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Chances are that if you’ve been following how technology is changing how we pay for things; you’ve been looking at China. Payment platforms like Alipay and WeChat have created the image of a country where cash is scarce. And ever since the start of this year, Alipay has been slowly expanding its presence in Sri Lanka.
In case you’re lost, Alipay is a mobile payment platform by Ant Financial, which is an affiliate of Alibaba. In 2013, it overtook PayPal as the world’s largest mobile payment platform. Currently, it’s stated that it holds 54% of the US$5.5 trillion Chinese mobile payment market. Needless to say, Alipay is huge. But with WeChat Pay proving to be a fierce rival, the company is looking at expanding into new markets.
The partnerships Alipay has made in Sri Lanka
One of those markets has interestingly been Sri Lanka. Throughout this year, Alipay has been forming partnerships to expand its presence in Sri Lanka. The first of these was a partnership with Sampath Bank in February. Facilitated by Interblocks, the partnership allowed merchants to accept payments via Alipay. This could be done using th app or by integrating it into existing POS machines.
Commenting on this partnership, Ajith Salgado – CIO of Sampath Bank said, “This partnership offers the growing number of Chinese nationals visiting and residing in Sri Lanka a secure and convenient means to pay for their purchases in the island, thereby helping local merchants boost sales volumes and earn more.”
Fast forward to October and Alipay inked another partnership. This time it was in partnership with Flemingo Duty Free, Cargills Bank, and Supreme Paysez. This partnership introduced Alipay as a payment option at the Flemingo duty-free shops inside BIA. Additionally, this partnership allowed Flemingo to offer targeted shopping offers to Chinese travelers using the mobile payment platform.
Rajendra Theogarajah – MD/CEO of Cargills Bank commenting on this partnership said, “This is only the beginning of an island-wide roll-out strategy Cargills Bank has planned with Supreme Paysez where Alipay will be made available across businesses whether micro, SME or large and will actively support the country’s strategy to attract a large number of visitors from China.”
Finally, there’s its latest partnership with Dialog Axiata. The partnership, which was announced yesterday, will make the Alipay mobile wallet service available to eZ Cash merchants. According to Dialog, this would allow Alipay to leverage the network of eZ Cash retailers. Currently, Dialog states that this network has 20,000 retailers.
Sharing his thoughts, Supun Weerasinghe – CEO of Dialog Axiata said, “We are pleased to welcome Alipay and become the first mobile payment service provider to facilitate Alipay customers with their payments in Sri Lanka, eliminating the hassle of converting currency. As the digital payment landscape continues to grow rapidly in Sri Lanka, Dialog will further explore opportunities that strengthen our leadership in the space while expanding the larger payment ecosystem.”
But is Alipay looking at the Sri Lankan market?
The latest Payments Bulletin report by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka states, “Cash persists as the most popular payment mode in retail payments in Sri Lanka.” The same report also states that while 21 million debit cards are currently in use as of Q2 in 2018. Yet, there were only 14 million transactions by debit cards during that same time frame.
Yet, the report did show an increase in the volume and value of online payments. As of Q2 of 2018, there were 7 million online payments made, which were worth Rs. 657 billion. The report states that this growth, “may be due mainly to customer convenience, time-saving benefits and various promotional measures and awareness programs carried out by the banks to enhance the usage of Internet banking.”
As such, we can see that online payment methods are gaining popularity. However, at the moment, Sri Lanka is still a cash-based society. Even if this were to change overnight, we’d still be a tiny country with a meager population of only 21 million people. So why is Alipay actively expanding its presence here? Chinese tourists.
As China transforms into one of the world’s largest economies, its incomes are rising. As a result, its residents are traveling and spent $261.1 billion in 2016 alone. Just last year, Sri Lanka saw 268,000 visitors from China. This makes it the 2nd largest market for the Sri Lankan tourism industry. As such, it’s no surprise that the tourism industry is hoping to attract more visitors from China.
Similarly, from the comments by Alipay’s local partners, we can see that they wish to tap into this market as well. Similarly, Dr. Cherry Huang – Cross-border Business in South and Southeast Asia General Manager at Alipay commenting about their latest partnership said, “The partnership with Dialog will enable Alipay payment acceptance at a large base of local merchants, creating opportunities for local merchants to better target the large number of visiting Chinese tourists and expatriates living in Sri Lanka.”
Alipay has said similar statements about its other partnerships as well. Thus, while Sri Lanka is yet to mature and adopt mobile payments, China has already embraced it whole heartedly. With its people now traveling and spending more money abroad, this is likely the market that the company is hoping to capture.
Therefore, it might not be realistic to expect Alipay to be the savior that fixes our online payment woes. Yet, with the current political fiasco, we’re currently embroiled in, Alipay’s plans might become complicated as the tourism industry struggles with a tarnished reputation.


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It’s hardly been five months because the launch of the selfie-centric Oppo F5, but the Chinese OEM has already been preparing to launch its apparent predecessor. The F7 is expected to arrive later this month, but ahead of launch Oppo has shared a few teaser pictures which showcase the upcoming device’s full-screen display and – you guessed it – an iPhone X-style notch.
The six pictures were shared by the Oppo Mobile India Twitter account which also talked up the phone’s “Super Full Screen” display. The F7 is expected to include a 6. 2-inch panel with a 19: 9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2280 x 1080.
The high screen-to-body ratio – rumored to be 89. 09% – and minimal bezel space also means the F7 will feature gesture control.
Oppo’s sister firm, OnePlus, recently implemented iPhone X-esque gesture-based navigation for the OnePlus 5T also it seems likely that the F7’s get a grip on functions will undoubtedly be very similar.
The initial F5’s concentrate on AI-led Beauty modes can be expected to create a return as AI Beauty 2 . 0. The system will reportedly start using a 25 megapixel selfie camera, as well as HDR and AI technologies to tailor its beauty settings for individual faces. AR stickers are also rumored.
The Oppo F7 officially debuts on March 26th in India, so we won’t have to await too long to listen to more on pricing, availability and the phone’s full specs.
The F7 isn’ t the only real upcoming Oppo device expected adopt the notch – the P15 series in addition has been shown with a display bump.
What do you label of the F7 at this early stage? Tell us in the comments.

domain: news


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Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) is celebrating national recognition for its marketing and PR team after reaching the shortlist for three categories at the PRCA Dare Awards:
QMS worked with integrated marketing communications agency Weber Shandwick to devise and develop the Scotch Lamb, Naturally campaign to encourage consumers in Scotland to eat more Scotch Lamb PGI.
The nine-week long campaign, which launched in August 2018, included television advertising along with billboard, press, digital, social media, radio and PR.
The campaign resulted in a 27% increase in spend per buyer and a 20% increase in volume purchased per buyer during the 12-week campaign period, according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel to the week ending 4th November.
A key focus of the campaign was to raise awareness of Scotch Lamb as a simple, quick mid-week meal and independent consumer tracking before and after the campaign by IGD revealed an 11% increase in the view that lamb is quick and easy to cook with (up from 59% to 70%) among respondents who had seen the campaign.
Alan Clarke, Chief Executive of Quality Meat Scotland, said: “We’re hugely proud of the Scotch Lamb, Naturally campaign and to be recognised in this way is further evidence of the incredible work our team, industry and agency have delivered.
“To also be shortlisted as In-House Team of the Year is hugely exciting and I’m thrilled that our team is being celebrated for the high standard of work they deliver on a daily basis.”
Moray Macdonald, Managing Director, Weber Shandwick Scotland, said: “We’ve been working with QMS for just under a year and in that time we’ve developed a really collaborative and highly productive working relationship which results in stand-out campaigns that truly deliver. Scotch Lamb, Naturally was our inaugural piece of work for QMS and the entire team at Weber Shandwick is thrilled to see it recognised at this level.”
The PRCA DARE Awards strives to seek out and reward the very best PR and communications professionals across the UK, decided by a panel of highly respected industry experts across six regions.
The PRCA Dare Scotland award ceremony takes place on Thursday 27 June in Edinburgh.
For Scotch Lamb recipe videos and inspiration visit www.scotchkitchen.com or follow Scotch Kitchen on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.


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Skip to comments.Move Over Fruit, Meat-Flavored Vodkas Moving In
Posted on 06/29/2010 11:12:50 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Prepare your palate for carnivorous cocktails.
The Alaska Distillery in Wasilla just recently launched its Smoked Salmon Flavored Vodka, about a year after the Seattle-based Black Rock Spirits introduced a bacon-flavored vodka.
Both savory spirits were intended to complement Bloody Marys, but are finding wider uses among mixologists.
''I think there was some madness and some drunkenness involved, honestly,'' said Toby Foster, an Alaska Distillery partner and the one charged with coming up with new flavors with Alaska themes.
Foster's intent was to market a local vodka which would stand out among the numerous other bottles on the liquor store shelves.
''I was trying to think of something Alaskan. What's more Alaskan than smoked salmon? It was one of those epiphanies, I suppose,'' he said.
The idea turned out to be the easy part. Finding the right formula was a little more challenging.
Foster and Scotti MacDonald, another partner, said the current formula took 48 tries, and some of the first 47 attempts were downright disgusting.
''Definitely the first few times we had our heave bucket close by,'' MacDonald said. ''It was pretty bad, and you know, greasy.''
''But once we got it down and honed in on where the real secret was in making this, it was fun and games after that,'' she said.
Vodka is the highest selling spirits category in the country, and in the last five or six years, flavored vodkas have been taking off, said Danielle Eddy, spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Fruit flavors were first, followed by vegetables and herbs -- even a Russian garlic vodka.
''In the past few months, Bakon Vodka came out on the market. However, smoked salmon vodka is the most unique that we've heard of,'' Eddy said by cell phone from Scotland, where she
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Salmon isn’t meat. You can eat in on Friday. ;-)
Will somebody send Todd Palin over there to kick somebody’s butt just on general priciciples?...magritte
I think I’ll stick with chocolate vodka! LOL!
I bake it into rolls to make famous 'Bun of Ceviche.'
'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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On Sept. 1, Alberta's minimum wage rises from $9.95 to $10.20 per hour. Based on a 40-hour work week with unpaid holidays, a full-time minimum wage earner will make $21,216 annually. But is that a livable wage?
Gallery: Sriracha recipes, and DIY 'Rooster Sauce'
The Sriracha hot sauce factory has been declared a public nuisance and has 90 days to turn the spicy odours around. Here's a look at some recipes featuring the hot sauce, as well as DIY Sriracha a.k.a. Rooster Sauce.


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- This weekend’s Barron’s suggests ways to play U.S.-China tensions and the stock-splitting trend.
- Other featured articles look at how the election could affect health care stocks and what to expect from big-box retail earnings.
- Also, the prospects for a pharmaceutical giant, regional bank dividends, pet stocks and more.
How to Profit From the U.S.-China Cold War” by Reshma Kapadia explains why investors should watch for certain risks and opportunities in the escalating tensions between the United States and China. Does Barron’s believe Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) is a play?
Al Root’s “How to Play Stock-Split Mania” points out that when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) announced stock splits, their stocks promptly rallied. Can investors expect more companies with big stock prices to follow suit?
In “How the 2020 Election Could Affect Health-Care Stocks,” Josh Nathan-Kazis shows how a Biden and a Trump administration are likely to differ on drug pricing, health insurance and COVID-19 plans, affecting everything from CVS Health Corp (NYSE: CVS) to Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA).
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) has a blockbuster cancer drug, a 3% dividend yield and two COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the pipeline, according to “Merck, Big Pharma’s Quiet Giant, Looks Like a Buy” by Andrew Bary.
In Jack Hough’s “The Economy May Be Struggling, but the Pet Business and the Stock Market Keep Running Strong,” see what Barron’s thinks may be in store for the likes of pet meds giant Zoetis Inc (NYSE: ZTS).
See also: As With Stocks, Robinhood Users Like Their ETFs Risky
“9 Regional Banks With Steady Dividends — for Now” by Lawrence C. Strauss makes a case that a big earnings headwind may abate by the end of this year for PNC Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE: PNC) and some of its peers.
The Boston-based Columbia Dividend Income fund has consistently ranked in the top 10% of its category. So says Lawrence C. Strauss’s “Why a Winning Dividend Fund Likes Home Depot, Target, and Walmart.” See why it has its eye on Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD) and other big retailers.
In “There’s a Target on Walmart’s Back,” Ben Levisohn ponders whether Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) or Walmart Inc (NYSE: WMT) will have benefited more from the recent strength in retail when they report earnings.
Also in this week’s Barron’s:
- What comes next for Robinhood
- The bear market that really wasn’t
- How ESG investors can win without Apple and Amazon
- How stagflation looms over the market
- Whether older investors are more patient
- More signs coronavirus exacerbates economic inequality
- Why palladium prices hit a bump in the road
At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.
Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.
See more from Benzinga
© 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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This Report Reveals What Content Creators Think About The Metaverse/Digital Information World
Ever since Facebook Inc. changed its official corporate name to Meta, the Metaverse has become one of the hottest pieces of technology that most companies would want to try and start looking into. The immersion that the metaverse can be very profitable due to the fact that it’s the kind of thing that could end up generating countless ad dollars and such, and if it ever does come to fruition, it could have some pretty big ramifications in various disparate fields.
As Microsoft and Tencent also look to jump into the metaverse movement, the creator economy could very well end up going through a pretty massive type of paradigm shift that will be extremely important to keep in mind. With all of that said and now out of the way, it’s important to note that a recent report from Izea highlighted the feelings influencers and content creators have about the metaverse and how it could affect them. affect.
Of the 1,000 respondents, 62% said they actively use social media platforms. 23% also identified themselves as influencers, with only 15% saying they didn’t use any type of social media. It turns out that 56% of influencers have already embraced the metaverse and are engaging with it in an attempt to get ahead. On the other hand, only around 11% of regular social media users said they used the metaverse with everything considered and considered.
60% of influencers who say they use the metaverse integrate it into their careers by trying to create content for it. Therefore, their use of the metaverse has more to do with their job than just a hobby for them. 70% of influencers said they expect the metaverse to completely replace social media at some point, and a more interesting thing is that 49% of them would like to be paid in Bitcoin, which which is yet another example of how the creator economy is changing these days.
Only 31% of influencers said they would like to be paid in US dollars, indicating that the greenback may be at the end of its long period of global dominance. Bitcoin and other decentralized cryptocurrencies are definitely trending, with 9% of influencers saying they would prefer Ethereum and 5% naming other cryptocurrencies. This means that 63% of all influencers would like to start getting paid in crypto, which is double the number who said they prefer US dollars instead.
However, it’s also important to look outside the influencer bubble. While 70% of influencers expect social media to be replaced by the metaverse, only 41% of regular social media users say the same. The Metaverse is clearly a very exciting concept for influencers and content creators, but suffice it to say that their expectations might be wishful thinking due to their eagerness to start using this new form of technology. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Metaverse finally arrives, as any results that occur after that time will be unmistakable.
Read next: New report reveals high level of complacency among organizations that have suffered cyberattacks


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RadioShack gift cards expiring
Hit those drawers and forgotten shelves, because your RadioShack gift cards are no longer valid after today -- Tuesday, March 31.
Shelley Hunter, of GiftCard.com, says the RadioShack card is the first of dozens she has placed on what she calls the "Gift Card Graveyard."
The cards were originally deemed worthless earlier this month, but, according to Hunter, consumers got an eleventh-hour reprieve that expires by store closing Tuesday.
"It's very frustrating because the RadioShack stores are still open, and there's merchandise on the shelves," Hunter says. "When a liquidator takes it over, they essentially take over the merchandise ."
In this case, the new owners of the RadioShack stores could be Standard General or a "team of Liquidators," according to Consumerist.com. Neither is willing to accept the gift cards at this point, since they never benefited from the original cash purchase.
The Wall Street Journal estimates more than $40 million in gift cards are impacted by the bankruptcy.
An estimated 75 RadioShack stores in Florida are slated to shut down for good this year, including locations in Altamonte Springs and Lake Mary.
New owners are expected to be designated on Wednesday.
Copyright 2015 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 2 May) – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Region 12 has released around P4.65 million worth of financial grants to help improve the operations of various micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region.
Dr. Zenaida P. Hadji Raof-Laidan, DOST Region 12 director, said the assistance is part of the agency’s ongoing implementation of the Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) within the region’s four provinces and five cities.
She said the program mainly aims to encourage MSMEs in Southwestern Mindanao to adopt new technology innovations to enhance their operations as well as expand their markets.
Laidan said five MSMEs based in this city and two others from Sultan Kudarat province have so far availed of the program this year.
The beneficiaries were Aunt Ludi Bakeshop and Snack Haus, Greentropics Coffee Enterprise, Pan de Pugon ni Ka Chona, Rosechie Food Products, R & R Organic Ventures, RG Candy Factory and Albaran’s Coco Candy.
To facilitate the release of the financial grants, the official said they signed separate memorandum of agreements last month with the owners of the seven MSMEs.
“The amount of grants that we released to these MSMEs varied according to their approved projects proposals,” the official said in a statement.
Laidan said Aunt Ludi Bakeshop and Snack Haus, which operates several mall-based specialty outlets here and nearby Koronadal City, received the biggest grant amounting to P1.98 million.
She said Aunt Ludi had submitted a proposal seeking assistance for the upgrading of its bakery’s mechanization.
Greentropics Coffee Enterprise received P975,000 for the acquisition of a complete line of processing equipment to improve the quality of their coffee products while Pan de Pugon got P420,000 for the purchase of new equipment to upgrade its coco biscocho production, she said.
Laidan said Rosechie Food Products received P245,000 for the upgrading of its tart production while RG Candy Factory got P432,000 for the upgrading of its factory processing facilities.
She said Albaran’s Coco Candy, which is based in President Quirino town in Sultan Kudarat, received P229,000 for its sweetened coconut processing project and R&R Ventures was granted P366,555 for the upgrading of its organic liquid fertilizer processing facilities.
Laidan the agency continues to accept proposals for funding grants under the SETUP initiative, which “intends to empower MSMEs and help them grow into industry icons.”
She said the program’s priority areas are food processing; furniture and home furnishings; gifts, holiday decors and fashion accessories; marine and aquatic resources; horticulture; metals and engineering; information and communication technology; and halal.
Laidan added that it support grants for the adoption of new technologies; manpower training; access to capital and markets; use of product standards and testing facilities; implementation of appropriate packaging and product labeling; increasing supply of raw materials; enhancing access to information; and, improving transport facilities.


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Napa Valley’s Lewis Cellars becomes 3rd wine brand in The Wonderful Company’s portfolio
The owner of Fiji Water and California vintners Justin and Landmark has added to its wine portfolio with the acquisition of a small-scale producer of Napa Valley luxury cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc labels.
Lewis Cellars partners Randy Lewis, who co-founded it nearly 3 decades ago, and Dennis Bell will continue to lead the operation, but they will now have marketing, strategy and sales backing by the team behind Justin Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles, Landmark Vineyards in Sonoma Valley and California rose maker JNSQ Wines, according to the announcement from Los Angeles-based The Wonderful Company.
"We are excited to join forces with the JUSTIN team," Lewis said in the announcement Wednesday. "As we approach our thirty-year anniversary, we've had the pleasure of perfecting our wines for decades. With the additional resources and industry expertise available through this partnership, we can really show the world the excellence we've bottled."
Lewis and his late wife, Debbie, started the operation as a small family winery in 1992. One accolade is that its 2013 Napa Valley cab ranked at the top of industry magazine Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year list for 2016.
"Lewis Cellars has a rich history, superior quality, and a pedigree that made it the perfect winery to help us expand into the Napa Valley region," said Clarence Chia, senior vice president of marketing, e-commerce and direct to consumer for Justin. "We look forward to upholding the Lewis brand, and the essence and ethos that Randy and Debbie established, while helping new audiences learn about and enjoy Lewis's exquisite Napa Valley wine."
The Wonderful Company, started by Stewart and Lynda Resnick, has a portfolio of California fruit, nut, juice, wine and real estate interests, including brands such as Teleflora, Paramount and Pom. Back when the portfolio was named after Fiji Water, it acquired Justin and Landmark in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
International Wine Associates was the exclusive adviser to and represented Lewis Cellars in this transaction.


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As brands scramble for last-minute strategy fixes to perfect their festive plans, we take a look at how to get into TikTok Marketing.
If statistics are to be believed, India has 120 million active TikTok users. In spite of many legal challenges and setbacks, the social media app has managed to stay users' and subsequently brands' favorite.
From Zomato and Swiggy using the platform to motivate their delivery partners to showcase their talents and create content, to beverage giants like Mountain Dew and Pepsi pushing campaigns and sales with the help of influencers, TikTok is indeed becoming a platform that brands have started to take very seriously with many attempting to understand TikTok Marketing.
Recently, Idea and Tide Ultra too ran successful campaigns, making people on the TikTok universe dance and rap, respectively. Even police agencies are considering TikTok as a medium to reach out to citizens! Clearly, there is potential in leveraging TikTok when it comes to content marketing.
Why create content on TikTok?
TikTok is a great platform for FMCG, music, OTT, tech/utility brands if they mix their content well with that of the influencers, says Prashant Sharma CMO at Nofiltr Social. "This is the generation of content marketing and it's all about being useful, relatable and entertaining," he explains, adding that brands shouldn't discount the fact that the audiences follow these influencers to consume content, fill time and reduce stress.
"While brands today are exploring strategies to create vernacular content on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, on TikTok, a lot of content is already being made in vernacular languages," says Srinidhi Maheshwari, Digital Marketing Manager, Social Beat.
"If you look at the brief history of brand campaigns on TikTok, the success stories are of those brands that have created platform-relevant content, paired it with the correct influencers and given them freedom while creating content," adds Prashant.
Idea's TikTok campaign, Sabka Time Aagaya leveraged on the telecom brand's strength of creating groovy anthems (remember, Hunny Bunny?) further amplifying the reach of the campaign with TikTok influencers, and gave consumers the liberty to create content around the anthem of the platform.
Scope of TikTok influencer marketing
Growth of TikTok influencers has been phenomenal in the last couple of years. Creators such as Aashika Bhatia (9.7 mn fans), Manjul Khattar (12.2 mn Fans), Awez Darbar (16.7 mn Fans), and more have managed to garner rocketing success in a considerably shorter span of time.
"Influencers can help create huge brand awareness by featuring the products or the store that has been launched recently," says Hitesh Khubchandani, Founder, HDK Digital.
It gets better if you are able to rope in influencers with relevant audiences in the locality the brand wishes to target. Transformation videos are a big hit and can be leveraged by the beauty and fashion brands by getting their products featured. "Given how the festive season is just around the corner, brands should keep an eye out for opportunities," Khubchandani adds.
Gaps in response management
Currently, advertising tie-ups can happen via the TikTok team only, something that may pose a challenge for smaller brands, Srinidhi explains. The platform is not the most interface-friendly when it comes to data collation and response management.
"The videos are displayed in random order and not according to the maximum views when they were uploaded or the number of shares they have got and the order gets refreshed every time you refresh the screen," she says, explaining the hurdles in the mix.
The road ahead
Gautam Madhavan, Founder, Mad Influence shares that the next wave of content on TikTok will be under the education and motivation category. These would include videos on how to cook, dance or click pictures. Essentially, the format would be to state a problem and then share a solution.
Further, he shares a few TikTok marketing tips for brands & agencies to keep in mind:
- TikTok is a mass platform and should not be considered for campaigns that target niche audiences, say those interested in travel.
- Influencers are an important part of the ecosystem and supporting them is key to creating immersive content on the platform.
- There should be clarity on the objective of the campaign and appropriate channels should then be selected. Hashtag challenges work great for awareness, whereas filters can be used to facilitate engagement.
- Jingles that are platform friendly are a must for creating a campaign on TikTok. It could be the jingle used in the TVC of the umbrella campaign.
- The fact that TikTok videos can be shared outside the platform very easily is something brands should leverage on.


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Following a successful launch in South Florida, Cervezas Alhambra has just announced the launch of their Reserva 1925 12-Pack distribution in the Miami market. The roll-out of the dozen-bottle case is expected to increase the brand’s presence and outreach in the South Florida area.
Reserva 1925, an extra lager beer weighing in at 6.4% ABV, is the iconic brew in the Cervezas Alhambra portfolio taking the lead in the Spanish beer market since its launch. Made for the beer drinker who appreciates authenticity, education, production and heritage, Cervezas Alhambra targets the consumer demanding craft quality with a premium image. The brand invites beer aficionados to discover the hands-on creative brewing process from Granada, Spain that has been distinguished by its traditional character and artisanal foundation since 1925.
“We’ve seen such an overwhelming reception in the States since the roll-out of Cervezas Alhambra and our signature Reserva 1925 brew, so we felt the timing was just right to present our consumers with another option to enjoy the beverage,” says Cervezas Alhambra Country Manager Niall Gerard Brennan. “It’s been an incredible journey to launch this beer in Miami and fill the market space with a product that this demographic can truly appreciate; both a craft beverage and a premium import.”
The Reserva 1925 12-pack is now available at most Miami locations including Total Wine, Winn Dixie, Presidente Supermarket, Sedano’s and more. Additionally, the beverage can be purchased on draft at many of Greater Miami’s finest bars and restaurants as well as various grocery and liquor stores by the bottle in 6-pack 12-ounce bottles. To discover more about the captivating world of the Spanish crafted beer, visit: www.CervezasAlhambra.com.


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The British art school tradition is renowned worldwide and has given birth to many celebrated contemporary artists, designers and musicians. Although the fashion students receive the greatest attention via the Central St. Martin's show during London fashion week or the respected Graduate Fashion Week, degree art shows are an opportunity to view exciting, innovative art from the masters of tomorrow. With graduation season nigh, many of East London's galleries are hosting said exhibitions.
Old Truman Brewery exhibition space is currently hosting the Free Range art and design show. The show is open till the 20th July, which gives you plenty of time to see the 3,000+ graduates work on display.
From Thursday, 18th - 22nd June, Vyner Street Gallery is hosting Royal Holloway University's degree exhibit, which will showcase various installations and films.


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Inside Grado Labs: A legacy of hand-built headphones
A Brooklyn family and their decade-spanning audio workshop.
Childish Gambino's latest vinyl release comes with a VR headset
It's used to view the 360-degree videos recorded for 'Awaken, My Love!'
Discogs expands its marketplace to help you sell used audio gear
The database for gear is already live, but soon you'll be able to sell your used stuff there, too.
Vinyl record production gets a much-needed tech upgrade
It could be important to keeping the physical music format alive.
UK vinyl sales hit a 25-year high in 2016
Over 3.2 million records were sold, but streaming showed the biggest increase.
Recommended Reading: Some suggestions for Twitter in 2017
The best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web.
The 'Ocarina of Time' soundtrack is coming to vinyl
And it ditched MIDI tunes for a live orchestra, too.
UK vinyl sales made more money than music downloads last week
Streaming is king but vinyl won't go away.
The 'Death Stranding' trailer music is headed to vinyl
The hype for Kojima's next game is already out of control.


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Stationery chain Paperchase is the latest retailer to be dragged into the High Street gloom after suffering a huge fall in profits.
The company, which has stores in Exeter and Plymouth, has also seen its credit insurance cover slashed following due to the slump.
Plymouth Live report that Euler Hermes has refused to cover new contracts with Paperchase’s suppliers, although the retailer’s existing agreements are unaffected.
Paperchase, which planned to open a concession inside the under-construction £10.5million Next store at Marsh Mills, saw its profits before tax slide 88 per cent to just £613,000 in the year to January 28, 2018, according to its latest accounts filed at Companies House.
Now Euler Hermes has refused to offer cover for new contracts with suppliers.
This means companies sending products to Paperchase will look for payment up-front, as they will have no other assurance of payment and could lead to further financial problems due to cash and stock shortages.
When insurers chop cover in such as way it means the industry fears the affected company could go to the wall.
Euler Hermes recently cut the number of products it is prepared to insure for embattled department store chain Debenhams, following its third profit warning of the year and credit downgrading.
Withdrawal of such cover has pre-fixed the demise of both Maplin and House of Fraser, though some of the latter’s stores, including Plymouth’s, have been saved by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct.
Paperchase, which sells greeting cards, stationery, quirky mugs and other accessories, is owned by the private equity firm Primary Capital, which backed a £20million management buyout of the retailer in 2010 from the bookseller Borders UK, which collapsed into bankruptcy.
At the time, Paperchase, run by Timothy Melgund, had 65 standalone stores, along with 35 concessions in House of Fraser, Selfridges, Harrods and Waterstones.
It expanded rapidly under new ownership , opening 75 stores in the UK, and now employs about 2,000 people.
Primary Capital, which has also owned Yo Sushi and Coffee Nation in the past, tried to sell Paperchase in 2014 and considered a stock market flotation two years later.
Paperchase told the Sunday Telegraph: “We are disappointed Euler Hermes has reduced credit insurance. We don’t think it is fair and we think they should reverse it. There is no cash issue. We have been around for 50 years and plan to be for another 50.”
The company was founded in 1968 by Chelsea art students Judith Cash and Eddie Pond.
The retailer WH Smith invested in the firm in 1985 before a management buyout by Melgund and a business partner backed by Graphite Capital in 1996. It was bought by Borders in 2004 for £18.7million.
Paperchase is not the only store in the Drake Circus mall quaking in the face of the retail maelstrom in 2018.
Streetwear store Footasylum has now seen shares plummet after profits were predicted to halve across its 65 outlets.
Convenience store operator McColl’s has seen pre-tax profits nearly halve to £2.3million in just six months.
Fashion chain H&M announced a near 30 per cent fall in profits and flat sales despite slashing prices online and in stores.
Topshop, the fashion chain beloved by teenage girls and fans of the heritage check kilt skirt, posted a £10.9million loss.
Meanwhile beleaguered M&S is looking to close stores and Mothercare is pulling out in favour of the out-of-town Plymouth Gateway retail park in October 2018.
However mall-denizens including Hotel Chocolat, Superdry, Primark, JD Sports, Lush , Waterstones, Smiggle and Joules are all doing well.


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Last week, recently appointed WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar dismissed executives Bob Greenblatt and Kevin Reilly in a shocking hierarchal restructuring of the global conglomerate. Kilar, former Hulu CEO who took over WarnerMedia in early May, has overseen the disappointing launch of HBO Max, which went wide on May 27.
“In looking at where we’d like to go and how the company was organized, we had two content organizations, and they both worked on HBO Max,” Kilar said of the executive shakeup. “The tough decision I made was to go from having two to one. I think it’s the right thing to do for the company in the interest of focus.”
WarnerMedia is investing upwards of $4 billion into HBO Max as an organizational pivot to prioritize direct-to-consumer business moving forward. The company housed 30 million-plus existing HBO subscribers eligible to convert to HBO Max at no extra charge. There were also 10 million customers who subscribed to HBO through AT&T that were also eligible (there was some overlap between the two). And yet, Max boasts just 4.1 million active users, an abysmal conversion rate.
Here are the three main hurdles HBO Max must overcome to reverse its fortunes.
Clear up the branding confusion
We’re not even on the WarnerMedia pay roll and yet, prior to Max’s launch, we attempted to clear up the deeply entrenched confusion consumers shared over the difference between HBO Max, HBO, and HBO Now/Go. WarnerMedia made a misstep by borrowing the HBO title when multiple other services were already in existence. Behind the scenes, there were some within WarnerMedia that thought the name could dilute the HBO brand.
Although Go and Now have essentially been swallowed into Max, the average everyday TV viewer can’t tell any of them apart. This is reflected in Max’s soft conversion numbers—even though Max comes with 15,000 hours of content at no extra charge, most consumers are unaware how or why they would ever need another service.
“I’m very happy with it,” Kilar said of Max’s launch. “People forget, but it took Netflix four years to get to its first 1 million subscribers. It took Hulu about a year. HBO Max got there in a matter of weeks.” True, but it also launched at a time when the pie of potential streaming and cord-cutting customers was significantly larger than when Netflix and Hulu first popped up.
The entire idea behind pricing HBO Max at $15, a premium offering compared to less expensive streaming rivals, was to put pressure on existing pay-TV providers to offer Max lest they see an exodus of customers. That plan has backfired as the expensive price point has scared off more prospective subscribers than anticipated and the distribution deals that were struck haven’t funneled enough customers into Max.
Reach an agreement with Roku and Amazon
WarnerMedia has yet to reach a distribution deal with Roku and Amazon, which house upwards of 80 million viewers between the two of them, or 70% of the entire domestic streaming market. The roadblocks to such a pact are admittedly complicated. Negotiations over revenue sharing must be hammered out, questions over future ad-supported tiers must be answered, existing HBO distribution agreements must be addressed, etc. Yet rival Disney+ managed to reach an agreement with the vital OTT platforms shortly before its launch in November. Failing to do so has stunted Max’s early growth.
Kilar believes this issue will be resolved in the near future.
“My mother always considers me a very optimistic person,” he told Bloomberg. “The optimistic side of me says it will be. As we head into the fourth quarter, when gift giving happens, it becomes a more material situation for a seller of hardware. There are alternatives in Google Chromecast and Apple TV.”
Will reality match his optimism? For the sake of the streamer, it better.
Deliver more original programming
It’s not HBO Max’s fault that a global pandemic forced a worldwide production shutdown and prevented the streaming service from launching with as many exclusive series as intended. Over its first year, WarnerMedia is still hoping to debut around 30 original series following its debut with six. Exclusive original programming is the No. 1 driver of new subscriptions so although Max has arguably the best streaming library of films, access to the entirety of HBO’s catalog, and crown jewel sitcom Friends, it still isn’t viewed as a sexy option.
Of Max’s originals at launch, the romantic comedy anthology Love Life has been renewed for a second season. WarnerMedia has a long and storied track record of filmmaker friendly content creation and, to their credit, have an impressive lineup of originals on the horizon. This includes Ridley Scott’s dystopian sci-fi series Raised by Wolves, arriving in September. There’s also the post-apocalyptic limited series Station Eleven from Patrick Somerville (Maniac) and Hiro Murai (Atlanta); Dune: The Sisterhood, a spinoff of Denis Villeneuve’s planned two-film adaptation; Terence Winter’s Gotham-set crime drama, a spinoff of Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman; and Michael Mann’s action series Tokyo Vice. That’s a heaping helping of high-profile names and marquee IP.


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Consumer Protection has issued an urgent safety warning after a six-year-old child who had consumed hand sanitiser was admitted to a Perth hospital.
The child ingested between 30-to-60 millilitres of the alcohol-based hand sanitiser which could have resulted in serious health complications and injury.
However, the child made a full recovery.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Lanie Chopping said parents and carers of children should be extra vigilant as children could mistake the bottles of sanitiser for food or drink.
“With many households and schools now using hand sanitiser as part of their daily routines, it’s important to remember these products should be treated with extra caution around children,” Ms Chopping said.
“Most alcohol-based sanitisers contain upwards of 60 per cent alcohol content, meaning just a couple of mouthfuls can be enough to poison a child.”
She said poison centres across Australia had seen an increase in adverse reports involving these products.
“Given these products are packaged in a range of container types, including plastic bottles with pop-top lids, there is greater potential for them to be mistaken for food or drink,” Ms Chopping said.
“For this reason, Consumer Protection has joined the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in working with suppliers to make sure hand sanitiser is not sold in packaging that resembles food or drink bottles,” she said.


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“DoubleClick for Web Video” Start-up FreeWheel Raises $12 Million
Yes, investors are still betting on Web video. Just not in the way they used to: FreeWheel, one of the buzzier online video start-ups you’ve never heard of, has raised a $12 million C round from Battery Ventures, which had provided financing for the company’s first two rounds, and Foundation Capital.
No word on valuation for the company, or the total amount raised to date. If anyone wants to weigh in, you can reach me at email@example.com.
FreeWheel is essentially an online ad video network operating behind the scenes and connecting Web video advertisers and publishers. If that sounds a bit like DoubleClick, the display ad infrastructure company that Google (GOOG) acquired last year, that’s not a coincidence. Co-founders Doug Knopper and Jon Heller are both DoubleClick vets.
FreeWheel won’t disclose most of its customers, but it’s been watched widely by Web video players to see if can make good on its promise to make the fractured market more efficient. That’d be an important problem to solve for the Web video industry, which has yet to deliver on its huge promise.


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European Union regulators say they’re opening an in-depth investigation into U.S. tech giant Google’s plan to buy fitness tracking device maker Fitbit.
The EU’s executive commission said Tuesday it’s concerned the deal would entrench Google’s position in the online ad market by “increasing the already vast amount of data” that the company could use to personalize ads.
EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the “investigation aims to ensure that control by Google over data collected through wearable devices as a result of the transaction does not distort competition.”
Google agreed to buy Fitbit in November for $2.1 billion US. Privacy and consumer groups have called on authorities to block the deal, citing privacy and antitrust concerns.
The EU said that it was concerned the deal would expand Google’s “data advantage,” and therefore raise barriers for rivals to match Google’s online advertising services.
“This deal is about devices, not data,” said Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice-president for devices and services. “We’ve been clear from the beginning that we will not use Fitbit health and wellness data for Google ads,” he wrote in a blog post.
Europe’s close examination of tech companies
The investigation underscores the leading role EU authorities have taken in global efforts to regulate the big technology companies.
Vestager has been at forefront of the movement to rein in the likes of Google and its Silicon Valley rivals. During her first five-year term as competition commissioner, she slapped Google with nearly $10 billion in penalties for multiple antitrust cases involving its Android operating system, advertising business and shopping service.
Google’s plan to acquire Fitbit marked a bold plunge into health and fitness technology for the search behemoth as it tries to become a force in consumer hardware.
Fitbit pioneered wearable fitness technology, with devices that track activities such as running, cycling and swimming and record heart rates and sleep patterns. The company has more than 28 million active users worldwide and has sold more than 100 million devices.


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Netherlands-based automated payments company Payaut has reportedly bagged €1m in a funding round.
The investment was supported by LocalGlobe, Finch Capital and several unnamed angel investors, according to a report from FinSMEs.
Despite having just closed this round, the FinTech is already in discussions about raising a seed round in a couple months’ time.
Payaut is an API solution that helps online marketplaces and platforms automate seller onboarding and payouts, and meet PSD2 compliance. Its services include onboarding and KYC, Split payments and payouts.
Earlier in the month, fellow Dutch FinTech Knab teamed up with biometrics company iProov. Challenger bank Knab will use iProov’s solution to provide its customers with biometric-powered authentication, giving them more security when making transactions.
Since 2015, FinTech companies based in the Netherlands have raised a combined total of $726.9m across 107 transactions between. Funding has grown at a CAGR of 46.8% during the period and the average deal size has increased by more than eight-fold from $1.6m in 2015 to $13.1m in 2019.


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Earnings results for Ducommun (NYSE:DCO)
Ducommun last issued its quarterly earnings results on August 12th, 2021. The aerospace company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.09. The business earned $160.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.52 million. Ducommun has generated $2.74 earnings per share over the last year ($2.58 diluted earnings per share) and currently has a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.8. Earnings for Ducommun are expected to grow by 21.95% in the coming year, from $2.87 to $3.50 per share. Ducommun has confirmed that its next quarterly earnings report will be published on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021. Ducommun will be holding an earnings conference call on Tuesday, November 2nd at 5:00 PM Eastern. Interested parties can .
Analyst Opinion on Ducommun (NYSE:DCO)
According to the issued ratings of 4 analysts in the last year, the consensus rating for Ducommun stock is Buy based on the current 4 buy ratings for DCO. The average twelve-month price target for Ducommun is $66.00 with a high price target of $68.00 and a low price target of $62.00.
Ducommun has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company’s average rating score is 3.00, and is based on 4 buy ratings, no hold ratings, and no sell ratings. According to analysts’ consensus price target of $66.00, Ducommun has a forecasted upside of 36.4% from its current price of $48.39. Ducommun has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days.
Dividend Strength: Ducommun (NYSE:DCO)
Ducommun does not currently pay a dividend. Ducommun does not have a long track record of dividend growth.
Insiders buying/selling: Ducommun (NYSE:DCO)
In the past three months, Ducommun insiders have sold more of their company’s stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $126,800.00 in company stock. Only 10.00% of the stock of Ducommun is held by insiders. 82.11% of the stock of Ducommun is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.
Earnings and Valuation of Ducommun (NYSE:DCO
Earnings for Ducommun are expected to grow by 21.95% in the coming year, from $2.87 to $3.50 per share. The P/E ratio of Ducommun is 18.76, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 14.58. The P/E ratio of Ducommun is 18.76, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Aerospace sector average P/E ratio of about 20.14. Ducommun has a P/B Ratio of 1.72. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.
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The 10th Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), opened on February 27, 2024, showcasing a wide range of diamonds, gemstones and pearls.
At the opening ceremony, Dr Bernard Chan, Hong Kong SAR Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, was the Guest of Honour.
The 40th Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, dedicated to finished jewellery, will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from February 29.
Sophia Chong, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “This is the first time since the pandemic that the ‘two shows, two venues’ format has been reinstated. The two fairs have attracted over 4,000 exhibitors from 44 countries and regions, forming the world’s leading jewellery trade platform. More than 60% of the exhibitors came from outside Hong Kong, which signifies the high international profile of the two fairs.”
Winston Chow, Chairman, HKTDC’s Jewellery Advisory Committee, said: “We are delighted that the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show is returning to AsiaWorld-Expo for its 10th edition this year. Together with the 40th Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, the theme of this year’s event is Be Part of the Splendid Legacy, and we are delighted to be achieving this unforgettable milestone together with our international exhibitors and buyers.”
Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show presents three high-end product zones
The International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show includes three high-end product zones – Hall of Fine Diamonds, Treasures of Nature and Treasures of Ocean – showcasing top-quality white diamonds, coloured diamonds, high-end gemstones, rare pearls and other raw materials from all over the world.
These include Color Diamond Trading Co’s rare orange fancy colour diamond weighing 1.03 carats (Booth: AWE 5-G06); Selective Gem House’s fire opals of over 30 carats of unique fire from Mexico (Booth: AWE 8-D39); and HYT International HK Limited’s 7.59 carats of GRS and Gübelin certified Colombian emerald (Booth: AWE 5-A33).
From Mainland China, Zhuji City of Zhejiang Province returns with freshwater pearls, while the newly added Henan Pavilion will be led by the Vice-Governor of the province. The Japan Pavilion, which has attracted much attention, continues to carry a wide range of pearls, diamonds, corals and gemstones.
Jewellery Show gathers rare masterpieces, culturally creative pieces
The 40th Hong Kong International Jewellery Show will run for five days from Thursday (29 February) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Show highlight – Hall of Extraordinary – will feature 78 global exhibitors showcasing stunning diamond, gemstone, jade and pearl pieces.
These include Hong Kong exhibitor Hatta New World Company Limited (Booth: CEC GH-D06) which will showcase a jewellery set comprising about 110 carats of Brazilian Paraiba pieces (a necklace, ring and a pair of earrings), worth over HK$15 million.
The bright-blue Paraiba is one of the rarest precious stones on Earth. On Tung Company (Booth: CEC GH-C02) also presents a jadeite set with a total value of over HK$20 million, featuring a necklace with two rows of Burmese natural jadeite beads, each of the finest quality, with the largest jadeite bead approximately 12mm in diameter, creating a truly magnificent piece.


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At a roundtable meeting hosted by BMW in NYC today, Peter Nota, a board member responsible for sales and marketing, spoke at length about the company’s continued involvement in the fuel cell hydrogen drivetrain. Note the BMW iX5 hydrogen prototypes that are set to launch in the market in 2023.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen
Although the iX5 Hydrogen will not be mass-produced, at least initially, a fleet of vehicles will be made available to selected customers, media and VIPs. There is no word on how many BMW iX FCEV units will hit the road next year. The idea behind fuel cell hydrogen development remains the same: to offer consumers a choice of emission-free vehicles.
While most advanced markets are able to handle the arrival of battery-powered electric vehicles, not every consumer and market will be fully prepared to accept. This is where FCEV BMWs come in First previewed on the BMW X5, the technology could be used on other larger BMW models.
With a refill time of 3 to 5 minutes, the BMW iX5 can serve as a great option for customers looking to drive an emission-free car without having to worry about the hydrogen charging infrastructure. Of course, hydrogen drives have their own challenges, one of which is infrastructure.
Second FCEV for BMW
This is BMW’s second attempt at a fuel cell electric car. The first was launched in 2015 in a 5 Series Gran Turismo prototype, part of another collaboration with Toyota. We had the opportunity to run that FCEV prototype at Mirams, BMW’s testing facility in southern France. And recently the BMW iX5 hydrogen in northern Sweden.
Also built in collaboration with Toyota, the iX5 FCEV saves BMW’s fuel cell program, as Bavarians believe that hydrogen could be a very effective technology for long-distance vehicles in the future. Nota further noted that commercial fuel cell vehicles could be a major factor in the overall adoption of FCEVs.
There are not many traditional automakers left in place of fuel cell electric vehicles. Most of them will soon be moving to fully battery-powered electric vehicles, but BMW and Toyota still believe that hydrogen will be part of the future of our mobility. Their bet is that fuel cell piles will become smaller and more efficient in the future, as well as shopping from the heavy truck industry. The latter could be the main driver behind FCEV adoption which requires a solid, but expensive infrastructure in its place. While companies like Amazon or PepsiCo tend to lean towards light battery-electric trucks, long distances are not ideal for battery-electric trucks. This is a use where FCEVs can shine and level the playing field.


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More than 80% of Australians are involved in online gambling to a smaller or bigger extent. This trend was formed by the limited regulation of online casinos in the country. Although laws are restricting Australians from gambling, they are not as strict as in the United States of France.
The top new casinos by Gifts Australia allow punters to mess with cryptocurrencies. In fact, Australia has become one of the first countries that openly supported the integration of crypto into different spheres of life. In online gambling, cryptocurrencies can be used as a secured and convenient form of payment. Thus, AU punters are spending a lot of time on such platforms as AussieOnlineCasino, playing casino games and earning money.
Cryptocurrency Legal Aspects
Despite seeming freedom and flexibility, the use of cryptocurrencies is regulated by the Australian authorities. The country has taken a progressive approach to the legislation and regulation of currencies such as Bitcoin, Matic, Ethereum, and many others.
In 2017, the Australian authorities stated that cryptocurrencies were legal. Moreover, they stated that Bitcoin is an “asset” and subject to CGT. This is a considerable change for Bitcoin and altcoins, considering the previous inconveniences associated with double taxation.
A lot of crypto businesses have found their place in Australia due to the convenient environment for crypto operations. Of course, the gambling sector with Bitcoin pokies is probably the brightest representative of the given trend.
Although online gambling is not allowed in the country, Australians enjoy a wide choice of web and mobile casinos operating from abroad. They can play jackpot pokies online and make a profit at the platforms like Aussie Online Casino. They can also try their luck with Bitcoin games in the form of table games, slots, live dealer games, and so on. Why are online Bitcoin casinos so admired by Australians? Well, they don’t charge you for their services, and they offer nice bonuses to newcomers and repeat customers. Just take a look at the benefits granted by online casino Jackpot Jill and get no deposit bonus.
The government continues to adjust the system to new trends by making cryptocurrencies a more accessible and viable option for gamblers and investors. Moreover, the government is also considering other aspects of this industry such as the integration and legality of ICOs.
Considering the growing interest demonstrated by Australians, online crypto casino sites based on the latest technology surely have high chances of success. This means the casino experience will be boosted by providing anonymity and better payment options.
In Australia, you can find a bunch of crypto exchanges and other crypto resources – from blockchain-based payment suppliers to the best Bitcoin casinos operating from abroad. Bitcoin exchanges provide strong security as they are managed by AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre).
Crypto businesses operating in Australia are obliged to identify their operations. This regulation is suitable for exchanges and also really beneficial for customers.
After all, this means that there is greater scope for cryptocurrency investments. If the industry in Australia has better support, investment opportunities will take a more lucrative look. People will be willing to push real money into crypto exchanges and startups.
In the end, investment in other associated businesses will improve. We will see a drastic increase in casinos that accept Bitcoin as a payment method. This is about to happen anyway.


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October 27, 2010 BY John Kim
It seems like just yesterday the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship but after an offseason that was filled with media hoopla and a shift of conference power, the 2010-11 NBA Season officially kicked off yesterday night. Only three games were scheduled but quite a line-up it was; the Suns, led by Steve Nash and the Nike Zoom Go Low Trash Talk, began their post-Amare era against the young and talented Portland Trail Blazers, while out East we got an early look at a possible Eastern Conference Finals match-up as the Boston Celtics opened up their season against the Miami Heat – with the Big Three from up North giving the Heat their first loss of the season. That game in particular featured a number of notable kicks, like Rajon Rondo’s Hyperfuse PE, Nate Robinson’s Air Jordan III 25th Anniversary, and Dwyane Wade’s Air Jordan 2010, as well as the debut of the LeBron 8, Kevin Garnett’s Anta signature, and Paul Pierce’s new Nikes.
However, Opening Night was stolen by none other than Los Angeles, as the Lakers were presented with their Championship rings before tip-off. Kobe Bryant debuted the Nike Zoom Kobe V ‘Ring Ceremony’ while teammate Ron Artest represented Ball’N, marking the seventh different brand Artest has worn during an NBA game. Their opponent, the Houston Rockets, featured some nice Feet as well – Kevin Martin in the Air Jordan 2010 Team, Courtney Lee in the Nike Zoom Huarache TR Mid, and Aaron Brooks also in the Nike Zoom Go Low. Sneaker News will keep you on top of all NBA kicks this season so stick with Sneaker News for more NBA Feet coverage and let us know which NBAer had the best kicks during Opening Night. via Yahoo!.


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The world’s swelling population is intensifying the complexity and urgency of numerous global challenges, from climate change to healthcare to access to water. Many of these problems are so complex and interconnected that they seem unsolvable, but designers worldwide are stepping forward to meet these challenges with smarter, better design.
“We’re in the midst of a design-led revolution, and we’re seeing the power that designers have to intentionally shape our world,” writes Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, in an introductory note to the company’s 6th annual sustainability report. “Designers from San Francisco to Nairobi are changing how we design and redesign the world around us at an unprecedented pace.”
Autodesk equips designers with the tools and technologies they need to imagine, design and create this better world. The company says its sustainability strategy focuses its efforts where we can have the greatest impact: providing the best sustainability solutions; delivering learning and training opportunities; expanding access to technology; and leading by example with its business practices.
Historically, design has been a long, arduous, and costly process. Designs were written with pen and paper, and several physical prototypes were needed before a viable design could be found. No longer. With Autodesk’s technology, designers can access information that was previously inaccessible, and understand the potential impacts of their design on the larger system it fits within. They can analyze and test thousands of iterations of a design in just minutes. They even can collaborate in unprecedented ways, inviting more voices and massive collaboration into every step of the design process.
The company’s Corporate-Finance Approach to Climate-Stabilizing Targets (C-FACT) methodology calls for companies to reduce GHG emissions in line with global scientific and policy climate stabilization targets, and in proportion to their relative contribution to the economy. If all companies were to adopt this approach and meet their corresponding targets, Autodesk says private-sector emissions would be on track to help stabilize the climate by 2050. Autodesk has made this methodology open source so that other companies can use it, and in early 2014, the company introduced a modified version of C-FACT for cities.
In 2013, Autodesk’s carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 9.9 percent per employee and 5.3 percent per square foot of real estate, compared with the year before. The company has reduced its overall carbon footprint by 38.1 percent in absolute terms since its baseline year in 2009. This exceeds the 23.4 percent reduction target the company established using its C-FACT methodology. Autodesk follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for carbon measurement and reporting, the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions.
Employee travel is one of the largest single contributors to Autodesk’s carbon footprint (38.4 percent), and though greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with this increased by 7.3 percent this year, the company is implementing practices to improve. Some of these include avoiding travel through use of virtual collaboration tools, selecting efficient cars, and implementing a strategic meetings-management program.
Autodesk also expanded and customized its sustainable facility strategy, according to the report. The company assesses its facilities’ environmental operating practices in areas such as energy and water conservation, waste management, green procurement, and indoor air quality management, and then create customized sustainability improvement plans. In fiscal year 2014, five additional Autodesk facilities were awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, bringing its total number of LEED-certified buildings to 15 (8 Platinum, 5 Gold, and 2 Certified). This represents 28 percent of the company’s total square footage.
Autodesk also reduced the carbon footprint of its supply chain by 17.2 percent. Most of these GHG emissions result from manufacturing, assembling and delivering physical software media and powering electronic software downloads and cloud-based services. This was achieved largely due to the increased customer use of electronic downloads, the report says. Customers downloaded about 675,000 products, representing 40 percent of all orders and reducing associated GHG emissions by nearly 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
“Skilled practitioners of sustainable design and engineering are in short supply, yet we’ve never needed them more,” Autodesk says in the report. “Through education, we can empower masses of people to understand the challenges we face and how to design lasting and scalable solutions to address them.”
The Autodesk Sustainability Workshop and Building Performance Analysis Certificate (BPAC) Program allows students and professionals to learn how to use design technology and analytics to make better, more sustainable design decisions during every step of the design process. Autodesk also sponsors sustainable design competitions and collaborates with several academic institutions and organizations to inspire more people to use design to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Since the Autodesk Education Community’s inception in 2006, over 8 million students and educators have registered, including more than 1 million in 2013.
Recognizing that technology can be expensive, Autodesk offers discounted and no fee software to students, nonprofit organizations, employees, and others who are developing design solutions that will shape a more sustainable future. In FY14, Autodesk donated software worth nearly almost $3.2 million in software to nonprofit organizations — an increase from the $2.6 million donated the previous year.
Overall, Autodesk’s sustainability report shows transparency all companies would do well to follow; recognizing achievements while acknowledging areas in need of improvement with actionable plans to improve. By improving its internal sustainability performance while equipping companies with the tools to improve theirs, Autodesk truly is confronting what it calls the “ultimate design challenge — to design a future where everyone can live well and live within the limits of the planet.”


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News Senran Kagura Bon Appétit PS Vita Game's Launch Date Trailer Streamed
posted on 2014-10-21 23:00 EDT
XSEED Games began streaming its launch date announcement trailer for the Senran Kagura Bon Appétit (Deka Mori Senran Kagura) rhythm game on Tuesday. The North American publisher will release the game digitally for the PlayStation Vita console via the PlayStation Network on November 11.
XSEED Games describes the game:
Revealed for the first time, this rhythm spin-off of the ninja ‘busty brawler’ series, Senran Kagura, features cooking battles rather than shinobi showdowns. The emphasis is on outrageous humor, delicious food and plenty of eye candy. Culinary warfare is carried out through an array of rhythm battles—tap the correct buttons in time with the beat to rack up combos and determine the size and quality of the resulting dish. With 10 girls to choose from (22 when including additional DLC), players are challenged to create the ultimate Super Dish and unlock a special feast for the eyes.
The game shipped in Japan in two versions in March and April. XSEED Games released the first Senran Kagura video game in North America last year and plans to release Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus this fall. The franchise inspired a television anime series last year that Funimation streamed and released the series on home video.


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For bitcoin attention maestro Tom Kysar, a ongoing discuss over how a bitcoin network should solve pivotal technical concerns has, utterly literally, strike home.
The former conduct of selling for a now-defunct startup Koinify, Kysar lives with dual bitcoin evangelists, both of whom he says are on conflicting sides of a discuss that has so distant raged on blogs, forums and by headlines in The New York Times.
“I consider it’s treacherous a shit out of a lot of people. The residence is split. [One] supports Bitcoin Classic and [the other] … he’s with a Bitcoin Core guys,” Kysar told CoinDesk during The North American Bitcoin Conference (TNABC). “I consider there’s a large problem with communication with people who aren’t concerned in a conversation.”
Kysar is referring to a flourishing difference in a bitcoin ecosystem following former Bitcoin Core developer Mike Hearn’s preference to skip a project, dogmatic it passed due to what he viewed as unresolvable governance issues.
Since Hearn’s departure, many bitcoin miners, who routine exchange on a open-source blockchain, and attention businesses have announced their vigilant to behind Bitcoin Classic, a offer that would boost bitcoin’s block


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The award-winning shop, which closed last year after going into administration, will relaunch in the city centre in the New Year.
Steve Sansom, who owned the previous store, revealed “The premises are in the city centre, but it is not the same site as before. It will be less than half the size of the other store, which was too big.”
Mr Sansom said he had been itching to get back into high street retailing since the original Dominoes collapsed.” I think what I’ve got is unique,” he said. “Everybody knows the name and that the service we provide is good. I want to do that again, but on a smaller scale. Hopefully, it will get bigger”
The new store, which will open in February or March, will create up to 10 jobs.
Keith Cooper, vice-chairman of the Leicester branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “That is excellent news. The name has history in Leicester and a lot of people know it. We need more of these shops in the city centre, which people are attracted to from a wide area.”


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LOS ANGELES, June 27 (Reuters) — The video rental chain Blockbuster said on Wednesday that it had settled a patent dispute with its rival Netflix that challenged Blockbuster’s entry into online DVD rental. Blockbuster also signaled that the new business was taking a toll on its finances.
Although terms of the settlement were not disclosed, shares in Netflix jumped $1.26, almost 6.5 percent, to $20.78, while Blockbuster slipped 2 cents, to $4.20.
Blockbuster also disclosed in a securities filing on Wednesday that it planned to seek an amendment to its Aug. 20, 2004, credit agreement that would lower earnings requirements.
The company said in the filing that it planned to modify its popular Total Access plan before the end of the year to “strike the appropriate balance between continued subscriber growth and enhanced profitability.”
Blockbuster has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into building and promoting its online service as in-store rental revenues decline in the $9 billion rental industry.
Blockbuster will not make changes to its Web site or business model as a result of the patent lawsuit settlement, a spokeswoman, Karen Raskopf, said.Continue reading the main story
A Netflix spokesman declined to comment. Netflix sued Blockbuster last year, saying its larger rival had stolen its system for placing movie selections in a queue and its business method for charging subscribers a monthly fee to select and rent DVDs from its Web site.
Blockbuster countersued Netflix on fraud and antitrust claims and said Netflix’s patents were so broad as to be unenforceable.
Terms of the settlement were confidential, both companies said Wednesday.
Legal experts had said that if Netflix prevailed in litigation, it could have forced Blockbuster and any other competitor in the fast-growing online rental industry to pay licensing fees or operate under a different model.Continue reading the main story


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Cook’s Zilver PTX Peripheral Drug-Eluting Stent Sails Through FDA Panel
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive SummaryCook Medical’s first-of-a-kind Zilver PTX percutaneous paclitaxel-eluting peripheral stent received unanimous and enthusiastic support from the FDA’s Circulatory System Devices panel last week.
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Recent data and study announcements in cardiac, neuro and diabetes.
Abbott’s Absolute Pro iliac stent and Enzo Biochem’s ColonSentry colorectal cancer test are among newly approved devices.
Cook is seeking add-on payments for its Zilver PTX drug-eluting peripheral stent and Zenith AAA endovascular graft in 2013, addressing related CMS questions at a Feb. 14 new-technology “town hall” meeting.


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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — S. Abraham & Sons (SAS) will host its 34th Vendor Exhibit & Trade show on Feb. 27 and 28.
The show’s theme is “A Jackpot of Sales & Profits for Convenience Store Retailers,” and it will feature more than 245 exhibitors highlighting 368 new items and 29 new manufacturers in confection, snack, HBC, general merchandise, foodservice, automotive, tobacco and other tobacco products categories.
Multistore owners can attend the show from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 27, with the show continuing until 5 p.m. for all retailers. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Mich. A “Viva Las Vegas” reception will be held the evening of Feb. 27.
New at the show this year in foodservice, Jonny Almond will feature a warmer merchandising program and will roast almonds in the c-store. A representative from Bunn will demonstrate its bean-to-cup coffee brewer. Also, new items including Not Your Nonna’s flat pizza from Ruiz Foods, David’s Cookies and Papa Primo’s pizza from Orion Foodservice will be featured, according to SAS.
SAS will also host a fundraiser to benefit the American Heart Association at the event.
Grand Rapids-based S. Abraham & Sons is a convenience-store supplier serving retailers in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.


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Daily Current affairs
The Union government has given a green signal for setting up India's first mega coastal economic zone (CEZ) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra to increase manufacturing activities and create more jobs in the country.
Close to 45 companies from the telecom, auto and IT sectors will soon bid for 200 hectares of land to start manufacturing units in the zone. The move will see an investment of Rs 15,000 crore in the first phase and will create more than 1.5 lakh jobs, the Economic Times reported.
The first mega CEZ will stretch along north Konkan region spread across Nashik, Thane, Mumbai, Pune and Raigarh.
"The idea is to attract large firms interested in serving the export markets as they would bring with them technology, capital, good management and links to the world markets," said an official aware of the development.
The official also said that the move would also help to create an ecosystem around them that will help small and medium term companies to emerge and grow.
Last year, the Union Cabinet had approved setting up 14 mega CEZs under the National Perspective Plan of the Sagarmala Programme. The National Perspective Plan was crafted on April 2016 after detailed discussions with key stakeholders in the central and state governments, public and private companies.
According to the Ministry of Shipping, the Sagarmala Plan will substantially reduce export-import and domestic trade costs with minimal investment. The key objective of the project is to develop port infrastructure in India will boost transport to and from ports.
Further, reports also suggest that the project will lower cost of multi-modal logistics by as much as Rs 40,000 crore, boost productivity and is further expected to increase the country's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by two percentage points.
These mega costal economic zones are also expected to advance ease of doing business, provide speedy water and electricity connections, besides ease of exporting and importing.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port is one of the busiest cargo ports in India and also has enough land space to allow manufacturing activities to grow. The port holds more than 40 percent of India's export-import volumes.


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ASKUL is about to announce its earnings — here's what to expect
Markets Insider AutomationSep. 10, 2019, 09:01 AM
- ASKUL is presenting Q1 earnings on September 12.
- Analysts expect ASKUL will report earnings per share of ¥7.86.
- Go here to watch ASKUL stock price in real-time ahead of earnings.
On September 12, ASKUL will release earnings for Q1.
1 analyst expects earnings of ¥7.86 per share compared to losses of ¥4.610 per share in the same quarter of the previous year.
Analysts are expecting the company to report ¥97.72 billion, an increase of over the prior year quarter when the company reported ¥93.97 billion.
With regard to the current fiscal year, analysts forecast a profit per share of ¥99.77. Last year it was ¥8.52 per share. In terms of sales, analysts estimate that the company will bring in ¥405.79 billion in the current fiscal year, compared to ¥ 387.47 billion in the same period last year.
This story was written by Markets Insider's RoboEddy, which automatically writes these stories based on data provided by our partners.


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Festive fun will kick-off with the big Christmas light switch-on, followed by a merry market and an exciting advent competition.
Croydon Business Improvement District (BID) and Centrale Shopping Centre have teamed up to launch the family-friendly Christmas celebrations.
Matthew Sims, Chief Executive of Croydon BID, said: “Christmas Unwrapped in Croydon reveals a wonderfully diverse mix of entertainment, music, great shopping and a truly festive atmosphere for everyone to enjoy."
Here's a guide to the fabulous festivities happening in Croydon in the lead-up to Christmas.
When are the lights are being turned on?
Nothing says it's the 'season to be jolly' more than the glow of Christmas lights illuminating our streets.
Croydon's lights will be switched-on by Young Mayor William Awomoyi who will officially open the festive season on Thursday November 15 at 6.30pm in North End.
There will be an array of family entertainment from 4.30pm, including special guests from PJ Masks, including: Catboy, Owlette, Gekko, Romeo, Night Ninja and Luna Girl.
There will also be music, a Santa's Grotto, dance and theatre, plus a special story time.
When does the Christmas market open?
Following on from the Christmas light switch-on, Croydon's Christmas Market will arrive a week later on Thursday November 22 until Sunday December 9 to spread festive cheer to North End.
Open daily from 10am - 6pm, over 30 chalets will offer crafts, arts, food and refreshments.
Visitors can indulge in tasty hot food, chill-out with a drink (or two) and shop.
What is the advent competition?
From December 1 until Christmas Eve on December 24, Croydon’s Christmas Advent Competition will take place every day.
Organised by Croydon BID, there are 24 exciting prizes to be won. These include a years supply of delicious Millies Cookies, wine, dining experiences, a signed Crystal Palace FC shirt and much more. Participants can enter the competition here.
....and remember the 'Holidays are coming'
When the glistening Coca-Cola truck arrives on our TV screens, an overwhelming Christmassy feeling consumes us.
The famous truck will also visit places including Bristol, Manchester, Leeds Cardiff, Bournemouth and London's Jingle Bell Ball at The O2 on December 8 and 9.
Now in it's eighth year, the Coca-Cola truck tour has travelled more than 737,000 miles and visitors have enjoyed 8,772 twinkling fairy lights.


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The U.S. Department of Transportation just announced its decision to order airlines to pay more than $600 million in refunds to airline passengers. The decision is backed by new enforcement actions issued Nov. 14. The refunds go to those owed a refund due to a canceled or significantly changed flight.
“When a flight gets canceled, passengers seeking refunds should be paid back promptly. Whenever that doesn’t happen, we will act to hold airlines accountable on behalf of American travelers and get passengers their money back,” said Pete Buttigieg, secretary, U.S. Transportation. “A flight cancellation is frustrating enough, and you shouldn’t also have to haggle or wait months to get your refund.”
The fines doled out to these six airlines comprise part of DOT’s continuing work to ensure Americans receive refunds owed to them from airlines. Since early 2020, DOT received many complaints from air travelers about airlines not providing them with timely refunds after a delayed or significantly changed flight.
On top of the decision to order airlines to refund more than $600 million to passengers, DOT also announced its assessment of more than $7.25 million in civil penalties against six airlines for extreme delays in providing passengers with refunds. So far, the airlines assessed and required to provide refunds are:
- Frontier Airlines: $222 million in required refunds paid and a $2.2 million penalty
- Air India: $121.5 million required in refunds paid and a $1.4 million penalty
- TAP Portugal: $126.5 million required in refunds paid and a $1.1 million penalty
- Aeromexico: $13.6 million in required refunds paid and a $900,000 penalty
- EL AL Israel Airlines: $61.9 million in required refunds paid and a $900,000 penalty
- Avianca: $76.8 million in required refunds paid and a $750,000 penalty
DOT’s efforts already helped lead to hundreds of thousands of passengers to receive more than half a billion dollars in required funds, with plans to issue additional orders assessing civil penalties for consumer protection violations this calendar year.
Other additional actions taken by DOT include a new airline customer service dashboard to help consumers determine what they are owed when a flight is canceled or delayed because of an airline issue. Before the creation of this dashboard, none of the 10 largest U.S. airlines guaranteed meals or hotels when a delay or cancellation was within the airlines’ control, the only action taken being one offered, free rebooking. Since the creation of the dashboard, nine airlines now guarantee meals and hotels when an airline issue delays or cancels a flight.
DOT proposed several new rules, as well, including a rule on airline ticket refunds and a rule strengthening consumers’ protections by providing access to certain fee information before purchasing airline tickets.
Do you think more airlines should be held accountable for delays and/or cancellations? Have you experienced a cancellation or delay in the last two years? Did you request a refund? Have you yet to receive your full refund? What are your thoughts on the Department’s crackdown on these policies? Tell us your thoughts. Email us at [email protected]. Please include your full name and location.
Awareness about fair and sustainable travel continues to grow around the globe, with travelers everywhere considering a destination’s eco-friendly options before visiting. As public consciousness for this important aspect of tourism strengthens, tourists also look beyond just ecotourism and delve deeper into types of travel that allow them to respect the local culture, interact with locals and distribute benefits fairly.
Envisioned as one of Asia’s most sustainable skyscrapers, a proposed 63-story, mixed-use downtown development project in Singapore takes cues from bamboo forests to create an indoor-outdoor vertical community with public spaces, offices, retail, a hotel, event spaces and luxury residences.
Australia's Whitsunday Islands are an unimaginable destination. As many screensavers or wanderlust-worthy documentaries as you may come across of the 74 continental islands off the central coast of Queensland, located within the Great Barrier Reef
Discover why Global Traveler readers named Cunard® the Best Large-Ship Cruise Line for seven consecutive years. For a limited time, book your voyage during Cunard’s Explore with More promotion and take advantage of lower fares*, up to $1,200 Onboard Credit†, Free Specialty Dining for Two^, 50% Reduced Deposit††, and more. Choose from an array of exciting journeys, including Transatlantic Crossings and voyages to Alaska, the Caribbean and Canada & New England.
Nashville’s once-modest skyline continues to evolve as its luxury market grows. Lavish hotel properties are added to the landscape while acclaimed chefs stake claim in the robust culinary scene and premier cultural offerings round out the city’s repertoire.
Beginning Feb. 12, Sarasota’s Marie Selby Botanical Gardens presents Tiffany: The Pursuit of Beauty in Nature as the 2023 installment of its Jean & Alfred Goldstein exhibition series. The exhibit showcases the creativity and innovation of the iconic American artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany.


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Table of Contents
Long-term Bitcoin holders do not get enough of the record
As the leading cryptocurrency price seeks stability, long-term Bitcoin holders set another record.
While the leading cryptocurrency price is looking for stability, long-term Bitcoin holders have set another new record. Analytical provider Glassnode noted the long-term increase. Based on the last few years, long-term BTC holders have reached their highest level. In addition, the lack of sufficient snow saturation brings expectations.
Bitcoin, which has been in a critical turn by closing the last week below 60K, continues its downward movements. The frequency of red candles in recent days confirms the downward movement of BTC. We can also take into account that short-term sales affect the market. At the same time, its excess creates uncertainty in Long/Short transactions that are opened.
In addition to all these developments, long-term Bitcoin holders (LTH) continue to increase their positions. In this process, it is seen that sales are decreasing while positions are increasing. The report that Glassnode shared on November 22nd shows everything.
Metrics are positive for long-term Bitcoin owners
Glassnode's Volume Age Bands (SWABS) Spent on the analysis were examined. This metric gives users the process of making a profit or accumulating it. According to the SWAB metric, it reached an all-time peak, reaching its highest level in October. This, in turn, helped to reduce the daily volume to the level of 2.5 percent. Glassnode stated in the report that:
“Long-term Bitcoin owners are seeing their sales decrease. Positions are maintained here. We can see new additions to the place of sale.”
On the short-term holders (STH) side, the total supply reached the lowest level with 3 million BTC. Short-terms have not yet reached their satisfaction levels with the sales of profit from the top last week. It was noted in the report that there is time for oversaturated profit sales.


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A new service is helping website owners and E-commerce to build a relationship and trust with their customers and potential customers with a Trust Seal. Xtrust is a brand-new service that provides a set of widgets that measures the information trust level for website owners.
Marketing experts have said the easiest way to build trust with a customer and to make an e-commerce site more trustworthy is to add a trust seal. A trust seal added to a website can attract new customers and generate more sales than those that don’t have a trust badge. That is the service that Xtrust provides.
Xtrust, which is a free service provides website owners with a Trust Seal based on customer reviews. The widgets can be set up within minutes, which means potential customers can see the trust level within hours. The more trust a website shows, the more customers they can gain.
When asked why website owners should use Xtrust, a spokesman for the company replied: “You should use our service to show your customers/visitors of your website the trust level to information placed on your website by the collection of the reviews.”
Forbes, one of the best-known publications in the world published an article about Trust Seals. The article stated that during the research of shoppers’ behavior online they found that 88% of shoppers said they only bought from sites that had a trust seal. 70% said they canceled their order when they could not discover a Trust Seal. The survey found that Trust Seals are important to commercial websites, and now, thanks to Xtrust, gaining a trust seal is free.
To learn more about Xtrust and how easy it is to use their free service and how to quickly gain new customers, please visit http://xtrust.org/
Xtrust provides a free service to help website owners to show the trust levels their platform has. The Trust Seal helps to generate new customers and increase sales and profits.
Company Name: Xtrust
Contact Person: Media Relations
Country: United States


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CPI Inflation for Apr-22 hardens by 84bps to 7.79% as food and core inflation spike sharply
Retail headline inflation, or CPI inflation, for Apr-22 came in at 7.79% compared to 6.95% in Mar-22. The Reuters consensus estimate for retail inflation for Apr-22 was close to 7.5%, so inflation was 29 bps higher than estimates. The spike in headline inflation in Apr-22 was driven by a spike in food inflation with core inflation touching 8-year highs.
Broadly, there were 5 trends visible in inflation numbers in April 2022.
- Food inflation was the major driver rising by 72 bps from 7.68% to 8.40% sequentially. Rural food inflation at 8.38% has been constraining rural demand in a big way.
- Core inflation (excluding food and fuel) was sharply higher in Apr-22 at7.24%; holding above 6% for 7th consecutive month.Downstream effects of oil was the big factor.
- The spike in Apr-22 inflation can be partly attributed to the base effect which fell from 5.52% in Mar-21 to a level of 4.29% in Apr-2021, magnifying the yoy impact.
- Fuel inflation at 10.80% and transport inflation at 10.91% have spiked sharply in April 2022 by over 300 bps as the price hikes in petrol and diesel started to take effect.
- With the US inflation at 8.3% for Apr-22 and the Fed targeting another 175-200 bps rate hike by end of 2022, RBI has its task cut out. The RBI has already made an unscheduled 40 bps rate hike in May and the consensus is of another 100-125 bps by end of 2022.
IIP for Mar-22at+1.85%,but 2-year growth at 1.95% is the big positive takeaway
Index of industrial production (IIP)grew +1.85% for Mar-22(IIP has 1-month lag). InMar-21, IIP had expandedby 24.14%. On that expanded base, an IIP growth of 1.85% is positive as it also factors in the COVID effect into the calculations. But the big takeaway from the Mar-22 IIP data was the robust 12.5% growth in IIP on sequential month-on-month basis.
Here is a quick look at 5 major takeaways from the Mar-22 IIP numbers.
- One way to catch a trend is to look at cumulative IIP for FY22. While IIP for the period is up 11.36% on yoy basis, it is up an encouraging1.95% compared to FY20.
- The 3 IIP components of mining, manufacturing and electricity grew yoy for FY22, but againstFY20;manufacturing finally turned positive, albeit tepid at 0.98%.
- High frequency month-on-month growth in IIP was 12.5% for Mar-22, with double digit growth across mining, manufacturing and electricity
- While the long term risks to IIP are still there, the high frequency recovery in the IIP for Mar-22 shows that the Indian economy has shown resilience and has manged to come out of the lag effects of global events like Ukraine war, Fed hawkishness etc.
- If one reads the fine print of the special MPC meet in May 2022, the 40 bps rate and 50 bps CRR hike show that RBI focus has already shifted from growth to inflation control.
Trade deficit for Apr-22 widens to(-$20.11) billion as oil imports plays spoilsport
Exports for Mar-22were sequentially robust at $40.19 billion, but imports were equally elevated at$60.30 billion. This led to the trade deficit widening to $20.11 billion. In Mar-22, we had reported about total trade crossing $1 trillion for the first time in FY22. Now, the risk is that in FY23, merchandise trade deficit could get close to $250 billion.
Here are 6 key things you should know about the April 2022 trade data.
- The trade impact is visible from the fact that both exports and imports for April 2022 were more than 30% higher on yoy basis. Trade focus has surely worked.
- Key contributors to export growth were petroleum products, electronic goods, cereals, coffee, leather products and tobacco. Exports of Iron Ore, Cashew and handicrafts fell.
- Much of the import pressure came from oil, metals and fertilizers with crude oil imports in April 2022 crossing the $20 billion level for the first time ever.
- Overall deficit comprising merchandise and services widened in Aprli-22to $8.08 billion. While this is just the first month, it hints at overall deficit of $100 billion for FY23.
- Gold imports in April 2022 were 72% lower on a yoy basis, but it has increased 70% over the previous month, showing that cyclical demand for gold will continue to haunt.
- The big challenge in the coming months for exports growth will be how the supply chain disruptions have an impact on trade routes and the availability of containers.


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Suitsupply has announced that it will open its first Canadian store location on February 20th, 2014. We previously reported that the Dutch menswear retailer had leased space at 9-11 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. According to its press release, the store will occupy about 4,800 square feet.
Suitsupply is a vertically-integrated men’s suit retailer that was started in 2000 in Amsterdam. It has received many awards and was voted #1 men’s suit retailer by the Wall Street Journal. Prices start at around $400 and both quality and style are considered to be exceptional.
Suitsupply is known for choosing ‘unconventional’ retail locations. Its Chicago store, which opened over a year ago, is located on the top floor of a former Barney’s New York store and features a penthouse roof garden. As a size comparison, Chicago’s Suitsupply store is reportedly about 5,500 square feet.
Suitsupply has 10 American store locations and it expects to have three more American stores within a few months, according to its website.
“Toronto isn’t just Canada’s largest city,” says Suitsupply founder and CEO, Fokke de Jong. “It’s also one of the world’s style capitals — a vibrant and diverse city. Our decision to expand into this market was from the demand of our Canadian clients. We wanted to give them a store in the Toronto community and we’re proud that we can deliver what they’ve been asking us for.”
The company’s press release also states: “Suitsupply’s newest outpost is housed inside a converted mansion on Hazelton Avenue in the upscale neighbourhood of Yorkville. Brimming with Suitsupply’s signature eye-catching photography and bold colour, the 4,800-square-foot space is the perfect backdrop for the label’s tailoring-driven collection; impeccably tailored suits and sportcoats made from the finest fabrics from top Italian mills such as Larusmiani and Vitale Barberis Canonico.
Warm, welcoming and brimming with energy, Suitsupply is the perfect environment for the gentleman who is looking to feel relaxed while trying on a suit or sportcoat. Better yet, if something doesn’t fit perfectly items can be altered to sartorial perfection on-site at the tailoring bar, which, as with all Suitsupply boutiques, is located front and center. The shop also features Suitsupply’s ever-expanding collection of sportswear, shoes, and other accessories. Of course, this being Canada, there’s plenty of warm outerwear on hand too.”
Source: Press Release


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Along with the official announcement about Nokia Lumia 1520 6-inch flagship device, Nokia today announced the new Lumia 1320. Lumia 1320 is a mid-range Windows Phone 8 device that will come with 5-inch display running on Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update which allows it to have three column of Live Tiles on the Start screen. It comes with a normal 5MP camera as opposed to the 20MP PureView camera on Lumia 1520.
The device will have 1GB RAM, 720p display, multiple colors and 3400 mah battery as well. It will cost just $340 USD.