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IUC cut to hit telcos' biz by Rs 5k cr,2G calls to suffer: COAI
Mathews contended that the assumption of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) that all operators should move towards VoLTE technology.
need2know: Nine macro triggers that should matter for market today
The Indian rupee on Tuesday closed at a near two-month low against the dol...
India must focus on 4G to support rising data consumption: Nunzio Mirtillo
The Indian market area is a big one from a global perspective. The...
For faster decision making, Modi govt replaces GoM with Alternative Mechanism
HPCL-ONGC deal, the merger of public sector banks, sale of minority stakes in CPSEs and the buyback offer of OIL would be done through the AM.
Telcos in India can shut services without surrendering license: Trai
Trai further recommended that DoT can reject requests to close down a service, ‘only when warranted’, in the interest of public or national security or in the event of national emergency or war.
Bankruptcy fight over Oncor to test Warren Buffett's discipline
The rival bid for Oncor was disclosed on Friday by Energy Future's biggest creditor, billionaire Paul Singer's hedge fund Elliott Management Corp.
Telcos want 4G, 5G spectrum auctions in the second half of next fiscal
Telcos want to delay auctions due to ongoing consolidation and strain in the industry. Analysts feel that there is a lack of appetite for fresh spectrum in the present scenario.
Government to seek Trai's views on auctioning spectrum every year
"We are looking for spectrum auction every year. We are very soon going to request to Trai for its recommendations," Deepak said.
need2know: Nine facts to know before starting your day on D-Street
'4% appreciation in the rupee to impact June quarter sales of exporters by up to 3 percentage points'
Government's idea to auction spectrum every year progressive, says Sunil Mittal
Airtel had reported an over 54% fall in net profit at Rs 503.7 crore for the December quarter due to what it had termed as "turbulence from predatory pricing by a new operator".
How China beats India hollow in trade and dominates Indian homes, markets and economy
As encroachment charges on the border fly thick and fast, there’s little doubt which country has been successful in infiltrating the marketplace.
‘Spectrum auction an opportunity to grow 3G footprint'
Trai recommended a reserve price of Rs 11,485 cr per Mhz in the coveted 700 MHz band, but the price has been heavily criticised by the industry as being very high.
Telecom companies upset over only 5MHz of 3G auction
The telecom auctions will see the sale of only 5MHz of 3G spectrum, whereas the telecom industry was pitching for availability of at least 20 MHz.
Limited 3G auction raises fear of fierce bidding
The current scenario could lead to irrational bidding as operators don’t yet know when the government will next auction additional 3G airwaves.
Jio leaves Idea in acute pain, Q1 loss more than doubles QoQ to Rs 815 crore
Aggressive tariff led by unlimited voice and data bundle plans resulted in steep decline.


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Earlier this year, Samsung had unveiled brand new 8K QLED smart TV lineup with improved audio and video quality during CES 2020. Now, the company has announced that it has launched those new QLED TVs in South Korea. Samsung’s new QLED TVs are available in nine models, which are available in various sizes.
The company has doubled the number of 8K QLED TVs so that consumers have enough choice if they want to buy premium TVs. The QT800, QT900S, and the QT950S lineups are offered from sizes starting at 55 inches and go as high as 85 inches. The 55-inch version of the TV will be available in the first half of the year, while the 65-inch, 75-inch, 82-inch, and 85-inch versions of the TVs will be available shortly in Korea.
The flagship TV in Samsung’s new lineup, the 85-inch QT950S, is priced at KRW 19.4 million (around $15,100). The 75-inch and 65-inch versions are priced at KRW 13.9 million (around $11,000) and KRW 9.2 million (around $7,200). The QT950S TV features an entirely bezel-less screen design with a 99% screen-to-body ratio.
Samsung’s new 8K QLED TVs use the AI Quantum Processor 8K to smoothly playback 8K videos and upscale 4K or Full HD videos to 8K using artificial intelligence. The AI Control feature adjusts brightness and sound as per the scene for an optimal viewing experience.
The AI Quantum Sound feature uses AI for object-based audio to be reproduced using the TV’s built-in six-speaker setup. The Active Voice Amplifier technology detects the voice of persons in the video and makes it sound more precise and louder when necessary. With the Q Symphony feature, which received the CES 2020 Top Innovation Award, utilizes the resources of the TV’s speakers and Samsung’s Q series soundbars to reproduce richer and powerful audio.
Samsung has also launched its 4K QLED TV lineup in South Korea. It consists of five models—QT60, QT70, QT80, QT90, and QT95—which are available in varying screen sizes: 43 inches, 50 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, 75 inches, 82 inches, and 85 inches. The 85-inch QT95 4K QLED TV is priced at KRW 15 million (around $12,000). The 75-inch and 65-inch versions are priced at KRW 6.8 million (around $5,300) and KRW 4.69 million (around $3,700), respectively.
The company has also launched lifestyle TVs, The Frame, The Serif, and The Sero, in its home market. These TVs are available in a variety of sizes: 43 inches, 50 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, and 75 inches. Samsung has a collection of more than 1,000 artworks to be displayed on these TVs when they’re in the ambient mode. The Vertical TV, which has a portrait orientation, has also been launched. It has a 43-inch screen and comes in two colors: Navy Blue and White.

domain: news


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|08SEOUL1980||2008-10-08 05:06:00||UNCLASSIFIED||Embassy Seoul|
1. Per reftel, Post contacted Yeonhab Precision and the
Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) by email
And phone. A site visit was not possible due to resource
2. Mr. Lee Kwan-young at Yeonhab Precision informed Post
that the company was established in 1980. The firm's main
products are cable assemblies, such as wire harnesses,
cable connectors, electronic equipment and interconnection
wires. The company has been a DAPA-listed manufacturer of
defense items since 1995.
3. Since its foundation Yeonhab Precision has been headed
by Mr. Kim In-sool, President and CEO. Its other principal
officers are Duck-soo KIM, Senior Executive Vice President,
who has more than 10 years of professional experience at
the Korea Engineering Consulting Corporation, and Chang-koo
LEE, a retired ROK Army Colonel and head of Yeonhab's
Research and Development Center.
4. Yeonhab Precision's main clients include ROK Army, Navy
and Air Force located in Nonsan, Jinhae and Daejeon in
Korea, respectively. The company maintains overseas sales
agents in the United States, Australia, Japan and Europe.
More information on the company can be found at
5. Yeonhab Precision maintains computerized database
systems that record its sales and a highly restricted and
secured warehouse to store all sensitive items.
6. Yeonhab Precision also confirmed to Post that the items
in question will be assembled into power distribution boxes
that will be incorporated into the Korean Amphibious
Assault Vehicle (KAAV) produced by Samsung Techwin, a DAPA-
7. Mr. Hong Ik-sun, Assistant Deputy Director of the
Special Weapons Contract Team at DAPA confirmed that the
completed KAAV will be delivered to the end-user the ROK
Marine Corps. The completed KAAVs are scheduled for
delivery from 2008-2010. Based on Post's conversation with
DAPA officials, Yeonhab Precision is a long standing
supplier and reliable recipient of USML items.
8. Post will separately send copies of the supporting
documents and photos of the Yeonhab Precision warehouse by
email. The company is fully aware of the importance of the
restrictions on USML items.


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McDonald's franchise owners are not loving it
Willie Grace | 4/17/2015, 2:25 p.m.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- McDonald's is trying to get its groove back, but franchise owners are not feeling it.
Morale has hit an all-time low among the independent owners of McDonald's restaurants, who make up 90% of the fast-food restaurant's locations.
Franchise owners say the outlook for business is somewhere between poor and fair, according to the latest survey by Mark Kalinowski, an analyst who covers the restaurant industry at Janney Capital Markets.
The grim assessment translates to a score of 1.81 out of 5 on Kalinowski's scale, the lowest rating in the 11-year history of the quarterly survey. It represents the views of 25 franchisees who own a combined 215 McDonald's restaurants.
Why so glum?
Many franchise owners blamed changes that McDonald's is making under newly-appointed CEO Steve Easterbrook.
Easterbrook recently announced plans to raise wages for employees at McDonald's company-owned stores. The company is also changing its menu, eliminating certain items and adding higher-end options such as antibiotic-free chicken and a premium burger. And it's revamping the look of its restaurants, introducing digital menu boards.
Franchise owners were particularly upset with the wage hike. Even though it only applies to workers at company-owned restaurants, franchisees worry that they will be pressured to raise wages too.
The move left owners "feeling betrayed and less of a partner," one franchisee said. "An already strained relationship was fractured and I don't know if they can recover."
McDonald's said in a statement that less than 1% of its 3,100 franchise owners participated in the survey.
"We value the feedback from our franchisees and have a solid working relationship with them," the company said.
Easterbrook, who has been in the job since March, has said he wants to make McDonald's a "modern, progressive burger company."
Yet franchise owners say the new strategy is unclear and complain that the company has abandoned them.
"The system is broken," one franchisee told Kalinowski's team. "There is no leadership, no plan, no respect for operators of their investment or bottom line. They only care about the stockholders, the stock price, and themselves."
More broadly, franchisees are worried that they won't be able to afford the changes being made at McDonald's corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill.
"Simply can't afford what Oak Brook wants to do, not going to happen," one franchisee said, according to the report.
McDonald's has been in a deep McSlump.
The company faces tough competition from the likes of Chipotle and Shake Shack, which are perceived as providing better quality food. McDonald's recently cut 8 items from the menu to make way for "future food innovations," which could mean new ingredients or customized individual orders.
But sales dropped 2% and earnings fell 15% for all of last year. And McDonald's has warned that the first half of 2015 could be bleak, too.
A string of food safety scares abroad didn't help. A tainted meat scandal hurt McDonald's sales in China, Hong Kong, and Japan.
For more information go to http://www.cnn.com


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OAK BROOK, Ill. - McDonald's moved one step closer to
opening in its 100th country with the launch of its first restaurant in the
Dominican Republic on Saturday, November 30. It was the third new country to
welcome the Golden Arches in a month, including grand opening celebrations in
Jordan and Paraguay.
"We're on target with our growth strategy around the world," said Jim Cantalupo, president and CEO of McDonald's International, "and we will cap a year of unprecedented international development with our 100th country milestone on December 10th."
In the last five years, the number of McDonald's restaurants in Latin America and the Caribbean has more than tripled, to over 650 restaurants. The Dominican Republic is the 26th country in the region to host McDonald's.
Local business people Oscar and Erika Brenes, McDonald's franchisees in the Dominican Republic, opened the first restaurant in the capital city of Santo Domingo, where nearly 25 percent of the island's population resides.
McDonald's is the largest and best-known global foodservice retailer, with more than 20,000 restaurants in 99 countries. Yet on any day, even as the market leader, McDonald's serves less than one percent of the world's population.
* Note: For more information about McDonald's 100th country opening, please contact Ann Connolly at 630-623-3797.


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The Small Business Council of the Allentown-Lehigh County Chamber of Commerce Friday singled out O'Brien's Fire Protection Co. Inc. of Bethlehem for having best met the criterion for entrepreneurial excellence.
The council also singled out four Allentown businesses for honorable mention. They were La Belle Cuisine, Miers Insurance Agency, C'est Croissant and Bradley Pulverizer Co.
James Landis, who handled the awards ceremony and assumed presidency of the council at the conclusion of Friday's breakfast meeting in the Hamilton Plaza, told the assemblage, "Many (businesses) are looking for the correct balance of success; many have found it and we will honor them."
Outgoing President Peter Krajsa told the business people, "Small business is now trendy and finally getting the attention it deserves."
He said that small businesses are "showing the greatest amount of intellectual initiative."
And he reminded everyone that the council "is dedicated to those making a commitment to business ownership."
Landis, meanwhile, described an entrepreneur as someone "who works 16 hours a day for himself so he doesn't have to work eight hours a day for someone else."
Alluding to the awards, he said some of the criteria making a business eligible for consideration are market planning, sales growth, employee consideration, public image and uniqueness of business.
Prior to the awards ceremony, Raymond Holland, president of Holiday Hair Fashions, traced the beginning of his business from a single store in Allentown's West End to 190 stores from Pennsylvania to Georgia, half of them in Pennsylvania.
He said his stores currently employ 1,500 persons, average 55,000 hair stylings a week and do $30 million worth of business a year.
"We are one of the largest volume independent chains in the industry," said Holland.
He said his stores are located "almost exclusively" in shopping centers and malls. "We want an identifiable marquee, parking and traffic," said Holland.
Holland said he has "no real secrets for success. Our system is simple and it works. We are successful because we are good shopkeepers and remember to treat each store and deal with each store as its own profit center."


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(Yicai Global) June 8 -- Football fans in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will kick off in Russia on June 14, will be able to enjoy the tournament games while eating China’s popular food as some 100,000 crayfish produced in Jingzhou, central Hubei province, are shipped to Moscow via China-Europe express train.
The crayfish is stored in cold chains throughout the journey and will arrive in Moscow in time for one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Containers packed with crayfish have electric temperature control systems that can keep them permanently below minus 18 degrees Celsius.
A food consumption report by China Cuisine Association, CCA, named crayfish as China's favorite meal last year. It now is set to be a global dish on the plates of football fans during the World Cup tournament in Russia. In 2016, some 90 percent of crayfish consumed in Europe came from China, Xinhua said.
As the Belt and Road construction progresses, economic and trade exchanges between China and the European countries along the route have grown rapidly; logistics demand has been strong; and trade channels and models have been continually enriched, offering development opportunities for the China-Europe Express Train program.
Belt and Road is a grand plan for a vast infrastructure and trade route boasting a major network of railroads, highways, ports and pipelines embracing the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa.
With the export of crayfish by the China-Europe freight trains, the volume of goods transported via the railway route has also reached peak levels.
The China-Europe express train route has become a key channel of land transportation in the global logistics market since the program debuted in March 2011. It has seen over 7,600 trips made as of March, with 61 routes connecting Chinese cities with 41 centers in 13 European countries.
Goods transported by China-Europe trains have become increasingly diversified and now include clothing, footwear, cars and components, food, wine, coffee beans, timber, chemicals, machinery equipment and pulp.
The rise of the express train program has helped promote trade connectivity along the Belt and Road route. Transportation via the China-Europe express trains, which travel through two continents only cuts the travel time by two-thirds compared with the sea routes, experts said.
They also represent safe, efficient and convenient "through trains" for trade between China and Europe and can help promote the export of quality Chinese-made light industrial products.
Editor: Mevlut Katik


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Share 'The Food Pyramid Changes to "Dinner Plate"'
Goodbye Food Pyramid, Hello Dinner Plate
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
The Obama administration is about to ditch the food pyramid, that symbol of healthy eating for the last two decades. In its place officials are dishing up a simple, plate-shaped symbol, sliced into wedges for the basic food groups and half-filled with fruits and vegetables.
The circular plate, which will be unveiled Thursday, is meant…
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Baker Krispy Kreme UK is set to launch a new social media marketing campaign aimed at encouraging consumers to purchase a box of a dozen doughnuts to share in the workplace, according to an article published by The Drum.
Operated by Addiction, the campaign will take the form of a competition that will run on both Facebook and Twitter.
To enter the competition, users must tweet or post their favourite examples of triumphs or disasters that have occurred in their workplace; twelve people who provide the best examples will be rewarded with a box containing a dozen doughnuts to share with their work colleagues.
Judith Denby, chief marketing officer at Krispy Kreme UK, spoke about the upcoming campaign.
She said: "We're delighted with the success of Addiction's campaigns to date, as they have enabled us to extend the brand communications regionally as well as across different channels, resulting in a healthy uplift in sales and brand saliency with customers."
News brought to you by ClickThrough – a best practice Internet Marketing Agency.


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About HOPU Investment Management
HOPU Investment Management operates as a private equity firm. The company serves customers in China. It was founded by Fang Fenglei, a Chinese partner of Goldman Sachs Group.
HOPU Investment Management Headquarter Location
203 20/F Winland IFC 7 Finance St, Xicheng Dist.
Latest HOPU Investment Management News
Jul 29, 2020
(Yicai Global) July 29 -- Arm and Hopu Investments have recently menaced microprocessor designer Arm China’s employees, it said, pleading for the Chinese government’s attention, and charging that Arm China’s shareholder, UK-based Arm, has escalated its attacks after achieving dismissal of Arm China’s Chairman and Chief Executive Allen Wu. This latest episode of the backbiting intrigues for control of Softbank Group-owned chipmaker Arm’s lucrative China business features Arm tussling with Chinese investors over control of the local joint venture, a source close to Arm China said. Private equity firm Hopu and other Chinese hold a 51 percent stake in the JV, while Arm owns 49 percent in Arm China, which formed in April 2018. Arm’s chip architecture features in 95 percent of the world’s smartphones and over 95 percent of system-level chips in China. Directors of Hopu and Arm repeatedly sent their agents to the JV’s clients and threatened to modify or cancel their current contracts with it, Arm China said in an open letter it issued on WeChat yesterday. The directors also called to intimidate and harass its staffers, per the letter. Arm China called for shareholder disputes to be legally resolved as soon as possible to allow it to continue to independently grow. Breaching Protocols An investigation found Wu violated corporate guidelines and his actions were detrimental to the firm’s growth, as well as jeopardizing shareholder and stakeholder interests, Arm said in a June 10 statement. Arm and Hopu recently agreed to unseat Wu as chairman and chief executive at a June 4 meeting of the JV's board under the guidance of Beijing-based Zhong Lun Law Firm. Arm wants to appoint vice presidents Ken Phua and Phil Tang as co-CEOs of the joint venture to replace Wu, 21st Century Business Herald reported in June. The board's decision to remove Wu lacked a legal basis as the meeting at which this was done was improperly convened, Arm China claimed earlier, reacting to media reports of Wu's ouster. Wu is still in charge of the company and remains its legal representative, it added. Editor: Ben Armour


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DETROIT -- Automakers Toyota and Volkswagen each announced recalls Wednesday impacting 1.5 million Toyota models and 218,000 VW Jetta models respectively, according to the Associated Press.
In the case of the Jetta recall, VW says certain models from 2016 through 2018 will need to be recalled, however the company does not know exactly what it will do to address the problem. Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators indicate bolts holding some high-pressure tubing can come loose over time. In turn, that can allow fuel to leak which increases the possibility of a fire.
While the company sorts out how to fix the issue, it says it plans on notifying impacted customers around Dec. 20. The models that will likely require a recall have 1.4-liter engines built from June 18, 2015 to Dec. 9, 2017.
Neither the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor Volkswagen are aware of any fires caused by the problem, However, the NHTSA says owners could smell a fuel odor or see fuel leaking from the engine compartment. If an owner experiences that, Volkswagen says they should contact a VW dealer immediately.
For Toyota, the recall adds on to an ongoing issue involving faulty fuel pumps that can fail, causing engines to stall. The latest recall of 1.5 million vehicles brings the total number of Toyota models recalled for the issue to 5.8 million. The recall impacts several types of Toyota and Lexus models.
The Japanese automaker released a statement Wednesday saying that if the fuel pump fails and causes the engine to stall, drivers may not be able to restart the vehicle or if it happens while driving at a high rate of speed, it could increase the possibility of an accident.
The fuel pumps will be replaced for free at Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota has not said if it has received any reports of crashes or injuries reported as a result of the issue.
The following models have been included in the most recent recall:
- 2019 and 2020 RAV4
- 2013 to 2015 Lexus LS 460 and GS 350
- 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser and Lexus IS-F
- 2014 and 2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser
- 2014 and 2015 Lexus GX 460, IS 350, LX 570
- 2015 Lexus NX 200t and RC 350
- 2017 Lexus IS 200t, RC 200t and GS 200t
- 2017 to 2019 Toyota Highlander and Lexus GS 350
- 2017 through 2020 Toyota Sienna and Lexus RX 350
- 2018 and 2019 Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Lexus GS 300, GX 460, IS 300, IS 350, LS 500h, LX 570, NX 300, RC 300, RC 350
- 2018 through 2020 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra and Lexus ES 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, RX 350L
- 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback and Lexus UX 200


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Jan Gleysteen Architects is pleased to sponsor this year’s Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour. In it’s 18th year, the annual event is organized by the Wellesley Junior Women’s Club with proceeds benefiting local scholarships and grants. The tour will provide access to six local homes this Saturday, May 5th from 11am to 3pm.
This year’s event is part of Design Wellesley, a month long celebration of local design. The Kitchen and Home Tour will be the final event of the series. Tickets are available online or can be purchased at the door the day of the tour.


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There are known knowns about the pandemic such as a pent-up desire to travel and need for flexibility from suppliers.
But no one really knows yet which of the current trends will remain and how traveler behaviors will be impacted longer term.
SiteMinder in a report gives a nod to the increased appreciation for travel as well as the sentiment from more than a third of travelers, 34%, that they plan to travel more.
In its Dynamic Traveller: A New Era of Hotel Guest report, the hotel technology specialist says travelers now have higher expectations of their accommodation.
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According to the report, 52% say they have higher expectations and it’s elements such as flexibility, value for money and security that are having the greatest impact on booking behavior.
The research says of the 14 factors that are likely to influence booking, free cancellations and amendments is in the top two priorities for almost a third of travelers.
It outweighs price, always considered the top factor to influence behavior in the past, which comes second at 27%.
In Australia, booking flexibility is within the top two priorities for 45% of travelers while in France, Spain and the U.K. it’s a key factor for more than 40%.
Interesting to note that after booking flexibility and price, having breakfast included and health and safety practices rank about equal when it comes to what influences bookings.
The report also highlights the direct booking trend revealing that 39% of travelers expect to book direct with hotels, up slightly from 2020’s figure of 36%.
Booking via online travel agency has slipped from 37% in 2020 to 26% this year according to the study.
It also reveals travelers are opting for packages more with 14% now choosing a package compared to about 4% in 2020.
Further findings of the SiteMinder report include the online trust challenge with about a fifth of travelers trust their accommodation provider ‘a lot’ with personal data when it comes to payment, 48% say ‘somewhat’ and 21% say ‘not much.’
Mark Renshaw, chief marketing officer at SiteMinder, says: “The preferences of this dynamic, evolved traveller are likely to fundamentally reshape the travel industry, as well as the approach hoteliers now need to take to be seen as a viable accommodation option.”


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Apple Music is getting a redesign on iOS10.
Apple's primary focus right now is bolstering Apple Music's market share in the ever-intensifying streaming wars. At today's World Wide Developer's Conference, the tech giant announced that they have completely redesigned Apple Music for iOS10, which is scheduled for a fall release.
Going forward, Apple Music will provide its subscribers with a "For You" tab comprised of curated playlists similar to Spotify. "For You" will house Apple Music's "Connect function." Users will be able to access song lyrics by swiping down on the screen and play songs right in Messages.
Additionally, album artwork, new releases, and user library will be more prominently featured in the new Apple Music. Preview the redesign below.
The new Apple Music. pic.twitter.com/yalznx5YkA— Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) June 13, 2016
Lyrics now added to Apple Music.— iTwe4kz (@iTwe4kz) June 13, 2016
This lady just tried to get a buncha nerds in the auditorium to rap. pic.twitter.com/G6aeaFHiAa


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Archive for the ‘iPhone hacking’ Category
A newly discovered watering-hole campaign is targeting Apple iPhone users in Hong Kong by using malicious website links as a lure to install spyware on the devices.
According to research published by Trend Micro and Kaspersky, the "Operation Poisoned News" attack leverages a remote iOS exploit chain to deploy a feature-rich implant called 'LightSpy' through links to local news websites, which
Posted in Apple iPhone, cyber security, hacking iphone, iOS malware, iPhone hacking, Malware apps, Mobile Security, spyware | Comments (0)
The iPhone of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, was reportedly hacked in May 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message from the personal account of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Guardian newspaper revealed today.
Citing unnamed sources familiar with digital forensic analysis of the breach, the newspaper claimed that a massive amount of data was exfiltrated from
Posted in hack whatsapp account, how to hack mobile, iPhone hacking, Jeff Bezos, Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia, smartphone hacking, Whatsapp hacking | Comments (0)
Finally, for the very first time, an encrypted messaging service provider is taking legal action against a private entity that has carried out malicious attacks against its users.
Facebook filed a lawsuit against Israeli mobile surveillance firm NSO Group on Tuesday, alleging that the company was actively involved in hacking users of its end-to-end encrypted WhatsApp messaging service.
Posted in Cyber Attack, Facebook, hacking news, hacking WhatsApp, iPhone hacking, NSO Group, Pegasus, Whatsapp hacking, Whatsapp vulnerability, Whatsapp web | Comments (0)
A team of Canadian cybersecurity researchers has uncovered a sophisticated and targeted mobile hacking campaign that is targeting high-profile members of various Tibetan groups with one-click exploits for iOS and Android devices.
Dubbed Poison Carp by University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, the hacking group behind this campaign sent tailored malicious web links to its targets over WhatsApp,
Posted in Android hacking, browser exploit, browser security, cyber security, hacking news, iPhone hacking, Tibetan | Comments (0)
A security enthusiast who discovered a passcode bypass vulnerability in Apple's iOS 12 late last month has now dropped another passcode bypass bug that works on the latest iOS 12.0.1 that was released last week.
Jose Rodriguez, a Spanish amateur security researcher, discovered a bug in iOS 12 in late September that allows attackers with physical access to your iPhone to access your contacts
Posted in Bypass Lockscreen, hacking news, iOS hacking, iPhone hacking, iphone lock, iphone lockscreen, iphone passcode bypass, iphone passcode hack, Unlock Screen Lock | Comments (0)
What’s worse than knowing that innocent looking JPEGs, PDFs and font files can hijack your iPhone, iPad, and iPod.
Yes, attackers can take over your vulnerable Apple’s iOS device remotely – all they have to do is trick you to view a maliciously-crafted JPEG graphic or PDF file through a website or an email, which could allow them to execute malicious code on your system.
That’s a terrible
Posted in Apple iOS 10.1, Apple update, hacking iphone, hacking news, iPhone hacking, Security patch | Comments (0)
Do you own an iPhone? Mac? Or any Apple device?
Just one specially-crafted message can expose your personal information, including your authentication credentials stored in your device’s memory, to a hacker.
The vulnerability is quite similar to the Stagefright vulnerabilities, discovered a year ago in Android, that allowed hackers to silently spy on almost a Billion phones with
Posted in hacking news, how to hack iphone, ios security, iPhone hacking, Stagefright vulnerability | Comments (0)
Meet the security company that is helping Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in unlocking San Bernardino shooters’ iPhone:
The Israeli mobile forensics firm Cellebrite.
Yes, Cellebrite – the provider of mobile forensic software from Israel – is helping the FBI in its attempt to unlock iPhone 5C that belonged to San Bernardino shooter, Syed Rizwan Farook, the Israeli YNetNews reported
Posted in Apple iphone hack, Cellebrite, hacking news, iPhone hacking, mobile hack, San Bernardino Shooters, technology company, unlock iphone | Comments (0)
The United States is not the only one where Apple is battling with the federal authorities over iPhone encryption. Apple could face $1 Million in Fine each time the company refused to unlock an iPhone in France.
Despite its victory in a New York court yesterday, Apple may not be so successful elsewhere in fighting against federal authorities over iPhone encryption battle.
Yann Galut, a
Posted in Apple iPhone, France, French Government, hacking news, iPhone hacking, unlock iphone | Comments (0)


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Mukesh Bansal the head of commerce and advertising platform at Flipkart has resigned from his post. Now he will be moving to an advisory role.
Notably, the development has come after the management restructuring at India’s largest e-commerce that saw Binny Bansal taking over the post of C.E.O and Sachin moved to the role of executive chairman at Flipkart.
Mukesh Bansal, who is the founder of Mytnra will stay with the company for next two months for the smooth transition.
Apart from him, Chief Business officer Ankit Nagori, has also quit the company to start his own venture.
Well, his resignation could have a great impact on the e-commerce giant as its rival Amazon has been inching on it closely for a while.


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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Thanks to strong consumer goods and utilities output, industrial production in November rose by the largest percentage since May 2010, according to data released by the Federal Reserve on Monday.
Industrial production rose more than forecast and data was also revised up for the past three months.
Industrial production grew 1.3% in November, topping the 0.9% gain seen in a MarketWatch-compiled economic forecast. Production is up 5.2% over the past year.
In November, manufacturing output grew 1.1%, utilities output gained 5.1%, while mining, which includes oil and natural gas, slipped 0.1%.
Consumer goods production jumped 2.5%, the largest since August 1998. Automotive products and parts, up 7.7% in the past year, rose 5.1% in November.
Capacity utilization rose in November to 80.1% from an upwardly revised 79.3% in October. This is the highest level since March 2008 and equal to its long-run average. This may be a sign that the ample slack that existed in the economy in the wake of the financial crisis has been taken away.
There was one other report on the manufacturing sector on Monday. The Empire State factory index unexpectedly fell into negative territory in December. The index fell to negative 3.6 from positive 10.2 in November, to mark the first negative reading since January 2013.
Economists said they would look for confirmation from other regional manufacturing surveys but Millan Mulraine, deputy head of U.S. research at TD Securities, said the Empire data was “likely an outlier.”


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The regulators and experts agreed that there needs to be a careful balance between protecting investors while also allowing the crypto industry to grow.
The Paris Blockchain Week 2023
The annual conference that brings together industry regulators, industry experts, enthusiasts, and policymakers was held this week. The event features panel discussions, debates, speeches, workshops, and networking sessions.
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It is a great platform for those participating and attending to discuss the latest trends and developments in the blockchain industry.
People share knowledge, learn, and collaborate on future endeavors with respect to the blockchain industry.
This time representatives from regulatory bodies and various industries discussed the implications and potential effects of EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.
How is the EU Regulating Crypto?
During the event, there was a panel discussion specifically targeted at how the EU was regulating the crypto industry.
The discussion focused on the upcoming Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation that is scheduled to be implemented in 2024.
The MiCA regulation is 400 pages long governing guidelines for digital assets and cryptocurrencies. The regulatory framework has garnered significant attention and has been a point of discussion across Europe.
Gundars Ostrovskis, who leads the Digital Finance Unit of the European Commission, shared his knowledge about the development of MiCA regulations.
He emphasized that the proposed legislation would provide regulatory certainty, which is crucial for businesses to make strategic decisions and ensure market integrity.
Additionally, he stated that MiCA would be beneficial for companies and users in the cryptocurrency industry by offering protection to customers.
MiCA has been in the works for a few years and has been discussed with different countries and players in the crypto industry.
He emphasized that the adoption of MiCA would necessitate changes in countries where regulations for cryptocurrencies are already in place.
The Panel Discussion
According to Janet Ho, who heads the EU policy at Chainalysis, the success of MiCA will depend on various factors.
She suggested that to achieve success, stakeholders must have a thorough understanding of the requirements of the regulation.
Additionally, they must provide constructive feedback to improve certain aspects of the regulatory framework. Legislation is an ongoing process and is subject to review and improvement.
Ho proposed that the European Commission should evaluate the execution of obligations.
Additionally, he recommended assessing responses from overseas government regulators and market participants, and the initial effects of MiCA.
Hubert de Vauplane, who advises lawmakers on topics ranging from fintech to economics, and digital payments, shared his insights during the panel discussion.
De Vauplane is one of the partners at the Paris office of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel which is a renowned American law firm.
De Vauplane expressed his concern over the impact of the guidelines on crypto regulations that are already in place in certain EU countries.
He emphasized that some countries have their own local regulations, such as France, which could potentially be completely replaced by MiCA.
De Vauplane mentioned that the MiCA regulation may not cover newer industry trends like NFTs and DeFi products and platforms. This will possibly leave NFTs and DeFi under the purview of the laws of the respective countries.
This essentially means that local regulations may not have a space in such scenarios where MiCA already provides the definition of digital assets.
Nadia Filali, the blockchain program director of Caisse des Dépôts Group, emphasized the significance of collaboration between government bodies, regulators, and industry stakeholders.
While citing France as a reference point she expressed the importance of the development of regulations. She communicated how regulations can foster innovation and improve the adoption of technology.
The Final Vote
The Commission has achieved a good balance in regulating specific aspects of the crypto network while leaving other facets open to development without regulatory constraints.
This approach would provide a solid regulatory framework for various activities in the crypto ecology.
However, a final decision on the MiCA regulation is slated to take place next month, after weighing the pros and cons.


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Toshiba Empowers the Art of Business at Lead 2018
Toshiba America Business Solutions and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions are teaming up to empower its business partners during LEAD (Learn, Engage, Act and Deliver) 2018 Sept. 5 and 6 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
LEAD 2018’s theme of Empowering the Art of Business, celebrates the notion that each company is a unique collection of people, ideas, language, culture and brand. This concept epitomizes Toshiba’s collective belief that every client is unique. Their work is their art, their employees the artist.
More than 1,600 LEAD 2018 attendees – comprised of customers, resellers and technology partners as well as industry media and analysts – will receive a first glance at Toshiba’s 13 just-introduced e-STUDIO™ multifunction printers (MFPs).
The seven color and six monochrome additions to Toshiba’s award-winning e-STUDIO multifunction printer (MFP) line deliver up to 50 pages-per-minute to tackle the print, document management and workflow applications today’s organizations demand.
Toshiba’s new products all incorporate Elevate™, the company’s customizable user interface (UI) enabling clients to enjoy a completely custom-tailored experience supporting each customer’s unique requirements. Elevate enhances an organization’s overall efficiency and productivity by enabling document workflows and common tasks at the push of a button.
The event’s 35 information-jammed educational sessions are tailored to help resellers increase profits while assisting organizations operate more efficiently, effectively and affordably. Attendees are also welcome to listen to LEAD 2018 keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling author, Shawn Achor, who will discuss the connection between happiness and success. Other noted speakers include Keith Kmetz, program vice president of imaging, printing and document solutions, IDC and Judy Spitz, founding program director, Initiative for Women in Technology and Entrepreneurship in New York.
“Our team is excited to host an event where key decision makers and industry leaders converge to collaborate, plan and prepare our resellers, customers and business partners for success,” said Bill Melo, Chief Marketing Executive of Toshiba America Business Solutions and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “Beyond the informative sessions on trending topics on office printing, document workflow, digital signage and retail commerce technology, our resellers and customers are encouraged to personally review our latest product innovations.”
While this is the eighth LEAD, this year marks the third time that Toshiba America Business Solutions and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions have combined to host the event. Five of Toshiba’s previous six LEAD events have been recognized with Stevie Awards, the world’s top honor for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals.


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Story URL: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=95797
Story Retrieval Date: 4/17/2015 11:55:03 AM CST
Photo courtesy Steve Burke/Gojumeister, Creative Commons
Looking to drown your economic sorrows in a tall, frothy pint of beer? With food, gas and energy prices soaring to all-time highs it sounds like a good way to relax and forget about the financial problems plaguing Americans across the U.S.
Unfortunately, beer prices are on the rise, as well, due to increased input costs for brewers; a worldwide hops shortage; and the soaring price of barley.
Industry experts don’t expect beer prices to drop for at least two years if at all.
“Year-to-date beer prices have gone up 2.7 percent,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, in Boulder, Colorado.
“What we are seeing is under that [2.7 percent] figure would be your light beers and over that figure would be super premium beers like Blue Moon by Coors and Leinenkugel by Miller,” Gatza said.
According to data provided by Chicago-based research firm Information Resources Inc. the price of super premium beers is up 6.6 percent nationally over last year and 5.6 percent in the Great Lakes region.
“What we have seen in the past year is that malt prices have gone up 30 to 100 percent depending on the malt variety. And for hops we’ve seen the price go up five-fold in a year,” said Gatza. “There just aren’t enough hops worldwide to go around.”
According to Hopunion LLC, a collection of hop growers located in Yakima, Wash., a pound of hops that sold for an average of $3.00 to $7.00 a few years ago today sells for $18 to $35, depending on the variety.
Brewers of all sizes have been affected by the increase. Just last week St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Companies announced it would be raising prices for Budweiser and Bud Light come September. The company said an increase of 3 to 5 percent was needed to stay ahead of rising production costs.
Ralph Olson, the general manager of Hopunion, said the hops shortage has been building for years and that things looked so bleak last September that some even forecasted an end for small, independent breweries.
Since 1994 worldwide hops acreage has fallen from 234,000 to 118,000 in 2007. And while the 1990s were characterized by an “excess glut” of hops according to Olson, the remaining excess finally sold out last year.
The overload of hops on the market in the 1990s meant many growers were selling at or below the cost of production, and Olson believes it led many to abandon the crop all together.
“People are not going to get out of something if the prices are doing well; but they were selling below their costs, they were going bankrupt,” said Olson. “So they took that land and sold it, put it in housing, bought other crops.”
With fewer hops on the market and a struggling U.S. economy, Olson said international clients are clamoring to buy up the supply that is available.
“You have a lot of international breweries that are willing to pay those prices and they want every hop they can get. The biggest thing we are fighting is the weak U.S. dollar against the strong euro,” said Olson.
Keith Lemcke, vice-president and marketing manager of Chicago’s Siebel Institute of Technology and World Brewing Academy, said smaller brewers will probably suffer more from the rising cost of hops and barley than larger breweries because they are less likely to have entered into “forward contracting” with suppliers.
In forward contracting, brewers specify how much and what kind of hops and barley they want for the next year and what they are willing to pay for it. Lemcke said that even if prices rise over the course of the year the contract nearly guarantees you pay the price you set earlier—barring extraordinary climate circumstances. Without a contract brewers are left to pay “spot prices,” which are often higher and subject to market forces.
“Since you don’t have an agreement the hops supplier can sort of dictate the terms of whatever you are going to purchase from them,” said Lemcke.
In response to the worldwide shortage, demand for hops is skyrocketing; and both Olson and Gatza said they’ve seen new hops acreage going in over the last year.
“A lot of small local hops operations are going up in areas that haven’t traditionally been used for hop growing. I’ve heard about small farmers in North Dakota, Maine, New York, Colorado and even Arkansas who are starting to look at small commercial operations,” said Gatza.
So when can brewers expect to see the price of hops drop? Olsen thinks it won’t be until 2009, at least.
“Hops take a couple of years to get any yield. So even though there are a lot of acres that have gone to counter this, the production isn’t going to be there this year. The good news is that next year all those acres are in, and its more mature.”
Americans don’t seem to be deterred by higher prices. Beer sales are up 4.2 percent over the last year to $7.76 billion. The overall increase is bolstered by the continued strength of the super premium beer market, which saw an increase of 18.3 percent in the number of cases sold and a 26 percent increase in total dollar sales since July 2007.
“If you are a beer lover and a beer enthusiast you are actually already used to spending a little bit more for your beer in the first place,” said Lemcke.
“If [the increase] is a dollar a six pack, guys who really like differentiated beer will say ‘Oh it’s only a dollar or two a six pack.’ I think the people that count on discounted beer are going to be the ones that are more disappointed,” said Lemcke.


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After Valve announced the launch of the latest Half-Life installment, a game that is exclusively VR, the company has appeared to have sold out of Valve Index VR headsets.
According to report from RoadtoVR, most of the Index packages available, including the headset-only, controllers-only, and headset plus controller packages are all listed as sold out for US and Canadian stores. The message “Back in Stock Soon” has been brandished across the place of the “order” button.
The Valve Index was according to all reports, available for “immediate shipping” for people who wished to order the kit, and stock was seemingly rather available. It’s not the end of the world though with Valve stating that users who order today can expect delivery “before December 25th”.
It has become rather clear that gamers will do whatever they can for Half-Life, with Alyx set to launch in March 2020, players have been eager to get their hands on Valve’s VR kit. While the game will play across all PC VR headsets, it is expected to play best on Valve Index, thanks to the finger-tracking capabilities of the controllers.


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President Obama has outlined a series of data security and privacy proposals in the latest sign the White House and Congress are gearing up to take legislative action on information protection.
The President proposed a uniform national security standard requiring companies to inform their customers of a data breach within 30 days of discovering their information has been hacked.
The Personal Data Notification and Protection Act would protect consumers living in states which have yet to enact breach notification laws, or have fairly weak ones on the books. The federal breach notification law would simplify compliance for organizations operating in multiple states. Currently, organizations have to navigate a confusing patchwork of over 40 state regulations when dealing with a data breach or a security incident. The proposals—which have yet to be drafted into bills—would also extend protection to victims to cover incidents where the data compromised was not healthcare or financial-related.
The Student Data Privacy Act would restrict students’ information stored in online education services and educational software from being collected and repurposed.
The proposals also called for criminalizing the sale of stolen user data.
“If Congress fails to pass the above legislation this year, it will stand accused of negligence and complicity in the crime wave which is currently impacting hundreds of millions of Americans,” Stephen Cobb, a senior security researcher with ESET, told SecurityWeek.
The FTC would have the authority to impose fines and punish companies who don’t comply with these laws. “Failure to notify people that their data was hacked should be a federal offense,” Cobb said.
White House officials said they expected bipartisan support for these initiatives. However, Congress has stalled on a number of data security and privacy initiatives over the past two years, despite the growing awareness of the problem among key representatives. Several bills focusing on establishing a federal standard for data breach notification have languished in Congress, often never making it out of committee to a floor vote.
Even though the legislative intent may not be new, the current situation has changed. With all the recent data breaches and other security headlines, parents are much more aware of the abuses and risks posed by mass data collection and repurposing, making the proposed student privacy law even more relevant, Cobb said. The ever-growing list of breached organizations has refocused attention on the question of data privacy and how consumers are affected.
These proposals make up a “sensible and positive step” towards improving the safety and security of the nation, and is in line with the president’s Executive Order 13636 on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, said Dr. Fengmin Gong, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Cyphort.
Federal Breach Notification Law
Currently, data breach notification laws vary state by state, putting companies in a challenging position of sifting through different rules and regulations when dealing with an incident. Some states have enacted strong laws covering student data privacy and breach notification—California has one of the strictest breach notification laws in the nation, for example.
“National standards for breach reporting are long overdue. Right now your right to know if your information has been stolen depends on your state of residence, which is absurd,” said Lance Cottrell, chief scientist at Ntrepid.
Experts were concerned the federal standard may be watered down and wind up being weaker than some existing state laws. Some states already include a “30-day shot clock” in their breach notification laws, where the clock starts ticking as soon as the breach is discovered. Payment Card Industry standards require merchants to notify the PCI Security Standards Council no later than 24 hours after discovering the breach or compromise. California requires notification “as soon as possible without unreasonable delay.”
“There is no good reason for this to be 30 days as opposed to ‘as soon as possible’ with practical guidelines,” said Dr. Fengmin Gong, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Cyphort. “Existing state laws and industry regulations already had “effectively more stringent requirements,” he said. “What could be a good reason for proposing something less?”
However, “the net benefits of a strong uniform federal law outweigh the current patchwork of 40 plus different laws,” Cobb said. Under current laws, a small business in Nebraska selling to people in all 50 states have to deal with dozens of different state laws if a data thief manages to steal customer data. The cost of compliance and recovering from a breach becomes higher—which feels like a double whammy when you stop to consider that the business who has to bear the cost also is a victim of this particular crime, Cobb said.
Many companies are already reticent about notifying customers of a data breach where personal data and financial information were compromised because of reputation damage and the associated costs to clean up the mess. The notification law would take the guesswork out of when the organization has to ‘fess up to a breach. The threat of publicity could wind up putting additional pressure on organizations to “do whatever is possible to avoid breaches rather than simply respond to them,” said Steve Hultquist, chief evangelist at RedSeal.
On the other hand, it would be interesting to see whether the proposed law would have an effect on companies seeking assistance from law enforcement in the case of a data breach, noted Ken Westin, a senior security analyst with Tripwire.
Harvesting Student Data
The Student Data Privacy Act would prohibit technology firms from profiting from information collected in schools through tablet apps, online services, and Internet-connected software. California enacted a comprehensive education privacy law last summer prohibiting companies from collecting student information for advertising and marketing purposes.
The proposals present an opportunity for politicians and companies to reaffirm their commitment to the Fair Information Practice Principles, which form the basis of most privacy notices issued by companies, websites, and apps, Cobb said. “The digital world has changed a lot since these principles were first promulgated and we can expect pushback from some companies, particularly over the definition of notice and consent and limits on repurposing,” Cobb said.
“I think all parents welcome the President’s assertion that ‘the data collected on students in the classroom should only be used for educational purposes—to teach our children, not to market to our children,’” Cobb said. While a popular goal, this proposal would likely be opposed by special interest groups to carve out exemptions, he warned. Recent data breaches and resulting furor may “be enough to push the legislation over the hurdles that are bound to be presented by those with a vested interest in data harvesting,” Cobb said.
The president’s proposal also considered the data being collected by the Internet of Things (IoT), such as home energy usage by smart meters, and called on companies to safeguard the information.
Combating Cyber Crime
The proposals called for stronger laws around cybercrime and clarifying the penalties for computer crime. The penalties need to be in line with other similar non-cyber crimes. “I hope that the associated penalties will also be rationalized when all the details are worked out,” Cottrell said. It wouldn’t make sense to have “absurdly severe punishments for minor infractions,” for example.
The Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) needs to be updated to apply to cybercrime, and more importantly, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act needs to be modernized so that insignificant conduct does not fall within the scope of the statute.
“At the moment there is ambiguity about whether violating the terms of service on Facebook, by using a nickname, could be treated as a felony computer crime because it constitutes unauthorized access,” said Cottrell. Aaron Swartz was prosecuted under CFAA, and security experts have said the law was out of date with how the Internet works.
Under the proposed law, selling botnets and stolen financial information such as credit card and bank account details would be a crime. Law enforcement would have the ability to deter the sale of spyware used to stalk users online or commit identity theft. Courts would have the authority to shut down botnets engaged in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and other criminal activities. Law enforcement would also be able to prosecute insiders who abuse their ability to access information to use it for their own purposes.
It’s a good thing to make data theft, denial-of-service attacks, and organized cybercrime “even more illegal than before,” said Adam Kujawa, head of Malware Intelligence at Malwarebytes. However, there are still challenges, since cybercrime is a global issue. When going after criminals, the laws of the country where the criminals are located may be a “major roadblock in getting justice,” he said.
Cobb was more optimistic, noting that these changes would clarify the law around cybercrime and give U.S. law enforcement a more solid footing when going after cybercriminals, especially when the trail leads to other countries. “Making clear that America deems theft of data pertaining to, or created by, its citizens is a prosecutable offense will strengthen the ability to indict, arrest, extradite, and convict,” Cobb said.
Carrot or the Stick
The new cybersecurity initiatives also addressed information sharing, with liability protection for organizations sharing the data with government agencies and Information Sharing and Analytics Organizations (ISAOs).
“We need to share information, because no one defender can see what is going on, or which techniques are being used to attack other organizations, etc,” said Dr. Mike Lloyd, CTO at RedSeal. While a good step, Lloyd said if the organization doesn’t understand its defense posture and readiness, it isn’t enough to have timely intelligence. “Knowing that, say, a Heartbleed style of attack is being used on your neighbors doesn’t help much if you can’t immediately answer whether you have the same vulnerability,” he said.
These new security requirements could ultimately turn out to be too expensive or difficult for small business owners to comply with. While acknowledging that may not be fair, Kujawa noted the ultimate victim was the consumer. “If a business can’t afford to apply decent security on their networks that store private customer information, they should consider using a pen and paper,” he said.


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Gulfood 2011 was inaugurated this morning (Sunday) by HH. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Minister of Finance and Dubai Deputy Ruler, with the global food industry expecting unprecedented business opportunities at the world’s largest annual food, drink, and hospitality exhibition.
Tens of thousands of international trade visitors thronged the halls on its first day at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC), where a record 3,800 companies from more than 100 countries are participating.
“We thank HH. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his support of Gulfood 2011, one of the most influential trade shows in the world for the food and beverage industry,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of the exhibition. “The phenomenal response we have received from both exhibitors and visitors confirms the importance of Gulfood in delivering exceptional business opportunities across the board.”
Running until 2 March 2011, this year’s edition is the biggest event in the show’s history, occupying more than one million square feet of exhibition space. More than 84 national pavilions will host companies from their respective countries, all of which consider the event an essential platform.
“Egypt is one of the three largest pavilions at Gulfood 2011 and it is very much ‘business as usual’ for the Egyptian companies taking part,” said Abdulrahman Raouf, Minister Plenipotentiary, Commercial Office, Egyptian Embassy.
“The food and beverage industry is a huge part of our economy and Gulfood presents by far the best opportunities for those Egyptian companies on both a regional and global level. These businesses are extremely high calibre and we are expecting not only considerable interest, but considerable investment.”
New country pavilions include Armenia, Bangladesh, Morocco, Palestine and Sweden and of the the 100 countries represented at the show, Ethiopia, Luxembourg, Malta and Norway will participate for the first time.
More than 1,400 new exhibitors will take part in Gulfood this year, including the global food packaging and processing solutions giant, Tetra Pak, leading Saudi Arabian companies, Al Rabie, Nadec, Savola, European heavyweight DuPont and locally-based beverage and snack company Masafi to name a few. Visitors to the show can be assured of new products and services from both multinational organisations and smaller independent suppliers from every corner of the world. Many new launches will also be on show this year from companies including Del Monte, Khazan Foods, Nestle and Truebell.
Commenting on the importance of Gulfood, Jan Juul Larsen, Managing Director Tetra Pak Arabia, said “Gulfood provides an excellent opportunity for us to showcase an extensive range of our products and innovations to both our existing customers and to the many new partners we hope to meet. With a heritage of more than 45 years in the Middle East, it is no suprise that the region is now the second largest market for Tetra Pak.”
Some of the regional leaders participating at Gulfood 2011 include Al Ghurair Foods, Khazan Foods, Al Rabie, Al Islami Foods, Masafi, Nadec and Etihad Salehia.
Platinum sponsor and one of the region’s top producers of premium chilled and frozen meat products and quality food, Khazan Foods will launch a new product range that focuses on the fast growing health-conscious segment of local regional consumers.
Frank Andreu, General Manager of Khazan said: “Gulfood will be a major launching point for our new Vital range of products because the reach of this exhibition enables us to keep our customers updated on our product offerings, generate sales and increase our market share, all at the same time,” said Frank Andreu, General Manager of Khazan Foods.
With co-located specialist shows, Ingredients Middle East and Restaurant & Café Middle East, Gulfood is the only event that includes the entire industry value chain, from ingredient suppliers through to manufacturing, processing, packaging, equipment suppliers, business expertise, and every possible food product for the trade you can imagine.
Under the theme ‘Global Trends – Regional Opportunities”, the Gulfood Conference promises industry insights from international experts, panel discussions, workshops and speaker sessions covering the entire spectrum of industry strategy, marketing and business growth.
Gulfood also provides a unique networking opportunity for senior industry professionals through the Gulfood Majlis, a commercial forum that offers a discreet but focused environment for business decision makers to associate with other industry professionals, meet prospective clients and develop new business opportunities.
Excellence in all elements of the industry will be recognised during Gulfood 2011. The prestigious Emirates International Salon Culinaire, in association with the Emirates Culinary Guild, continues to attract more than 1,500 chefs to compete in front of a panel of distinguished international judges, while the annual Gulfood Awards will applaud the achievements and innovations of the region’s food and drink industry.
Gulfood is strictly a trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors from within the industry only.


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08 Jan Lumen tees up wave topology tool to enable a more dynamic customer experience
Lumen Technologies will offer a wavelength topology tool in beta over the coming weeks in order to help its enterprise customers work in a more seamless fashion. Speaking at Wednesday’s Citi Global TMT Conference, Lumen’s Ed Morche said his company’s top priority was to constantly improve the customer experience for enterprises. The focus on customer experience is part of Lumen’s digital first strategy, which includes customers ordering, operating and interacting with Lumen on their own terms.
“So making sure that our products and capabilities are completely digitally enabled so that our customers externally can choose when and how they interact with us,” said Morche, president of strategic enterprise and government markets, when explaining Lumen’s digital first strategy. “They’re not reliant on human interaction. We’re here for them if they want us to be. But for those customers who are more independent, or want to work different hours, or just want to be on their own, (we’re) ensuring that they can do that in a very seamless way. And then internally, that allows for a lot of bureaucracy and optics to move out of the organization and into more creative roles.”
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On that note, last year Lumen launched hyper WAN, which allows customers to go online to order SD-WAN and MPLS services at the same time with security, hyper DDoS—which allows customers to either work with Lumen’s SoC or order it online— and dynamic capacity without going through Lumen’s sales team.
“Then what we’ll see coming from us in beta in the next couple of weeks is a wave topology tool, which I’m really excited about,” Morche said. “So we operate, I would say the largest network in the world, but I’ll say it here, it’s one of the largest networks in the world, and wavelength is a huge part of what we provide to our customers. So they might interact with us looking to provide their own diversity. They already have a route from somebody else, (but) they want to purchase diversity from us.”
Morche said normally customers would work directly with Lumen’s sales team and a sales engineer on setting up their wavelength topologies.
“There would be a lot of collaboration back and forth, or they may want to build an entire diverse wavelength backbone on their own,” Morche said. “So we have opened up the fabric of our network so our customers can see all the points that they can set up wavelengths, all the different routes between those points, and where we have capacity.”
RELATED: Lumen sets the stage for private cloud, multi-tenant services at the edge in Q1
Morche said the wavelength topology tool was akin to going online and ordering a new truck. Customers are able to add or delete the features they want prior to locking down the purchase of a new vehicle online.
Once a Lumen customer finds a topology that it likes, that design electronically flows to Lumen’s sales engineering team. The engineering team validates the design or contacts the customer if there are any concerns.
“The customer says ‘Yup, that’s what I want,’ and we authorize that,” Morche said. “It flows through into delivery and into assurance. So that tool, from the very beginning of customer interaction, collaborating with us using our network, but not necessarily our people, flows all the way through as an ‘as built’ to the very end.”
If a customer loses its diversity, Morche said Lumen automatically creates a trouble ticket and starts working on the problem as it notifies the customer.
“That automatic auditing of capability, that intelligent networking, that unearthing of capability and network is so important to improving customer experience,” Morche said. “So that’s really the first thing that we’re focused on.”
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Mark Valentine reports at Wormwoodiana:
Following their highly enjoyable M R James Conference, ‘Through A Glass Darkly’ in September 2018, the organisers, The Friends of Count Magnus, have announced a similar event next year.
‘Episodes of Cathedral History’ will be held over 3 days this time, from 24-26 September 2019 in York. The theme will be James’s connection to the glass and manuscripts of York Minster. The conference will also celebrate the centenary of the first publication of James’ collection A Thin Ghost and Others.
More details when they become available at The Friends of Count Magnus website.


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US retail giant Walmart Store Inc has recently announced that it will open 15 more cash-and-carry stores in Andhra Pradesh and will set up a centre for sourcing agriculture products from local farmers around the vicinity.
Commenting on the same, Krish Iyer, President & CEO, Walmart India, said, “the company has three stores in the state and it "plans to open another 15".
“Walmart India would engage in areas like working with small farmers, and investing in training,” he added.
Aiding employment in Andhra Pradesh, some of countries retail chain giants such as Walmart India, Future Group, Spencers and Arvind have signed MoUs with the government and will invest 1,500 cr for the same.
When asked about the ease of doing business in India, he said both at the centre and the state several steps are visible in this direction.
"The efforts are visible. The events on the ground do take time and I believe that in the next 12-18 months, we are going to see some significant results visible on the ground itself," he said.
With more and more international brands are betting big in Indian retail horizon, this step by Walmart surely targets at cementing its pole position in country’s retail space. Walmart India owns and operates around 20 Best Price Modern Wholesale stores in 8 states across India. The first store opened in Amritsar in 2009.


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The year 2022 was significant and precedent-setting for the flexible packaging industry, with the addition of new state laws that will govern how packaging is made and managed at the end of life. Numerous states debated packaging issues, with two passing and signing extended producer responsibility (EPR) bills for packaging. Many more states are addressing issues like recycled content mandates, labeling, and toxic chemicals in packaging.
California is the most influential state on policy, and officials there now have been added to the list of states with an EPR bill. California has long debated packaging policy, and it ended up passing EPR legislation with SB 54.
The past year, the Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act was approved to be on the November 2022 statewide ballot for a vote, which kicked off the negotiations around SB 54 in early January to avoid the passage of the ballot initiative.
If the voters had been allowed to approve the Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, it would have required all single-use plastic packaging and single-use plastic food ware be reusable, refillable, recyclable, or compostable by 2030. It also would have imposed a 1-cent fee on every piece of plastic packaging sold into or out of the state of California.
The ballot initiative needed to be pulled off the ballot by June 30, which created a tight deadline that drove many businesses to go neutral on a legislatively crafted—and an amendable—version of SB 54 over the more aggressive and inflexible terms of a voter-approved ballot measure.
SB 54 creates an EPR program that establishes an industry-run producer responsibility organization (PRO) that has strict state regulatory oversight. The bill creates escalating minimum-content standards for single-use packaging, coupled with stringent source reduction requirements for manufacturers and distributors of plastic packaging. It also mandates that all plastic packaging be recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2032.
The PRO also will be assessed $500 million per year for 10 years for environmental mitigation across the state of California, with the money going toward littering programs, beach cleanups, and any environmental impacts created by plastic.
SB 54 applies to primary or consumer-facing packaging as well as secondary and tertiary packaging, which can be the pallet wrap used to secure multiple boxes of products.
Although we won’t know for a few years how the regulations will work out with SB 54, there will be a need to stay involved and aware of the changes coming to California.
Lastly, with the passage of a landmark bill in California, several states likely will have new laws coming in 2023, which will directly impact the flexible packaging industry for several years to come.
Lauren Aguilar is a government affairs associate at the firm Serlin Haley, a lobbyist for FPA, based in Washington, D.C.


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The Japanese company, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is upbeat on investments in early-stage startups and had teamed up with Japan and Singapore-based BEENEXT to make co-investments in Indian startups.
“Basically, we invest $500,000 to $5 million in early-stage companies and generally do not participate as lead investors,“ said Masayuki Sarukawa, director, DG Incubation, the investment subsidiary of Digital Garage which focuses on investments in Japan and Asia. Sarukawa did not comment on the details of the deal but said that the investment is from DG Incubation.
Elanic, a peer-to-peer marketplace that allows users to sell used fashion brands such as Mango, Forever 21 and Zara, among others, was launched in November 2015 by Abhilash Narahari, Palkush Rai Chawla and Aditi Rohan. The company had raised an undisclosed amount in seed capital from venture capital firm Rebright Partners, TracxnLabs and angel investor Aneesh Reddy in 2015.
In July this year, Elanic acquired Secondcry, an online marketplace for pre-owned toys and apparel for children.
The company competes with other startups in the pre-owned fashion category including Zapyle, CoutLoot, Envoged.in, StylFlip and Etashee which cater to growing middle class aspiration to own luxury brands. Digital Garage is actively scouting for more deals in the India market.
“We are looking at more investments in marketplaces and consumer internet. We need to put more focus on the Asia market since at present a majority of our portfolio comprises US companies,“ said Saru kawa. Digital Garage started investing in the Indian market about two years ago and has since invested in 11 Indian startups across multiple sectors.


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Ronin Venture releases a native iOS app in the US & Canada for the TV guide Live Sports on TV. The mobile app is similar to the website but also contains some additional features.
“We know many of our most frequent visitors prefer a mobile app to check out the daily sport events” says Alexander, the CEO of Ronin Venture.
The app will initially cover the five major national leagues NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and will later be extended to cover the entire content of livesportsontv.com.
The app can be download for free in App Store.


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Apple is already fighting against its first antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games of Fortnite, the lawsuit was filed against the US tech giant for seeking the changes to the company’s business practices. The company alleged that Apple cuts 30% fees for the in-app purchases.
Now according to the latest news, Facebook is also preparing for an antitrust lawsuit against the Cupertino tech firm. The company alleged that Apple is forcing the developers to follow the App Store rules that are not applicable for its own apps.
Along with the legal experts, the social media giant is working on the case for months. Apple gives very limited independence to third-party apps and even it does now allow any third-party apps to set as a default against its own apps, although this has changed with the latest iOS 14 update but it is limited to some apps.
There are new changes coming to the App Store regarding app-tracking which gives an unfair advantage to Apple. Although the company gives a reason for protecting its user’s data. Ad tracking is the major reason for Facebook to file the case against Apple.
Although nothing is confirmed yet regarding the antitrust lawsuit and we recommend you to take it as a pinch of salt. Although we’ll keep you updated as soon as we receive something new on this matter.


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MAH response to PEMULIH packagewhere2life | June 30, 2021 | 0 | Live , News , Special features , Spotlight
The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) stressed that the PEMULIH package announced by the Prime Minister again did not address specific needs of the tourism & hotel industry although the Prime Minister made special remarks on it being one of the most impacted sectors.
“Extension of electricity discount is needed but the fixed quantum of 10% is hardly sufficient and of insignificant amount considering average occupancy is at most 20% for the coming months due to extended travel restrictions.
“Key highlight of the initiative would be the extension of the Wage Subsidy Program for another four months, specifically two months for the 2nd phase of the Pelan Pemulihan Negara (PPN) and another two months for the 3rd phase for sectors on the negative list.
“This needs to be clarified as based on the announcement, it would be dependent on the country moving into the 2nd phase, and as for the 3rd phase, if hotels are included considering that it is not in the negative list but yet still heavily impacted due to travel restrictions,” said Dato N. Subramaniam, President of MAH in a press statement.
He also added that the removal of the salary cap of RM4,000 however, is much welcomed, as it allows employers to leverage on the subsidy for all levels of its employees now.
“Exemption on HRD Corp levy for another two months is also unclear for the hotel industry as it is stated as only for employers that are not operating during the MCO. Exemption up to December 2021 given to other industries newly added into the Act does not include the hotel industry as clarified by HRD Corp.
“Although the Government recognises the impact on the tourism industry, the one-off financial assistance of RM3,000 is only offered to travel & tour operators. Hotels are not included although sustaining heavy losses and cash flow burden.
“Extension of Tourism Tax and Service Tax exemption for hotels up to December 2021 on the other hand is needed to encourage spending although it is not a direct fiscal support. The industry will continue to provide on the ground data and updates to the Government to ensure timely decisions and strategies are implemented when the country progresses into the 4th phase of the PPN, to rebuild and restart tourism,” said Subramaniam.
Subramanam however, welcomed the “blanket” loan moratorium that could provide much needed relief to not only tourism and hotel businesses but more importantly the people of the industry. The moratorium however should be interest free to ensure borrowers do not fall into deeper debts.


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A Pennsylvania supermarket was forced to toss out more than $35,000 in groceries after a woman intentionally coughed on fresh produce, baked good and the meat counter.
Joe Fasula, the co-owner of Gerrity’s Market in Hanover Township, said the woman was committing “a very twisted prank.”Police and the district attorney’s office are investigating and they said they plan to pursue numerous charges against the woman. They do not believe she was infected with the virus.
“We had no choice but to throw out all produce she came in contact with,” Fasula wrote on Facebook. “While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers.”
Fasula said the incident is even more disturbing because so many people are worried about the security of the food supply.
“I am absolutely sick to my stomach about the loss of food,” he said. “The only silver lining to this travesty is that it gave us the unfortunate opportunity to test our protocols and demonstrate how seriously we take your safety.”The police and district attorney need to make a very public example out of this lady.


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عينت مجموعة فنادق إنتركونتيننتال (IHG) ، أكبر مشغل للفنادق في العالم ، شريف عمر كأول مدير حسابات عالمي لها ، صناعة السفر ، المملكة العربية السعودية كجزء من توسع فريق المبيعات العالمي الذي تم تشكيله حديثًا ومقره في دبي.
Sherif Omar joins IHG with more than seven years’ experience in the tourism trade, primarily working within agencies, consultancies, and wholesalers in the UAE and Egypt, as well as for over four years in KSA.
Sherif’s main role will be to identify new business opportunities through key accounts from the main players within the travel industry in Saudi Arabia & the Middle East , by promoting IHG’s 3,800 hotels globally. With over 50% of IHG’s outbound business from the Middle East coming from KSA, his role is vital in highlighting the group’s seven hotel brands offered internationally.
Speaking about his appointment, Sherif Omar said, “Saudi Arabia is a tourism market with tremendous potential with the World Travel and Tourism Council predicting that it will generate SAR138.4 billion (US$37.0 bn) of economic activity (Total Demand) in 2007, growing to SAR240.3 billion (US$64.2 bn) by 2017. This is a great time for me to join the team and help generate further growth in this key market, as well as strengthen brand awareness by enhancing the current strategic processes and building on existing relationships.”
Tom Rowntree, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group, Middle East and Africa, said: “We welcome Sherif Omar to the IHG team here in the Middle East and Africa and look forward to working with him on many new initiatives focused on the KSA market throughout next year. 2008 will is set to be a period of dramatic growth and diversification for the group in the region and Sherif Omar, along with the entire global sales team, will be integral in our continued success.”


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Zalora Singapore is now officially on WeChat. You can use the WeChat App to check out the latest fashion. Currently, the first 1,000 users who text “ILoveZALORA” will win something. I have done that and the return message says that the results will be revealed tomorrow (12th November). Go on, try it. More details in the Press Release.
WeChat Celebrates Fashion with ZALORA Singapore Official Account
WeChat and ZALORA enhance shopping experience with Singles’ Day launch and promotion
SINGAPORE, 10 November 2014 – WeChat today announced its collaboration with local online retailer ZALORA, with the launch of ZALORA’s official WeChat account. WeChat users in Singapore can now connect with the brand through the official account, keep up with the latest news and campaigns, and easily navigate ZALORA’s online shopping app using in-built keyword shortcuts, all without leaving WeChat.
“We are excited to partner one of the largest online retailers in Singapore and providing our users with personalized access to ZALORA, sharing with them a whole new shopping experience. With online and mobile commerce on the rise in this region, we strongly believe in the possibilities this collaboration could bring our users, both now and in the future,” said Poshu Yeung, Vice President of International Business Group at Tencent, the company behind the WeChat app.
Dione Song, Marketing Director, ZALORA Singapore said, “WeChat with its huge popularity and reach in the region, is a valuable partner for us to improve mobile shopping experience in Asia. Our presence on WeChat will deepen our engagement with consumers and will allow us to reach them even when they’re messaging on their mobile. By subscribing to our official WeChat account, ZALORA fans can keep an eye out for the latest happenings on ZALORA and enjoy exclusive ZALORA WeChat promotions. This collaboration is a testament of our commitment to provide more mobile shoppers fashion at their fingertips!”
To commemorate the start of this partnership, ZALORA is launching their Singles’ Day (11/11) campaign on their official WeChat account. The first 1,000 fans to text in “ILoveZALORA” on 11 November will win ZALORA vouchers worth S$11, with no minimum spend required. To win, simply:
- Follow ZALORA on their official WeChat account (WeChat ID: ZaloraSG)
- Send a text in saying: “ILoveZALORA”
- First 1,000 people to text wins
The campaign will last from 11AM to 7PM on 11 November. Winners will be notified via ZALORA’s official WeChat account by 6PM on 12 November.
New users to WeChat can easily download the WeChat app on to their Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone devices. For existing users, simply follow ZALORA’s official WeChat account (WeChat ID: ZaloraSG) to start chatting and shopping.
So what are you waiting for? Get ready to shop till you drop this Singles’ day!


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Microsoft announced today that the October update for Xbox is now available. Among the improvements is a 4K dashboard for Xbox Series X.
Recent Xbox Stories
Next month, Microsoft will release Halo Infinite simultaneously on Xbox consoles and PC. And the PC version will have some advantages.
To celebrate Xbox’s 20th anniversary next month, Microsoft will kick off three months of back-to-back Xbox Game Pass game launches.
My, how time flies: it’s already the second half of October, so Microsoft is here with another set of titles for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
Microsoft announced this past week that it will finally bring Minecraft to the PC versions of Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft announced today that Xbox fans can preorder the official Xbox Series X mini fridge on October 19, 2021 for $99.99.
Microsoft announced this morning that it is discounting over 60 retro indie Xbox game titles by up to 75 percent.
Microsoft’s 343 Industries announced that Season 8 for Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) is now available.
Microsoft’s Bethesda announced a major update to the recent Quake remaster that targets next-gen consoles.
Activist shareholders have convinced Microsoft to dramatically expand its “Right to Repair” efforts by the end of 2022.
Xbox will celebrate its 20th anniversary on November 15 and Microsoft is marking the milestone with some new hardware.
Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass titles that it will release across PC, console, and cloud in the first half of October.
Microsoft announced today that it is expanding the availability of Xbox Cloud Gaming to Australia, Brazil, Japan, and Mexico.
With Forza Horizon 5 coming to the PC this Fall, Microsoft has revealed the minimum, recommended, and ideal configurations you’ll need.
Microsoft head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in an interview that he now expects Xbox console shortages to last into 2022.
With October looming, Microsoft has revealed the four titles it will give away next month via its Games with Gold promotion.
Microsoft announced today that Dolby Vision capabilities are now enabled on Xbox Series X|S and support over 100 games.
The new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge is the marquee addition to the September Update for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
As promised last month, Minecraft Dungeons has launched on Steam along with cloud-saves, cross-play, and some bonus content.
When I started my writing career in the mid-1990s, my mentor Gary shared with me some tips for being more productive.
Microsoft today announced the remaining titles it will deliver via Xbox Game Pass during the second half of September.
A major update to the Xbox app for Windows 10 supports game streaming from an Xbox console or the cloud.
Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update VI provides more detailed scenery in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, and it’s free.
It’s September, so Microsoft has revealed the first Xbox Game Pass titles that will arrive this month across PC, console, and cloud.
Well, this year is suddenly blowing by quickly, and now Microsoft has revealed which titles it will release via Games for Gold in September.
The rumors are true: Microsoft will launch Halo Infinite on December 8 on Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
As part of the gamerscon 2021 event today, Microsoft announced Flight Simulator World Update VI, new aircraft, and more.


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Barbie Honors Maya Angelou
National Retail Federation | February 12, 2021
Mattel honored the celebrated Maya Angelou with her own Barbie doll as part of the collector's “Black Label” series. The Barbie doll is sculpted to Angelou’s likeness, featuring a copy of her 1969 autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” in her hands.
As the first female and the first Black poet to speak at a presidential inauguration, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and three Grammy Awards, and a nominee for a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, Angelou more than deserves a place in Mattel’s “Inspiring Women” series.
The doll released in earlier January was available on Barbie.com, Amazon and Target for $29.99, and sold out in less than two days; as of early February, it was selling on eBay for over three times the price.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- You have something car dealers want, and it could help you get a brand new car for next to nothing. Car dealers are willing to pay top dollar for what you consider a clunker.
Part of the reason used cars are hot now is because of the aftermath of the government's Cash for Clunkers program, Arlington Toyota Used Car Director Steve Martin said.
"It sucked out so many inexpensive cars, the demand for used cars has gone up," Martin said.
Sales Manager Jesse Herrera at Duval Mazda agreed. "It drove the prices on the less expensive cars up."
If you ask UNF Professor of Political Economy Mary Borg it comes down to simple math. "It's just a simple matter of supply and demand. When the economy is doing poor as it is now, people are afraid to take on those high payments of a new car. So therefore they are looking in the value for used cars."
"With the limited amount of used cars out there, everyone is trying to get their hands on them," Martin said.
You may not have thought about contacting your dealer, but your dealer is thinking about contacting you. Many dealerships are sending out letters and making calls to customers, looking for your used car.
First Coast News


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Choice Hotels Australasia has rolled up its collective sleeves ahead of National Customer Service Week to launch its second annual ‘Head Office to Front Office‘ campaign.
Designed as part of a continued focus on enhancing customer experience, Australia’s largest mid-market hotel franchisor will send its entire corporate team to spend a day in a hotel operator’s shoes.
Timed to coincide with the Customer Service Institute of Australia’s National Customer Service Week running 6-10 October, the concept was developed to provide the Choice Hotels team with a greater understanding and appreciation of the day-to-day activities and challenges facing a hotel today.
Choice Hotels Australasia’s CEO Trent Fraser said the instant success of last year’s inaugural ‘Head Office to Front Office’ initiative had ensured that the activity would become an annual event for all staff located in its Melbourne headquarters.
“Last year’s ‘Head Office to Front Office’ initiative was embraced by all staff members across the business and we’re delighted to announce its return again this year. Customer service is something we continually strive to improve upon and we hope this program continues to inspire and motivate all Choice Hotels staff to roll up their sleeves and get involved,” he said.
“Providing the head office team with the opportunity to gain invaluable on-the-job insights into daily hotel operations is something that has proved popular with staff. Whether it’s working the front desk, lending a hand to housekeeping or taking orders from the bar, office based staff have been keen to get involved and get their hands dirty.”
The campaign will see more than 60 corporate staff visit more than 40 hotels across the country throughout the entirety of the initiative with Choice Hotels CEO, Trent Fraser heading for the Quality Hotel Powerhouse Tamworth in New South Wales.
“I’m looking forward to my time at the Quality Hotel Powerhouse Tamworth and lending a hand when and where I can. For our business to further succeed we need to better understand our customers and our franchisees. Getting back into hotels at an operational level helps us support our franchisees, learn from them and experience first-hand the challenges they face within the industry,” said Fraser.
Head Office to Front Office’ will kick off this week, with several Choice Hotels team members heading off to hotels across the country, offering their services for an eight hour shift working in operational areas including housekeeping, restaurant, kitchen and front office.


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Seagate Technology, known mainly for its hard-disk drives, continued to build its solid-state storage portfolio by announcing Monday that it will take a stake in DensBits Technologies.
DensBits, located in Israel, has a controller technology called Memory Modem that enables reliable data transfers to NAND flash storage. Memory Modem includes error-correction and data management features at the controller layer to ensure smooth and quick data transfers. The error-correction features include Error Correction Code (ECC), which is also used in some DRAM modules and microprocessors to reduce data corruption.
Seagate and DensBits will develop technologies for reliable, low-cost and fast solid-state drives, the companies said in a joint statement. Seagate will use DensBits' technology in a range of products including consumer and enterprise SSDs.
Flash is the storage of choice on tablets, smartphones and thin and light laptops like the MacBook Air. SSDs tend to be more power-efficient but also more expensive than hard drives. DensBits said its Memory Modem technology can be used in flash storage in portable devices and data centers.
Seagate primarily offers hard drives today but also sells hybrid drives that combine spinning magnetic drives with SSDs. With faster data transfer speeds, the SSDs in the hybrid drives can boost the performance of key applications by acting as temporary storage to cut bottleneck issues associated with hard drives. Seagate offers the Momentus and Pulsar hybrid drives.
However, the hybrid drive market won't grow as fast as the SSD market, which is expected to skyrocket, according to IHS iSuppli.
Seagate did not comment on how much it invested or the size of its stake in DensBits.


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When it comes to digital payments, India is already outpacing the world. Figures provided by Reserve Bank of India show that digital payments almost doubled between fiscal year 2019 and fiscal 2021—and the numbers are forecast to go even further in five years.
Digital payments value expected to grow 3-fold by FY26
In his written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad highlighted how the volume of digital transactions in the country have already reached 4,374.45 crore in FY2021, almost double the 2,326.02 crore digital payments recorded in FY19.
And the figures are expected to go up. A CLSA report forecast a three-fold growth in the value of digital payments in India to touch $1 trillion by FY26.
Analysts at CLSA attributed the growth in digital transactions volume to the government’s push to increase financial access in the country via no-frills bank accounts, the Aadhaar card and mobile connection.
“UPI [Unified Payments Interface] comprises 60 percent of total payments by volume and digital payments have risen from $61 billion in FY16 to $300 billion as of FY21,” the CLSA report noted. “Given increases in online purchases and digital adoption, we expect digital payments to grow to $900 billion-1 trillion by FY26, or 30% of India’s consumption.”
The expansion of online consumption also plays a major role in the aggressive growth of digital payments in India. With the pandemic showing no signs of ending anytime soon, more consumers are moving towards digital environments to complete many of their daily activities from the safety of their homes, particularly recreation and entertainment. And among these many forms of online entertainment, online betting has posted remarkable numbers—a 35 percent increase in the number of real money games played on a monthly basis by an average user during the pandemic, according to an ENV Media report on how the gambling industry has been faring in light of COVID-19.
Digital India initiative ushers in ‘new age of prosperity’
Online gaming is one of the fastest growing industries in India today, thanks to the wide availability of affordable digital tools coupled with the government’s Digital India push. Even online lottery in India is gaining traction among players of what is considered to be the most popular form of gambling in the country, especially in light of the continued lockdowns caused by the pandemic.
As analysts at ENV Media explained, “…the Government has been pushing its Digital India agenda as a way to bring India into a new age of prosperity. This flagship government-supported program aims to transform the country into a ‘digitally empowered society’. The plans of both the public and private sector, therefore, are for the online entertainment sector to continue growing.”
It’s worth noting that India is already the highest in the world when it comes to digital payments, registering over 25.5 billion real-time payment transactions in 2020. This is 60 percent higher compared to China. CLSA analysts expect that around 44 percent of payments will be accepted via payment gateways and aggregators in FY26, followed by QR Codes (34 percent) and Point of Sales (PoS) machines (22 percent).