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The UK Gambling Commission (“the Commission”) has handed out a £627,000 fine to Leo Vegas for misleading advertising and improper dealings with self-excluded customers.
This fine follows a £1 million slap on the wrist for Sky Betting and Gaming in March and a £7.8 million fine given to 888 late last year, both for similar breaches (type, clearly not extent).
There are likely more on the way. At the start of the year the Commission issued a notice advising that 17 operators were under investigation for infringement of social responsibility obligations. So there are still a few investigation outcomes to come, and likely more fines pending.
The Commission will certainly have plenty in the kitty for their 2018 Christmas party. Their £600K windfall from Leo Vegas comes on the back of findings that Leo Vegas:
- had sent marketing material to 1,894 customers who had previously self-excluded, and
- had allowed 413 previously self-excluded customers to gamble without talking to them first, and
- was responsible for 41 incidents of web advertising that was unclear or omitted significant terms.
The Commission’s CEO Neil McArthur issued a warning that they will continue their tough stance on breaches of this kind.
“The outcome of this case should leave no one in any doubt that we will be tough with licence holders who mislead consumers or fail to meet the standards we set in our licence conditions and codes of practice. We want operators to learn the lessons from our investigations and use those lessons to raise standards.”
The fine won’t exactly put Leo Vegas in financial difficulty. Q1 results released last week revealed revenues for the quarter of €77.4 million, up 76% on the same period in 2017. The accounts contained a provision for the fine.
In response to the fine, the company issued a statement saying it had, “high ambitions for compliance with laws and regulations”, and will continuously work to improve processes in this area in the future, a statement supported by the Commission’s acknowledgment that the required changes had been made to address all issues.
Interestingly, affiliates (websites outside the Leo Vegas group, promoting Leo Vegas) were responsible the majority of breaches related to misleading advertising.
“We have had discussions with the UK Gambling Commission, UKGC, on suspected cases of breaches of the British gaming rules. A clear majority of cases are attributable to affiliate marketing.”


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Business News›intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting may not be as beneficial as you may have thought. Read why
Intermittent fasting reduces the amount you eat, but it also reduces the amount of physical activity we do, and reduces how hard we push during exercise. The studies suggest that when calorie intake is substantially reduced – even for a short period of time – the body adapts by reducing the number of calories used during exercise.
You think intermittent fasting will help in shedding those extra kilos? Well, you may need a Plan-B
Time-restricted diet may not be the gospel of weight loss after all.
Salt is a sneaky health destroyer. Excess intake of sodium chloride can cause hypertension & other ailments
We have a tendency to consume salt without realizing it.
Artha Venture Fund managing partner got fitter in the pandemic & lost 20kgs, shares his weight-loss journey
Damani says he’s been on a diet for the last 20 yrs, but nothing before had ever really managed to help him stay fit.
Say bye-bye to junk food! Study shows 20-somethings add over 10 yrs to their lives by choosing healthier food
Bad dietary habits decrease efficiency levels, affect mood adversely.
Intermittent fasting 101: the ultimate guideIntermittent fasting 101: the ultimate guide
What is it about Christmas that makes people feel so 'blah' after celebrations?Psychologists describe the blah feeling as “low mood” or “languishing”.
Leher App CEO's fitness mantra: Fresh home-cooked veg meals, sound sleep & mindful meditationVikas Malpani drinks lots of water and eats healthy.
From intermittent fasting to weight training, how lockdown helped Myles boss focus on fitnessSakshi Vij shares the new things she has been upto during the pandemic and lockdown.
Staying away from heart disease and diabetes: Eat rightAn increasing body of evidence shows that chronic inflammation causes and advances many common diseases, writes senior cardiologist Dr Alok Chopra. Inflammation is now understood to be at the center of a wide range of conditions -- from heart disease and hypertension to obesity and diabetes; from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease to depression, cancer and arthritis.
Take away techaway, a fast road to peace?Apart from the fact that one had to log in to register for the competition, a technological vrat does pose many other challenges. Like, how does one distract oneself from scrolling without binge-watching, or vice versa?
FinBox CEO believes spiritual health is as important as physical fitnessEating less quantity of food helps Rajat Deshpande stay sharper & more agile.
Vedix biz head's daily to-do list for mental wellness: 15-min meditation, journalingJatin Gujrati, an avid reader, blocks an hour every day to read.
Shippigo co-founder can't wait to pack his bags and take off to Ladakh and MaldivesSaurabh Jaitly is looking forward to is a long holiday.
ImpactGuru.com CEO a fan of intermittent fasting; fitness most important personal goal for himPiyush Jain shares how he keeps the body, mind and soul healthy as well as the routine he follows.
Rocketship.vc partner fasts for 16 hrs daily to feel energeticMadhu Shalini Iyer adds a lot of nuts, fruits and vegetables with quinoa to her diet.
Fasting, feasting and football keep Gradeup CEO fit and fineShobhit Bhatnagar loves playing football as it is an 'team-building sport'.
Spocto CTO's simple fitness regime: Meditation, yoga, intermittent fasting and a glass of wineThe lockdown taught Puja Srivastava that home-cooked food can tantalise our taste buds.
Vani Kola began intermittent fasting during lockdown, understood why religions emphasise on the practiceThe top boss feels intermittent fasting gave her increased energy and better discipline.
Pakistan records highest single-day spike of 5,387 cases; WHO urges 'intermittent lockdown'In a letter to Punjab province Health Minister Yasmin Rashid dated June 7, WHO Country Head, Pakistan, Dr Palitha Mahipala said the coronavirus has spread to almost all districts in the country with big cities making up the majority of the cases.
Soul cycling, intermittent fasting keep Inner High Living founder's mind and body healthyPamela Puja Kirpalani eats foods rich in good fats like avocados, nuts and seeds for glowing skin.
Vedanta boss switches off her phone on Sundays; practises intermittent fasting to keep weight in checkPriya Agarwal Hebbar spends Sundays doing things that make her happy.
Struggling with high blood sugar levels? Try intermittent fasting to bring it under controlMetabolic switch helps improves blood sugar regulation and increases resistance to stress.
Intermittent fasting while commutingAn eating-drinking ban on public transport can be sold as a new weight-loss measure.
The age old tradition, fasting is now making a big comeback in IndiaFasting has become a trendy fitness and lifestyle practice in the West.
Kavin Bharti Mittal's fitness mantra: 60% plant-based foods, no dairy or sodasThe Hike founder supplements his daily workouts with a strict diet.
Sunjay Kapur’s fitness mantra: Yoga, dinner at 7 pm and fasting thrice a weekThe Sona BLW Precision Forgings MD goes for high-intensity interval workout once a week.Load More
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Computers and phones will soon be able to anticipate your every desire before you even ask for it, thanks to advances in search technology.
Your gadgets will trawl through your emails, calendar and track where you are before making a suggestion that might be useful to you.
They will effectively become an electronic personal assistant that gets to know you over time and can hone their recommendations based on your own quirks.
Everything from when you should get a coffee to where you might want to go on holiday will pop up automatically – meaning you barely have to lift a finger yourself.
The technology is currently being developed on apps by companies like Google and a string of start-ups.
Google is at the cutting edge of the developments with Google Glass, its augmented reality spectacles, which are currently on trial to a limited number of individuals in the U.S.
It uses an app called Google Now, which tells you when you have a dinner reservation and uses GPS to find where you are and how bad traffic is.
If you go on holiday, it will tell you the weather a few days before you go, inform you of the currency exchange rate and tell you when you arrive at stores.
According to the New York Times, however, this is just the beginning and the technology will soon be incorporated into your refrigerator so you can see what you have inside whilst you are out shopping.
Alarm clocks will also become part of the network and bathroom mirrors could become surfaces on which your meetings for the day are displayed whilst you clean your teeth.
When you walk into an airport – or even before – if you flight is delayed a message will appear on your phone as it has been scanning flight websites on your behalf.
N. Rao Machiraju, co-founder and chief executive of reQall, which develops personal assistant apps, said that our increasingly busy lives made the technology inevitable.
He said: ‘We can’t go on with eight meetings and 200 emails a day.
‘We have a technology that isn’t waiting for you to ask it a question, but is anticipating what you need and when is the best time to deliver that.’
Google has unsurprisingly been one of the staunchest advocates of such technology and Amit Singhal, the company’s senior vice president for search, has said he imagines in the future there will be a ‘personal assistant (that) was an expert in every field known to humankind’.
But that assumes everyone will be OK with allowing it to collect reams of information on every single aspect of their lives – something many will resist.
Andrea Matwyshyn, an assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, who studies the legal consequences of technology, said: ‘To the question of creepiness, the answer is it depends who you ask
‘What works for a group of 30-something engineers in Silicon Valley may not be representative of the way that 60-year-old executives in New York tend to use their phones.’
source: Dailymail UK


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Innovid, a leading video platform to create, deliver, and measure video experiences on any device, will start 2016 well-heeled for new initiatives.
The company recently announced it has raised $27.5 million in funding — largely from New Spring Capital, as well as previous investors including Sequoia Capital Israel, Genesis Partners, Cisco Ventures, T-Venture, and Vintage Investment Partners. Silicon Valley Bank and TriplePoint Capital also participated in the funding round.
“This latest investment in Innovid is a result of the company’s 420 percent year-over-year growth to bringing on over 220 accounts, including advertisers such as Best-Buy, Chrysler, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, and Wal-Mart,” a company announcement explains. “Innovid is exclusively serving video advertisements for more than 40 percent of the top 200 TV advertisers in the U.S.”
Innovid’s claim to fame? It’s the only video platform that serves pre-roll and advanced video ads across every device — including desktop, mobile, gaming consoles, and connected TV/OTT.
“The company also boasts the largest video publisher certification footprint, allowing Innovid to maintain complete media neutrality,” according to PE Hub.
“We are excited about this latest investment that will further enable us to accelerate our business in the rapidly-evolving market of TV,” said Zvika Netter, the CEO and co-founder of Innovid.
“With the majority of video advertising technology owned by media interests, Innovid has remained firmly media-neutral and open in its approach to video ad delivery, and therefore, have been favored by marketers who see value in partnering with an un-biased vendor that is purely focused on tech innovation,” Netter added.


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Computacenter's mainland European business overshadowed domestic UK sales in the reseller's Q4 financial results. While the UK's recovery continued, posting 15 per cent growth, Computacenter's fourth-quarter...
James Vickerage becomes UK director of Maverick
Chinese challenger the only vendor to see growth as Apple, Samsung and Amazon struggle
ALSO's CEO explains the distributor's rejigged management structure
War of words heats up after shareholders demand vendor sells itself to rivals


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US: Shoe Carnival posts 11% Q1 profit growth
By Petah Marian | 18 May 2012
Footwear retailer Shoe Carnival reported an 11% increase in first quarter net income on the back of rising sales.
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US: Sifford to succeed Lemond as Shoe Carnival CEO
Mark Lemond, CEO of value-priced footwear retailer Shoe Carnival, will retire due to health reasons at the end of October after 16 years in the role.
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Value footwear retailer Shoe Carnival has booked a 5.3% rise in second-quarter net profit on the back of increased sales and better-than-expected merchandise margins.


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World Ducati Week 2012
Next Saturday at World Ducati Week 2012 in Misano, some of Ducati’s top motorcycle racers will go head-to-head on the quarter-mile aboard some Diavel Carbons for
The all-star Drag Race shoot-out will feature MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, World Superbike’s Carlos Checa, Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli, and the legendary SBK rider Troy Bayliss.
Following is some further info from Ducati:
Scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m. local time Saturday evening, June 23, the spectacular quarter mile Drag Race will challenge the razor-sharp reflexes of riders from both MotoGP and World Superbike along the start/finish straight of the Misano World Circuit. Last staged in 2010 aboard Ducati Streetfighters, this year’s elimination races will be run on specially prepared Ducati Diavel Carbons.
The incredible line-up includes official Ducati Team riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden in addition to living legend, Troy Bayliss, the triple World Superbike Champion and Ducatista favourite who will also hold a round of his Troy Bayliss Academy at the WDW2012 event. Also lining-up on the launch pad is reigning World Superbike Champion, Carlos Checa, the Althea Racing Team rider who last year also recorded Ducati’s 300th World Superbike victory.
Team Effenbert Liberty Racing will field their exciting World Superbike riders, Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrz in addition to Rome Red Devils Team’s, Niccolò Canepa, the young Italian former FIM Superstock 1000 Champion who now competes in the World Superbike series. The line-up is completed with World Superbike Pata Racing Team’s Lorenzo Zanetti who, like every other rider launching down the strip, will want to make his mark at the packed-to-capacity Ducati event.
The high-octane show will feature Ducati’s innovative and high-powered Ducati Diavel Carbon, a 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds motorcycle that has thrilled owners around the world. First introduced for 2011 as “the new shape of power and style”, the awesome Ducati L-twin power will be tamed at WDW2012 by some of the world’s best riders and its asphalt-ripping performance is sure to be great entertainment for the thousands of spectators expected.
Tudor, the Swiss maker of quality watches and main sponsor member of the seventh edition of World Ducati Week, will be the official Timing Partner of the event with the honour of declaring the winner ready for the prize-giving after the race. The riders are then destined to meet the public at a giant WDW2012 party at the Piazzale Roma in Riccione later that evening where a spectacular night of music, entertainment and pure Ducati passion has been organised.
Thousands of Ducatisti from all over the world have already booked their WDW2012 tickets online and advanced bookings will remain operative until 13 June on the dedicated event website wdw.ducati.com. From 18 June, ticket purchase will then be possible at the Misano circuit venue.
Full World Ducati Week 2012 info available at wdw.ducati.com.


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Tags: Vulcan Q2 2013
Vulcan Materials Company announced last week that the company’s net sales rose 7 percent ($47 million) in the second quarter of the year, which ended on June 30. Don James , Chairman and CEO of Vulcan, said the “solid growth in ...
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Some focus their startup on issues directly related to the virus.
Others had started implementing business plans just before the pandemic, and it was not possible to withdraw.
Still others find the harsh new environment actually an advantage for getting started.
Here are some of their stories.
Virtual funeral services
Effie Anolik, 30, of Toronto, has no experience in the funeral industry. She worked for Shopify, the e-commerce platform, for four years. But when her father passed away two years ago, she was surprised to find that apart from a website, the funeral home offered almost no online services.
“You have to go to the funeral home in person to plan a funeral,” said Anolik. “My family had to go there to process the credit card payment. It seemed like an interaction that could have happened online. “
She thought funeral homes needed new, user-friendly technology and started a business to create back-office software.
But this month, it changed gears to go directly to consumers.
“Right now, families really have no choice and don’t know how to move forward with some sort of gathering,” she said.
His new business, PlanaFuneral.com, offers a free phone consultation to get started, while other services range from $ 200 to $ 400. These services include:
- Personalized “virtual funerals” that include full event management, invitations and online event recording.
- A slideshow or video of the life of the deceased family member.
- Hosting services for the gathering on Zoom, the conference platform.
- Consultation with family and friends who may wish to give a eulogy or make a presentation.
- If there is to be a funeral, it can be broadcast live so that family and friends can feel present.
In the few days since the business was founded, Anolik has heard from several potential customers – including someone in New York who could not arrange a cremation and wants help. She expects demand to increase and says her small team is ready to handle it.
She will have competition. Some Canadian funeral homes also began to organize virtual bereavement services during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, Anolik believes that his business has a future, even when people are able to come together again to pay tribute.
“It will still take virtual gatherings to bring everyone together,” she said. “Virtual gatherings can include guests who may not have been able to attend in the traditional sense, due to the distance and cost. “
She plans to add other services to help bereaved families, such as helping to close bank accounts and social media profiles, as well as subscriptions and contracts that need to be canceled.
“There are a lot of things to navigate,” she said.
Telemedicine for pets
Kerri-Lynn McAllister of Toronto turns her love of animals into a new business. A founding member of Ratehub.ca, the popular financial product comparison website, last fall she started Pawzy, an online resource for the health and well-being of pets.
She is now launching Pawzy Telehealth, a new branch of the company that provides a teleconferencing system specially designed for virtual visits to the vet.
“Many veterinarians have had to cut back on their hours and emergency care services,” said McAllister. “And as a result, pets do not have the same level of care as they would otherwise. “
Pet owners do not pay for the service. Instead, veterinary clinics register and pay a monthly fee to continue to see clients and their pets and maintain their revenue stream.
“We are making a free COVID offer in the next two months, but thereafter there will be a software subscription fee of $ 99 per month per clinic,” she said.
Over the next two weeks, McAllister plans to launch a more consumer-focused service, where Canadians everywhere can contact a veterinarian at any time. “It does not have to be a service offered by their own veterinarian, it will be allowed to any Canadian. “
Chef Eric Rogers of Toronto had worked with a partner before the COVID-19 crisis to open Riverside Kitchen, a so-called ghost kitchen, a delivery-only service that would offer four menus of food via apps such as UberEats, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes .
A ghost kitchen is essentially a restaurant without the tables, the waiters and the guests. It’s about producing food to deliver to the back of the house.
“We have done a lot of research and figures from the United States have shown that virtual or ghost kitchens almost double their business volume each year,” said Rogers. “It is one of the fastest growing segments of the food industry. “
They planned to launch in April, but have now been delayed by a month due to the pandemic. Rogers and his partner intended to rent an industrial kitchen, but he now suspects that they will soon have other, less expensive options.
“There are going to be a lot of failures in restaurants,” he said. “We approached two owners to tell them what we could offer you is a bridge lease. If we commit to six months or a year, when they find a new restaurant tenant, we would pay to cover their utilities. We will not pay full pop, but they will get an income. ”
Meanwhile, he and his partner Josh Peace have prepared samples of dishes from their food lines to photograph for application companies. These lines include handmade sandwiches, a barbecue smoker, a South American menu and a family dinner project.
“We certainly looked at each other from time to time and we asked ourselves:” Are we crazy? But the delivery was already growing exponentially and it’s now the only thing in town. No one can go to a restaurant. ”
He said he thought the trend for home deliveries would continue to grow as it could take some time before people were impatient to have dinner again.
A brand new advertising agency
It is fair to say that there is never a perfect time to launch a new advertising agency, given that the industry is already crowded and extremely competitive. But Beverley Hammond and her four Toronto-based co-founders were unaware that a pandemic was brewing when they banded together to form Broken Heart Love Affair, their unusual company.
“We started working on it in the fall,” she said. “And my partners, among the best talents in the country, warned their agencies. “
With creative heads of reputable agencies such as Cossette and BBDO in the founding team, it might have been wise to turn around and ask for the return of their jobs, once he had become Clear that the pandemic was about to wreak havoc on the economy. .
But Hammond says it was not possible – legal agreements had been signed.
“The train had left the station. We were gone and driving. “
When the company was officially launched on March 27, the group had to wear gloves and masks and bring disinfectant wipes to sign the Broken Heart Love Affair shareholder agreement.
The agency has already signed Kids Help Phone, Everest Insurance and Kruger, a paper products company, as clients.
“We are currently in the middle of eight new business opportunities. It’s a lot in normal times. It is inexplicable now, “she said. The firm even signed a new client on Easter Sunday. “There doesn’t seem to be a demarcation between weekdays and weekends at the moment. “
Despite this promising start, Hammond admits it’s a scary time. In addition to the five co-founders, four employees have been hired and wages must be paid.
But as a longtime entrepreneur, Hammond is not taken aback.
“I’ve already experienced this kind of pressure, like anyone starting a business. “


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Remember the slightly disappointing Note 10.1? Determined not to let the concept of a big tablet with a pen die, Samsung has “gone pro” so to speak with the new 12.2-inch Galaxy NotePRO. If you’re a resolution junkie, you’ll want to see this.
The NotePRO is a 12.2-inch tablet which promises the best of both worlds: the goodness of a consumption tablet with the capabilities of a real laptop or desktop computer.
The screen is an eye-popping 2500×1600 WXGA display, and a form factor that aims to replicate the size and feel of an A4 notebook (once you include the bezel). It’s got 3GB of RAM, 32GB and 64GB storage variants, an expandable microSD slot (up to 64GB) and a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera.
Samsung is also aiming to fill this thing to the brim with free content out of the box, promising around $700 of freebies from various providers including Dropbox, Hancom, Bloomberg Businessweek and more. Samsung Australia claims that roughly two-thirds of the content provided to Americans will be available to Australians, so that’s something. We’ll have to wait and see on local exclusives when it comes to content, however.
On the productivity side, Samsung is including its Knox suite for security and VPN abilities, as well as Cisco WebEx support, a bespoke LinkedIn app, Remote PC capabilities and a decent Android document, slideshow and table editing suite for you enterprise users.
Samsung also wants people to type better on the new tablet, enabling Windows-style keyboard shortcuts on the touch keyboard. Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo and Select All are available via the new Keyboard shortcuts.
Speaking of Windows, the NotePRO is packing Android under the hood, but you wouldn’t know it: Samsung has filled it to the brim with a new type of TouchWiz interface for tablets which it is calling Magazine UX. It’s clean, it’s bright and it’s colourful. Basically it’s what Windows 8’s Metro interface would look like if it were built on top of Android 4.4.
Multi-Window has also received a welcome boost, with the ability to swipe in from the right (much like Windows 8’s Charms menu) to access the window of available apps, before allowing you to align four windows around each other, even if they’re all the same app.
The NotePRO is definitely coming to Australia, although Samsung hasn’t yet confirmed a price or release date.
Luke Hopewell travelled to CES 2014 as a guest of Samsung Australia.


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Shutting down Britain’s airspace could cost airlines more than £100 million if the disruption carries on into the weekend.
The wider economy will also suffer as tourists, businessmen and cargo, including fresh food for supermarkets, are unable to get into the country.
British Airways grounded hundreds of flights yesterday but is yet to calculate the potential losses. In the past, similar standstills caused by fog have cost the airline between £10 million and £20 million a day.
The disruption to services had an immediate impact on Ryanair after the airline grounded all of its British and Irish flights. More than £70 million was wiped off the company’s market value.
There have only been a couple of other examples of large-scale disruption caused by volcanoes. One incident in Alaska in 1989 resulted in the cancellation of North American flights for several days. US airlines estimated the disruption cost them $100 million.
source: Times Online


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SECURE AND CONVENIENT – THE FUTURE OF MOBILE BANKING
Maria Hudson, Head of Corporate Marketing, Xura
After enjoying many years of goodwill, banks are witnessing an erosion of trust as customers lose confidence in how their personal data is being protected in an increasingly digital world.
Trust, however, is “the major banks’ biggest asset”, according to a recent report by Deloitte, so it’s perhaps little wonder that financial service providers are continuously looking for new ways by which to restore this trust in their services.
With this in mind, new entrants to the market are completely ripping up the banking rule book. In April, the launch of mobile-only Atom Bank saw the beginning of a new age of banking for a “digital generation”. Designed to appeal to those consumers who use their mobile devices in practically every aspect of their lives, and who rarely, if ever, interact with the big banks’ high street branches, the bank’s app employs a range of innovative features. Chief among these is biometric authentication, which uses, fingerprint, facial and voice recognition to verify the identity of its customers.
In doing so, the challenger bank has added its voice to a growing group of companies who recognise the benefits of biometric authentication. HSBC, First Direct, Barclays and Nationwide are just some of the more established names that have recently introduced biometric technology, alongside passcodes for their online, app and phone customers, not only for increased security, but for greater convenience.
In an age where consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the security of their data, by offering rich, sophisticated multi-authentication techniques such as biometrics alongside traditional passwords or one-time codes, it creates a greater level of trust between the consumer and their financial service provider.
A desire for human interactions
To enhance the experience of their customers and win back their trust, banks should consider how they can improve the convenience of all aspects of their mobile offering. Indeed, a report by KPMG suggests there is a real desire from more than half of all global banking customers for social, personalised and ‘human’ interactions to be integrated into their banks’ mobile and online applications.
For example, when dealing with their bank via a mobile device, consumers are increasingly interested in replicating the experience of the messaging services such as WhatsApp and FaceTime to which they’ve become accustomed.
Recent advances in rich communication technology, however, such as Real-Time Communication (RTC), are now enabling banks to provide customers with a mobile experience that suits their lifestyle, providing real-time interactions such as instant messaging, video calls, and the encrypted sharing of screens and files.
Not only can such features improve the functionality of an app, but they can also add that desired “human touch”. Then, by combining this rich communication technology with security features such as multi-factor authentication and biometric authentication techniques, it’s possible for customers to fully interact with a bank remotely without ever having to visit their branch.
Context at the heart of every transaction
Employing rich communication technology means context around a user is always at the heart of every online or mobile transaction.
It means, for instance, that when a customer initiates communication with their bank, and their identity is authenticated, their chat, voice or video call can be routed to the most appropriate member of staff available, who is provided with full access to the customer’s banking history or can pull relevant contextual information directly from the customer’s web screen or mobile app if need be.
With this information to hand, the call handler will be able to quickly and satisfactorily resolve the situation, whether they’re in a branch or a call centre. As well as delivering substantial cost savings to the bank, the personalised feel of the service, expedited process and the peace of mind it offers go toward increasing the loyalty of the customer.
The integration of rich communication technology such as RTC with sophisticated biometric authentication techniques will support banks in their efforts to improve their remote interactions with customers, allowing them to conduct secure, personalised two-way dialogues across any device.
With over six billion devices expected to be WebRTC-capable by 2019, and with more applications and services available than ever for connecting and communicating with customers, banks hoping to improve customer loyalty and restore trust must take advantage of the opportunities that the digital revolution presents.
The launch of Atom Bank back in April saw the dawn of a new way for consumers to interact with financial service providers. With the current authentication and rich communication technology only set to grown in sophistication, it will be interesting to see how this develops over the next few years.
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The average American sleeps 6.9 hours a night. When we get less sleep than we need, our reaction times get slower, our blood pressure rises, we eat more, and we're more at risk of obesity and diabetes.
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Taste-Off: Best kids' lunch kits -- and the worst
There's no doubt about the convenience factor when it comes to packaged lunch kits, but quality ranges from tasty to terrible. Here's the scoop on what to pack and what to sack.
( MARIO ANZUONI )
Jennifer Lawrence, other celebs hit by nude-photo leak
Reported phone hacking scheme results in celebrity photos leaking online; dozens of fake celeb photos posted as well.


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The 49ers signed cornerback Perrish Cox to a two-year contract on Tuesday, just hours before the start of the free-agent signing period.Cox sat out last season after the Denver Broncos released him
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Recent key shifts in macroeconomic indicators could significantly impact both aluminum and steel prices. Historically, the best way for companies to protect themselves during times of uncertainty is to change buying strategies.
Most commodities have traded in a bull market for the past one and a half years. This has allowed companies of all sizes to see where their supply chains face the greatest gaps. Still, anecdotal evidence suggests that the fear of rising steel prices and ongoing supply chain constraints have caused buying organizations to “stock up” on materials. This has not only helped build inventory but also shore up supply. Now, many companies are seeing their orders slowing down.
Economic Indicators Suggest Slowing Demand
For instance, last month, the ISM Manufacturing Report or PMI continued its expansion. However, one troubling reading came from the new orders subindex, which dropped from 61.7% in February to 53.8% in March. According to MetalMiner, that data, along with falling durable goods orders and other key macroeconomic indicators, suggests a slowing economy.
To see our take on macroeconomic indicators, subscribe to the free MetalMiner Weekly update email. This week, the newsletter covers the three main macroeconomic drivers while analyzing their likely impact on metal prices.
Success Means Shifting Buying Strategies
It’s common knowledge that buyers are recovering from more than a year of supply woes and shipping constraints. Still, should the US economy slow, these organizations will need to reevaluate their sourcing tactics. Of course, the same would be true if we were to enter a recession.
Luckily, these companies can adapt using a wide range of buying strategies. Many of these can then mitigate holding high priced inventory during a slower or recessionary business cycle.
Some Strategies to Consider
- Move off a scrap steel contract and consider contracting using a long-term index.
- Avoid locking into long-term fixed-price contracts. This is especially important if metal macro trends change from bull to sideways or bull to bear.
- Communicate conservative demand forecasts with suppliers on a longer-term outlook. However, they should share actual demand data for 4 and 8 weeks out (or further, if possible)
- In rising markets, it makes sense to lock in contracts earlier vs. later as prices could still rise. In recessionary markets, the exact opposite holds true. That’s why companies should hold off on locking anything in for as long as possible.
- Identify the KPIs that serve as their company’s “early warning signal” of slower demand. That means paying close attention to sales pipelines, time to close deals, pockets of softness, etc.
- Companies should keep watch on their +/- volume tolerances from mills and service centers. A lot of people got squeezed on that when materials were in short supply. Now is a good time to re-examine those tolerances and work with suppliers to shore up a wider +/-.
- Those companies that did stock up on inventory should see the next few months as an opportunity to burn through it. The market remains pretty strong, but it could look a lot softer three months from now. In other words: if you added a cushion to your safety stock, now’s the time to use it!
- Mills and service centers that “acted incorrectly” with customers during the shortage phase should come back looking for business again. This would be a great chance to barter lower prices off the decreased demand. Likewise, suppliers that handled the bad times particularly well should be rewarded. After all, it’s all about relationships!
There’s Always More to Learn
No matter what the future has in store for the marketplace, there will always be opportunities to save and make money. In the end, it always comes down to preparedness, know-how, and a little willingness to innovate.
MetalMiner CEO Lisa Reisman and VP of Business Solutions Don Hauser will be offering up additional insights during a Wed, May 4 workshop. To learn even more strategies for dealing with a slowing economy, sign up to attend here.


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Tag Archives: PS Vita
Mon, Sep 24, 2012 | 09:19 BST
Assassin’s Creed 3 and PS Vita’s Assassin’s Creed Liberation have received a new batch of screens from Ubisoft. The shots show young Connor in action, Aveline hunting crocodiles and both characters fighting back-to-back against a pack of attacking British soldiers. Check them out below.
Wed, Sep 19, 2012 | 15:33 BST
PS Vita is getting two new colours in Japan – Cosmic Red and Sapphire Blue. The new handhelds were revealed at TGS last night, and the bad news is that there are currently no plans to bring these consoles to the West. Still, don’t these official shots look lovely?
Thu, Aug 30, 2012 | 12:08 BST
PS Vita firmware update 1.8 makes it possible to play PSone classics on Sony’s handheld, but many gamers have spoken out regarding an issue with the content. It seems as if PSone games can’t simply be downloaded to your PS Vita and played directly. There is a solution however.
Thu, Aug 23, 2012 | 11:21 BST
Hot Shots Golf 6 – or Everybody’s Golf PS Vita if you’re living in Europe – is getting a PS3 port. We reported on the game’s new features yesterday, but now Sony has unveiled the first batch of gameplay screens. Check them out below.
Mon, Aug 20, 2012 | 17:23 BST
PS Vita has hit a worldwide sales total of 2.2 million units as of June 30th, Sony has revealed. Considering that Kaz Hirai revealed figures of 1.8 million in May, sales seems to be slowing, but can a strong post-gamescom release slate change that?
Thu, Aug 16, 2012 | 13:15 BST
Tearaway remains the main focus, but the developer is currently making progress on an unannounced project.
Wed, Aug 15, 2012 | 12:28 BST
Let us fight, through the medium of dance.
Tue, Aug 14, 2012 | 10:07 BST
XSEED’s strange rhythm-strategy PS Vita game is set to be released outside of Japan.
Thu, Aug 02, 2012 | 17:33 BST
Guardian Hearts Online – Q Entertainment’s free-to-play PS Vita RPG – has just received an official batch of screens.
Wed, Aug 01, 2012 | 18:03 BST
Sound Shapes developer Queasy Games and Sony have just revealed a nifty level editor tutorial that shows you how to rip apart songs and lyrics by signed artists, then mash them up into your own creations on PS Vita. Also, did someone say ‘trophies’?
Tue, Jul 31, 2012 | 16:28 BST
Amazon US is offering customers the chance to buy a PS Vita and get a copy of Gravity Rush for free for a limited time
Tue, Jul 31, 2012 | 09:08 BST
PES 2013 and Expendables 2 get demos on the US PSN store this week, and Rockstar North’s PS2 debut Grand Theft Auto 3 makes a return as well.
Mon, Dec 05, 2011 | 19:18 GMT
Mon, Oct 24, 2011 | 08:11 BST
Batman, RAGE, BF3, Uncharted – the holiday season’s in full swing. Oh, and let’s not forget Skylander’s Spyro… I mean, uh, Skyrim. Er, yeah. Look, a distraction: what last week’s biggest news means.
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 | 21:44 BST
At the GDC Online event today, a senior Sony engineer confirmed some of the PlayStation Vita’s hardware limitations. More »
Sat, Sep 17, 2011 | 09:16 BST
A video has made its way to YouTube containing plenty of gameplay footage from Capcom’s upcoming PS Vita fighter Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3. It shows various popular characters like Chun Li, Wolverine, Spiderman and Akuma fighting it out, performing various special moves and combos in the process. The game is scheduled to release as part of Vita’s launch line-up on December 17. Watch the video after the break.
Sat, Sep 17, 2011 | 15:29 BST
Import-happy gamers would be delighted to learn that PS Vita won’t be region-locked.
Sat, Sep 17, 2011 | 09:01 BST
John Garvin, writer and director of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, has put together video walk-through of the game’s two levels shown at TGS this week. He took great pleasure in highlighting the important elements to be found in the demo, from the great visual effects to top-notch voice-overs by Nolan North, and much more. Uncharted: Golden Abyss is scheduled to release as part of Vita’s launch line-up on December 17. You can watch the video below.
Thu, Aug 18, 2011 | 21:24 BST
We heard you like reading every little bit of news that comes out of a Games Convention, and we wouldn’t ever think of letting you down. Here’s the news which you might want to catch up on. Make sure to put your reading glasses on, because you’re going to need them!
Mon, Aug 15, 2011 | 12:23 BST


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- Amazon may soon develop a procurement portal for the US government.
- A recent report revealed that the company has been in talks with the administration and is in the bidding for a federal contract.
- The e-commerce giant has not commented on the deal surrounding the Commercial Platform.
According to emails retrieved under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) act, a top Amazon executive who was part of the Obama administration has been in talks with the US government about a procurement portal. Director of Government Anne Rung revealed that the talks happened long before the “Amazon Amendment” was implemented.
The US has been interested in a procurement platform for quite some time now so far, no company including Amazon has been confirmed for the deal yet. companies are expected to present their proof of concept in the near future which will be evaluated before a contract is awarded. While the emails revealed by the FOIA Act do not reveal any illegal activity, it is visible that US bureaucrats are influenced by Amazon to secure lucrative contracts.
Federal procurements are currently valued at $53 billion, and Amazon is one of the frontrunners to nab a contract for the Commercial platform. The company has chosen to not reveal any details about the project or its talks with the government. A representative revealed in an official statement “No company has been given special access. Instead, all companies expressing interest in the Commercial Platforms program have equal access to GSA. We cannot speculate on which companies will be part of the proof of concept until proposals are received, evaluated, and awards are made.”
Amazon is one of the latest tech companies to partner with the government. Microsoft recently received a contract for Holo Lens devices that will be specially built for military use by the US army. We are yet to find out which other companies are in the running for the Commercial Platform and when the deal will be finalized.
What do you think about the Amazon working with the US government for the Commercial Platform? Let us know in the comments below. Also, join us on our TechNadu’s Twitter handle and Facebook page for instant updates.


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Abbott Laboratories, looking to establish itself as a dominant player in the lucrative market for diabetes testing, has agreed to buy a California-based maker of blood monitoring devices and diagnostic tests for $1.2 billion in cash.
North Chicago-based Abbott, which makes drugs and medical devices, has offered $27 a share for TheraSense Inc., an amount 33 percent higher than the Nasdaq closing price Monday for the Alameda, Calif.-based company.
The deal, which must be approved by regulators, is expected to be completed in spring of 2004.
Abbott is racing other testmakers to provide more convenient, less painful methods of measuring blood glucose levels as the market for diagnosing diabetes grows with the aging population and the increasing number of people who are obese.
The deal could help Abbott jump into third place among companies that make devices that allow diabetes patients to monitor their own blood-sugar levels, behind Roche AG and Johnson & Johnson.
Today, testmakers compete in a $5 billion market for blood-glucose testing. Some analysts believe the market could more than double in the next decade.
"This is clearly one of the most attractive diagnostics markets worldwide," said Richard Gonzalez, Abbott president and chief operating officer, medical products group. "It is an attractive market today and will be an attractive market going forward."
The World Health Organization estimates that there are 185 million people with diabetes worldwide, with just 40 percent of them diagnosed and treated. The number of people with diabetes is expected to rise to 500 million by 2025, in part because of an aging population and increase in obesity, particularly in the United States, analysts said.
"It's a very good strategic deal for Abbott," said Paul Abel, a portfolio manager at Kinetics Medical Fund, a $30 million fund based in White Plains, N.Y., that holds about 12,000 Abbott shares. "They are buying tomorrow's competition."
Abbott and other firms already sell products that reduce the number of painful needle sticks needed in fingers by letting patients draw blood from parts of the body with fewer nerve endings, such as the forearm, upper arm, thigh or calf.
Users insert a glucose test strip and lancet in the monitor, and it automatically pierces the skin, draws the required amount of blood and measures glucose levels in about 20 seconds using Abbott's current Sof-Tact product.
In TheraSense, Abbott will be buying a company that sells a Freestyle Flash device that is smaller, requires less blood to be drawn and measures glucose levels in about seven seconds.
"It may be a superior product than what Abbott has," Abel said.
Abbott, which jumped into the blood glucose testing business with its acquisition of MediSense in 1996, had about $540 million in annual sales of blood glucose monitoring products last year. That was about 3 percent of Abbott's total sales of more than $18 billion.
Abbott, which releases its fourth-quarter and 2003 full-year earnings on Friday, said the TheraSense acquisition will reduce its 2004 earnings by a penny a share, excluding one-time charges in the second quarter, primarily for in-process research and development.
Abbott's glucose-testing business, though, is expected to become a more important business in the future, especially if it grows at the 20 percent annual rate that it has in the past.
The addition of TheraSense will improve its research and development pipeline and expand its sales and marketing operation. Meanwhile, Abbott will provide greater international sales and distribution reach.
Additionally, TheraSense has applied for Food and Drug Administration approval for a device that continuously monitors glucose levels and transmits results to a wireless pager-size device that may be worn on a belt or carried in a purse.
"The combination will create significant opportunities in research and development as we progress toward helping people with diabetes through advancements in continuous blood glucose monitoring and future integrated systems," said W. Mark Lortz, chairman and chief executive of TheraSense.


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German newspaper Der Spiegel launched a media frenzy last week with the provocative story that the NSA can (and probably has) compromise the iPhone in a way that gives them complete “ownership” of the device for the purposes of surveillance. Fueled by documents released by infamous informant Edward Snowden, the article details a specific program called “Dropout Jeep” that could completely compromise an iPhone…in 2007.
What this means for you:
Today, in the internet economy, media outlets have priorities that aren’t always compatible: keep their audiences informed, and get as many eyeballs/clicks/likes as possible. As you can imagine, stories about iPhones and NSA spying are hot commodities right now, so when the two subjects align, how can you not lead with such an explosive story?
Several articles spurred by the Der Spiegel piece speculated that Apple may have been working with the NSA all along. Most suggested that the NSA can and has owned even current gen iPhones. Apple, of course, has denied any collaboration with the spy agency. The NSA itself continues to remain silent on stories like this. But, as mentioned above, the Dropout Jeep program was active in 2007, and required the hacker to have physical access to the device. As many of you have heard me say before, if someone has physical access to your device, compromising the device (regardless of manufacturer or type) becomes much more straightforward. The Snowden document did indicate that the NSA was working on future versions of the spyware that wouldn’t require physical access to the device, but for the moment, there is no proof that they can “own” modern iPhones.
But there’s no proof that they can’t, either.


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New Changes Coming Soon: Google Requires Mobile App and Game Publishers to Collect TCF-Compliant User Consent for Ads
In an industry development that is expected to spark discussions, Google has announced that starting “later this year,” mobile app and game publishers will be required to collect user consent for displaying ads to users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK) that adhere to the transparency and consent framework (TCF).
Understanding the Basics
In a previous article, we discussed Google’s announcement on May 16, 2023, stating that they will mandate the collection of consent from users via a Google-certified Consent Management Platform (CMP) for those using Google AdMob, Google AdManager, or Google AdSense. While the initial announcement did not provide a specific deadline, Google has now set January 16, 2024, as the cutoff for publishers to comply with the new requirements.
However, despite the deadline, it seems that the industry is not in a rush to implement these changes. Many publishers are still in the exploration stage, and it wouldn’t be surprising if most of them delay the implementation until the last minute. This pattern is similar to previous industry novelties such as the introduction of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework and the launch of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Additionally, as the lucrative Q4 period approaches, publishers may be hesitant to make changes that could disrupt their ad monetization during the most profitable time of the year.
Additional Information from Google
In addition to the deadline, Google has released an official list of CMPs that they have certified. Publishers can find the list of certified CMPs here. At the moment, there are a total of 49 certified CMPs, but only 21 of them are available for mobile apps. Notably, Outfit7 is the only game publisher on the list that has an approved CMP from Google. Another game publisher, EasyBrain, has its CMP certified by IAB, but it is yet to receive Google’s approval.
While publishers have the option to create their own CMP, this approach is deemed impractical for most companies in the industry. Creating a CMP involves technical and legal efforts, as well as a significant amount of bureaucracy, as the solution needs to be certified by both IAB and Google. Unfortunately, there are no time estimates available for the certification process.
Choosing the Right CMP: Factors to Consider
At GameBiz Consulting, we conducted comprehensive research to identify the most suitable CMP solutions. We initiated three rounds of interviews with the initially certified 11 CMPs and shortlisted five solutions that met our criteria. Here are the factors we considered:
- Support Availability: Implementation of a CMP is a complex task, and proper support from the CMP provider is crucial to avoid unintended damage to publisher’s ad revenues. Accessibility to support plays a vital role in choosing the right CMP.
- Consent Pop-Up Customization: The ability to customize consent pop-ups is important as it can significantly impact opt-in rates, which, in turn, affects ad revenue. Out-of-the box solutions may not always be optimal for maximizing opt-ins.
- AB Testing Availability: CMP platforms that offer built-in AB testing capabilities for different consent pop-up variations can help publishers maximize their opt-in rates.
- Regulations Supported: Considering the location of a publisher’s users is essential when selecting a CMP. While Google currently requires TCF 2.2 compliance for EEA and UK users, publishers need to be prepared for potential future regulations worldwide.
- TCF Version Supported: Ensuring that the chosen CMP has plans to update their TCF version to meet the 2.2 requirement by the deadline is crucial to avoid potential headaches in the future.
- Integration Options: Different game engines require specific integration options (iOS, Android, React Native, Unity, Flutter, etc.), so publishers must consider compatibility with their development platforms.
- Server Location: While data transfers to the US have been deemed adequate for now, some publishers may prefer CMPs with servers located within the EU to mitigate potential data transfer issues.
- Experience with Game Publishers: Selecting a CMP with experience working with similar companies in the gaming industry ensures a greater understanding of specific needs and challenges.
- CMP is a Core Product for the Provider: Opting for a CMP provider whose primary focus is their CMP product ensures greater commitment, attention, and dedication to the solution.
- API Availability: Publishers seeking to integrate CMP data into their own business intelligence systems should prioritize CMPs that offer API access.
- Proof of Consent: Publishers should request detailed explanations from CMP providers regarding the type of proof of consent they offer.


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Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23. Register here.
The financial trains continue to run ahead of schedule at Electronic Arts.
The Battlefield publisher revealed the results of its fiscal Q1 2017 today, and it generated $682 million in revenues. That bests the $650.7 million that analysts were expecting. The company also earned 7 cents per share, which is well ahead of the 2-cent loss that Wall Street predicted. EA credits its digital business for its growth in the $99.6 billion worldwide gaming market.
“Q1 was a great quarter for Electronic Arts with amazing engagement in our global communities,” EA chief executive officer Andrew Wilson said. “EA is leading our industry through innovation, with more of our biggest games powered by Frostbite, breakthrough EA Sports titles on console and mobile, and the unstoppable combination of Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 coming this holiday.”
In its earnings press release, EA noted that the military shooter Battlefield games have 11.5 million unique players in the first quarter. Star Wars: Battlefront, a sci-fi shooter, had 6.6 million uniques during the same time. The publisher’s connected games also created a lot of engagement through the three-month period ending June 30.
GamesBeat Summit 2023
Join the GamesBeat community in Los Angeles this May 22-23. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry to share their updates on the latest developments.
“Our digital business drove this quarter, particularly outperformance from FIFA Ultimate Team on console and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes on mobile,” EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said. “This success along with the launch of NBA Live Mobile gives us great confidence in our ability to operate and add new live services through the year.”
Looking ahead, the company is expecting to generate $4.75 billion in revenue for fiscal 2017. And it is predicting earnings per share of $2.56. The aforementioned Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 are the blockbusters behind this outlook.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.


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AisleBuyer, the first mobile self-checkout app, lets you scan items with your iPhone and pay by credit card – without waiting in line. No more hassles and lines at conventional or self-checkouts at stores when you go shopping. It will be available in the coming months for Blackberry and Android phones.
Anyone with an iPhone who enters a store powered by AisleBuyer simply needs to download the application from the iTunes App store. Once the iPhone camera scans the product bar code, shoppers can see product information, reviews and offers as they walk through the store. The patent-pending app will also provide a receipt.
For more information, visit www.AisleBuyer.com.
The firm's technology has been rolled out at Magic Beans, AisleBuyer's Massachusetts-based launch partner, and will soon be rolled out at a 150-store national retailer as well as category leaders in home improvement, office supplies, and wholesale clubs.
AisleBuyer, headquartered in Boston, was recently named a winner of the inaugural PepsiCo10, an incubator program that matches technology, media and communications entrepreneurs with PepsiCo brands for pilot programs set to launch in the coming months.
"The goal is to combine the best features from online shopping with the in-store experience," said Andrew Paradise, CEO of AisleBuyer. "In effect, we are turning smart phones into handheld cash registers and information kiosks, dramatically increasing both customer satisfaction and retail checkout efficiencies."
"As a retail company that serves parents, we are always on the lookout for new services and features that make life easier for our busy customers," said Sheri Gurock, Co-owner of Magic Beans. "This technology offers a more personalized shopping experience and allows us to provide our customers with the added convenience of self-checkout."
At the core of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant platform is a complete analytics package that reflects how consumers interact with products from scan to checkout. It provides retailers with demographic, geographic and behavioral analytics, including what products customers put back on the shelves, and also targets benefits previously available only to online retailers.
"Our retail partners can use this data to drive foot traffic through targeted, ‘location-aware' offers, reduce the number of ‘abandoned carts' through behaviorally targeted couponing, and even make better merchandising decisions," Paradise said.
He cited a study showing that nearly 70% of shoppers abandoned a purchase last holiday season at an average cost of $109 per shopper to the retailer.
Urbn (Urban Outfitters) CEO Glen Senk told the 2010 Shop.org Annual Summit that the growing impact of mobile technology on retail would soon make cash registers obsolete. He said that retailers had tried to make their web sites as good as their stores; now they're trying to make aspects of the store experience as good as their web sites.
AisleBuyer's end-to-end mobile solution includes five modules:
AisleBuyer unites the best features of both "bricks" and "clicks" retailing. A patent-pending mobile self-checkout system, it provides retailers with an end-to-end solution designed to increase sales, reduce costs and gain unprecedented analytical insight into in-store shopping behavior. A simple product scan provides consumers with valuable product info, targeted offers, and the first-ever mobile self-checkout option ... meaning they will never have to wait in line again.
For more information, visit www.AisleBuyer.com


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by Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, HP Inc.
A year ago, HP announced a quest with our agencies to transform the advertising industry. We challenged partners to significantly increase the number of women and U.S. minorities in top creative and strategic roles on our accounts.
A few months ago, HP Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Antonio Lucio took a bold step to shake up the advertising and public relations industries by issuing a call to action for greater gender diversity. But, it’s not an effort any company can take on alone.


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Devin Finzer, co-founder and CEO of OpenSea, announced yesterday that the NFT marketplace will lay off about 20 percent of its staff. Announcing the layoffs, the company cited the current crypto winter as the reason.
On Thursday, OpenSea, a nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace, announced employee cutbacks citing the current crypto winter as the reason. OpenSea co-founder and CEO Devin Finzer revealed this afternoon that the NFT marketplace is laying off about 20 percent of its employees. The move comes after similar lay-offs by other crypto asset companies were reported during the ongoing bear market phase. Finzer did not indicate how many people that represented. A Forbes article in January celebrating Finzer and his co-founder Alex Atallah’s US$2.2 billion net worth (each) said the company employed more than 70 people, but an OpenSea spokesperson tells The Verge that 230 people will remain with the company.
Still, a sustained drop in the activity and prices has led to headlines about how NFT Sales Are Flat Lining or have Fallen Off the Cliff, while backlash to the entire concept has followed many companies that adopted them or suggested they might. Recently, Reddit launched an NFT Collectible Avatars feature without openly referencing the term, and just today, a Sony marketing exec had to dismiss concerns from gamers that a new digital collectibles feature would bring the blockchain and NFTs to its PS5s.
The bear market condition in the crypto market is negatively impacting the crypto firms, forcing the companies to step back and reconsider their payroll and development strategies.
Devin Finzer, co-founder and CEO of OpenSea, disclosed on Twitter that OpenSea would be reducing the headcount by 20 percent. In a message addressed to his employees, Finzer said that “an unprecedented combination of crypto winter and broad macroeconomic instability” is the reason for layoffs.
He added, “we need to prepare the company for the responsibility of a prolonged downturn. The changes we’re making today put us in a position to maintain multiple years of runaway under various crypto winter scenarios (5 years at the current volume) and give us high confidence that we will only have to go through this process once.”


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COVINGTON, Ga. - Tractor Supply Company is hosting a pet treat tasting event in Covington, and you and your furry friends are invited.
The event, planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 7 from, will give pets the chance to sample a variety of pet treats available at Tractor Supply Company, including a selection from Tractor Supply's exclusive 4health® brand.
In addition to the tasting, attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy and 4health Resource Center.
"With so many pet food and treat options available for your four-legged friends, why not let them pick out their favorite?" Wayne Sheffield, manager of the Covington Tractor Supply store, said. "We have a wide variety of options available at Tractor Supply to ensure that you, and your pet, find what you are looking for."
This event is open to the public and will take place at 10161 Lochridge Blvd. For more information, please contact the Covington Tractor Supply at 678-342-2177.


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NY attorney general looking at companies using payroll cards
NEW YORKThe New York Attorney General’s office is looking at a little more than 20 businesses for their use of ATM-type cards to pay some of their workers.
The office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says it sent letters to companies including Wendy’s Co., Costco Wholesale Corp., Dollar Tree Inc., Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., Home Depot, Inc., Darden Restaurants Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The letters request documents related to the payroll card systems used by each business so that they can ensure the companies comply with laws aimed at protecting workers from fees for using the cards.
Schneiderman’s office requested information such as fee schedules and documents showing that employees being paid via the ATM-type cards gave advance written consent.
The issue came to national attention after employees of a McDonald’s franchise in Pennsylvania sued over being forced to take their pay on such cards.
Many employers are trying to save on the expense of issuing paper checks by turning to direct deposit or payroll debit cards. Depending on the fees they charge, payroll cards can be beneficial for people without bank accounts. But opponents say cards with high fees mean that some workers are essentially making less than minimum wage.
Nearly 4 million U.S. households, or 3.2 percent, have someone receiving wages on a payroll card, according to a 2011 survey by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Darden, which runs restaurants such as Red Lobster and Olive Garden, said in a statement that it believes its policies comply with New York’s regulations. The company said employees can opt to use a pay card but may choose a check or direct deposit instead.
Wal-Mart Stores spokesman Randy Hargrove said that when the retailer launched its payroll card nationwide in 2009, it met with the New York State Department of Labor and shared full details of the program. He said that there were no issues at the time.
Hargrove said that Wal-Mart also offers workers the option of pay card, direct deposit or being paid by check.
Home Depot doesn’t offer payroll cards as an option in New York, said spokeswoman Paula Drake. In states where it lets employees choose to be paid via payroll card, only “a small percentage” opt for it. Those who do are informed of any fees, Drake said, and the most common transactions do not carry fees.
The Attorney General’s office has asked that the companies it contacted to submit the requested documents no later than July 22.


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Complaints against shops focus of new ombudsman service
Customers in dispute with supermarkets and other retailers can now take their problems to the new Trade Ombudsman launched this week by retail federation Comeos. There are already 40 retail chains representing more than 4,000 outlets in Belgium signed up to the service, which is free to consumers.
“We are accepting our responsibilities as a sector,” said Comeos CEO Dominique Michel. “Consumers need to be confident that they can count on the best post-sales service possible. But they also need to know that they can seek a solution if things go wrong.”
The new service is made up mostly of supermarkets and big-box chains such as Dreamland, Brico, Carrefour, Colruyt, Delhaize, Lidl, Media Markt and Standaard Boekhandel. Federal consumer affairs minister Kris Peeters told VRT that he hoped others would quickly join the list.
On the website, customers can find information about their rights, whether purchasing online or in a store, and lodge a complaint if all other attempts to reach an agreement with the retailer have failed. The retailer first receives and responds to the complaint.
If the customer is still not happy, the ombudsservice takes over. Customers can only file a complaint against retailers that are signed up to the service.
Lidl CEO Boudewijn van de Brand stressed that the company’s own customer service remains the place to address complaints in the vast majority of cases. “But we are aiming for 100% customer-friendliness,” he said. “That’s why that remaining 1% of exceptional cases have to be dealt with.”
Photo courtesy Colruyt Group


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The right wing leaders specially those who are from the background of RSS has often been found shrieking at the loudest to ban the use of chinese goods by the Indians. As usuals the claims of the party seems to be just another lie and hypocrisy. One of the well known leaders of Congress Shakti Singh Gohil has posted copies of invoices of a company named Sharpline which is responsible for managing the advertising material of BJP in the upcoming Gujarat assembly polls. These invoices clearly indicate payment of Rs. 94 lakh as custom duty paid for goods imported from China. So if you are in Gujarat and see the stickers and hoardings of Amit Shah, Narendra Modi, Mr. Roopani etc. and the banner most likely it would be made in China.
Although this is not the first case just one month back there was a news floated that the entry passes for the National Executive Meet in the last week of September were also made in China. Both the information floated on twitter but there was not any official refutation by BJP on these accusations. Definitely a serious jolt to make in India initiative . Another paradox from Narendra Modi and his team.


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Over a month after the competition watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI) filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the interim stay order by the Karnataka High Court to probe into the alleged malpractices by Amazon and Flipkart, the apex court on Monday declined to intervene. The Supreme Court, in fact, sent the case back to the Karnataka High Court to decide within six weeks on whether CCI could carry out its probe. However, the Supreme Court said that if the Karnataka High Court doesn’t dispose of the application by CCI for the vacation of stay within six weeks, then the “special leave petition may be revived in Supreme Court by CCI,” CAIT’s Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal confirmed to Financial Express Online citing the information shared by lawyers attending the proceeding.
The bench directing CCI on the matter was headed by Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheswari, and Sanjiv Khanna while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented CCI and Congress leader-cum-senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for e-commerce companies, Khandelwal said. During the proceeding, Mehta maintained that the investigation is administrative and that it doesn’t affect anyone’s liberty, according to the lawyers attending the case on Monday, he added. The appeal by CCI was filed in the Supreme Court on September 21 even as Amazon had also filed a caveat in the apex court for the same.
The Supreme Court’s order “has landed into a unique situation where both CAIT and Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh has already filed an appeal in the double bench of the Karnataka High Court challenging the single judge bench order of the High Court made on February,14,2020,” Khandelwal said in a statement. While the appeal has been pending before the two-judge Bench, the single judge bench, Khandelwal added, is to hear the matter again and decide the same within six weeks. CAIT would be consulting its lawyers on the implications of today’s order but it “will not spare any tool for Amazon & Flipkart to go scot-free.”
CCI had in January issued a probe based on a complaint by the Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh against Amazon and Flipkart over alleged deep discount of prices and partnering with select sellers. CCI had asked the DG office for completing the investigation in 60 days. In response, Amazon India in February had filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking a stay on the order calling the findings of the CCI order “perverse, arbitrary, untenable in law,” and that the “present Impugned order has been passed without prima facie application of mind” and that “irreparable loss and injury would be caused to the petitioner and its reputation/goodwill.” A copy of the petition was seen by Financial Express Online.


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is our number one priority and all Sensus meters go through rigorous testing and meet or exceed industry safety standards, Sensus president Randy Bays said in the news release.
have been personally involved with our customers and Sensus quality and engineering teams as we work to collect fact based and data driven information on these specific incidents. smart meter records consumption of energy in small intervals and can relay the information electronically to a utilities company. It eliminates the need to estimate bills when a meter reader can do an on site check.
Sensus stressed the importance of careful meter installation, including the examination of meter boxes and wiring. It also said meter installers need to be properly trained and that fast action is needed when problems are first detected.
BC Hydro has installed smart meters in 99 per cent of homes and businesses provincewide, but said there has been Nike White Tracksuit
Sensus, the North Carolina based company whose smart meters have been linked to eight fires in Saskatchewan homes, says in a news release it has conducted lab tests and site inspections at the recent incidents.
The problem in Saskatchewan has prompted officials in Medicine Hat, Alta., to suspend installation of electricity smart meters in that city even though a spokesman for the city said there have been no reported problems.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says the government will go after Census for a portion of the $15 million cost of replacing the meters.
Sensus said it continues to focus on working with utilities to help them understand the problems that can occur when meters are installed.
Saskatchewan Crown Investments Corp. has been Nike Crewneck Sweatshirt
asked to investigate and SaskPower is conducting an internal review after the province ordered 105,000 of the utility meters to be removed from homes last week.
Mike Marsh with SaskPower said last week that even though there was evidence of failures in other markets such as Portland, Ore., they decided it was still an appropriate meter to go with.
Smart meter maker says tests show external factors to blame for Nike Long Sleeve Jacket recent fires
experience has shown that these issues are systemic in the industry and we are committed to delivering solutions that help our customers to overcome these challenges, Bays said.
The spokesman noted that meter sockets were inspected during the installation, photographed, and then the photos were sent to the utility for additional inspection. Meters were also equipped with heat alarms.
REGINA The company that manufactures the electricity meters that are being replaced in Saskatchewan due to fires is defending its equipment.
The condition can result from of a poor connection between Nike Tracksuit Purple
no evidence of fires started by smart meters.
the meter and the home socket, and background material supplied by the company suggests sockets need to be checked for wear or corrosion before meters are installed.
SaskPower has been ordered to remove any smart meters already in use and install the old ones.
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Almost 6.5 million encrypted passwords for the professional networking site LinkedIn were posted online by Russian hackers, the company said Wednesday.
"We can confirm that some of the passwords that were compromised correspond to LinkedIn accounts," Director Vicente Silveira wrote in a blog post. "We are continuing to investigate."
The company, which boasts 161 million users in 200 countries, said it has no immediate indication that hackers had compromised its systems, but advised its users to change their passwords immediately.
Although the e-mails and user names associated with the passwords were not included in the posting, "it is reasonable to assume that such information may be in the hands of the criminals," said Graham Cluley of United Kingdom-based Sophos Security.
"Russian hackers are about to pillage and plunder," wrote one worried user on the site in response to news of the disclosure.
Access to the passwords would give hackers control of the compromised accounts, which could be used in identity theft or other online scams, warned Thomas Ryan, a New York-based security consultant.
Mr. Ryan said a particular concern are "daisy chain" attacks because many people unwisely use the same password for multiple online accounts.
"If someone has used the same password for a bank or e-mail account, they are vulnerable to daisy-chain attacks," he said.
The passwords are encrypted, but more than 200,000 already have been deciphered and almost all of them would be crackable in time, warned Mr. Cluley and others monitoring Russian hacker sites.
Some security professionals suggested that the hackers who posted the passwords are seeking help from other site users in decrypting them — a process known as crowdsourcing.
Encryption transforms passwords and user names into meaningless strings of characters. But because the encryption process is standardized, it is possible to guess a password, encrypt it, and then search for that character string in a set of encrypted passwords.
Given enough computing power to make thousands of guesses a second, and enough time, hackers can crack almost any password that uses words from the dictionary or other common character combinations like "123456" or "qwerty."
Generally experts recommend that passwords be more than eight characters long, contain special characters like an exclamation mark and contain at least one one capital letter. Because an upper-case character is encrypted differently than the lower-case character, using a combination of them makes a password harder to crack.
LinkedIn acknowledged facing cybersecurity threats in a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing stated that the LinkedIn site had experienced disruptions and even been taken temporarily offline at times by cyberattacks. Future disruptions were possible, the SEC filing warned.
© Copyright 2014 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.


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HTC, despite the very bad financial situation, continues to work on new models of smartphones and to bring to mind your old projects. Today it became known that the blockchain smartphone Exodus is almost ready for release, and that it will be released very soon.
According to the latest data, announced in may, HTC Exodus will be released this fall, and, in fact, is a kind of “cold wallet” for cryptocurrency – miners knew immediately what it meant. In other words, HTC creates a mobile to the crypt, which is known to greatly subsided and ceased to hold the interest of millions of people around the world. In the end, HTC Exodus’m late to the fun that already hints at weak sales of the device is to buy it will be only those miners who for some reason still not out of the game.
The smartphone is expected to get almost flagship stuffing, but details about it were not disclosed. It turns out that we are waiting for another top phone at an inflated price-but the HTC is waiting for another failed financial report for the year 2018. However, while all is not lost, and it will be interesting to see the smartphone with a hardware chip protection from burglary and theft cryptocurrency.
© 2018, z-news.xyz. All rights reserved


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Russian car sales are predicted to reach 2.45m units for 2011, while growth last month was 27% or 47,287 models compared with the same period in 2010.
The first seven months of 2011 saw sales of new cars and light commercial vehicles in Russia increase by 50% compared to last year or by 489,246 more sold units, according to the Association of European Businesses Automobile Manufacturers Committee (AEB AMC).
“The expected pattern of strong but slowing growth continues into the second half of 2011,” said AEB AMC chairman David Thomas. “The AEB consensus forecast is increased to 2.45m units sold in 2011”.
Among the top ten best-selling models of passenger cars so far, nine are produced in Russia.
“The Russian industry continues to recover quickly on the back of rising commodity prices and manufacturers producing locally are deriving the greatest benefit,” said AEB AMC vice-chairman Mark Ovenden.
“Looking forward – provided global growth can overcome the present uncertainty – we can expect the Russian industry to approach the four million mark later in the decade making it Europe’s biggest market”.


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The gray area of non-traditional uniforms is coming to college basketball, and the University of Kentucky men are among the featured teams.
Nike unveiled its new "platinum" line Wednesday to be worn by nine powerhouse men's and women's teams for one game each later this season. Like the gaudy outfits that have become so popular in college football, these take liberties with the programs' standard color schemes.
"We feel we have the opportunity to create as much energy as they do on the football field," said Tracy Teague, global creative director for Nike Basketball.
The jerseys and shorts are gray with trims in the schools' official hues.
The team names are in a reflective silver material, while the back of the jersey features a large school logo in contrasting shades of gray. Above the number is a star for each of the program's national championships; the players' name is below.
The programs selected have won national championships wearing Nike gear: Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina and Syracuse men and the Baylor and UConn women.
The Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms will debut when the UConn men face Notre Dame on Sunday.
Kentucky will wear its gray uniform for its home game against Tennessee on Tuesday night.
Alternate uniforms are nothing new in college basketball, with black an especially popular choice in the past. Individual schools had previously requested gray jerseys from Nike, but this is the first time the company has created a standardized line for basketball.
The platinum color looks good on the court, Teague said at a launch event Wednesday in Manhattan.
"It creates a great canvas to then come in and embellish different things," he said. "We talk about colors being the new black — for us in the uniform world, the gray kind of is that new black background."
Some fans may balk at the departure from tradition, but others rush to the merchandise shop to buy a gray jersey. And those 18- to 22-year-olds wearing the uniforms love them — as do those 16- and 17-year-old recruits considering these schools.
"Sometimes I almost think we don't push it fast enough for them," Teague said of introducing new design innovations.
"I would say today's kid isn't nearly as traditional as maybe kids who came before them," he added.
When Nike reps talk to those slightly-older-than-22 college coaches, they don't just sell them on the competitive advantages of the lightweight materials used in the uniforms.
"As much as there's the physical aspect of the game, there's this emotional side of wanting to look great," Teague said.


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$5 Trillion Injection Needed to Revive Global Trade Volumes: ICC
In a new paper, the International Chamber of Commerce estimates that as much as $5 trillion in market capacity will be needed to return trade volumes close to 2019 levels in 2021.
With the World Trade Organization projecting that the effects of COVID-19 could cause merchandise trade to drop by over 30% this year, ICC has cautioned that a rapid economic recovery will only be possible if sufficient credit is available to bring trade close to its pre-pandemic trend over the next 18 months.
Despite impressive early actions taken by commercial banks and public bodies in response to the initial phase of the crisis, ICC has called on policymakers to proactively scale support for trade finance transactions to prime the market ahead of demand returning to the global economy.
To this end, the global business organization has identified four priority interventions that, if properly calibrated, could immediately bolster financing capacity – ranging from large scale purchases of low-risk trade assets to free up banks’ balance sheets to providing targeted capital relief for trade transactions under global financial stability rules, known as Basel III.
ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said: “COVID-19 has exposed the arcane reliance of global trade flows on physical documentation. With social distancing requirements expected to continue for the foreseeable future, it’s imperative that policymakers enact emergency reforms to allow trade transactions to be processed using digital documents.
"Unnecessary delays in cross-border trade can strain small companies at the best of times – in the current environment they risk proving fatal.
"Several governments – including Algeria and India – have already shown exemplary leadership in taking paper out of international trade: it’s now time for others to follow their lead.”
ICC has also called on policymakers to enact emergency legal reforms to avoid delays in the processing of bank-intermediated trade finance products.
Read More: Global Trade Values See Record Decline


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Target Faces Senate Committee And Another Lawsuit
Target’s name seemed apt as a Senate committee took aim at the retail giant Wednesday, calling out a number of mistakes the Minneapolis-based company made in dealing with its recent and massive data breach.
While Target is scrambling to fix the problems caused by the breach, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation released a report, based on media reports and expert analyses, which detailed missteps the company took in preventing the breach in the first place.
According to the report, key points at which Target failed to detect and stop the attack include the following:
•â Target gave network access to a third-party vendor, a small Pennsylvania heating, ventilation and air conditioning company, that did not appear to follow broadly accepted information security practices. The vendor’s weak security allowed the attackers to gain a foothold in Target’s network.
• â Target appears to have failed to respond to multiple automated warnings from the company’s anti-intrusion software that the attackers were installing malware on Target’s system.
• â Attackers who infiltrated Target’s network with a vendor credential appear to have successfully moved from less sensitive areas of Target’s network to areas storing consumer data, suggesting that Target failed to properly isolate its most sensitive network assets.
Target Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan appeared before the committee Wednesday and assured them that the company is taking steps to beef up its data security following the hack.
Mulligan detailed plans to increase the segmentation and separation of key portions of its network to limit unauthorized traffic, strengthen its anti-virus tools, and accelerate the company’s $100 million investment in the adoption of chip-enabled payment device technology that’s been proven to drastically reduce counterfeiting. The company will also continue to reissue new Target credit cards and offer free credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Mulligan also laid out the timeline for the breach in his testimony and admitted that on November 12, “Some intruder activity was detected by our computer security systems, logged and surfaced to the [Security Operations Center], and evaluated by our security professionals. With the benefit of hindsight and new information, we are now asking hard questions regarding the judgments that were made at that time and assessing whether different judgments may have led to different outcomes.”
Separately, Mulligan offered some relatively good news. According to Bloomberg, Mulligan said the amount of fraud from the stolen credit cards has been minimal and less than expected thus far. Target can detect fraud on its own credit cards—which reportedly account for 15 percent of the stolen cards—and Mulligan said the Target brand cards have seen just a 0.1 percent increase in fraud since the breach.
Visa’s Chief Risk Officer Ellen Richey also testified in front of the committee, reportedly stating that major breaches such as Target’s tend to result in fraud on 2 percent to 5 percent of the stolen cards, but that the percentage seen from the Target breach is much lower than that.
Target first publicly confirmed the data breach on December 19, when it announced that 40 million customers had their names and credit or debit card information stolen. On January 10, the company said that 70 million customers’ mailing addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses were also uncovered.
In Mulligan’s recent testimony, he said Target’s analysis now indicates that there is an overlap of at least 12 million customers in the two groups, which means the number of total customers affected could be around 98 million.
The Target breach has resulted in a number of lawsuits and investigations. Most recently, in a lawsuit filed Monday, Trustmark National Bank and Green Bank NA accused Target and Trustwave Holdings, Inc.—which provides payment card security services—of failing to keep customer information safe and causing massive losses for their card issuers.
The complaint seeks a trial by jury and unspecified damages of at least $5 million, citing a report that suggests payment card issuers could sustain upwards of $1 billion of damages as a result of the breach.
The lawsuit claims that Target knew that its point of sale systems were vulnerable in 2007 but didn’t make improvements because it was too expensive, eventually contracting Trustwave for the data security—which the lawsuit claims also failed to bring the company’s systems up to industry standards.


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High five for Stepnell as it completes two more Lidl Stores
Stepnell has delivered two Lidl stores within the Midlands as part of its role in the supermarket’s nationwide expansion.
The new stores – in Loughborough and Droitwich Spa – are the fourth and fifth delivered by Stepnell through the global grocery chain’s UK construction framework.
The twin projects follow on from successful builds in Birmingham, Oakham and Bedford.
Designed by John Roberts Architects, the supermarkets feature full-height glazed façade and a modern interior, as well as on-site bakeries, management offices and welfare facilities for store employees.
The 2,460 square metre Loughborough site has been built on a brownfield area and the steel-framed Droitwich Spa store sits on the Droitwich Spa Retail Park on the edge of the town centre.
As well as its work with Lidl GB, Stepnell has also delivered construction projects for well-known brands such as Costa Coffee.
Stepnell East Midlands regional director Tom Sewell said: “This latest store takes us to five delivered through the Lidl GB framework and illustrates our ability to deliver high-quality, contemporary supermarkets on tight schedules for one of the country’s leading grocery chains.
“This continued success highlights our strong track record in retail construction and our ability to deliver challenging projects to the highest level of finish.”
Stepnell West Midlands regional director John Rawlinson said: “We are delighted that the Droitwich Spa store is a continuation of our successful association with Lidl GB.
“As a complete construction partner, we have worked alongside Lidl to ensure a high quality of build that has used local construction workers and suppliers throughout. The store is a testament to our great working relationship with Lidl GB and we hope to partner with them on further stores in the future.”
John Roberts Architects director Richard Mair said: “These projects are always high-pressure and need a well-organised contractor to deliver them to the very tight programmes, so we were happy to work with Stepnell again for our fourth Lidl store together.”


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With a growing economy and business travel on the rise, aging infrastructure is one of the only obstacles Indonesia must overcome on its path to becoming an Asia superpower.
With a one-trillion-dollar economy growing at 6% a year, Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest market, and is becoming increasingly attractive to road warriors.
The nation’s overseas and domestic business travel market is in good health due to rising investment and a growing middle class. Business events and commercial interest are spilling out of the capital, Jakarta…The government forecasts that the number of air passengers, both business and leisure, will increase by 12% this year, after growing by 15% to 72 million passengers in 2012.
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Photo credit: The skyline of Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta. Yohanes / Flickr


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MUNICH, Germany (CelebrityAccess) — Viagogo has been enjoined by a court in Munich from advertising tickets as “guaranteeing entry to an event.”
The June 4th ruling came on a case brought by Bavarian consumer protection organization Verbraucherzentrale Bayern, blocks Viagogo from providing an entry guarantee on all tickets resold on its platform.
Verbraucherzentrale Bayern launched the investigation into Viagogo over concerns about deceptive marketing practices, and a fee structure that is often difficult for would-be ticket buyers to fully understand.
Verbraucherzentrale Bayern argued that the guarantee was deceptive as it reinforced the perception that consumers were dealing with a direct ticket seller when the warranty actually came with substantial restrictions.
As well, tickets sold through Viagogo are often exchanged for highly inflated prices. Verbraucherzentrale Bayern conducted a survey of tickets sold through Viagogo for concerts in Munich in April and May 2019, with the results showing that the average ticket price on Viagogo was three times the original face value.
Last year, tickets resold through Viagogo to several high profile concerts, including Ed Sheeran, were canceled, leaving some fans in the lurch ahead of the tour’s opening date and prompting regulatory scrutiny.
Viagogo told IQ-Magazine that they intend to appeal the ruling.


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Image Courtesy: VNExplorer
NotCo, which is backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has secured $235 million in a fundraising round headed by Tiger Global, valuing the plant-based foodtech firm at $1.5 billion. Sports stars Lewis Hamilton and Roger Federer, as well as startup capital company DFJ Growth Fund and social impact charity ZOMA Lab, pitched in on the funding.
The firm, which produces plant-based milk, burger patties, meat, and ice creams, intends to utilise the additional funds to grow in Asia and Europe as well as develop new goods for the North American market. NotCo also intends to increase its investment in Giuseppe, an AI technology that investigates new plant combinations to imitate animal-based food items.
“Many businesses have approached NotCo with the request, “Can you develop a plant-based version of our products?” As a result, we may become the “Intel Inside” of other goods, “Matias Muchnick, Chief Executive Officer of NotCo, said Reuters.
Plant-based meals have become increasingly popular among health-conscious and environmentally aware customers, causing numerous companies to develop their own versions in response to the success of industry giants Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.
Demand for plant-based faux meat has increased throughout the epidemic as people seek safe and nutritious alternatives. According to data company PitchBook, investment in plant-based meals reached around $1.7 billion in 2020, nearly double that of 2019. It expects the market for alternative proteins to reach over $8 billion this year.
“The plant-based food category was made more popular by Covid-19. The category had tremendous development, “Muchnick explained. NotCo debuted its plant-based milk NotMilk in the United States seven months ago and expects to have 8,000 retail locations by the end of the year, according to the company.