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Yahoo has announced that they will begin to support semantic web standards. These standards (hCard, hCalendar, hReview, hAtom, and XFN) make it easier for users to share their personal information, contacts, blog posts, product reviews and other information easily among websites. This move is part of Yahoo’s broader drive to open up their services. We are about to witness the web become organized in an extremely short period of time.
While I didn’t speak with Mark Zuckerberg about open standards in my interview with him, Marshall Kirkpatrick did and states that “the Facebook CEO expressed disinterest in participating in the Semantic Web.” That’s a bad move by Zuckerberg and could potentially spell disaster for the company.
Conversely, just because the large search engines begin supporting semantic web standards, it doesn’t mean users will immediately begin to benefit from them. Look for web development tools and platforms (Adobe Dreamweaver, WordPress, Movable Type, etc) to integrate these standards into their existing products, making it easier for users to publish their information even though they are not aware of the formatting standards. Eventually this will make everything much more efficient.
All social networks are going to be forced to embrace the semantic web standards. While it won’t be immediate, eventually users will have access to a single tool that enables them to list and manage all of their contacts. While Facebook is at the forefront of developing such a tool, not supporting semantic web standards will ultimately prove disastrous.


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By Lara O'Reilly
Sales of Diet Coke are tanking.Coca-Cola
said global Diet Coke volume sales
dropped 7% in its second quarter.
Sales of Diet Coke are dropping so precipitously that Pepsi-Cola
surpassed Diet Coke to become the number two best-selling soda brand in the US earlier this year.Sandy Douglas
, Coca-Cola North America president, said on the company's earnings call on Wednesday that the "diet and frozen" parts of the food and beverage industry have been struggling for "a number of quarters, getting into years now" as the US consumer strongly moves into the fresh segment.
Douglas added: "It's a good dietary change for the country, but the impact on the category, and particularly the categories appealing to the diet-oriented positioning is pretty negative."
However, Douglas said Coca-Cola has recently seen its Diet Coke consumer base stabilize - "there's an incredible number of loyal drinkers that love Diet Coke."
That said, he noted that its largest competitor (Diet Pepsi) is changing its formula in August, removing the man-made aspartame sweetener that has been plagued with rumors it causes cancer. Aspartame in Diet Pepsi will be replaced with a blend of sucralose and acesulfame potassium.
Douglas thinks this will create "a lot of buzz in the category" and he hopes it will reinforce some of the messages it has been trying to push around sweeteners and the choice to opt for lower or no-calorie drinks too.
Coca-Cola CEO and chairman Muhtar Kent admitted there is a "challenge" with Diet Coke, although he said it was broadly a US-centric issue.
Coke did say on the call that sales of Coke Zero
are on the rise, but this is from a much smaller base. Diet Coke is the third best-selling soft drink in the US with an 8.5% share of the sector, according to Beverage Digest, while Coke Zero is in tenth place with a 1.8% share.
Earlier this month Diet Coke announced a collaboration with J.W. Anderson, which will see the London-based fashion brand creating limited edition bottles of the soda.

domain: news


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An excerpt of a monologue delivered on The CBC Program "Rick Mercer Report" on Nov. 21, 2006:
There's no doubt about it: The major economic superpower on the block these days is China. So it's no surprise that a lot of people freaked out when they heard that the president of China wouldn't even meet with Stephen Harper at the APEC Summit.
But before anyone starts to think that Harper's screwed up one of the most important economic relationships that Canada has, let's be clear on one thing: It was the president of China who asked Harper out in the first place, and then when Harper said yes, China said no and then they said yes again.
It's like China asked Harper out on an Internet date but then changed its mind once he showed up and didn't look like his picture. Hey, that's no swimmer's build! Then when China realized how shallow it would look, it agreed to a date, but drinks, no dinner. Clearly, China is a very fickle mistress.
Now, to be fair, the Liberals were masters at this relationship.
Chretien spent more time in Beijing then he ever spent in Alberta. But that was then, this is now and Canada is definitely off China's Christmas list. Not that Christmas is legal in China -- but you get my point. And so what has the Harper government done that was so bad'
Believe it or not, they've been too critical of China on human rights.
Basically, a bunch of Tories went off to Vancouver and met the Dalai Lama, and China went crazy.
And you know what' Who cares' Last time I looked, Canada was a free country. And the Chinese economy can grow as fast as it wants to, but that does not change the fact that we can meet with whoever we want. We can worship who we want, vote for who we want. Heck, for the time being we can even go out and get married to who we want.
So China's little hissy fit is their problem, not ours. And sure we'll do business with China, but we're not going to act like China. Harper has done nothing wrong here; in fact, when it comes to China, for the first time in a long time, Canada's done something right.
Excerpted from Rick Mercer Report: The Book, Toronto: Doubleday, 2007


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INTERVIEW-TEN Sports deal to make Sony major cricket broadcaster
SPORT-MEDIA/SONY (INTERVIEW):INTERVIEW-TEN Sports deal to make Sony major cricket broadcaster
(Repeats to additional clients)
Sony Corp-owned SPN holds broadcast rights for the annual cash-rich Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament while also having the rights for the domestic leagues in South Africa and the West Indies.
SPN's biggest competitor Star Sports, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, owns rights to cricket giants India's home matches, Australia, England and also the International Cricket Council-organised World Cups.
"We have IPL which is the biggest cricket property. That will now be complemented by the rights of five cricket boards that TEN Sports has rights to," SPN Chief Executive N.P. Singh told Reuters in an interview.
Besides broadcasting the NBA and the NFL in India, SPN also holds rights for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the under-17 World Cup, and soccer leagues such as Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and the English FA Cup.
With TEN also holding rights for football's UEFA Champions League, Europa League, French League and English Football League Cup among other sports, it will be a strong mix.
"It's a deal of strategic importance for Sony. It's a step in the direction of consolidating our position in sports broadcasting," Singh said by phone.
"TEN comes with a very strong brand and has been in the market for over a decade now and has been successful. The network of channels also has a very strong portfolio of rights which complement our existing sports channels.
"They have a strong footprint outside India as well. All this put together, it made perfect sense for us to make the acquisition."
SPN, which last year struck a deal with sports broadcaster ESPN to launch new channels and foray into digital market, a Walt Disney unit, will continue to retain all the three brands -- Sony SIX, Sony ESPN and TEN -- as of now.
Singh said growth in advertising revenue in India was dependent on events and an event like the IPL has seen a year-on-year growth of upwards of 15 percent.
They are also focusing their efforts on growing their digital platform Sony LIV.
"If there are big events like the FIFA or the cricket World Cup during the year you will see a surge in ad revenues," he said. "We are looking at upping our ante on original content creation exclusive for our digital platform." (Editing by John O'Brien)


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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Resources giant BHP Billiton may sell its stake in a South African chrome business, according to a media report Monday.
The Australian Financial Review, citing unnamed sources, said the group may sell its 60 percent state in Samancor. The whole business is valued between $300 million and $500 million, according to the publication.
Among those interested in the stake, the paper said, are Kazakhstan's Kazchrome and Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce RIO, +1.38%
Australia's BHP Billiton BHP, +0.66% explores, mines, processes and markets a variety of commodities and energy-related products in Australia, Europe, Japan, North America, South Korea, Southern Africa, South America and in other Asian countries.
U.S.-traded shares of Billiton rose 53 cents Friday to close at $19.38. Shares of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce added 46 cents to end at $20.68.
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Are you a PUBG fan? Of course, you are that’s why you are here. It brings a smile and happiness when we hear that our favorite game PUBG is back in India with the new name Battlegrounds Mobile India. Just the name has changed, the rest of the game is as fun as they were before! Rather we would say that it has become much better than that and you can enjoy it soon!
As you know that the original version is banned in India by the government last year in September with lots of Chinese apps. After that Krafton which is a South Korean video game developer announced the date of Battlegrounds Mobile India Pre-Registration, which we are waiting for for a long time.
On May 18, Pre-Registrations for the BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA will be live on Google Play Store. No one knows that when they will be the game release but we know that after pre-registration it will be coming soon.
The Company also said that “specific rewards available for fans to claim, only if they pre-register the game.” All these rewards are only for Indian players.
If you want rewards then you need need to click on Pre-Register button which is available on Google Play Store. When the game launch the awards will be automatically available. The game is Free to play and the same as PUBG visit Battlegrounds Mobile India for more.
What’s new in Battlegrounds Mobile India?
The players who are under 18 can play only 3 hours every day. The company also noticed that there are some teens who spend lakh rupees on the game in-app purchase. So, the company decided that there is some restriction in spending money on the game. The company decided that the players under 18 can do only spent Rs.7000 a day with in-app purchases.
The company also solves the issue of “privacy”, which is the biggest reason for banning this game in India. Now the company will be stored, processed in India and Singapore server. For legal requirements, the data can be transfer to other countries.


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Product will be launched in the U.S. during early 2011.
ProStrakan is eligible for a milestone payment of $12.5 million from Endo Pharmaceuticals as a result of FDA approving the testosterone replacement gel Fortesta (marketed as Tostran outside the U.S.). Endo is ProStrakan’s U.S. partner for Fortesta and plans to launch the transdermal gel in the U.S. during early 2011. FDA approval of Fortesta was based on data from a pivotal study in men with hypogonadism, which showed that 78% of participants using Fortesta achieved normal serum total testosterone levels by day 90.
Fortesta/Tostran is a transdermal 2% testosterone gel that utilizes a metered dose delivery system. The product was first launched in Europe in 2005, and is now marketed across the region. ProStrakan reported Tostran sales of £1.3 million (about $2 million) during the first half of 2010, up 27% on the equivalent period in 2009.
ProStrakan’s future in terms of structure and ownership remains uncertain. The firm has admitted it has been approached with respect to a potential takeover, and within the last couple of weeks inked a completely unrelated deal with Paladin Labs under which the latter assumed ProStrakan’s existing £50 million (about $79 million) debt facility, with conversion rights. The deal also gives Paladin an exclusive license to ProStrakan’s products for certain emerging territories.


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The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has ordered ride-share company Grab to refund high fare payments made by recent customers.
A total of about Php5.05 million will be returned to Grab customers who booked their services from February to May 2019. This was announced last November 14 by the PCC, who ordered Grab to refund the payments within 60 days.
Issues like this are not a first for Grab. Last July 2018, due to overcharging, the company was ordered to pay a Php10-million penalty and a rebate for charging Php2.00 per minute “waiting time” to customers. Another incident in January led to a Php6.5-million fine filed by PCC to Grab for not submitting sufficient data on fare monitoring.
Grab, as admitted by the PCC, continues to virtually monopolize the ride-share transportation market with no huge incoming competitors. So as a way to protect its customers, PCC has set a monthly average fare cap which limits price increases to 22.5% in most months. Violations of this new set price cap may result in a Php2 million penalty per breach.
Since the Grab and Uber merger, the anti-trust body has been scrutinizing with the ride-hailing app’s compliance with its imposed conditions. The PCC noticed that the merger has resulted in an increase of rates but a decline in their services.
Part of a new set of conditions made by the PCC to Grab is the refunding of overpayments which will be returned through rebates.
Grab drivers are also allowed to work for other transport companies as part of the new conditions. Starting April, drivers are also asked to comply with a 70% booking completion rate per month.
The Php5.05-million worth of refund will be arranged by Grab to be rebated to customers through their accounts. The company will be announcing the payment process at least five days before the actual refund. The implementation of the refunds and the new conditions will be done by Grab as agreed with the PCC.


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In the midst of soaring hotel occupancy rates and escalating room charges, the Four Seasons-the most expensive hotel ever constructed in New York-is putting itself on the sales block.
The hotel's lender and majority owner, Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, has hired Jones Lang Wootton to assess how much the 370-room luxury lodging could fetch in the current frothy market. In the past 12 months alone, at least eight hotels have changed ownership at healthier prices than have been seen in New York in a decade.
But given its construction cost of nearly $400 million-that translates into almost $1 million per room-industry sources predict that the prestigious hotel, designed by I.M. Pei, would be lucky to get 70 cents on the dollar. Such a price would mean that Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels Inc., which manages the New York hotel and holds a minority stake in the partnership that owns it, is unlikely to make any money off the transaction.
The minority partner, however, is not calling the shots on whether the 3-year-old hotel should be sold. "We don't get directly involved," says Roger Garland, vice chairman of the Canadian hotel chain. "The hotel is really controlled by the Japanese bank. ... Their objective is not to keep the asset long-term."
The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan took over majority ownership after the hotel's high-flying Japanese developer, EIE International, went bust amidst a pile of debt accumulated over several years from an aggressive worldwide expansion program.
The exact extent of the existing debt on the Four Seasons Hotel is unclear because the original loan has likely been restructured, industry sources say. However, the sources contend that while the popular hotel may now record an operating profit, it is unlikely to do so on a net basis.
For this reason, and because the bank never intended to own a hotel, sources say they expect the partnership to take advantage of the current booming market, even though it
isn't apt to recoup its total investment. While hotels are not garnering up to $500,000 per room as they were in the Eighties, prices on recent sales are up as much as 25% over last year's.
Selling like hotcakes
In late May, Los Angeles-based Colony Capital paid $60 million-or $300,000 a room-for the Mayfair at a foreclosure auction. Only days later, after a lengthy search, the Tudor Hotel managed to locate a buyer, despite its location far east on 42nd Street. Before these, the Plaza, the Palace, the Millenium Hilton, the Macklowe (now the Millennium Broadway), the Vista, the Dorset, the Doral Inn and the Barbizon were all sold.
"It's turned into the ideal sellers' market," says Frank Nardozza, director of KPMG Peat Marwick's hospitality division. "There's a lot of interest in New York. Prices haven't been this high since the late 1980s, and hotels are performing better than they have in the past two decades."
As a result, the Four Seasons is hardly alone in considering a sale. At least eight hotels are said to be on the market, including the ritzy Hotel Plaza Athenee and the Westbury, the midtown colossus Hotel Pennsylvania, and such nationally branded hotels as the Marriott World Financial Center and the New York Hilton (where Prudential's 50% stake is for sale, but Hilton's is not).
All the activity reflects New York's increased ability to attract business travelers and tourists. Since the 1991 depths of the market, average occupancy rates have risen steadily to more than 80%, while room rates have climbed in tandem.
The market has been so lively that after years without construction, several hotel projects-the largest of which are John Tishman's in Times Square and Donald Trump's at Columbus Circle-are on the drawing boards.
More is not merrier for sales
If these plans, particularly Mr. Tishman's, are realized, the addition of new hotel space could close the window of opportunity for sales. Obviously, this prospect will not be ignored by the Four Seasons' owners, who must decide how much of a discounted price they are willing to accept for the property.
Current speculation puts the hotel's value between $150 million and $250 million, or between $400,000 and $700,000 per room. While these prices are still $300,000 to $600,000 less than per-room construction costs, they represent a substantial premium over recent deals. The highest sum paid in the past year was $325 million, or $400,000 a room, for the Plaza.
As Manhattan's most luxurious hotel, the Four Seasons is sure to attract interest, particularly from overseas. This time, the potential buyers come not from Japan but from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Says Sean Hennessey, vice president of hotel brokerage Hotel Partners Inc., "Alot of Asian investors desperately want to be in this market."


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The Sims 4 Got 1,200 Furniture Swatches For Free
EA finally released a bunch of free brand-new swatches to The Sims 4!
Long-time Sim gamers will know one of the greatest downgrades from The Sims 3 to The Sims 4 was the elimination of create-a-style, which actually allowed for unlimited furniture swatches. The game has been lacking in decent, usable swatches that match with other furniture sets from other expansions.
New swatches have been a huge ask from the community for a long time, and it looks like EA has finally made it happen. A patch that went out on September 21 added 1,200 swatches to 149 items in the base game.
“The Art Team’s vision was to complement and enhance these assets so Simmers have more choices and more use out of them,” producer SimGuruRusskii wrote in an update post. “Also, why not?”
besties… this isn't even all of them 😭 pic.twitter.com/8oSE5K12SS
— Kayla (@lilsimsie) September 21, 2021
The team released a series of screenshots revealing some of the new swatches next to their old ones, and they are fantastic. More curtains have basic, plain swatches and all base game windows have been given new paint jobs. Matching wood tones across furniture is easily one of the most annoying things when building, but it looks like a lot of wooden items just got given a host of extra options, too.
Most of the swatches have gone down the more ‘normal’ route, which makes sense as they’re more consistently usable. But there are some unconventional colors here too, like new pink and baby blue choices for a cooker and some gorgeous rainbow wallpaper shades.


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It is clear that Etisalat would have expected the intended sale of Visafone to be made available to all the key players so as to enable a fair bidding instead of the sudden declare that was made last month about the acquisition of Visafone by MTN.
MUST READ: Glo declared leader in New internet subscriber acquisition
|MTN and Etisalat|
The statement released by Etisalat's head of media on this issue goes thus;
"You will recall that MTN Nigeria was declared dominant by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in 2013 and remains dominant in the wholesale leased line and retail voice markets. The use of the 800MHz spectrum to deploy broadband services ahead of its competitors, particularly those who, prior to MTNs purchase of Visafone, held similar spectrum bands as MTN, will further entrench MTN’s dominance in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.
“We have in addition and in line with Section 86 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 engaged the NCC to understand the basis of its decision to approve the acquisition. As you are aware, the matter is already in court, as such, we are restrained from commenting further on the matter.”


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The Food and Drug Administration announced in April proposed new regulations that would cover for the first time e-cigarettes as well as other tobacco products, including pipe tobacco, cigars and waterpipe (hookah) tobacco. Electronic (or e-cigarettes) have become a huge billion dollar industry which had escaped federal oversight until now. As tobacco remains the leading cause of death and disease in this country, this expanded FDA oversight is an important moment for consumer protection.
As part of its implementation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act signed by President Obama in 2009, the rule sets forth additional tobacco products that would be “deemed” to be subject to FDA regulation. “This proposed rule is the latest step in our efforts to make the next generation tobacco-free,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Under the proposed rule, makers of these tobacco products would, among other requirements:
- Register with the FDA and report product and ingredient listings;
- Only market new tobacco products after FDA review;
- Only make direct and implied claims of reduced risk if the FDA confirms that scientific evidence supports the claim and that marketing the product will benefit public health as a whole;
- Not distribute free samples;
- Have minimum age and identification restrictions to prevent sales to underage youth;
- Include health warnings on the products; and
- Prohibit vending machine sales, unless in a facility that never admits youth.
E- cigarettes resemble traditional cigarettes but they use a heat source, usually powered by a battery, to turn a liquid that usually contains nicotine and flavorings, into an aerosol that is inhaled by the user. Over the last few year e-cigarette usage has exploded, with a doubling of e-cigarette use from 2011 to 2012 among middle and high school students and adults (18-34), according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) figures.
Of concern to public health experts is that e-cigarette makers appear to be targeting youth. E-cigarette makers spent $39 million on ads from June through November 2013, much of it on programming targeting youth, the anti-tobacco organization Legacy found. The fear is a whole new generation of people will become addicted to nicotine.
Of note to anti-smoking advocates is that the proposed rule does not contain any proposal to ban flavors in e-cigarettes or cigars. They worry that e-cigarettes sold in flavors such as bubble gum and gummi bear will entice teenagers and children. Public health experts say 90 percent of smokers start by the age of 20.
There are also was no suggestion in the proposed rule to restrict the marketing of e-cigarettes, as is done for regular cigarettes, which are banned from television advertising. According to Legacy, while cigarette advertising is prohibited on television, it is currently fair game to use television to promote electronic cigarettes. Using broadcast and online advertising has allowed the e-cigarette industry to promote its products in a way that has broad reach.
While the proposed regulation takes some very important steps to protect public health by regulating these new tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, it is essential that FDA continue to look at what further regulation is needed to ensure these products are not marketed to youth.
The proposed rule will be available for public comment for 75 days. The FDA is particularly interested in comments on how cigars should be covered by the rule, and how e-cigarettes should be regulated.


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Sure, Instant Pots make planning your weekday meals about a thousand times easier, but not all the recipes out there that cater to this pressurized cooker are easy on the wallet. From quick and easy chicken
Have you heard it’s Valentine’s Day? That day for hand holding and smooching and endless utterings of adoration? For some, at least. For the rest of us, the day holds less import. But does it have to?
Master Of None star Aziz Ansari is facing allegations from a sexual encounter in September 2017. The woman, a Brooklyn-based photographer who says she met Ansari at the 2017 Emmys, presented her allegations
Erin French runs a 40-seat restaurant called The Lost Kitchen in an old mill in a tiny town in central Maine. She began accepting reservations for the season at midnight April 1, expecting a few dozen
Tasty Information storage and access The storage of information, or access to information that is already stored, on your device such as advertising identifiers, device identifiers, cookies, and similar
12 servings This cake is a legendary Depression-era mistake. The story goes something like this: A baker in St. Louis accidentally mixed up the ingredient proportions for his cake, resulting in a gooey
By Adrian Higgins Adrian Higgins Gardening columnist Email Bio Follow Are you ready to scream when someone in your household suggests you bake yet another batch of Christmas cookies or put up one more


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World Briefing | Europe: Serbia And Montenegro: No Limo Auction
Published: February 8, 2003
The authorities in Belgrade canceled a planned auction of luxury cars used by the dictator Marshal Tito, after protests it would amount to selling part of the cultural heritage. The Defense Ministry had planned to sell a 1960 Rolls-Royce Phantom V and several Mercedes limousines on Feb. 27. The Tanjug news agency said an association of experts and vintage car enthusiasts had criticized the auction.


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Peter Molyneux is known for grand statements, some of which turn out to be incorrect later. His most recently stated opinion is about the rising popularity of smaller indie games. Speaking with CVG , Molyneux said that we should “enjoy this time, because it won't last.”
Molyneux said that these things go in cycles as they do in the music industry. “You have a time where punk is big, and then you have times like now where everything is manufactured,” he said. “Enjoy this time, because inevitably it will only last a short period."
Why would smaller indie development go away? Molyneux suggests that companies and angel investors are offering our favorite indie developers a lot of money, and that a lot of them will inevitably accept offers and become integrated into a bigger corporate structure.
"We used to have these very defined ways to create a game, which resulted in Halo, Call of Duty and all of that stuff, but now we've thrown all of that away,” Molyneux said. “The games that we're celebrating now are stuff like Papers, Please - which is brilliant."
I don't know if Papers, Please winning the IGF means that anyone is offering Lucas Pope a lot of money to make his next game, but I'm fairly certain it doesn't mean that Microsoft and Activision have thrown away Halo and Call of Duty. Both companies are working on multiple sequels in both franchises.
Molyneux, an indie developer himself at 22 Cans, is currently working on Godus .
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[qi:_earth2tech] Mass deployment of electric vehicles isn’t just about cars and kilowatt-hours, but technology. After all, it will take wireless networks and software to help manage charging in a way that minimizes strain on the power grid and maximizes use of clean power sources like solar and wind. To that end, a group ranging from startups to software giants are racing to develop the technology for this “smart charging” infrastructure.
While it’s too early to tell which visions and business models for smart charging technologies will pan out, a number of developers are worth keeping an eye on as they begin deploying this infrastructure. One player plans to connect an onboard transmitting unit through mobile networks to a global data center, another is working on an iPhone app to offer remote control of battery charging, and a third will provide tech for connecting charging controllers to a smart meter via Zigbee-based technology. Check out all 10 over on Earth2Tech.


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New Delhi, May 30: Travel or transportation of goods by train, meals at restaurants, insurance products and phone bills will turn expensive with... ...http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150531/jsp/business/story_23061.jsp
Sustainable smart cities are the way ahead for inclusive economic growth and this is the message being continuously highlighted by the concerned... ...http://www.millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=126501
Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, May 30 Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today jointly laid the... ...http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=may3115/at053
O P Sharma An exclusive Duggar channel for Jammu region and beyond, stands in urgent need to project and promote its vibrant and distinct cultural... ...http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/a-case-for-duggar-channel/
Gogoi invites pharma companies to Assam Lalu, Sharad see no doubt over RJD-JD(U) alliance FIR against JD(U) MLA Mantu Singh for demanding extortion... ...http://www.uniindia.com/news/others/nagaland-observes-world-no-tobacco-day/75868.html
Ministry of education...


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From backing the thriving consumer internet space to being bullish on cross-border enterprises and Software as a Service (SaaS) startups, the India outlook for one of the most influential technology funds has changed perceptibly under Scott Shleifer, the man who has taken over Tiger Global’s private equity portfolio from Lee Fixel, known for his early wager on Flipkart and Indian e-commerce in general.
Earlier this year, Fixel, the secretive, media shy fund manager announced abruptly that he was leaving by June-end after 13 years at the firm.
The 41-year-old Shleifer, who now spearheads Tiger’s entire private market portfolio, has taken the industry by surprise as he matches step-by-step Fixel and his deal making pace. Until now, Shleifer focused primarily on China , and had not directly invested in India. But it's different now with Fixel on his way out. Ninjacart, Zenoti, Sirion Labs, Clevertap, Cogoport, Bank Open, Ola Electric, Upstox, Moglix, Facilio, and Fyle — are all in talks or have already sealed funding from Tiger. This line of investment, which started to take shape while Fixel was still fronting India, has since gathered momentum under Shleifer.
“Shleifer is doing to B2B software what Fixel did to consumer internet back in the day,” says an early-stage venture capitalist who did not wish to be named. “He is taking the index approach to investing. SaaS multiples in the public space are very high, which is why they are getting exposure through private markets.” Freshworks, a cross-border firm which provides customer engagement software to enterprises and where Tiger got in early with a $50 million funding round, is preparing for an IPO in the US by next year. “Seeing the success of Freshworks, which is now valued at $1.5 billion, Shleifer senses a huge opportunity in this space,” said another person who has tracked the fund.
Tiger’s single largest cheque in India of $90 million this year came in April, when it backed agri-tech startup NinjaCart. The entire transaction took a mere 10 days to close, a continuation of dealmaker Fixel’s playbook of identifying potential investments, and then moving at lightning speed. This became the hallmark of Tiger's investments in 2015-16 when the fund closed 40 deals, as per research platform Tracxn.
Shleifer’s a macro, hands-off investor
Shleifer joined Tiger in 2002, the year it was founded by hedge fund superstar Chase Coleman, and earned his stripes with his China bets. He turned a $200 million investment in Chinese e-commerce company JD.com into a $5 billion plus net return for Tiger, the fund’s best venture win. The Wharton school alumnus’ other big Chinese pick includes ride-hailing major Didi Chuxing. “ He is more macro and hands off, unlike Fixel who was very involved in a few of his portfolio companies like Flipkart. He bets on category size, market leaders, the founder, and good economics and decides to pump capital,” says a person close to the fund.
Shleifer, who was as an analyst at Blackstone Group, cofounded Tiger Global’s global private equity business within a year of joining the firm. While most of his best VC investments have been in China, he has also had successes in Russia, such as Yandex and Mail.ru and in Latin America with online B2C travel agency Despegar.
For several years, Shleifer headed Tiger Global’s public equity business while remaining a portfolio manager in the VC business, which was led by Fixel. In May 2015, post an internal churn, Feroz Dewan, who was managing Tiger’s public market portfolio left the fund and Shleifer took over from him. Fixel, by then, had become the sole head of the firm’s private equity portfolio.
“The intent is to show that Fixel’s exit is not going to affect operations. Also, the deal flow is a lot less consumer-centric at this point with the focus being on revenue and tapping geographies outside of India,” pointed out the founder of a startup that has Tiger Global as an investor.
Even after recording a $3 billion exit from Flipkart after it was acquired by Walmart, Tiger Global moved away from the consumer segment knowing that it was a money pit. "Even Fixel understood that the Flipkart model of raising billions of dollars with no clear path to profitability was not what Tiger wanted to chase,” said a venture capitalist.
The Wall Street firm had grown bearish on the country’s startup ecosystem after the dizzying euphoria it unleashed in 2014-15 only to retreat thereafter. Tiger made minimal moves in India from 2016-18 as it became imperative for Fixel and the fund at large to return more than $1 billion it had sunk into Flipkart. “Shleifer has made big money for Tiger, so he is confident of his thesis for India,” a fund manager said, indicating how his belief in cross-border B2B and SaaS has changed the India approach for the firm.
(With inputs from Aditi Shrivastava in Bengaluru)
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In a setback to lenders, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that banks are bound to give borrowers a personal hearing opportunity before classifying accounts as fraudulent.SC Dismisses DRI Plea Against CESTAT Orders on Adani Cos
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the petition filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) challenging the orders issued last year by the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) to quash the cases pertaining to over-invoicing allegations levelled by the agency against three Adani Group subsidiaries.AMCs Reopen International Plans to Investors
Domestic mutual fund houses have resumed accepting lump-sum contributions to their international equity plans after the latest Finance Bill removed tax advantages for debt-oriented saving plans from April 1. Onshore plans that invest in overseas markets are treated as debt funds locally for taxation purposes.
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SIMalliance has published version 3.0 of its Open Mobile API Specification, bringing with it support for “every type of smartphone OS globally”. The specification sets out a standard way for mobile applications to access different secure elements — including SIM-based and embedded SEs — within a mobile device and is currently implemented in more than 150 models of Android NFC smartphone.
- Scotiabank adds multi-loyalty programs to mobile banking apps
- Urban Airship analysis of retailers’ mobile wallet coupons and loyalty cards reveals widespread peer-to-peer sharing
- Brewery puts NFC tags in beer coasters in San Diego pub
- Bahrain to launch national e-wallet on July 4
- Square gets green light to take on banks with ‘PIN on glass’ mobile technology


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NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Recent technological developments that allow for deposits by iPhone and mobile payments could one day make ATMs as quaint as brick-and-mortar bank branches. But the biggest impact may be on the ability of banks -- and even nontraditional players such as Nokia -- to find new revenue streams as they branch into emerging markets where cash is still king.
On the home front, the technology moves apace and isn't very hard to understand. The military bank and insurance provider USAA recently launched mobile check-deposit technology, which lets users deposit checks from anywhere using an iPhone. USAA customers take photos of both sides of a check with the phone and transmit the images to the bank, which then verifies and makes the deposit. The bank has only one branch in San Antonio and, because of its military legacy, has customers in Afghanistan and Iraq.
'Woven into our growth strategy '
"Mobile is definitely woven into our growth strategy as we continue to expand," said Jeff Dennes, executive director of USAA mobile. "We don't have branches and rely on our self-service channels, such as phones and the internet."
Bob Meara, industry analyst for information technology in financial-services research and consulting firm Celent, said USAA has deposit growth nearly triple the industry average over the past three years. Further, 17% of all its customers across investing, insurance and banking use USAA's mobile app, which also facilitates on-phone trading, filing claims for auto accidents, loan calculations and the usual access to account information.
Right now, USAA represents the bleeding edge of mobile banking technology, but has no plans to trumpet such technology in a marketing push, or to fight for more share.
Bank of America, which launched mobile apps in 2007, has more than 3.2 million mobile-banking customers that can access informational services such as account balances and history, make transactions and bill payments, transfer funds within the bank and locate ATMs. Chase also has an iPhone app, as well as text message-based services. Both banks have featured mobile services in ad campaigns.
Bank of America's Doug Brown, senior VP-emerging technology and business development, said that his bank's next-generation mobile functionality is headed toward touch-phone-to-pay, dubbed "contactless payments," and new ways to make deposits. "We want the phone to be a more functional tool, like a wallet at point-of-sale, where it becomes your payment credential, like a credit card," said Mr. Brown.
But for USAA, contactless payments are more of a long-term goal. In its sights are person-to-person mobile payments. "Person-to-person payments are next on our road map," said Jeff Dennes executive director of USAA mobile.
Nokia bets on electronic payments
And that's where Nokia comes in. The mobile heavyweight could use person-to-person payments as an entry-point to emerging markets -- and a new revenue stream. It's partnered with Redwood City, Calif.-based Obopay to launch Nokia Money, a service that lets users make financial transactions on their phones. With Nokia Money, which will start to roll out in 2010 in undisclosed markets, mobile users can send money to other mobile users, pay merchants and utility bills, or top up prepaid cellphone minutes. Nokia Money will charge users a percentage or flat fee per transaction based on the market.
While there are a few mobile-payment players in the U.S., such as PayPal, Boku and Zong, Nokia's global retail infrastructure means 4-year-old Obopay can expand these services to emerging markets, including to consumers without e-bank accounts. Shops that are currently used to top up prepaid minutes will act like Nokia Money ATMs that turn mobile payments into cash.
That means new territory for the world's largest handset maker, which has faced tough competition from the iPhone and Blackberry. For those global consumers who currently use mobile phones but don't have a bank account -- according to Nokia, there are more than 4 billion mobile phone users and only 1.6 billion bank accounts globally -- Nokia has the potential to be the first point of contact for consumers new to electronic payment services.
Mobile payment technology would take on a different role in North America and Western Europe, where there's such an established payment infrastructure with ATMs, branches, credit cards and e-payments, like paying babysitters, peer-to-peer payments and e-retail purchases. But for economies in South Asia and Africa where cash is central to financial transactions and people live outside the reach of banking infrastructure, phone-to-phone payments could be the developing world's answer to cashless payments. Person-to-person mobile payments are already gaining popularity in Africa and South Asia. For example, M-Pesa in Kenya has more than 6 million users.
"In the Western European and North American markets, there isn't a threat [to financial institutions] because we have a well-established payment infrastructure," said Red Gillen, senior analyst at Celent. "Nokia Money probably won't supplant anything in industrialized nations. But in Africa and South Asia, the mobile carrier would be the consumer-facing entity for financial services."
Why it stands a good chanceBetting on mobile rather than traditional banking isn't exactly a risky move.
Nokia claims there are 4 billion mobile phone users in the world and only 1.6 billion bank accounts. The World Bank's Consultative Group to Assist the Poor estimates there are 1 billion people in developing countries who have mobile phones but no access to formal financial services. What's more, mobile-industry trade organization Global System for Mobile Communications Association's dedicated mobile-money unit projects the unbanked-with-phones population will nearly double by 2012, representing $5 billion in direct revenue potential.
Kenya's M-Pesa mobile-payment service, which launched in March 2007, serves as a successful case study. According to the Central Bank of Kenya's FinAccess 2006 report, 38% of people in Kenya, a country of about 37 million, didn't use any form of financial service. GMSA tells us that in 2009, M-Pesa has nearly 7 million registered customers and this year's Finaccess report shows that M-Pesa has become the most popular method of money transfer in Kenya with 40% of all adults using the service.
Now scale that for India, the second-largest wireless market in the world, next to China, where 36% of people have mobile phones, according to Celent. The Boston-based financial-research and -consulting firm also reports that 84% of Indian households were unbanked in 2005 and that mobile banking in India has grown 94% since 2002. That adds up to projection of India's mobile banking active user base reaching 25 million by 2012.


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High doses of vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing some common cancers by as much as 50%, US scientists claim.
Oily fish is a source of vitamin D
Researchers reviewed 63 old studies and found that the vitamin could reduce the chances of developing breast, ovarian and colon cancer, and others.
Experts said more research was needed to draw firm conclusions.
Charities cautiously welcomed the University of California study but warned too much vitamin D could harm the kidneys and liver.
The "natural" form of the vitamin, called D3, is normally produced in the skin after exposure to sunlight, but is also obtained from certain foods such as oily fish, margarine and meat.
The research, done at the University of California in San Diego, looked at the relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and cancer risk.
Survival rates for Afro-Caribbean people with breast, colon, prostate and ovarian cancers are worse than for white people, possibly because dark skins are not as good at making vitamin D, the researchers said.
The papers reviewed, published worldwide between 1966 and 2004, included 30 investigations of colon cancer, 13 of breast cancer, 26 of prostate cancer and seven of ovarian cancer.
Scientists said analysis showed that, for at least some cancers, the vitamin D factor could not be ignored.
Taking 1,000 international units (IU) - or 25 micrograms - of the vitamin daily could lower an individual's cancer risk by 50% in colon cancer, and by 30% in breast and ovarian cancer, they said.
The study acknowledged large doses of vitamin D should be treated with caution.
More than 2,000 IU - 50 micrograms - a day can lead to the body absorbing too much calcium, possibly damaging the liver and kidneys.
Professor Cedric Garland, who led the review study, said: "A preponderance of evidence, from the best observational studies the medical world has to offer...has led to the conclusion that public health action is needed."
In the absence of sunshine, a beneficial level of vitamin D could be obtained from a combination of food sources and supplements, he said.
Professor Garland warned that sun exposure had its own concerns.
"Dark-skinned people, however, may need more exposure to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, and some fair-skinned people shouldn't try to get any vitamin D from the sun.
"The easiest and most reliable way of getting the appropriate amount is from food and a daily supplement."
Professor Colin Cooper, of the Institute of Cancer Research, said further research was needed to provide definitive proof of the benefits of vitamin D.
But he said: "If you look at any individual study the evidence is really suggestive, rather than providing absolute proof.
"Also, they failed to provide any mechanism for how low levels of vitamin D are actually linked to high incidence of cancer."
Dr Mark Metfield, of the Association for International Cancer Research, agreed the latest study provided no proof of the benefits of vitamin D.
"I am a bit cautious. There is no doubt there is a correlation between people who have higher levels of vitamin D in their blood and a lower risk of cancer - but it is only a correlation."
The findings have been published in the American Journal of Public Health.


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Ryanair continued its ascent in June with a 14% rise in passengers carried to 9.5 million over the same month last year.
This represented an increase of 1.5 million passengers with an improved load factor up from 88% to 93%.
The June figure means the low-cost carrier’s annual traffic to June rose by 14% to 94.3 million passengers.
Chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said: “Ryanair’s June traffic grew by 14% to 9.5 milion customers, while our load factor jumped by 5% points to 93%, thanks to our lower fares, our stronger forward bookings and the continuing success of our ‘Always Getting Better’ customer experience improvement programme, which continues to deliver better than expected load factors on our significantly expanded summer schedule.
“Alongside our new routes, increased frequencies, Business Plus and Family Extra services, Ryanair customers can now look forward to further service enhancements, as we roll out year two of our Always Getting Better programme in 2015, which includes a new website, new app, new cabin interiors, new crew uniforms, improved inflight menus, reduced fees, and great new digital features such as ‘hold the fare’ and price comparison services, as Ryanair continues to deliver so much more than just the lowest fares.”
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On this property was also two large barns, one which was transformed into my uncles auto repair garage. He had a full time job working at his brother's garage, but back in the day their was no shortage of work and he wood not turn down a neighbor or church parishioner if the old Chevy needed a spark plug.
I do digress, sorry. Today vehicles are all computerized and gone are the talented mechanics, never mind the small businessman who could never support himself and family the way my Uncle did, including paying for my cousin to attend and graduate Boston College.
Big Auto not unlike Big Government would like to see the remaining small garage owners put out of business and for us to depend only on them when a car needs repairs.
Just for the record, by Uncle died two years ago at the age of 81, my cousin lives on the property, the baseball field is still their yet hardly used......................
The organization lobbying for the bill appeared to be the first to learn about the Senate’s plans, posting on Facebook Monday afternoon that the Senate had scheduled a Thursday vote on the bill. That organization, the Right to Repair Coalition, encouraged aftermarket companies to contact senators and urge them to back the proposal. Proponents say manufacturers often refuse to share critical diagnostic information about their vehicles, forcing consumers to obtain more costly repairs directly from them, rather than from independent repair shops.
“The driving public in Massachusetts overwhelmingly supports Right to Repair because it is fair,” said Art Kinsman, spokesman for the Right to Repair Coalition, in a statement. “Consumers deserve to know that they will save time and money now, rather than wait for the November ballot to be treated fairly by the big automobile manufacturers.”
Opponents say the bill, which has failed to advance in any other state as well as in Congress, is a gambit by aftermarket parts dealers to gain access to privileged repair information in order to manufacture cheap knock-offs.
Critics of the legislation, including major auto companies like Ford, General Motors and Honda, say they were caught off-guard by the Senate’s move, which came as lawmakers on the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure had suggested they were seeking a compromise among industry stakeholders.


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ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Solodev DCX, the digital customer experience platform built for Amazon Web Services, announces the launch of Solodev DCX Enterprise Edition for Kubernetes. It is the first content management system (CMS) and one of only four companies worldwide to launch Kubernetes on AWS. The new product is now available for purchase in the AWS Marketplace as a self-service solution.
This announcement follows the successful launch of Solodev’s Elastic Container Service (ECS) for Docker, expanding their offerings in the AWS Container Marketplace. Now, Solodev DCX can be provisioned and managed with Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), a conformant and accessible service that is supported by an open source community of developers and backed by AWS.
With Solodev DCX and Kubernetes, developers and organizations can deploy a fully containerized CMS and customer experience platform in minutes via AWS CloudFormation – and quickly add or remove containers to keep up with traffic demands. This is especially important for websites and apps that have thousands or even millions of visitors or customers. In addition to rapid scalability, the new Kubernetes service can help reduce operational costs by as much as 90% by mixing spot and on-demand instances.
“Kubernetes is radically shaping the future of digital customer experiences,” said Shawn Moore, CTO at Solodev. “It’s giving developers and businesses a new way to launch and manage applications at tremendous scale and truly impact performance. While we’re committed to delivering the best enterprise CMS and customer experience tools on the market, we’re also pioneering cutting-edge solutions for deploying it all on AWS.”
Containers are redefining the cloud. Lightweight and highly portable, they enable distributed microservices to run across environments regardless of operating systems. As one of the leading open-source container platforms, Kubernetes is leading the way in container innovation, removing the underlying infrastructure limitations and bundling everything an application needs to run – including file systems, memory, and other dependencies.
From a redundancy and availability standpoint, Amazon EKS powers Kubernetes across multiple AWS availability zones, making the infrastructure fault tolerant and enabling Solodev DCX websites and applications to maintain higher levels of uptime. It also provides a highly secure infrastructure and encrypted communication channels between clusters, making AWS the most reliable cloud platform for building a scalable container strategy.
“As our users build more personalized digital experiences, scalability is the real challenge,” said Moore. “Kubernetes is unlocking the potential to expand those experiences while delivering new levels of operational efficiency. Thanks to AWS, our customers now have choices on how they want to deploy Solodev DCX – from a single EC2 instance to an entire fleet of containers.”
To learn more about Solodev’s managed Kubernetes service options for AWS, please visit https://www.solodev.com/lp/amazon-eks-kubernetes.stml.
Solodev is a leader in digital customer experience (DCX) innovation. Their flagship product, Solodev DCX, is a content management (CMS) and customer experience platform that lets individuals and teams work together on their digital transformation in the AWS Cloud. Recently named a leading “High Performer” on the G2 Grid for WCM for the sixth consecutive quarter, Solodev has also been listed on the Inc. 5000 for the last four years running. An AWS Advanced Technology Partner with Competencies in Government, Education, and Digital Customer Experience, Solodev products are available via enterprise terms, on the GSA Contract, or through self-service subscription on the AWS Marketplace. Learn more at www.solodev.com
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Local Georgia avenue barber shop holds legacy with D.C. residents
It’s 11 a.m. Saturday and laughter fills the air of Van & Frank’s Barber Shop on Georgia Avenue in northwest Washington. The shop door opens. “What’s up ya’ll?” a young man asks, greeting the patrons in the shop. James Harrison, a 21-year old student at Prince George Community College, sits in a chair awaiting his weekly haircut. “What’s going on Mr. Baker?” Harrison greets the shop’s co-owner Van Baker. “Nothing much son, trying to keep up with you and those ladies,” Baker replies. The whole shop full of young andold men who begin to burst into laughter.
This is the typical Saturday morning for Van and Frank’s Barber shop. Early in the morning until the sun goes down the shop is full of customers, those who are there for haircuts and some who are just there to socialize.
Barber shops play major roles in thelives of young men across the country. “I grew up in this shop,” James Harrison explains during his haircut. “I remember the first time my daddy brought me in here. I was six, and I have not missed a week yet.”
Van & Frank’s Barber shop is locatedat Georgia Avenue and Keefer Place in northwest Washington. The partners opened their shop in the summer of 1976. Baker revealed that the building has always been a barber shop. “The men who owned this place before us were barbers,” he said. “I believe they opened the shop in the 1950s.”
For 30 years, Van and Frank’s remains one of the most successful and longest-running barber shops on Georgia Avenue. “We have a strong clientele,” Baker said. “I havecustomers who still come here from the seventies.” Two other barber shops are a block away. “Of course there has been competition over years,” Baker acknowledged. “Times have changed. The hairstyles young men have adopted over the years have given some of these new shops opportunity to make money. The younger barbers have shops that dread, twist and braid. I guess you can call us old school; we stick to the basics.”
“You would be surprise how many peoplelike it the old fashion way,” he added, noting that business is still booming.
Along the walls hang photographs of legends such as; Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, Bob Marley, Jesse Jackson, Rosa Parks, Fredrick Douglass and Malcolm X with a rifle in his hands with a line under that reads, “By any means necessary.” Among those photos are the previous owners as well as the current owners.
Samuel Richardson, 65 says he knew Baker and before the shop opened. “They aretwo really good people,” Richardson said. “I’ve seen them open their shop to so many individuals. I come in here everyday, it is like a second home to me.” “Many people may just see this place as a place to get a haircut, but it has groomed so many men on the outside as well as on the inside. There are many shops around here but thisplace has history.”


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In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Target Zone Grants made available by the American Rescue Plan Act and funded through Thurston County and administered by the Thurston EDC have been a lifeline for small businesses, helping them stay strong.
The idea of economic development is as fluid and ever-changing as the community it serves. The Thurston EDC has worked to build employment, cultural, educational, and investment opportunities that create a sustainable and vibrant region. Their recent Target Zone Grants work to help those small businesses most impacted by COVID-19 stay Thurston Strong. These funds have so far benefited food trucks, physical therapy clinics, coffee shops, and motorcycle repair garages, to name a few. Recently the team at Clean N Fix joined their ranks and are grateful for the opportunity to continue building a strong and vital 2023.
Clean N Fix’s Peter Chung says their team discovered the grants via the Thurston Strong website. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, they helped small businesses a lot,” says Chung. “Thurston Strong helped us know that we are not alone in this difficult time emotionally, but also helped us many times to stand up firmly through financial support. They are kind and work fast.”
A general construction contractor who started this business in March 2022, Chung received grant funding in August of the same year. Over the next few months, those monies were spent on building a sturdy 12 by 16-foot toolshed for storage as well as purchasing a work van and truck. “Thankfully, the EDC grant supported my new startup business at the right time, just as seeds need to be watered at the right time to sprout.”
Chung is all too aware of the difficulties many businesses face. Statistics show that 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years, and 45% don’t reach their fifth anniversary. But he accepts the challenge. “The statistics tell us that for a new startup business to survive and grow without fail, not only must the owner work hard, but it’s also necessary for everyone to help.”
With this in mind, his goals for 2023 are simple. To study and learn more about the industry and small business management techniques, update their business plans, bring in and care for new and existing customers, hire staff, build their digital and brand presence, and be the best workers possible.
Clean N Fix offers home remodeling, improvement, and handyman services with a service-minded mission and philosophy. “Making money is not our first concern,” says Chung, “Meeting people’s needs and solving their problems is our most important concern. We will do our best for big jobs and small repairs.” He also shares his home maintenance knowledge writing for KSeattle, an internet community with more than 180,000 regular visitors. You can find Clean N Fix for all your house remodeling, repair, and handyman services here!
The pandemic showed us that everyone needs a helping hand. And by working together, we can overcome and forge a strong, resilient community. Target Zone Grants—made available by the American Rescue Plan Act and funded through Thurston County—are one way the EDC offers flexible assistance and meets needs daily.


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BABYWEAR firm The Dalya Group has strengthened its team with two new appointments.
Jean-Philippe Glaskie has been promoted to managing director.
Mr Glaskie, 33, who steps up from the role of sales director, joined the Manchester company in 1991 after a financial career in London.
In the past 18 months he has driven the group's growth by launching a number of new divisions - notably children's accessories Kidology.
His promotion coincides with the appointment of David Jun Ma, who joins the group's buying team from China. Mr Jun Ma, 31, is a specialist in garment technology.
Mr Glaskie said: "Our newly expanded buying team and Far Eastern expertise will allow us to reinforce our manufacturing partnerships, thereby offering enhanced value to clients."


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When Girish Mathrubootham founded customer engagement software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Freshworks in Chennai in 2010, the start-up scene was almost non-existent in the southern Indian city.
“Our initial challenges were very fundamental,” says the 46-year-old tech entrepreneur and angel investor. He even recalls some days in Freshworks’s $150-per-month Chennai office without water or power.
On top of this lack of “start-up friendly” infrastructure, Mr Mathrubootham says funding was hard to come by. Back then, Chennai had so few start-ups, he says, that it did not make sense for venture capitalists (VCs) to travel there from other cities, such as Bengaluru and Mumbai.
“VCs wouldn’t come to Chennai in 2011 because they couldn’t fill their calendar with meetings for the day,” says Mr Mathrubootham. More than a decade later, both Freshworks and the start-up community in Tamil Nadu’s state capital have come on in leaps and bounds.
In September 2021, Freshworks listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange at a valuation of $10.1bn, marking a first for the Chennai ecosystem and a milestone in the start-up’s rapid growth.
VCs wouldn’t come to Chennai in 2011 because they couldn’t fill their calendar with meetings for the day
Chennai has been nicknamed “the SaaS capital of India”, thanks to Freshworks and other software giants founded in the city, such as Chargebee and Zoho. However, even with the emergence of global names from Tamil Nadu’s capital, the city has received less funding and fanfare than other Indian tech hubs.
Despite challenges around talent acquisition, local entrepreneurs and investors say Chennai’s co-operative culture and strong engineering base make it ripe for innovation and future start-up successes.
Funding lags elsewhere
The origins of Chennai’s start-up ecosystem are often attributed to Zoho, a customer relationship management start-up founded in 1996. Among Zoho’s alumni are Freshworks’s CEO and co-founders of Chargebee, a Chennai-founded SaaS start-up that was valued at $3.5bn in February 2022.
“These successes opened up a lot of possibilities for large-scale VCs, like Sequoia and Accel, to look at southern Indian states and Chennai,” says Lakshmi Moorthy, the co-founder of nicheBrains, a digital transformation consultancy start-up.
Since 2012, VC funding into Chennai-based start-ups has increased ten-fold, reaching $724m in 2021, according to PitchBook data — which does not include Freshworks or Chargebee funding figures, since their headquarters have been relocated to the US.
By comparison, however, other Indian megacities recorded much higher VC funding than Chennai in 2021, including Bengaluru ($16.2bn) and Mumbai ($6.06bn).
Just two of the 46 Indian start-ups that gained a valuation of more than $1bn in 2021 came from Chennai, including microloan start-up Five Star Finance, according to Mumbai-based Orios Venture Partners.
“Chennai is often seen as lagging behind other hubs,” says Shyam Nagarajan, the founder and CEO of GoFloaters, a network of co-working spaces across 23 Indian cities. But with a “quieter” ecosystem, Mr Nagarajan says Chennai’s start-up scene has a strong culture of collaboration.
“Chennai founders are super helpful … the ecosystem gives you the breathing room to focus on problems and product development,” he says. This is exemplified by organisations such as SaaSBOOMi, a community of SaaS founders that host regular events.
Mr Mathrubootham describes SaaSBOOMi’s annual event as “like an Indian wedding”, with friends and relatives all happily sharing their insights and start-up metrics.
“Everybody is following a ‘paid forward’ culture. We are coming in to help the next generation of start-ups,” he says.
Since the 1990s, the set-up of large IT service centres of several multinationals, including PayPal, Cognisant and Tata Consulting Services, have contributed to Chennai’s strong engineering foundations.
“The entry of big tech companies in Chennai and nearby cities exposed local workers to global knowledge and gave rise to this new age of entrepreneurs,” says Mr Moorthy.
Despite Chennai lagging behind other cities for foreign tech projects, according to greenfield investment tracker fDi Markets, it has also been given a boost from its industrialised base.
Chennai is an electronics manufacturing cluster and is famously known as the ‘Detroit of India’, due to its large automotive industry including companies such as Hyundai, BMW and Daimler.
“Since 2016, a lot of industrial players across Tamil Nadu’s industrial belt began investing in technology, which Chennai got a boost from,” says Rajashri Sai, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Impactree, a SaaS platform focused on the UN sustainable development goals.
Ms Sai adds that government funding for start-ups, including the ‘Nidhi Seed Support Scheme’, as well as “engineering talent with a global perspective” are two additional benefits to the Chennai ecosystem.
Tamil Nadu is home to 576 engineering colleges, according to Guidance Tamil Nadu, the state’s development agency. Chennai is also home to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, which hosts a deeptech incubation centre focused on verticals including manufacturing, robotics and electric vehicles.
“IIT Madras is the backbone of the deeptech ecosystem in Chennai,” says Dhanush Ram, a Chennai-based associate at Speciale Invest, an early-stage deeptech VC fund.
Since being launched in 2013, IIT Madras has incubated more than 230 start-ups, including Agnikul Cosmos, a space tech start-up that designs, manufactures and tests orbital rockets.
Mr Ram, whose VC fund has invested in Agnikul, says the space tech start-up is an example of the ‘hidden gems’ in the Chennai ecosystem outside of software. In the next few years he expects many more deep tech start-ups in areas like spacetech and mobility to emerge from the city.
Despite positive dynamics, start-ups in Chennai still struggle to attract what Mr Mathrubootham terms “been-there-done-that” talent.
“Talent is the most important bottleneck for Chennai,” he adds, noting that experienced talent is very scarce. He says the decision to move Freshworks’s global headquarters to California was in part to find experienced executive management ahead of going public. “As a CEO in Chennai, it was hard for me to build the right kind of management team to take the company public,” he says.
Mr Nagarajan notes that it is also becoming increasingly difficult to hire top engineering talent in Chennai as local start-ups compete with higher wages from big companies and start-ups based elsewhere.
“If talent is getting paid for remote work in euros, you can’t match that with Indian rupees,” he explains. However, even with talent challenges, Mr Mathrubootham is positive about Chennai’s start-up scene. “In the past 10 years, things have taken a dramatic change,” he says. “There is now a thriving ecosystem.”
The interview with Freshworks’s CEO Girish Mathrubootham was originally recorded as part of Rising Ecosystems, fDi's regular start-up podcast.
This article first appeared in the February/March 2022 print edition of fDi Intelligence. View a digital edition of the magazine here.


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In 2011, an elite dinner party was held during the TED Conference in Long Beach, California.
In attendance at the dinner were Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
At the time, Epstein had been out of jail for less than two years. He was convicted of soliciting sex with a 14-year-old girl in 2008.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google...


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The iPhone 15 and next-generation watches will be unveiled by Apple in just a few weeks. The company’s dream iPhone will be one step closer with the new lineup, but the Apple Watch will see fewer changes. Also: Samsung uncovers its own new telephones, tablets and watches.
Keep going week in Power On: Apple Vision Genius handset depends on applications, yet don’t anticipate that designers should rush to it.
Apple Inc. creators have long longed for an iPhone that is genuinely all-screen — without any boundaries around the presentation and no patterns for cameras or sensors. Apple will move closer to achieving that objective by releasing the iPhone 15 this fall.
The process began in 2017 with the release of the iPhone X, which featured a screen that, for the first time, extended all the way to the edge at the top and bottom (the bezel width was similar to that of previous smartphones on the left and right). However, it did in any case have a score pattern close to the top to oblige Face ID, the speaker, forward looking camera and different sensors.
One more step was taken in 2020 with the send off of the iPhone 12, which had marginally more slender bezels than the X, XS and 11 lines before it. With the iPhone 13 Star in 2021, Apple diminished the size of the score. The Dynamic Island took its place last year, reducing the area even further.
This year, two of the greatest changes to the 15 line will draw Apple nearer to that fantasy iPhone. The Dynamic Island will replace the notch on the standard iPhone 15 models, while a new technology will be used on the Pro and Pro Max displays: low-injection pressure over-molding, also known as “LIPO” within Apple, is a process.
That new interaction will shrivel the boundary size around the showcase to 1.5 millimeters (from around 2.2 millimeters on current iPhones). The Apple Watch Series 7 used LIPO for the first time to increase the size of the display and make the device’s borders thinner. I’ve been informed that Apple also intends to implement the feature on the iPad in the future.
Past the new screens, the iPhone 15 and 15 Ace lines will get a progression of other new highlights, denoting the greatest update since the gadget added 5G capacity a long time back.
We should begin with the iPhone 15 and 15 Or more. As has been normal, those telephones will seem to be like the ongoing models however add significant camera enhancements and the A16 chip from the iPhone 14 Star line. They’ll likewise trade out the ongoing Lightning connector for USB-C.
Other than the new showcase innovation, this is what’s in store with the iPhone 15:
As I wrote in January, the master models will get another plan, supplanting the sparkling and finger impression inclined tempered steel edges with something more grounded, lighter and more premium: titanium. Apple has long looked to carry titanium to the iPhone and utilizing the metal with late watches was a test for carrying that material to its most noteworthy volume gadget.
The frosted glass back of the previous few phones is still present in the design of the Pro models, but the edges that connect the side and front are now less sharp than they were before.
Within the iPhone 15 Master is upgraded to match the redid aluminum skeleton from the customary iPhone 14 (iFixit has a summary of the changes). The phone is easier to fix thanks to that upgrade.
The iPhone 15 will switch to USB-C, as I mentioned in May of last year. This will allow for faster data transfer speeds for those who still sync with a cable, but some customers will find the change to be a costly hassle.
Major enhancements to the rear camera, including new lenses and the ability to obtain a significantly broader optical zoom range on the largest model.
With the normal iPhone 15 models getting last year’s A16 processor, the new ace telephones are moving to a 3-nanometer chip that is observably snappier.
Apple had arranged one more significant element during the current year’s expert models: contact delicate buttons with haptic criticism for the volume controls, the quiet/ring switch and the power button. Like trackpads on Macintoshes, the buttons wouldn’t genuinely press in, permitting new programming stunts and diminishing the quantity of fragile parts on the gadget.
The upgrade, codenamed Bongo, was dropped after a large number of designing issues. There likewise were worries about the expense increment contrasted and customary buttons. Eventually, the organization chose to save standard buttons for volume and power, yet turn the quiet/ring switch into a supposed Activity button — like on the Apple Watch — that clients can modify by means of programming.
Engineer Steve Moser at MacRumors found code in iOS 17 that clues at the potential choices for the button. It proposes you’ll have the option to pick among a few prospects: the standard quiet switch instrument, a Center mode like Don’t Upset, sending off the camera, turning on the spotlight, or opening elements for availability or interpreting message.
A final note regarding the subsequent iPhone: Outside of the United States, I would keep an eye out for at least minor price increases for all four models. Given the move to titanium and the more expensive camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I also wouldn’t rule out a price increase in the US, at least for some of the pro models. For perspective: Titanium watches cost Apple $100 more than their stainless-steel counterparts.
The new watch arrangement is supposed to incorporate three levels: the 41-and 45-millimeter Series 9 models, as well as a second-age Apple Watch Ultra.
Given that the Apple Watch SE is on a two-year upgrade cycle and was refreshed in 2022, the absence of a new model this year makes sense.
The current year’s all’s models will get a genuinely sizable presentation knock thanks to the new S9 processor. This is the first time the lineup has seen significant speed enhancements since the S6 chip was introduced in 2020 with the Series 6 watch.
Apple tested a dark titanium color option prior to the Ultra model’s release last year. It ended up removing the option because designers didn’t like how it looked, but it could still arrive in 2023.


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As Activision Blizzard readies to release “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” next week, the industry’s largest videogame publisher reported better-than-expected third quarter sales of $841 million boosted by coin collected from digital platforms.
Revenue from digital sources, including subscriptions for its online “World of Warcraft” game, represented 51% of Activision Blizzard’s earnings during the three-month frame that ended Sept. 30.
Results beat Wall Street estimates, with analysts having expected sales to decline over 6% to $708 million. That’s largely due to Activision reporting lower sales during the three prior quarters.
But “World of Warcraft” expansion pack “Mists of Pandaria,” as well as “Transformers: Fall of Cybertron” and “Wipeout: The Game” sold well for Activision during the quarter. “Diablo III” also continues to perform well; it’s been the top-selling PC game in the U.S. and Europe since its release in May.
Company released new James Bond title, “007: Legends,” “Skylanders Giants” and “Transformers Prime” in October.
Because of the success of its games and the upcoming release of “Black Ops II,” Activision is raising its revenues forecast for the rest of the year.
Activision is focusing much of its marketing resources behind the launch of “Black Ops II,” with the company spending more on it than previous games in the franchise to make it “one of the most successful launches of any form of entertainment in history,” a feat achieved by previous titles in the series, Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick said.
Last year’s “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” became the biggest entertainment launch when it sold 6.5 million copies in the U.S. and U.K. within 24 hours, earning $400 million.
“We’ve put more resources behind ‘Call of Duty’ this year than we ever have in every area,” Kotick told Variety. “Not just the money (to make it) but the inspired creativity reflected in the game and marketing programs will get audiences really excited about it.”
David Goyer, fresh off Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and the upcoming “Man of Steel,” both at Warner Bros., penned the script for “Black Ops II.”
Hiring scribes like Goyer is “one of the unique positions we have as a company,” Kotick said. “Being here (in Hollywood) and not in Silicon Valley and having a history with entertainment companies has given us a unique perspective in how you use super talented people who work in film and television and incorporate their ideas into our games.”
After seeing paid monthly subscriptions for “World of Warcraft” fall below 10 million users for the first time since 2008, during the second quarter, “Mists of Pandaria” lured back some of those gamers.
Release sold 2.7 million copies in its first week, less than previous expansion pack “Cataclysm,” which broke records when it moved 3.3 million copies during the same period in 2010.
“Mists of Pandaria” also went out in China, making it the first game to be released there as part of a global launch.
“As we look to 2013, we are cautious about business prospects given a continued challenged global economy, the ongoing console transition and very difficult year-over-year comparables due to Blizzard’s record-shattering ‘Diablo III’ sales in 2012,” Kotick said. “We expect that over the long-term, we will maintain our position as the world’s leading interactive entertainment company and continue to provide strong returns to our shareholders by delivering great games to audiences around the world.”


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The Keynesian economists and the monetarists at the Fed are singing a happy tune today as retail sales bounced 0.6 percent vs the Econoday consensus estimate of 0.3%.
The consumer was back in the stores last month in a July retail sales report, headlined by a 0.6 percent monthly gain, that not only exceeds top expectations but also includes sizable upward revisions. Nonstore retailers, vehicle dealers, building materials stores lead the report — all major categories. Secondary readings are all strong: up 0.5 percent ex-autos, up 0.5 percent ex-autos ex-gas, and up 0.6 percent for the control group.
Revisions are prominent in this report with June revised 5 tenths overall to plus 0.3 percent from an initial minus 0.2 percent. And May gets an upward revision too, now unchanged vs minus 0.1 percent.
One the weakest of all the consumer readings, retail sales are now back into the fold with other indications on consumer spending, which are positive and in line with full employment. Note that the upward revisions to June and May will be positives for second-quarter GDP revisions.
Across the Board Spending Increases
Every category increased except electronics and appliance stores, down 0.5%, and gasoline stations, down 0.4%. General merchandise stores rose 0.1%.
Supposedly, motor vehicle sales were 1.2% in July following a 0.9% gain in June. This is unbelievably bizarre in the face of actual auto sales reports.
The revisions help explain 2nd quarter GDP numbers, but now economists will likely revise the second quarter up.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Look at the retail stocks today. The numbers are BS………I am an online retailer and sales haven’t been good since November of last year.
shrinkflation rampant said:
spending alot more for alot less.just bought one of those crummy Chinese laptops,went ahead and bought 2 ,i’m guessin i’ll get maybe a year (if that) outta one,prices are up 100 bucks plus from last year.if this is deflation I pray I don’t live to see inflation
Barry Rose said:
Hi Mish – July merchandise was seasonal surge & nothing more. My niece in Alabama said her kids started back to school 8/1, and have just started here in NE. The malls & retail outlets have been covered up with kids & parents doing back-to-school shopping. I expect to see a sharp decline in August.
Barry Rose, CBF
Murphy Law of Technology – a complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works.
I drive past an abandoned mall (no active businesses left) that is used as an overflow lot by auto dealerships on my way to work. There is also a bus stop in the center of the parking lots, with free parking for commuters who take the bus into the center of Pittsburgh, to avoid paying steep $15-20/day parking fees
Its north side slowly filled up starting in the fall of last year until it had seven rows deep of unsold 2017 model year vehicles.
They have sold about two rows of those vehicles. There are still more rows in the back of the commuter parking section that are so far away that it’s hard to see them, but they appear to be full. There are cars in the far back rows, even on a weekend.
If the auto makers continue to push product that isn’t selling, there’s an entire south side of the dead mall left to fill with 2018 model year vehicles.
I believe the evidence of my own eyes more than I believe government statistics.
Retail is dead and cars aren’t selling.
Jarhead John said:
JC Penney lost 62 million dollars last quarter…Today, XRT retail ETF is down 2.5 percent…Americans are now carrying over 12 TRILLION dollars in debt…Seems to this
observer that someone is blowing some big time smoke…
As the top 5% of earners are retailers’ dominant customers they will continue to spend as long as the stock market keeps going up. Still, taking this into account, the figures look too strong and this is exemplified by the auto sector.


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Sales growth of entry-level cars or hatchbacks like WagonR and Alto have seen a decline during the past few years due to changing consumer preference.
Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava had on October 28 said that he does not expect hatchback unit sales to grow in the fourth quarter (Q4FY23) or in the next fiscal year.
“This means that everywhere — whether urban or rural — the ability of people to buy hatchbacks has eroded,” he had mentioned. The sales have dropped from 49.4 per cent in FY17 to 35.1 per cent in the first half of FY23 as car companies have turned their attention to the SUV segment, which is seeing the highest growth.
Bhargava had said that people’s preference shifted from hatchbacks to SUVs much before the current inflationary pressures, even though the prevailing situation will further affect the hatchback segment.


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Business Wire | August 18, 2020
American Express (NYSE: AXP) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of Kabbage, a leading financial technology company providing cash flow management solutions to small businesses in the U.S. The transaction represents an important step toward American Express’ goal of being an essential partner to small businesses through a broad range of payment, cash flow and financial management tools. Under the terms of the agreement, American Express will a...
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The Seattle Times | March 11, 2020
Amazon executives approved a $5 million fund to support small businesses around its Seattle headquarters struggling with a dramatic slowdown since the company instructed its employees to work from home if they could. The company will provide cash grants to businesses with fewer than 50 employees or less than $7 million in annual revenue that serve the public, rely on foot traffic, and have a physical presence “within a few blocks of our Regrade and South Lake Union office buildings,”...
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This is an archived page from 2022. Find out more
Comedy podcast network Headgum has announced that Random Order Podcast will join the network. The show is hosted by Jermaine Richards, Trevaunn Richards, and Sheldon Sebastian.
Additionally, ad sales for Random Order Podcast will be through Gumball, the Headgum-owned marketplace for advertisers to buy host-read ads directly from podcasters. The show looks to expand its footprint from its home base of Toronto further into the U.S., while engaging the fanbase through sponsorships and brand integrations.
The comedic podcast has been running since January 2019, featuring commentary on past experiences, pop culture, and everything from laundry to alien invasions in their free-flowing signature style and sound board; the video component incorporates additional visual elements using a green screen and graphics made for the internet.
Brothers Jermaine and Trevaunn Richards have developed a loyal fanbase over the past ten years by creating viral content on social media; the two have amassed more than 100 million lifetime views across their YouTube channels alone and have garnered praise from entertainers including Seth Rogen, Kevin Hart, and Drake, who was featured on a viral comedy sketch in 2017 (2.1m views); this feature came together after Drake sampled the T-Dot Goon Scrap DVD sketch on More Life.
“There’s nothing random about our decision to partner with Headgum, who is undoubtedly the best network to support our growth in the comedy space,” said Jermaine Richards, one of the hosts of Random Order Podcast. “We’re excited to align with other prolific comedians on the network to expand our roster of guests and topics and reach a diverse new listener base.”
“At Headgum, we look for creators who bring a unique perspective to the world of audio and video – Jermaine, Trevaunn, and Sheldon bring their humor and lifestyle to audiences across intersecting platforms and seamlessly market between them; as creative powerhouses, they’ve resonated with audiences just by being themselves,” said Kaiti Moos, VP of Development & Production at Headgum. “We look forward to amplifying their show and introducing new audiences to their content.”
The hosts of Random Order Podcast also own a successful clothing line called 4ye, launched ‘for the community’.


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Where has all the strummer loving gone? Music-gear retailer Guitar Center
Thankfully, investors had already been tipped off about the unplugged performance four weeks ago, when Guitar Center warned of the period's weakness. The stock inched higher last night in after-hours trading, however, since the sloppy performance was actually at the high end of last month's watered-down range.
I've always had a soft spot for Guitar Center. Maybe it's the musician in me. Maybe it's that its superstore niche in something as specialized as music gear makes it immune to competition from the discount department store chains, such as Wal-Mart
I also like the trends here. The Internet has made starting a garage band more locally lucrative. The computer has made home recording more affordable. Even when it comes to DJs, way too many of them now show up at parties with their pre-loaded Apple
As it heads into the gift-giving holiday season, Guitar Center is in pretty good shape. It expects comps, which improved by 3% in the current quarter, to rise 4% to 6% higher at its namesake stores for the potent period. It is still looking to earn between $1.14 and $1.20 a share for the period, and Wall Street is actually perched at the lower end of that range.
Accelerating same-store-sales growth? A market-beating quarter? Weep no more, Guitar Center. These are the power chords that investors love to keep hearing.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz really did play in a band that eventually got signed to Columbia Records. His band sold a few records before he traded in his musical keyboard for a computer keyboard. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.


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Der Digital Asset Manager NYDIG arbeitet mit dem Bankentechnologieanbieter Moven zusammen, um Plugins für Banken anzubieten, die Bitcoin-Produkte auf den Markt bringen möchten.
“Being able to offer it on our platform for U.S. banks, it’s the right time frankly,” said Moven founder Brett King. “If PayPal and Square can do it, then community banks should be able to do it too.” Many of Moven’s clients have around $1 billion in total assets, er sagte, with some operating with up to $10 billion in total assets.
NYDIG is Moven’s second partnership in the U.S., said King. It partnered with banking tech provider Q2 in November of last year.
Moven advertises itself as a turnkey digital banking product that can be deployed in 30 zu 60 Tage. The partnership will allow NYDIG to deploy its bitcoin products to banks quickly, Sells said.
Moven will be taking advantage of NYDIG’s APIs to offer buy, sell and hold services as well as more sophisticated bitcoin products like a money market account that pays interest in bitcoin or a credit card that has a bitcoin rewards component, Sells added.
“What’s important for any new technology is how easy adoption is,” Sells said. “Even though it may be very small bitcoin balances.”
NYDIG charges a fee for custody with storage options that are overseen by consultancy giant EY. In a low-interest-rate environment, Sells said he predicts banks will flock to a new form of earning revenue.
In einer Online-Umfrage von mehr als 2,000 UNS. consumers, NYDIG hat das gefunden 80% von Bitcoin-Inhabern würde ihre Krypto zu einer Bank verschieben, wenn sie einen sicheren Speicher hätte. Von denselben Inhabern, 71% würde ihr primäres Bankkonto wechseln, wenn eine Bank Produkte im Zusammenhang mit Bitcoin anbietet und 81% wäre daran interessiert, Bitcoin über ihre Bank zu kaufen.
NYDIG is aiming to provide a less risky option for banks that want to offer bitcoin products to their customers, Sells said. Banks that use the digital asset manager’s bank solutions don’t have to touch crypto.
“As a former banker … one of the things I realized is that for catching up to something like peer-to-peer payments, that really came at a cost for my bank,” Sells said. “Today banks have a 0% wallet share in crypto and this is a phenomenal non-interest income opportunity.”
Blockieren wir Anzeigen! (Warum?)


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FRANCE – TotalEnergies, a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company has inked a long-term commercial agreement with plastic recycling firm Paprec to create a French value chain for the advanced recycling of plastic film wastes.
Being built by TotalEnergies (60%) and Plastic Energy (40%), the recycling facility will be able to process 15,000 tonnes of waste annually and is expected to be operational in 2024.
The deal aims to secure the feedstock supply for the plant from TotalEnergies’ future advanced plastic recycling plant in Grandpuits.
Under the terms of the agreement, French household packaging compliance firm Citeo will supply a stream of flexible plastic waste sorted from post-consumer packaging.
The stream will be transferred to the Paprec Plastiques 80 plant in Amiens (France), where a sorting and preparation line will be constructed.
This waste from France will be used by TotalEnergies in its advanced recycling facility at the Grandpuits zero-crude platform to make virgin food-grade quality recycled plastics.
TotalEnergies Renewable Fuels & Chemicals senior vice president Valérie Goff said: “This long-term agreement is a major milestone for our advanced recycling plant at Grandpuits, as it guarantees a supply of waste of French-origin.
“It is a tangible example of TotalEnergies’ commitment to developing a circular economy for plastics and fully contributes to our ambition of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030.”
In September 2020, the petroleum company unveiled its plans to invest more than €500m to convert its Grandpuits refinery into a zero-crude platform.
Since then, TotalEnergies has signed many partnerships to see the construction of facilities for (aviation) biofuels and bioplastics production, as well as plastic waste recycling.
Meanwhile, TotalEnergies and extrusion lines maker COLINES have developed a successful proof of concept of an Unlaminated Recyclable Stand-Up Pouch.
The Stand-Up Pouch is said to be a fully recyclable polyethylene (PE) solution intended for food-contact applications.
The full PE recyclable mono-material pouch, expected to be a recyclable alternative to multi-material films, is said to decrease packaging thickness using its asymmetrical structure.
According to TotalEnergies, the structure has a low-density sealing layer on one side and a high-density stiff layer on another side.
The Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) film has been produced on the COLINES cast line Polycast as well as the MDO line.
The MDO-PE film formulation consists of the petroleum firm’s Supertough and Lumicene high-density PE to provide a range of thicknesses for different customer needs.
TotalEnergies Polymers Europe & Orient vice president Olivier Greiner said: “This collaboration is in line with the recent developments to provide packaging solutions that are fully mechanically recyclable, with the end goal to bring more qualitative feedstock on the market.
“This latter could be used as feedstock for the recycling industry and eventually end up as RE:use polymers, part of the RE:clic range supporting our ambition of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030.
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