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A report from ZDNet has highlighted that some notorious hackers have been able to breach two services designed for websites. As a result, they’ve infected more than 4,600 websites with malicious code. The two services in question are open source Alpaca Forms and analytics service Picreel. These attacks were first spotted by security researcher Willem de Groot.
With the help of the malicious script, which is still live, the hackers are able to record all the data that’s entered in the form fields. While the exact route of infection remains unknown, it seems that hackers have breached the CDN of Cloud CMS; Cloud CMS developed Alpaca Forms and open sourced it about 8 years ago.
As told to ZDNet, Cloud CMS has intervened and disabled the CDN that was serving the notorious script.
For a better understanding of the risk, let me briefly tell you about the infected projects. The open source Alpaca Forms lets one create interactive HTML5 forms for mobile apps and the web. It makes use of JSON Schema and Handlebars to help you create forms easily.
On the other hand, Picreel tracks the interactions made by website visitors by keeping an eye on their scrolls and mouse movements in real-time. With this data, the website owners can trigger targeted offers and collect leads.
Supply chain attack of the week: @Picreel_
marketing software got hacked last night, their 1200+ customer sites are now leaking data to an exfil server in Panama.
— Willem de Groot (@gwillem) May 12, 2019
Another example of supply chain attack
Also called a third-party or value-chain attack, a supply chain attack takes place when a hacker is able to enter the systems via some outside provider. With the expanding usage of third-party services and data sharing, this attack vector is becoming increasingly common these days. We’ve also seen attacks that involve installing a rootkit or hardware spy components in the devices right in the middle of the manufacturing process.
As per a report from cybersecurity firm Symantec, the supply chain attacks have increased by 78 percent between 2017 and 2018. As such attacks have a very high potential to cause financial damage to an organization, cybersecurity is also becoming an integral part of Supply Chain Management.


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Starbucks baristas debunk viral virus TikTok claims cup sizes are a ‘scam’
. Last update: June 08, 2022
A pair of Starbucks employees have gone viral on TikTok after debunking another user who claimed the coffee chain scammed its customers.
TikToker and famous musician Sueco have gone viral on the video-sharing platform after claiming the company ‘scammed’ customers with cup sizes.
Her video, posted on June 5, garnered more than 15 million views in just a few days for showing that coffee poured into their smallest cup size, large, actually fills the cup of their largest size, venti.
Now two real Starbucks employees have made a video showing how Sueco may have faked their popular video.
Starbucks is a popular destination for coffee lovers of all kinds, especially those who like to add extra stuff to their drinks.
Starbucks employees denounce a viral “scam” on TikTok
TikToker and Starbucks employee Jill Elyse posted a duet to the popular Starbucks scam video and showed the test didn’t exactly hold up.
- Read more: Amouranth ‘fears for her life’ as streamer obsessively stalks her
Jill, along with her colleague, took the three sizes offered by the coffee chain, tall, large and venti, and swapped the liquid between them.
The pair test showed that the cafe was not overflowing as Sueco claimed, leaving many in the comments section to believe that Sueco had faked the video.
One user said, “It never shows the inside of the cup before the liquid is poured out. Guess it has a piece of styrofoam or something in it.
- Read more: Johnny Depp finally uploads to TikTok after hitting 1 million followers without a post
Although Sueco has yet to comment on whether he faked the video or not, users understood the likelihood that he messed up the insides of the cups to create an overflowing effect.

domain: news


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According to a report in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, the CACW is considering an ordinance to ban the sale of all pets in the City by the Bay—except fish.
The impetus for this is not stray cats, dogs, as you might expect. Their welfare and rights are protected from Dickensian puppy mills, animal abuse, and life on the mean city streets, thanks to plenty of compassionate citizen rescue groups. Rather, the real problem, ferreted out by reporter Carolyn Jones, is that too many San Franciscans buy hamsters as an impulse purchase!
Pet store owners and their Washington lobbyists are fit to be tied over this nanny commission proposal, and rightly so. This ill-conceived law annihilates the convenience and free choice of all responsible pet buyers to prevent the poor judgment of only a few customers. That’s like banning parking for all cars in this city (where finding an empty parking space is a nightmare) because some drivers park illegally.
Might I propose a simpler solution that preserves consumer free choice and shopping convenience and more directly attacks the actual problem? Ban the sale of hamsters only, if necessary, but leave alone people’s freedom to responsibly buy other pets, thank you.
What do you think?—Jeff Blyskal


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While many other smartwatches already have a built-in speaker, Huawei is the first Android Wear-based watch to come with a speaker. So far, Android Wear doesn’t support a speaker, and the one found in the Huawei Watch is currently absolutely useless. But it points to the fact taht in near future, Android Wear could get speaker support.
But is that really a great news?
Well, this isn’t a killer innovation but could add a new dimension to the Android Wear watches, which currently allow playing music and other sounds only through a Bluetooth headset or speaker.
While some might argue that the speaker could be nothing more than a gesture of making sure the watch is future-proofed, and Google might not have any intentions to introduce speaker support in near future. However, it’s very unlikely for Huawei to go through a massive hassle of making and adding a component in an already space-challenged gadget that might never be of any use.


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Chinese regulators have slapped Swedish firm Tetra Pak with a 668 million yuan (US$98.5 million) fine following an anti-trust probe into the global packaging giant.
The company was found to have used its "dominant market position" to force suppliers to use its services and restrict their cooperation with rivals, a statement from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) said Wednesday.
In a statement on its website, Tetra Pak said that it had "consistently attached importance to operating in accordance with regulations," adding that, although the decision was "regrettable," it would not file an appeal.
Tetra Pak's products include packaging for milk. The company has supplied Chinese dairy giant Mengniu and participated in a program to boost sustainable dairy farming in China.
Authorities announced the investigation into the company in July 2013 among a wave of probes targeting companies involved in the manufacture of dairy products, especially baby formula.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, has also targeted Nestle unit Wyeth Nutrition, France's Danone, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Abbott Laboratories and Dutch firm Royal FrieslandCampina over what it described as high prices for formula.
Tetra Pak has more than 23,000 employees and its packages are available in 170 countries.
It is part of the private Tetra Laval group, which is owned by the Swedish Rausing family.
Tetra Pak entered the China market in 1972, according to its website. It has a research center in Shanghai and packaging material plants in several Chinese cities.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2016


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Partnership provides over 30 new titles for the Italian market
Malta based slot supplier Booming Games and Microgame - the leading provider in the regulated Italian e-gaming market, have agreed to team up and distribute Booming Games’ portfolio of slot games to the Microgame platform and its Italian operators.
The portfolio comprises of more than 30 HTML5 slot games, including popular titles like Booming Bananas, Lava Loca and latest release Sugar Skulls.
“We are excited to partner with an industry leading content provider like Microgame” said Frederik Niehusen, Chief Commercial Officer at Booming Games. “Microgame will further expand our reach and help us to continue to strengthen our presence in Italy”, he added.
Marco Castaldo, General Manager at Microgame, said: "We are constantly looking to add unique content to our platform to provide our operators with the best gaming portfolio . Booming Games‘ wide range of slot games equipped with unique and innovative features will be a valuable addition to our platform.”
Check out our latest events in the videos below:


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- Ex-Sri Lankan cricketer Roshan Mahanama serves buns & tea to those waiting at fuel station amid crisis, urges all to look after each other
- Elon Musk gushes over SpaceX’s Falcon 9 touchdown video, calls it best landing to date
- Question paper mentioning Kenny Sebastian’s name goes viral, comedian calls it bigger achievement than awards
- Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress that Kim Kardashian flaunted at Met Gala allegedly damaged, Twitter isn't happy
- This IAS officer scored 35 in English, 36 in Maths in Class 10. Bureaucrat reveals how he cracked UPSC
The grand old lady finished the race in 45.40 seconds at the inaugural National Open Masters Athletics Championships on Sunday, beating previously record set by Man Kaur, Indian track-and-field athlete who had finished the 100 metre sprint in 74 seconds at the age of 101 and bagged gold at World Masters.
The race was held by the Athletics Federation of India, which concluded on Sunday, in Vadodara. The 105-year-old Rambai ran alone in Vadodara as there was no one else competing above the age of 85 at the race.
Rambai won a golden sprint double - the 100-metre on June 15 and 200-metre on Sunday in 1 minute, 52.17 seconds.
"It's a great feeling and I want to race again," the 105-year-old told the Times of India in an interview. After setting a new record in 100-metre sprint for her age group, Rambai is not eyeing international tournaments and is planning to apply for a passport.
Ex-Sri Lankan cricketer Roshan Mahanama serves buns & tea to those waiting at fuel station amid crisis, urges all to look after each other
Asked why she didn't compete when she was younger, the grand old lady laughed and said she was ready to run but nobody gave her an opportunity.
The centurion first competed in November last year when her granddaughter, Sharmila Sangwan, took her to Varanasi.
"Then she participated in events in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala. So far, she has won more than a dozen medals. She is a natural," Sangwan told TOI.
Born on January 1, 1917, Rambi used to run in the fields of her Kadma village, around 150km from Delhi, in Charkhi Dadri district. Only recently she started wearing running shoes and tracksuits.
So what's Rambi's secret mantra? "I eat churma, curd and milk," she says.
The 105-year-old's granddaughter informs that the sprinter is a pure vegetarian and particular about having 250 grams of ghee every day and 500 grams of curd.
"She also drinks 500ml of pure milk twice a day. She likes bajre ki roti (flat bread made of millet). She doesn't eat much rice," Sangwan added.
She further informed that the centurion works a lot in the fields and runs 3-4km on a normal day.
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- Smart Investing
- Q4 Nos Spring a Surprise, Lift FY23 Growth to 7.2%
A stronger-than-expected fourth quarter lifted India’s growth to 7.2% in FY23, exceeding the 7% cited in the second advance estimates released in February, underscoring the country’s economic resilience in the face of multiple challenges.Sebi Proposes Stringent FPI Ownership Disclosure Rules
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has proposed tighter disclosure requirements for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to prevent the misuse of overseas investment routes and curb public shareholding norm violations.Apple’s India Stores Bear Fruit, Post Sales Record
Apple has won a new laurel in India — operating the country’s largest electronics retail store by sales.The iPhone maker’s first two own stores in India have grossed monthly sales of over ₹22-25 crore each, well over two times what could be the highest revenue for an electronics store in the country during non-Diwali period, according to two industry executives aware of the details.
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Sun Pharma’s earnings pace is likely to slow down as it takes two steps back for a leap forward
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Is it healthier to eat at home or out?
People who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research.
Is cooking really cheaper than eating out?
Is It More Expensive to Eat Out? There’s almost no way around it—eating out will almost always cost more than cooking a meal at home. While the average cost of eating out varies dramatically depending on the restaurant you go to, most restaurants charge about a 300% mark-up on the items they serve.
How much healthier is cooking at home?
A study from the University of Washington School of Public Health revealed that people who cook at home tend to have healthier overall diets without higher food expenses. Another study found that frequent home cooks spent about $60 per month less on food than those who ate out more often.
Can you lose weight by cooking at home?
Cooking at home can help you shed the extra weight. If you want to lose weight, here’s a good first step to take: Ditch the drive-thru and start cooking at home, suggests a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Why is it healthier to eat at home?
“When people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar, and less fat than those who cook less or not at all—even if they are not trying to lose weight,” says Julia A. Wolfson, a CLF-Lerner Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and lead author of the study.
Is going out to eat a waste of money?
Eating out is a colossal waste of money (most food and beverage items have a huge markup). … Eating out can rob you of personal time with family and/or spouse (think about the teamwork needed to prepare a nice meal – it’s the kind of behavior that makes families and couples bond).
Why is it so expensive to eat out?
Why is dining out so expensive? To make a profit, restaurants charge about a 300% markup on the items they serve. You’re paying for service and convenience. In many cases, you could make a $15 meal in a restaurant for $5 at home.
Why is homemade food healthier than fast food?
Homemade meals usually supply fewer calories, fats, sugars and sodium than most fast foods. … You can spare yourself unwanted calories, carbs, saturated fat and sodium by preparing your own meals with fresh, healthy ingredients, possibly reducing your risk of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Why is home cooking better than eating out?
People who cook at home more often, rather than eating out, tend to have healthier overall diets without higher food expenses. Lack of time often prevents people from preparing their own nutritious meals. People with larger households and more children were more likely to cook at home.


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Singaporean researchers have unveiled an innovative technique for deciphering data in antiferromagnets, potentially revolutionising energy-efficient computer memory technology with promising implications for the future.
India has approved the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill of 2023, a transformative legislation aimed at safeguarding digital personal data, ensuring individual rights, promoting transparency, and fostering innovation while offering a concise, accessible, and accountable framework.
APU’s strategic alliance with a global business service and solutions enterprise underscores their commitment to knowledge exchange, talent development, and digital advancement, aligning with Malaysia’s drive for a skilled workforce and thriving digital economy.
Landbank and DBM’s collaborative implementation of a government purchase card system signifies a transformative stride towards streamlining government purchases, enhancing efficiency, accountability, and transparency.
The digital economy contributed 15.26% to the GDP in Q2 2023. Vietnam also ranked eighth globally for mobile app downloads. The IT industry’s total revenue for the first seven months was $72.9 billion, showing a 7.1% YoY decrease, mainly due to reduced hardware and electronics exports.


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AOL beat Wall Street's projections Wednesday, reporting revenue $531 million for its second quarter.
Although that represented a two percent drop compared to the same period a year ago, analysts had projected that AOL would report revenue of $519 million, according to Reuters. It also represents the company's slowest rate of revenue decline in seven year — a fact that AOL was quick to note both in its release and on a conference call with investors.
Earnings per share climbed to $10.17 per share from a loss of 11 cents a year ago.
"This is just the start of what we want to accomplish," AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said on the call, attributing the improvement to a "stronger, more focused team."
Net income topped out at a staggering $970.8 million in the quarter compared with $11.8 million in losses in the same period in 2011. That was largely attributable to income from a $1 billion patent sale to Microsoft, the company said.
Traffic at the portal hit 112 million unique visitors, a modest 1 percent drop from last year, but revenue for display ads was basically flat at $139.9 million.


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The question of whether or not to legalize medical and recreational cannabis in the U.S. has been debated for over a century. While cannabis is still illegal under federal law, numerous states have legalized marijuana use over the past two decades. Beginning with medical legalization in California in 1996, the drug is now legal (in at least some limited medical capacity) in 29 states and the District of Columbia.
This shift has led to significant growth within the industry’s legal job market, creating a plethora of new career opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which account for the majority of companies in the legal cannabis industry, and job seekers alike.
Overall industry growth
In 2016 alone, nine states made marijuana (either medical or recreational) legal. Shortly after, the number of cannabis industry job posts rose dramatically. According to ZipRecruiter data, the total number of industry job posts increased by 445% in 2017, compared to an increase of just 18% one year prior.
Our data also shows that the cannabis industry is growing more rapidly than some of today’s fastest-growing fields. Year over year growth of job posts in the cannabis industry is outpacing both tech (254% growth) and healthcare (70% growth)— by some reports, there are 14% more legal marijuana workers than there are dental hygienists in the U.S.
Our Q4 data for 2017 revealed an especially dramatic leap in the number of new cannabis industry job posts. The number of cannabis industry job posts increased 693% year over year and 79% quarter over quarter. This impressive growth can probably be attributed to SMBs preparing for the kick-off of retail cannabis sales in Q1 of 2018 in huge markets like California.
Where to find cannabis industry jobs
When we look at where opportunities in the cannabis industry are located, it’s no surprise that the majority of jobs are concentrated in some of the states that first legalized marijuana.
ZipRecruiter data shows that the top 5 MSAs (metropolitan statistical areas) with the highest total number of job posts in 2017 were concentrated in Colorado, California, and Washington. When it comes to growth in this industry, we see the most significant growth in states that recently loosened their marijuana laws. Two out of the top 5 MSAs exhibiting the greatest job post growth are located in Florida, which legalized medical cannabis in 2016.
MSAs with the most marijuana job openings, according to ZipRecruiter job posting data:
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Seattle, WA
- Miami, FL
- Portland, OR
- Las Vegas, NV
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Tallahassee, FL
Not only does the legalization of cannabis create a safer and more stable market for medical and recreational users, but it also significantly drives job growth. In fact, analysis from New Frontier Data (a firm that focuses on the marijuana industry) found that the federal government could create at least $131.8 billion in tax revenue over the next eight years if cannabis were legalized in all 50 states. Their research suggests that federal legalization would immediately create 782,000 jobs, and the firm forecasts that that number would increase to 1.1 million jobs by 2025, including growers and retailers.
If you want to be a part of one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., you might consider applying for new types of jobs like Wellness Coordinator, Visual Merchandiser, or Post Harvest Technician.
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Buy this shirt and help an elephant
The company, Ivory Ella, donates part of its sales to help elephants in Africa
Jacob Castaldi, one of the co-founders of online retailer Ivory Ella, has always been an entrepreneur at heart.
By age 12, he was mowing lawns and shoveling snow off neighbors' driveways.
As a student at York Suburban High School, when Castaldi wasn't playing on the basketball team or working at Giant, he would watch the TV show "Shark Tank" with friends and toss around ideas for startup companies.
"He was definitely motivated," his friend Dan McHugh remembered.
Castaldi graduated from York Suburban in 2012 and headed to Temple University to study accounting.
Before long, however, Castaldi was working on a couple of startup businesses: an online retailer and a social media marketing firm.
"I was more passionate about what I was doing outside of school," said Castaldi, 21.
Fast forward to spring 2015.
Castaldi left Temple before the end of his junior year to move to Connecticut, joining his friends in a new online apparel business called Ivory Ella.
He is the company's chief creative officer, handling product development and social media marketing.
Saving the elephants
Ivory Ella designs, produces and sells t-shirts and other items with an elephant logo.
It donates 10 percent of its profits to several organizations, including Save the Elephants, a nonprofit based in Kenya that works to preserve elephants in Africa.
As of July, the company's donations to Save the Elephants have topped more than $679,000.
Castaldi's decision to leave college didn't surprise friends such as Henry Eisenhart, Castaldi's Temple roommate and a fellow 2012 York Suburban grad.
"He has a fast-moving mind," said Eisenhart, who Castaldi recruited to join Ivory Ella as vice president of operations. "He has a lot of ideas. So the fact that he would branch off and do his own thing wasn't surprising."
Castaldi's mother, Melinda Triggs, wasn't happy at first with the idea of her son leaving college. His passion for the company soon won her over, however.
"I'm glad for the first time in his life, he didn't listen to his mom," she said.
Despite the short time Ivory Ella has been in business, the company has been making a name for itself.
The company's Twitter page has 557,000 followers. More than 237,000 people like its Facebook page.
It has grown from the first five founders to about 40 employees.
And in July, Ivory Ella was awarded $362,000 in incentives from the Rhode Island Commerce Corp., the state's economic development agency, to relocate from Connecticut to Westerly, Rhode Island. The company has pledged to add expand its workforce in Rhode Island over the next three years.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo attended a ribbon cutting at the company's facility in Westerly on Aug. 30.
"They're a great company," said Matt Sheaff, a commerce department spokesman. "They're socially minded, and we're excited to have them here."
But launching a clothing business, especially one aimed at girls and young women ages 13 to 21, is no small challenge.
The long list of competitors, which includes retailers like Forever 21, H&M and J. Crew, makes it a tough market to sell to, said Candace Corlett, president of YSL Strategic Retail, a New York consulting firm for the retail industry.
Ivory Ella's strategy of devoting some of its sales to support nonprofits is something the company hopes will set it apart. It is something other businesses, including TOMS Shoes and Amazon, are doing.
Locally, Spring Garden Township-based Story Supply Co. gives away its notebooks to writing programs for youngsters in Boston, Chicago and other cities.
Corlett said her firm's surveys of consumers found that few say they'd buy a company's product because of its charitable efforts.
But that kind of corporate largess can help consumers form a more positive impression of a company, even if they don't realize it, Corlett said.
"There are certain subliminal efforts that can't be measured," she said.
Ivory Ella is about to raise its profile even higher.
In September, the retailer plans to open a pop-up shop on New York's trendy Fifth Avenue.
As for Castaldi, if Ivory Ella continues to take off, he could join a list of successful York Suburban grads that includes Broadway playwright Ken Ludwig and Evan Sharp, a 2001 grad who co-founded the social networking website Pinterest.
That wouldn't surprise those who know Castaldi.
"I think he was always destined to make his own success," his friend McHugh said.


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We love being part of the vibrant fashion industry. We are very excited about celebrating this milestone with our customers.
Edmonton, Alberta (PRWEB) January 30, 2013
Women’s sportswear designer, TerraFrog Clothing Corporation, announced today that the company will hold a one day online flash sale on January 31, 2013 to celebrate five years in the ladies apparel industry. The Canadian athletic wear company officially launched their designer sportswear line five years ago this January. Since TerraFrog’s first leap into the athletic apparel industry, the company has grown from a small grassroots clothing manufacturer to a well known lifestyle clothing and yoga line in Canada.
“The last five years have been amazing, said TerraFrog Director, Bobbi Windsor. We love being part of the vibrant fashion industry. We are very excited about celebrating this milestone with our customers.”
Online customers wanting to take advantage of the anniversary flash sale can go to http://www.terrafrog.com on January 31th, 2013. All TerraFrog lifestyle clothing and designer athletic wear will be up to 70% off-- including TerraFrog’s cozy jackets made from recycled plastic containers. Shop early for best selection.
About TerraFrog Clothing Corp:
TerraFrog Clothing Corp. is a Canadian athletic wear manufacturer providing unique, high quality yoga clothing to individuals and select retail outlets. TerraFrog is well known for their exclusive, trend setting designs and styles. This stylish lifestyle and casual wear company limits the number of pieces they make despite consumer demand.
TerraFrog designs can be purchased directly through the TerraFrog website or at select retailers across Canada. TerraFrog wholesales their active wear line and yoga accessories to trendy boutiques in the United States and across Canada.
What is a Flash Sale?
A flash sale is a type of ecommerce in which a website offers a product or products at a substantial discount for a period of 24 to 48 hours.


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Teesside Shopping Park has signed up it’s latest retailer - creating more jobs.
Health store Holland and Barrett will move into a vacant 2,000 sq ft unit, next to Marks & Spencer at the busy retail park, within weeks.
It is not yet known how many jobs will be created.
And park bosses are also in talks with other retailers to fill a vacant unit next-door.
Teesside Shopping Park manager Mike Clarke said: “Holland and Barrett is a really great addition to the current line-up at the park, we’re very pleased about it.
“We have also got things in the pipeline for the vacancy next-door - hopefully in the not too distant future there’ll be somebody picking up their keys.”
Work is also under way on a major expansion for the Next store at the park, which will more than double in size to create the retailer’s largest North-east branch, bringing a further jobs boost.
It’s thought the new-look store, which will feature the park’s second Costa Coffee, a lingerie room and a “large format” home floor, will open by September.


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Early look at Windows 8 baffles consumers
NEW YORK (AP) — The release of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system is a week away, and consumers are in for a shock. Windows, used in one form or another for a generation, is getting a completely different look that will force users to learn new ways to get things done.
Microsoft is making a radical break with the past to stay relevant in a world where smartphones and tablets have eroded the three-decade dominance of the personal computer. Windows 8 is supposed to tie together Microsoft's PC, tablet and phone software with one look. But judging by the reactions of some people who have tried the PC version, it's a move that risks confusing and alienating customers.
Tony Roos, an American missionary in Paris, installed a free preview version of Windows 8 on his aging laptop to see if Microsoft's new operating system would make the PC faster and more responsive. It didn't, he said, and he quickly learned that working with the new software requires tossing out a lot of what he knows about Windows.
"It was very difficult to get used to," he said. "I have an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, and they never got used to it. They were like, 'We're just going to use Mom's computer.'"
Jobless rate falls in most battleground states
CLEVELAND (AP) — Unemployment rates fell last month in nearly all of the battleground states that may determine the presidential winner, giving President Barack Obama fresh fodder to argue that voters should stick with him in an election focused squarely on the economy.
The declines, however, were modest. It's unclear whether they will do much to sway undecided voters who are considering whether to back Republican Mitt Romney or give the Democratic president four more years.
The statewide data released by the Labor Department on Friday provide one of the last comprehensive looks at the health of the U.S. economy ahead of Election Day, now a little more than two weeks away. Voters will get one more update on the national unemployment rate just days before the election. But the state reports matter greatly to the Obama and Romney campaigns, which believe the public's impressions of the economy are shaped mostly by local conditions rather than national ones.
In Ohio, perhaps the most crucial battleground state for both Obama and Romney, the unemployment rate ticked down last month to 7 percent from 7.2 percent, below the national average of 7.8 percent.
US home sales dip 1.7 percent on tight inventory
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. sales of previously occupied homes fell in September after hitting a two-year high in August, in part because there were fewer homes available for sale.
The National Association of Realtors said Friday that sales dipped 1.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.75 million. That's down from a rate of 4.83 million in August, which was the highest in more than two years.
Sales are still up 11 percent from a year earlier. They remain below the more than 5.5 million that economists consider consistent with a healthy market.
GE 3Q earnings rise; revenue disappoints
NEW YORK (AP) — General Electric Co.'s transformation into a simpler industrial company seems to be helping its bottom line.
The top line, though, is lagging slightly.
GE's net income rose 49 percent in the third quarter to $3.49 billion, or 33 cents per share. On an adjusted basis, GE earned 36 cents per share, in line with analysts' expectations and up 13 percent from a year earlier.
Revenue rose $1 billion, or 3 percent, to $36.35 billion. Analysts were looking for revenue of $36.95 billion and GE shares fell more than 3 percent, part of a broad market decline.
Stronger dollar hurts McDonald's 3Q results
NEW YORK (AP) — Tough competition in the U.S. and the weakening economy abroad was a double whammy for McDonald's in the third-quarter, sending the burger chain's net income down nearly 4 percent.
McDonald's said it was adjusting some of its plans to deal with the pressures, including stepping up advertising for its dollar menu and bringing back the popular McRib sandwich nationally in December to drive traffic into U.S. stores.
The world's largest hamburger chain with 33,000 locations worldwide has thrived in boom and bust times by selling cheap eats and constantly updating its menu. But global economic pressures and intensifying competition are wearing at the company, which does two-thirds of its business overseas.
Starbucks opens first India store in Mumbai
MUMBAI, India (AP) — Starbucks inaugurated its first store in India Friday in a historic building in southern Mumbai as the Seattle-based coffee giant seeks growth in a market long associated with tea drinkers.
After over six years of studying the local market, Starbucks is making a rapid-fire entry into Asia's third-largest economy. Coffee houses are still a relatively new trend in India, and the chains already in business sell cappuccinos and lattes well below Starbucks' usual prices.
The company, in a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages, plans to open two additional stores in Mumbai next week — on Wednesday in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and on Thursday in the Oberoi hotel across town — before launching in New Delhi early next year.
Draft order would give companies cyberthreat info
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new White House executive order would direct U.S. spy agencies to share the latest intelligence about cyberthreats with companies operating electric grids, water plants, railroads and other vital industries to help protect them from electronic attacks, according to a copy of the order obtained by The Associated Press.
The seven-page draft order, which is being finalized, takes shape as the Obama administration expresses growing concern that Iran could be the first country to use cyberterrorism against the United States. The military is ready to retaliate if the U.S. is hit by cyberweapons, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. But the U.S. also is poorly prepared to prevent such an attack, which could damage or knock out critical services that are part of everyday life.
The White House declined to say when the president will sign the order.
Banana Boat recalls sunscreen due to fire risk
WASHINGTON (AP) — The maker of Banana Boat sunscreen is recalling some half-million bottles of spray-on lotion after reports that a handful of people have caught on fire after applying the product and coming in contact with an open flame.
Energizer Holdings said Friday that it is pulling 23 varieties of UltraMist sunscreen off store shelves due to the risk of the lotion igniting when exposed to fire.
The recall includes aerosol products like UltraMist Sport, UltraMist Ultra Defense and UltraMist Kids.
European bank supervisor step closer but deal hazy
BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders took a step toward creating a single supervisor for banks in countries that use the euro on Friday but refused to pin down a start date.
Although the leaders meeting in Brussels said their decisions on the watchdog — the single supervisory mechanism — were key to shoring up lenders and eventually giving them access to loans from Europe's bailout fund, many observers were struggling to figure out exactly what had been achieved.
Rather than finding new measures to fight the crisis, the leaders focused on establishing a timeline for those they had already agreed to.
By The Associated Press(equals)
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 205.43 points, or 1.5 percent, to close Friday at 13,343.51.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 24.15, or 1.7 percent, to 1,433.19. The Nasdaq composite index lost 67.24 points to 3,005.62, a 2.2 percent decline.
Benchmark oil fell $2.05 to finish at $90.05 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, which is used to price international varieties of oil, dropped $2.28, or 2 percent, to end at $110.14 per barrel in London.
Heating oil fell 5 cents to finish at $3.13 per gallon. Wholesale gasoline fell 5 cents to finish at $2.70 per gallon. Natural gas rose 3 cents to finish at $3.62 per 1,000 cubic feet.


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Logistics workers don’t want Brexit
From Logistics Manager Magazine,
Published Wednesday 10 April 2019 11:56 am
Only 14 per cent of workers in transport and logistics voted
in favour of Brexit, according to a survey of 5,000 employees across a
range of industries by WMB Logistics.
Logistics workers, along with those in healthcare were the least
enthusiastic for Brexit, while construction workers were the most
pro-Brexit (71 per cent in favour).
Asked why they hadn’t voted for Brexit, those in the healthcare
industry were most worried about the future of the NHS and free
healthcare (79 per cent), while those in the transport and logistics
industry were more worried about how it would affect trade and retail
(80 per cent).
Industries among the least enthusiastic for Brexit also included
wholesale and retail, recruitment, and education – 19 per cent in
Other industries in favour of Brexit included law enforcement, finance and banking, and agriculture.
When asked if they felt differently about their vote in the lead up
to Brexit being finalised, 37 per cent of those who voted for Brexit
felt they’d made the wrong decision, compared to just 12 per cent of
those who voted to remain, who now feel they should have voted to leave.


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King & Wood Mallesons represents Daimler AG in BAIC Motor transaction
King & Wood Mallesons has represented Daimler AG and Daimler Northeast Asia to sign a package deal with BAIC Motor Corporation and parent company Beijing Automotive Group that includes the share subscription agreement.
According to the agreement, Daimler AG will invest RMB 5.13bn for a 12 per cent stake in BAIC Motor by way of share subscription. This comes ahead of BAIC Motor’s intention to launch an initial public offering (IPO) in the future.
As the legal counsel of Daimler, King & Wood Mallesons took the lead and was fully engaged in all aspects of this transaction including, inter alia, providing legal advices at the pre-transaction stage, the design of transaction structure, legal due diligence of the target company, and negotiation and execution of transaction documents.
The project was led by Xu Ping, lead partner in the Beijing office, along with a group of core team members with the assistance of Liu Cheng, a partner in the Beijing office, and Candy Chan, a partner in the Hong Kong office.
News from King & Wood Mallesons
Briefings from King & Wood Mallesons
The April 2013 issue of King & Wood Mallesons’ China Bulletin is available now.
The 2013–14 Budget contains significant changes to the Australian taxation system to address revenue shortfalls and to seek to fund spending promises.


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After a bit of on-stage patter (and a rather pointless Wonderbook video), Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai officially pulled back the curtains on a slew of new Xperia handsets — the Xperias T, V, and J — at IFA in Berlin.
It’s been a long time since Sony released a smartphone in the U.S. market that had a chance of hitting it off with customers — too many of their recent releases have either been meant for niche markets (the Xperia Play 4G) or were expensive and unlocked (nearly all of these things).
That said, they’re looking to give it another go with the new Xperia ion, and it certainly looks like it… → Read More
Sony is certainly no stranger to the mobile space — the recently-divorced Sony Mobile Communications branch has been announcing plenty of handsets lately, but the company has decided that their PlayStation-certified hardware efforts need to extend beyond their own walls.
That said, Sony has just revealed that their first non-Sony hardware partner will be none other than HTC. → Read More
Although the vast majority of Sony gaming content is focused on adult/teen titles, a new title called Wonderbook is particularly interesting. Using an augmented-reality book, kids can turn pages and watch themselves and the book animated on the screen. They’re creating educational and gaming content, including unique science and history stories. → Read More
Like Microsoft did in their own press conference earlier today, Sony was quick to point out that their consoles aren’t just gaming gadgets — they’re great for consuming media too.
To further cement that point, Sony Computer Entertainment America chief Jack Tretton just revealed that Hulu Plus and Crackle streaming video apps will soon find their way to the PS Vita. → Read More
Google’s Chromebooks haven’t exactly made a splash, but apparently not everyone has been scared off. Sony seems to think there’s gold in them thar laptops, and they’re making their own. For now it’s known as the VCC111 (probably shorthand for “Vaio Chromebook Computer, series one, 11-inch display”), according to documents and pictures from FCC testing.
The understated look continues with these… → Read More
Besides a fear of imminent conjunctivitis from handling the same phone as hundreds of others at the Sony Xperia Press Event at the GSMA Mobile World Congress…what else comes to mind?
This phone — a model marketed mostly toward a younger segment — is, to me, reminiscent in some minuscule way of the old Sony W series phones I loved so much (way back in the day). I think it’s the thickness… → Read More
Sometimes you just need a file transferred onto a flash drive quickly. Enter The Sony MicroVault Mach. These boys are fast. Some would say SuperSpeed fast. → Read More


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Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro Launch
Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro launch, price in India: The company has indicated it will launch five new products over five week, including the Redmi K20 series to celebrate five years in India.
Xiaomi India has indicated that it will launch five new products over five weeks as the company celebrates five years in the market. Xiaomi first launched its Mi products in India back in July 2014 and is currently gearing up to launch the Redmi K20 Pro smartphone. Xiaomi’s India head Manu Kumar Jain wrote on Twitter that the company will have five product-related announcements each week along with offers, discounts for its fans.


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Orange Money has partnered with Aleda, a cashless payment and money transfer firm to bolster money transfer between France and Africa, on its network.
Set to benefit Orange Money customers in the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal and France, customers will be able to transfer funds via their mobile phone to family and friends in the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal as well as mainland France.
Aleda, Orange’s long-standing wholesale partner for the distribution of pre-paid telephone offers brings its comprehensive network of outlets with approximately 4,000 independent close-to-the-customer points of sale for paperless transactions such as mobile top-ups, electronic money codes or money transfer.
Pascal Roudier, chief executive of the Aleda Group, explains: “The technological innovations developed by our teams have been an accelerating factor in implementing Orange Money in France. Our Sepia app for tablets and smartphones allows users to be identified, while our dedicated apps enable the required level of transaction management.”
The network was launched via a pilot run in July 2015, when the first Orange Money store fitted with technical solutions developed and managed by Aleda opened in Avenue de St Ouen in Paris.
Aleda has gone on to launch this service in over forty outlets across France. But as Daniel Frent, Associate Director for the Group, explains, the size of Aleda’s own network means “this is only the beginning. Our network of independent outlets will make this new service increasingly accessible to those who want to top up their Orange Money account in France.”


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First Heritage Brands, the owner of Sonia Rykiel, has entrusted the position of managing director to Perry Oosting, replacing Eric Langon who has been in the role since 2012, FashionNetwork.com has learned.
After Versailles last year, the NY Times is staging its international luxury conference 2017 in Brussels, a two-day event that will explore the evolution of the luxury market in a constantly changing world.
London’s Bond Street is becoming a home for ultra-luxury brands with fewer affordable luxury/premium labels having stores there, a new report shows. And stores due this year will push the ultra-luxe edge even higher.
The footwear brand, having recently recruited Perry Oosting as CEO, has announced the arrival of David Tourniaire-Beauciel as creative director. He succeeds Roland Mouret, who will instead be focusing on his own label.
Belgian leather goods company Delvaux, which was acquired by the Chinese group Fung in 2011, has named Christina Zeller, who has served as product and merchandising director for the past three years, its new artistic ...


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KUWAIT: In line with YIACO Medical Company's new strategic direction, the healthcare leader recently inaugurated its latest new scale model pharmacy featuring a brand new look and expanded pharmacy care services with an aim to enhance the retail experience of its customers. The newly opened YIACO pharmacy is located in Arabia Mall in the Eqaila district.
"We are thrilled to have this opportunity to introduce our integrated pharmacy services and healthcare expertise to our customers across Kuwait," commented Dr Bader Alzaid Altaraji, CEO of YIACO Medical Company.
"The way our customers engage with YIACO continues to evolve and as part of our strategic plan, we continue to listen and respond to their needs. Our efforts to innovate our pharmacy care services by going beyond the traditional pharmacy experience offer our customers with expanded wellness options and increased access to healthcare" commented Dr. Mohammed Barham, COO of YIACO Medical Company.
Dr Mahdi Mashharawi, Retail Pharmacies Manager, explained that the new YIACO pharmacy also includes a wellness and education corner that will also allow customers to seek advice and receive more educational insight from highly qualified pharmacists. Designed by an award winning international design agency, the new look adopts new design shelving and retail displays which ensures a seamless and easy to navigate flow cycle for customers encouraging visits which promote precaution and wellness in a much warmer and friendly environment.
Over the past 60 years, YIACO Medical Co. has grown to be one of the largest healthcare networks in Kuwait, and caters both medical products & services to the private and public sectors. One of YIACO's greatest milestones since 1953 is having one of the largest pharmacy chain in Kuwait.


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P&O Australia has announced a further suspension of cruise operations down under well into September. This now means all cruises this summer for the Carnival-owned cruise line are canceled as the country remains shut for the cruise industry.
Carnival’s P&O Australia Brands Extends Suspension
The situation on resuming cruises in Australia has been pretty silent recently until now. It does now seem that all of summer is lost in Australia as the largest cruise line based in the country has extended its pause on operations until September 17, 2021.
The previously extended suspension was until the end of July and at the time, there was hope that cruises could still resume later in the summer or in the winter if you live in Australia.
Mr Myrmell said:
“We are supporting our industry association as it works with governments and public health authorities to develop a framework for the successful resumption of cruising.”
“I again wish to thank our guests for their unwavering loyalty to P&O Cruises Australia and their passion to cruise with us.”
“We look forward to the day when a pathway is confirmed for cruising’s return so that we can welcome everyone back onboard.”
“For now, we continue to assist our guests in every way we can in spite of the current uncertainty.”
So the six-week extended pause impacts all departures from July 31 to September 17, 2021. P&O has said that they continue to work with the relevant government authorities on a safe return. However, any specific details on this are yet to be known.
Also Read: When Will Cruises Resume in 2021?
This will be a huge disappointment to cruises in Australia especially when cruises in the UK, Europe are returning this summer and now possibly even the U.S. by mid-July. Guests are being notified of their options directly or through their travel agent.
Currently, Carnival Cruise Line, a sister line with two vessels based in Australia, is also on hold while a pathway to resuming cruises continues to be worked on. Carnival Splendor cruises are canceled through August 10, and Carnival Spirit sailings are canceled through September 12.
Cruises have proved in other parts of the world that operations can resume safely so now all eyes will be on the authorities down under to let cruise lines sail and make a comeback before the year ends.


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One of India's biggest software companies seems to have almost completely given up on patents
Back in February 2015, IAM reported on comments made by Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka, who dismissed patents as a “scourge” on the software industry and indicated that the company would consider opening up its patent portfolio in the mould of Tesla and…
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Last week, the award ceremony «Latvian Game Award 2017» took place at the University of Latvia Microsoft Innovation Centre. The most successful Latvian game developers were awarded in various categories. The event was organised by the Latvian Game Developers Association, while the best game turned out to be «Rezrog» by the game studio «Soaphog».
This year, the «Latvian Game Award 2017» was organised the third time in a row by the Latvian Game Developers Association (LGDA) with the support from «Game Insight». This time, the LGDA selected 40 games, created in the last year. The main criteria for the participation in the competition were that the game should have been published in 2017 and the author should be registered in Latvia.
The members of the jury were educational game author Mārtiņš Ceplis, founder of «Next Level» and game content creator with more than 10 years of experience Andrejs Kļaviņš, expert of the Latvian game industry Ģirts Linkums, enthusiastic game streamer on «TwitchTV» Uldis Greters, game developer Grzesiek Mazur and the game content creator of «Nordcurrent» Laurynas Vainius.
After the evaluation, the Game of the Year 2017 turned out to be «Rezrog», which received awards also in the categories «Best Graphics» and «Best Computer Game». The award for «Best Music and Sound» went to «Bearslayer», while «Adventuring Gentleman» received the title of «Best Gameplay». The best Latvian game for smartphones was «Bacterial Takeover».
The jury emphasized that the last year was very successful for the computer games, many of which are published on the popular games online store «Steam». In comparison with previous years, the amount of games, developed in Latvia, has significantly increased and their quality is excellent.
The idea, development and design of «Rezrog» game come from the game studio «Soaphog», whose director is the researcher at the Rezekne Academy of Technologies Imants Zarembo. «Soaphog» mostly focuses on indie and RPG games.
Rezrog is a roguelike dungeon crawler with tabletop game aesthetics set in a fantasy world. The goal of the game is to create dynamic and engaging dungeon exploration experience for casual and hardcore players alike. The game’s art style mimics paper board game style, characters made of plastic and placed on plastic chips, while the environment is assembled from cardboard cut–outs.


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New Zealand food prices fell in March as cheaper cakes and candy drove a fall in grocery prices, and offset more expensive meat and produce.
The food price index fell 0.3 percent in March following a 1 percent fall in February, according to Statistics New Zealand. Food prices rose 1.2 percent on an annual basis, the first time all five components of the index increased since September 2011.
The monthly decline was led by a 1.6 percent drop in grocery prices to their lowest level since August as cakes and biscuit prices and confectionary, nuts and snacks both dropped 3.5 percent. In the year grocery prices made the smallest gains of all the subgroups, up 0.2 percent, led by an 8.8 percent gain in fresh milk and a 7.1 percent rise in cheese prices.
Last month the Reserve Bank embarked on a tightening cycle, lifting interest rates 25 basis points to 2.75 percent as it tries to stem inflationary pressure in the economy. Food prices make up almost 19 percent of the consumer price index, the inflation measure used by the central bank. First-quarter CPI is due for release next week.
"Despite food price inflation remaining subdued, inflation indicators point to a pick-up in other inflation areas," Christina Leung, economist at ASB Bank, said in a note. "Overall, the result is in line with our expectations, and we expect the first quarter CPI released next Wednesday will show a 0.6 percent increase."
Today's figures showed meat, poultry and fish prices rose 0.9 percent in March, the biggest increase across the subgroups. Meat, poultry and fish prices rose 1.6 percent, with mutton, lamb and hogget prices up 15 percent in the year.
Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food prices rose 0.4 percent in March, and were up 1.9 percent in the year, driving the annual gain.
Prices of non-alcoholic beverages increased 0.2 percent in the month for annual increase of 2.7 percent. Non-alcoholic beverages led the annual increase, with packaged coffee and tea prices climbing 5.3 percent.
Fruit and vegetable prices rose 0.5 percent in March, with cheaper apples and kumara. On an annual produce prices rose 1.5 percent with more expensive tomatoes, oranges and mandarins.
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CBD’s often confusing legal status is set to be clarified by a new bill that will legalize hemp as well as CBD derived from it.
With the growing popularity of medical cannabis, there’s an urgent call to hire more pharmacists in dispensaries. Who are qualified to take on the job?
As the legalization of marijuana draws near, Canada braces for countless cannabis companies joining the market.
Using CBD treatment but unsure if you want your doctor to know? Read on to find out why they should be informed
Even our furry friends are now enjoying the benefits of CBD.
A company that has shown continued growth, Diamond CBD takes a step further by having a successful week at the recent ASD trade show.
Crowdfunding platforms have proven that when you get a community involved, nothing is impossible.
With the legalization drawing near on some U.S. states, companies within the cannabis industry climb their way to the peak of their successes.
Will cannabidiol providers be able to finally offer a solution to various substance abuse?
The legal hemp and marijuana industry is flourishing but investors should still exercise caution when it comes to the companies they'll choose in this booming industry.
The United Premier Soccer League is a soccer league located in Southern California which provides amateur players a platform to achieve their dreams.
PotNetwork Holding continues to break records but it isn't resting on it laurels with its latest developments.
One of the most important materials in the modern economy is graphene. It’s a key material for a variety of products and is essential for a number of industries. The extraction of graphene is an expensive, energy intensive process.
The cannabidiol sector is set to be a multi-billion market in less than two years.
Last year was big for startups, giving venture capitalists a lot to choose from in terms of viable investments.
The rise of bitcoin paved the way for different platforms for cryptocurrencies. With the latest blockchain technologies, it is now possible to have a gold- or silver-based cryptocurrency.
The legalization of marijuana is gaining momentum globally as more communities are seeing the positive effects of cannabis-related products—both medicinally and economically.
The future of social media would see the rise of more platforms that would conform to the needs of certain demographics or geographies


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A fan has created abilities for a Volcanic Anivia Skin concept that has many League of Legends players asking for the skin to become a reality in 2022.
The video posted by Jiierf on Reddit features the usually cryo-themed phoenix with abilities that contrast her glacial nature.
Anivia’s Flash Frost (Q) turns her initial glacial hurl into a fiery ball with flames spewing out the sides. Meanwhile, her signature wall transforms from a frozen barricade into pointed stones being birthed from the fiery ground as her ultimate, Glacial Storm, turns the floor into a fiery pit that would burn any champion that steps foot on it.
The video has been well-received by the League subreddit. Many Reddit users were sold on the fan-made Rebirth (passive) and Crystallize (W). Many have also been requesting for the concept of a Volcanic Anivia skin to be added to League’s line of skins in 2022.
The skin was originally created by Vlad Bacescu, a concept artist at Riot Games, while the abilities were created by Alfred Jäärf, who’s previously produced fan-made reworks of both Skarner and Nocturne.
Bacescu has worked on a number of released League skins, such as Arclight Yorick, Infernal Shen, and Championship Ryze, the latter of which was the promotional skin for Worlds 2019.
A slew of Bacescu’s skins can be seen through his ArtStation, ranging from ones that have officially made the game and some that were made purely as passion projects.
While the video only showcases Volcanic Anivia’s abilities, a full model of how the skin could look in-game has been released through Bacescu’s ArtStation, where Anivia as a fire phoenix truly comes to life.
The skin shows inspiration from both the Infernal and Volcanic thematics in League, featuring black, orange, and red color schemes.
While there are a number of skins surrounding these fire themes, such as the Infernal theme, the Volcanic series is one that remains to be built upon. The only Volcanic-themed skin in League is Volcanic Wukong, which was reduced to one RP briefly on the Filipino server to raise awareness for the Taal volcano eruption. The Volcanic Wukong skin is currently being sold for 975 RP.
Riot announced earlier this year that it’d be revisiting old skin thematics, so this could be a good time to build upon a skin concept that’s been well-received by the public. And given Bacescu’s affiliation to Riot, it’s a possibility that this Volcanic Anivia skin could be the start of a future project surrounding the Cryophoenix.
For now, League players can check out the 13 new skins recently released in Patch 12.2 that are centered around the Lunar New Year theme.
Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.


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Daftar Terbaru 2016 ~ Pertumbuhan toko online dan situs jual beli online seiring dengan tren belanja di Indonesia. Moreover, Apple has surprisingly out-shined other companies and has climbed to the one of the top positions in the American online market. After several years without legal exchanges available to the Russian people, face-to-face bitcoin trading at markets like Localbitcoins have flourished, boosting Russia up among the largest bitcoin trading markets by volume.
We are supported and trusted by established and entrepreneurial retailers in creating an event that uncovers global trends in a program that challenges even the top professionals as well as an exciting platform where you can come together and network.
While some might argue that shopping online is not as personal as being in a brick-and-mortar store, the adoption of a data-first strategy is allowing for e-tailers to deliver innovative online customer experiences like no other. While Shanahan says increasing competition in online retail in Australia is great for consumers, he believes it will become harder for startups to compete in the space”.
On a hardcover book with a $25.00 price printed on the cover, at a 15% royalty based on cover price, the author made $3.75. The publisher sold the book to retailers at a 50% wholesale discount, and so collected $12.50 on each sale. The latest information shows that China has surpassed the U.S. in terms of online retail, and that Europe lags behind.
This development team has further prevented the ability of the Bitcoin community to freely discuss this radical change of direction by tacitly, and in some cases explicitly, supporting censorship of Bitcoin’s largest discussion forums, along with the outright banning of many prominent developers, businesses, and community members who have differences of opinion with Bitcoin Core’s current roadmap.


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Before joining TheStreet, Gregg Greenberg was a writer and segment producer for CNBC's Closing Bell. He previously worked at FleetBoston and Lehman Brothers in their Private Client Services divisions, covering high net-worth individuals and midsize hedge funds. Greenberg attended New York University's School of Business and Economic Reporting. He also has an M.B.A. from Cornell University's Johnson School of Business, and a B.A. in history from Amherst College.
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Shares of American Airlines have nearly doubled since June, and a slight tick up oil prices won't keep them from moving higher in 2017.
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Microsoft’s Erik Schweibert, principal engineer in the Apple Productivity Experiences group, says that with the release of Office 2016 version 16 for the Mac, the productivity suite is now “for the first time in 20 years, built out of one codebase for all platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android).”
This is not the first time I have heard of substantial code-sharing between the various versions of Office, but this claim goes beyond that. Of course there is still platform-specific code and it is worth reading the Twitter thread for a more background.
“The shared code is all C++. Each platform has native code interfacing with the OS (ie, Objective C for Mac and iOS, Java for Android, C/C++ for Windows, etc),” says Schweibert.
Does this mean that there is exact feature parity? No. The mobile versions remain cut-down, and some features remain platform-specific. “We’re not trying to provide uniform “lowest common denominator” support across all platforms so there will always be disparate feature gaps,” he says.
Even the online version of Office shares much of the code. “Web components share some code (backend server is shared C++ compiled code, front end is HTML and script)”, Schweibert says.
There is more news on what is new in Office for the Mac here. The big feature is real-time collaborative editing in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
What about 20 years ago? Schweibert is thinking about Word 6 for the Mac in 1994, a terrible release about which you can read more here:
“Shipping a crappy product is a lot like beating your head against the wall. It really does feel good when you ship a great product as a follow-up, and it really does motivate you to spend some time trying to figure out how not to ship a crappy product again.
Mac Word 6.0 was a crappy product. And, we spent some time trying to figure out how not to do that again. In the process, we learned a few things, not the least of which was the meaning of the term “Mac-like.”
Word 6.0 for the Mac was poor for all sorts of reasons, as explained by Rick Schaut in the post above. The performance was poor, and the look and feel was too much like the Windows version – because it was the Windows code, recompiled. “Dialog boxes had "OK" and "Cancel" exactly reversed compared to the way they were in virtually every other Mac application — because that was the convention under Windows,” says one comment.
This is not the case today. Thanks to its lack of a mobile platform, Microsoft has a strong incentive to create excellent cross-platform applications.
There is more about the new cross-platform engineering effort in the video below.


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When it comes to smartphone upgrades, consumers now think that companies like Apple and Samsung release too many new models and don’t put enough effort towards recycling.
A new study from Greenpeace surveyed over 6,000 people in the U.S. China, Russian, Mexico, Germany and South Korea and found that the average person has at least three phones at home, and more than half said they more than half said they would be okay with changing phones less often.
The survey is part of Greenpeace’s new “True Innovation” campaign that challenges IT companies to make products that are just as innovative for the planet as they are for our lives by reducing energy and toxic chemical use.
“The recycling rate of mobile phones is particularly low compared to other electronic goods, and people don’t know if they can contact recycling companies, the government or the brand,” said Chih An Lee, Greenpeace’s global detox campaigner. “Most don’t know how to wipe data, but that’s the first thing certified recycling should provide.”
Researchers found that nearly 30% of smartphone owners upgrade because their previous device was broken, while slightly more than that upgraded because they wanted a device with more up-to-date features.
Considering Apple and Samsung absolutely dominate the worldwide smartphone market, a lot of blame can be thrown at them. Samsung hasn’t made recycling a big focus of its business yet.
Meanwhile, Apple is making it a point to increase its recycling efforts. The company even touted some of the tech it uses to recover iPhone waste by revealing its recycling robot Liam earlier this year.


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For marketers working in mobile, talk about cellphones being on the verge of breaking out can feel more than a bit repetitive. At least that's the way Brian Levin of Useful Networks put it at the Location Awareness panel at Ad:Tech today.
"I feel a little like Bill Murray in 'Groundhog's Day.' I was on this panel last year."
Despite all the technological progress and increased user adoption that mobile phones have experience in the past few years, they still occupy only a small percentage of most marketing budgets.
Amid all of the promise held out in the future of mobile, how is the market actually going to break out? The panelists at Ad:Tech's panel on location werein agreement on a few things (besides the Corona's that were served on stage to celebrate impending happy hour).
A lot of it will rely on users self-reporting their data.
Mobile navigation systems have been one of the most profitable purveyors of mobile content, with subscribers paying an average of $5 to $10 for mobile GPS access. But Google announced today that it will be launching a free turn-by-turn mobile navigation system next week. And the news ought to have navigation companies worried about their future.
Google's system will launch next week on Motorola's Droid phone and will eventually roll out to other phones, including the iPhone. Can GPS companies compete with free?
Mothers of young children are a rapidly growing segment of the smartphone population, and considering how important the demographic is in household purchasing decisions, marketers should take note of how they're using their phones and the mobile space generally.
According to mobile ad network Greystripe, “iPhone moms” (female iPhone owners with young children) use mobile media more than other iPhone users. But from previous studies, we know that moms also don't take to iPhone ads. What's a marketer to do?
Google’s engineering VP Vic Gundotra may not be bullish on mobile applications, but that doesn't mean that his employer isn't serious about cellphones.
Just after announcing its plans to go it alone with the Android phone, Google has made another step into the mobile marketplace. The search giant already extending its AdWords network to mobile devices. Now you can get mobile measurement through Google Analytics.
What does that mean for brands? Better measurement and actionability on campaigns across platforms.
Amid staff layoffs and magazine closings, Conde Nast launched a new potential source of revenue today with the launch of a GQ iPhone app.
Conde Nast will start selling digital versions of its issues on the iPhone for the discounted price of $2.99 (versus $4.99 on the newstand). The first question that comes to mind is this: Who will start doing this next?
If there were any doubts about the growing potential of the smartphone ad market, Google would like to put them to rest. The search giant announced plans this week to start serving richer media ads to smartphones.
By focusing on more more real estate grabbing ads for HTML-enabled phones instead of creating mobiles ads that will be uniform across mobile platforms, Google is betting on the future of smartphones and trying to establish its dominance over the mobile ad market. For a company trying to make a play for the display ad market, this could help it along the way.
Having already achieved some success with its 'Reserve and Collect' service, Halfords is extending its multichannel strategy with the introduction of an SMS reservation service.
The 'Text and Reserve' service caters for mobile users, allowing them to check stock availability and reserve products at their nearest store. I've been trying it out...
So how big a deal is iPhone adoption? Is it all about the apps? Or are increasing numbers of iPhone users using your website, just on their phones?
I took a quick look at the stats for Econsultancy.com...
Autorader.co.uk is the most popular motoring website in the UK, claiming 10m unique visitors per month. It also has a mobile version, which it relaunched last year.
It offers an alternative to used car search tools on manufacturer's websites, which can be frustrating to use, and it's a potentially useful service for people to compare car prices on the move. I've been trying out the mobile site...
Yesterday our CEO Ashley Friedlein finally did the honourable thing and bought an iPhone. Already his world has measurably improved.
We asked our Twitter followers to suggest the apps that he should download. In particular we wanted ideas on apps relating to productivity, workflow, as well as the internet industry more broadly. Some are more boss-like than others, but they're all great apps.
Here’s what you (and I) came up with. Images link to the iTunes Store, should you wish to download them.
Once a year Edinburgh’s population more than doubles with an influx of visitors arriving to take advantage of Edinburgh’s festival season.
A new iPhone app has many positive features to help punters through the maze of shows and venues, although some improvements can be made to support the user journey.


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If you’re looking for the source of the network attacks that brought down Sony’s PlayStation Network—yes, it’s still down—look no further than Amazon. The online retail giant didn’t bring down the PlayStation Network per se, but an undisclosed source speaking to Bloomberg News has indicated that hackers used Amazon’s cloud services to fuel the break-in.
According to the source, the hackers posed as a normal business and signed up for a legitimate server rental through Amazon’s EC2 service—otherwise known as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. It’s unclear how the hackers specifically used EC2 to push the attack out, which is almost as unknown a figure as the exact treasure trove of data the attackers were able to access within Sony’s network.A leaked letter sent from Rob Dyer, Sony’s senior vice president for publisher relations, to the company’s various publishing and development partners sheds a bit more light on the exact nature of the attack. According to Dyer, Sony first noticed the intrusion when a batch of servers unexpectedly rebooted themselves in conjunction with “unplanned and unusual activity” within Sony’s network.
“Sony mobilized a larger internal team to assist the investigation of the four suspect servers. That team discovered the first credible indications that an intruder had been in the PlayStation Network system, and six more servers were identified as possibly being compromised,” Dyer wrote. “Sony immediately decided to shut down all of the PlayStation Network services in order to prevent any additional damage.”
A subsequent investigation by Sony forensics teams uncovered the scope of the methods used during the attack.
“The forensic teams were able to confirm that intruders had used very sophisticated and aggressive techniques to obtain unauthorized access, hide their presence from system administrators and escalate privileges inside the servers. Among other things, the intruders deleted log files in order to hide the extent of their work and activity within the network,” Dyer wrote.
As for what the hackers were able to run away with, Sony claims that there’s no evidence to indicate that PlayStation Network credit card numbers were stolen in the attack—merely the “personal data” for more than 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity accounts.
This isn’t the first time that Amazon’s EC2 service has been used by a third party for shady purposes. A German researcher showed earlier this year that one could use EC2 to launch brute-force attacks against a WPA-ASK-protected wireless network. For the grand cost of $1.68 and twenty minutes of time, Thomas Roth successfully forced his way into the secured network without issue. A brute-force attack isn’t the most sophisticated of techniques, but it’s certainly cheap, easy, and successful: Roth estimates that he’d be able to cut the time down to six minutes.
As for the PlayStation Network, the most recent update from Sony indicates that the company does not have an expected date for the restoration of its gaming service. Sit tight, gamers.


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By Anna Shiryaevskaya and Verity Ratcliffe (Bloomberg) –
According to GAIL India Ltd., a major buyer of LNG, liquefied natural gas suppliers limit the volume they deliver under long-term contracts in favor of cash sales at higher prices.
LNG spot prices have hit a seasonal record as buyers in Asia and Europe scramble to secure their supplies to avoid a looming winter supply crisis. In contrast, long-term supply agreements, typically tied to oil prices and contractual delivery volumes, are now less than half the spot market rate.
“Suppliers are trying to limit supply, quantities in the long run, to get a better price in the spot market and send it somewhere else,” ES Ranganathan, director of marketing at GAIL, said in an interview. “We had to buy cash cargoes at a higher price. “
Gail must purchase LNG on a spot basis in order to meet supply contracts with its own customers, although India’s import needs are typically 80% covered by long-term supplies. As the country’s demand for electricity has increased, so has the need for gas. But soaring prices have also spurred the need to switch to alternative fuels such as naphtha, affecting energy-intensive industries such as ceramics and glass.
“The power companies want more gas,” Ranganathan said on the sidelines of Gastech, a major industry conference in Dubai, on Wednesday.
There is currently no risk of outages and customers are paying for their supply, improving GAIL’s margins, he said.
GAIL is considering a new LNG supply contract with a term of five to eight years, seeking a price link with Brent oil. These conditions will likely exclude a US supplier, as US LNG is primarily tied to the local gas benchmark Henry Hub. In addition, the shipping distance is longer, and US suppliers prefer 10 years or more offers.
GAIL’s current bid is roughly 60% oil-related and 40% Henry Hub-related, according to the executive.
“We are on the lookout,” he said. “For us, Brent is the best because our customers also prefer Brent.”
–With help from Stephen Stapczynski.
© 2021 Bloomberg LP


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Battery storage may not be economically viable or able to manage peak demand, new research suggests.
New research from the University of Queensland, commissioned by Ergon Energy, has found that battery storage faces several challenges in the future.
The research found that battery storage is not yet at a price point to make it economically viable for mass uptake and a report from the Australian Energy Market Operator says it could be many years away.
Battery storage may not necessarily benefit all customers and may not be the best way to manage or reduce peak demand on our network.
Peak demand for power is a key issue for Ergon Energy and most Australian network distribution
The University of Queensland’s 14-week study analysed usage patterns, load profiles and solar PV generation data from an area in Cairns and simulated what customer bills, network revenue and peak demand impacts would be like if large numbers of customers had standard-sized battery storage devices as part of their home energy mix.
The research included complex interactions between customer bills, revenue and peak demand.
The results revealed tariffs alone may not provide an incentive mechanism to reduce peak demand. It also showed, batteries to a certain penetration level could reduce peak demand and after that they may introduce secondary network peaks. Maximising the network demand benefit from customer-owned batteries was likely to require an integrated interaction between customers and networks.
Other key findings indicated that it was not currently economically viable for a customer to install a battery as the financial gains were negligible – the time it would take to pay-back all the setup costs, at today’s tariff rates, were just not worth it.
The report said this is especially true if customers had the State Government Solar Bonus Scheme 44c per kilowatt feed-in tariff, making it far more lucrative to sell back the electricity generated, rather than storing it in a battery during the day and using it at night.
These results all depend on the size of the battery, the customer’s energy use and local generation, but at standard, affordable sizes, the simulation showed that households could use the stored energy within a few hours upon returning home from school or work in the afternoon, serving little benefit other than pushing back the peak, albeit for a shorter duration.
Ergon said this research revealed unexpected findings but they will continue to explore options to enable customer based energy storage in a way that is economically efficient for customers and utilities.


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The usage of social media as a word-of- mouth catalyst lets consumers take control of some (or all) of the promotional activity. A recent study indicates that firms with an existing fan base and positive brand reputation will receive more favorable results from social media than companies introducing a newer brand.
Colgate is an example of a brand that used social media effectively to reach a new, broader audience. In the summer of 2011, Colgate launched the “Smile” campaign with a dedicated Facebook page for consumers to upload pictures of themselves smiling. Colgate then used these images to create collage posters for point-of-sale displays. A recent survey indicates that this campaign made users 2.5 times more likely to discuss purchasing toothpaste with their friends.
The “Smile” campaign also had a positive impact on Colgate’s brand image.
Nando, a casual dining chain, asked customers to upload videos that included the noises they made when someone says the word “Nando.” Nando created a special webpage for the “Nando’s Noise” campaign. The webpage also included an interactive feature incorporating beat-boxer Reggie Watts; customers could add their own clips to play in conjunction with Reggie Watts’ beats. This campaign was successful with some consumers because of the humorous and interactive feel; other consumers used the campaign as an opportunity to highlight the benefits of a competing brand.
Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing retailer, has a “Worldwide fanpage” with close to 250,000 likes. The fanpage is specifically for Uniqlo fans, also known as Uniqlovers. These customers are great ambassadors for the brand. This fanpage is successful at encouraging a positive discussion of the brand and all the related Uniqlo stores and products.
1. How are brands using social media?
2. Do you believe that social media can be an effective component of a retailer’s communication strategy?
Source: “SocNetCrowdsourcing Has Mixed Results,” Retail Wire, October 21, 2011.


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Grant programme to fund launch of 200 new SMEs
Fantastic Services, the UK’s leading home services franchise, has launched a covid-recovery grant programme aimed at funding the set-up of 200 new small businesses in the London area and around the UK. The initiative represents an investment of £1,000,000.
Covid-19 has changed the business landscape across the UK, with many people and businesses struggling to recover from the heavy losses inflicted by multiple lockdowns. However, demand for property maintenance has boomed. As a result, Fantastic Services, which specialises in cleaning, gardening, handyman, pest control, removals and other property services, has seen a tremendous expansion with more than 20 new areas launched across the whole country over the past twelve months.
Fantastic Services has also recently been named one of the top franchises in the UK.It was ranked number 7 in the Franchise Direct 2021 Top 100 Franchises in the UK, beating franchise giants such as Subway, Burger King and Starbucks.
Fantastic Services now wants to share its success and help support those negatively affected during the pandemic by offering a grant covering the initial expenses for starting a home services business. The grant programme, launched with the slogan “for those who can’t, we give a grant,” aims to help people who have lost their job, or businesses which have struggled due to coronavirus.
Anton Skarlatov, co-founder and CEO of Fantastic Services, explains: “This is a real opportunity for people or businesses affected by the pandemic to start a new business. Our grant programme has been designed to help those who lost their job, self-employed tradespeople, as well as small businesses within the service industry, which were negatively impacted by the pandemic. The grant covers most of the expenses for starting a working franchise business with Fantastic Services.”
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have looked for ways to give back to the community, offering free services to NHS and frontline workers. With the new grant programme, we provide a viable alternative to employment through franchising and help anyone restart their career or business in a high-demand sector,” adds Rune Sovndahl, co-founder and board chair.
The Fantastic Services grant programme is suitable for tradespeople or technicians with experience in the services sector, or people who are looking to change industries and can bring customer service skills to the table. In order to qualify for a full grant*, you will need to be eligible to work in the UK and pass a DBS check, be fluent in English with good customer service experience,, and at least one member of the team should have a driving licence.
A Fantastic Services working franchise allows you to work on-site along with your team or manage several local teams in London and other areas across the UK. It’s perfect for local service providers or self-employed tradespeople who offer one or a selection of services. Based on your experience, you’ll be provided with further training and expected to ensure you and your team deliver high-quality services in line with the brand’s standards. Fantastic Services will provide you with a constant customer flow and a 24/7 call centre. You’ll also receive support with equipment, vehicles, managing and recruiting team members, marketing, technological solutions (apps & CRM system) and more. Unlike many franchises the 500 strong team at HQ will generate the majority of the sales leads leaving the franchisee to focus on delivering excellent customer service. The company has invested £20m in bespoke technology platforms which make it easy for customers to book a job and allocate the work to the most appropriate franchisee.
For more information and to apply for the grant, visit https://fantasticfranchise.com/fantastic-grant and fill out the application form.
* Please note: The amount of the grant may vary depending on the services the
franchisee chooses to provide and their profile.


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Facebook must face antitrust litigation over its alleged advertising pact with Google and its alleged strategy of building a social media empire by deceiving users about its data privacy practices, a federal judge in California ruled.
Judge Lucy H. Koh let proposed class actions advance against Facebook on behalf of consumers and advertisers, citing “more than plausible” allegations that the tech giant used lies and deceptive statements about data privacy to gain a dominant competitive edge over rival platforms that told the truth.
Facebook has also been fighting an antitrust lawsuit by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC lawsuit will be allowed to continue with its allegations of monopolization, rejecting Facebook’s dismissal requests.
The complaint also alleges Google manipulated its ad pricing tiers under a secret program called Project Bernanke that removed second-place bids on ad auctions. It allowed Google to pocket part of the difference between first and third-place bids while also harming publishers that rely on ad revenue and who could have made more from higher bids.
Under the agreement with Facebook, Google and Facebook illegally collaborated to decrease prices paid to publishers, cut out rival ad networks, and manipulate ad auctions operated by publishers, the complaint states.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.


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Access your Pro+ Content below.
Anti-food-waste app Karma taps up Google Cloud to power global expansion plans
This article is part of the CW Europe issue of June-August 2021
Food waste is a known contributor to climate change, and it is a problem Swedish startup Karma is helping consumers and businesses tackle through its food rescue apps. The first of these apps is a consumer-facing offering that connects users to food retailers in their area that have surplus stock that they can buy at a reduced price so it does not go to waste. The second app is for Karma’s retail partners, and sees the firm providing them with granular feedback on the stock level changes they can make to reduce the amount of surplus food they have each day, as well as providing a means of selling on any excess that does accrue. The fact that it can advise its retailers in this way is an important point of competitive difference for Karma, the firm’s brand manager Charlotte Humphries tells Computer Weekly, and it is down to the way it processes its sales data. “It’s really important to us as a way to stand out and be distinct versus the other potential food waste companies that are out there as well,” she says. “We have a direct ...
Features in this issue
City authorities and datacentre operators will open dialogue about sustainable datacentre industry expansion in the Dutch capital
Open banking is a relatively new concept, having come into effect in Europe only in the last couple of years. So what is the state of play?
Swedish startup Karma is on a mission to help consumers and businesses across the globe fight food waste, and it has enlisted the Google Cloud Platform to help it achieve its goal


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Founded in 2014, the Montreal start-up has opened an office in France's Lille, in a bid to uncover retail trade insights, via an online website, which allows citizens to say which businesses they want in their district.
Nestle's outgoing chairman said on Thursday he could not predict what Nestle would do with its 23 percent stake in French cosmetics group L'Oreal after the termination of an agreement with L'Oreal's biggest shareholder.
Nivea is in the hot seat after failing to see the grave error in the German skincare giant's new "White is Purity" deodorant ad. The campaign sparked public outrage and attracted attention from white supremacist groups.
Burberry has signed a major deal with Coty for its beauty business, but the UK brand will retain creative control as Coty works to grow frgarance, skincare and make-up revenues globally from this autumn.


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Iisalmi, Finland, June 12, 2019. Normet made history by demonstrating battery electric emulsion charging in production environment underground on June 4th in Pyhäsalmi mine, Finland, with their Charmec MC 605 VE SD, for the first time in Europe. Battery-based charging makes the explosives charging process safer and more efficient, as there is no need to plug in to the mine’s electric grid.
Charmec MC 605 VE SD presents the new era of charging in underground mines. Normet SmartDrive (SD) battery electric vehicle technology integrated to the state-of-art emulsion charging technology


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Ubisoft Reflections founder Martin Edmonson has defended “Always On” DRM, which requires gamers to permanently be online so they can constantly prove their innocence to Ubisoft. Despite Driver: San Francisco relaxing its DRM in the face of PC gamer backlash, Edmonson is still a big believer in the system.
“You have to do something,” he argued to Eurogamer. “It’s just, simply, PC piracy is at the most incredible rates. This game cost a huge amount of money to develop, and it has to be, quite rightly, quite morally correctly, protected. If there was very little trouble with piracy then we wouldn’t need it.”
Edmonson then went on to defend online passes, going for a “f*ck you” double-whammy: “If people don’t buy the game when it first comes out and wait and pay for rental or for second-hand usage, then the publisher sees absolutely nothing of that. [The online pass is] just one of those things we have to get used to. It’s going to happen.”
I absolutely hate that “publisher sees nothing” argument. They already saw $60 off any game sold used, and they’ve likely made far more with whatever day-one DLC they release alongside it. Oh wait, you already know that because I’m not talking to a bunch of idiots.
Driver dev defends Ubi DRM, online pass [Eurogamer]


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Clipped from: https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/paytm-to-raise-rs-12-000-cr-via-fresh-equity-remove-sharma-s-promoter-tag-121061800780_1.htmlThe company in its extra-ordinary general meeting also stated that the IPO will include a fresh issue of equity shares and an offer for sale from certain existing shareholders.(Photo: Bloomberg)
One97 Communications, the parent company of digital payments platform Paytm, intends to raise Rs 12,000 crore ($1.6 billion) in fresh equity through its much-awaited initial public offering (IPO), which is expected by November this year.
“…the amount being raised pursuant to the fresh issue aggregates up to Rs 12,000 crore with an option to the Company to retain an over-subscription to the extent of 1% of the net Offer (defined below) size, or such other extent as may be permitted under the Applicable Laws..,” the company said in a notice for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of shareholders to be held on July 12, a copy of which has been seen by Business Standard.
The EGM will also resolve to consider and approve the declassification of Vijay Shekhar Sharma from his status as a promoter of the company. The notice states: “…the shareholders of the Company hereby take on record that Mr Vijay Shekhar Sharma shall henceforth not be identified as a ‘promoter’ of the Company for any purpose, regulatory, statutory, commercial or otherwise, under any applicable law”.
“Paytm is a professionally managed company. As per the Securities and Exchange Board of India rules, no single shareholder can have control by virtue of being a founder. There are no agreements that confer such control over the company to the founder or anyone else. That is just how listed companies need to be in India,” said a source.
This is Paytm’s primary fundraise, and sources say that it will be followed by a secondary fundraise. According to media reports, Paytm is looking to raise a total of $3 billion (Rs 22,000 crore).
The digital payments company is backed by investors like SoftBank Group (19.63 per cent), Alibaba’s Ant Group (29.71 per cent) and Saif Partners (18.56 per cent). Sharma holds about 14.61 per cent equity in the company.
In an internal email on June 7, Paytm asked employees if they would like to sell their shares in the company’s IPO. Employees will sell their shares as a part of the IPO and can sell either a part or their entire stake. Shares not sold during the IPO will be subject to a one-year lock-in.
Paytm’s IPO plan received in-principle approval from its Board in May. If successful, this could be the biggest IPO by an Indian company, breaking Coal India’s 2010 record of Rs 15,475 crore.
Paytm is also targeting a valuation of $25 billion to $30 billion — 1.5-1.8 times its current valuation of $16 billion.
A recent report by Bernstein Research says that Paytm is not just a financial app provider but a group of synergistic fintech platforms.
The Paytm ecosystem covers payments (wallet/UPI), merchant acquiring, credit saving, asset management, insurance and broking services to complement its e-commerce/e-ticketing platforms. “Paytm has over 350 million installed base, 50 million active user base, and over 20 million merchant base. Around 100 million of those users are KYC compliant. Paytm’s non-payment businesses are scaling rapidly. It is aggressively working to monetise across multiple verticals to break-even in 12-18 months,” the report said.


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Kia is the latest in a string of automakers to announce plans to build new or expanded factories in Mexico. The Korean company has signed a $1 billion deal to establish a plant in Monterrey in the state of Nuevo León, with construction starting in late September. If everything proceeds on schedule, the facility should be complete in the first half of 2016 and be able to produce 300,000 vehicles a year.
After a string of recent announcements from automakers, Kia may be the next business to break ground on a factory south of the border. The Korean company is reportedly nearly finished with negotiations to build a $1.5-billion plant near the city of Monterrey in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. The state's secretary of economic development confirmed the news to Reuters and anticipated talks to be completed in the first two weeks of August. Unnamed insiders also said that the location was aiming f


text: Google plans to use trucks equipped with lasers and digital photographic equipment to create a realistic 3D online version of San Francisco, and eventually other major US cities. The move would trump Amazon's A9 service, which offers two-dimensional photos of buildings on US city streets. The trucks would drive along every San Francisco street using the lasers to measure the dimensions of buildings, to create a 3D framework onto which digital photos can be mapped. This would complement the mostly top-down view of San Francisco available through Google's Keyhole satellite photo application. The goal is to create similar 3D online versions of other cities in the US and overseas.