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Growth of online shopping makes supermarket change tactics
08 January 2014 - 10:55 by Mike Price
A number of major British supermarket chains are having to change the way they operate, to keep up with the demand for shopping online which is being exhibited by consumers, according to the Guardian.
Tesco, Asda and Waitrose are just three of the firms that are creating more of the so-called 'dark stores,' which are effectively warehouse facilities used to fulfil e-commerce orders placed by customers.
These retailers are anticipated to double the amount of floorspace they dedicate to managing online orders, indicating that yet more growth is anticipated in 2014.
At the moment a little under two million square feet of floorspace is occupied by dark stores, but by the end of the year, this will be significantly higher as interest in safe shopping online rises further.
One of the contributors to this significant expansion will be Morrisons, which is finally entering the online grocery market in 2014 and will be launching a pilot scheme in conjunction with Ocado this month, with national rollout anticipated in the first half of the year.
Figures from analyst firm, Verdict, show that while just 5.5 per cent of all grocery shopping was carried out online last year, this proportion rose to 15 per cent over the Christmas period.
Seasonal shifts aside, it is clear that British consumers are getting a taste for buying food online rather than heading to their local supermarket.
Being able to avoid queues and get the same great prices on the web makes the e-commerce experience all the more attractive. In addition, the growing levels of competition mean that major supermarkets are having to get creative in order to win over customers.
Morrisons' arrival on the market this year, coupled with the anticipated growth in the number of dark stores, should make online grocery orders more popular than ever.

domain: news


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Egypt takes the top spot in orange export rankings
Currency devaluation, improved quality, and surge in Chinese demand lift Egypt into number one position
Egypt has become the world’s largest exporter of oranges by volume, surpassing rivals Spain and South Africa, though these two countries still make much more in revenue from their orange exports.
According to a new report from Tridge, Egypt exported almost 1.8m tonnes of oranges in 2019/20, an increase of 9 per cent compared with the previous year, generating a revenue of US$660m.
The dramatic rise in exports over the past three
Study reveals new health benefits for grapes
Grape consumption benefits the gut microbiome and cholesterol metabolism
A new clinical study published in the scientific journal Nutrients has found that consuming grapes significantly increases the diversity of bacteria in the gut which is considered essential to good health.
Additionally, consuming grapes was shown to significantly decrease cholesterol levels, as well as bile acids which play an integral role in cholesterol metabolism. The findings suggest a promising new role for grapes in gut health and reinforce the benefits of grapes


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Yorkshire’s premium oud perfumery signs partnership deal with Leeds Utd
Scent Salim offers traditional Arabian oud products with a French twist, has several outlets as well an e-shop to promote, has been enjoying the sweet smell of success as it announces becoming a Gold Partner at the football club.
The company will be promoting its products at match day programmes, events and TV.
Scent Salim Director Yusuf Salim explains: “We have been looking into this for a while, as many Leeds Utd players and staff already shop at our outlets.
“We thought it will be a good opportunity to partner up with them formally.”
A spokesperson from Leeds United said: “We welcome a strong brand such as Scent Salim who have a great team and leader, and wish them all the success.”
The perfumery began when Ilyas Salim – the man behind Scent Salim, changed his career from working in the NHS.
With a personal love of oud fragrances, Ilyas built the business over a decade, and is one of a very few UK fragrance houses in the UK which sources its raw ingredients to manufacture the scents directly.
He now has stores in Leeds, Manchester, Batley, Bradford and Harrogate, as well as the wholesale and distribution side and the online shop.
Ilyas says: “Providing quality premium products and a service second-to-none is at the heart of what we do at Scent Salim.
“Maintaining our promise for fine products has helped grow the business into the success it is today. We have plans to expand and shops in London and Dubai on the horizon.”


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Wow! Amazon’s discounting over 2,000 Kindle ebooks in a huge Cyber Monday sale. “The Biggest Kindle Book Deal of the Year,” reads a new headline on their front page. And it links to a massive selection of discounted Kindle ebooks in nearly a dozen different categories.
O’Reilly Books — another online bookseller — is offering their own massive new sale through Tuesday, December 2nd: 50% off on every ebook. They focus more on technology titles, but they’re very popular with tech-savvy shoppers. And their ebooks can be uploaded onto a Kindle (or synced with online cloud services like Dropbox or Drive). They’re boasting that their ebooks are DRM-free — so it’s another great place to shop for ebook bargains.
I see 2,034 different titles listed on sale at Amazon.com — and it’s fun to see which one became the #1 best-selling ebook for this Cyber Monday sale. Currently it’s Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street by John Brooks, a contributor to The New Yorker. It was just published in 2014, so it’s a brand new book with a lot of “buzz” — but author Pat Conroy also land two of his novels on Amazon’s list of the best-selling ebooks for Cyber Monday. (Prince of Tides and The Great Santini.) And several other popular authors also have discounted ebooks on Amazon’s best-seller list today, including Michael Chabon, Carl Hiaasen, James Herriot.
Of course, Amazon is discounting more than ebooks today. There’s a separate web page for their other Cyber Monday Deals, which include and At one point they were selling Halo 4 (the popular videogame) for just $14.99 — and even if every copy gets “claimed,” there’s a wait list for more people who are also interested in the special price.
But even if you’re only interested in ebooks for your Kindle, today’s the one day of the year where they’ve discounted over 2,000 of them…


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Huawei Mate X possibly coming in June
Huawei Mate X, the first foldable phone by the Chinese company, is coming this year. Huawei has so far been pretty unclear about the exact launch date. Now, it seems that they have unintentionally spilled the beans.
On the website called Vmall, which is an online retailer run by Huawei, the company has posted the page offering the new phone. On the page, June 2019 was stated as the release date. What gives this possibility even more credibility is that the page was later removed.
Huawei Mate X is Huawei’s first foldable phone, and perhaps their first 5G device. Officially, it will come with quite a steep price of 2.300€. Its specs are no secret, so let’s go over them once again. The Mate X will be powered by a 7nm Snapdragon 855 chipset. In terms of memory, it will come with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. The main star of this phone, though, is its display. It will be a two-fold screen which, when unfolded, has the diagonal of 8″. This will all be fed with power by a huge 4.500 mAh battery.


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Following weeks of speculation, Apple today sent out invites for a media event that will be held on Monday, March 21 at the company’s Town Hall auditorium located on its 1 Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, As with most Apple media events, it will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Several products are expected to be showcased at the event, including the new 9.7-inch iPad, the 4-inch iPhone SE, and new Apple Watch bands. There’s also a possibility that some Mac refreshes could be announced as the time is right for updates, but there have been no rumors confirming that is the case.
The event will be live-streamed via apple.com/apple-events/march-2016.
Headlining the event will be the 4-inch iPhone SE and a new 9.7-inch iPad. Rumors suggest the iPhone SE will look nearly identical to the iPhone 5s, but it will include new internal hardware that brings it in line with newer Apple devices. It is rumored to have an A9 chip, an improved camera, and NFC support for use with Apple Pay.
The new 9.7-inch iPad has been referred to as the iPad Air 3, but recent rumors have suggested it may instead be branded as an iPad Pro. The device is said to include many iPad Pro features, like a four-speaker design, a Smart Connector for connecting accessories, and display improvements for Apple Pencil support. It may also be the first iPad to feature a rear LED flash.
Apple says that the stream will begin at 10:00 AM PDT. It will be available to everyone who is using an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, a Mac, and an Apple TV. It will also be available to the folks that are running a Windows 10-based machine, too, thanks to Microsoft’s new Edge web browser.
Apple Sends Invites for March 21 Media Event ‘Let us loop you in’


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This week is a mixed bag of charity, food and video games in our weekly showcase of The Dachis Group’s Social Business Index.
Our focus is on three well-known brands – UNICEF, Nintendo and Domino’s – as analyzed by the team at the Dachis Group.
We’ll also take a glimpse at the top twenty brands on the Social Business Index, a real-time ranking of more than 30,000 global brands based on their performance in the social space, to see how the biggest brands in social are faring.
Analyzed by Lauren Picarello
UNICEF’s mission is to build a world where the rights of every child are realized. Over the past week, activities from the nonprofit’s Facebook page led the rise in its social activity across the web. Last Friday UNICEF posted a vintage photo from a mission that the organization embarked upon years ago and it received over 6,000 likes and over 800 shares.
Whether it’s a video to garner support for Syrian refugees, recognition for high-profile supporters like Novak Djokovic or relevant articles like this one from the New York Times that support UNICEF’s mission, the organization is in constant contact with its supporters with super relevant and meaningful updates across the board.
Analyzed by Ahmed Khamash
Even though the console was first announced in 2011, Nintendo has been ramping up their social content efforts, especially on Facebook, to build anticipation and excitement for the launch of it’s next generation gaming console, the Wii U. The Nintendo Facebook page has been posting preview videos, in-game images, and even kiosk and event locations where fans can try the Wii U before they buy.
The gaming community, an already passionate group, have engaged heavily with each Facebook post. They have been excitedly discussing the new console and games in each post’s comments, and more importantly, sharing each post with their own social networks. This high amount of engagement and amplification has expanded the reach of Nintendo’s message beyond just their immediate social communities, and helped fuel the excitement ahead of one of the most anticipated product launches in gaming.
Expect Nintendo to rise again in the rankings next week as excitement continues to increase and consumers start to share their initial experiences with their shiny new toy.
Analyzed by Kelly Kriegshauser
If there’s one thing Americans can all agree on, it’s our love for pizza. Domino’s knows it too. That’s why their social accounts are covered in photos of delicious pizza with consistently high levels of engagement.
Their post on November 6th – Election Day, was particularly strong. They call out the “I voted” stickers that American voters so proudly wear after they’ve voted, and posted a picture of an uncooked pizza with toppings that write out “I voted”. Asking fans, “Stickers are cool, but wouldn’t you LOVE getting one of these when you exit the voting booth?” About 6,000 fans said yes by liking that post and 208 thought it was so great, they shared the photo with their Facebook friends.
If one brand took the excitement of Election Day and turned it into its own, it’s Domino’s. Because really, who wouldn’t want one of their amazing pizzas rather than a sticker? Bring on the za!
Editors note: The Social Business Index, a free ranking compiled by The Dachis Group, is based on the analysis of conversations on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social platforms. The index is based on the execution and effectiveness of businesses at driving outcomes such as brand awareness, content sharing, and advocacy.


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Chinese internet giant Baidu predicted continued revenue gains in the current quarter after recording 25 per cent growth in Q1, hitting the upper band of a forecast made in February.
The company expects revenue in the current period to be between CNY29.7 billion ($4.6 billion) and CNY32.5 billion, 14 per cent to 25 per cent higher than Q2 2020, with its core business to growing by 20 per cent to 33 per cent.
On its earnings call, CFO Herman Yu said Baidu will continue to invest heavily in sales, R&D and operations to support the rapid growth of its AI-powered business, and expects AI cloud increases to accelerate.
Net profit in Q1 grew from CNY41 million in 2020 to CNY25.6 billion, with revenue of CNY28.1 billion.
Online marketing revenue grew 27 per cent to CNY16.3 billion, which Yu said was driven by 30 per cent growth in the Baidu App.
Non-marketing turnover grew 70 per cent to CNY4.2 billion, with AI cloud sales up 55 per cent to CNY2.8 billion and video streaming platform iQIYI up 4 per cent to CNY8 billion despite a loss of 13.6 million subscribers, closing March with 105.3 million.
Monthly active users increased 58 per cent to 558 million.
R&D expenses rose 15 per cent to CNY5.1 billion.


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Cardi B and Queer Eye influence online fashion shoppers as social commerce takes hold
Social commerce platform Poshmark has revealed some of the biggest trends seen in its community in 2018, naming the year’s biggest influencers and product categories, while also charting the rise of a new kind of online shopping.
American rapper Cardi B proved to be one of the biggest influences on the app’s community, with listings of Fashion Nova apparel increasing 195% on the platform following her collaboration with the brand, and purchases rising 210%.
Hit Netflix series Queer Eye also had a hand in driving trends on the platform, with purchases of Tan France-approved short-sleeve button-down shirts increasing 206% in 2018, while the graphic tees favored by Antoni Porowski and Karamo Brown’s signature bomber jacket saw purchases rise 207% and 129%, respectively.
The Markle Effect was in full swing on Poshmark last year as well, with purchases of pieces worn by the Duchess of Sussex spiking in popularity. Purchases of Aquazzura heels, for example, rose 151% in 2018, with Mulberry and Givenchy clutches (83%) and pin-striped blouses (116%) also doing well out of their association with the stylish royal.
Elsewhere, perennial influencers the Kardashians helped boost the popularity of bike shorts and 80s-inspired spandex, which saw a 50% increase in listings and a 63% rise in purchases on Poshmark.
Products seeing the biggest increases in purchases on the app include men’s Off-White sneakers – up 1,916%, women’s teddy coats (688%,) women’s Gucci Marmont Belts (591%), fanny packs (354%) and acrylic earrings (298%).
As a leader in social commerce, Poshmark also has access to some revealing data concerning its users’ interactions around products. Dresses were by far the buzziest pieces in 2018, racking up 862 million shares, 66.5 million likes and 12.4 million comments on the platform.
In second place, makeup generated 140.3 million shares, 21.2 million likes and 4.1 million comments, while crossbody bags rounded out the top three with 90.9 million shares, 15 million likes, and 3.1 million comments.
As pointed out by Poshmark, these interactions are far from inconsequential, as 74% of millennials included in a recent survey say that social media influences their shopping, while 72% of shoppers make purchases based on products they have seen on Instagram.
The company further highlighted that $6.5 billion was generated via social shopping by the top 500 retailers in 2017.
It’s certainly a model which seems to be working for Poshmark, where a sale is made almost every second and 78% of transactions involve a social interaction.
“In essence, social commerce leverages the human interactions prominent on social networks to power more personal, immersive transactions and drive an unparalleled shopping experience,” explained Poshmark founder and CEO Manish Chandra in a press release. “It allows conversations to happen around purchases – things like fit, color and size – that just aren’t possible in other e-commerce models.”
The platform, which launched in 2011, currently boasts 40 million community members and 5 million sellers.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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While on the road recently I was visiting with a marketer who mentioned that Wal-Mart is (no shock here) seeking to increase the percentage of its customers who buy fresh produce when they visit supercenters and other formats.
How Wal-Mart will do this is an open question. The first question is this: what percent of Wal-Mart shoppers currently buy fresh produce? I’ve created a poll question on the LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group about just that; find it here.
After my recent coverage of Wal-Mart’s out of stock issue, I ask all readers an honest question: Can Wal-Mart move the fresh produce demand needle for the customers it already has? If so, how? Can the chain create a more upscale image in the department?
A few critics are unsparing in their criticism of Wal-Mart because of its apparent quest to be something it is not.
Economist Desmond O’Rourke noted that Wal-Mart has enthusiastically embraced initiatives like buying local, fighting obesity and combating food deserts by placing stores in underserved areas. O’Rourke said the perception is that the global chain bounces from initiative to initiative for public relations purposes. “You never can tell how much (buying local) is actually going to happen,” O’Rourke said. “A lot of that is for show.”
O’Rourke’s said Wal-Mart’s push for sustainability has turned out to be a “mine field” because of the complexity of the measurements.
Is Wal-Mart overthinking?
As one retail observer told me, Wal-Mart is a place where people go to buy stuff. It is not Whole Foods.
Its seems a reasonable conclusion that company executives should increase focus on selling more stuff – including fresh produce – and worry less about trendy public relations initiatives.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s twitter account sent me a direct message the other day urging me to retweet a blog post from their site. I gladly complied, especially after visiting the post called “Helping produce businesses in many ways”
One of the things I picked up on while reading the blog was news of a June 27 web seminar to help companies get a better understanding of the agency's procurement process. Called “Learn How to Sell Fruits and Vegetables to USDA,” the session will cover what products the agency buyers and how to participate in the process.
Register for that web seminar here
I also read about a new wrinkle from the USDA market news service called the Custom Average Tool. From USDA:
This new tool makes it easy to view average price trends over a period of time, select a range of data desired, download data in a spreadsheet, and much more. Choosing which varieties or products to carry and what the price levels might be at a given time of year are easier for a wholesaler to determine when they can easily visualize average price trends compared to movement in a dashboard.
Sounds very useful to buyers and sellers, not to mention trade journalists....
Follow me on twitter at @tckarst.
Join the Packer Market social site


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Mounted by tech giant MSI-ECS, the CXO Innovation Summit offers the right mix of leisure, discussions, and sessions all to strengthen the relationship of key stakeholders in the enterprise technology and ICT arenas as we all face the next wave of digital transformation.
CXO Innovation Summit empowers CIOs by offering proven solutions and best practices for various industries and business areas not only to promote competitiveness but also to help facilitate digital transformation efficiently and effectively.
On Day One of the summit, I got the chance to listen to the keynote presentations of six executives from top-level global technology companies who discussed the latest solutions that they are currently offering to enterprise consumers and even to local governments.
I even recorded key sections of their talks – some, even in full – so I could share them to those who are interested in topics that they discussed.
Ms. Zdravka Paskaleva Newman, Regional Lead of Cisco for Smart Cities, talked about the company’s solutions called Cisco Kinetic that can help in the continuing journey of creating smart cities. Cisco Kinetic is utilizes digital technology through IoT sensors and cameras to enhance, protect, and connect the lives of citizens.
For those who are curious about how this platform works, Ms. Newman even gave a demonstantion on how the platform currently works in various smart cities around around the world including Jaipur in India and Barcelona in Spain.
Mr. Lope Doromal Jr. – Chief Technologist & Client Technical Adviser, IBM Philippines Inc. – talked about Blockchain which is essentially an advanced tool to record and manage transactions of various users and agencies in the same network in a secure and reliable manner.
In the video above, Mr. Doromal shared a practical use of IBM Blockchain Solution in the Philippine scenario as in the case of OFW Remittances.
Mr. Tarun Gupta, Regional Solutions Architect at Trend Micro, talked about False Horizons and Strategies for Enterprise Security.
For enterprise security professionals who want to always know the latest solutions in their field, I recorded the entirety of his presentation, which you can watch in the video above.
Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies is currently one of the leaders in creating products that are powered by AI.
Huawei’s AI portfolio includes its all-new Ascend Series of AI processors, which are the world’s first AI IP and chip series designed for a full range of products and scenarios.
Mr. Patrick Low, Principal Architect at the CTO Office of Huawei Enterprise Business Group, talked about the different AI technologies that the company is offering to the enterprise market.
For CIOs in companies focusing on “Internet of Things”, Mr. Nitin Vig – Service Provider Architect of Juniper for the Asia Pacific Region – talked about Enterprise Network Transformation for IoT
You can watch his 40-minute long Keynote Presentation in the video above.
Finally, Mr. Jay Tuseth, Chief Strategy Officer at the Modern Data Centre of Dell EMC for Asia Pacific and Japan, talked about Digital Transformation.
According to him, Dell Digital Technology puts technology at the center of a company or organization’s products and services to help improve its operations and to competitively differentiate itself, which can in turn benefit its customers.
In mounting the first CXO Innovation Summit, Mr. Jimmy Go – President and CEO of MSI-ECS – shared, “One of the key advantages of MSI-ECS is that we represent the top, the biggest, and the most reputable brands in the industry. We represent the whole suite of all important solutions in the ICT industry. [As regards attendants of CXO], we more than met our target; We want to be exposed to as many companies as possible. A lot of them came from Metro Manila; Some came from Cebu; Some came from Davao — so it’s a variety of companies. For the speakers, we have very good ones; Some came from Hong Kong; Some came from Singapore. I think the attendees are very happy with the speakers.”


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Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, 11:42 AM
An impartial member of APCO Holding’s board of administrators now’s taking over an govt position for the supplier and administrator of F&I merchandise and residential to the EasyCare and GWC Guarantee manufacturers.
Based on a information launch, APCO Holdings introduced that Scot Eisenfelder has been named senior vice chairman of technique and planning. With in depth expertise within the automotive business, the corporate mentioned Eisenfelder will information APCO Holdings in creating company plans for enterprise improvement and aligning firm technique and priorities with present and future enterprise wants.
APCO Holdings highlighted that Eisenfelder has pushed development throughout a number of automotive sectors for greater than 25 years. Beforehand, Eisenfelder served as govt chairman and chief govt officer of Affinitiv, driving change in automotive retention advertising and execution, in addition to senior vice chairman of technique at AutoNation the place he led important initiatives to drive retail innovation.
Earlier than these posts, Eisenfelder led JM Household’s seller software program enterprise and was senior vice chairman of product administration, technique and advertising at Reynolds and Reynolds, delivering worthwhile development for each firms.
“Scot’s broad expertise within the automotive retail market and his understanding of our buyer base will likely be an amazing asset,” APCO Holdings chairman and chief govt officer Fin O’Neill mentioned within the information launch.
“As we proceed to capitalize on our breadth of capabilities and depth of expertise, Scot’s management will assist us additional solidify our business management place, speed up our development, and strengthen our capacity to carry revolutionary options to our companions,” O’Neill continued.
Commenting about his subsequent skilled problem, Eisenfelder mentioned, “APCO is a real business chief. I’m excited by the chance to affix the management crew and contribute to creating strategic initiatives that help APCO’s mission to ship robust F&I options for the auto business.”
“It’s an honor to affix such a excessive performing group with a powerful heritage of service to their clients,” he went on to say.


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Britain's biggest TV and net firms used Luxembourg loophole to avoid £80million in tax
- Virgin Media, Sky and Talk Talk set up companies in Luxembourg to benefit from VAT rates as low as three per cent
- The three firms all claimed that because the businesses had no presence in the UK, they were effectively importing from Luxembourg.
Britain's biggest broadband and cable companies avoided almost £80 million in tax by sending customer payments through Luxembourg.
Virgin Media, Sky and Talk Talk set up companies in Luxembourg to supply British customers and benefit from VAT rates as low as three per cent.
The three firms all claimed that because their Luxembourg businesses had no presence in the UK, they were effectively importing from Luxembourg.
Loophole: Sky was one of Britain's three biggest broadband and cable companies to set up companies in Luxembourg to supply British customers and benefit from a lower VAT rate
VAT is charged according to where a supplier is rather than where the customer is.
Virgin Media routed payments for premium sports and movie channels through the tiny country, with its customers paying a company called Future Entertainment SARL.
Accounts for Future Entertainment show that it took £350 million from British bill-payers in 2009 and 2010.
As Luxembourg has a 3 per cent VAT rate for broadcasting, Virgin was able to cut its liability by £50 million.
Sky ran its broadband service through a company called Sky Broadband SA. Accounts show it took almost £1 billion for supplying broadband connections and telephone lines over four years from 2006.
This business, subject to 15 per cent VAT in Luxembourg, is understood to have saved the company £15 million in tax.
Talk Talk ran its AOL Broadband service through a Luxembourg company called TPH Services, taking nearly £1 billion in revenue in the three years it operated from 2006 and allowing it also to save around £15 million.
In 2009, HM Revenue & Customs issued a statement saying it was planning to crack down on internet service providers diverting payments from British consumers to other EU countries to pay lower rates of VAT.
Lower VAT: Virgin media also set up companies in Luxembourg in order to avoid tax
The statement said the tax office would ‘mount a robust challenge’ if it could prove the Luxembourg companies were a front for business that was really taking place in Britain.
A Virgin spokesman said the tax authority had been ‘kept informed’ of its set-up. The company is in the process of closing Future Entertainment.
But HMRC has not challenged either Sky or Talk Talk’s Luxembourg arrangements.
Sky closed its Luxembourg firm soon after the tax man’s announcement, while Talk Talk moved its AOL business back to the UK shortly before.
The Luxembourg VAT loophole is set to be closed in 2015, when the tax will be charged according to where a consumer is.
Stephen Coleclough, a VAT expert at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers, said that tax authorities had struggled to challenge the arrangements. ‘These companies don’t have anything in the UK. It’s part of the same debate about how you tax companies that are everywhere but nowhere.’
In the case of the broadband providers, sales staff in the UK would have worked for other companies for which the Luxembourg businesses paid a fee.
Savings: Talk Talk ran its AOL broadband service through a Luxembourg company called TPH Services
The Sky business employed fewer than ten people, while Talk Talk’s business employed 11 in 2009. Virgin’s Future Entertainment SARL had 14 staff in 2010.
A Virgin Media spokesman said: ‘We moved supply back to the UK in 2011 to help deliver greater operational benefits.’
A Talk Talk spokesman said: ‘We never set up a Luxembourg business. We acquired a business then brought it to the UK.’
A Sky spokesman added: ‘Sky is a British business providing more than 20,000 jobs and contributing more than £1 billion a year in tax.’
HMRC said it had successfully challenged some Luxembourg set-ups and had been ‘instrumental’ in pushing for the 2015 rules change.
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17-20 November 2017 $7,600-8,100 Briefly topped at USD $8004.59/BTC at 01:14:11 UTC before retreating from highs. At 05:35 UTC on 20 November 2017 it stood at USD$7,988.23/BTC according to CoinDesk. This surge in bitcoin may be related to developments in the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état. The market reaction in one bitcoin exchange is alarming as 1 BTC topped nearly US$13,500, just shy of 2 times the value of the International market.
Legal Gray Area. Major governments have largely remained on the sidelines, and this has created both a sense of potential and apprehension for Bitcoin proponents and critics respectively. Bitcoin isn’t backed by a regulatory agency and a government would technically be ceding power by supporting a decentralized currency. This has been largely officially unaddressed. Bitcoin’s price, however, tends to be very sensitive to any news concerning the US government’s opinion of cryptocurrencies. For example, when the SEC denied the approval of bitcoin-based exchange-traded-products—essentially bitcoin-backed assets on the stock market—in 2017, Bitcoin’s price dropped 18%. Yet while the price and adoption of Bitcoin would be affected by government action, governments are unable to criminalize Bitcoin. In fact, governments such as the United States and China have invested in it at some capacity.
Jump up ^ Mooney, Chris; Mufson, Steven (19 December 2017). "Why the bitcoin craze is using up so much energy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018. several experts told The Washington Post that bitcoin probably uses as much as 1 to 4 gigawatts, or billion watts, of electricity, roughly the output of one to three nuclear reactors.
“It has long been thought that for something to be a useful currency, it needs to be a stable source of value, and bitcoin is anything but. It’s not used for a lot of transactions, it’s not a stable source of value, and it’s not an efficient means of processing payments. It’s very slow in handling payments. It has difficulty because of its very decentralized nature.”
On 6 August 2010, a major vulnerability in the bitcoin protocol was spotted. Transactions weren't properly verified before they were included in the transaction log or blockchain, which let users bypass bitcoin's economic restrictions and create an indefinite number of bitcoins. On 15 August, the vulnerability was exploited; over 184 billion bitcoins were generated in a transaction, and sent to two addresses on the network. Within hours, the transaction was spotted and erased from the transaction log after the bug was fixed and the network forked to an updated version of the bitcoin protocol. This was the only major security flaw found and exploited in bitcoin's history.
The concept of a virtual currency is still novel and, compared to traditional investments, Bitcoin doesn't have much of a longterm track record or history of credibility to back it. With their increasing use, bitcoins are becoming less experimental every day, of course; still, after eight years, they (like all digital currencies) remain in a development phase, still evolving. "It is pretty much the highest-risk, highest-return investment that you can possibly make,” says Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group, which builds and invests in Bitcoin and blockchain companies.
Prior to the release of bitcoin there were a number of digital cash technologies starting with the issuer based ecash protocols of David Chaum and Stefan Brands. Adam Back developed hashcash, a proof-of-work scheme for spam control. The first proposals for distributed digital scarcity based cryptocurrencies were Wei Dai's b-money and Nick Szabo's bit gold. Hal Finney developed reusable proof of work (RPOW) using hashcash as its proof of work algorithm.
Several news outlets have asserted that the popularity of bitcoins hinges on the ability to use them to purchase illegal goods. Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says that bitcoin's anonymity encourages money laundering and other crimes, "If you open up a hole like bitcoin, then all the nefarious activity will go through that hole, and no government can allow that." He's also said that if "you regulate it so you couldn’t engage in money laundering and all these other [crimes], there will be no demand for Bitcoin. By regulating the abuses, you are going to regulate it out of existence. It exists because of the abuses."
On 1 August 2017, a hard fork of bitcoin was created, known as Bitcoin Cash. Bitcoin Cash has a larger block size limit and had an identical blockchain at the time of fork. On 24 October 2017 another hard fork, Bitcoin Gold, was created. Bitcoin Gold changes the proof-of-work algorithm used in mining, as the developers felt that mining had become too specialized.
Satoshi's anonymity often raises unjustified concerns because of a misunderstanding of Bitcoin's open-source nature. Everyone has access to all of the source code all of the time and any developer can review or modify the software code. As such, the identity of Bitcoin's inventor is probably as relevant today as the identity of the person who invented paper.
Market Risk: Like with any investment, Bitcoin values can fluctuate. Indeed, the value of the currency has seen wild swings in price over its short existence. Subject to high volume buying and selling on exchanges, it has a high sensitivity to “news." According to the CFPB, the price of bitcoins fell by 61% in a single day in 2013, while the one-day price drop in 2014 has been as big as 80%.
Nobody owns the Bitcoin network much like no one owns the technology behind email or the Internet. Bitcoin transactions are verified by Bitcoin miners which has an entire industry and Bitcoin cloud mining options. While developers are improving the software they cannot force a change in the Bitcoin protocol because all users are free to choose what software and version they use.
According to The New York Times, libertarians and anarchists were attracted to the idea. Early bitcoin supporter Roger Ver said: "At first, almost everyone who got involved did so for philosophical reasons. We saw bitcoin as a great idea, as a way to separate money from the state." The Economist describes bitcoin as "a techno-anarchist project to create an online version of cash, a way for people to transact without the possibility of interference from malicious governments or banks".
Bitcoin has become more widely traded as of 2017, and both short term traders and long-term investors are looking to participate in this exciting market. The price of bitcoin fluctuates on a daily basis, and can see some significant price volatility. Prices can be affected by numerous influences. Some of the possible drivers of price include: further acceptance, more exchanges opening, regulations, weakening paper currency values, inflation and more.
The use of bitcoin by criminals has attracted the attention of financial regulators, legislative bodies, law enforcement, and the media. In the United States, the FBI prepared an intelligence assessment, the SEC issued a pointed warning about investment schemes using virtual currencies, and the U.S. Senate held a hearing on virtual currencies in November 2013. The U.S. government claimed that bitcoin was used to facilitate payments related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
Though Bitcoin was not designed as a normal equity investment (no shares have been issued), some speculative investors were drawn to the digital money after it appreciated rapidly in May 2011 and again in November 2013. Thus, many people purchase bitcoin for its investment value rather than as a medium of exchange. But their lack of guaranteed value and digital nature means the purchase and use of bitcoins carries several inherent risks. Many investor alerts have been issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and other agencies.
The price of bitcoins has gone through cycles of appreciation and depreciation referred to by some as bubbles and busts. In 2011, the value of one bitcoin rapidly rose from about US$0.30 to US$32 before returning to US$2. In the latter half of 2012 and during the 2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis, the bitcoin price began to rise, reaching a high of US$266 on 10 April 2013, before crashing to around US$50. On 29 November 2013, the cost of one bitcoin rose to a peak of US$1,242. In 2014, the price fell sharply, and as of April remained depressed at little more than half 2013 prices. As of August 2014 it was under US$600. During their time as bitcoin developers, Gavin Andresen and Mike Hearn warned that bubbles may occur.
Bitcoin (BTC) is a cryptocurrency which is regarded as the world’s first decentralized digital currency. It was created by a pseudonymous person or persons named Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009 and has since gone on to become the world’s most popular cryptocurrency by market cap. Bitcoin is a deflationary currency whose issuance is capped at a total supply of 21 million coins. Each Bitcoin can be divided into one million units, with the smallest unit of 0.00000001 known as a satoshi in homage to its creator. The distributed public ledger that Bitcoin uses to record transactions is known as a blockchain and Bitcoin can be spent at over 100,000 online merchants and can also be held as an investment. Bitcoin is traded for fiat and other cryptocurrencies on various exchanges but can also be used to facilitate p2p transactions. Each transaction incurs a small transaction fee to cover the cost of sending Bitcoin over the blockchain ledger, with the fee going to miners tasked with keeping the network secure.
In January 2014, Zynga announced it was testing bitcoin for purchasing in-game assets in seven of its games. That same month, The D Las Vegas Casino Hotel and Golden Gate Hotel & Casino properties in downtown Las Vegas announced they would also begin accepting bitcoin, according to an article by USA Today. The article also stated the currency would be accepted in five locations, including the front desk and certain restaurants. The network rate exceeded 10 petahash/sec. TigerDirect and Overstock.com started accepting bitcoin.
On 19 June 2011, a security breach of the Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange caused the nominal price of a bitcoin to fraudulently drop to one cent on the Mt. Gox exchange, after a hacker used credentials from a Mt. Gox auditor's compromised computer illegally to transfer a large number of bitcoins to himself. They used the exchange's software to sell them all nominally, creating a massive "ask" order at any price. Within minutes, the price reverted to its correct user-traded value. Accounts with the equivalent of more than US$8,750,000 were affected.
The overwhelming majority of bitcoin transactions take place on a cryptocurrency exchange, rather than being used in transactions with merchants. Delays processing payments through the blockchain of about ten minutes make bitcoin use very difficult in a retail setting. Prices are not usually quoted in units of bitcoin and many trades involve one, or sometimes two, conversions into conventional currencies. Merchants that do accept bitcoin payments may use payment service providers to perform the conversions.
Bitcoins can be accepted as a means of payment for products sold or services provided. If you have a brick and mortar store, just display a sign saying “Bitcoin Accepted Here” and many of your customers may well take you up on it; the transactions can be handled with the requisite hardware terminal or wallet address through QR codes and touch screen apps. An online business can easily accept bitcoins by just adding this payment option to the others it offers, like credit cards, PayPal, etc. Online payments will require a Bitcoin merchant tool (an external processor like Coinbase or BitPay).
Bitcoin is a new currency that was created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Transactions are made with no middle men – meaning, no banks! Bitcoin can be used to book hotels on Expedia, shop for furniture on Overstock and buy Xbox games. But much of the hype is about getting rich by trading it. The price of bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017.
No one knows. Not conclusively, at any rate. Satoshi Nakamoto is the name associated with the person or group of people who released the original Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and worked on the original Bitcoin software that was released in 2009. The Bitcoin protocol requires users to enter a birthday upon signup, and we know that an individual named Satoshi Nakamoto registered and put down April 5 as a birth date. And that's about it.


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BUENA PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Porto's Bakery, a popular Southern California Cuban chain, will be opening its very first location in Orange County on Wednesday.
The ovens were heating up and last-minute preps were underway for the grand opening of its new Buena Park location, located at 7640 Beach Boulevard.
The ribbon cutting ceremony at the 25,000 square foot location will kick off at 10 a.m. Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia was expected to appear.
Owner Margarita Navarro said the excitement keeps building as loyal customers gather outside the restaurant.
"It's tremendous, the support we get from our customers. They'll come out here from everywhere just to be here with us and support us because it's like family," she said.
The restaurant was set to open to the public at noon, following the opening ceremony.
Porto's is popular for its Cuban sandwiches, their famous potato balls and other savory pastries. Its other locations can be found in Downey, Burbank and Glendale.
Porto's Bakery opening new location in Buena Park
More TOP STORIES News


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Netscape has had to pull its much-vaunted Netcaster push technology from Communicator, on the eve of the Internet client suite's release this week.
The omission is an embarrassment to the company, which triumphantly proclaimed in April that it was a year ahead of rival Microsoft in the push technology race. Netcaster, which offers channels for the provision of push technology to the desktop, is the key plank in that strategy. Previously codenamed Constellation, the product was originally not scheduled to appear until September, but was brought forward in April and planned to be incorporated into the Communicator release this week.
Speaking to PC Week in April, Sam Sethi, Netscape marketing manager, declared: "The proof is in what you deliver, not what you say. This is not slideware." Sethi was not available for comment last week.
However, Stephen Voller, Netscape's UK managing director, said: "I don't think this will really hurt us. The delay will not impact our customers, and we are still ahead of Microsoft."
Voller confirmed the delay was the result of bugs in the software. There were signs Netcaster could be late when the Communicator beta was posted to the web last month without the push component. Netcaster went into beta testing several months after the rest of the Communicator client.
Netcaster will now ship separately to the Communicator 4.0 package, although exactly when has yet to be announced. Users will have to download it as a separate add-in. Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0 browser, which is due to ship this summer, is intended have push capabilities built-in.
Communicator, the next generation of Netscape's Navigator client software, has been put back until the start of the company's annual DevCon developer conference, in San Jose, California, this week.
Also at the conference, Netscape will release the latest version of its SuiteSpot server range. SuiteSpot 3.0, comprising nine servers, will debut the Collabra server, a groupware component and the fruit of Netscape's acquisition of Collabra.
DevCon: what's new
New products at DevCon:
Communicator 4.0 - next generation of the Netscape Navigator browser. Will not include Netcaster push component. Price: $59 (u37).
SuiteSpot 3.0 - latest release of Netscape web server range. Made up of nine servers, including the Collabra server, a groupware product for the first time. Price: $4,995.
Mission Control 4.0 - new set of tools for the centralised configuration, distribution and administration of the Communicator client throughout an organisation. Price: $1,995.
Cotton seedling freezes to death as Chang'e-4 shuts down for the Moon's 14-day lunar night
Fortnite easily out-earns PUBG, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018
Meteor showers as a service will be visible for about 100 kilometres in all directions
Saturn's rings only formed in the past 100 million years, suggests analysis of Cassini space probe data
New findings contradict conventional belief that Saturn's rings were formed along with the planet about 4.5 billion years ago


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Fresh ideas came to the social network leader in creativity, as the model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova will occupy the position of Head of Aspiration for the application, an arduous task that will put to Natalia to unveil its greater gifts of creativity and inspiration. The job of this job is to bring innovative ideas to the company, of which he is also an advisory member of the company.
As soon as this news was known, PicsArt took advantage of its twitter account to tweet the following: “Let’s give a warm welcome to #PicsArt’s newest member, supermodel and philanthropist, @natasupernova!”. Subsequently, the CEO of this app called Hovhannes Avoyan, gave his statements personally about this sublime arrival. “We are thrilled to welcome a talent and role model like Natalia into our family… Natalia has been deeply involved in bringing creative inspiration to the world through fashion and social commitment. She’ll help connect the fashion world and the brands and charities she works with to our creative community of 90 million monthly active users, for remixing and inspiration”, said Avoyan.
Natalia Vondanova also offered her impressions on this new stage in her life, “I’m excited to be part of a community where social sharing finally meets real engagement. PicsArt users collectively contribute millions of images a day, in a true celebration of love and colors that goes well beyond scrolling and liking. I see in it the power to ignite concrete change and bring visibility to very important causes”, said the supermodel, also added the following: “I’m joining PicsArt because I believe people are capable of the most amazing things when they have full freedom and creativity in their hands and a purpose to apply them to. When users become aware of their collaborative power, engagement grows naturally.”
This will be a fundamental opportunity for Natalia, since she has demonstrated to possess certain faculties for the social activism, creativity and proactivity. In addition to an opportunity, it is a challenge, as this is a new stage in your life. His great vision and love for the photos and the same peculiar creativity. He has also shown that his influence on social networks goes beyond his beautiful photos, but in addition, his support for non-profit campaigns has given him altruistic and very human qualifications.
For example, at the end of 2016, Natalia participated and contributed to the standardization campaign for breastfeeding, with the hashtag #TreeOfLife, which had important influences and results.
PicsArt is a community with more than 400 million members worldwide, and now, all that amount of people will be fueled by the ideas that Natalia Vondanova provides, which are already being glimpsed, with the creation of stickers in her profile of PicsArt , and in turn, has succinctly proposed challenges and events worldwide.
The best is expected with Natalia at the head of the factory of ideas in this company, you just have to wait to see what the first innovations will be and also, if these will be more pleased than displeasure.


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updated 01:25 pm EDT, Fri August 21, 2009
MSI Athlon Neo notebooks
Taiwan-based MSI may launch ultra-thin notebooks with AMD's Yukon platform for Athlon Neo processors as early as October, say industry sources. Digitimes reported on Friday that the PC maker has finished its testing of the notebooks but has not yet decided on a launch date as other PCs equipped with the Yukon platform, possibly including the HP Pavilion dv2, are not selling so well. The AMD processor is meant to compete with Intel's CULV range of CPUs and results in ultraportables that are costlier than netbooks but much less expensive than traditional systems.
The same report maintains AMD's future Tigris notebook platform, meant for 14-inch and larger devices, will be delayed to late in October, with products from manufacturers being released sometime in November. It was previously due for a start of September release to coincide with the launch of Windows 7 in Asia, followed closely by a North American, European, middle eastern and African release in October. Tigris will make its way into notebooks from HP, Toshiba, Acer and ASUS.
AMD's response has simply been that Tigris is still on course for a second half of 2009 debut.


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Listen Now: Holiday Shopping Horror
Black Friday, small business Saturday and cyber Monday are really just the beginning for the season. For the next month people will be frantically hitting the stores to snatch up the must have items for their loved ones. And while it can be a pain to deal with your fellow shoppers, think about the retail workers.
To stir up a little sympathy and maybe some patience for the seasonal workers here are some of their worst horror stories presented by customers. One worker says she was working in a Victoria’s Secret store when she bent down to put something back on a shelf. That’s when a customer used her as a step ladder to reach some yoga pants. Or the employee who had spiked heels thrown at her because they weren’t on sale.
To see more click the link below. Tis the season for something.
Link: Holiday Shopping Stories
CBS News Radio national business journalist Brian Banmiller has spent more than 40 years in the news industry, covering business, politics and the economy on television, radio and in print. Currently, his “Banmiller on Business” reports are delivered to an audience of millions nationwide.


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Is there anything to read between the lines in the recent news of layoffs in Walmart India's cash and carry business? The retailer has let go off 56 employees, and eight of them are senior employees. The news doing the rounds is that the world's biggest retailer doesn't see merit in running a loss-making cash-and-carry operation in India. The Rs 4000-odd crore cash-and-carry business is known to have accumulated losses of Rs 2,181 crore as of March 2019. Retail industry experts don't find these layoffs as an indication of Walmart writing off its India investments. "Every company, even giants such as TCS are rationalising their workforce. There is a pressure on profitability in every sector," points out Arvind Singhal, Chairman of retail consultancy, Technopak. Krish Iyer, President and CEO, Walmart India has also clarified Walmart's commitment to the Indian market and has said that the restructuring was needed to offer more efficiency in India.
The cash-and-carry retailer that has around 27 stores in the country has indeed been under pressure compared to its counterparts such as Metro Cash and Carry, which is now profitable after having been around for 15 years. Industry observers say that Walmart needed to restructure its business to stay afloat. "Walmart's overhead costs are too high, their stores sizes are in the region of 1-1.5 lakh sq.ft. compared to the likes of Metro whose average store sizes are in the range of 40,000-50,000 sq.ft. Cash and carry retail is a business of wafer thin margin," explains a senior retail expert. In fact, Walmart's bigger worry is Flipkart and not really its cash and carry business. As opposed to the Walmart cash-and-carry business's Rs 172 crore loss in FY19, Flipkart's wholesale arm posted a loss of Rs 3,585 crore, while the market place arm, Flipkart Internet, posted a loss of Rs 1,624 crore in FY19.
The $16 billion Flipkart acquisition has been impacting Walmart's growth globally. Walmart International's operating income in the September quarter of FY19 saw a 46.2 per cent dip to $600 million from $1.2 billion in the September quarter of FY18. Although Flipkart has reported a successful Big Billion Sale in 2019, the perception of retail experts is that it has not been able to thrill the consumer as much as Amazon has been able to do.
In fact, both Amazon and Flipkart have launched their ecommerce grocery business, but with big daddy, Reliance Retail, also entering the fray with Jio Mart, the retail gurus say that the journey will not be easy for both the American retail giants.
Despite the law allowing 100 per cent FDI for online grocery retail and even allowing them to have private brands in grocery, Reliance Retail with its might of 11,000-odd brick-and-mortar stores has a huge competitive advantage. Reliance also has the added advantage of 50 million telecom consumers through its Jio network.
There are too many odds against Amazon and Walmart in India. Walmart especially has a huge challenge of turning around Flipkart, because of which it has got lot of flak from its stakeholders globally.
Also Read: Wipro Q3 profit drops 3% to Rs 2,463 crore; revenue up 2.73%
Also Read: Satya Nadella's CAA remarks: Meenakshi Lekhi pitches education for 'literates'
Also Read: Statue of Unity gets listed among eight wonders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Copyright©2023 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


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Conference Board News Release (05/26/15)
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in April, increased moderately in May. The index now stands at 95.4, up from 94.3 in April. The Present Situation Index increased from 105.1 in April to 108.1 in May. The Expectations Index edged down from 87.1 in April to 86.9 in May.
“Consumer confidence improved modestly in May, after declining sharply in April,” says Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at the Conference Board. “After a three-month slide, the Present Situation Index increased, propelled by a more positive assessment of the labor market. Expectations, however, were relatively flat following a steep decline in April. While current conditions in the second quarter appear to be improving, consumers still remain cautious about the short-term outlook.”
Consumers were mixed in their assessment of the job market. Those stating jobs are “plentiful” increased from 19.0% to 20.7%, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” rose from 25.9% to 27.3%.


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The Lexus LF-NX Concept debuted at Frankfurt and Tokyo last year, previewing the small crossover that the brand has long been lacking.
Two weeks ago, Toyota CEO Jim Lentz gave a presentation to the Society of Automotive Analysts and talking about new cars and concepts. After showing the RC coupe we saw in Detroit, the next slide is the LF-NX. Except the picture clearly wasn't the concept. That has to be the real thing that's going to be released this year.
Lentz said the NX will get Lexus' first turbocharged engine and "pave the way for future turbos in Lexus models." Those models probably include the IS250.
In the video of the presentation posted on Carbuzz, he spends about 20 seconds talking about the car and doesn't talk about when it will go on sale. But it's tipped to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show, so expect it to appear in a Lexus showroom soonish after that.


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Travel companies face myriad challenges as 2021 draws to a close, with the combo of a Covid-19 surge and bad weather leading to thousands of flight cancellations. Still, many travel stocks have done well recently on hopes that the Omicron version of the coronavirus will be overcome in 2022. If so, further gains could be seen in stocks, especially with the return of business travel.
Shares of cruise operator Carnival (ticker: CCL) were up 14% last Tuesday since December 17, while the S&P 500 index gained 4% over the same stretch. Marriott International (MAR) was up 11% and Delta Air Lines (DAL) about 8%, despite flight cancellations. “As the virus continues to move through the general population, the same is true for airline employees,” said Helen Baker, an airline analyst at Cowen.
Baker, who is upbeat about the industry’s 2022 prospects, said recent flight cancellations, although cumbersome, were less prevalent than in some prior years. For example, in 2013, the total number of cancellations and inbound and outbound international flights during the holiday season for domestic flights was around 10,000, mostly due to weather issues.
According to Baker, during this year’s Christmas weekend, including December 27, total cancellations were about 4,000.
It has been a rough season for cruise companies as well, given the reports of Covid outbreaks on ships. Still, the stocks have performed well in December. For cruise-stock investors, tracking Omicron’s impact on bookings will be important. Cruise lines are currently in “wave season,” when travelers typically book trips for spring and summer.
Another wild card, especially for some hotel chains and airlines, is business travel. Since it usually drops sharply during the holiday season, it is difficult to estimate Omicron’s exact impact.
“The big question is, how big of a jump are we going to see in the first week of January?” asks Steve Reynolds, CEO of Tripbeam, which helps companies with hotel and airline bookings.
Business travel will also depend on how quickly offices reopen and employees return. In a recent note, Baker wrote that he expects business travel to return two to four weeks after people return to the office, and that “we will reach 80% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022.” Will be inside.”
As far as hotels in the US are concerned, a representative for STR, which compiles stay data, says occupancy has been “week-on-week” over the past few weeks, “but this is normal weather. “
Write Lawrence C. Strauss at [email protected]


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Prath Ventures, a venture capital firm specialising in consumer-centric businesses, has concluded its second close, securing Rs 120 crores. The round saw participation from SIDBI Funds of Funds along with various prominent founders and family offices.
Co-founded by Piyush Goenka and Harmanpreet Singh, the firm focuses on the Seed to Series A stage and has already made three investments since its inception. This includes beverage maker Jimmy's COCKTAILS and yet unannounced investments in consumer brands in the lifestyle and travel sector.
Former partners at Tano Capital and Multiples Private Equity respectively, Goenka and Singh bring a wealth of experience and a track record of having invested over Rs 1700 crores in their careers. They have been involved in many successful consumer businesses including Safari Industries, PVR, Good Glamm Group, Vastu Housing, and others.
"Our unique value proposition lies in our ability to blend venture capital agility with the discipline and rigor of private equity," commented Harmanpreet Singh, co-founder of Prath Ventures. "The fund will seek to deliver the best of Indian Consumption Opportunity to our LPs while adhering to the highest standards of institutional fund management.”
Piyush Goenka, co-founder of Prath Ventures, said, "Our investment philosophy is rooted in our deep understanding of the consumer sector and our unwavering commitment to value creation. By providing early-stage companies with not just capital but also strategic guidance and operational support, we aim to catalyze their growth trajectory and unlock their full potential."
According to a Morgan Stanley report, India's consumption is expected to surpass $4 trillion by 2030, creating a fertile ground for investment opportunities.
Goldman Sachs, in its report titled "The Rise of 'Affluent India'", stated that India's real GDP is projected to grow by over 6 percent annually from 2023 to 2028. Additionally, it noted that by 2027, the number of affluent consumers is expected to rise from approximately 60 million in 2023 to 100 million.


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The U.S. General Services Administration today issued Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. a multimillion-dollar deal to provide transportation services for government workers.
The contract was reported today by Reuters
. It’s said to be worth up to $810 million over five years, but there’s no further detail on how the sum will be split between Uber and Lyft.
“The expansion of our customer base to include government is a natural next step for us, and we’re proud to help federal agencies tackle some of the biggest administrative challenges they face,” said Ronnie Gurion, the executive leading Uber’s Uber for Business unit, which manages deals with large customers.
Uber for Business and Lyft’s equivalent offerings offer organizations features not included in the standard version of their apps to help with tasks such as employee expense reimbursement. The companies also provide cloud-based dashboards for managing business trips booked through their platforms. Though primarily aimed at the enterprise market, these capabilities have evidently helped put Uber and Lyft in a stronger position to compete for public sector deals.
Under the federal contract announced today, Uber and Lyft can offer their ride-hailing apps to more than four million employees and contractors at U.S. government agencies. The General Services Administration reportedly secured discounts of 2% to 4% from the two companies and negotiated terms that waive certain fees entirely.
The deal is a notable win for the companies not only because of its size but because the vote of confidence from the General Services Administration may make it easier to convince other public sector organizations to adopt their services. Uber in particular is actively targeting the public sector market. The company this year revealed that it has started offering trip booking software
to transit agencies and, shortly thereafter, acquired
a firm called Routematch Software Inc. to add more products to its public transportation portfolio.
The extra customer validation from the General Services Administration deal might also put Uber and Lyft in a better position to compete for enterprise customers. The companies’ ride-hailing businesses have taken a significant hit in recent months from lower demand, but Uber’s latest earnings report revealed that interest is slowly picking up
*By Maria Deutscher, Silicon Angle*


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"This new take on her signature polka dots makes Minnie Mouse a symbol of progress for a new generation"
Minnie Mouse is trading in her iconic red and white dots for something a little more chic!
On Tuesday January 25, Disneyland Paris announced that the mouse would be getting a wardrobe change in time for the celebration of its 30th anniversary.
The new outfit was designed by British designer Stella McCartney and will feature Minnie in a dark blue pantsuit with black stripes and polka dots. Her signature bow will follow the same color scheme and overall design of the tuxedo.
Stella McCartney has designed Minnie Mouse's very first pantsuit, and it's gorgeous 😍 #DisneylandParis30 pic.twitter.com/jKSckBji36— Disneyland Paris EN (@DisneyParis_EN) January 25, 2022 @DisneyParis_EN
"I am delighted to be working with the one, the only, the iconic Minnie Mouse," McCartney said in a statement. "Minnie has always had a special place in my heart. We share the same values. What I love about Minnie is the fact that she embodies happiness, self-expression, authenticity and that she inspires people of all ages around the world. Plus, she has such great style!"
The designer also noted that Minnie's blue tuxedo would be made using responsibly sourced fabrics and detailed her decision to have the iconic mouse wear pants for the first time.
"This new take on her signature polka dots makes Minnie Mouse a symbol of progress for a new generation," McCartney stated and added that the mouse will honor Women’s History Month in addition to the park’s 30th anniversary. "She will wear it in honor of Women's History Month, in March 2022. I can’t wait for you to see this new look at Walt Disney Studios Park!"
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Minnie won't be the only one getting a fresh new look for the celebration, Mickey Mouse will also swap his classic suit for a reflective purple blazer and a holographic shirt.
Disneyland Paris first opened its gates on April 12, 1992 and since then "the kingdom of dreams and Magic has been enchanting Guests of all ages for 30 years."
The park has hosted more than 375 million visits with its new and innovative experiences as it has "created unforgettable memories that live inside each of us" to become one of Europe's top tourist destinations.
Celebrations will begin on March 6 which will also begin the park's new era of "transformation, limitless creativity and new technology, for an always more immersive and unforgettable Guest experience."


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Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, left, greets Apple CEO Tim Cook after the introduction of iOS 7 during the keynote address of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. (AP/USA Today)
SAN FRANCISCO - Apple, as expected, on Monday unveiled a dramatic re-design to its iOS software, which runs the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, at a developer's conference here.
The software, which is expected to be available to consumers in the fall, is slicker and more showy. Apple CEO Tim Cook calls it the "biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone."
The software upgrade is being overseen by Jony Ive, the legendary Apple exec who helped design the iPhone and iPad, who has devoted his efforts in past years to hardware.
In a late 2012 shakeup, he was put in charge of software as well.
The software update is "like getting an entirely new phone, but one you already know how to use," says Apple senior vice-president Craig Federighi.
The typography, grids and icons have all been given a facelift.
Apple showed ten new features to iOS, highlighted by Control Center.
From the home screen, you can immediately jump into system settings (like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) without having to swipe to another screen.
On the new iOS, the camera and photos app get a new look.
Open the camera app, and beyond stills or video, you get two other labeled options: shooting the photo as a square picture, or a panorama. It's also adding Instagram-like filters to pretty up the pictures.
In the photo app, Apple is bring organization to the hundreds of photos, using the camera information about where they were shot into folders.
AirDrop is a new feature that's Apple's answer to Samsung's Galaxy S line of cameras, which let other Galaxy users share photos by clicking the phones together. AirDrop lets other iOS users send photos directly to each other, without opening text message or e-mail to do so.
Apple also showed off features to a coming operating system upgrade for Mac computers, called OSX Mavericks. Highlight: adding tags to saved files will make it easier to find them during computer searches.
Apple also showed it's answer to Pandora, iTunes Radio, which will be available on computers and mobile devices later this year. The program brings in pre-programmed radio stations to iTunes, and will let listeners create stations based on their favorite artists. It's more akin to online radio services like Slacker than Pandora, which uses a computerized system to determine stations based on your musical tastes.
The service will be ad-supported.
At WWDC 2012, Apple entered the hornets nest when it kicked Google Maps out of IOS and replaced it with its own maps feature. Consumers were loudly disappointed, and CEO Tim Cook apologized and some of the execs responsible left the company.
At WWDC 2013, Apple side-stepped the maps brouhaha, by talking little about maps or how the improvements were going.
Beyond software, Apple announced new versions of its popular MacBook Air laptops, the ultra-thin and light computers.
Apple says battery life has been dramatically improved for the new models, going to 9 hours (from 5 hours) from the 11 inch edition, and 12 hours (from 7) for the 13 inch model.
The new Airs went on sale today.


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Jeff Bezos’ Amazon is now worth almost double Wal-Mart’s market value — in case investors need yet another reminder of the revolution in retail.
The Seattle-based giant has a market capitalization of over $430 billion, according to FactSet data. In comparison, Wal-Mart’s market cap sits below $220 billion as of Wednesday morning.
So the comparison is, to a degree, apples to oranges — with one company aiming to take people to space and another that’s staying focused on keeping its prices low, and not venturing outside the retail sector.
“[Wal-Mart] continues to work to blend physical and digital assets in its operations, including a focus on buy online pick-up in-store, online grocery pickup, and 2-day shipping from its 5 e-commerce fulfillment centers,” Guggenheim Securities wrote in a Tuesday note to clients.
“Walmart.com’s offering has grown increasingly competitive and the company continues to work on getting its e-commerce inventory levels in the right place to meet its 2-day free shipping promise,” the note added.
Some analysts, however, believe Wal-Mart has missed out on opportunities to be as expansive as Amazon, especially when it comes to groceries.
Online grocery shopping could grow five-fold over the next decade, with U.S. consumers spending upwards of $100 billion on food-at-home items by 2025, according an forecast released earlier this year by Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen. AmazonFresh is Bezos’ way of capitalizing on this trend.
On Tuesday, BMO Capital Markets issued a new note on Wal-Mart to investors, maintaining its underperform rating on the stock and citing price cuts in grocery and households essentials as pressuring the retailer’s top line. Recent pricing data suggest Wal-Mart could have trouble hitting its upcoming quarterly comparable sales growth targets, analyst Wayne Hood said.
As of Tuesday’s close, Wal-Mart has climbed nearly 5 percent over the past 12 months, while Amazon has risen close to 55 percent.
Amazon hit an all-time intraday high of $908.54 on Tuesday. Wal-Mart had its last intraday high in January 2015, when the stock peaked at $90.97 per share.
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£2.5m Lottery jackpot unclaimed
National Lottery staff are trying to track down the winner of an unclaimed £2.5m jackpot.
So far nobody has come forward to collect the £2,561,750 prize from February 7's Lotto draw.
The winning ticket, matching all six numbers - 6, 16, 18, 29, 30 and 35 - was sold in Barking, east London.
The lucky ticket-holder has until 5.30pm on 6 August to make their claim.
If no-one comes forward before the deadline, the prize money and the interest it has accumulated - expected to be nearly £64,000 - will go to the lottery's good causes fund.
A National Lottery spokesman said: 'We're desperate to find this mystery ticket-holder and unite them with their winnings - this amazing prize could really change somebody's life forever.
'Whether the lucky ticket holder lives locally or was just in Barking that day, we're urging everyone to check their old tickets.
'We have the champagne on ice and our fingers crossed that the lucky winner comes forward to claim their win.'
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Livonia police briefs
Fraudulent return of Christmas tree
An employee of Home Depot, 13500 Middlebelt, came into the Livonia police station Wednesday afternoon to file a retail fraud report.
The employee told police a man went into the store with a shopping cart and headed to the area where the prelit Christmas trees were. He asked an associate if he could have one of the display trees and he then placed it in his cart. He then took the tree’s tag off and discarded it and went to a register. He produced a receipt from his pocket and attempted to return the tree he had just placed in the cart. The return went through, though he was stopped before he left the store. He was detained and Livonia police were called. The suspect was released after a few hours from the store after police did not come, though the store said they would prosecute.
Video games stolen
Police were called Wednesday afternoon to Walmart, 29555 Plymouth, on the report of a man in custody for taking some video games.
Police arrived and spoke to the suspect, who admitted to them he used a fake name with store employees. Police then spoke to an employee, who told them the man was seen taking some video games and a game controller and concealing them on his person. He walked to the front of the store but did not pay for the items. He was stopped and detained until police arrived. When police searched him, they found some SD (secure digital) cards in his pockets. The suspect told them he had taken them from a Kmart in Southfield, though police informed employees at Walmart about this. Store employees found security footage of the suspect selecting the SD cards in store and concealing them.
– Compiled by David Veselenak from reports filed with the Livonia Police Department.


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NAPLES — As hundreds of thousands of people try to file for unemployment, we’re learning the problem is just as bad for small business owners.
Congress approved hundreds of billions of dollars to help companies pay their rent and keep employees on payroll, but companies in our area haven’t seen the money yet. Off The Rock Tavern opened just four months ago in Naples, and now, it’s already closed down, with 28 employees out of a job. Owner Frank Lacava is trying to get financial aid, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds.
“Nobody that I have talked to has received a dime," said Lacava.
Lacava said he invested more than $1 million in his restaurant, only to have it close a few months after opening.
“It was a real shocker. We have 28 employees that rely on their income. Our business was thriving. We were packed every night," said Lacava.
Now, all those customers are gone, and the patio outside is empty. Lacava said, as soon as they were shut down by the Governor’s order, he started looking for help.
“We applied for it immediately, and we could not, we got put in a queue," said Lacava.
That was on March 18th. So far, Lacava is still waiting in that queue, along with every other business owner he knows.
“I’m just not sure we could have avoided some kind of backup. Doesn’t make anybody feel better, but just the scope of what we’re talking about is beyond, beyond imagination," said FGCU Finance Professor Dr. Tom Smythe.
Smythe said businesses like Lacava’s are seeing a lag because the infrastructure is just not there to dole out $600 billion.
“Just that one item is roughly 20% of an annual budget. That’s enormous, I mean we don’t spend that much on defense," said Smythe.
The federal government is trying to find ways to fix the problem. Banks are currently distributing the loans, and Senator Marco Rubio just posted to social media that online services like PayPal and Square might soon be doing so as well. Meanwhile, Lacava said he has thousands of dollars worth of beer to dump out, and he could really use some good news.
“There’s millions and millions of people out there applying for these funds, but they don’t have any access," said Lacava.
Smythe said, so far, small businesses around the country have already applied for more than $150 billion in loans. Smythe said, in his opinion, using private banks to distribute the money is the most efficient method, it’s just going to take time.


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Karmarama wins £20m Plusnet ad account
By Anne Cassidy, campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 10 June 2010 10:35AM
BT-owned Plusnet, the UK-based internet service provider, has appointed Karmarama to handle its £20 million integrated advertising account.
Karmarama won the business following a pitch against MCBD, Swarm (Y&R's conlict shop) and McCann Erickson Manchester.
The pitch process, which kicked off in March, was handled by the AAR.
Karmarama will initially work on the national launch of Plusnet, as it moves from being a regional internet service provider to a national brand providing broadband across the whole of the UK.
The agency will create a number of campaigns to raise the profile of Plusnet, help attract new customers and build stronger relationships with their existing customer base.
Plusnet's advertising has previously focused on digital and outdoor and it has worked with various shops on a project basis, such as Chemistry and Twentysix Leeds.
Nick Rawlings, the commercial and marketing director at Plusnet, said: "Throughout the pitch process Karmarama demonstrated real creativity and vigour in conveying an understanding of our business and the challenges at hand. We're delighted to be working with them."
Plusnet was founded in 1997, and now provides home phone and broadband services to more than 200,000 customers across the UK.
The Sheffield-based company was bought by BT in January 2007.
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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Chime, a popular challenger bank, experienced an outage that began Wednesday and extended into Thursday morning in what could be a blow to its feel-good reputation. Angry customers turned to Twitter to complain that their purchase transactions weren't going through and that they couldn't access their cash.
The outage has been going on for the last 24 hours, taking down the company’s website and app, as well as shutting down customers’ debit cards.
Chime, an online banking startup with more than 5 million customers, has been suffering an outage for much of past 24 hours that has left customers without access to their money. The startup blamed the disruption on an unspecified issue with a payments processor and said data was not at risk.
US neobank Chime was hit by an outage on Wednesday that lasted more than 24 hours, leaving customers unable to make withdrawals or deposits and without access to Chime's website and mobile app, CNBC reports. The outage is reportedly Chime's third since July and was caused by an issue with the database of payment processor Galileo, according to people familiar with the matter cited by CNBC.
Imagine not being able to use your bank credit card or ATM card for cash. That's exactly what's happened to millions of customers of Chime bank.
Chime, a San Francisco-based challenger bank, said Friday morning that it restored debit card, direct deposit, ATM withdrawals and phone services after it was hit earlier this week by the third system outage since July.
Chime, an online banking startup with about five million customers, has been suffering an outage over the last day that has made it impossible for those customers to get hold of their money.
On Wednesday, popular online-only bank Chime experienced an outage, leaving customers without access to their money. According to a company statement on Twitter, Chime’s processor was “experiencing issues,” which caused both its app and website to be down. This is the online-only bank’s second outage since September.


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- Trade views
- Must reads
Calendar event / Yesterday at 14:00 GMTpreviousforecastactualMed Consumer Conf Idx-1.9-1.9-2.9
Squawk / 14 September 2018 at 5:45 GMTTrade War woes ease, “risk on” resumes, DAX and S&P 500 probe higher
Easing Trade War fears with a look to reopen talks between the US and China have slowly switched global markets back to a “risk on” environment this week.
This has seen European and UK equity indices secure small bottoming patterns after recent losses and the US equity averages push back close to recent highs.
This positive price action points to further upside progress through mid-September.
In this article, we take a look at the significant levels to watch for the German DAX and the US broad benchmark average, the S&P 500.
For the full article go here: https://www.fxexplained.co.uk/forex-articles/current-market-analysis/trade-war-woes-ease-risk-on-resumes-dax-and-sp-500-probe-higher/
Squawk / 12 September 2018 at 7:35 GMTGBPCAD sells off on easing Brexit deal optimism and NAFTA talk hopes
A rally and setback in the GB Pound this week have been a reaction to potential over optimism from the positive soundings from Michel Barnier and Brexit deal negotiators, sending GBP lower against many currencies over the past 24 hours.
Furthermore, hopes of a breakthrough regarding dairy product access at the NAFTA talks has sets up a firming of the Canadian Dollar (CAD).
On the technical front, this has seen risks surface for a resumption of a more negative GBPCAD tone into mid-September.
See the full article here: https://www.fxexplained.co.uk/forex-articles/current-market-analysis/gbpcad-sells-off-on-easing-brexit-deal-optimism-and-nafta-talk-hopes/
Calendar event / 30 August 2018 at 9:00 GMT
EU Business & Consumer Surveys - Business Climate Indicator & Economic Sentiment IndicatorpreviousforecastactualHigh Business Climate Idx188.8.131.52High Econ Sent Idx112.1112111.6Med Consumer Conf Idx-0.5-1.9-1.9Med Indus Conf Idx184.108.40.206Med Services Conf Idx15.314.7
Calendar event / 30 July 2018 at 9:00 GMT
EU Business & Consumer Surveys - Business Climate Indicator & Economic Sentiment IndicatorpreviousforecastactualHigh Business Climate Idx1.381.351.29High Econ Sent Idx112.3112.1112.1Med Consumer Conf Idx-0.5-0.6-0.6Med Indus Conf Idx220.127.116.11Med Services Conf Idx14.415.3
Calendar event / 23 July 2018 at 14:00 GMT
EU FCCI Flash Consumer Confidence IndicatorpreviousforecastactualMed Consumer Conf Idx-0.5-0.6-0.6
Article / 19 July 2018 at 14:34 GMT
Fear and loathing in FXTraders loathe a trade war and fear higher US interest rates. Both issues regained prominence today, and the US dollar soared as a result.Read the article
Squawk / 12 July 2018 at 6:01 GMTGreece…Still Bankrupt by Stephen Pope
The Greek economy has made minor improvements
It will not really exit the bailout programme in August
A weak government will dither over further reform
It will, eventually seek yet another credit line
Greece should be shunned in the capital markets
See the full article here: https://www.fxexplained.co.uk/forex-articles/current-market-analysis/greece-still-bankrupt/
Calendar event / 28 June 2018 at 9:00 GMT
EU Business & Consumer Surveys - Business Climate Indicator & Economic Sentiment IndicatorpreviousforecastactualHigh Business Climate Idx1.441.411.39High Econ Sent Idx112.5112112.3Med Consumer Conf Idx0.2-0.5-0.5Med Indus Conf Idx18.104.22.168Med Services Conf Idx14.314.4
Calendar event / 21 June 2018 at 14:00 GMT
EU FCCI Flash Consumer Confidence IndicatorpreviousforecastactualMed Consumer Conf Idx0.20-0.5


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Looking forward for the rest of 2016, here are Forcepoint Security Labs' Top 8 security predictions.
1. The US Election cycle will drive themed attacks
The 2016 presidential race will likely see the most prolific use of online and social media campaigning yet as candidates and their teams regularly turn to online resources, campaign websites, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to reach voters and target specific demographics in their race to win the White House. With 74 percent of adults active on social networking sites as of 2014, according to the Pew Research Center, social media may eventually surpass traditional news media and paid advertising as the top source for voters for election news and opinions.
2. Mobile wallets and new payment technologies will introduce additional opportunities for credit card theft and fraud
The payments and payment security landscape is set for some tumultuous shifts to occur in 2016. These seismic shifts are exactly the types of situations from which savvy cybercriminals usually seek to take advantage. As criminals look to shift their game plans, there are three distinct areas where attackers are migrating: newly introduced infrastructure, new payment methodologies and mobile wallets. Criminals well versed in physical tampering of terminals may even take advantage of the migration to the new Pin and Chip credit and debit cards to “introduce” a number of data capturing devices of their own into a large terminal replacement projects. As adoption and the types of transactions capable on mobile phones increases, malware authors will also increase their efforts to steal from a digital wallet. Mobile malware will evolve to use these payment methods to commit fraud.
3. The addition of the gTLD system will provide new opportunities for attackers
For those accustomed to the old Internet of .com, .edu, .gov, .net, .org, and .info, your intimate little neighborhood is about to get a lot more neighbors. The implementation of expanded new generic top- level domains (gTLD) by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) means that you are now beginning to see many more URLs ending in .club, .xyz, .faith, .download, .guru and many more dot-word domains. Will consumers shopping for a computer steer towards shop.apple, apple.macintosh or apple.computer? Will businesses users with Salesforce accounts respond to an email that comes from renewal.salesforce, salesforce. software or salesforce.updates? This potential confusion is a golden opportunity for criminals and nation-state attackers to create highly effective, social engineering lures to steer unsuspecting users toward malware and data loss.
4.Cybersecurity insurers will create a more definitive actuarial model of risk – changing how security is defined and implemented
2015 was a tough year for breaches and the trend for 2016 looks to be no better. Against this backdrop is the gradual realization within corporations that the value of their company's data is a large part of corporate assets, and a huge potential cost during a cyber event. A November 2015 Wells Fargo survey of U.S. companies with $100 million or more in annual revenue found that 85 percent have purchased cyber or data privacy insurance, primarily to protect the business against financial loss. Of those with policies, 44 percent have filed a claim as a result of a breach. According to Carl Leonard, principal security analyst at Forcepoint Security Labs, “The cyber insurance market will dramatically disrupt businesses in the next 12 months. Insurance companies will refuse to pay out for the increasing breaches that are caused by ineffective security practices, while premiums and payouts will become more aligned with the actual cost of a breach. The requirements for cyber insurance will become as significant as regulatory requirements, impacting on businesses' existing security programs.”
5. Data Theft Prevent adoption will dramatically increase in more mainstream companies
Chances are high that data about you was leaked or stolen in 2015. The variety of industries targeted by attackers in 2015 is unprecedented. Simply put: If your company holds information, you have been and will be an attractive target for attackers. It is now common among security professionals to suggest that organizations practice security with the assumption that the organization has already been breached. Assuming a breach is one thing, but companies with an eye on the bottom line will begin to no longer strive for “perfect protection,” but to highly prioritize the rapid detection of existing and future theft and to make every effort to minimize their window of compromise by remediating not only the threat, but also the root cause. Threats will initially target specific high-value sectors or industries, but will then spread out to attack a broader range of businesses.
6.The Forgotten ongoing maintenance will become a major problem for defenders as maintenance costs rise, manageability falls and manpower is limited
IT Infrastructure continues to grow and expand in depth and criticality, requiring increasing resources just to maintain the status quo. In essence, with every passing day, IT managers have to work harder just to stay in the same place and that's a problem. When it comes to security, keeping up on maintenance is a continual effort where the consequences of failure are far worse than a missing webpage. Instead, attackers continually search for forgotten or abandoned systems, looking to worm their way into the heart of the enterprise. At some point, the cost of older systems that must be maintained will reach a tipping point and become prohibitive. When this occurs, look to vendors to radically restructure their support plans, and aggressively cut end-of-life software support in order to provide service to more recent releases. Updates of operating systems and software that previously were opt-in will now be automatic with no user action. Many software providers will look to this model as patching holes in previous iterations of the system becomes prohibitively costly to maintain. Forcepoint's own research supports this. Examining some of the most popular websites in the world, Forcepoint observed certificate issues related to older hashing schemes such as SHA-1, as well as problems related to the version of ciphers supported. These issues trickle down to users. If some of the “big names” on the Internet are struggling to keep up, how can smaller vendors cope?
7. The Internet Of Things will help (and hurt) us all
The websites, apps and electronic devices that comprise the Internet of Things (IoT) make navigating personal and business tasks more convenient than ever, but their popularity also means a wider attack surface, expanse of data and range of vulnerabilities for threat actors to exploit. Digital and connected diagnostic and screening systems in the healthcare field are expected to reach more than 40 percent global penetration by 2020. While these connected medical devices are invaluable to medical facilities, staff and patients in advancing overall progress and care, they also contain the potential to adversely affect information systems protecting patient safety and data. Mobile technologies and Internet-connected devices have been a boon for business productivity. Workers are able to access email and business networks on the go in an instant. But many are also doing so in ways IT security may not be aware of, putting their organizations at risk. Richard Ford, chief scientist at Forcepoint, says, “We'll see the Ghosts of Internet Past come back to haunt businesses through compromises caused by old and broken versions of applications, havoc-invoking vulnerabilities in operating system updates and end-of-life processes, and weaknesses in new applications built on recycled code.”
8. Societal views of privacy will evolve, with great impact to defenders
The concept of privacy is fluid and changes as a function of time. In fact, the very definition of privacy can be different based on culture, historical period and societal pressures. This is apparent in places such as social networks, where different generations share information in very different ways. It is not that one generation has “no concept of privacy” – far from it. The truth is that the Internet generation has a different concept of how the personal sphere is to be treated. It is important to note that it isn't just Millennials shifting their thoughts on privacy. Because the digitization of activities is becoming the routine of life, Generation X and Baby Boomers are also shifting their mores. Whether they know it or not, their information is quietly being gathered by digital devices and everyday activities


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Stories on store closings seem to make a daily appearance on the national news; long-established retail chains announce plans to shutter stores and in doing so, put thousands of employees out of work. Despite dire forecasts, there is ample reporting that the retail industry is, by many indications, not only surviving but evolving along the way.
In a special edition of radioIA, guest host Ray Ehscheid, IA Global Director of Client Services, speaks with Kate Ancketill, CEO of GDR Creative Intelligence, about how the retail industry is changing.
IA Director of Client Services for Retail and Financial Sectors Ray Ehscheid talks about how traditional bank branches, once dreary and drab, are being transformed into engaging, consultative spaces designed to attract more visitors. Episode Highlights: Before the financial crisis hit in 2007-08, a lot of large banking organizations focused on increasing their footprint to gain market … Continued


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After years of attempting to push into the market and billions of dollars invested in doing so, Intel is pulling out of tablets and smartphones. The company will align its efforts elsewhere and focus on different products.
Today at 1PM ET, Apple will be holding a “special event,” and it seems as if the focus will be on strengthening its mid-range offerings. Smaller iPhones and iPad Pros seem to be getting the most attention in the rumor mill, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see updates today across many of Apple’s product lines.
If you were a developer, would you want to expend a lot of time, energy, and money getting up to speed on the latest Android APIs if you know nearly all potential customers won’t be able to access those features?
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