates show significant progress is being delivered, with millions of workers across the UK having more access to healthier options every day. Some of the measures taken by caterers to deliver healthier choices include:
* increasing the number of sites at which they run ‘healthier eating
packages’ that include nutritionally balanced menus and ensure their
chefs and managers follow recommended cooking and purchasing practices
* reviewing the nutrient content of thousands of products on buying lists and selecting those with lower levels of saturated fat, salt or sugar
* developing comprehensive training and guidance packages and using these to train hundreds of kitchen staff, as well as buying, sales and marketing teams
* developing new menus and healthier recipes; often making the dish healthier without obvious changes – ‘health by stealth’
* increasing the number of restaurants in which nutrition information or ‘healthy choice’ labelling is available
* running healthy eating promotions such as loyalty schemes to encourage sales of fruit
Brakes and 3663 are working to reformulate mainstream products, provide a wider range of healthy choices and offer support and information to their clients to help them plan healthier menus.
Rosemary Hignett, the FSA’s head of nutrition, said:
"We congratulate all of these companies on how much they have achieved and welcome their commitments to go even further in 2009. Around 10% of all meals eaten out of the home are in a workplace catering restaurant, so this will help deliver considerable public health benefits.
These companies are all very different in terms of size, customer base and operation, but have united with one ultimate aim – to work with us to help their customers eat more healthily."
Workplace caterers were the first companies to work with the Agency to publish healthy eating commitments. Aramark, BaxterStorey, Brakes, Compass Group, Elior, Sodexo and 3663 published their first healthy eating commitments in January 2008, with the others following in July 2008. 7 Day Catering and Harbour & Jones recently agreed to work with the Agency on this initiative.
Since January 2008, healthy eating commitments have been made by more than 30 catering companies including quick service restaurants, pub restaurants and coffee shop and sandwich chains. Similar commitments are due to be published soon by a number of family dining restaurant chains.
Source: Food Standards Agency (FSA), UK.


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BSNL recorded an overall net loss of Rs 2,972 crore for the first half of FY24, compared to a substantially bigger net loss of Rs 3,542 crore for the same period the previous year.
For the second quarter of FY24, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) recorded a net loss of Rs 1,484 crore. The period's net loss is nearly identical to that of the prior quarter. The state-run telecom operator lost Rs 1,488 crore in the first quarter of business. On the other hand, the net loss is actually reduced year over year, which is good news for BSNL. BSNL's net loss for the second quarter of FY23 was Rs 2,056 crore.
BSNL recorded an overall net loss of Rs 2,972 crore for the first half of FY24, compared to a substantially bigger net loss of Rs 3,542 crore for the same period the previous year. By FY27, the central government anticipates that BSNL will turn a profit. Operating earnings are already being reported by BSNL. Operating profit for BSNL surged 65% YoY to Rs 1,559 crore in FY23. With the imminent launch of 4G, BSNL is anticipated to grow both its overall revenue and market share in the cellular services sector.
The highest percentage of revenue during the quarter was generated by leased lines, cellular, and fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services. The cellular services were, of course, the biggest source of income. Employee benefits costs were lower for BSNL in the second quarter of FY24. Between Q2 FY23 and Q2 FY24, employee benefits costs decreased from Rs 2,108 crore to Rs 1,882 crore.
In an attempt to entice customers to upgrade to the newest technology and take advantage of its soon-to-be-launched 4G services, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) announced earlier this month that consumers will be provided with additional data benefits when they transition from an outdated BSNL 2G/3G SIM to a BSNL 4G SIM. Users who upgrade their old 2G/3G SIM to 4G for free will receive 4GB of free data, good for three months, as mentioned by BSNL, Andhra Pradesh on X (earlier Twitter).
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister of Information Technology and Telecom, announced that BSNL will start deploying extensive 4G infrastructure in India on Diwali (12-11-2023). Aiming to facilitate the upgrade, BSNL is encouraging its consumers to try out 4G technology by getting them to upgrade to 4G SIMs.
The Union Cabinet in June this year, approved the third revival package for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), this complete package, cost the government a total of Rs 89,047 crore, which intended to revive BSNL and establish it as a dependable telecom service provider with a particular interest and emphasis on enhancing connectivity in rural parts of India.


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The upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations, which had earned the ire of various European nations and car companies, could be watered down.
Reuters reports European nations have largely agreed on a compromise presented by Spain regarding strict new emissions regulations.
The Euro 7 standards, which will be applied to both petrol and diesel vehicles equally, were intended to cut nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 35 per cent and lower tailpipe particulates by 13 per cent compared to the outgoing Euro 6 regulations.
Automotive News Europe reports the Euro 7 standards are also targeting non-CO2 pollutants. These include carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide generated by brakes and tyres.
The new proposal has reportedly not been finalised yet. Reuters reports the compromise still needs to be agreed upon in an imminent EU ministerial meeting, after which a final proposal can be discussed in parliament and by the European Commission.
If implemented, Euro 7 regulations would be effective from mid-2025 for cars and mid-2027 for trucks and buses.
Tighter Euro 7 standards come as the sale of new CO2-emitting light vehicles will be banned in Europe and the UK in 2035; the UK recently announced it was pushing back the date of its ban from 2030 to 2035.
Automotive News Europe reports eight EU nations – including France and Italy – had previously expressed opposition to the mooted Euro 7 standards.
The opposing nations argued automakers are already under strain to meet the EU’s planned ban on CO2-emitting light vehicles in 2035.
Renault and Stellantis have also reportedly pushed back against the tighter Euro 7 standards, claiming the regulations will distract the industry from going all-electric and raise the prices of small cars.
Skoda has also previously voiced concern, with Skoda works council chairman Jaroslav Povšík telling the Skoda Trade Unionist magazine that Euro 7 standards will make it prohibitively expensive to produce and homologate models like the Kamiq, Scala and Fabia.
As reported by Czech media outlet tyden.cz, the Euro 7 standards would raise the price of Skoda’s small city cars to a starting price that the brand says is ‘unsaleable’ and ‘unacceptable for customers’.
Skoda previously indicated it planned to oppose the regulations and collaborate with Daniela Cavallo, the chairman of the Volkswagen works council, to lobby against them at the European Commission.
Australia currently mandates that newly approved models first manufactured from November 1, 2013 and light vehicles manufactured from November 1, 2016 must meet ADR/79 regulations, which are based upon Euro 5 emissions standards.
The Euro 5 emissions standard was first introduced in Europe more than a decade ago, and has since been superseded in Europe by Euro 6 rules.
The European Union has been progressively tightening emission limits since the introduction of Euro 1 standards in 1992.


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DALLAS, Nov 28, 2008 / FW/ — Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PEACE sign, Barneys New York featured the iconoclastic symbol that defined a generation in its store windows for the 2008 holidays.
It even gave a short history of the PEACE sign, which said:
The PEACE sign first appeared in 1958. Originally designed as the emblem for the British Nuclear Disarmament Movement, it soon spread to America, where it was put to use by anti-war activists. Before it was a dozen years old, the PEACE sign had become the international symbol for PEACE, LOVE & COUNTERCULTURE VALUES.


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GRAND CAYMAN — The Camana Bay development is home to a number of brands famous in South Florida — Books & Books, Ortanique and Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, all of which are bringing a taste of Miami to the heart of Grand Cayman. And it’s Michael’s Genuine in particular that is acting as far more than a Caribbean outpost of an American restaurant — it’s helping to bring a culture of culinary sustainability to the island (along with helping in the battle against lionfish). The latest Caribbean Journal video has more.
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We’ve been saying it for years, and we’ll keep saying it: in some ways, the Caribbean is even better in the summer months. The water is warm. It’s a bit less crowded, a little bit quieter. At night, the trade […]
With almost 20,000 votes, the winners of the Caribbean Green Awards 2024 Presented by E-Finity have been crowned. From state-of-the-art marine conservation projects to hotels that are redefining sustainability, the Green movement has never been stronger in the Caribbean. “This […]
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PCC Natural Markets in Redmond will celebrate its fifth anniversary on June 11 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Festivities will include cake, free samples, taste tests for children at the PCC Kid Picks Mobile and specials on products throughout the store.
PCC, located at 11435 Avondale Rd. N.E., will also host a barbeque, offering freshly grilled chicken with quinoa tabouli and PCC’s Emerald City Salad for $5. All proceeds from the meals will benefit Redmond Hopelink Food Bank.
“The Redmond PCC and the rest of the PCC organization have been so supportive of Hopelink and the work we do to help hungry people in our community,” said Hopelink food program manager, Scott Milne in a press release. “PCC fundraisers, such as Grillin’ and Chillin’, the five-year anniversary celebration barbeque, the year-round PCC Food Bank Program and the weekly store donations have been amazing and so helpful to our food bank clients.”
The Redmond PCC opened in the spring 2006, offering shoppers organic and natural products in one of the “greenest” structures in King County.


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Fake news, deep state surveillance, hacking and monopolistic control — all will be exacerbated in the metaverse if we don’t heed the warnings.
This is the view of Zoe Weinberg, founder of a technology incubation fund that works to counter digital authoritarianism.
As might be expected given that role, Weinberg doesn’t hold back and The New York Times sensibly files her views under “guest opinion.”
“A failure to anticipate [the negative possibilities] may put the global world order at risk of being replaced by a virtual, and perhaps less virtuous, one,” she warns.
Her concerns are multiple. For instance, there’s already evidence that online multiplayer games can enable the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories.
“Players can use in-game communication tools to disseminate fake news targeting others in difficult-to-track ways,” she claims. “The metaverse could allow motivated regimes or extremist groups to go a step farther. Immersive layers of text, voice and visuals in virtual environments would provide new, convincing ways to broadcast misleading or extremist content.”
Further, in environments where individuals can be represented by avatars, knowing who to trust with sensitive information will become even more difficult.
“This could pave the way for a new era of espionage,” she says.
Indeed, digital espionage has already been used by dozens of countries to gain access to commercial intellectual property, proprietary military technology and personal and financial information.
The metaverse may be a wild frontier, but here at NAB Amplify we’ve got you covered! Hand-selected from our archives, here are some of the essential insights you’ll need to expand your knowledge base and confidently explore the new horizons ahead:
- The Metaverse Is Struggling to Find a Concrete Form
- The Metaverse Opens the Door to New Creative (and Commercial) Possibilities
- Don’t Expect the Metaverse to Happen Overnight
- How Do We Make Sure the Metaverse Is Equitable?
- Neal Stephenson: Who Cares About the Metaverse When We Have Real-World Problems?
“A metaverse that contains nearly all aspects of life — work, relationships, assets, identity — could be susceptible to breaches or manipulation from across the globe.”
That potentially brings in foreign states in a more insidious, personal way than what we currently experience.
The countries that maintain control over technologies including hardware, computer networks and payment tools, “will have significant international leverage, just as countries that command things like transport routes or oil supplies do today.
“China could effectively control the metaverse’s backbone in many corners of the world, thanks to its Digital Silk Road initiative, which finances some countries’ telecommunications systems. Taiwan, which dominates the semiconductor industry that supports computing needs, will likely become even more of a linchpin on the global stage.”
On the flip side, Weinberg thinks the metaverse also has the potential to change global affairs for the better. For example, international diplomacy may just as easily be conducted in “virtual embassies.” Smaller, less powerful nations, she says, may find themselves on a more level playing field, better able to stay in the mix in global affairs or perhaps, to forge unlikely alliances.
I’m not sure what Kool-Aid Weinberg has been drinking, but this sort of scaremongering doesn’t do her nor the NYT any favors.
Her basic assumption is that the metaverse is coming at us all like a superfast train and we’re stuck in its headlights. Well, the metaverse, or whatever it will be, is going to take decades, not a few years. Secondly, there’s an assumption that the metaverse is going to take over everything from all our personal transactions and relationships to government politics. There is no evidence that the metaverse is anything other than a more trippy version of the internet. The metaverse requires all its worlds, its pay models, its interactions to be continuous and ubiquitous. We are light years from that and we are further still from everyone agreeing to strap on a wearable to view the world through a digital lens.
“The metaverse may have been born in science fiction, but it’s up to us to write a future grounded in cleareyed reality,” Weinberg writes.
It starts with less having a less frenzied and more targeted line of attack.
If you need a more optimistic view, Steve Koenig, writing for the Consumer Technology Association’s magazine i3, feels that the “inexorable arrival” of the metaverse “heralds more than just a new connectivity platform, but a generational shift in almost everything from business to entertainment to social interactions.”
According to Koenig, many of the elements of this virtualized world are already in play and supporting technologies are developing rapidly.
CES 2022 was awash with what Koenig considers building blocks, such as 5G networks and cloud computing environments, as well as edge compute devices including AR/VR hardware, haptic apparel, cameras, and a host of other sensors and input devices.
Volumetric video is another driver. “Volumetric filmmaking combines the artistry of cinema with the interactivity of video games by utilizing advanced algorithms to render interactive three-dimensional moving images,” said Koenig.
Blockchain, the budding momentum of NFTs, as well as cryptocurrency and the emerging sector of decentralized finance (DEFI) are all parts of this new world. “DEFI models are seen as the “new cash” and are the ultimate expression of the digital wallet,” he said. “Modern use cases leveraging these technologies illustrate how the metaverse will be a resource for more than just social connections and entertainment.”
Koenig suspects we won’t get to experience the metaverse “all at once.” It’s more insidious than that.
“Just as the internet over the past 20 years has increasingly underscored our daily lives, meta-experiences will eventually define the 21st century lifestyle as the physical and digital realms become inextricably linked.”


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Dutch service provider KPN has integrated Amazon Prime Video into its TV user interface, allowing users to access the service direct from the TV menu in what the company describes as a first for the Dutch market.
Customers that have signed up for Amazon Prime Video will be able to get direct access via the TV menu with their account detaisl. KPN is rolling the service out step by step and eill extend it to subscribers of its Telfort and SX4ALL TV services.
KPN will make the Prime Video service available to its existing IPTV customers with legacy set-tops in December, and will make it available to its recently launched advanced box in 2020.
“We are always looking for ways to make Amazon Prime Video easily available to our customers,” said Brett Ballbach, business development director at Amazon Prime Video Europe.
“It’s great that we can now offer KPN customers our wide selection of films and TV shows more easily via the Prime Video app. Prime members can enjoy Amazon Originals such as The Grand Tour, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryanand The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
DTVE: the week in view – Should streamers help to fund Europe’s network expansion? digitaltveurope.com/comment/should… https://t.co/x6aSHT8EvH
05 December 2021 @ 19:34:00 UTC
ICYMI: Vodafone TV arrives on LG TVs in Spain digitaltveurope.com/2021/12/03/vod… https://t.co/dpCVTHxPFr
05 December 2021 @ 19:30:00 UTC
ICYMI: Vizio ads AVOD content to WatchFree+ streamer digitaltveurope.com/2021/12/03/viz… https://t.co/i6syMw9Eli
04 December 2021 @ 19:30:00 UTC


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New-kids-on-the–consumer-electronics-block Kogan are preparing to set up shop in the UK, and are looking to take on the extortionate prices of “rip-off Britian” head on.
The company have been doing roaring trade over in Australia, offering prices 20% to 50% lower than the competition by being both manufacturers and retailers.
“UK consumers have been paying rip-off prices for everyday electronic goods and that should not be happening. We are here to shake up the market and transform the face of consumer electronics so customers get a fair deal” said Ruslan Kogan, CEO.
“UK High Street retailers all have a web presence, which is commendable. But why are they charging the same prices online as in store? Is it fair that an online customer should be helping pay for the rent, overheads and other inefficiencies associated with selling through a shop? Selling online is all about efficiency that benefits the customer – the current situation has to change. Kogan is built on the belief that ‘there is always a better way'”.
Kogan are starting their UK invasion with their own branded range of HD TVs and GPS devices. Take a look at what they have on offer by clicking here.


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While certainly not the only publisher to impose draconian DRM on their PC titles that only serve to hurt legitimate consumers, Ubisoft has nonetheless built up a bit of a bad reputation among PC gamers for their “always-on” DRM.
If you were considering holding off on buying Assassin’s Creed Revelations for fear of the same DRM, however, here’s some news that should make you happy: Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Revelations will ship on PC sans always-on DRM.
Ubisoft confirmed the news to Rock, Paper, Shotgun earlier this morning, saying that instead of having to worry about your internet connection working every second you play, you’ll only have to worry about it once. Once you’ve completed the one-time activation process, which will require an internet connection, you’re free to play offline to your heart’s content.
Ubisoft may not have an incredible track record with PC gamers, especially after that whole From Dust ordeal, but at least they’ve decided to back down on their aggressive anti-piracy stance for at least one of their games this year.
That isn’t to say that it’s not understandable that Ubisoft wants to protect their IP – that’s entirely understandable, and anyone who says that piracy on the PC platform isn’t a problem would be lying. Still, going about your DRM in a way that severely inconveniences legitimate users is not the way to do it.
It remains to be seen if Ubisoft has finally learned that lesson, but you can at least take comfort in knowing that at least you’ll be able to play Assassin’s Creed Revelations offline as much as you want. Hey, it’s a step in the right direction.
Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
OnLive has denied rumors that the online gaming service is going out of business in response to request for comment from Forbes and various other publications.
The rumors began when Mashable reported that the company may be going out of business as soon as today, laying off their entire staff.
InXile CEO Brain Fargo also Tweeted that an employee from within OnLive had emailed him that the company was close to going out of business. Here's the email:
I wanted to send a note that by the end of the day today, OnLive as an entity will no longer exist. Unfortunately, my job and everyone else's was included. A new company will be formed and the management of the company will be in contact with you about the current initiatives in place, including the titles that will remain on the service.
It has been an absolute pleasure working with you and I'm sure our path with cross again.
When asked for comment, OnLive's Director of Corporate Communications told Forbes' Jason Evangelho: "No, let me be clear. We are not going out of business.”
OnLive made similar statements to other outlets like Kotaku.
However, Kotaku is reporting that one of their sources is painting a more dire picture for the health of the company:
The source says that everyone at the company knew things were tight. This morning, an all-hands meeting was called at 10 a.m. this morning where CEO Steve Perlman said that OnLive would be filing for ABC bankruptcy in the state of California—a status that affords them a level of protection from creditors. Perlman also said that the company as it stands now would cease to exist and that no one would be employed by OnLive. A subset of employees would be brought on to the company created from the remains of OnLive. The source also said that the OnLive service would probably continue.
Meanwhile GameFront says it has trusted sources that are confirming the layoffs at the company. "Currently, laid off employees are packing down and preparing to leave the premises," they report.
Gamasutra has confirmed widespread layoffs as well. So far OnLive has neither confirmed nor denied the layoffs.
Obviously something is going on. Whether OnLive ceases to exist or simply restructures under bankruptcy is up in the air, but we now have several confirmed sources claiming massive layoffs of the OnLive staff.
This is all still developing, but as we watch the company teeter it's worth speculating what this means for everyone with a stake in OnLive - including people who have purchased games there.
Some of the more pressing questions (outside of the plight of the employees who may or may not lose their jobs) are:
- What happens to your games if OnLive goes out of business? Did you own those games, or simply rent them for full price? You can examine their refund policies for yourself, but the company going out of business is not included in the terms.
- What sort of impact would an OnLive shutdown have on fledgling in-development Android console Ouya? One of the Ouya's biggest Kickstarter announcements was a partnership with OnLive.
- What does this say about the viability of cloud-based gaming? Is OnLive a service that could exist in a higher-bandwidth future but not in our mediocre bandwidth present?
I suspect cloud-computing enthusiasts, and especially enthusiasts of cloud-based gaming may have gotten ahead of themselves. Many OnLive users have reported lag issues due to insufficient bandwidth. While the technology may be a viable future for gaming, it's quite possible that OnLive simply couldn't sustain its current model given the realities of the market.
More to come as it unfolds. Be sure to check in on Jason's post as well, as he has been updating regularly. You can follow the story as it breaks on Twitter with the hashtag #OnLive.
Chime in with your thoughts in the comments, and post any links and information you might have.


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'Mega Monday' splurge by online shoppers
IRISH retail sales may be down but consumers here are expected to spend €257m in online purchases in the run up to Christmas -- more than their European counterparts.
Yesterday was 'Mega Monday' -- the busiest online shopping day due to people ordering in time to get delivery before Christmas -- and some 82pc of Irish shoppers were expected to spend online.
That would amount to an average of €155 each according to the research conducted by Visa Europe.
However, retailers are still hoping the decision to defer the 2pc VAT increase until January will boost Christmas sales, as new figures show shoppers are still unwilling to dip into their pockets.
Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) yesterday showed that the amount of money people spent in shops in October had fallen by 3.7pc on the same month last year.
Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) called it a "bleak" scenario while the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) said the retail sector was now "hanging by a thread".
ISME chief executive Mark Fielding said that with both volume, the amount of goods sold; and value, the amount spent, down 3.8pc and 3.7pc respectively on last year, the Government needed to protect the industry.
The CSO figures illustrated the continuing decline in consumer spending.
While the amount of goods being sold seems to have stabilised with a slight increase of 0.1pc in October compared to September, this is not a significant rise and, overall, they have fallen 3.8pc over the past year.
The actual value of retail sales is down 3.7pc on this time last year.
However, with the exclusion of the motor trade, they are down 2.8pc.
Sales figures are typically calculated both with and without the car industry in order to give a truer sense of general retail figures.
The big losers, over the past year, include the motor trade (-6.9pc), department stores (-7.9pc), food, beverage and tobacco sales (-4.8pc), clothing footwear and textiles (-8pc) and books, newspapers and stationery sales (-13.6pc).
David Fitzsimons, chief executive of REI, which represents some 8,500 stores, pointed out that the continuing decline in sales had now entered its 44th consecutive month.
"The situation was bleak in all retail sectors -- from fashion to groceries to jewellery and hardware," he said.
"Retailers will be hoping that the traditional jump in sales in December will be boosted this year by the Government's decision to defer the 2pc rise in VAT until January."
Meanwhile, ISME chief executive Mark Fielding said: "It is absolutely essential that no new additional taxes, including VAT increases and excise duties, are introduced in the upcoming Budget."
"(This) would have the impact of undermining consumer confidence, further reducing demand and driving thousands of shoppers across the Border," he said.
The government was also criticised for its failure to tackle 'upward only' rent reviews which condemn many shopkeepers to high, often unaffordable rates as well as a failure to introduce the Retail Strategy Group to address various issues including wages, rates and energy costs in the sector.


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Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has announced to launch Facebook software for its smartphones. Through this new Facebook application, Blackberry users will be able to access Facebook, the popular social networking site.
The new software enables users to receive Facebook notifications and messages and go through them quickly in the same way as using an e-mail service. Besides, RIM also announced that users can read and write messages offline too.
The Facebook application will also integrate BlackBerry’s camera and photo management software.
Moreover, RIM is planning to bring in lifestyle applications that would allow users to have fun with games and multimedia. These upcoming applications will help change Blackberry’s image from a business focused phone to business oriented entertainment smartphone.


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Small businesses with fewer than 10 employees will no longer receive free use of Google's popular online productivity suite, Google Apps. Google announced last week that all businesses will be subject...
Comstor is synonymous with Cisco in the UK, but the duo are jointly targeting new customers outside Cisco's networking stronghold in 2016, as Doug Woodburn reports
Acquisitive Oracle Platinum Partner claims move consolidates its position as go-to ERP specialist, as both firms embark on growth drive
Californian secondary storage vendor poised to hire local sales teams as it looks to take European channel by storm
Research from specialist lending bank reveals growing desire to invest in technology, and merge with or acquire peers


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Google Inc. went far from its California headquarters to make an Alabama city its model in a new campaign to help businesses build better websites for mobile devices. The alliteration, Mobilizing Mobile, was simply too good to pass up.
It doesn't matter that mobile and Mobile (moh-BEEL) are pronounced differently.
Google spokeswoman Sandra Heikkinen said some executives in Mountain View, Calif., are still practicing the pronunciation of the city, but "we love the alliteration."
The search giant is planning a series of events and workshops in Mobile from Nov. 14-16 to help businesses build a presence on the mobile Internet and get new customers. Participants will have the opportunity to have their desktop websites developed for portable devices like smart phones and tablets the same day as the workshop. It can tell potential customers their location, phone number, hours of operation and other information designed to drive business.
"Someone can find them that afternoon," said Jason Spero, Google's director of mobile advertising for the Americas.
For Google, it's part of an international effort, GoMo, to get more businesses using mobile sites.
For Mobile, it's an opportunity for businesses to get their sites developed and hosted free for a year. It's also an opportunity for the city to turn a digital search disadvantage into an advantage.
Leigh Perry Herndon, vice president of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, said people who type Mobile into an Internet search often get more information about telecommunications companies than they do the port city in Alabama. But now that spelling problem has brought Google to the city.
"This is one of those benefits of having a name that sounds like something else," she said.
Google executives said that while Mobile's name made it attractive, research made it a cinch. They found a city with a diverse range of businesses and a tech-savvy population with heavy broadband use, but lots of potential for development with mobile devices.
Herndon said many Mobile businesses have developed websites aimed at desktop computer users, but they have not adapted to the small screens of smartphones. She said Google is giving businesses a way to get with the latest trend in finding business information.
"You have an opportunity to get on board or you find your website outdated," she said.
Spero figures people with smart phones in Mobile are like people everywhere: They carry their phones with them all the time and they want to navigate the digital world from their phones.
"I truly believe this is driving a sociological change," he said.
Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce: http://www.mobilechamber.com/


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By Victoria Waldersee
- Volkswagen posts 8.1% earnings margin in 2022, hits forecast
- Sales, earnings above 2021 levels
- Net cash flow approx 3.6 bln eur below target
- Carmaker sitting on unfinished goods, raw materials
- Expect lower working capital in 2023 -statement
BERLIN, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Volkswagen AG’s (VOWG_p.DE) earnings margin was at the upper end of its forecast for 2022 at 8.1%, with sales and earnings above 2021 levels despite supply-chain turmoil dragging its net cash flow far below target, the carmaker said on Tuesday.
Earnings of 22.5 billion euros ($24.11 billion) put Volkswagen at the higher end of the 7-8.5% margin it had forecast in March of last year, with sales beating 2021 figures at around 279 billion euros compared with 250.2 billion the year prior.
“Current planning for 2023 suggests that this year-end 2022 increase in working capital will largely reverse during the year,” it added in its statement.
Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz said in October that the carmaker had 150,000 unfinished vehicles in its inventory and was stocking up on supplies to protect against further shortages, pushing up prices and cutting costs to make up for lower unit sales.
Volkswagen also warned in January that the outlook for 2023 remained clouded by weak economies and supply-chain shortages.
($1 = 0.9331 euro)


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Xiaomi Challenges Paytm With Mi Pay, Their Payment App: Here Are Top 7 Features
Xiaomi's Mi Pay is an closed app, and only Xiaomi users can use it.
Finally, Xiaomi’s payment app: Mi Pay has arrived in India. Based on UPI platform, Mi Pay app is all set to challenge the likes of Paytm, Whatsapp Pay and PhonePe, which all use UPI as the backbone.
Besides, Xiaomi has announced a massive investment of Rs 3500 crore in India, which will be used to enhance their offline and online presence.
Mi Pay App Is Now In India
While launching their cheapest smartphone in India: Redmi Go, Xiaomi has also announced the launch of Mi Pay payments app.
As part of their special offer, Mi Pay users in India can win 100 Redmi Note 7, 50 Mi TVs, and all they need to do is use the app for making payments.
Mi Pay app was initially launched in China in 2016, and in India, they offered beta testing of the app since December last year. In February this year, Mi Pay app became a part of MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM, and now, the app is available for all to download.
Mi Pay App: 7 Interesting Features
- This a closed payments app, and only Xiaomi users can download it from the Mi Apps store.
- Being a closed app, only Xiaomi users can transfer money between each other, using Mi Pay app.
- For making any payment or transferring funds to any other merchant (movies, restaurants, grocery, petrol etc), Mi Pay app will use UPI’s platform.
- ICICI Bank will provide the financial backend of this app.
- Mi Pay will be deeply integrated with the MIUI interface, and this makes it super-interesting. Users can make the payment while accessing SMS, Contacts, App Vault, and Camera scanner apps and more, within their smartphone.
- Hence, users are not required to open the app everytime to make any payment
- Mi Pay has been approved by NPCI, and the data of this app will be stored within India. This has been clarified by Xiaomi.
It would be interesting to observe how Xiaomi fans respond to this latest payment app.
You can checkout the FAQs about Mi Pay right here.
Rs 3500 Crore Investment by Xiaomi In India
Meanwhile, Xiaomi has announced that they have already invested Rs 3500 crore in India, in 2019 alone. This has been the biggest investment till date by Xiaomi, in this country.
While Rs 1,500 crore was invested on January 17, Rs 2,000 crore was invested on March 1st.
This fresh round of funding was led by Xiaomi Singapore Pte Ltd, which owns 99.9% stake in Xiaomi’s Indian operations. The rest 0.01% is owned by Xiaomi HK Ltd, and they didn’t make any investment.
As per reports, this money will be used by Xiaomi to strengthen then offline retail and to better market their products such as purifiers, washing machines, laptops, refrigerators and other smart equipments.
We will keep you updated, as more details come in.


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Leonard Maltin’s 2015 movie guide will be his last
The Maltin guides began in 1969 and have sold more than 7 million copies.
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NEW YORK, N.Y.—The closing credits are rolling for Leonard Maltin’s movie guides.
Plume, an imprint of Penguin Random House, says Leonard Maltin’s 2015 Movie Guide will be the 36th and final edition. In an introduction for the 2015 guide, which comes out next week, Maltin wrote that access to reviews online had led to an “alarming decline” in readership.
Plume spokeswoman Milena L. Brown said Thursday that the Maltin guides began in 1969 and have sold more than 7 million copies. The 2015 edition contains more than 16,000 entries, double the original amount.
Maltin oversees the guides with the help of a team of 11 reviewers and managing editor Darwyn Carson.
- Leslieville's Left Field Brewery called ‘very bad neighbours’
- New Ontario health care watchdog to investigate patient complaints
- Toronto average house price hits $1.052 million record
- Smoke from Western Canada wildfires reaches Toronto
- Amalgamation a flop, Fraser Institute study suggests
- NEW First Nations chief Bellegarde calls for reconciliation
- U of T anti-vaccine course exonerated (with caveats)
- Jared Fogle, Subway pitchman, has home raided by FBI, state


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From The Guardian:
In May 2009, Absolut Vodka launched a limited edition line called “Absolut No Label”. The company's global public relations manager, Kristina Hagbard, explained that “For the first time we dare to face the world completely naked. We launch a bottle with no label and no logo, to manifest the idea that no matter what's on the outside, it's the inside that really matters.”
A few months later, Starbucks opened its first unbranded coffee shop in Seattle, called 15th Avenue E Coffee and Tea. This “stealth Starbucks” (as the anomalous outlet immediately became known) was decorated with “one-of-a-kind” fixtures and customers were invited to bring in their own music for the stereo system as well as their own pet social causes – all to help develop what the company called “a community personality.” Customers had to look hard to find the small print on the menus: “inspired by Starbucks”. Tim Pfeiffer, a Starbucks senior vice-president, explained that unlike the ordinary Starbucks outlet that used to occupy the same piece of retail space, “This one is definitely a little neighbourhood coffee shop.” After spending two decades blasting its logo on to 16,000 stores worldwide, Starbucks was now trying to escape its own brand.


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There are 73,424 examples of the 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt being recalled because a short circuit in the wiring harness for the side impact sensor might not let the curtain airbag on the driver's side deploy in a crash.
- Mar 2, 2010
2010 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE
- Brandon Turkus
- Feb 21, 2014
Well, this is not good for General Motors. Following a report last week that GM was recalling 778,000 Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 compacts over concerns that the ignition could switch out of the "run" position without warning, USA Today reports that the Detroit-based behemoth knew about the issue, which affected 2005 to 2007 Cobalts (the Cobalt shown above and in the gallery is from 2010) and 2007 Pontiac G5s, all the way back in 2004.
- 2018 Mustang GT does 0-60 in under 4 seconds
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