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Last year, Samsung gave us all another reason to not lose our TV remotes under the couch: a solar-powered battery.…
HyperX unveiled a wireless headset with an enormous battery life. Please do not attempt to drain it all in one sitting: it will not end well.
Dell and Alienware showed off concepts galore at CES 2022. One was Concept Flow, a seamless device connectivity solution eliminating awkward transitions.
From Psychonauts 2 to Unpacking, it’s been yet another brilliant year for gaming. Here are our picks for the best video games of 2021.
We’ve tested a bunch of tech this year, from keyboards to mesh routers and a whole lot of stuff in between. Here’s our best tech picks for 2021.
Halo Infinite’s campaign combines a great story with the best parts of open-world design, without losing the series’ beloved soul.
Deathloop’s opening hours are full of all sorts of delicious story hooks and gameplay surprises, which has me excited for what’s to come.
UK indie team Acid Nerve discuss the success of Death’s Door, which nearly outsold the lifetime sales of their debut game in a few weeks.
From “Get on the Beers” to a Turtle Beach mashup, Mashd N Kutcher share details about their videogame-inspired track.
Virtual pets are back! Digimon X is coming to Australia later this year, along with several new features including a new quest mode.
Let’s Build a Zoo offers the chance to care for animals and create an idyllic sanctuary. Or splice species and sell them on the black market.
Apparently blockchain horse racing is a thing now. Consider: playing Pocket Card Jockey is cheaper, better for the environment, and more fun.
After dropping the first point, the Chiefs dominated the Knights 3-1 to claim the $7,000 prize and Stage 1 of the Ubisoft-hosted tournament.
Gotta post ’em all! Australia Post’s latest range of themed postage stamps includes collections based on Pokemon and Space Jam: A New Legacy.
Filming on the Furiosa prequel, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, will begin in June across NSW thanks to government funding.
Always wanted a Fall Guys plush? The adorable jellybean-like characters are getting an official range of collectibles soon – wallets beware.


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BENGALURU: Flipkart’s fashion arm Myntra will launch a uniform size chart by the middle of April as part of a plan to reduce merchandise returns. The company feels the move will help reduce incremental logistics cost as nearly half of the returns are due to customers failing to select the right size of clothing.
"Every brand, international or national, has its own measurement guideline, which often confuses consumers. This has resulted in nearly 50 per cent of returns on the platform," said Ashutosh Lawania, cofounder of Myntra. The company that lists nearly 2,000 brands on the platform aims to cut the overall return rate by 30 per cent. Experts said returned goods push up the average cost of delivery by 50 per cent, a crucial expense at a time when most retailers are already in the red.
"In the West, there is standardisation of sizes and all retailers and manufacturers follow it. In India, every brand has its own understanding of sizes," said Harminder Sahini, managing director of Wazir Advisor. "Hence, this will address a big pain point of consumers shopping online where you don’t have an option of trying and then buying the product." Myntra, which has set a target of turning profitable by March 2017, is also focusing on boosting in-house brands that earn higher margins.
The Bangalore-based company has nearly a dozen brands under its portfolio which account for 21-22 per cent of sales.
Myntra wants to earn nearly athird from its own labels, said Abhishek Verma, head of Myntra fashion brands. "We believe that growth of inhouse brands will be one of the key drivers in achieving profitability," Verma said, adding that Roadster contributes to nearly 40 per cent of the inhouse brand sales. In 2014-15, Myntra incurred a loss of Rs 740 crore.
In January, the online player received Rs 338 crore from Flipkart to boost its leadership position in the fashion segment, according to documents filed with the Registrar of Companies.
Replying to a clarification sought by BSE, Zomato in a regulatory filing said, "...we would like to submit that Mr. Gaurav Gupta is not designated as a key managerial personnel under the Companies Act, 2013, and the Listing Regulations."
In the same time period, the express delivery model, with under 15 minute delivery promise and near perfect fulfilment rates has been getting a lot of traction with customers and expanding rapidly, the company said in the email.

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Inflationary processes slowed down in Bashkiria - statistics
UFA, 8 April 2015. /Bashinform News Agency, Elvira Latypova/.
Since the beginning of the year, inflation in the republic amounted to 6.7 percent, the average figure for Russia is 7.4 percent, according to Bashkortostan Statistics Agency. On the annual basis (March 2015 to March 2014), inflation in the republic developed at 15.9 percent, 16.9 percent as a whole across the country.
During the first quarter statistics observe slowing down of inflation. In January prices in the regional consumer market increased by 3.4 percent to the previous month, in February — by 2.3 percent, and in March — by 1 percent.
In March, food prices grew by 1.8 percent, non-food — by 0.9 percent. In the services sector a decrease to the previous month by 0.3 percent is marked.


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Dublin Comic Con is returning for its second year after a sell out first year with up to 6,000 attendees over a two day period.
Being held in The National Show Centre in Swords, Co. Dublin on August 9th and 10th, the show promises to return with more interactive sets, displays, original props, guests and activities to keep everyone from comic book enthusiasts and costumers to casual sci fi fans and families with young children entertained.
The latest guests to be confirmed include voice over artist Kevin Conroy (best known for voicing Batman longer than any other actor in either live-action or animation) and Ian Churchill (who’s portfolio includes work on Marvel, DC and Image Comics).
With a host of other guests from several genres to be announced be sure to keep an eye on http://dublincomiccon.com
Tickets are now on sale at http://dublincomiccon.com/


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Pegatron faces renewed labor scrutiny after death of under-age worker at iPhone 5c factory [Updated]
Update: Apple has issued a statement stating that it sent medical experts to investigate and found no link to the boy’s employment. It has not commented on the fact that the worker was under-age, but it has been revealed that he used his 21-year-old cousin’s ID to get the job.
Last month we sent independent medical experts from the U.S. and China to conduct an investigation of the (Pegatron) factory. While they have found no evidence of any link to working conditions there, we realize that is of little comfort to the families who have lost their loved ones.
Apple has a long-standing commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace for every worker in our supply chain, and we have a team working with Pegatron at their facility to ensure that conditions meet our high standards.
China Labor Watch says Pegatron has failed to properly explain the deaths of five young workers at a factory making the iPhone 5c, including one who was found to be just 15 years old, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Pegatron, the Taiwanese manufacturer that employed him, said the workplace environment at the Shanghai plant was not the cause of his illness. But a spokeswoman acknowledged that several other young workers at the factory had also died in the past few months […]
“Considering the sudden deaths of five people and the similar reason of the deaths, we believe there should be some relations between the tragedy and the working conditions in the factory,” said Li Qiang, who runs China Labor Watch … Expand


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German automaker Mercedes Benz said this week that it would wind down car production in Brazil, shutting down its small factory dedicated to producing luxury vehicles in the city of Iraccemapolis, costing some 370 jobs.
The registry of new cars in Argentina soared 13.5% last year establishing a record of 955.203 vehicles, compared to 2012, and also above the 860.000 units of 2011, which was the standing record, according to the Argentine association of automobile dealers, ACARA.
Luxury car company Rolls-Royce is to enter the South American market for the first time. The company, which makes cars at Goodwood in West Sussex, hopes to open dealerships in Brazil and Chile in March.
German automaker BMW said this week it would probably build its first assembly plant in Brazil after strong demand for luxury cars generated stellar earnings for the global leader.
Argentine Minister for Industry, Debora Giorgi will meet in coming hours with Brazilian Ambassador, Enio Cordeiro, to schedule a series of meetings to address trade disputes between the two neighbouring countries and main Mercosur associates.
Argentina has stopped the import of high-class luxury cars and redoubled efforts to convince companies with no assembly plants in Mercosur to reduce imports and reach export agreements with Argentine auto parts industry.


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|This woman was selling leaves outside of Santa Ana Church in Teusaquillo. But I don't know the species.|
|Children parade with palm leaves. (Photo: Amoabogotaonline.com)|
|Police confisticating wax palm fronds. |
Palm Sunday also saw polemic between church leaders, who used the day to preach against legalized adoption by same-sex couples and gay-rights activists demanding the right. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule soon on the issue. Gays attended mass wearing shirts with phrases such as 'I am gay, I have kids and I'm Catholic' and 'Homofobia isn't Christian.'
By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours


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We recently brought you the news regarding the Football Gladiators Video Slot and 17 new online games from a developer known as StakeLogic, which was established by Novomatic’s iGaming company, Greentube. This is an exciting debut for the company and online players so we thought it was worth providing our members with a bit more information.
The company develops its own portfolio of games, including its first 17 3D titles revealed at this year’s ICE Totally Gaming Expo in London, and a mobile gaming platform called MOBi. Having explored the offerings it’s fair to say that StakeLogic may be the next big thing in online gambling.
Austrian provider Novomatic has expanded over the years and eventually made it to the online market delivering content via Greentube Internet Entertainment Solutions GmbH. The recently launched StakeLogic has unveiled unique and innovative games like Dice Fortune, Monkeys of the Universe, Extreme, King Bam Bam, Joker Fortune and Fruit Smasher to name a few. At the center of it all is parent company Novomatic.
Regarding the launch of StakeLogic, Greentube CEO Thomas Graf said, “With a team of stand-out slot design visionaries, Stakelogic is set to bring a whole new dimension of interactive gaming entertainment to global iGaming operators. This new approach to game design is set to be a game changer for both players and operators.”
Stakelogic project manager, Marco Tramontina , said, “Through the establishment of Stakelogic, Greentube will conquer the world of online gaming even further by providing the market with expectation surpassing games covering the coolest designs, the most advanced themes and incredibly creative and innovative game features online: features that players have not seen before.
“Stakelogic is all about innovation and revolutionizing the online gaming industry, thus making a perfect match with Greentube, who have already proved to be one of the world’s best companies in helping the market to increase business and player retentions with their platform.”
So what are the games like? The graphics capture a number of themes and characters in all their 3D glory. Each of the titles, including the latest branded Football Gladiators, are available via the StakeLogic website. The Wheel of Fortune feature in its Monkeys of the Universe game is triggered each time three or more symbols create a winning combination. The wheel will spin and if it lands on the triggering symbol the corresponding reels will re-spin creating stacked symbols and impressive payouts.
It won’t be long before players start seeing these innovative games available from various operators but for now all of the games are accessible via www.stakelogic.com.


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At this moment, Luc Donckerwolcke (40) is leading the design center at Automobili Lamborghini SpA, which he will continue doing until his latest creation, the Gallardo Spider is presented to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
On Monday, September 12. the new Gallardo Spider will be shown to the public for the first time, and only a few days later, on September 15., Luc Donckerwolcke will be appointed the new Director of Design at Seat, which also includes responsibility for the Seat Design Center, the latter being currently run by Steve Lewis, who together with Walter de'Silva (head of design at Audi AG) brought us the new sporty and emotional design of the recent Seat models ...
The transitional period between Luc Donckerwolcke's leaving Lamborghini design and the time when a successor can be found will be headed by Walter de'Silva himself, note that the current line-up of Automobili Lamborghini SpA was entirely designed by Luc Donckerwolcke himself ... he introduced the innovation of the moveable air intakes on the 'shoulders' of the Murciélago. He also designed the Roadster version of the Lamborghini flagship, the recent Gallardo, the Concept S and the soon to be introduced Gallardo Spider. All this time retaining an extreme, uncompromising Italian style on these new Lamborghini's.
'The appointment of Luc is another important step into reinforcing SEAT's commitment to design. But I can guarantee that we will do everything to continue to focus strongly on Lamborghini design as well, since design is one of the core technologies of all our three brands. It is a decisive factor for customers and the visible expression of our advanced technologies and performance capabilities.'
I'm sure many of us have a dream about working at Automobili Lamborghini SpA ... check out the online listing of open positions in Sant'Agata
(added on December 8. 2013)
This baby blue Lamborghini Aventador received a DMC Molto Veloce kit and a Spezial Version front spoiler together with PURWheels in Egoista look.
(added on December 7. 2013)
LB Performance kit, a wild wrap and a custom made roof rack ... reminds us of Jon Olssen cars, but this is an Aventador photographed by Marcel Lech Photography.
(added on December 6. 2013)
ADV.1 states this to be the first Lamborghini Aventador in the world to receive 21 inch up front and massive 22 inch wheels at the rear.
(added on December 5. 2013)
The first video in a series of four leading us to the unveil of the new Lamborghini creature car
(added on December 3. 2013)


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A slew of new books are slated to hit stores this year and into 2014 including storybooks, coloring books, workbooks and flash cards as well as a new line of paper doll kits and sound books from Publications International.
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CoroCoro magazine has officially announced the first Pokemon game for the Wii U. It will be a downloadable title and is to be released in Japan this Spring. Here’s an image of the Japanese magazine article:
Pokemon Scramble U is a sequel to the previously released WiiWare title Pokemon Rumble. The game will support up to four players and features Pokemon up to generation five. Pokemon will be able to face off in battles of 100 at once. Are you looking forward to a western release date? Whatever your opinion is, go ahead and voice it in the comments section below.
- Pokemon doing insanely well in Japan
- Every Wii U game should have Off-TV play, says Shin'en Multimedia
- Thomas Was Alone launching on Wii U today
- Club Nintendo Europe gets sweet Mario Kart 8 badges


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Top Headlines September 2011
ECONOMY September 30, 2011 | 5:43 PM
- Greek debt of €340 billion creates uncertainty for Germany
- Germany's unemployment drops below 2008 levels
- EESC President supports Eurobonds, further EU integration
Europe's sovereign debt crisis has been spreading throughout Euro zone nations, leading to the bailout of three countries.
Italy has become the latest casualty of the recent European downgrades outbreak, as leaders struggle to swiftly resolve the debt crisis. As Ireland, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Italy deal with their ratings cut, the future of the Euro seems more uncertain. The nations that have endured the most these past two years are those who have been downgraded and bailed out.Read more »
BUSINESS September 30, 2011 | 2:08 PM
- Customers to pay $5 a month in debit card fees, to be phased in from 2012
- Regulation cuts debit-card fees cap from 44 cents to 24 cents per transaction
- Banks stand to lose $6.5 billion per year due to new debit card cap
Bank of America intends to apply a fee of $5 a month to its debit cards, from early 2012, to offset costs incurred due to a new stipulation that limits bank charges on debit-card transaction. The bank expects the cap to shave $2 million off its annual revenue.
Banking competitors, such as Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase, intend to test, or are already testing, comparable fee plans. The number 22 bank in the US, Regional Financial, plans to apply a $4 monthly fee on some debit-card accounts from October 2011.Read more »
BUSINESS September 30, 2011 | 10:55 AM
- Microsoft’s seventh patent-licensing deal since June
- Samsung deal to expand Microsoft’s smartphone campaign
- Mango platform update expected before end 2011
Microsoft has secured a new patent agreement with Samsung in the latest of a series of deals to boost the presence of the Windows Phone 7 platform.
In recent months the Redmond, Washington-based software company has secured deals with seven smartphone manufacturing companies that use Google’s Android platform, pressuring them into signing patent-licensing deals through existing business agreements and threats of legal action.Read more »
BUSINESS September 29, 2011 | 5:08 PM
- US Court of Appeals concurs with Delaware infringement ruling
- Boston Scientific paid out $9.25 million in Guidant lawsuit for over-billing
- Lobbying costs for Boston Scientific stand at $810,000 to date in 2011
A federal appeals court ruled against Johnson & Johnsons’s Cordis unit’s appeal for a lower court ruling that had found Boston Scientific Corp did not infringe upon one of Cordis Corp’s patents. The original court hearing, in Delaware, ruled against Cordis’s claim that Boston Scientific had infringed a patent protecting an expandable metal stent granted in 1999. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, headquartered in Washington, concurred with the Delaware court ruling.
The ruling is good news for the medical leader who recently shelled out $9.25 million in a lawsuit that charged Boston Scientific’s Guidant LLC unit with over-billing private hospitals in the US for defibrillators and heart pacemakers.Read more »
BUSINESS September 29, 2011 | 4:27 PM
- Ikea has nine stores in China, will now open three stores per year
- Higher expansion pace than last few years forecasted going forward
- Ikea focused on sustainability, with solar panel installations in California stores
Leading global furniture retail Ikea Group is set to open more stores in China to capture growth in the world's second-largest economy, with the goal to off-set dependence on the declining European market. Currently, Ikea depends on Europe for 80% of its sales, but expansion into China would permit the furniture company to reduce dependence on Europe, and cut prices by 1.5% by end 2011.
Sales for Ikea in China alone are growing at a faster rate than the entire company, Ohlsson added. Ikea currently has nine stores in China, and over the next few years, will begin expansion by opening three stores per year. The Swedish furniture giant will also continue to hire staff, after adding 4,000 new employees in 2010 alone.Read more »
FINANCE September 29, 2011 | 11:22 AM
- Free checking accounts offered by US banks down 20% to 45%
- Banks are under financial constraints and trying to compensate
- Denver and Miami lead nation in overdraft fees
Will free checking accounts soon become obsolete? Amid panic of a renewed economic crisis, pressure on US banks has cut free checking accounts down to 45% from 65% last year, a recent study by Bankrate.com revealed.
This year, non-interest checking accounts cost customers nearly $4.40 per month on average, compared with around $2.50 last year.Read more »
FINANCE September 28, 2011 | 5:05 PM
- EU tax on financial transaction would raise $80 billion a year
- 80% of revenue from financial tax would come from London
- G20 heads propose 50% Greek debt write-down
The UK opposes a tax on financial transactions that the EU Commission hopes to levy on member countries of the EU to bring in close to $80 billion on an annual basis from 2014. The financial tax proposed involves a 0.1% charge on inter-institutional deals involving one or more EU-member players. A 0.1% rate of tax would apply to derivative contracts.
The UK’s sanction is necessary before the tax can be imposed throughout the EU. The UK is not blocking the financial tax in and of itself but wants it to be introduced across the board.Read more »
ECONOMY September 28, 2011 | 12:26 PM
- Macy’s to hire 78,000 seasonal staff, 4% more than 2010
- Macy’s forecasts 4% to 4.5% sales increase in Q3 and Q4
- Kohl’s and JC Penney holiday hiring on a par with 2010
Retailer Macy’s is to hire 78,000 holiday workers, 4% more than the 2010 holiday season, encouraged by rising sales figures. The company forecasts a year-on-year increase of between 4% and 4.5% in same-store sales for the last two fiscal quarters this year, partly boosted by sales around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Workers will be based at department stores Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s and also support the retailer’s online business at its warehouses and call centers. Though this staffing measure is primarily a seasonal measure, the company says certain positions may well lead on to permanent positions. Macy’s is a big employer, with 170,000 workers, mostly employed on a full-time basis.Read more »
ECONOMY September 28, 2011 | 12:03 PM
- New home sales fall 2.5% to annual rate of 295,000 units
- Median price for new homes down 8% to $209,000
- Midwest the only region reporting growth, sales up 8%
New home sales in the US fell to the lowest point in six months, hitting close to 2.5% for a yearly total of 295,000. The median new home price for August 2011 fell almost 8% from the same month last year, marking a drop unseen since July 2009.
After the most dramatic fall in prices in a two-year period, homebuyers are seeking the cheaper option of buying distressed homes or previously owned homes with lower prices due to foreclosures.Read more »
BUSINESS September 27, 2011 | 2:11 PM
- Amazon soon to unveil new iPad challenger
- New Kindle will function as both e-reader and tablet PC
- Device expected to retail for around $299, close to production cost
Amazon.com is preparing for the launch of the latest version of its Kindle, which experts predict may provide the biggest challenge yet to Apple’s iPad. The new Kindle is expected to be unveiled on September 28 at an Amazon press conference in New York. The e-book device will also function as a tablet PC, featuring a new interface and a high-definition LCD touch screen, GreenCrest Capital Management analyst Anupam Palit told Bloomberg.
Amazon’s links with various multimedia partners will enable the Seattle-based e-commerce giant to load up its Kindle with e-books, music and video content, which may give it the edge in the tablet market that the likes of Hewlett-Packard and Research In Motion failed to produce.Read more »


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Motorola has launched a red mobile phone - the Red Motorola Slvr - to help some of the millions of people in Africa who suffer from AIDS.
The (Product) Red campaign was founded by Bono from U2 and Bobby Shriver, chairman of the DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) charity. Their idea was to get big companies to help the fight against AIDS in Africa by creating red-themed products that would in some way financially contribute to African AIDS programmes. Products range from shoes to credit cards, and now you can buy a mobile phone in the form of the Red Motorola Slvr.
The phone is a red Slvr L7 and features quad-band connectivity, a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) camera, a TransFlash expandable memory slot, Bluetooth, speakerphone, MP3 player, Web browser and is only 11.5mm thin.
By buying this phone, ¬£10 from the sale will go directly to The Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. The charity doesn't stop there, however, as every time you use the Red Motorola Slvr phone, 5 per cent of your normal charges from calls and texts will be donated to the fund too.
Motorola claim that the Red Motorola Slvr phone will be the first handset from a portfolio of red phones that will continue to help Africa in the future.


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Amazon is keen to point out it managed to lower the carbon intensity of its operations by 1.9%.
They are called 'NFTiffs' and you can try and buy one on Aug. 5.
The agency claims iMessage encryption means texts can't be backed up on government systems, so it might block access to the service among Secret Service employees, Politico reports.
Amazon sends out a new batch of invites for customers to buy the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. But selected buyers only have 72 hours to complete the purchase.
Netflix originally applauded the creativity of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, but it now says the duo's efforts to profit using the show's intellectual property crosses a line.
You love gaming, but you're not made of money. Lucky for you, game studios and subscription services offer free titles every month. Don't miss out. Here's what you can download in August.
The class-action lawsuit claims Meta collected the information through a company ad-targeting tool that's been embedded on patient websites.
If your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC is struggling, it might be time to restore the computer to its out-of-the-box settings.
Your iOS devices are great media players, but sometimes you want to watch on a larger screen.
Sick of auto-correct fails? Accidentally press send on the wrong message? With iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, iPhone and iPad users can fix iMessage typos and even undo-send an entire message.
Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, and Rumbleverse are just three of the highly anticipated titles that drop this month.
A new music streaming app to rival Apple Music and Spotify looks likely.
Developers have released seven games in partnership with the social platform.
Brazilian prosecutors fear the feature could be used to spread misinformation around the country's upcoming election.
Quickly find what you're looking for across your many video streaming subscriptions, or discover a new favorite with these handy apps.
YouTubers can now post segments from longer videos as Shorts.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri says the service needs 'to take a big step back, regroup, and figure out how we want to move forward.'
Battery-powered rental cars are cheap and plentiful in many European countries, but they can be intimidating. Here’s a guide to EV driving in Europe.
The protest at Meta was part of long-running campaign by the alleged Russian agent Aleksandr Ionov to sow chaos in the US, according to the Justice Department.
Credit Sesame tells you your credit score and helps you understand and manage your debt. Its free version lacks calculators, simulators, and other tools competitors offer, however, and some features require a subscription fee.


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CHICAGO, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: OWW) today announced results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.
"2010 was a successful year in which we delivered $11.4 billion in gross bookings, 6% growth in Adjusted EBITDA, and acceleration in room night growth to 8%. We were particularly pleased with the performance of our ebookers business in Europe and our U.S. distribution business, both of which grew room nights by 50% or more," said Barney Harford, CEO of Orbitz Worldwide."In 2011 we are focused on strategic initiatives around hotel distribution including enhancing the hotel search and booking experience; expanding our mobile offerings; augmenting our ability to source a broad and deep range of highly competitive inventory from suppliers around the world; and completing the migration of our consumer businesses to the global platform."
Fourth Quarter 2010 Financial Highlights
The company reported a net loss of $78.0 million or $(0.76) per diluted share for the fourth quarter 2010 compared with a net loss of $18.1 million or $(0.21) per diluted share for the fourth quarter 2009. The net loss for the fourth quarter 2010 was due primarily to non-cash goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges. Adjusted EBITDA was $26.3 million for the fourth quarter 2010, a decrease of 5 percent year over year.
Gross Bookings and Net Revenue
Global gross bookings increased 4 percent year over year on both a reported and constant currency basis. This increase was due primarily to higher volume for the company's ebookers and Orbitz for Business brands and higher air fares and average daily rates ("ADRs") for hotel rooms. Lower air and vacation package volume for the company's domestic leisure brands and lower hotel volume for HotelClub partially offset this increase.
Net revenue was $182.4 million for the fourth quarter 2010, an increase of 4 percent year over year on both a reported and constant currency basis. Net revenue was up primarily due to an increase in standalone hotel volume and ADRs, higher air volume for ebookers and a non-cash reduction in the unfavorable contract liability due to the termination of the Charter Associate Agreement with American Airlines effective December 2010. The reduction in this liability was recorded as an increase to net revenue. These increases were partially offset by lower advertising revenue and a decline in revenue from the company's airline hosting business.
At December 31, 2010, cash and cash equivalents were $97.2 million compared with cash and cash equivalents of $46.4 million at December 31, 2009 (net of $42.2 million of borrowings under the revolving credit facility). The year over year increase in cash was driven in part by the $50.0 million of cash proceeds received from the additional equity investment made by Travelport in January 2010.
• In November 2010, Roger Liew was named Chief Technology Officer. Previously, Roger was Vice President of Technology at Orbitz Worldwide and Group Manager of the Intelligent Marketplace Group.
• In November 2010, Orbitz launched the first native applications for the iPhone(R) and Android(TM) mobile devices that allow consumers to shop and book air travel, hotel and car rental options. The company also launched a next generation mobile website (m.orbitz.com) that enables consumers to access Orbitz from any Web-enabled mobile phone. The Orbitz applications for iPhone(R) and Android(TM), as well as the next generation of the Orbitz mobile website, now allow travelers to make reservations quickly, access itineraries anytime, anywhere and check flight status, gate and baggage claim details.
• During the fourth quarter, Orbitz Worldwide signed a two-year global hotel agreement with Wyndham Worldwide, including 6,200 participating hotels.Orbitz Worldwide also signed agreements with a number of regional hotel partners, including Southern Sun, Doyle Collection, Vacances Bleues, Simply Hotels, Pestana Hotels & Resorts and Austria Trend Hotels. In addition, Orbitz signed an agreement with Accor to offer their Ibis brand in select countries.
• In December 2010, Orbitz launched its annual Winter Hotel Sale, offering travelers up to 50 percent off of thousands of hotels worldwide.
• During the fourth quarter, Orbitz Worldwide signed global contracts with destination marketing organizations, including Tourism Australia, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Hawaii Tourism Authority and Canadian Tourism Commission. Orbitz Worldwide now has partner marketing agreements with nearly 200 destination marketing organizations.
• In December 2010, the company launched a customized private label solution for Ultimate Fighting Championship, enabling their customers to book hotels, air travel, car rentals and vacation packages using the Orbitz Worldwide global network of suppliers.
• In December 2010, ebookers launched its mobile website (m.ebookers.com), which allows consumers to shop and book air travel, hotel and car rental options directly from any web-enabled mobile device - in all languages and currencies supported by ebookers.The ebookers mobile website is built upon the global technology platform and allows customers to access their itineraries anytime, anywhere and enables access to rich content for hotels such as detailed descriptions, reviews, maps and photos. ebookers was the first online travel agent in Europe to offer a fully bookable mobile service for multiple products.
• In January 2011, ebookers launched a new advertising campaign across all of its 12 country websites which reinforces its "Book easier, travel happier" value proposition. ebookers also sponsored a prime time television program beginning in January 2011 to further drive brand awareness for consumer audiences with a passion for travel.
• In January 2011, Orbitz launched its Winter Savecations Hotel Sale, offering travelers 30 percent or more off of thousands of hotels worldwide.
• Russ Hammer was appointed Chief Financial Officer effective January 1, 2011. Previously, Russ was Chief Financial Officer at Crocs, Inc.
• In February 2011, the company signed a long-term renewal agreement with ITA Software, Inc. ("ITA"), a leading provider of innovative solutions to the travel industry. The agreement includes terms for the company's use of ITA's QPX software for the Orbitz.com and CheapTickets.com websites through December 31, 2015.
For the first quarter 2011, the company expects:
• Net revenue in the range of $177 million to $184 million; and
• Adjusted EBITDA between $16 million and $21 million.


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The 2016 Toyota Prius tops Kelly Blue Books recent list of 10 Favorite Fuel Sippers.
In hunting around on the official Ford vehicles website or the Ford media site, I have not seen any official pricing numbers for the new, aluminum-bodied 2017 Ford Super Duty lineup and it seems th
When John Force, Courtney Force and Robert Hight switched over to Chevrolet Camaro funny car bodies last season, they made the move too late in the off-season to properly develop a Camaro body for
Monday was a monumental day for Andretti Autosport and HPD (Honda Performance Development) as Marco Andretti led a 1-2-3-4 position sweep as to fastest lap times, with 7 out of the top 10 fastest l
I never realized it until today, but I have something in common with Toyota Motor North America’s CEO, Jim Lentz.
About to embark on careers and begin life as young adults who have just spent a LOT of money on a degree, college grads often need a new car to get them from home to work and for nights out.
Mercedes-Benz could also be following BMW with creating a sub-brand that is focused on eco-friendly vehicles.
In the summer of 2015, the first Roadkill Nights by Dodge was held in the parking lot of the old Pontiac Silverdome, with a huge collection of race cars, show cars and Dodge branded displays drawin
Last week, some spy shots surfaced showing what pretty much everyone in the auto industry believed to be the next Chevrolet Camaro Z28 testing on the Nürburgring.


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Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) is prepared to take on more challenges this year as the personal computer industry is shifting its focus to cloud computing technology, chairman Johnny Shih (施崇棠) said yesterday.
Shih told employees at Asustek’s year-end party that information and communications technology industry is restructuring in its “biggest paradigm shift” from personal computing to cloud computing technology.
This year will be a “critical year” for Asustek as the company has created solid technical fundamentals, management abilities and design power in a wide product range, from motherboards to desktops, notebooks, tablets and smartphones, he said.
“We have prepared the most powerful ammunition depot, but we should stay humble because we can still improve in many areas,” he said. “We will have to further enhance our product quality and marketing in a bid to compete against other world-class companies.”
Asustek chief financial officer David Chang (張偉明) forecast that revenue will surge in the second quarter of the year on an annual basis, citing a low comparison in the same period of last year and strong demand for the company’s new smartphone lineup.


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Most of the tea produced in the island country is exported, and the major exporting destinations include Russia, Turkey and Iran, the minister said
Sri Lankan minister Ramesh Pathirana on Wednesday said small tea growers contribute around 77 per cent of the island country's total production, and the government is providing subsidiy to the STGs.
Speaking at a BIMSTEC event on tea organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here, Pathirana said Sri Lanka is also trying to adopt technology to raise productivity.
There is a need to protect the existing markets and also go for value addition. Our government is giving subsidy to the small tea growers to support replantation activity, adoption of technology and best agricultural practices," he said.
Most of the tea produced in the island country is exported, and the major exporting destinations include Russia, Turkey and Iran, the minister said.
Sri Lanka produced 250 million kg of tea last year, which is expected to go up to 280 million kg in this calendar year, he said.
"The biggest challenge is the shrinking global market for tea, Pathirana added.
Speaking on the occasion, MD of Goodricke Tea Atul Asthana said the per capita consumption of the beverage in India has remained static, with STGs contributing close to 55 per cent of the total production of around 1,350 million kg.
"There is a lack of initiative on the part of the Tea Board for supporting generic promotional campaign. This is required to boost internal consumption, Asthana said.
An official of the Tea Board said lack of funds is the reason for the statutory body not being able to support any generic campaign.
"We are going for digital and social media promotion, targeting the youth, she said.


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Welcome to the second interview of the Open Banking: Behind the Vault series where we are joined by experts in the world of Fintech to take stock of Open Banking so far and to engage in a bit of future-gazing.
This time we speak with Matt Smith, Senior Strategic Programme Manager at Monzo. Matt joined Hi Mum! Said Dad’s Product Strategy Lead Jeevan Jayaprakash to chat about Monzo’s Open Banking moves and why the marketplace model is the future of financial services.
Here's a summary video of our conversation. Read the full article below.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE
As a Strategic Programme Manager at Monzo, Matt is responsible for delivering cross-functional big projects for the bank. He moved into this role a few months ago from the role as Chief of Staff to Monzo’s Chief Risk Officer.
Matt has been helping build up a control environment that Monzo needs as a systemically important bank and that supports the growth trajectory.
His role now spans across project management, strategy, and operations, while still looking after some risk and compliance aspects.
“It’s a really interesting area of the bank. It’s about building up the risk culture and your underlying operating model to support customer growth. Given the business growth that Monzo is experiencing at the moment, it is really important stuff and super interesting as well”.
OPEN BANKING AT MONZO
Over the past year, Monzo’s dedicated Open Banking squads have delivered Open Banking functionality like easy bank transfer, an Open Banking facilitated feature that allows users to transfer money from their accounts at other banks while staying inside the Monzo app.
Monzo is also using Open Banking for account aggregation and the ability to give users an aggregated view within the Monzo app experience.
Allowing customers to see debit accounts, current accounts and credit cards in one place within the Monzo app, was one of the flagship features of Monzo Plus and Monzo Premium, which both launched in 2020.
And it’s resonating with users, “Especially over the last few months, we're starting to see some of the work come out and a lot of our customers starting to use it, which is really exciting”.
A SLOW START TO THE REVOLUTION
While Monzo is starting to see some real traction from Open Banking efforts, Matt still believes Open Banking on the whole has had a slow start – partly because the short-term benefits were overstated at the beginning.
He points to a couple of other main reasons for this slow uptake.
The first is the whole premise around open banking being built on customer data and that building awareness of how this data is protected takes time.
Although it may seem relatively straightforward for someone who works in financial services, for the typical consumer who is rightly concerned about the security of their data, it is less so.
“The security hurdle is probably one reason why it's been slightly slower than expected, as understandably customers are really concerned about how their data is being used, and the privacy aspects of it”.
Communication is key, according to Matt. “Explain the benefits of Open Banking, and what banks and TTPs are doing to remediate issues around data security”.
Secondly, the incumbents have been slow to adopt. This is partly down to complicated tech stacks and systems architecture.
“In order to do some of the things that we need to do under the hood for Open Banking, it's more complicated for them compared to the fintechs”.
SHOULD BANKS BE THREATENED?
Startups fighting for the incumbent's lunch is a narrative that’s been touted and fiercely debated for a long time.
Do incumbent banks actually have something to be worried about when it comes to Open Banking? Is it going to be a material threat?
Matt believes we need to think differently about the ecosystem, embrace the growing movement of partnerships and not immediately resort to thinking of Open Banking as a threat or immediate competition.
What fintechs and other companies are doing is finding underserved segments or tackling particular issues that aren’t being addressed that well by big banks, which in principle, could result in customers moving away from the incumbent banks.
“If you look at banks historically, they are platform players. So, they have been in charge of their entire ecosystem and value chain, and could potentially see something like Open Banking enabling the cannibalisation of that ecosystem, with new products and services being built that their customers will then use, and ultimately migrate away from the banks”.
But instead, if banks adopt this new reality, look at new ways of doing things, and manage to embrace new partnership models with Third-Party Providers to offer their customers better servicing products – they will win in the long-term. The ones who don’t adopt will stagnate and be at a disadvantage in the future.
“Banks shouldn’t try and out-innovate the market, but try and partner with Third-Party Providers and other fintechs to offer their customer base a more superior service and product”.
Matt believes the marketplace business model could be part of the solution. Hi Mum! Said Dad published a similar view in an article last year “Open Banking: The End Game”.
In short, a marketplace connects demand (someone who wants a product or service) with supply (someone who can provide a product or service) and facilitates a transaction (for which a fee is taken - this is known as the ‘take’ or the ‘take rate’ when expressed as a percentage of a transaction).
Marketplaces are already everywhere. Uber finds you someone who is willing to take you from A to B, Deliveroo delivers restaurant meals to your doorstep that you could previously only get via walk-in, and Airbnb connects you with a stranger who is willing to let you make their home your own for a few days. Everyone’s a winner.
This consolidation is needed in a fragmented world. Customers value the convenience of having a one-stop-shop for specific needs - e.g. an Amazon for all their online shopping or a Netflix for their entertainment.
So, what does this mean for banks?
Well, the argument is similar for financial services – there is a need to aggregate customer demand, and efficiently connect customers with the most suitable financial products, whether that is your own or that provided by another bank or fintech.
In the future, banks could become the owner of the marketplace and use Open Banking to facilitate access to better products and services for their customer base.
A win-win for all sides according to Matt, “You have financial technology companies and other innovative companies selling their products and services, you have banks who have new revenue lines, and new profitability lines, and then you have more data and happier customers”.
Monzo is one of the fintechs already dabbling in marketplaces, offering customers access to savings pots from third party providers and energy switching. With a long term strategy to become the financial control center of the customer’s life, the marketplace model is a natural route.
Having both the marketplace and the high margin lending activities is the holy grail, and both startups and banks are closer to one than the other – the question is, who will be able to get their hands on both first?
Enjoyed this and want to talk to us more about how Open Banking could be a benefit for your company - please feel free to get in touch.


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Use Ongoing Performance Management To Sweeten Business Outcomes
NOVEMBER 2, 2016
Talent management is once again among the top concerns for business leaders, according to PwC’s 19 th. Annual Global CEO Survey. The report, which surveyed over 1,400 CEO’s from across the globe, highlights the opportunities and challenges facing today’s business leaders when it comes to growing, transforming, and measuring the success of their business. are focused on effective performance management, compared to 38 percent globally.


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Huawei founder Ren Zheng has expressed his company’s aspirations to focus its energies on the cloud computing system in 2021 due to US sanctions against it, and the Chinese giant wants to benefit from the popularity of this technology in the wake of the Corona virus epidemic, according to the South China Morning newspaper.
According to the report, the trade war between the United States and China had a significant impact on the company, which could no longer integrate Google services with its devices. As a result, Huawei was also forced to resell its trademark Honor, its division dedicated to low-cost smartphones.
After the American threats, many countries decided to cancel their contracts with Huawei to build its infrastructure, especially in both the United Kingdom and Sweden. In France, a law was passed “against Huawei to limit the equipment developed by the Chinese company.”
Also, foreign chip makers using US technology were required to obtain a license to sell Huawei devices. The result: the company nearly found itself suffering from a shortage of chips for its smartphones.
To overcome these various difficulties, Hawaii began developing cloud computing, and in an internal speech in November, its founder said that they are inspired by the experience of both Amazon and Microsoft in this sector, noting that the two giants are already providing IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and PaaS (System) services. As a service), which provides virtual servers and cloud storage networks.
As a reminder, “Alibaba” owns more than 40% of the Chinese market in the field of cloud computing, compared to 16% for Huawei, so the company will have to double its capacity to improve its services in both its country and in the rest of the world.


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Microsoft Corp. announced several new and updated applications and services including Microsoft Office for iPad and free Office Mobile apps for iPhone and Android phones.
In a release, the Company also announced the Enterprise Mobility Suite, a set of cloud services and the upcoming availability of Microsoft Azure Active Directory Premium and enhancements to Windows Intune.
"Microsoft is focused on delivering the cloud for everyone, on every device. It's a unique approach that centers on people - enabling the devices you love, work with the services you love, and in a way that works for IT and developers," said Satya Nadella, chief executive officer for Microsoft.
Microsoft also announced additional enhancements to Windows Intune, including support for the Samsung KNOX platform, Remote to My PC capability for Android and iOS devices, and support for the next update to Windows Phone.
Microsoft Office for iPad is available in 29 languages. The apps require an iPad running iOS 7.0 or later.
((Comments on this story may be sent to email@example.com))


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Louie Pappas is ready to take Columbus to sundae school.
Pappas and his partner, Demetra Stefanidis, owners of Milo's Catering in Franklinton and other ventures, are the proprietors of Glazed Churro Bar, a food truck that specializes in the fried, crunchy snacks, covering them in unusual toppings and dunking them in vanilla soft-serve ice cream.
Pappas calls it a stylized sundae.
Some selections include cookies and cream, buckeye, Fruity Pebbles and strawberry shortcake. The raw churro dough, similar to a choux pastry, is freshly made and extruded from a machine the partners imported from Spain.
The soft-serve ice cream comes from Pierre's Ice Cream in Cleveland.
"You get the warm churro stick and the cold ice cream -- it's such a terrific mix," Pappas said.
Churro sundaes are $6 each. A box of four churros with a choice of flavorings is $4.
The menu is rounded out with salads, bowls (one pairing brisket, macaroni and cheese and other ingredients), a crispy buffalo-chicken sandwich and a pair of sides. Nothing costs more than $10.
"It changes," Pappas said of the menu. "It's seasonal. It rotates."
Another specialty is the taco cone -- traditional taco ingredients twisted in a flour-tortilla cone and deep-fried for a hand-held meal that isn't difficult to eat.
"A lot of the inspiration of the truck is to be different when we go to festivals," Pappas said.
Pappas and Stefanidis bought the truck last year and spent several months modifying it for their needs.
The truck rolled out in early April, appearing at only a few events, Pappas said.
It will now be set up from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays at Pins Mechanical Co., 141 N. Fourth St.
Brunch will be served from noon to 2:30 p.m., with lunch and dinner from 2:30 to 6 p.m.
The plan is to be on the street six days a week, Pappas said.
"I think at the end of the season we're going to find ourselves in a good spot. We're going to get in a good rhythm come May and June," he said.
The truck also will come in handy for catering events, the benchmark of the business, Pappas said.
"That's what we do," he said. "And this food truck gives us an opportunity to reach clients we couldn't before."
For more information, call 614-826-0123.
Cinco has changed hands and emerged with a new name and menu.
New owner Francisco Garcia reopened the restaurant, now called Cinco Tacos, in the Huntington Plaza, 1 S. High St. Downtown.
Garcia, who also owns Holy Taco food truck, revamped the interior and put his own touch on the menu, which features customized tacos, burritos, salads, nachos and signature items.
Most entrees cost $8 to $12.
Cinco Tacos is open only for lunch hours for the time being.
"(Garcia is) really trying to incorporate an authentic Mexican experience in the food," said Jarad Barr, spokesman for the restaurant.
For those who think there is no such thing as too much bacon, the Ohio Pork Council's second Pork-a-Palooza will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, 236 Pennsylvania Ave. in Delaware.
Among the many types of pork -- ribs, pulled pork, sausage, maple-bacon ice cream and such -- vending-machine bacon will be available for $1.
Live music, educational discussions and a children's area will be part of the festivities.
Beer also will be served.
Admission is $6, free for children ages 12 and younger.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at pork-a-palooza.com. Those who purchase tickets online will get a free punch card that will allow them to purchase $2 sampler items. Otherwise, the punch cards are $5.


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The $40-billion Aditya Birla Group is close to selling its Bangalore-based business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Minacs to a private equity consortium structured by tech entrepreneur-turned-investor Sanjay Chakrabarty for about $270 million, or around Rs 1,600 crore, said people directly familiar with the matter. This would mark the Kumar Mangalam Birla-led group’s exit from ITeS sector, where most of the traditional Indian business conglomerates have struggled to manage large operations. The bid values the company at six to seven times its operating profit even though Birla’s asking price was slightly higher. ()
Kwality eyes stake sale to raise Rs 500cr: Kwality (KDIL), a large New Delhi-based dairy foods company, is selling stake to raise around Rs 500 crore ($81.3 million) to expand its footprint globally and across the country. The company, with portfolio comprising dairy products sold under the Dairy Best brand, is in talks with Rabo Equity Advisors to offload 14-15% of its stake, said people familiar with the matter. The firm will launch a range of new dairy products, including butter, and revamp its existing line-up, according to sources. Additional funds from a stake sale would help it gain a strong foothold in the Rs 3.6-lakh-crore Indian dairy market, of which 80% is largely unorganized. ()
Air India seeks up to $230 million loan for Dreamliner buy: Air India Ltd is seeking a bridge loan of up to $230 million (Rs 1,410 crore) for taking delivery of two Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft from an ongoing order, according to a tender document on the carrier’s website. The company which is due to take delivery of two 787 aircraft in February and March, has invited offers from banks or financial institutions to arrange the bridge financing for a period of six months to one year. (The Times of India)
Air Works India plans to raise another funding round: Air Works India (Engineering) Pvt. Ltd, which provides aircraft maintenance services, is looking at raising another round of funding of about Rs 150 crore ($24.4 million), according to three people close to the development. There is going to be a part primary (direct stake sale by the company) and part secondary (stake offloading by existing investors) stake sale, said one of the three people. The firm has asked JM Financial Institutional Securities Ltd, an investment bank, to advice it, according to Ravi S. Menon, executive director at Air Works. The existing shareholders may look at bringing some funds via a rights issue or other instruments,” Menon said. (Live Mint)
Stemcor plans to open bids for India asset sale in Feb: London-based Stemcor Holdings will open bids to sell its iron assets in Odisha in the first week of February. Once the financial bids are submitted on Monday, we will be getting into detailed discussions with bidders and negotiate with them for the next two weeks, the spokesperson said. Goldman Sachs is managing the auction. (Business Standard)
Cabinet approves sale of govt’s residual stake in Hindustan Zinc: After years of dallying, the government on Monday paved way for sale of its 29.5% residual stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), the world’s second-largest zinc producer that is controlled by Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta Group. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Monday approved the sale of residual stake; the modalities will now be finalised by the Department of Disinvestment. The PM had last month favoured sale of stake in HZL and Balco through an open auction and asked the mines ministry to seek the attorney-general’s opinion. Vedanta had earlier offered Rs 17,000 crore to buy out the government’s stake in both HZL and Balco (where the government holds a 49% stake). (Business Standard)
Comstar Auto owners are in talks with Mitsubishi to sell company: The owners of Chennai-based component maker Comstar Automobile Technologies are in advanced talks with Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Group to sell the company which is valued at Rs 400-450 crore ($65 million – $73 million). Hong Kong-based hedge funds Comcraft Group and Argyle Street Management are looking to exit their equal stakes in Comstar, three people with direct knowledge of the development said. The owners have mandated local investment bank Kotak Mahindra Capital Company to scout for buyers for Comstar. (The Economic Times)
L&T Infotech eyeing stake in NCDEX: In yet another indicator of the growing interest of I.T majors in commodity exchanges , L&T Infotech, the I.T services arm of engineering conglomerate Larsen and Toubro is evaluating options for a possible stake buy in multi-commodity exchange NCDEX, two sources familiar with the development told. The company is examining documents relating to the performance of NCDEX. The exchange is valued at around Rs 1000 crore ($163 million) based on recent exits and under the current norms, L&T Infotech can pick up a maximum of 10% stake. A stake buy would boost the crucial BFSI ( banking,financial services and insurance) vertical of L&T Infotech, but these are early stages and it may or may not fructify in a deal. (The Economic Times)
Liqvid e-Learning seeks up to $10 million venture capital funding: Educational software maker Liqvid e-Learning Services is seeking a second round of equity funding and has begun talks with a number of venture capital funds as investors show renewed interest in India’s education services sector. The company is looking to raise up to $10 million (Rs 61.5 crore), and has held earlystage discussions with Matrix Partners India and Nexus Venture Partners, among others, according to people with direct knowledge of the negotiations. A successful deal could value the company at about $50 million (Rs 307.4 crore). The company expects to use the funding to expand into international markets, including South-East Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America as well as build its mobile business. (The Economic Times)
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Beacon VC, the corporate venture capital arm of Thailand’s KASIKORNBANK (KBank), plans to invest in one or two global funds this year, according to its managing director Thanapong Na Ranong.
Launched in 2017 with an initial kitty of $30 million, the CVC unit had its corpus ramped up to $135 million in 2018.
The firm has backed two regional funds — Vertex Ventures’ third Southeast Asian Fund and another by Dymon Asia Ventures. Na Ranong told DEALSTREETASIA investing in global funds could help Beacon VC source investments beyond the region, such as in Europe, Israel or the US.
Beacon VC has deployed half of its corpus so far, Na Ranong said. To date, the CVC unit has made six direct investments, with typical investments ranging from $1 million to $3 million.
Last year, Beacon VC made its biggest investment by cutting a $50-million cheque for Singapore-based ride-hailing major Grab in a deal that also marked the unicorn’s entry into the Thai payments market. The VC firm also co-led a $45 million Series C round for Singapore-based digital cross-border payment company InstaReM.
“Our investment thesis is to support KBank’s business with our investments. If we invest in local startups, they have to have synergies that could support KBank’s business. We look at both fintech and non-fintech companies. Fintech is to support our banking business and our customers. Our non-fintech investments are to support the consumer internet sector by using data to better understand consumer behaviour and needs.
“We also invest in overseas startups who look to have a presence in Thailand like InstaReM. The reason we invest into other funds is that we look to tap the expertise of these regional investors to help us make investments outside of Thailand and to have them scout for startups that we’d like to work with,” said Na Ranong, who was previously the head of InVent, the VC arm of Thai mobile operator AIS.
Beacon VC was not the only regional CVC fund to receive a capital boost last year. Siam Commercial Bank’s Digital Ventures also upped its corpus to $100 million, double its initial fund size of $50 million. Krungsri’s VC arm Krungsri Finnovate is also doubling its fund size to $60 million to cut bigger cheques.
Na Ranong said Beacon VC does not really compete for deals with other banks’ CVCs for deals as different banks have distinctive investment strategies.
“For example, one of the bank CVCs might focus more on overseas investment outside Thailand or into new tech which may only be applicable in the next few years. What we look for is current technology that could support our existing operations and our customers today.
“In general, we didn’t face any challenge in deal sourcing except for fintech deals, not because of competition among investors but rather the availability of really good startups. There is more flexibility outside of Thailand, whereas, within the Thai market, there are two main reasons – the constraints of the Thai regulation which is now very limited and also our markets are lacking experienced founders. However, as mentioned, fintech is not only our focus, we do also invest in non-fintech sectors,” he said.
Commenting on the local startup ecosystem and Thai corporates setting up CVCs to accelerate their digital transformation, Na Ranong holds the view that the local startups and the corporates are starting to complement each other.
“In the Thai ecosystem, B2B startups have more potential than B2C. In the past, corporates were not as aware of the startups that were mushrooming. There were some successful B2C startups then, but now, it has changed where the corporates have stepped up and set up their own innovation teams and CVC teams to work with the startups.
“The corporates have realised that to compete with industry players, they have to step up their innovation to stay ahead of the curve. Nowadays, it is very difficult for startups to stand alone as they wouldn’t able to compete with the corporates in this consumer market, so instead, they willing to manage a good relationship and work with the corporates by complementing instead of competing with them,” he said.
Moving forward, Na Ranong added that blockchain and artificial intelligence will continue to be favoured by investors.
“I think blockchain could help the banking industry become more efficient and transparent and more efficient. But I think the implementation of blockchain technology is still in its early stage in Thailand,” he added.


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The holiday season is fast approaching and a new survey reveals insights into how shoppers will hunt for products and what trends retailers should be aware of in order to capitalize on the end of the year retail boom.
The study, commissioned by CPC Strategy and carried out by the independent research firm Survata, surveyed 1504 consumers to understand how they will shop in the fourth quarter of 2017, and specifically in regards to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas.
Holiday Sales Look Encouraging
The general takeaway from the study found that end of year sales looks promising for retailers as more and more millennials are coming of age and willing to spend significantly more money during the holidays.
Among 18-24 year-olds, 23 percent said their spending will increase. On top of this, 79 percent of Baby Boomers — the biggest spending cohort during the holidays — said they would spend roughly the same this year.
Overall, 88 percent of shoppers plan to spend the same or more this year on gifts, meaning the staggering $658.3 billion spent last year will most likely be matched and probably even surpassed.
As for individual spending on gifts, 62.1 percent said they will spend $500 or less, with 30 percent spending $250-499. Over 26 percent will spend $500-1000 and 11.2 percent will spend more than $1000.
Shoppers are evenly divided on when they will hit the stores, whether online or brick-and-mortar, in search for gifts. One-third will start holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, another third will start on Thanksgiving weekend and the following Cyber Monday, and the final third will begin their shopping in December.
Similar to last year, December 17, also known as Super Saturday, is again expected to be the biggest holiday shopping day.
Amazon Leads the Pack
What shouldn’t surprise anyone is Amazon’s continued dominance in the retail marketplace.
Of the respondents, 72.1 percent said they would search for gifts on Amazon compared to just 60 percent who said they will look for gifts in-store at big box retailers like Wal-Mart and Target. An even lower number, 38.6 percent, said they will browse these big box retailer’s online stores.
Women are much more likely to shop in-store at big box retailers (67%) while men were fine to do their holiday shopping online at Amazon (76%). Millennials heavily favored shopping online rather than in big box retailers.
And lastly, 46 percent of holiday shoppers will use specialty retailers who target their specific demographic to find gifts and products.
Low Prices Rule the Day
When asked what the main driving force is behind which brand or retailer a holiday shopper choices for purchasing gifts, the overall price was far and away the most important factor. The next highest was brand quality, at 16.2 percent.
As echoed in other studies, the youngest generation surveyed (18-24 year-olds), were far less price conscious, with 23 percent emphasizing brand quality and 10 percent valuing friend or family recommendations (both the highest of any age group).
The oldest generation in the study, 55-64, favored product selection as the second most important factor behind price.
In addition to low prices, the survey found that “fast and free shipping isn’t just optional — it’s now the baseline for retailers.”
Holiday shoppers also frequently used their phones to check prices while searching for products in-store — only 28 percent didn’t check the online cost. Of these price wary consumers, 32 percent checked a product’s price on Amazon before committing to a purchase, followed by Google (23%) and the retailer’s website (10.1%).


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An under–representation of higher value added sectors means that the pace of economic growth in the West Midlands over the next 5 years is forecast to be modest. Only 11,000 net new jobs (representing growth of 5% in total employment) are expected to be created between 2010 and 2015.
But the Observatory’s new report The West Midlands economy post recession: key issues and challenges (pdf, 844kb) predicts an additional 860,000 job vacancies are expected to arise between 2010-2015 due to ‘replacement demand.’
It’s estimated that nearly 510,000 jobs (58% of all job vacancies) will be due to labour turnover and more than 350,000 jobs (40% of all vacancies) will be due to older workers retiring.
Replacement demand is forecast to be more significant in traditional private sector industries and public sector activities which have an ageing workforce. For example:
- 59,000 vacancies are expected to arise in manufacturing
- 50,000 vacancies are expected to arise in engineering
- 37,000 vacancies are expected to arise in construction
In health and social care, meanwhile, nearly 70,000 vacancies are expected to arise. The figure is more than 45,000 in education and more than 30,000 in public administration.
Many of the jobs on offer due to retirements are likely to require specific skills, qualifications and experience. Around 90% of these jobs are expected to be filled by people already in employment.
Replacement demand is expected to be even more significant in lower value added private sector industries where labour turnover is very significant. For example:
- More than 132,000 jobs are expected to be created in the hotels & catering sector
- 128,000 in wholesale & retail distribution
- 120,000 in lower value added business services
- 72,000 in cultural, recreational & sporting activities
- 53,000 in transport
Significant numbers of the job opportunities are lower skilled and likely to be filled by new entrants to the labour market such as school and college leavers. For example:
- In hotels & catering nearly 28,000 jobs (21%) are expected to be taken by new entrants
- 20,000 (15%) in wholesale & retail distribution
- 10,000 (8%) in lower value added business & professional services
- Nearly 8,000 (10%) in cultural recreational & sporting activities
Read more about the future of the West Midlands economy in our report:
- The West Midlands economy post recession: key issues and challenges (pdf, 844kb)
- Dataset: xls, 136kb | Available on Google Docs
Filed under: Economy & Labour Force, Employment, Population, Population & Society, Research, Skills, West Midlands | Tagged: business sectors, employment, forecasts, labour market, retirement, West Midlands economy |


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| Oct 21, 2012
Katie Kay Mead was sitting behind the counter in her Los Feliz boutique, GatherLA, in late summer when two European tourists came in, asking for directions to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The tourists gazed curiously at a taxidermied fawn displayed among...
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| Aug 6, 2013
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Get a free pair of military cuff shorts valued at $10 with an online purchase from American Apparel.
Make a $25 purchase and use the promo code MLTCUFFSHRT at checkout to get the freebie. The shorts come in four colors.
Click here for the deal. The...
| Dec 26, 2012
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Retail giants, shipping companies and federal agencies are racing the clock to make plans as an East Coast and Gulf dock strike this weekend appears imminent.
The International Longshoremen's Association, representing nearly 15,000 dockworkers from...
| Dec 2, 2012
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A man accused of trying to kill a Chicago police officer after a Gold Coast shoplifting was denied bail today.
Police say Michael D. Holmes, 20, was part of a group that stole clothes from American Apparel, 46 E. Walton St., in the Gold Coast...
| Apr 22, 2013
| 12:53 PM
Susan Hahn was editor of TriQuarterly for 14 years. She is author of a recent novel, “The Six Granddaughters of Cecil Slaughter”; nine books of poetry, including “Self/Pity” and “The Scarlet Ibis”; and...
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A Chicago police officer fired on a car fleeing a Gold Coast retail store this evening, after the driver of the vehicle tried to run him down when the officer tried to stop four people with their arms full of stolen clothing, officials said.
No one is...
| Oct 3, 2012
Students from Westchester Community College designing outfits made from retailer shopping bags for stylish women from the Junior League as part of a Design Wars competition during the event.
Each student was given 50 shopping bags from their preferred...
| Oct 15, 2012
| 8:20 PM
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled the new "Made in Los Angeles" logo that will be printed on labels attached to clothing manufactured or designed in the City of Angels.
The Designed/Made in Los Angeles program asked for designer...
| Sep 6, 2012
| 3:37 PM
Federal mediators will attempt to restart stalled contract talks between the union representing 14,500 East and Gulf coast dockworkers and the group representing their employers in an effort to avert the first strike in 35 years.
A strike would clot...
| Feb 14, 2012
Multiple-personality wardrobe disorder afflicts millions of Americans each year. Symptoms include blurred vision, habitual tardiness and loss of interest in normally pleasurable primping. Common side effects are closet overcrowding, spiraling credit...


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Britain’s most trusted voice in British seafood and founder of pioneering seafood restaurants Rockfish, Mitch Tonks, is launching Seafood at Home – an all-new way to buy and eat fish at its freshest. From sea to plate in 24 hours, Seafood at Home will change how we buy, cook and eat fish. Continue reading Leading seafood restaurant Rockfish launches Seafood at Home: a revolutionary new way to buy and enjoy fish at its freshest, delivered straight to your door in 24 hours
Fresh off the press, award-winning pub and bar operator New World Trading Company has announced another new location for the botanical-pub brand The Botanist, following on from its recent confirmation of a new site in Ipswich. The newest location will be in Queen St Dining, a part of the Guildhall Shopping centre in Exeter, Devon and will be the operator’s 2nd South Coast opening of … Continue reading Exe-tra Exe-tra! News from New World as new site in Exeter is confirmed.
Trewithen Dairy is delighted to announce the launch of The Trewly Big Bake – a competition for baking enthusiasts. Celebrated author, expert baker and Great British Bake Off fifth series star Martha Collison will judge the competition. Martha will be joined on the judging panel with fellow judges alongside renowned food writer Orlando Murrin, who is also President of the Guild of Food Writers and … Continue reading PRESS RELEASE: It’s time to get baking with The Trewly Big Bake competition
We’re delighted to have won an award from LUXLife Magazine for the 2nd year in a row! Merry Christmas to all our readers, and wishing you a restful time whatever it means to you during these tough times. Continue reading Dining Devon wins Best Independent UK Food Blog 2020
Launching on Thursday 3rd December after months of planning, Easy Eats, a new online ordering service and app is upping the game of delivered food by bringing together some of the best dishes from around the world, covering all cravings, cuisines and dietary requirements. Residents of Cranbrook, Pinhoe and Whipton will be the first to try out this new foodie venture, with plans to extend the delivery … Continue reading A NEW BREED OF TAKEAWAY IS COMING TO EXETER
Powderkeg’s ‘Speak Easy’ flagship session pale ale has been awarded the coveted three-star Great Taste Award for 2020. This award complements other recent national awards including the UK’s Best Premium Lager award from the Society of Independent Brewers for the brewery’s hoppy pilsner, ‘Cut Loose’. The World Beer Award for the UK’s Best Low Alcohol Pale Ale was awarded to the brewery’s ‘Green Light’, a ground-breaking low alcohol pale ale. … Continue reading Award-winning brewery serves up three impressive industry awards for 2020
Michael Caines Looks Forward to First Harvest and the Creation of Lympstone Manor Cuvée in Partnership With Lyme Bay Winery Internationally renowned chef Michael Caines MBE is looking forward to the first harvest from the Lympstone Manor vineyard. His intention is to create a premium sparkling wine, Lympstone Manor Cuvée, entirely from his own Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier grapes planted in 2018 on the … Continue reading News: Michael Caines Looks Forward to First Harvest and the Creation of Lympstone Manor Cuvée in Partnership With Lyme Bay Winery
TWELVE years on from first planting vines as a rather eccentric hobby, the family behind a Devon vineyard at the foot of Dartmoor are gearing up to open their new purpose-built winery, shop and local kitchen. Despite the delays and challenges of COVID, Alder Vineyard are set to open the doors to their new building in September – and look forward to championing a wide … Continue reading News: Devon vineyard set to open new kitchen, shop and winery
LYME BAY WINERY LAUNCHES NEW CHARDONNAY Lyme Bay Winery, the flavour arm of LBW Drinks, has released the 2018 vintage of its award-winning Chardonnay and considers it to be ‘exceptional’. This is the first time the Devon-based drinks producer has released a still English Wine vintage ahead of an older year, and will move straight on from 2016 to 2018 leaving the 2017 Chardonnay in … Continue reading News: Lyme Bay Winery Launches New Chardonnay
Sharpham Wine and Cheese set to Host ‘Socially Distanced Picnic’ for International Picnic Day Thursday 18 June is International Picnic Day and Sharpham Wine and Sharpham Cheese, near Totnes in South Devon, are set to host their first ever ‘socially distanced’ picnic day. Situated on the banks of the River Dart, the food-filled destination is best known for their vineyard, cheese dairy and ‘The Cellar … Continue reading Sharpham Wine and Cheese set to Host ‘Socially Distanced Picnic’ for International Picnic Day
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Top chefs, food journalists and producers came together to celebrate West Country PGI beef and lamb at a Winter Gastronomy evening. The dinner took place at the Beachside Grill Restaurant, part of Saunton Sands hotel, in Devon on the 15 November. The menu was designed by head chef, Dez Turland, at the Beachside Grill Restaurant. The dishes made full use of local produce, and … Continue reading Devon Dinner celebrates West Country beef & lamb
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Counter Strike GO DEMO-Leaked by THETA Team
Information about Counter Strike GO DEMO-Leaked by THETA Team
.the leading force.
Counter Strike GO DEMO
25-02-2012....Release Date - Protection...SecuROMEACoreCustom
FPS..............Game Type - Disk(s)......................1 DVD
1. Mount or burn image
3. Copy everything from the CRACK forlder installation
4. Play the game
5. Support the companies, which software you actually enjoy
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.
CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.
"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999," said Doug Lombardi at Valve. "For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."
CS: GO is being developed by Valve in cooperation with Seattle-based Hidden Path Entertainment.
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Create, shop at salon benefit | This Week
Studio 904 will host a fundraiser benefit from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3041 78th Ave. S.E. Proceeds will benefit animals in need through Pasado’s Safe Haven.
The event will feature unique handmade items for holiday gifts, cookie decorating and making holiday tags and ornaments.
For more information, go to www.pasadosafehaven.org.


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Traveling on a Princess Cruises ship just became a little sweeter with the company’s new Chocolate Journeys initiative, created in partnership with the chocolatier and pastry chef Norman Love.
The program has six on-board chocolate experiences. First off is a complimentary captain’s welcome reception, where guests can toast the start of their cruise with a glass of Champagne and Mr. Love’s dark chocolate ganache lollipop. Chocolate demonstrations led by the ship’s pastry team are also free; guests can learn how to prepare treats like bittersweet chocolate mousse and old-fashioned truffles.
For an additional fee, guests can try sweet-tooth cocktails like the chocolate and chili margarita; a chocolate spa treatment combining a scrub, whipped body mask and massage oil; and dessert-and-wine pairings at the on-board wine bar.
The collaboration is Mr. Love’s first with a travel brand. “I wanted it to be educational, so people can actually learn something about chocolate — but also fun,” he said.


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Go RVing, ‘Black Folks Camp Too’ Partner to Help RV Dealers
Recently, Go RVing announced a partnership with Earl B. Hunter Jr., founder and president of Black Folks Camp Too, on a new video series that will discuss how RV dealers can market to and reach Black consumers.
The three-part series will roll out in January 2022 and will explain why Black consumers aren’t already participating in outdoor recreation activities, what knowledge gaps exist within the Black community, and how dealers can reach a Black audience and invite them to become part of the RV lifestyle. The series is available to dealers who participate in the Go RVing tie-in program and will be located within the Go RVing industry portal.
Prior to the announcement of the Go RVing partnership, RVBusiness had a chance to sit down with Hunter, who previously was the vice president of sales for SylvanSport, before launching Black Folks Camp Too on October of 2019. Here is an edited account of that conversation.
RVB: Why did you launch Black Folks Camp Too?
Hunter: To be frank with you, I wanted to bring unity not only to just the outdoor industry, but to the world.
We’re doing that by removing fear, adding knowledge and inviting more Black folks to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle with any and everyone. Because we believe once we get everybody around that campfire, we’re going to start having amazing conversations, and we’re going to find out we got more “sames” than we have differences.
The outdoor industry is like 98% white, right? And the lifestyle is probably 95% white. With that being said, it is probably the most segregated industry in the world. Our job is to make the industry more inclusive and make the lifestyle more inclusive.
RVB: And this, you say, is despite the annual study by Kampgrounds of America (KOA) that for several years in a row has said that minorities among the greater camping population is growing?
Hunter: Well, I think it is growing and it’s probably growing organically.
But there’s some things that folks have seen in these campgrounds, though. Their experiences are not all the greatest experiences. Black folks, particularly in the south, they see things and they’re like, “Wait a minute. Is that what y’all do back here? Is that what you do?”
Here’s what I do know. I know that most campers, particularly RVers, are very friendly and exciting and loving. But I also know there’s some traditions in campgrounds that haven’t necessarily been on par to what Black folks have thought about. They see different flags being flown and things of that nature.
We just believe that campgrounds, RV dealerships and outdoor retail spaces should really wave the flag of saying, “We want to invite you. We want to make sure you’re involved and you’re welcome. And you are more inclusive.” It’s as simple as that.
RVB: What are some information and resources that you offer that can help campground owners and operators?
Hunter: Mainly what we offer right now is the Unity Blaze. It’s the campfire within our logo, and it means “Treat Everyone, Everywhere, Equally.” We believe that campgrounds should be waving this displaying the Unity Blaze and telling folks, “Come on in. You are welcome. We are excited for you to be here. We hope you are excited to be here. Let us teach you how amazing our lifestyle is.”
Education is the key, right? So, what we do is we help educate campgrounds. We help educate their employees. We help educate people already enjoying the lifestyle. We also help educate the entire industry on why they haven’t seen folks who look like me in these campgrounds. Our job is not to twist arms, man. Our job is twist hearts.
Here’s the thing: you can’t fix a problem unless you understand what the issue is. And many campgrounds, and even the people in this room, they don’t even know the reasons why folks like me haven’t been in the outdoors.
Listen, Black folks spend $1.2 trillion a year. That’s our spending power. We should be spending some of those dollars in the outdoor space, right? Because the outdoor space – although it’s doing is amazingly well for the last year or so – that wasn’t done because of great marketing. That wasn’t done because of reaching out. That was done because we had a pandemic.
So, now is really the time for us to go after a new customer and grab that new customer and have those conversations.
I believe that the outdoor industry, particularly camping, is going to shift the world into an amazing, an amazing place. And if we do it right as an industry, we’ll be at the forefront of change of the world.


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Gerz Clock 2.2 Screensaver as a clock. It displays weather forecast for the chosen city from GISMeteo.ru, and also the titles of the latest news of First Channel, NTV, Yandex and BBC and illustrations for its to user when there is a connection to internet.
Google CEO Says Company Proud of Auction-Style IPO The chief executive of GoogleInc. said the Web search company was "proud" of its recentauction-style initial public offering, but said he did not knowif it would change the way companies choose to go public in thefuture.
Review: Phone-Based Time Clock Works Many new cell phones come so tricked out with extra features that devising reasons to use them all can be quite a chore. So it was a pleasant surprise to encounter a simple new tool for Verizon Wireless phones called Timecard that actually enhances


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A Basset hound.
Quick, name one thing soy sauce, miso, and sake all have in common. If you said, They’re delicious, you’re not wrong. But the real answer is koji.
The common name of the fungus Aspergillus oryzae, koji is a microorganism at the heart of many traditional Asian flavors and foods. It’s also the key ingredient in a new kind of pet food announced today that its creator hopes could change the future of how animal feeds are produced.
Koji is normally cultured directly on grains like rice, which supply the starches the fungus needs to proliferate. Wild Earth co-founder Ryan Bethencourt says they put the koji straight into a beet sugar-based solution. After extraction, they press it like tofu, then slice and bake it into a final product that’s like a cheese cracker in taste and flavor.
The end goal, says Bethencourt, is to create an environmentally friendly, high-quality food for pets that’s vegan and tasty. The company plans to release their first product—a pet treat—by June, with a kibble-based food available later in 2018.
Though it’s not the first commercial vegan pet food on the market, their new koji-based product would no doubt appeal to the masses of humans who have already adopted a meat-free lifestyle: The overall market for plant-based foods that directly replace meat is already valued at $4.9 billion, and a recent analysis indicates that sales grew by 8.1 percent in 2017. (Find out how a tick bite could make you allergic to meat.)
The idea to use koji as a way to enter the plant-based pet food sector came from company co-founder Ron Shigeta, a third-generation Japanese-American and serial koji grower.
“Ron always has these kojis he’s growing everywhere, and we started to think: Could we use koji as the primary protein product rather than something just to add flavor?” Bethencourt says.
An analysis of their early koji solids showed that they were around 50 percent protein; a steak, by comparison, is around 30 percent. For fat, fiber, and other nutrients, the company plans to mix in vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato, buckwheat, and potato flour.
Even if koji is a quality source of protein, is it right for both dogs and cats?
Despite the growing desire by Americans to provide their pets with high quality, high protein food, no official definition exists for “high protein” for animal feeds. So veterinary nutritionist Amy Farcas follows a few rule-of-thumb guidelines: For dogs, a low-protein diet consists of 10 to 15 percent of daily calories from protein, while a typical diet is anywhere from 20 to 35 percent. Anything above 35 percent could be considered a high-protein diet.
“It’s a little arbitrary,” Farcas says. “For healthy dogs, there’s no upper limit of protein intake, meaning that as long as they also meet their dietary fat requirements, dogs can do well on a high-protein diet.”
Zach Ruiter, a Toronto-based documentary filmmaker, says his 13-year-old wirehair fox terrier, Alvie, already thrives on a mainly homemade vegan diet. He says he’d give koji a shot; Alvie loves tofu, so it wouldn’t be a stretch.
“It would be interesting to see if there are any studies done to look at health and life expectancy with various diets,” Ruiter says. “What are the overall health impacts of a vegan diet for dogs?”
Bethencourt says his company hopes to help answer that question. “It’s something we don’t have data for right now, but as you’ve seen with vegan athletes, we think that a non-meat diet will be beneficial to the animals as well, perhaps surprisingly so.”
As for fungus in Fluffy’s future, koji alone isn’t quite right for cats: as obligate carnivores, they need to eat meat to get nutrients like taurine and arachidonic acid. But “cats certainly can tolerate a certain amount of plant material in their diet, though they do have higher requirements for protein or fat than dogs or humans,” Farcas adds.
Bethencourt says his company is in the process of developing a lab-grown, meat-based cat food—made of cultured mouse cells. (Scientists have also been able to grow milk in a lab—here’s how.)
A young girl in 1920s Volendam, Netherlands, cradles a cat in her arms as she looks guardedly at the photographer.
The Cost of Kibble
In addition to being more humane, such products aim to lower the environmental impacts of feeding the world’s domestic pets. In the U.S., people share their households with 47.1 million cats and 60.2 million dogs, according to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey.
Those figures, and the proliferation of “premium” pet foods, prompted UCLA geographer Gregory Okin to crunch some numbers about pet food production and consumption.
In a study published last year, Okin estimated that in the United States alone, dogs and cats eat an equivalent number of calories as 62 million Americans, or a fifth of the population. Because most of those calories come from animal products, they’re more resource-intensive to produce.
“Even though animal byproducts may not be expensive, rendering them is a high-temperature process,” Okin says. He notes that the next step, kibble production, could also be energy intensive, as the formulas are squeezed through high-temperature extruders that sterilize the pet food as it’s made.
“Maybe if [koji] is made in a highly energy-intensive way, and using certain materials, it’s possible that it’s no better than meat in terms of environmental impact,” Okin says. But the product needs to come to market with a scaled-up production process before anyone can do a real comparison.
Protein for People?
Koji could also be a useful solution for challenging dietary circumstances among people, Bethencourt notes. For example, the fungus-based protein could be suitable in developing countries where food spoilage is a real concern, or for use as non-perishable, high-quality food sources for remotely deployed soldiers.
Okin says conventional dog food could already meet those needs, given its protein content, but he muses on the potential for koji as a more palatable alternative.
“If there’s a takeaway here, why aren’t we taking this stuff and thinking about how to feed it to humans?” he asks. “There are people all over the world who need protein. Here you’ve got this shelf-stable, long-lived potential emergency food. You could use it for people. Or you could feed it to dogs.”


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More than older cohorts, Gen Zers are likely to engage with brands through social media. A higher percentage of Gen Zers follow brands on social media, are more likely to purchase from a brand with a strong social media presence, and more have purchased a product because of an influencer.
Even so, some companies managed strong growth, including AVOD services and social media networks. In-app purchases and subscriptions had very strong growth over the past year. Hybrid ad and IAP models have proliferated over the past few years, with ad revenues growing more quickly than IAP revenues. But in Q3 2019, this began to reverse.