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Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will partner with Amazon on digital services for Nigerian operators.
The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa made this known to Journalists after he received the Amazon representative in Africa and the Middle East, Narrimane Benakcha, in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Amazon is an American multinational technology company, which focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming and artificial intelligence.
Inuwa expressed concern about the exorbitant costs incurred by some fintech operators in obtaining hosting services from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and other related companies.
The visit gave the Director General the chance to outline the agency’s mission and area of responsibility for carrying out the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a digital Nigeria.
He urged Amazon and other multinational organisations to have a common interest in Nigeria, adding that the market is appropriate and foretells that Nigeria will be the next frontier in digital services.
Inuwa postulated that digital services would thrive in Nigeria because of the nation’s youthful population.
“Africa has the fastest-growing population and one of the youngest populations in the world, with the fastest-growing broadband penetration and other factors that can accelerate digital business,” he said.
According to Inuwa, the public sector policy, which is the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), has an ambitious target of digitising all government services with 98 per cent of broadband coverage by 2030.
The NITDA boss confirmed that the government, through NITDA, is eager to learn from Amazon’s experience in other jurisdictions, particularly in policy and regulations.


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Egypt Sees The Bitcoin Light, To Loosen Cryptocurrency Regulation Restrictions For Businesses
Egypt To Lift Crypto Ban
While there are many countries in the world such as Malta that are very friendly towards cryptocurrency and have welcomed it with open arms, not every country has followed in its footsteps. Some examples are China and India who have harsh restrictions against cryptocurrency that have forced several companies to close down or move shop to more friendly places.
However, the growing popularity of cryptocurrency, as well as improvements that have been made in certain aspects such as security, has led to the loosening of restrictions by several countries as well as private institutions towards cryptocurrency. An example is JP Morgan, who previously had been very critical of cryptocurrency but have since announced that they will be launching their own.
Another example of loosening restrictions around cryptocurrency is a recent report that Egypt might lift their existing ban and allow companies to set up shop in the country. This is from a source who spoke to the Middle East news agency and described a proposed bill that would ban the creation, sale, or promotion of cryptocurrency without the necessary license to do so. In the past, cryptocurrencies were banned altogether in Egypt in accordance with Islamic law and thus, this bill would be a step in the right direction towards crypto adoption in Egypt.
History Of The Ban
The ban in question was first issued in early 2018 by a Shawki Allam, who is the Grand Mufti of Egypt. His reason for the ban was that the technology behind cryptocurrency could undermine the legal system and encourage tax evasion, money laundering, and other fraud activities. He was also concerned about the volatility that surrounds cryptocurrency as well as scams.
Cryptocurrency and tax have been a bit of a mixed bag with certain countries and jurisdictions creating a comprehensive tax for that are helping to regularize the use of cryptocurrency while others still lag behind. There has also been a great emphasis on creating laws that will prevent the use of cryptocurrency for fraud, crime and money laundering purposes. As for volatility, many believe that as the industry matures, the price of cryptocurrency will become as steady as that of traditional fiat currencies, especially in light of the recent bear and bull runs that the market has seen in the last 6 months.
However, many neighboring countries to Egypt have been exploring the technology as the country would not want to get left behind. Should this new bill pass, it will give the board of directors of the Central Bank of Egypt power to regulate cryptocurrencies and to approve licenses for various businesses.
“The new law provides legal authority for the electronic authentication of bank transactions, electronic payment orders, and transfer orders as well as for the electronic settlement of checks and the issuance and circulation of electronic checks and electronic discount orders, provided that Board of Directors of CBE issue rules and procedures regulating all the aforementioned actions,” the report says.
While the draft of the bill is not currently available for public reading, the discussion has taken place in Egypt about cryptocurrency legalization for years and this move to allow cryptocurrency could be a big step in not only cryptocurrency adoption within Egypt for all of Africa as well.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- 75-year-old Stephen Lyons of Sarasota invested $5 in a scratch-off Florida Lottery ticket recently, and it paid off for him.
Lyons won a $1 million top prize in the $5 Monopoly Jackpot scratch-off game. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $715,000.00.
According to the Florida Lottery, he purchased his ticket at Palmer Market on Clark Road at Honore Avenue in Sarasota. The store will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.
Monopoly Jackpot launched in July 2018 and features more than $32 million in cash prizes.


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Graphicroyalty - stock.adobe.com
Denmark-headquartered payment service provider Nets and Swedish peer-to-peer payments app Swish are carrying out a joint pilot of an in-store payments system.
With a Bluetooth module from Nets attached to a payments terminal, customers can pay using Swish on their mobile phones.
To date, Swish has offered transactions from one person’s account to another, but now, with Nets, it is testing the new service for the retail and services sectors.
It will be piloted in two restaurants initially, but the two organisations plan to expand it in a few months’ time.
“Seven million Swedes walk around with the Swish app in their pocket, and it’s clear that the demand for easier in-store payments is increasing,” said Swish in a statement.
Using the new system, a Bluetooth module designed by Nets is attached to a payments terminal, allowing the merchant to accept payments from mobile phones. Just before the payment is made, a Bluetooth Low Energy connection is made between the phone and the device.
Because the Nets module can be attached, merchants will not need to buy new terminals to accept Swish payments.
Read more about Nordic payments technology
- A group of Norwegian banks are joining forces to take over peer-to-peer mobile payment app Vipps, which was developed by DNB, Norway’s largest financial services group.
- Swedish bank Nordea has continued its policy of financial technology collaboration by forming a partnership with a Stockholm-based payments startup.
- Norwegian banks are merging three payment and identification systems in the face of increased competition from companies in other countries.
It will also support loyalty programmes, and could help merchants make real-time offers to people using geo-tagging.
Nets already provides this Bluetooth functionality to Danish merchants.
Jan Lundequist, senior vice-president, merchant services, at Nets, said: “The payment experience is similar to making a contactless payment, which consumers are accustomed to – particularly in countries like Sweden that have high digital penetration. Not only can merchants easily install the technology and accept Swish payments through their existing Nets terminals, but it is also easy and intuitive for consumers to use.”
Swedish consumers have already adopted Swish on a large scale, so the move to in-store payments is a logical step. Gabriela Styf Sjöman, head of networks at Swedish telco Telia Company, told Computer Weekly in a recent interview: “In Sweden, everyone uses Swish to send money.”


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oOh!media Limited has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the share capital of Inlink Group Limited (Inlink) for $45 million.
The acquisition is in line with oOh!’s digital strategy of driving engagement with audiences through digital screens in high dwell time locations and will further drive oOh!’s digital market leadership. Inlink formed in 2001, and has grown to be the market leader in premium CBD Digital Out Of Home market, with a network of more than 2,800 digital screens located in office towers, cafes and fitness centres.
The acquisition is expected to be immediately EPS accretive1 and will be fully funded by existing debt facilities. Once completed the acquisition will increase oOh!’s pro forma FY15 Net Debt / EBITDA from 1.0x to 1.7x with headroom remaining in existing facilities.
Completion of the acquisition is expected to occur in December 2015, subject to customary conditions precedent and vendor shareholder approval.
oOh! chief executive Brendon Cook said the acquisition of Inlink not only continues oOh!’s digital leadership position by expanding its network of digital signs to more than 5,000 and WiFi network to more than 900 locations, but also taps into the highly desirable CBD audience.
“This cements our position as delivering Australia’s largest reaching digital sign network that builds deep engagement between advertisers and their audiences through leading edge innovation and extends the connection beyond physical signs to mobile, social and online environments,” Cook said.
“WiFi enables brands to run responsive interactive campaigns that directly connect with audiences and can engage with them beyond the screen on their mobile device. Furthermore it provides us with more data to help advertisers gain greater insights into their audiences and their purchasing journey.
“By adding Inlink’s network of more than 2,800 digital signs in key capital cities, we are able to expand into office towers and boost our reach in all CBD’s across the country.
“Office tower media enables advertisers to tap into the hard to reach and influential purchasing power of the CBD audience and when coupled with our existing products will add more reach and frequency, which will be attractive to existing and new advertisers.”
Cook said Inlink would be merged with oOh!’s Place Based operating division and leverage oOh!’s shared services structure.
“This significantly increases the Digital Place Based Media offering, which enables advertisers to run targeted messages to their audiences in specific locations such as cafés, sports and fitness centres, universities and hotels,” Cook said.
“Aligning Inlink’s café and sport businesses with oOh! will deliver greater scale, efficiencies and engagement opportunities to advertisers where our innovative digital content platforms, ShortPress designed for small business café audiences and In2Indoor for active Australians, are providing new ways for brands to connect with audiences.”
Since its inception oOh! has successfully completed more than 25 acquisitions.
oOh! upgrades profit guidance
oOh! also announces that in light of recent trading performance, it now anticipates its full year 2015 Pro Forma EBITDA to be in the range of $57 to $58 million, up from its previously revised guidance of $53 to $55 million issued on 25 August 2015. This guidance reflects a 37 per cent increase on the previous corresponding period (Pro Forma FY2014) and an 18 per cent increase on the pro-forma FY15 Prospectus forecast.
oOh!’s CEO Brendon Cook said the upgrade comes as digital and Out Of Home advertising markets continued to perform beyond expectations and oOh! continues to execute on its strategies as outlined in the Prospectus.
“oOh!’s management has forecast the earnings upgrade based on a continued uplift in bookings and high utilisation of recently added assets including the addition of over 800 new digital panels across our Road, Retail, Fly and Place-based offering.” Cook said.
Given the expected completion timing, Inlink is expected to have minimal impact to oOh!’s FY15 pro forma earnings, excluding one off integration and transaction costs. Accordingly, no Inlink earnings are included in the pro forma EBITDA guidance provided.
Locked down Victorians who don’t currently have an Optus Sport subscription will have complimentary access to Optus Sport from this weekend to enjoy the UEFA Champions League tournament plus access to premium health and fitness content through the Optus Sport app. UEFA Champions League – the world’s premier continental football tournament – kicks off at […]
Torrens University Australia has launched ‘Career Crush’ via VCCP Sydney and Lash, to help match students with a career they’ll love. Career Crush is an online quiz that determines prospective students’ personal strengths, passions and aspirations to match them with the careers and courses they’re most compatible with. One of the toughest decisions young people […]
Pedestrian Group has partnered with Nine subsidiary Mi9 New Zealand to offer NZ brands the opportunity to partner with the likes of Business Insider Australia, Pedestrian.tv and Gizmodo Australia. Next month, Mi9 New Zealand will be representing Pedestrian Group in the NZ market, offering clients the opportunity to work with leading youth publications including Lifehacker […]
ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), a division of ViacomCBS, is launching a premium streaming service internationally, appealing to audiences of all ages. The new SVOD service will start its international roll-out early in 2021, offering exclusive premieres of all new SHOWTIME series, including Halo and American Rust. CBS All Access originals will also premiere exclusively on the new service, such […]
As part of a larger project to refine their brand with partner branding agency Re, Optus have engaged experimental creative studio FutureDeluxe to explore how the iconic ‘Yes’ brand mark behaves in a sophisticated 3D environment. FutureDeluxe have produced a series of 8x idents and a number of static key visuals which will be used […]


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UPDATE: 50 Cent Says He's Still Effen W/ Vodka Amid $60 Million Reports
New York rapper 50 Cent might have sold his stake in Effen Vodka but that hasn't changed his stance toward the popular alcoholic beverage brand. The hip-hop star has added some clarity into a headline-generating $60 million story.
A screenshot has surfaced of 50 explaining he's still riding with Effen but just not on paper.
Yesterday, 50 went to Instagram to publicly confirm the Effen Vodka business departure.
Hours prior, buzz developed about 50 selling his stake in Effen for millions.
On top of that, 50 was also spotted holding a bottle of Ciroc during a Fourth of July party at Angel's Strip Club in New York City which left many surprised and confused. But the truth is now out - 50 is no longer associated with EFFEN. Almost all past hashtags on his Instagram have been removed and the Breakfast Club on Power 105 NY revealed the news that the G-Unit boss has sold off his stake in the company. DJ Envy then said that he reportedly sold his share for about $60 million. (Hip-Hop N More)
Back in March, Fif went viral for putting together a potentially widespread Effen challenge.
The post UPDATE: 50 Cent Says He's Still Effen W/ Vodka Amid $60 Million Reports appeared first on SOHH.com.


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The Taste of Downtown returns from 6 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27, at Pine Avenue and The Promenade.
Participating restaurants include Romeo Chocolates, Burgerim, Berlin Bistro, R Bar, Pie Bar, Beachwood BBQ and more.
Taste tickets are $1 each and can be purchased at the box office tent at the event. Cash and credit cards are accepted.
The next — and final — Taste of Downtown event will be at the waterfront Aug. 28-29.
For more information and a full list participating restaurants, go to www.downtownlongbeach.org.


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Getting Behind Moore's Law
from the tag-team-journalism dept
I had read Michael Schrage’s recent column on how Wal-Mart trumps Moore’s Law when it first came out and found it interesting, if a little misleading in its purpose. That’s why I was surprised, but happy, to see Michael Malone in Forbes take the same article and repurpose it to make the point clearer. Schrage says that the real driver of the economy in the latter half of last decade wasn’t Silicon Valley, but Wal-Mart. Malone points out that it’s really Wal-Mart’s intelligent use of technology. Even though Wal-Mart doesn’t use cutting edge technology, they do use proven technology wisely. The point that Malone makes is that it’s not usually smart to be perfectly bleeding edge all the time, because you’re going to lose a lot of blood. Staying just a bit behind the curve (and being smart about it) lets you avoid a lot of the mistakes that the so-called “leaders” make, and really take advantage of technology.


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ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY in the United States, Britain and the European Union along with several local developments will make the ongoing summer tourist season a challenging one for Barbados.
And according to Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association president Colin Jordan, the “most disturbing” issue is “the spectre of possible contagion in the European Union”.
“Even though continental Europe is not in our top three source markets, there will be challenges if there is default or economic collapse.
“Germany is our largest market in Europe and they are the main country providing bailout funding. France is number two and they are also being called on to provide funding.
“The weight of possible repeated bailouts will impact those two economies,” he said.
Jordan noted that uncertainty in the United States had intensified in recent weeks with talk of a possible government default, and the British economy was still depressed.
On the local front, he said in addition to the growing cost of inputs, increased land-tax valuations, especially on South Coast properties, will negatively affect the viability of businesses.
“While our suppliers can pass on all their increases to tourism businesses, our businesses, because of the global competition we face, are unable to pass on these increases to potential customers.
“We should not forget that many hotels have had to absorb the recent increase in VAT as they were not able to pass that increase on to tour-operator partners, the main suppliers of business into Barbados,” Jordan said.
He noted that some periods during the summer, like June and mid-August to end-September, are traditionally softer than July to mid-August.
The president noted, however, that there are still “significant numbers” of people who wish to travel and are travelling to Barbados due to the Barbados Tourism Authority’s aggressive marketing.
Jordan’s comments came as major network Cheapflights Media Limited said the air passenger duty contributed to a 51.3 per cent decline in interest in Barbados.


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R.Restaurant owners, caterers and other food service entrepreneurs have been sifting through an ever-changing array of information and regulations since Governor Tom Wolf first ordered a shutdown on March 16 in response to the then-emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
After more than two months of take-away-only service, Wolf slowly began easing restrictions in late May, aided by low virus counts and improved science-based knowledge of transmission vectors. However, as the number of positive cases began to rise, it was partly fueled by the bad behavior of a segment of restaurant and bar patrons and a minority of business owners who decided that short-term profit is more important than long-term. The public interest (and frankly long-term gain), Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, and two weeks later Wolf have been limited to what is allowed.
Keeping up is a challenge for even the most dedicated restaurant owners and diners.
A group of leaders in the restaurant industry recently joined forces to launch Safe Service PGH, an initiative to gather and organize the best resources available to address the COVID-19 crisis. Ehrrin Keenan, formerly Special Sales Director of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, oversees the Safe Service website as director. For the past few months she had been collecting links and sharing them in a Google Doc. She noticed that there were other lists running around. “Many small businesses have struggled on many fronts to protect their employees and customers. It has been difficult for consumers to figure out where to support small businesses that take security seriously. “
This feeling is borne out by Kate Romane, owner of Black Radish Kitchen and one of the founders of the organization. She noted that catering business owners like hers had a hard time figuring out what the latest allowances meant for their operations. The confusion was often the same with their chefs and farmer friends. “We are all in a desperate situation and we all feel we are on our own lifeboats. If we could do one thing together, it would be more effective for all of us, ”she says.
To do this, the Safe Service website has a resources page that is divided into five sections: Current Policies, Reporting and Enforcement, Training and Courses, Best Practices and Templates, and Financial Resources. These sections contain well-organized, verified information to help food service business owners make decisions that put safety first. “It’s difficult to navigate through blanket guidelines. Every company has its own challenges. We want to help each other to find solutions, ”says Romane.
Safe Service can also be a resource for diners and people looking to hire a catering company. Participating Companies – a growing list of restaurants such as Scratch Food & Beverage, Station, and Spirit; Catering companies such as Black Radish Kitchen and All in Good Taste Productions; and local venues like Churchview Farm are asked to make a pledge promising to adhere to a set of guidelines. If it works as intended, the Participating Businesses section of the website provides consumers with a place to find restaurants that they are comfortable with.
It is also recommended to the guests how they can be a good customer with a “Save Service PGH Pledge”. These include promises like wearing face covering if they don’t eat or drink, be patient and kind with staff, and stay home if they feel sick. “Let’s use positive peer pressure to get people to stick to the guidelines and make sure everyone is safe,” says Keenan.


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ICCI slams historic hike in petroleum products prices
Islamabad, OCT 16 /DNA/ – Shakeel Munir, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) has slammed the government decision to make yet another hike in the prices of petroleum products within one month taking them to historic higher level that would entail harmful consequences for business sector and unleash a new wave of high inflation for the common man making his life more miserable.
He urged that the government should immediately withdraw this unwise decision to save the businesses and the people from deep troubles. He was speaking as chief guest at a dinner reception hosted by Bilal Younis, CEO of Bilal Enterprises in honor of ICCI Office Bearers. Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh Senior Vice President, Muhammad Faheem Khan Vice President ICCI, Mian Akram Farid Chairman Founder Group, Khalid Javed, Ejaz Abbasi, Baser Daud, Tahir Abbasi, Muhammad Naveed, Ashfaq Chatha, Saeed Khan, Khalid Mehmood, Azhar ul Islam, Raja Imtiaz, Sheikh Abdul Waheed, Iftikhar Anwar Sethi, Tahir Mahmood, Ms. Parveen Khan, Javed Iqbal and others were present at the occasion.
Muhammad Shakeel Munir said that only in October 2021, the government has hiked the price of petrol by Rs.14.49/litre, high speed diesel by Rs.14.44/litre, LDO by Rs.17.66/litre and kerosene oil by Rs.18/litre which is not justified by any standards. He said that the people were already facing great difficulties due to high inflation and the business community was still struggling to combat the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. In these tough times, the government has made an exorbitant hike in POL products that would burden people with very high inflation besides making a manifold increase in cost of doing business. He urged that in these tough times, the government should avoid taking such harsh decisions and focus on promoting ease of doing business to steer the economy out of current challenges.
Jamshaid Akhtar Sheikh Senior Vice President and Muhammad Faheem Khan Vice President ICCI said that petrol price has gone up from around Rs.103/litre to Rs.137.79 /litre and that of diesel from around Rs.110/litre to Rs.134.48/litre from January to October 2021, which was a record increase. They said that the government was also considering increasing prices of electricity and gas under pressure of IMF, but such anti-business measures would jeopardize the survival of businesses and put an unbearable burden on people.
Mian Akram Farid, Chairman Founder Group said that the repeated hikes in the prices of POL products and utility tariffs would shatter the confidence of investors who needed consistency in prices and tariffs to make investment in Pakistan. He stressed that the government should withdraw all taxes and petroleum levy on POL products and withdraw the latest hike in the prices of POL products to provide some relief to the people.
Mian Anjum Nisar says LNG becomes major contributor to growing circular debt
ISLAMABAD, MAY 28 /DNA/ – The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’ sRead More
Relief package to ease sting of fuel price hikes for those with monthly income below Rs40,000: Miftah
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said on Saturday that the government’s relief package, which was announced byRead More


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Apple has sent out media invites for a launch event on September 7, where all eyes will be on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. But as we have reported before, these two aren’t going to be the only two launches, and the Apple Watch 2 is also widely expected to make an appearance. With less than a week to the event, alleged components of the wearable have surfaced online hinting at some major incoming changes. Also Read - iPhone 13 to come with faster charging as compared to iPhone 12Also Read - Apple TV Plus for free: PS5 owners get six months subscription free of cost
An Apple Watch 2 teardown by international electronics shop Byte allegedly shows some of its important internals. One of the first things confirmed in the teardown is the bigger battery — 1.28Wh as opposed to the first-generation Watch s 0.98Wh unit. This is in line with previous leaks, but it remains to be seen if the bigger battery will translate into better battery life. The reason being, Apple Watch 2 will come with a GPS chip, which is expected to improve health tracking capabilities without the need for it to be connected to an iPhone. But on the flipside, it will consume more battery when it is pinging your location. The upcoming wearable is also expected to be powered by a TSMC-built S2 processor, which is not only more powerful, but will no doubt consume more battery. Also Read - This photo shot with iPhone X by an Indian wins iPhone Photography Awards
The video also claims that the overall design and size (38mm and 42mm) of the Apple Watch 2 will remain the same as its predecessor, but the display panel is thinner than before. Now it could translate into two things. On the one hand, the upcoming wearable could be slimmer than before, or Apple may have been forced to opt for a thinner panel to accommodate a bigger battery. Though the video also shows a new Force Touch gasket, it is currently unclear how Apple is improving the haptic functions. Based on the leaks we have come across so far, the Apple Watch 2 is also expected to boast some manner of IP certification to make the wearable resistant to dust and water.
Apple’s September 7 event kicks off at 10:30PM IST, and most are awaiting the launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. While the upcoming smartphones aren’t expected to look a lot different, there will still be enough changes to tempt buyers. These include a much better set of cameras with new features, a Touch ID sensor with Force Touch technology, water and dust resistance, as well as new color options. Another talking point will be the absence of the 3.5mm audio jack, and recent reports claim that Apple could be bundling in a pair of EarPods with a Lightning Connector and a 3.5mm-Lightning Port adapter. ALSO READ: 7 most anticipated features of the Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus


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Tesla CEO said he is considering taking electric car giant back into private ownership to give it more freedom to develop long-term strategy
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed plans are in development to take the electric car company private in a bid to give the firm more freedom to develop its long-term strategy without pressure from short-term...
Plus Danish diets, China climate policy signals, and all the top green business news from around the world this week
Major report makes the case for new carbon tax on imported goods and goods, as the Environment Secretary reveals the UK's climate targets could eventually cover carbon embodied in imported goods
As the sustainable finance sector booms, asset managers and owners are under increasing pressure to use their financial clout to steer a greener future
More than 100 billion garments are produced annually, and many end up in the landfill


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CAMERA manufacturer Polaroid is risking controversy with a new advertising campaign to be launched tomorrow featuring sex dolls, handcuffs and blindfolds.
Billboards will have words such as "love" and "be mine" created from photographs of sex-related objects made to look like letters.
The campaign is part of attempts by Polaroid to fight back against competition such as the phenomenally successful digital cameras.
The posters do not include the Polaroid name, but have a website address enabling visitors to send a Valentine message by e-mail or mobile phone .
"It's fun stuff," said Christian Hinchcliffe, from advertising agency Euro RSCG which created the campaign.


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BUILDING equipment firm JCB achieved the third most profitable year in its history last year, despite a difficult global construction market.
The 68-year-old Staffordshire-based firm posted earnings before tax down 14.2 per cent to £313m in 2013 on sales which slipped 0.7 per cent to £2.68bn. The firm sold 66,227 machines last year, compared to 69,250 in 2012.
The privately-held company has been hit by the slowdown in the construction industry, particularly in India which is one of JCB’s biggest markets.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford said: “Earnings were adversely affected by a slowdown in emerging markets, notably India, where JCB has a strong presence.”
The firm, noted for its heavy machinery diggers, said growth in the UK, Middle East and Africa during 2013 helped to offset reductions in India, Europe and the Far East.
The firm added that the beginning of the new financial year has been patchy.
Lord Bamford said: “2014 has got off to a mixed start. Some markets are showing improvement, with stronger demand in the more developed markets of the UK and North America, which is offsetting weaker demand in the more fragile economies of Asia, Latin America and Russia.
“Political uncertainty created by elections in India and Brazil is also having an impact on markets.”
The business, which sells machines in over 120 countries, said it would push ahead with its plans for expansion.
A new factory opens in Jaipur in India this month. In the UK the firm will spend £150m later this year to build a 350,000 square foot plant in Uttoxeter, creating 2,500 new jobs by 2018. The business also plans to build another factory in Cheadle.
Lord Bamford added: “The global market for construction equipment was more challenging throughout 2013 but I am delighted that, despite difficult market conditions, JCB delivered a strong performance and achieved the third highest profit in its history.”
JCB dates back to 1945 when it built agricultural tipping trailers.


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Toyota Motor Corp. on Wednesday agreed to fully meet the salary and bonus demands put forward by its labor union, even though the auto industry is suffering from a global supply crunch and the Ukraine crisis is leaving the economic outlook increasingly unclear.
Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. also plan to offer salary and bonus hikes as demanded by their labor unions, the two companies said after their latest wage talks ended Wednesday.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda conveyed the decision to the union during the third round of talks between management and union members, the company said, even though most major Japanese companies are still a week away from giving their responses to their unions in this year's spring wage negotiations.
The automotive industry's wage talks have been closely watched as they have a strong influence on other sectors. The new business year for automakers and many other major companies in Japan begins in April.
The "shunto" wage talks are being held after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for pay hikes of over 3 percent by companies that have seen their earnings recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Toyoda thanked union workers for their efforts despite uncertainties caused by the pandemic and the chip shortfall when it announced its decision during the third round of management-labor talks, according to the company.
Toyota's labor union had sought pay increases based on the type of job and position of employees, with the level roughly the same as the previous year. The union called for annual bonuses worth 6.9 months of pay, up 0.9 month from last year.
Nissan chief executive Makoto Uchida said during the talks that the company plans to meet the requests of the union, as it expects to return to the black for the first time in three years in the current business year ending this month, Nissan said. The management will give its official response on March 16.
Nissan's union is demanding a monthly pay hike of 8,000 yen ($69), up 1,000 yen from last year, without disclosing whether a base-pay hike is included in the request. It is seeking annual bonuses worth 5.2 months' pay.
Honda said the management told the union that it plans to offer a monthly base wage hike of 3,000 yen and an annual bonus worth 6.0 months' pay as demanded by the union.
The auto industry has been hit by a supply shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with Toyota last month further revising down its global production plan through March 2022 to 8.50 million vehicles from 9 million announced earlier.
But the three automakers expect to post net profits in the current business year, supported by a weaker yen and reduction in costs. Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker by volume, expects this fiscal year's net profit to match the record 2.49 trillion yen booked in fiscal 2017.
Still, uncertainties for their business outlook are increasing as Russia's invasion of Ukraine is sending energy and commodity prices sharply higher and threatens the global economic recovery from the pandemic.
Toyota suspended operations at its plant in St. Petersburg last Friday, citing supply chain disruptions. The automaker said Monday it is evacuating around 30 employees and their 20 family members amid intensifying tensions surrounding Ukraine.
"I feel strong resentment. War and conflict do not make anybody happy," Toyoda said of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the company. "The lives of our peers in Ukraine and neighboring countries are in danger."


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You’d think the last thing mobile users need right now is another digital mapping service — what with Google, Apple and Nokia all duking it out, alongside other established mapping companies such as TomTom — but Berlin-based Skobbler, which uses OpenStreetMaps data to power its map and sat-nav apps, reckons its ForeverMaps2 Android maps app can still carve out a niche.
As the name suggests, ForeverMaps2 is the company’s second effort to bring a maps apps to Android — following a brief porting of its original ForeverMaps from iOS to Google’s platform, back in 2011. Brief because the launch coincided with Google adding turn-by-turn navigation to Google Maps, says co-founder Marcus Thielking — making it harder for Skobbler to compete with only a pure online navigation app. The company focused instead on its iOS apps (including sat-nav app GPS Navigation 2) — and has more than 3 million app downloads on iOS.
Now, Skobbler is hoping paid-app ForeverMaps2 has enough tech firepower to survive alongside Android’s incumbent mapping service, Google Maps. The company is touting its app’s hybrid credentials which allow users to view maps both online and offline, meaning connectivity is not a prerequisite. “People do definitely look for a possibility to get a reliable navigation service that’s not dependent on Internet connectivity,” says Thielking. “We really do see that as a strong differentiator.”
The OpenStreetMaps data is also a key point of differentiation in his view. “It has this incredible amount of data beyond street networks,” he claims.
On top of that, Thielking says Skobbler’s underlying map engine technology is now solid enough to stand up against the big boys. He describes the new app as “five full technology steps” on from the original ForeverMaps app, and “so much smoother and faster” than rival mapping services.
“We feel that we have pretty much a map engine that is on the same level as Google’s — pure technology wise. And that’s way ahead of our competitors — the non-Googles, including Nokia by the way — out there,” he tells TechCrunch, adding: “We even have a shot at Google at this point because Google doesn’t focus on that so much at this point.”
Skobbler is planning to add a turn-by-turn navigation feature to the Android ForeverMaps2 app in the not-too-distant future to further bolster its offering versus the big-name competition.
But regardless of whether Skobbler can convince Android users to download and use something other than Google Maps, Thielking says its app serves a purpose as a marketing “showcase” for what the company’s mapping service can do with OpenStreetMap data. The target here is to drive licensing deals with other companies. Skobbler’s technology is already being used by others — such as German speed camera app called Blitzer — but the company believes this part of its business has bags of potential.
“We have all this stuff that we can put on top of the OpenStreetMap and just make it work and that offers great value to other companies as well, so offering this easy access and this still versatile access is something that’s really interesting as a business opportunity for us,” he says. “That’s going to be the focus going forward for us.”
Skobbler’s release follows below
Berlin, Germany, 21st November 2012: skobbler today announces the worldwide launch of the exciting next generation of hybrid (online and offline) maps with the launch of ForeverMap 2, an innovative, forward-thinking solution that takes on Google Maps and rivals with a number of unique benefits and features.
ForeverMap 2 uses OpenStreetMap, a worldwide open-source project that has created the most dynamic map on the planet and one that is showcased through skobbler’s wildly popular GPS Navigation 2 software. ForeverMap 2 gives users a true choice over how they use maps, whether online or offline with full countries, continents, states and cities available to purchase as installable map upgrades, and all the time offers unprecedented detail and accuracy thanks to an ever-growing worldwide contributor base that’s closing in on one million users already.
Featuring skobbler’s newest generation of its advanced NGx map engine, ForeverMap 2 offers a number of advantages over the competition. Users get the ultimate choice in how they want to use maps: either online or with convenient offline map area upgrades for cities or entire countries. Alongside advanced map compression technology to cut down on the valuable phone real estate taken up by downloaded maps, this choice allows you to find the optimal balance of online and offline map use while leaving enough room for videos, photos and other apps. ForeverMap 2 also takes map software way past sole street-level focus thanks to OpenStreetMap’s outdoor data richness, allowing cyclists, hikers and pedestrians to find the most effective route to their destination. Users can bookmark places of interest to save key locations to the current map, access Wikipedia-based descriptions for sites of interest, and with regular, free map updates offers an amazing degree of detail and accuracy.
Alongside these benefits, ForeverMap 2 brings all of the functionality you’d expect from a high-end map solution, including address search, location finder, route calculation and an extensive POI database for both online and offline use through optional map downloads. Locations can be shared with friends and the “paperback-like” map experience offers cutting-edge map visuals alongside zoom, pan and turn controls, street names and a compass that can be set to orient itself in the direction of travel.
“We believe that our great experience with OpenStreetMap puts us in a unique position to offer modern smartphone and tablet users a powerful alternative to rival map services,” says co-founder of skobbler, Marcus Thielking. “ForeverMap 2 is the most powerful hybrid map solution on the market, allowing users to choose exactly what they want to view and how they want to view it: OpenStreetMap’s rapidly growing contributor base, which is closing in on one million users, enables us to provide the most dynamic and accurate solution on the market.”
Businesses and developers can also benefit from the technology fueling ForeverMap 2 (and GPS Navigation 2) through skobbler’s GeOS map access technology for both web and mobile. GeOS allows developers to implement OpenStreetMap into their services, providing them with a more versatile, independent alternative to Google Maps and other platforms while enabling features such as zooming, colouring and panning and dramatically reducing the complexity of working with raw map data.
“We’re already working closely with a number of large corporations to help them integrate OpenStreetMap into their products and services via GeOS,” says Thielking. “Having achieved status of bestselling navigation app for years-on-end in Germany and the UK and #1 position in over 20 countries with GPS Navigation 2, we’ve proved that our innovative technology solution is ready and able to meet the demands of today’s consumers and service providers. We believe that we’re well-placed to offer similar benefits to businesses that are looking for an alternative to Google Maps and other rivals.”
ForeverMap 2 is available now for Android via the Google Play store priced at 69p, and users will receive online worldwide maps for free alongside an offline map of their choice as standard. Other maps are available for offline use via in-app purchases. Prices start at 69p for Cities, Countries are £1.99, Continents £3.99 and a map of the World costs just £7.99.


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After the Russian veto was established, the Spanish kaki sector immediately set to work in the search for new distant markets that could, over time, compensate for the loss of a country that had a great appetite for this fruit, as it absorbed about 30% of the Spanish kaki. Thanks to the entrepreneurship of companies in this sector a future, full of opportunities, beyond merely compensating for the Russian absence, has opened up.
"During the last campaign we made the first shipments to the Indonesian market. We recently attended Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong, where we took advantage of the opportunity to visit Southeast Asian customers with very good prospects ", says Daniel Vidal, manager of Valencian company Exquisite Fruits," Although the EU and the Eastern countries are our biggest markets, we seek to diversify export destinations. For this campaign we expect third party countries, or distant countries to already represent about 18% of our exports, in addition to Asia, the Middle East and Canada "
Kaki is a product that is liked a lot in Asia according to Daniel Vidal, in addition to being native to China and South Korea. "The Asian market is very loyal, but very demanding. They always look for extra quality fruit with a very elaborate presentation. And this is precisely what we must do, the Spanish kaki exporters have to bet on giving more added value to the kaki, with innovation in packaging and formats.
The Spanish kaki campaign continues to lengthen
Although production around the star variety, Rojo Brillante, continues to grow in Spain the sector is getting the campaign to last longer, along with the difficulties this entails with a single variety.
"Last year we were selling kaki from September until the first week of March. Keep in mind that a few years ago we could only sell until January. Our goal is to have this product available until mid-April because we believe that there are rounds in the market to market it. Beyond these dates, I do not think it makes sense to have kaki, since it usually starts to get hot and the chains of distribution already demand the first stone fruit. Kaki is a fruit whose consumption is associated with the cold, "explains the exporter.
Demand for ecological kaki is stirring up in Europe
Although ecological kaki is still not abundant in the market because of its difficulty of production, Daniel Vidal affirms that there is an increasing interest. "We started to have organic kaki last season. Although our volumes are still not significant, if we observe that their demand is stirring up in Europe, mainly in the distribution chains of Scandinavia and Switzerland, although Spain is beginning to demand for it as well. A few years ago it was unthinkable that in the Spanish supermarket chains there was a corner dedicated to organic products and now, however, this is already a reality, and it continues to increase.
"Kaki is a product that still has a long way to go in the market. I think that one way to make kaki profitable, when its conventional demand ceases to increase as much, is to develop it in the ecological segment, whose added value compensates the product's margins, "he says.
The kaki, Fruit Attraction's cover letter
Exquisite Fruits focus most of its business on two products, kaki and stone fruit, however according to Daniel Vidal, "Kaki is becoming more and more important to us. Soon we will meet in the Fruit Attraction Madrid fair, from the 18 to 20 October, where we will have, as in previous years, a booth dedicated exclusively to kaki. These are dates when the stone fruit has ended and in which there are very good opportunities for the kaki at the beginning of the season. "
The stand will have a corner dedicated to its brand 'Style by Fruits' and also a space for its ecological kakis. You can visit Exquisite Fruits in hall 7, stand C08A.
For more information:
Daniel VidalExquisite Fruits,S.L.
Plaza del Prado, 21
46701 GANDÍA (Valencia), España
T: +34 960 653 909
M: +34 675 549 164 firstname.lastname@example.org


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Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) unveiled its new 2014 product offerings from its Motorcycle and Off-Road Vehicle divisions at the company’s annual summer sales meeting. The lineup reflects the company’s trademark of continued innovation, highlighted by the launch of new vehicles and enhancements to existing products.
All-new vehicles include additions to three key off-road brands:
RZR®, with the
RZR XP® 1000;
RANGER® with the
RANGER CREW® 900,
RANGER 570 EFI,
RANGER CREW 570 EFI, and; Sportsman® with the Sportsman 570 EFI all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Also new in 2014 are two Victory Motorcycles® 8-Ball models and a strong collection of limited edition vehicles, not to mention the Indian® Motorcycle debut of the Chief, set for Sturgis, S.D. on August 3.
"Polaris captured number one market share in powersports through innovation and it is our continued investment in research and development that positions us to continue building on our leadership position," said Bennett Morgan, president and chief operating officer of Polaris. “We’ve been the fastest growing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for five consecutive years and we intend to do it again in 2014, with new innovations, new technologies and unprecedented products to drive growth around the globe.”
Off-Road Vehicle Division
Polaris is the leader in the off-road industry thanks to the company’s insatiable push to evolve its offerings. Model Year 2014 is another banner year for Polaris innovations, with new products across the
RANGER and Sportsman ATV families of vehicles.
“Polaris has become the industry leader by aggressively introducing new products and continuing to innovate our current product lines,” said David Longren, Polaris Off-Road Vehicle division’s vice president. “Model Year 2014 is bringing epic amounts of new products and more enhancements to the most comprehensive off-road vehicle offering on the market.”


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Infographic: How Much is $3.7 Trillion?
November 14, 2017
Each year $3.7 trillion is lost to fraud, according to ACFE’s 2016 Report to the Nations. A number that big is hard to fully comprehend. How many times do you think $3.7 trillion in stacked nickels could reach the moon? If you lived to the average lifespan of 78 years, how much money do you think you’d have to spend every single day in order to spend $3.7 trillion? Check out today’s featured post for International Fraud Awareness Week to get the answers to those questions and some perspective on just how much money is lost to fraud each year.


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U.S. GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the third quarter
Graph from Shopfloor.org
According to an article by the Associated Press, the U.S. economy in the third quarter grew at the fastest pace in two years, with a revised report showing stronger consumer spending than first estimated.
The gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the July-September period, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. That is up from a previous estimate of 2.9 percent.
In a Shopfloor article, NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray writes that the report was good news. He says, “With the U.S. economy expanding by only 1.1 percent at the annual rate in the first half of 2016, the third quarter numbers were entirely welcome, especially for consumer spending and net exports.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce report can be found here.


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In an effort to help increase productivity and unlock transformation for its campus associates in the United States, Walmart has launched a generative AI-powered feature dubbed My Assistant. The desktop and mobile app experience can speed up the drafting process, serve as a creative partner, summarize large documents and much more.
According to Walmart, My Assistant has the potential to change how its associates work and solve problems. The goal is for the technology to free workers from monotonous, repetitive tasks, allowing more time and focus for improving customer and member experiences.
[Read more: Walmart expands drone delivery via partnership with Wing]
“It will take both people and technology to deliver on our purpose to help people save money and live better,” wrote Donna Morris, executive vice president, chief people officer, in a LinkedIn post. “GenAI can help us work faster and more efficiently, but it also has limitations: it lacks judgment, has a limited understanding of context and is only as good as the data it’s trained on. For out-of-the-box, truly brand-new thinking – that’s what humans are good at. Our humanity is what sets us apart and always will be.”
Morris also shared that Walmart has been using AI and generative AI precursors for several years, and has already developed guidelines to aid associates in the responsible usage of the new technology.
“We see a lot of opportunity across the enterprise to remove friction, provide a personalized interface and deliver the tools our associates need right in the palm of their hands, and My Assistant is just one way we’re streamlining the associate experience with technology,” Morris wrote.
[Read more: Walmart Marketplace launches new initiatives at Seller Summit]
The new feature is housed within Walmart’s Me@Campus app, which is a one-stop shop to navigate all aspects of working for the retailer.
Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites under 46 banners in 24 countries.
This story originally appeared on Progressive Grocer.


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Leveraged loan volume has been dominated by refinancing in 2013, but the notable pickup in issuance by food and beverage companies this year has been driven by another factor: buyouts.
A number of large companies have been acquired by private equity firms attracted by the sector’s steady growth and recession-resistant nature.
U.S. marketed food and beverage sector syndicated loan volume stood at a record high for the year-to-date through Aug. 26 at $55.5 billion via 84 deals in 2013, according to data provider Dealogic. That represented an increase of 17% from $47.3 billion during the same period of 2012.
The average deal size for food and beverage loans is also at a record level. It stood at $661 million for the year-to-date through 2013, up 22% from an average deal size of a $544 million average from the same point last year.
Of course, the largest U.S. food and beverage loan transaction on record helped to finance HJ Heinz Co.’s $28 billion buyout by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital Management, which closed in June. The $13.6 billion loan portion was a four-tranche facility via JPMorgan Securities, Barclays, Citigroup and Wells Fargo Securities.
“The food and beverage sector lends itself naturally to leverage finance transactions,” said Richard Farley, a partner at the law firm Paul Hastings.
He added that if one looks at the revenue and earnings growth of the firms in the food and beverage space as a whole, they don’t grow more over time versus GDP, it has been pretty stable “The businesses in this segment have more stable cashflow and are quite recession-resistant. And if you’ve got a brand name and good market share, it’s most likely not an equity story, but it’s a very good story for issuing debt,” Farley said. “There are exceptions and outliers like the Starbucks of the world, but as a whole, it is not an industry of huge growth similar to the technology sector.”
Paul Hastings participated in the July Smithfield Foods transaction in which the company sold $900 million in a two-part bond offering to help it finance its $4.72 billion purchase by Chinese food supplier Shuanghui International. The deal was originally sized at $800 million.
The Smithfield, Va.-based pork processor issued $500 million in 5.25% senior notes due 2018 and $400 million in 5.875% senior notes due 2021. Morgan Stanley was the sole bookrunner on the offering. The 2018 notes have a two-year non-callable period and the 2021 notes have a three-year non-callable period.
The ﬁnancing also included a $750 million asset-based revolver that served as a backstop as the issuer looked into amending its existing asset-based revolver with a syndicate that was led by Rabobank, a $1.65 billion term loan, and an unsecured bridge loan of up to $1.5 billion.
Deal Activity Up
U.S. deal activity comprises 69% of total global food and beverage volume at $80.2 billion year to-date, increasing from 47% in 2012 year-to-date, and the biggest percent share since 1997 year-to-date at 79%.
Standard & Poor’s in an April 10 report said that it expects U.S. consumer food, beverage and durables firms, generally, to shift their use of cash from operations away from debt reduction. Instead, these firms are likely to focus on capital investment, acquisitions or shareholder-friendly initiatives.
Analysts added that some of these firms will use debt to finance these activities. These companies will also take the refinancing route, considering the continued low interest rates. The agency projected debt maturities in 2015 for the firms it rates in these sectors to total $20.8 billion. They think that the share repurchase transactions in 2013 will be close to 2012 levels, although companies could still scale back given a deteriorating economy.
There have been some notable deals during this year that illustrated S&P’s point.
Pinnacle Foods Finance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Foods, has obtained a financing commitment for an incremental term loan worth $550 million from Bank of America Merrill Lynch to support its purchase of Wish-Bone’s salad-dressing business.
The parent company entered into an asset purchase agreement with Conopco, which is a New York-based company and a unit of Unilever.
Dole Food Co. is in the process of financing its buyout by its CEO David Murdock with an increased bid that valued the company at $1.6 billion, which includes debt, that was recently approved by the food distributor’s board of directors.
In early April, Dole also sought $775 million in loans. The debt comprised a $150 million five-year revolver, a $500 million seven-year senior secured term loan B, and a $125 million seven-year senior secured delayed draw term loan.
The Westlake Village, Calif.-based firm recapitalized its balance sheet by repaying its existing debt and replacing its previous bank facilities with the new debt, Moody’s Investors Service said on April 3.
“The overarching theme in terms of activity in the food and beverage sector within the speculative grade companies has been transaction-driven,” said Jean Stout, a director in corporate ratings in S&P’s consumer team.
An example of this is Atlanta-based bottled water and beverage provider DS Waters of America that came to market with deals in both the leveraged loan and bond markets in mid-August. The company was in the market with a $435 million credit facility led by Barclays and priced an offering of $350 million in 10% second-lien senior notes due 2021 to help finance its buyout by private financial sponsor Crestview Partners.
“Issuers in the segment took advantage of the favorable market before the expected interest rate hike given what the Fed is going to do with its bond program,” said Bea Chiem, director in corporate ratings in S&P’s consumer team in a phone interview.“These companies saw that window before the Federal Open Market Committee meeting to do their transactions in the food M&A and LBO debt markets before the window closed again.”
Stout added that food and beverage companies with onerous financial covenants also made a big push for refinancings. “Typically that speculative grade and sponsor-owned single-B rated firms tried to tap the debt markets to improve liquidity over the past few months, to obtain interest cost savings and to do away with restrictive covenants. That’s why covenant-lite deals have come back for companies with very high leverage liquidity concerns,” she said.


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The 2013 Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv is all new from the ground up.
It is the first car that features Mazda’s new SkyActive approach to building lighter, more fuel efficient, and more responsive cars.
It heralds a new style which in the industry is called a new design language.
Unlike the former Mazda Tribute which shared a platform with the Ford Escape, and had what many people thought was a Mazda’s silly smiley face, the new 2013 Mazda CX-5 breaks all new design and performance ground. With a new 155 HP Sky G engine and sporty, flat ride and handling this newest entry into the the smallish CUV segment is ready to take on the big best selling boys like the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V.
Check out this video as we review the 2013 Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv AWD both on and off-road.


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Well this is something fun to do in the weekends. Therefore very much a short posting for a Saturday. At MacWorld Google Earth iPhone engineer
He let's you stand on the balance board and 'surf' around the world. By shifting your balance you can manouvre from left to right. Pretty neat stuff.
Last June the world turned up side down. 'Everybody' was talking about it. But people were not discussing wars or a financial crises, they were discussing the new google favicon.
Well allright, not everybody, but it was suprising to see how much discussion the new favicon, which appeared almost unannounced, stirred up. It was reason enough for Google to set up a special website in which users could send in their own version of the favicon.
Yesterday Google announced the 'winner'. The new favicon is based on an idea of André Resende, a computer science undergraduate student at the University of Campinas in Brazil. He send in his idea, Google- designers took it, adjusted it and here it is, the new Google favicon. The favicon has got all four Google colors in it and has a 'off center' G in it. Let the discussions begin...... read more
Europe most of the time ‘comes second’ when it comes to launches of a new product. And then when it comes most addicts will already have bought the product in the US, hacked it and sometimes gotten rid of it.
With the Google Android phone things seem to be a little different. Partlyu because the phone didn’t launch with the same kind of ‘bang’ as the iPhone, partly because Europeans can already ‘play’ with the phone. For that purpose a group of Dutch mobile-adepts organized the first “Android Dev Camp Amsterdam”. With T-Mobile as the sponsor an event which couldn’t fail.... read more
The Spanish website OJOBuscador yesterday seemed to have picked what seems to be a new design for Google Universal. They had to go to Google Korea for it. There they performed a search for "Zen buddhist temple". What showed up was the resultpage you see below.... read more
Google seems to be planning to getting into the Spanish mobile phone market. According to the Spanish website Expansion.com Google wants to roll out its voice service Grandcentral in Spain during 2009.
With Grandcentral you can ‘control your phones’ through the web. You get a phone number from Google, when the number is called it is redirected to any number you want. That way you can filter numbers by who is calling and you can actually listen in when somebody is talking into your voicemail. When you think its urgent enough you can then take the call.
Other features that Grandcentral offers are recording calls, Switching phones, blocking users and recording custom greetings.... read more


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Twitch has become the go-to site for video game streaming and has garnered the attention of some major companies in the industry. Ubisoft has noticed the value of Twitch broadcasting for its players and has announced on March 13 the integration of Twitch to its “Trackmania 2” and “Shootmania” titles.
The partnership between Twitch and Ubisoft will allow players to stream their gameplay directly from their consoles. Anne Blondel-Jouin, Publishing Managing Director at Nadeo-Ubisoft commented, “The partnership with Twitch is a key step in Nadeo’s strategy to create a true ecosystem around eSports entertainment, making it attractive for gamers and spectators.”
To mark the occasion Ubisoft is holding an inaugural Mania Planet Video Contest. Videos from “ShootMania Storm”, “TrackMania² Canyon”, and “TrackMania² Stadium” can be submitted for a chance to earn $400 Amazon vouchers. As Twitch gets integrated into more and more popular games it gets hopes high for their future.


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Furniture retailer Sticks 'N’ Stuff, which has three stores in the Jacksonville metropolitan area and has been represented here for 10 years, will close local stores by the end of March, the company owner said.
The three stores are located at 4700 Walgreen Road and 7450 Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville and 317 Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park.
Sam Kelley said the main reason for the move is the leases for the three stores have expired, and the company is trying to gather cash to weather a punishing economy and financial environment. He also said the renewal for a lease at one of the stores couldn’t be negotiated to a lower amount.
But the Birmingham, Ala.-based chain will keep its Jacksonville warehouse, hoping area customers will adapt to buying Sticks 'N’ Stuff furniture online and having it shipped locally to their homes. The company’s Web site already allows such sales.
“In the Jacksonville market, we do a lot of business online,” he said. “We’ve got to try online-only and see how that works out. We hope to attract a lot of customers to that Web site.”
The online presence, which Kelley said should benefit from the chain’s name recognition, will allow it to sell with lower cost overhead.
“We hope to offer better prices when it all works out,” he said. “This is an experiment. We’ll see how it works in Jacksonville. We have no plans to have showrooms in Jacksonville after March.”
The chain also will maintain a warehouse in Orlando, but will close its two Orlando stores and one in Tampa, he said.
Aside from the chilly consumer economy, the banking environment hasn’t been much help to Sticks 'N’ Stuff lately, either, Kelley said. The chain recently received a letter from Wachovia Corp. — now owned by Wells Fargo & Co. — that its line of credit would not be renewed, he said.
Sticks 'N’ Stuff also has 12 showroom locations in Alabama, three in Tennessee and one in Gainesville, according to its Web site.


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Interested in a career where you can improve the food system, but not sure how your passion translates to a job? Many fields and backgrounds can be applied to food system change! The Berkeley Student Food Collective is hosting a discussion presented by four panelists in food and agricultural industries followed by a networking reception with desserts.
Career Panel: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Networking Reception (with desserts): 8:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Hear from a group of excellent folks from a diverse range of work in the field, including Michele Simon (Eat Drink Politics), Anders Olson (Olson Farms), Jordan Tetrick (Hampton Creek) and Judi Shils (Turning Green).
• Public health lawyer and President of Eat Drink Politics, specializying in legal strategies to counter coproate tactics that harm the public's health
• Executive Director of Plant Based Foods Assosication, representing the nation's leading plant-based foods companies and advocating for better policies to meet the growing consumer demand for plant-based foods.
• Author Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back
• Berkeley alum who started Olson Farms
• Anders sells his organically grown produce to places in the Bay Area, including the Berkeley Student Food Collective
• Leases land in Marin and Sonoma counties to grow the row crops he sells to the BSFC and through a community-supported agriculture program.
• Partnership Lead at Hampton Creek
• Hampton Creek uses technology based upon understanding plants from every corner of the planet, and enables consumers, food manufactures, and the largest retailers around the world to offer better, healthier products, at a more affordable cost.
• Found the non-profit Search for the Cause, now Turning Green, a global student-led movement around education and advocacy that mobilizes and inspires students to transition from conventional to conscious living.
• Judi was the force behind The Conscious Kitchen, launching a new pilot program in a public elementary school to serve fresh, local, organic, seasonal, non-GMO, scratch-cooked breakfast and lunch to students and faculty on a campus where 95% of kids are on free-and-reduced programs.


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Okay okay, I agree, the title is misleading, I only wanted to keep it consistent with the others. In beta 7, there’s absolutely nothing the user can see that’s different from the previous beta. There was only a four day gap between beta 6 and beta 7, that’s very rare from Apple nowadays, I can’t recall when that last happened. I can only presume there was a critical bug in beta 6 that they wanted to patch as soon as they could.
Perhaps there was a memory leak, perhaps there was a battery leak, who knows? All I know is that iOS 10 is looking very refined and is probably being loaded on to the iPhone 7 as we speak (or as I type, should I say). As soon as a new beta is released, the first thing people are now asking is “has a Dark Mode been added yet?” and it’s really annoying. Firstly, a feature as big as this would not be added in the later beta stages of a major release, it’d be added, let’s say, before the third beta at least, and after that, features that were added get refined and tweaked. Secondly, Apple never said they were going to add a Dark Mode so why should we expect it? (When Apple switch to OLED displays next year, there is a very good chance we’ll see a Dark Mode included in iOS 11, but again, nothing is set in stone.) The phase has become the new “is Safari snappier?”.
We may see one more beta but again, don’t expect anything major to change if we do, the iPhone event is rumoured to take place on the week commencing 5th of September and in the past, whenever the event has taken place, that’s when Apple release the next major update to developers while it’s released to everyone else a few days before the release of the new iPhone.
My predictions for iOS 10 and iPhone 7:
- iPhone 7 event, iOS 10 released to developers and iOS 10.1 beta 1 released to developers – 6th September (Tuesday)
- iPhone 7 pre-orders (if available) – 9th September (Friday)
- iOS 10 released to the public – either 13th or 20th (both Tuesday’s)
- iPhone 7 released – either 16th or 23rd of September (both Friday’s)
It’s not long now and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear an official announcement this week from Apple as to when the event will be taking place.


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Brown Thomas Arnotts have made a hugely generous donation to Dublin hospitals to help staff on the frontline in their battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
The retailer has donated medical and electrical goods to staff at the Mater Hospital, as well as toys, board games, books and more to Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin.
10,000 disposable medical gloves, blankets, duvets, pillows and beauty care sets were among the items donated to the hardworking team at the Mater Hospital.
Tom Hickey, Head of Fundraising & Communications at The Mater Foundation said staff were "extremely grateful" for the kind donation.
He said: "These are unbelievably challenging times for everyone and this support means so much to all of the frontline staff as they battle against the impact of Covid-19 while continuing to care for other critically ill patients with conditions such as cancer and heart disease."
Meanwhile, Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin received over 150 toys, board games, books and beauty sets from the company.
Denise Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of CMRF Crumlin, said: "These items will help brighten days for children in CHI at Crumlin and bring joy and fun to the hospital's wards and departments.
"At this difficult time, we are so grateful for this support - thank you Brown Thomas Arnotts for doing whatever it takes for children and families in Crumlin."
Brown Thomas Arnotts Managing Director Donald McDonald said the retail giant are proud of the brave work our country's frontline workers are carrying out amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: "We hope these contributions help to support our frontline workers and bring a little joy to children and their families right now in The Mater and CHI at Crumlin hospitals.
"These people are heroes and we are humbled by their commitment and support at this unprecedented time."
The news comes after Brown Thomas and Arnotts decided to reopen their online shops following an increase in website sales of up to 300pc when their stores closed last month due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The department stores operated on an online-only basis for a number of days before they stopped taking orders.
However, they re-opened soon after additional measures had been introduced in the interest of health and safety at their distribution centre.


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CALIFORNIA, U.S. - Strengthening its efforts to make deeper inroads into the online fashion space, Walmart has announced the acquisition of the online lingerie retailer Bare Necessities.
Commenting on the deal, Denise Incandela, head of fashion, Walmart U.S. eCommerce, said in a blog post, "The acquisition of Bare Necessities fits well into our broader acquisition strategy, which includes two different types of companies: category leaders ... and digital brands that offer unique products."
Bare Necessities, which was founded in 1998, will continue to operate its site as before.
Further, Incandela added that the company, which offers over 160 brands, will run as a standalone brand.
The retailer has added that Noah Wrubel, co-founder and chief executive of the lingerie retailer, will oversee the intimates category on Walmart.com and Jet.com.
Further, Wrubel will reportedly also continue to run the Bare Necessities business.
While the retailer has not disclosed the financial terms of the deal, the acquisition became its second apparel-focussed purchase in two weeks, after it bought Eloquii, a fashion startup that sells plus-sized clothing last week.
Its latest deal, in line with a string of other deals focussed on defending its market share against other competitors, is aimed at gaining younger, millennial customers who do not normally shop on its website.
In August this year, Walmart tied up with comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to launch a women's fashion line.
Previously, in 2017, Walmart entered a partnership with department store chain Lord & Taylor and started offering its products on Walmart.com.
With the same focus, Walmart also bought footwear and apparel brand ShoeBuy, outdoor wear specialist Moosejaw, men's clothing company Bonobos and online women's apparel brand ModCloth.


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In a recent interview that Adweek did with Younghee Lee, Samsung's executive VP of global marketing for its IT and Mobile divisions, the renowned marketer who used to handle global campaigns of cosmetics giants such as L'Oréal and Lancôme revealed how she turned the consumer perspective of Samsung from "boring and monotonous" to exciting and innovative.
As Lee explained, she joined Samsung, "a true tech company" without an engineering background and consequently originally had trouble with understanding the company's products. However, she also believed that the consumers had the same problem so she decided to find a way not only to gain a better understanding of what the company was doing but also to explain Samsung's products to consumers "in meaningful ways". A decade later, Lee believes she has managed to achieve just that. As she explains, consumers in 2016 associate Samsung with attributes such as "innovative", "dynamic", and "fast-paced". Since she took over the marketing reigns in 2007, the Samsung executive attempted to present the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer as "a true innovation company with a bold attitude." As she puts it, Samsung stopped creating products which were meant to be used as simple tools and is now designing and manufacturing high-tech "gateways to new experiences". For example, their smartphones aren't just phones but can also be paired with devices such as TVs, watches, and refrigerators in order to improve the user experience of all of those devices. At least, that's how Lee sees it and how Samsung engineers and designers are now approaching the process of creating new products. Samsung's VP of global marketing also revealed how proud she is of the fact that consumers have stopped viewing Samsung as a Korean company and are today seeing it as a truly multinational brand.
Lee also touched upon Samsung's aggressive marketing campaign for the Galaxy S devices which directly mocked Apple and its iPhones. She explained that Samsung took Apple head on not for the purposes of entertainment but because the company itself is convinced it has superior products and consequently isn't afraid to be "bold" in its marketing endeavors. As for the future, Lee revealed that Samsung wants to put a bigger focus on appealing to millennials in order to keep the Galaxy brand in a "young and fresh mindset." The company also has big plans for wearable technology revolving around the idea of "evolving" Samsung wearables which change in accordance to the needs of their users.
Lee admits that all of the aforementioned endeavors require a constant influx of fresh minds with new ideas and perspectives but she believes Samsung has no problems with attracting the best young talent in the world due to the fact that it's a unique company which is both an established market leader and "very young in spirit." Nonetheless, she specifically pointed out that Samsung doesn't take its position for granted and will keep improving not only on the premium end where it competes with Apple but also in other markets where lower-end manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi have started making some waves in recent years. How will it do that? Same way it did so far – by "providing better value" to consumers, Lee revealed.


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A surge in imports and rise in oil prices have led to a record monthly trade deficit.
Official numbers show a deficit of $1.48 billion for August as imports came close to record levels with more money spent on oil and cars.
August is usually the weakest spot for exports because agricultural production has yet to pick up after winter.
The annual trade deficit worsened to $4.8b, the biggest since February 2009.
ASB senior rural economist Nathan Penny said monthly figures can be volatile, but he expected an improvement.
"In particular, agricultural production has started the new season on positive note on the back of favourable growing conditions and supportive prices in New Zealand dollar terms."
The New Zealand dollar has fallen 3 percent so far this year against the currencies of our main trade partners, which lifts the value of export earnings but also raises the cost of imports.
Mr Penny said the annual deficit should narrow gradually, and while imports were higher, much of the spending was on capital goods needed by businesses, rather than on consumer items.
He said one cloud on the trade horizon was the US - China dispute, where the world's two biggest economies have been imposing tariffs on each other's goods.
"The key risk is that demand for New Zealand exports slows as the trade tensions weigh on global sentiment and then global growth."


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09:04 | 04/12/2015 Cooperation
Vietnamese and Indian businesses gathered in Hanoi on December 2 to exchange information and seek partnerships.
A Vietnam - India business meeting in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2015 (Photo: VNA)
Organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the Vietnam-India Business Meeting saw the participation of 15 Indian companies.
Addressing the function, VCCI Vice President Hoang Quang Phong said that India is a big trade partner of Vietnam, with two-way trade hitting 5.6 billion USD in 2014. Indian businesses have so far poured about 300 million USD into 87 projects in Vietnam.
Vietnamese enterprises hope to receive technological support from India in the fields of tea processing, mining, information technology and heavy industry, which are India’s strengths, he said.
Indian businesses stated that India is a market of great potential and demand but bilateral trade and investment cooperation is yet to match both sides’ potential and meet their aspirations.
At the seminar, Indian firms operating in food processing, environmental pollution control, electronics, pharmaceuticals and mechanical engineering expressed their wish to study the Vietnamese market./.


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What is it about communication technology that we find so irresistible?
Sales of smartphones are exploding. In 2010 smartphones were 9% of Samsung’s cellphone sales; in 2012 the smartphone share is expected to be 50%. And then there is Apple. Apple sold 72 million iPhones in 2011. First quarter sales alone were 37 million phones in 2012. IPads are on a similar trajectory. Analysts estimate that total iPad sales may reach 100 million this year.
Have you seen Google’s latest project?
I have to admit, that looks pretty cool.
In a Wall Street Journal interview with Liz Gannes, All ThingsD reporter, Liz comments that these Google glasses might free us from the need to carry something around all the time. So awkward. How do we manage?
Sudeshna Sen, in his article Is it really important, what FB, Apple, Google will do next? in The Economic Times, is wary of techno-trends. “What I don’t like about all this gizmo fervour is the pressure it puts on people to keep up with the latest whatchamacallit…Last time I was in India, tech gizmos are what everyone in what is already an almost hysterically status-symbol society, was flashing.”
Why must we have smartphones and tablets (and, someday, Google’s glasses)? That is not a rhetorical question; I am honestly curious. Theoretically, we use smartphones because we need them. Technology that makes our lives easier is always attractive.
But, I’m sorry, the kid at the playground checking his smartphone in between sliding down a slide and climbing a tree (I observed this very phenomenon yesterday), does not need a smartphone. My husband knows of someone who recently arrived in this country, does not have a job, and has little means of support, but has bought a smartphone. I guess information is more necessary than food. Even sadder, a Chinese teenager recently sold his own kidney to buy an iPhone and an iPad.
Clearly, there is more to the wild popularity of smartphones than wise use of technology.
What hunger drives such behavior? Do smartphones satisfy a craving for status? Information? Communication? Entertainment? Importance?
We are living in an age of instant and immediately accessible information. Perhaps we measure our worth in an information age by our participation in the creation and appropriation of knowledge and data. Furthermore, taking notes on a yellow paper tablet on a conference room table full of iPads might cause uncomfortable status anxiety. And we all really do like new toys.
Our fascination with instant communication and access to unlimited information also strikes me as a little heady, like we really can know it all. In fact, Google’s mission is “… to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
If there were a tower of Babel today, this might be it.
Technology is a legitimate expression of human ingenuity and creativity. I believe God approves of our culture-creating efforts, and we should take full advantage of all that communication devices have to offer. However, as has been the case since the beginning of time, when we worship that which we create, we are in trouble.
With all due respect to Google, we will never grasp or gather all the world’s information. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29
I am truly interested in your thoughts about this trend. To what do you attribute the smartphone explosion? What do you think of Google’s prototypical glasses? If you own a smartphone, how do you use it? If you do not possess a smartphone, why not?
In the interest of full disclosure, I do not own a smartphone, because I do not need one. The iPad, however, is tempting.


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Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The Dubai-based port operator saw respective increases of 11.7 percent and 8.7 percent in attributable profits and container throughput for the year.
Businesses large and small and across many sectors share their views on the massive West Coast port cargo delays.
ILWU leader makes pitch for more training and 24-hour operations at the congested California port.
The German ocean carrier said its financial results were impacted by costs from merger with Chilean liner CSAV.
ConAgra and Lululemon said they expect shipment delays for several more months as a result of West Coast port congestion.
The new container service will connect ports in China, Taiwan and South Korea with Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile.


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German textile machinery company Karl Mayer Group has made a 3D printer combined with a warp knitted textile machine. This moves at 5 meters per second across a 2 meter by 1 meter build area depositing polyurethane and silicone. The company hopes to add labels and things like reinforcements selectively and on demand. It also envisages the production of performance enhancing strips to aid movement.
Kevin Johnson, Omid Veiseh and others at Rice have unveiled a 3D Printed mosquito testing system. Through 3D printing hydrogels in a transparent box and pointing cameras at it they have developed a solution that can be used to test the effectiveness of mosquito repellents in an automated way.
Double D Trailers is 3D printing horse trailers which are 25% lighter than traditional ones. It is using One/One as a designers and 3D Printers from Loci Robotics. Prints will take 20 hours and the design will save on emissions and reduce lead times for the firm.
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Rewind 2022: It was a year of the agile, innovator & challenger in digital
It’s time to review the most significant industry developments as the year 2022 draws to a close. Adgully is reviewing the year 2022 for the M&E, advertising, digital, marketing, PR, and communications, along with leading names in the industry as part of our annual Rewind series.
Recapping the year 2022 by taking insights from industry specialists and understanding the key developments in the Digital space in 2022, as well as how the digital industry has become a turning point for the brands.
Shantanu Bhattacharya SVP, Media Planning Strategy and Client Success, LS Digital:
For brands and retailers, the holiday season is one of the few constants in the shopping calendar. Through pandemics and inflation, you can always rely on consumers to splurge over the festive season. Tech has been adding another layer of communication to festive marketing for a few years now.
The promise of 5G has captured the attention of business leaders, policymakers, and the media. With the first true high-band 5G networks already live, we set out to take a realistic view of how and where connectivity could be deployed and what it can enable over the next 10 years. Existing connectivity technologies are expanding and evolving, with new standards that boost network performance – and they are much less capital-intensive. Building a more connected world could create substantial economic value, mostly enabled by advanced connectivity.
Companies have the focus on different stages of the marketing funnel – from acquiring new customers to retaining existing ones. Moreover, it made them invest more in social media (47%) website/ content marketing (44%), and advertising more on retail apps and websites (43%). You can strategise your budget as per your audience.
Angad Singh Manchanda, CEO & Co-founder, Chimp&z Inc:
Metaverse is the talk of the town. It will decentralise the monopoly that tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Instagram have enjoyed. Empowering the user and giving them more control over their data will require advertisers to work harder to ensure their message reaches the right audience. AI and ML will open new doors for brands to hyper-customise their messaging while cutting costs. This will eventually enable them to develop a genuine relationship with their customer, benefiting all the parties involved.
On the human side of things, influencer marketing is catching on in India. With the boom of user-generated content platforms continuing in the age of Web3, creators will get due credit. The popularity of micro and nano influencers will persist as macro influencers gravitate more towards sponsored collaborations and endorsements. Consumers have always hated being marketed at, so the smaller following of smaller influencers will be seen as more authentic and will have a sizeable impact. When you merge genuine content marketing efforts with short-form videos on almost every platform, you get a robust plan to take your brand to new heights.
Vivek Kumar Anand, Director - Business & Innovation, DViO Digital:
2022 has been a year of rapid change and adaptation in the marketing world. AI and ML-driven marketing platforms such as Google’s Performance Max campaigns and Meta’s Advantage+ shopping campaigns use AI and machine learning to improve your advertising strategy and reach valuable audiences with less set-up time and greater efficiency. The shift has been from intent-based buying pattern to discovery commerce.
It was a year of the agile, the innovator, and challenger. And brands and companies had always-on-plan to pivot won big. We as an agency scaled massively this year, and so do our clients such as Meesho, PhonePe, Excitel, Manipal U next, Aster online, and all others.
Zaiba Sarang, Co-founder, iThink Logistics:
2022 was a turning point for the logistics industry towards an efficiency-led industry. With the announcement of NLP, the government is focusing on building an integrated logistics infrastructure to improve seamless connectivity for all transportation modes. The new policy aims to increase the competitiveness of the industry by creating an ecosystem conducive to adopting modern e-commerce businesses and emerging D2C brands. The logistics industry is one of the most integral parts that will help the Indian economy achieve the $5 trillion mark. As we transport 65% of our goods and 80% of our passengers via roads, we needed MMLP to bridge the gap between inefficiencies in logistics and infrastructure. There were some bumps in the beginning, but with all these developments, we can expect steady growth and a directed path.
Rithesh R, Co-Founder, Deepsense Digital:
Digital marketing has always been the fastest growing industry. Today, with brands shifting from traditional marketing to digital marketing, in 2022, there was significant growth in the industry. In recent years, the use of the Internet has expanded, it is considerably more accessible and affordable to its target audience. This has in some way increased the demographic of digital marketing and given it a big edge. Influencer marketing is one of the most successful digital marketing trends that has seen a huge interest in the industry in the last couple of years. It has become a very effective marketing campaign for brands as it is not only effective and successful, but also affordable if we compare it with other digital marketing trends.
Ramya Ramachandran, Founder & CEO, Whoppl:
The year 2022 has been a game changer in the influencer and content marketing ecosystem, with more influencers getting added each day and creating content regardless of the region in India. Influencers/ creators are also turning entrepreneurs by building brands that align with their ethos and personalities; it is expected to grow multifold.
The recent implementation of influencer tax has further legitimised the monetisation of brand collaborations, despite ASCI guidelines regarding influencer mandates.
Vipul Kedia, Chief Data & Platforms Officer - Affle | Head - MAAS Platform India:
Digital advertising has been growing year-on-year, and particularly in India we see a growing appetite among brands to include digital channels in their media mix. Mobile-first behaviors that emerged in the last two years shaped the advertising ecosystem in India as digital transformation of the users catapulted demand for certain app verticals and usage of connected screens increased.
Many companies which didn’t invest as much in digital channels changed their strategy during the pandemic and drove adoption, which has continued well into 2022 as well. Those businesses that operated in the offline space also were quick to adopt the online models through web or mobile apps This has further fueled the growth in ad spends that went in digital channels.
Year 2022 was also a watershed moment for marketers in India to realize the importance of connected user journeys. While the world may have started to re-open, some of the digital behaviors we saw in the pandemic such as mobile payments, quick delivery of grocery, shop online and collect in store, are here to stay. So emphasis on personalization and omnichannel marketing becomes hard to ignore for today’s marketers. There is a lot more focus to know what happens after an app install or how the connected journeys of a user can impact conversions. Therefore, we see a lot more focus today on incremental measurement so that marketers can optimize and focus on what’s effective.


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PRIMARK has launched a new range of Harry Potter T-shirts – and they’re just £6.
Eager Harry Potter fans will need to get down to their nearest Primark store sharpish to nab up the Hogwarts themed tees – as fashionistas are already going mad for the designs online.
There are four T-shirts to choose from and each is emblazoned with one of the Hogwarts house’s coats of arms and name.
Primark posted a clip on Instagram of the the magical T-shirts and fans were quick to comment on the tops.
One wrote: “OMG!! I need this!!”
Hundreds of others have been tagging fellow fantasy fans in the comments section.
The post has been viewed nearly 250,000 times since it was posted just yesterday – so the shirts will likely fly off the shelves.
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So whether or not you fancy yourself a Gryffindor just like Harry, or you’re more of a Hufflepuff, you can wear your chosen house with pride.
The high street favourite is also stocking socks from £2.50 and other accessories as part of the Harry Potter collection, and even homeware items including duvet covers.
NEW Harry Potter duvet set from @primark These come in Single, Double and King size! This double set was £18! It's similar to the previous duvet set they released but this one is grey and black and the pillow cases have captions on them as opposed to the Hogwarts Crest! #harrypotter #harrypotterhome #harrypotterhouse #harrypotterprimark #primark #primania #primarkhome #primarkhomeware #primarkharrypotter #harrypotterbedroom #ootd #ootn #nerdhouse #fantasticbeasts #fantasticbeastsprimark #fantasticbeastsandwheretofindthem #potterhead #potterwatch #potterwatchuk


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"I think young people do want to be taken seriously," says Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, consumer advocate of the CFP Board trade group for financial planners. "They don't demand a lot time, and it will ultimately will come to pay off.
"Any advisor who is looking at the future will want to think about how to engage them." Read more >
December 2, 2013


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Vintage Choices burns in Selmer
The windows of a retail store in downtown Selmer are broken, and the inside of Vintage Choices has heavy damage after a fire started in the store late Friday afternoon.
Darrell Roberts, battalion chief with Selmer Fire Department, said crews were dispatched to the fire on East Court Avenue around 5 p.m.
“Heavy smoke was showing,” Roberts said. “It was a commercial building that has different furniture. It’s a consignment shop. It was an actual working structure fire.”
Roberts said that, due to the fire being in a commercial building in town, multiple fire crews from different counties and cities responded to assist.
“We had four ladder trucks, three counties, and 40-plus people,” he said.
Roberts said the fire itself was contained to Vintage Choices, but some neighboring buildings had smoke and water damage as a result of the fire.
“The fire was contained to the one building due to fire-brick walls, and there’s some smoke damage in the adjacent one, and a little water damage to the next one,” he said. “The rest of the block is good.”
No one was injured in the fire. Roberts said the store is a rental being used as a retail shop, and no one was inside at the time.
There is no indication what caused the fire, but Roberts said the fire is not currently considered suspicious.
The response from multiple counties is unusual under most circumstances, Roberts said, but having extra assistance is needed when crews respond to commercial building fires.
“We appreciate all the help from the county department, Bolivar, Savannah, Hardin County,” he said. “Any time a commercial building is going like this, you need all the help you can get.”
Roberts said the fire had minimal impact on travel through the area, with drivers using side roads to drive around Court Avenue.
“We’ve had the main street blocked, but cars have been detouring around the back streets,” he said.
Crews were still on Court Avenue at 9:30 p.m. Friday.