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I was interested in the stuff that Robert Scoble and Thomas Hawk have posted about meeting with Getty Images, the giant stock photography company, but not necessarily because I’m all that interested in photography (although I am). The interesting thing for me is how Getty — like a lot of other companies in different industries — is trying to find a way of transitioning its business from one model to another, effectively cannibalizing itself before others can do it.
Scoble mentions how people such as Thomas (or whatever his real name is) and services such as Flickr and Zooomr are a threat to Getty, and they are — although not so immediate a threat that you can draw a direct line between the disappointing financial results the company reported and the rise of consumer photo-sharing sites. And Getty essentially tried to build a bridge between its old business and a new one by acquiring Calgary-based iStockphoto, one of the largest Web-based stock photo services out there (it recently added video as well).
Getty’s business, like that of competitor Corbis (owned by Bill Gates) consists mostly of high-quality, hard-to-come-by photos of celebrities and events, used in glossy, high-quality magazines, and for those the company gets paid anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on use. iStockphoto.com, by contrast, sells photos for as little as $1. And it does big business with small and medium-sized publications, Web sites and so on, with photos for $10 or $50 or $100.
In effect, Getty is hoping that owning iStockphoto can expand its business rapidly enough that it can counterbalance the decline in those hundred or thousand-dollar photo jobs, and prevent the recent financial pressure from becoming a sustained downturn. Other companies will have to find ways of doing the same in their industries, as James Robertson points out.


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- Amazon is buying MGM for $8.45 billion, the companies announced on Wednesday.
- From James Bond to "The Handmaid's Tale," MGM is getting a massive trove of movies and TV.
- These are the highlights of the blockbuster acquisition.
Amazon just dropped $8.45 billion to buy MGM Studios, the decades-old film studio that owns rights to some of the biggest movies and TV shows in the world.
In the press release announcing the deal, Amazon pointed to the "vast catalog" of "more than 4,000 films" and "17,000 TV shows" as the reason for the purchase — assuredly intended to bolster Amazon's Prime videoservice.
So, what's Amazon getting for nearly $8.5 billion?
The decades-long catalog of James Bond films is among the "more than 4,000" films Amazon is buying, in addition to classic movies like "12 Angry Men," "Silence of the Lambs," "Thelma & Louise," "Midnight Cowboy," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Dances with Wolves," and "Raging Bull."
Another major franchise Amazon gets in the deal: "Rocky," as well as the more recent "Creed" films.
And that's just movies.
In terms of television, Amazon's getting more recent classics, like "Fargo," "The Handmaid's Tale," and "Vikings."
Beyond the titles specifically noted by Amazon, there are countless others that belong to the MGM Holdings catalog — though it's not completely clear which movies and TV shows have rights split up between several companies.
MGM Holdings includes MGM Television, for instance, which counts "The Real Housewives" franchise among its titles. An MGM rep confirmed that some of "The Real Housewives" franchise is part of the deal (the Orange County and Beverly Hills series), as well as "The Voice," "Shark Tank," and "Survivor."
What we know for sure isn't included in the deal is the vast library of MGM films from prior to 1986, which are controlled by Turner Entertainment Company.
Beyond what's listed above, Amazon's press release included "Basic Instinct," "Legally Blonde," "Moonstruck," "Poltergeist," "Stargate," "Tomb Raider," The Magnificent Seven," The Pink Panther," and "The Thomas Crown Affair" among the movie rights it acquired in the deal.
Amazon and MGM representatives were unable to clarify the full list of acquired movie and TV rights in the deal.
Got a tip? Contact Insider senior correspondent Ben Gilbert via email (email@example.com), or Twitter DM (@realbengilbert). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out. PR pitches by email only, please.

domain: news


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MOSCOW (Sputnik) — An investigation into retail giant Tesco's supplier practices, including delays in payments, was launched Thursday by Britain's supermarket watchdog.
8 January 2015, 13:15 GMT
Supermarket ombudsman Christine Tacon has "reasonable suspicion" that the retailer breached the the Groceries Supply Code of Practice, a statement published on UK government website says.
"The investigation will consider the existence and extent of practices which have resulted in delay in payments to suppliers," the statement says.
In October 2014, the United Kingdom's top financial regulator announced it was launching an investigation into Tesco's accounting practices after the company admitted its first-half profit estimates were overstated by more than $400 million.
Tesco, founded in London in 1919, is a multinational grocery retailer based in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. The company currently operates some 6,500 stores in 12 countries worldwide.


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Murfreesboro-based National HealthCare Corp. will break ground this week on a 112-bed skilled nursing center in Maury County.
The new Columbia facility is a joint venture between NHC and Maury Regional Medical Center and represents an $18 million investment. Last October, NHC began work on a similar facility in Bellevue. NHC Place at the Trace is expected to open next spring.
Shares of NHC (Ticker: NHC) were $62.80 Monday afternoon. Year to date, they're flat.
Commerce Union Bancshares officials have announced shares of the company started traded on the Nasdaq today:
“We are pleased to announce that Commerce Union Bancshares’ stock will begin trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market effective July 7th,” stated William R. DeBerry, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe the Nasdaq listing will provide increased visibility for our company with investors and increased marketability of our shares for our stockholders.”
Commenting on the listing, DeVan Ard, President of Commerce Union stated, “The Nasdaq listing represents an important milestone in our combination of Commerce Union and Reliant banks. The merger strengthened our capital base, increased our lending limits, expanded the reach of our combined banks and improved our operating synergies. We believe the Nasdaq listing highlights our continued progress to build long-term shareholder value by combining our resources.”
Trading as CUBN, shares opened at $14.50.
C&H Financial Services, an Illinois-based payment processor, has acquired Regal Payment Systems out of Columbia. A release on the deal doesn't provide many details but does make Regal's operation C&H's first in Tennessee and adds the First Data processing platform to its lineup. The purchase of Regal also puts C&H on track to process $5 billion in transactions this year.
Global tile manufacturing conglomerate Gruppo Concorde will build its first U.S. factory on nearly 100 acres in Mt. Pleasant and hire 180 people to operate it. Concorde's UST Inc. division will invest about $80 million to build the 600,000-square-foot facility. Those numbers are up significantly from the $55 million and 500,000 square feet that were being discussed by Maury County officials more than a year ago.
“We have chosen Tennessee for a number of reasons, including the state’s vibrant and business-friendly environment and the warm and proactive welcome we have received from the local community in Maury County,” Gruppo Concorde Executive and UST Inc. President and CEO Federico Curioni said. “Tennessee is also very close to some of the most important raw material used in the tile industry, such as plastic clay and feldspar, which greatly benefits our production capabilities.”
The plant is expected to start production in the second half of 2016.
Spring Hill-based technology company Experimental Design and Analysis Solutions has announced it is now called Apex Turbine Testing Technologies.
The name change is part of a company rebranding campaign, according to a release.
“There are many reasons for our name change, but mostly we think it better describes what we do,” Kurt Nichol, CEO and president of Apex Turbine, said in the release. “We are still under the same ownership and are still under the same management with the same staff. We are the same company.”
Apex specializes in software analysis products and offers installation and engineering services.
The largest family-owned metal processor and distributor in North America will invest almost $33 million to build a new service center in Columbia. The 105,000-square-foot Samuel Son & Co. plant will create 42 jobs. Its machines will be able to shape steel and aluminum up to 84 inches wide, primarily for the region's auto manufacturers. State officials say the facility has doubled in size from when discussions began with Samuel executives.
SEE ALSO: The company's own release
Michigan-based Rainbow Child Care Centers is preparing to open the doors to its first location in Tennessee, a spot on Wall Street in Spring Hill that can house 140 kids up to 12 years of age. That opening will be followed in a few months by another spot in Murfreesboro for Rainbow, which runs more than 90 locations in the eastern half of the country.
POSTDATA: WARRANTY DEEDS


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A round-up of lesser-known search and data analysis tools: Scholrly is free search engine for academic papers (currently in closed beta-testing phase), HQ Books is a free PDF search tool, and Clustify is a document clustering software that identifies important keywords, representative documents, and a hierarchy of customized tags for almost any dataset.
Added by Joelle Mornini on August 30, 2012 at 11:46am — No Comments
This post covers the full list of updates to the Trademark Status and Document Retrieval (TSDR) system 2.0, and learn about how to locate trademark status data and documents related to specific US trademarks through the system.
Added by Joelle Mornini on August 29, 2012 at 12:10pm — No Comments
Read about four useful features of the Semantic Search on TotalPatent, including the options to view up to 30 extra suggested terms, re-rank any search terms, add your own search terms, and preview the 20 most relevant results before conducting the query.
Added by Joelle Mornini on August 28, 2012 at 12:02pm — No Comments
USPTO Announces Rule Change in PTA Relating to Appellate Review
Patent Term Adjustment (PTA), with its provisions codified at 35 U.S.C. §154(b), extends the term of a patent for certain examination delays at the USPTO. The non-overlapping sum of three kinds of Office delays, referred to by practitioners by their letter designations, A, B, & C, reduced by the delays attributable to the applicant, result in a…
Added by Bala Krishnan on August 28, 2012 at 7:26am — No Comments
LG Electronics Inc. (the plaintiff) recorded patents-in-suit against Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corporation et al. (the defendant) on Wednesday, Aug 22, 2012 in the U.S District Court of Delaware for patent infringement. The defendant is an international joint venture of Toshiba Corporation and Samsung Electronics…Continue
Added by Bala Krishnan on August 27, 2012 at 11:07pm — No Comments
Potter Voice Technologies claims that major technology companies -- including Apple, Samsung, and Google -- infringe on a patent they hold for voice recognition. James Lee Phillips reviews the major patent in question, addressing the ever-so-important question: "troll or not troll?"
Added by James McArdle on August 27, 2012 at 4:12pm — No Comments
Who needs a device to start TPing a house?
Added by Chris Jagalla on August 23, 2012 at 3:39pm — No Comments
Here's a quick guide to using the online US Copyright Catalog. Does anyone have any other copyright search suggestions for non-US or pre-1978 copyright records?
Added by Joelle Mornini on August 22, 2012 at 10:13am — No Comments
Here's a quick review of Databib, a tool for locating online repositories of research data.
Added by Joelle Mornini on August 21, 2012 at 11:35am — No Comments
Justin Paulsen takes a look at Freescale's increasing litigious business strategy and what is might mean.
While certainly not the only company embarking down the path towards licensing and litigation revenue, Freescale Semiconductors (NYSE: FSL) seems to be showing an increased focus upon this particular segment. From a broader perspective, this raises a number of critical…
Added by James McArdle on August 20, 2012 at 2:51pm — No Comments
ReefEdge Networks LLC (The Plaintiff), Delaware based company has hit four big companies on Aug 15, 2012 in the United States District Court of Delaware for patent infringement. The collective defendants are given below:
Added by Bala Krishnan on August 20, 2012 at 6:41am — No Comments
Kickapoo Run LLC filed a suit against Electronic medical Solutions (EMS) for patent Infringement on Aug 8th 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The Plaintiff Kickapoo owns U.S Patent no: US5961332 which…Continue
Added by Bala Krishnan on August 17, 2012 at 8:23am — No Comments
Jovana Grbic explores a recent case on generic lidocaine patches
ACTION: Infringement of U.S. Patent 5,827,529 (referred to as “529 Patent) by Noven Therapeutics/…
Added by James McArdle on August 16, 2012 at 12:01pm — No Comments
Learn about the latest updates to TotalPatent: Broader coverage has been added, and the system’s bibliographic collection features 100 patent authorities, including 30 in full text. New analytical tools, such as the option to compare and analyze up to three search result sets, and new organizational options, like the ability to create sub-folders and search within a work folder, have also…Continue
Added by Joelle Mornini on August 16, 2012 at 11:08am — No Comments
We take an in-depth look at what's available in their newest tool.
Added by Chris Jagalla on August 15, 2012 at 2:29pm — No Comments
Brennan Coutler has a look at software patents and their place in the current IP system
The patentability of software is a subject of intense debate that needs to end. Both sides of the software patent issue are missing the point. The problem is not be whether software should be patentable, but whether individual patents merit twenty years of…
Added by James McArdle on August 15, 2012 at 11:51am — No Comments
More recently, Amazon began showing more of an interest in IP, but lost an auction to Microsoft for …
Added by James McArdle on August 14, 2012 at 12:26pm — No Comments
Here are three exhibits focusing on inventions and the history of patents that you can visit in the DC area!
Added by Joelle Mornini on August 14, 2012 at 6:50am — No Comments
We have a little fun as well as show you some interesting patents for streaming media.
Added by Chris Jagalla on August 9, 2012 at 3:16pm — No Comments
The Intellogist Blog summarizes and highlight some of the most important information in this just released report.
Added by Chris Jagalla on August 8, 2012 at 2:50pm — No Comments


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AsianScientist (Jul. 12, 2018) – Scientists in China have developed a sensor that can the scent of rotten meat. They published their findings in Nano Letters.
In the US alone, 48 million people get sick from foodborne illnesses every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of these, about 125,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die. Traditionally, many consumers simply smell food to detect spoilage, but this technique is only as reliable as the sniffer’s nose. At the other end of the spectrum, food inspectors often use bulky, expensive equipment to detect harmful microbes.
Scientists are investigating other approaches, including near field communication (NFC) labeling, that are both portable and dependable. NFC devices wirelessly transmit information over short distances—usually less than four inches. They are similar to the radio frequency identification products retailers use to track inventory and shipments.
Building on this idea, researchers led by Professor Pan Lijia at Nanjing University, China, sought to incorporate a sensitive switch into NFC labeling tags to detect food spoilage using a smartphone. The scientists printed a nanostructured, conductive, polymer-based gas sensor that can detect substances called biogenic amines, which give decomposing meat its bad odor.
They embedded these sensors into NFCs placed next to meat. After the meat had been stored for 24 hours at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the researchers found that the sensors successfully detected significant amounts of biogenic amines. The sensors then switched on the NFCs so they could transmit this information to a nearby smartphone.
The researchers noted that their wireless sensor and tagging device could improve the detection of rotten food so that it does not end up on consumers’ plates.
The article can be found at: Ma et al. (2018) Highly Sensitive, Printable Nanostructured Conductive Polymer Wireless Sensor for Food Spoilage Detection.
Source: American Chemical Society; Photo: Pexels.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.


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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Luxembourg-based Orion Engineered Carbons has acquired Evonik's 52% stake, and DEG's 15% stake, in Qingdao Evonik Chemical (QECC), said Chemicals-technology.
QECC is a carbon black joint-venture established by Evonik, DEG and Jiaozhou Finance Investment Center in 1994, in Qingdao, China.
With a production capacity of around 75,000t of carbon black per annum, the plant is equipped with three production lines. Its main manufacturing focus is on high-end carbon black products.
Orion CEO Jack Clem said: "We believe that this acquisition will greatly improve our ability to serve the highly important Chinese market, as well as the rest of the Asia-Pacific, over and above the current use of our global network for exports to that region."
"I am thrilled that our plant in Qingdao will become a key pillar of Orion's base of operations in APAC, joining our two plants in South Korea and our regional headquarters in Shanghai.
"This increased presence will enhance our portfolio of innovative products and solutions that are valued by our customers and business partners."
Initially, Orion will step into the established joint-venture in place of Evonik and DEG.
The company is in talks with the third partner involved in the joint-venture, Jiaozhou Finance Investment Center, regarding the transfer of JFIC shares to Orion in accordance with regulations governing Chinese state-owned enterprises.
The European Commission has already approved Orion's prospective acquisition of QECC, and is waiting for the Chinese government review, and other customary closing conditions. Orion expects to close the deal by the end of this year.
The company offers products for coatings, printing inks, polymers, rubber and other applications, and runs 14 global production sites and four applied technology centres.
As MRC informed earlier, Evonik Industries said in June 2015 completed the acquisition of Monarch Catalyst (Dombivli, India).
Orion Engineered Carbons is a worldwide supplier of Carbon Black. The company offers standard and high-performance products for Coatings, Printing Inks, Polymers, Rubber and other applications. Our high-quality Gas Blacks, Furnace Blacks and Specialty Carbon Blacks tint, colorize and enhance the performance of plastics, paints and coatings, inks and toners, adhesives and sealants, tires, and manufactured rubber goods such as automotive belts and hoses.
Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. In its business activities, which are spread across three segments-Nutrition & Care, Resource Efficiency, and Performance Materials-Evonik’s greatest resources are its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms.


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Dubbed as the ‘Rolex gang’, the syndicate of dangerous criminals who target Rolex owners was caught on camera doing what they do best: striking fear in people’s lives and taking things that don’t belong to them.
Known notoriously across the country by many names, this syndicate of robbers has terrorized the Gauteng region for many months.
They operate in groups and strike unsuspecting victims, usually in their cars or at shopping malls, taking their Rolex watches and other jewellery.
They have been infamously dubbed the “Rolex gang” on social media because of their primary target when robbing people, which is the expensive watch.
People thought their reign had died after six suspects, connected with the watch robbery that took place at the Menlyn shopping mall, were caught by the police in June.
However, they have struck again, and this time the gang made away with Rolex watches and jewellery worth R1.2m.
On Sunday, 1 July 2018, the group of robbers approached an unsuspecting couple in Boksburg and made it off with two Rolex watches, a 5-carat diamond ring and a diamond tennis bracelet.
The couple’s son, who was in the car, described the robbers as “polite” and “gentle”.
The CCTV cameras at the Helderwyk Estate, opposite Carnival City, caught footage of a Ford Ranger pulling up to the gate, then suddenly two men are seen running towards either side of the car and hauling the couple out.
The son, who insisted on remaining anonymous, said that his mom “wants to sell everything. Today she just put the house on the market. She said she doesn’t want anything anymore. She’s selling her cars, she’s selling everything”.
Authorities suspect that the couple had been closely targeted well before the incident occurred. The son corroborates this as he suggests that the robbers only targeted the jewellery and nothing else.
He says that his mom had the wedding ring hidden in her hand and one of the robbers specifically asked her to hand over the ring.
Unfortunately, the items had not been insured as the couple were in the process of moving to another insurer. Also, to add salt to the wound, the police only responded five hours after the robbery, citing the lack of available vehicles as the reason.


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Ghosn joins ranks of executives accused of financial impropriety
Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, arrested in Japan for alleged financial violations and facing removal from his job, looks set to join the unhappy club of prominent corporate chieftains accused of misusing their highly-paid positions for personal gain.
The 64-year-old is accused of underreporting his income and making personal use of company assets, according to a Nissan statement. Ghosn gained near-legendary status in the auto industry by rescuing Nissan from collapse and forging an alliance with Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. He didn’t respond to calls seeking comment.
As the following examples show, such legal cases rarely end well for the accused executives:
• Rodrigo Rato, former chairman of Spain’s Bankia SA, began serving a 4 1/2-year prison sentence in October, after he was convicted of misappropriating company funds. He and 63 other executives at Bankia and savings bank Caja Madrid were found to have used their corporate credit cards to rack up some 12 million euros ($13.8 million) in personal expenses. Rato, a former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has apologized for the so-called Black Cards scheme.
• Martin Sorrell, former CEO of London-based advertising giant WPP Plc, resigned last April from the company he founded and led for three decades following a probe into alleged personal misconduct and misuse of company assets, including allegations that he used WPP funds to pay for sex. Sorrell has denied any wrongdoing, and the company has not disclosed details of the allegations, citing a confidentiality agreement.
• John Visconti, former CEO of the now-bankrupt Hollywood payroll services firm Axium International, was convicted with a co-conspirator of taking more than $5 million from the company and failing to report the income to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. He was sentenced in 2017 to two years in prison and ordered to pay $1.75 million to the IRS.
• Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., was convicted in 2009 of evading taxes by keeping money in bank accounts under other peoples’ names. He was pardoned, but the case is now back in the news, after police in South Korea reported this year they had uncovered 260 fresh accounts under the names of 72 Samsung executives, harboring about 400 billion won ($354 million) in assets belonging to Lee.
• L. Dennis Kozlowski, former CEO of security and fire-detection systems maker Tyco International Ltd., was convicted in 2005 in the U.S. on charges that he stole from the company through unauthorized bonuses and inflated stock gains. He used the proceeds to finance a lavish lifestyle including a $30 million Fifth Avenue apartment and a $15,000 umbrella stand. He served more than eight years in prison.


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How better to make the most natural milkshake drink than to fire a cow out of a cannon?
Milk brand Yazoo has launched this new TV advert as part of a new £3.5 million campaign, which will also include outdoor activity.
WCFA has created the “Milk Shaken Up” push, showing an ordinary day in the life of a Yazoo cow.
During the 30 second TV ad, filmed in South Africa, the cow gets fired out of an old cannon to make the most natural milk shake possible.
The pure and clean nature of the countryside setting complements Yazoo's new healthier recipe credentials, and the unorthodox behaviour of the Yazoo cow highlights the brand’s light-hearted qualities.
The TV campaign first breaks in Ireland this week for one month, and forms part of the brand’s on-going mission to drive growth in the UK flavoured milk category. A print version of the ad will then appear on buses across the UK, running in parallel with a nationwide sampling campaign and on-pack promotions.
In close cooperation with WFCA, Campina repositioned the Yazoo brand in 2008 to appeal to a much wider audience than before. The first phase was completed in November last year and encompassed the introduction of modern packaging and new recipe with real fruit juice and no artificial sweeteners.
This second phase builds further upon the “Milk Shaken Up” campaign, strengthens the creative link and takes the idea on TV.
Marielle de Jong, Marketing Director for FrieslandCampina brands in the UK, said, “The new TV advert should surprise and thrill our target audience. Not only is it reflective of the ‘fun’ side of milkshakes but it also supports our core brand messaging that Yazoo offers all the goodness of milk, is low in fat, and contains natural flavours and real fruit juice. We believe that this new ad, as well as the other components of our new campaign, will captivate consumers and provide retailers with another great opportunity to capitalise on the brand’s popularity."
What do you think of this campaign? Write your review below and could you win a bottle of Champaign in our ‘Review of the Month’ competition.


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Great Lakes Brewing Company, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is releasing a new India-style pale lager made with Dortmunder Gold Lager yeast. Silver & Gold IPL is a limited-edition beer available on draft and four-packs at the brewpub in Cleveland starting June 21. The beer will be available in the market June 24.
"Our silver anniversary isn’t about gold medals," the brewery said in a news release issued Friday. "It’s not about accolades or awards. It’s about 25 years of passion and heart. Silver & Gold IPL represents our past and our present, from the early Dortmunder Gold days to our growing family of beers. Silver & Gold is for our neighbors who’ve shared pints and stories with us in the taproom, for our fans who’ve challenged us to be exceptional from day one, and for us — a bottled reminder of how far we’ve come."
Great Lakes' official 25th anniversary is Sept. 6. On that day, the brewery will host a neighborhood block party featuring live local music, a photo booth, fresh food and merchandise from Ohio City’s artisan vendors.


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Brands have an incredible opportunity to reinvent themselves and to dramatically accelerate their digital transformation, according to David Lloyd, general Manager, UK, Nordics and Netherlands at Alibaba Group. Commenting on the latest BRC-KMPG Retail Sales Monitor, which reported a record
IKEA and Tmall, Alibaba’s B2C marketplace, today announced the grand opening of IKEA’s flagship store on the platform. This is the first time that the world’s biggest furniture brand has made its products available on a third-party marketplace.
China presents a massive growth opportunity for British businesses but they must understand the Chinese consumer, adopt a mobile first strategy and move fast, all of the time.
Mulberry has launched a flagship store on Tmall Luxury Pavilion, Alibaba Group’s dedicated platform for premium brands, the British luxury label announced on Wednesday.
Alibaba’s Tmall said today it expects international and domestic cosmetics brands to open 1,000 shops this year on its platform to meet burgeoning demand from Chinese consumers.
Starbucks and Alibaba today announced a deep, strategic new retail partnership that will enable a seamless Starbucks experience and transform the coffee industry in China. Collaborating across key businesses within the Alibaba ecosystem, including Ele.me, Hema, Tmall, Taobao and Alipay,
Whittard of Chelsea has partnered with Alibaba to sell its range of fine tea, coffee and cocoa to the growing Chinese consumer market through Alibaba’s Tmall Global, one of the largest platforms for brands and retailers in China.
Whittard of Chelsea
Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma’s work as a promoter of easier access to world markets for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was recognized at the G20 summit. The G20 Leaders Communique released on Monday welcomed the recommendation of business leaders
Royal Mail and Alibaba have strengthened their strategic arrangement with the launch of new services to link Chinese sellers directly with UK online shoppers. AliExpress, Alibaba Group’s global retail marketplace for consumers, will offer Chinese exporters new Royal Mail shipping
Close collaboration between the China Britain Business Council and Alibaba, China’s most popular ecommerce website, has resulted in the removal of more than £8m worth of counterfeit versions of UK products. The agreement signed in September 2014 means that more than
Metro Group has announced a strategic partnership with the leading Chinese online and mobile commerce company Alibaba Group to promote business in China’s rapidly growing e-commerce market. According to the agreement signed by both firms today, the German retailing company Metro Group is launching
Royal Mail announced today that it is joining the Chinese e-commerce boom with the launch of its shop front on Alibaba’s Tmall Global e-marketplace, providing Chinese consumers with increased access to premium, authentic and high quality British products. Royal Mail


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The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) has recruited five graduates from Dundee's Abertay University ‘Ethical hacking and Countermeasures' BSc degree to provide affordable services to protect companies - particularly small firms - from cyber-criminals and scammers.
SBRC director Mandy Haeburn-Little issued a statement saying: “We have been working with digital forensic students and ethical hackers for some time now – it is another example of trying to find low cost, yet excellent quality solutions for small to medium sized businesses to keep them safe online.
“They are state of the art in terms of new learning in this field and really creative in their approach to supporting business.
“It's the first time that a subsidised service has been provided to Scotland's business community to root out where security breaches could happen or weaknesses in networks, passwords and privacy settings.”
Assessments range from a £200 cyber-footprint review which assesses what information is available online about a business or an individual and how that can be better managed, to £1,500 upward for a full online security test which looks to identify the risk of unauthorised intrusion from an external or internal source; supply chain assessments can also be made to check the information security of suppliers and sub-contractors.
A newly launched consultation; A Cyber Resilience Strategy for Scotland: Safe, Secure and Prosperous Online is underway to gather views on what can be done to raise awareness and increase resilience online.


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Thousands of jobs and hundreds of new shops will be created as the city’s north is transformed from farmland into a $2 billion retail mecca. At least six major shopping centres are expected to be built in this fast growing northern corridor within the next two years. It will bring large supermarkets, takeaway shops and retail complexes. The $1 billion Coomera Town Centre, is already under construction on Foxwell Rd, while Pimpama City and Hope Island Town Centre are both scheduled to break ground.
An artist’s impression of the Coomera Town Centre.
City leaders say multiple centres will bring thousands of jobs to the northern suburbs, during construction and in the later operational phase. The Coomera Town Centre alone promises to create 1200 jobs during construction and 1600 permanent positions once it opens. The first to finish will be the Pimpama Pit Stop on Jacob’s Well road which is expected to be completed later this year before work begins on the Pimpama City centre. It will feature a petrol station, car/dog wash, and food outlets including Hungry Jacks, Zarraffas and Subway.
City planning boss Cameron Caldwell, whose division includes much of the northern growth corridor, said infrastructure such as shops are being built to match the growth in the area’s population. “For many years we have seen an influx of population to the area without the usual services built to support the growth,” he said. “The recent addition of shopping centres has brought a better balance and now these applications provide opportunity for both shopping and employment closer to people’s homes. “The increase in commercial development shows confidence in the retail sector.”
Pimpama City is set to open in late 2018 and will include two supermarkets, about 26 speciality shops and a tavern. Two other major supermarkets are planned for Ormeau’s Eggersdorf Rd and Uppera Coomera’s Brygon Creek Drive. However, Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce president Gary Mays warned the rapid increase in retail offerings had the potential to saturate the market. “We do not want to see the market flooded because the smaller ones could be hit hard once Coomera Town Centre opens,” he said.
The $500 million first stage of the town centre is expected to be around 61,000sq m, with the centre to eventually include a cinema, offices and a nightclub, a multilevel department store, a dining precinct, an outdoor beach and multiple commercial retail spaces. The two stages will cover around 83,000sq m.
Shopping’s Magnetic North.
Pimpama Pit Stop
Location: Pimpama, Jacobs Well Road
Developer: Rix Developments
Value $6 million (split with Pimpama City)
Status: Construction underway, opening in September
Will include: Hungry Jacks, Zarraffa’s and Subway, A Mexican restaurant, pizza and suish
Location: Brygon Creek Drive
Value: More than $1 million
Construction begins 2018, due for opening in December 2019
Will include: A supermarket, plus at least five retail outlets.
Hope Island Town Centre
Location: Marina Quays Blvd
Developer: Lennon Lin
Value: $1 billion
Construction expected to start late 2017
Will include: Upmarket retail outlets, Two supermarkets, restaurants, private school, medical precinct and commercial space.
Work on the $1 billion Coomera Town Centre, which will include 123 specialty stores and nine
cinemas, is already under way.
Coomera Town Centre
Location: Foxwell Road
Value $1 billion
Status: Construction underway
Will include: An outdoor beach, two supermarkets, two discount department stores, a nine cinema complex, six mini major tenancies, 123 specialty shops, a fruit and vegetable market, 61 food outlets and 22 kiosks.”
Pimpama City Shopping Centre
Developer Rix Developments
Value $6 million (split with Pit Stop)
Status: Construction begins late 2017
Will include: Two supermarkets including Coles and Aldi, 26 speciality shops, a bottleshop
Coles Shopping Centre, Ormeau
Location: Eggersdorf Road
Developer: Coles Group
Value: More than $1 million
Status: Construction expected 2018
Will include: A supermarket, Liquor land, a medical centre and various shopping/food and drink outlets.
The North’s traffic.
Motorists in the booming northern suburbs are not expected to encounter the grid lock traffic elsewhere on the Gold Coast because of proper foresight, an academic says.
Griffith University traffic and urban design expert Matthew Burke said planning for road infrastructure around major shopping centres was essential and, around the major
developments planned for the city’s northern corridor, had been properly considered. “Big shopping centres require significant infrastructure and place huge demand on the road network so these need to be planned really well.
“If the traffic sequence is wrong, if the driveways are in the wrong place, you can create great problems and prevent free flowing traffic. “However, we have seen significant long term planning for new infrastructure in the city’s north and this has filtered down to neighbourhood planning.”
Dr Burke said the road network in the city’s north was well setup for the increasing development in the area.“We are never going to be in the situation where we have dramatic open roads with empty space at peak hour but we are keeping up with the demand in terms of infrastructure in the area,” he said.Gold Coast City Council said the lion’s share of its $100 million plus pend on road upgrades in this year’s budget would be used on key arterial roads around major developments in the northern suburbs. Foxwell Road, where the $1 billion Coomera Town Centre development is under construction, will be widened.
Deputy Mayor and Pimpama Councillor Donna Gates. Photo: Jerad Williams Deputy Mayor and Pimpama Councillor Donna Gates said roads would be upgraded to take in the development boom in the area, taking pressure off the existing East West traffic. “Every approval is considered by either the council’s traffic planners or the Department of
Transport and Main Roads in terms of the added impact on the road networks,” she said. Key business groups such as the Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce have lobbied for improved funding to road upgrades in the fast growing northern corridor.
Andrew Potts , Gold Coast Bulletin report.


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Will Facebook manage to hold the pole position in the race among the various online social media websites, applications and platforms, and make Zuckerberg an even wealthier person?
Or will its good fortune, slowly but steadily, become a thing of the past, a distant nostalgic memory for Facebook’s teenage members of today?
The case of Facebook fatigue
After enjoying an incredible level of success, measured by the ever-growing number of its members, recent surveys and little talk among Facebook users show that, especially its younger audience, has started to lose interest in the most popular online social media.
Alternatively, they have chosen to spend more time in competitor social media websites, for example, on Twitter, Tumblr and Reddit, to name a few.
What are the reasons of Facebook fatigue?
i) Emerging Facebook competitor sites
Since Facebook has been a successful online communication and business model, which has earned its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, a legendary fortune, it was just a matter of time when Facebook clone, similar or alternative websites would make their appearance online and “steal” a percentage of Facebook’s user base.
ii) Users losing interest fast
Members of Facebook who have become disenchanted after the initial “madness” about this new social media trend, now head towards other more trendy online social networks.
iii) Emergence of niche social media sites
Just like in other areas of the Internet, going niche may be the future of having a successful presence online. Therefore, a number of new or existing social media platforms have made the decision to serve a focused and targeted niche of Internet users, posing a serious threat in Facebook’s success story.
iv) Social media sites where users are paid for their activity
Websites like Redgage, Bubblews, Xomba and a big number of online writing websites in the form of paid ezines, have attracted a considerable level of online engagement and participation, again taking away existing or potential active users from Facebook.
v) Lack of time
A day has 24 hours and, although a lot of Facebook users used to spend an overwhelming amount of time on Facebook in its first years of operation, when it was still considered an online novelty, other obligations, like work and family have reclaimed their fair share of time in users' lives.
What are the countries with the biggest losses?
Despite the fact that the number of active Facebook members is actually growing in developing countries, there is a significant percentage of those living in western countries wich have decided to deactivate their Facebook accounts or they simply won’t log in.
Will it affect the future of Facebook, and Mark Zuckerberg's fortune?
Of course, no definite answer can be given to this question.
Although growth in Facebook membership numbers seems to subside, nearly one billion of active users worldwide are enough to ensure financial stability and prosperity for Facebook as a business entity. Facebook has already grown as a network so much, to the point that its most active (and probably most profitable) users find it hard to switch to another social media network.
What can Facebook do to face the problem?
It looks like Facebook is doomed to keep growing, in order to stay ahead of competition.
Its vast capital resources can be used to acquire any new websites that pose a serious threat to its profitability and existence, as it has already done in the case of Instagram.
Actually, Facebook could follow the business strategy of Google, buying strategically important websites and applications (like Google did with Youtube, Blogger, etc.) to maintain its position as the top and most popular online social media all over the world.
How old is the term "Facebook fatigue"?
If one attempts to search online and find the earliest date when this term was first used, they would be surprised to discover that there are references in online articles dating as back as 2007.
Yes, Facebook fatigue has been around for quite a few years now, and, contrary to common belief and predictions by so-called experts, it did not prove sufficient to cripple down Facebook's online dominance, as it has already managed to achieve continuous unsurpassed development and growth and be worth of billions of dollars, starting virtually from nothing.
Facebook fatigue among teens should freak out marketers
“Facebook fatigue” stirs investor concern
Facebook fatigue or Facebook fracture?
Facebook fatigue-It’s real
Why do we have Facebook fatigue?


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OPINION: The company that makes dairy products under “The Collective” brand, and which copped a nearly $500,000 fine for failing…
Displaying items by tag: Theo Spierings
FONTERRA HAS reduced its forecast farmgate milk price for the 2014/15 season from $7 to $6/kgMS and announced an estimated dividend range of 20-25 cents per share
FONTERRA IS "very confident" with its legal position in the Danone case and has budgeted just $11 million, says Lukas Paravicini, chief financial officer.
FONTERRA PLANS to spent up to an extra $500 million to increase capacity through its plants, with emerging market demand growing faster than expected, says chief executive Theo Spierings.
Fonterra has appointed Pascal De Petrini as managing director of its Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA) business unit.
Fonterra chairman John Wilson and chief executive Theo Spierings will lead a board of directors' visit to China next week to meet with Fonterra management and key stakeholders.
Fonterra is in damage control as its export markets react to potentially contaminated whey protein concentrate ending up in infant formula and other dairy products.


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Lawson Heights Mall mural highlights importance of bees
Lawson Heights Mall in Saskatoon is celebrating World Bee Day with the unveiling of a mural on Friday and the installation of bee hotels on the mall’s roof.
It highlights the importance of bees to the community, said Tammy Krueckl, the projects manager with Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Programming (SCYAP) who created the mural.
“Bees are so important to our ecosystem, so when we started designing this project for the Lawson Heights Mall and Safeway, we knew we wanted to incorporate bees and honeycombs into our design,” Krueckl said in a statement.
The mural, in the enclosed corridor between the mall and Safeway, features colourful fruits and vegetables on a honeycomb background.
WATCH (March 2019): Honey bees can help monitor pollution in cities
“The mural really brightens up the hallway at Lawson Heights Mall and the bees remind us of their importance to fresh produce,” said Tara Faris-Peters, the general manager of Lawson Heights Mall.
“We are delighted to be working with a community group like SCYAP on this important project.”
Several bee hotels will be placed on the roof of the mall, away from the entrances, to support pollination efforts, mall officials said.
World Bee Day is May 20.


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Mastercard has expanded Mastercard Instalments, its unique and innovative Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) programme that delivers greater choice at checkout, both in-store and online, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. The BNPL programme will meet growing consumer demand for flexible, digital-first payment options, and support the region’s e-commerce ecosystem through a new program focused on providing consumers choice.
Mastercard Instalments – set to go live later this year – uses the power of the company’s trusted network to make BNPL available to millions of consumers and merchants worldwide. It enables banks, lenders, FinTech companies and wallets to offer a variety of flexible instalment options to consumers, including a 0% interest, pay-in-four model. Implementation is handled by Mastercard and the acquirer, with no lift to the merchant, to offer this new payment choice and no disruption to the existing customer experience.
Mastercard is working with leading partners representing a significant market share in the region, including Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADBC), Network International and National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (RAKBANK) in the UAE, and Saudi National Bank (SNB) in Saudi Arabia. The solution sits alongside several bespoke BNPL go-to-market models that Mastercard is developing with its digital partners across a variety of sectors including mobility, retail and marketplaces.
“Above everything, consumers today demand flexibility and choice. With Mastercard Instalments, we want to give people the choice to pay how, when and where they want. This most recent product innovation builds on the trust between businesses and their customers with Buy Now, Pay Later options benefitting everyone in the ecosystem. As Mastercard continues to design solutions for an evolving digital economy, we see BNPL becoming a standard for shopping and we look forward to implementing this offering in the UAE and Saudi Arabia later this year,” said Khalid Elgibali, Division President for the Middle East and North Africa, Mastercard.
The Mastercard Instalments programme helps merchants scale BNPL offerings to consumers to turn convenience into a competitive advantage. BNPL solutions have been shown to increase average sales by 45% and reduce cart abandonment by 35% post-implementation. Mastercard Instalments provides seamless merchant integration with a streamlined process for millions of merchants who already accept Mastercard. Meanwhile, acquiring banks can offer instalments capabilities to their entire merchant base with minimal, simple integration.
Fuelled by changing consumer spending habits during the pandemic, BNPL adoption continues to accelerate globally. In addition to consumer demand, the momentum is being driven by issuer and merchant desire to deliver new, complementary ways for consumers to shop both in-store and online.Click below to share this article


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Around 1000 affected riders signed up on the first day of registration for the e-scooter trade-in grant.
GrabFood and Foodpanda released their company’s terms for the trade-in grant this week following the government’s announcement of the S$7 million grant scheme to help affected riders.
Reports estimate that around 7,000 food delivery riders will be affected by the recent government ban on e-scooters on footpaths.
Affected food delivery riders may trade in their e-scooters for a bicycle or an electric bicycle co-subsidized by the government and the food delivery companies.
GrabFood announced that more than 20 percent of its affected riders have signed up for the grant yesterday. More than a third of GrabFood’s riders use e-scooters to deliver orders.
In comparison, an estimated one-third of Foodpanda’s 960 e-scooter riders have signed up online to trade-in their devices for bicycles as initially reported by Channel News Asia.
The Land Transport Authority will check the applications to prevent duplicates. Foodpanda also advised of a potential delay in e-bicycle deliveries due to the surge in orders.
GrabFood and Foodpanda riders can also rent bicycles for free from SGBikes while they wait for the e-bicycle replacement.
Deliveroo declined to provide figures about rider registrations but confirmed that its eligible riders have begun signing up yesterday. The company was the last to announce its terms for the trade-in scheme.
Deliveroo stated that riders who completed 20 orders between Oct 9 and Nov 7 are qualified for the full amount of the grant while those who completed less than 20 orders will get 80 percent of the grant.
The remaining 20 percent will be given once they complete 20 more orders within a month of getting the new bicycle./TISG
Send in your scoops to firstname.lastname@example.org


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Capture sales leadsA survey can help qualify possible sales leads. Use a short survey to find out which of your products or programs customers are interested in, or whether they’re looking for something you don’t offer (yet).7. Evaluate customer satisfactionIf you’re selling or accepting donations on your site, you probably send a follow up email to confirm, right? Add a link to a survey or poll in that email and find out if your customers are satisfied with the purchase process, and what you can do to make it better.RELATED: How to Get Feedback from Your Customers8.
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The companies in the Fintech sector want to take advantage of the current situation and place themselves at the core of financial transactions. In the United States, in these times of health crisis, several departments of the new financial industry have contacted the American government to lend a hand.
Starting this April, financial aid will be distributed to millions of people across the country. However, the colossal processing of data and the risk that some households will not be helped for several months has led the fintech sector to prove indispensable. This is a crucial period and one that is full of interest for mobile payment services.
Download our companion app, Born2Invest, and discover how the fintech sector can benefit from the current situation. Read the most important financial headlines and stay on top of the market.
A “helicopter money” recovery plan
In just two weeks, the health crisis related to the coronavirus outbreak has put more than 10 million Americans out of work. For the first time, the concept of economic recovery called “monetary helicopter” – which appeared in 1969 by a theory of Milton Friedman – seems to be the solution taken into account by Donald Trump.
The president of the U.S confirmed at the end of March that he intends to help households and businesses by offering $1,200 for singles, $2,400 for married couples, and an additional $500 for each dependent child under age 17.
The plan is simple: to restore purchasing power in these times of crisis, so as not to sink businesses. This is an unprecedented recovery plan that bypasses all monetary and fiscal policy intermediaries, but that risks putting the government in the face of numerous constraints.
On Friday, April 3rd, a note stated that more than 60 million cheques should be sent out from mid-April. However, millions of them would not have arrived at their destination before the week of August 17th, five months from now. A catastrophic schedule, but an opportunity for fintech companies to take advantage of it and to propose its alternatives.
“Let Fintech help you”
Never before has the fintech sector experienced such an interesting period as this coronavirus crisis. If in Africa the dematerialization of payments has become part of monetary policy plans, in the United States the new payment solutions services also have a card to play in helping the government. “Let fintech help,” Plaid CEO Zach Perret said on Twitter. The man behind the startup (recently bought by Visa for $5.3 billion), wants the government to work with them so that these payments to households can be dematerialized, and therefore sent faster.
The idea is shared by a significant number of other startups. The speed of sending is a strong argument that the fintech sector wants to take advantage of promoting today, but it is not the only argument put forward. The government will be able to make direct transfers without using cheques, but the reality is not so simple: more than 14 million Americans do not have a bank account, and more than 28 million will have to wait months for their paper cheque because their bank account is not linked to the tax authorities. A window opens to the various players in mobile payment services.
“We have the technology to transmit money to everyone (including those without a bank account). Square and many of our fintech partners can help the US government,” said Jack Dorsey on Twitter. On the social network he co-founded, the CEO of the electronic payment company Square is calling on legislators to work with his service, which will respond to various issues that the government is going to have to deal with, and fall behind.
The Cash App solution
In this case, the big favorites are PayPal and Square. In his various tweets last week, Jack Dorsey mentioned that the two online payment giants could cross their technologies so that the government could use their platforms to make direct payments to Americans. In a report by CNN Business, it is noted that the two companies have already had discussions with the Treasury to promote Cash App and Venmo, the two platforms developed respectively by Square and PayPal.
“Consumers who don’t have a bank account with the IRS – about 28 million Americans – would be forced to receive a paper check in the mail and have to wait several months, whereas if they open a Cash App account, they could receive their money faster,” explained Jason Gardner, CEO of the payment card company Marqeta. A help for the United States, and above all an opportunity for Cash App.
The app has 24 million U.S. customers, and in 2019 it will have an operating profit of $458 million, an increase of 135%. Helping the IRS and the Treasury would mean transactions of more than $250 billion of the $2 trillion U.S. global aid package. A treasury.
DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Born2Invest, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.
This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.
First published in PRESSECITRON, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.
Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.
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Toyota is recalling a total of 423,500 examples of the RAV4 and RAV4 EV because their windshield wipers can corrode.
Toyota RAV4 Recalls
Toyota is recalling sixteen models from the 2009 to 2013 model years over a potential issue with passenger seat airbag calibration. In spite of the large number of different Toyotas covered by the recall, just 3,235 units are included. These were vehicles installed with accessories like leather seat covers and headrest DVD systems by Southeast Toyota Distributors, and during the modifications the passenger seat occupant sensor system might not have been calibration tested. If the sensors aren't
Toyota has announced that it will recall a total of 778,000 units that may have been manufactured with improperly-tightened nuts on the rear suspension. The manufacturer says around 760,000 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 models and 18,000 2010 Lexus HS 250h units may have fasteners that were not torqued to the correct specification during alignment.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has grown its investigation into certain Toyota models to cover a full 1.4 million cars and trucks. Reuters reports the government safety agency has upgraded the investigation to a full-blown engineering analysis, which may eventually lead to a recall. NHTSA has received a number of complaints concerning fires tied to models built between September 2006 and August 2008 that use the same power window master switch design. All told, customers have
Toyota has announced that it's voluntarily recalling approximately 2.17 million vehicles due to possible pedal entrapment issues. In case you've forgotten about Toyota's massive recall from last year, this new issue affects 2.17 million more vehicles where the driver's side floor mat can become a potential hazard. Uh oh.
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Get recall details from the NHTSA and find out what to do if your car been recalled.


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Seven O-licence applications and decisions that caught our eye this week - 6 October 2017
DHL International (UK) has applied for an increase in authorisation at its Shortwood Court, Shortwood Business Park, Hoyland, Barnsley site to nine vehicles and five trailers. It also wants to remove its Amberley Court, Sheffield depot from its O-licence.
Abbey Logistics Group would like 12 vehicles and 12 trailers at a new operating centre in Kiln Lane, Stallingborough.
Travis Perkins has permission for 40 vehicles and 55 trailers in Cold Stores Road, Queen Alexandra Dock, Cardiff.
Royal Mail Group is seeking a new operating centre in Weston Avenue, West Thurrock, Grays, where it would like 25 vehicles and 25 trailers.
Bibby Supply Chain Services can operate four vehicles from Suzuki GB’s site in Steinbeck Crescent, Snelshall West, Milton Keynes.
Fowler Welch would like 10 vehicles and 15 trailers in Barrow Man Road, Birchington, Kent.
Macintyre Transport has applied for 11 vehicles and 11 trailers at Barton Dock Road, Stretford, Manchester.


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One of the significant takeaways from blockchain-related market surveys is that blockchain is still a relatively young concept in the mainstream market, and its implementation is not yet widespread. However, blockchain technology has lately been adopted at multiple levels of the business environment.
Blockchain solutions have been showing up in the fields of utilities, healthcare, supply-chain management, payments, agriculture, government, and has been proven to be the best-proven technology for e-governance services. The global blockchain market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 91% from the year 2019 to 2025. According to the recent Blockchain Government Market Research Report Forecast, the global blockchain government trade is foretold to reach +USD 7500 Mn by 2025.
Blockchain, in India, has witnessed an increased awareness among various states and banks. While states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka have been exploring blockchain for e-governance, banks, through numerous consortia like Bankchain and others have wholeheartedly explored and adopted blockchain for multiple applications.
With that here are the recent blockchain-related developments this week:
Fintech firm, Signzy partners with Primechain
Bengaluru based fintech firm, Signzy has joined hands with the Pune based blockchain startup Primecahin technologies to collaborate on developing AI-led smart banking solutions for banks & financial institutions.
The company expects its first pre-integrated solution to be launched by December 2019 that will help fast-track the digital transformation of financial institutions and banks, in India and abroad.
The company’s smart banking solutions would integrate AI and blockchain technologies to automate and fully-digitize back-office operations. The firm also stated that digitizing back-office operations were amongst the most complex processes for banks. The solution would allow the banks to work with higher efficiency and to their full potential in operations and simultaneously deliver a better customer experience across their range of products.
Mastercard, R3 partners to develop blockchain cross-border payments platform
Payment giant Mastercard partners with blockchain firm R3 to co-develop a blockchain-powered cross-border payments platform. It will be initially focussed on connecting global faster payments infrastructures, schemes, and banks supported by a clearing and settlement network operated by Mastercard.
By combining the expertise of R3 in blockchain with Mastercard’s existing payment system assets, brand and distribution, the partnership aims to provide an increasingly innovative, value-added services for its customers. The partnership is the most advanced step in Mastercard’s multi-rail strategy in providing customers with an unrivaled choice in how they move money.
Blockchain to raise VC fund worth $50 million
London based startup Blockchain is reportedly in talks with its existing and new investors to raise another virtual capital fund worth $50 million. The company is backed by reputed investors which include Lightspeed, Google, and Richard Branson.
According to sources, Sam Harrison, who joined Blockchain from Naspers Ventures in the July of 2018, has been heading up the effort. Harrison’s Linkedin profile states that he “co-founded Blockchain.com Ventures – $50m Venture Capital Fund.” Further, it mentions that the fund has already invested in crypto startups like Origin Protocol, Sliver.tv, Coindirect, and Nodle.
Some similar VC funds include Google Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and M12, Microsoft’s venture fund.
KR1 unveils 3 new investments in blockchain-based firms
Europe’s digital investment firm, KKR1 has unveiled new investments in three blockchain-based technology firms. Founded in 2016, the investment firm supports early-stage decentralized and open-source blockchain projects.
The firm has invested $154.6 thousand in the Nym Protocol project, an open-source & decentralized network that permits developers to build applications that protect against leakage of metadata & information which can include things such as contact information, the origin, and destination of messages.
The business has also made additional investments in Nexus Mutual, a firm attempting to create a blockchain-based mutual insurance platform, and Alice Si, a social funding platform venturing to use blockchain to improve scale and allocate funds to social projects.


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PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in the UK for a second month in a row.
Sony’s new console enjoyed its second biggest month so far, and it’s already overtaken PlayStation Vita, Wii U and Dreamcast in terms of sales in the UK.
This is based on GfK Entertainment data.
There was new stock of Xbox Series X and S as well, which saw a boost in sales for Microsoft’s new machines. It means that for the first time in years, Nintendo Switch was in third-place for the month.
However, Switch sales continue to trend upwards. Year-to-date, the console is up 13.6%


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JOHOR BARU: Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Club (JDT) has announced a partnership with world renowned Aston Martin Asia that will further emphasise the Southern Tigers as a leading football brand in the region.
The partnership would also see Aston Martin release a limited edition JDT themed design for their range of cars that will be sold by the club.
"We are proud and delighted to have reached an agreement with the brand's headquarters based in the United Kingdom and Asia office.
"The partnership with the British auto racing outfit is not only very valuable monetarily to JDT, but is also a deep-rooted relationship that is going to develop opportunities for JDT, Johor and Aston Martin Racing in various areas over the coming years,” said the club in a statement here on Tuesday (July 27).
The partnership can also be described as "champions in their respective fields teaming up", as JDT are the current seven times consecutive Malaysia Super League winners, while Aston Martin Racing are the 2020 Le Mans Endurance champion.
JDT are winning on the field with consistent success and dominating headlines off the pitch with its world-class infrastructure, brand power and relationships with renowned international clubs, personnel, organisations and business entities.
Aston Martin Racing is one of the many international brands currently on board with the Southern Tigers. Among the other renowned international sponsors and partners include Unicef, Nike, Hublot, Subway, F&N, SWAG EV and more.
The ties with international brands also signify the club's massive growth in brand power and stature both domestically and internationally since Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim established JDT in 2013.


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An international colloquium on the cyber space ends today in Yaounde.
“It is important to understand the challenges of our cyber space with the view of strengthening the digital confidence of citizens. This will create an enabling environment for the development of the digital economy of Cameroon and Africa in general.” The Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo, made the statement on May 6, 2021 as he opened the first Multidisciplinary Colloquium-University of Dschang on Cyber Criminality and Cyber Security in Cameroon and Africa. Discussions at the colloquium will end today in Yaounde with focus on the economic, judicial and technical environments as far as cyber security and cyber criminality are concerned.
The colloquium was an opportunity for the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minnette Libom Li Likeng, in the presence of other government ministers, to reiterate what the government is doing to curb cyber criminality in the country. Besides defining strategies, policies to curb cyber criminality in the country as well as securing the country’s cyber space, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications said a vast campaign is taking place to sensitise the population on cyber security.
Organised by the University of Dschang, the Rector, Tsafack Nanfosso said the colloquium is his institution’s contribution in solving problems affecting the development of the country. He noted that different department of the University of Dschang and specialised institutions are carrying out research actions, which contribute in curbing cyber criminality in Cameroon while ensuring cyber security.


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In case you somehow missed it, Amazon made it official this morning that its new 50,000-person second headquarters was going to be split into two 25,000-person sites, one in the Long Island City section of New York City and one across the river from Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Virginia. (Nashville, Tennessee, will also get an “Operations Center of Excellence,” which is maybe not the name you want to give your corporate outpost if people are already worried your company is an Orwellian nightmare.)
Attached to its press release, Amazon included the full memoranda of understanding for the New York, Arlington, and Nashville deals — since my purpose in life somehow seems to have evolved into reading these damn things and figuring out what’s hidden in them, I sat down to write up an analysis of the New York deal for Gothamist. The upshot: Between the city and the state, Amazon will cash in at least $2.5 billion in checks from the public (and probably more like $3 billion — see update below) in the form of tax breaks and other goodies. With Jeff Bezos in line for about another $1 billion from Virginia and a pittance of $60 million from Nashville — hardly worth counting the bills, honestly — that’s about $4 billion that America’s richest man will be raking in for the trouble of holding a year-long bidding war before doing whatever he wanted anyway.
A few further notes on this, from our usual perspective of sports subsidies:
- Damn, that is a chunk of change. Yes, an Amazon headquarters is arguably more valuable than a sports stadium — there’s no way even the busiest sports venue will employ 25,000 workers, and those it does employ only be there a few hours a day during the season of whatever sport it hosts — but even the Steinbrenners have never managed a $4 billion payday. Neither did Elon Musk. (Though Boeing did, and celebrated by laying off workers.)
- Modern subsidies are really hard to keep count of. Amazon’s press release fessed up to $1.5 billion in subsidies from New York and $573 million from Virginia, but that didn’t count $200 million from each state for bonus jobs created over 25,000, nor a $300 million infrastructure fund in Arlington, nor about $1.3 billion in off-the-rack tax breaks from New York City (I included $900 million of those in my Gothamist article, the New York Post’s Nolan Hicks found another $386 million), nor an additional infrastructure slush fund that will be created in New York from payments in lieu of property taxes. I’ve been staring at this thing all day and I still don’t feel 100% confident there aren’t additional hidden costs lurking about — which is par for the course for both sports and non-sports subsidy deals.
- Subsidies aren’t what determine location decisions. We’ve seen this before in sports, where team owners have used the threat of going elsewhere to shake down the cities they already want to be in for cash. But it’s especially bald-faced in this case, where other states offered as much as $8.5 billion for Amazon’s hand, only to have Bezos say, Sorry, our first love is big cities where techies want to live. At which point you have to wonder: If Amazon was going to go to NYC and D.C. anyway, why did those locales bother coughing up so much public money? As with sports venues, cities could be thinking, “These people on the other side of the table need us more than we need them” — but they’re largely not.
Anyway: New York just threw a giant wad of cash at Amazon, Arlington can comfort itself that its wad is at least a bit smaller, and all the cities that missed out don’t get the new jobs, but do get to keep their money. There’s probably a lesson in here somewhere, but given that everyone involved is steadfastly refusing to learn it, it’s hardly worth spelling it out.


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Web services data provider Xignite is creating a new segment within its platform sales business to focus on selling its cloud-based data platform to financial institutions looking to create on-demand data delivery solutions to serve their internal users as well as their clients. Xignite's white-labeled, on-demand data platform has initially been targeted at data vendors and exchanges-with CME Group,...
- Nasdaq CEO Bob Greifeld: Slow and Steady
- Dancing in the Dark: Fraud Shapes Dark Pools
- Sell-Side Technology Awards 2016: Best Sell-Side Market Risk Product— MSCI
- Electronifie Seeks to Double Enabled Traders, Triple Active Users By Year End
- Sell-Side Technology Awards 2016: All the Winners and Why they Won


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Skyports expands to South Korea via drone delivery joint venture
UK-based Skyports Drone Services is expanding its international operations into South Korea through a joint venture with local company Marine Drone Tech (MDT) and will initially work to launch specialized ship-to-shore UAV deliveries.
The South Korea joint venture will be known as Skyports Drone Services Korea and will act as a local delivery unit of the wider group, which also includes vertiport specialist Skyports Infrastructure. The company is already setting up operations in Busan and Yeosu, both of which are port cities toward the southern end of the Korean peninsula. Those locations reflect the early focus of Skyports Drone Services Korea on maritime deliveries to offshore ships.
Read: Dubai sets 2026 goal for eVTOL air taxi launch, and praises Joby and Skyports Infrastructure
Skyports Drone Services made its first foray into that specialized shore-to-ship delivery market in 2022, when it successfully conducted proof of concept flights…


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YouTube, Google and Apple Take Steps Towards Combating Online Anti-Semitism
Although hate and terror groups continue to thrive on the web, recent decisions made by Apple, Google, and YouTube were praised by anti-hate groups as positive steps towards preventing the spread of anti-Semitism on their platforms.
A Hezbollah application that streamed videos from Lebanese satellite network Al-Manar was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Sunday, according to tech media website CNET.
Al-Manar has been on the US State Department’s Terrorism Exclusion List since December 2004 as it is believed to be the propaganda arm for Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based terror organization which many believe to be responsible for the July terror attack in Burgas, Bulgaria that killed five Israelis and a Bulgarian bus driver.
Abraham H. Foxman, Anti Defamation League National Director, praised Apple and Google’s decision, saying, “Al-Manar is a source for anti-American and anti-Israel propaganda and messages of hate and violence. We commend Apple for removing the app from the iTunes store and appreciate their vigilance in ensuring that terrorist-affiliated organizations will not have access to Apple’s customers.”
On Wednesday the Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) in Australia released a report documenting one YouTube user who uploaded over one thousand videos in a single day “the majority of which were blatant hate speech,” and remained on the site for nearly a month, until YouTube closed the user’s account within 24 hours of receiving an advance copy of OHPI’s report.
“YouTube must be commended for its speedy response to OHPI’s report,” said OHPI’s CEO, Dr Andre Oboler. “But it is concerning that such hateful content, and in such volume in a single account, was able to remain on the YouTube site for over a month without triggering internal warnings.”
According to the report, one particular video had been flagged several times, and YouTube was even notified by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) of the offending video before taking action.
The OHPI was established in January “to combat online hate and to reduce the emotional and physical harm that such hate can cause,” according to the organization’s release.


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Next year the quarterly will bump up to six-times-a-year frequency. It will also codify its trademark whimsy-laden approach to the rich-guy's life-which will remain overseen by Editor Christopher Buckley, the noted writer and humorist-into a more standardized magazine format, with regular departments covering, for instance, cars, home design and travel.
"It becomes a real magazine at this point," Mr. Buckley said. "I greatly fear I will have to work a lot harder."
The title will likely double edit staff to around 14, Mr. Buckley said, and under new VP-Publisher Jack Laschever, Forbes FYI will have a few dedicated sales staff. An insider put the investment in the low seven figures.
"A quarterly magazine doesn't have the critical mass advertisers need," said Forbes' President-Publisher Jim Berrien. Additionally, Mr. Berrien touted an increased ability to offer advertisers multi-title packages.
Forbes FYI is polybagged alongside its mother title and sent to its subscribers, which numbered about 880,000 at the end of last year. A one-time ad page in FYI costs around $43,000, Mr. Laschever said, but that will increase when the frequency changes.
The ad downturn from which business magazines are just now beginning to emerge led to distress at Forbes, which cut staff, stopped matching employee contributions to 401(k) plans and sold off family art. But one executive familiar with the company said earlier this year it gave out raises. And another insider paints the investment in FYI as evidence the company senses a rosier future.
"These are Scots. They hate spending money," Mr. Buckley said, referring to the Forbes brothers.


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NANTUCKET, Mass. — Whole Foods Market said at an analyst conference here last week it plans to charge a monthly fee of about $40 or $50 when it begins opening in-store wellness clubs later this year. As previously reported, Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods plans to test five of the clubs, which will offer nutrition education, discounts on groceries and other health-related benefits. In a press release on Whole Foods' website, the company said the first of the wellness clubs — an outgrowth ...
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April 6, 2018
“Spin Master has experienced incredible organic growth over the past 18 years. We are taking the next step in our company’s evolution with focus on growth by targeting the right acquisitions,” says Ben Gadbois, president and chief operating officer, Spin Master. “We anticipate today’s announcement will be the first of many new business opportunities over the next 24 months.”
Spin Master plans to reinvent the Hyper Dash and Spy Gear brands with a fresh approach over the coming months.
“We feel that there is great opportunity to breathe freshness, excitement and engage kids for these new Spin Master brands,” says Anton Rabie, co-chief executive officer and founder, Spin Master. “Over the last two years we have been extremely focused on building the company by searching for the right acquisitions that fit with our core capabilities to innovate and market.”
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SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, is rolling out a multi-faceted program to support the thriving off-road market. SEMA's promotion of off-roading will be previewed at the SEMA Spring Expo 2004 in Indianapolis in March with an off-road proving ground. The promotion is intended to add excitement to SEMA's regional trade show for auto and truck accessories and jump-start the program for the next year.
The association's effort will culminate with the introduction of an off-road pavilion at SEMA Spring Expo 2005, according to Christopher J. Kersting, SEMA president and CEO.
The multi-faceted program will include SEMA publications and education programs as well as trade show efforts.
The 2004 SEMA Spring Expo is set for Friday-Saturday, March 5-6, at the Indiana Convention Center. SEMA Show 2004 is scheduled for Tuesday- Friday, Nov. 2-5, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. SEMA Spring Expo 2005 is scheduled for Friday-Saturday, Feb. 4-5, at the Indiana
Convention Center, Indianapolis.


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Apple Music has flopped – even though it’s free
When Apple Music went live in July, it managed to acquire an impressive 11 million subscribers within a month of release. However, as the service is only free for three months, by October, it is expected that many users will revert to their previous music streaming services such as Spotify.
After the three-month trial period expires, users will have to pay $9.99 per month for individual accounts or $14.99 for a shared plan.
Apple Music was released after the company’s purchase of Beats Music for $3 billion in order to take on Spotify for dominance of the music streaming market. Apple had hoped that its iTunes business would allow them to attract customers and record labels from their competition, however, they appear to have been unsuccessful.
Jim Dalrymple of The Loop said he had high expectations for Apple Music, even going so far as to say he would have selected it as his music streaming service of choice had it been successful. Unfortunately, he – like many other customers – was disappointed with the service, choosing to disable Apple Music and return to his default music streamer.
Unsurprisingly, Apple is far from catching up with the current dominant music streaming services. Spotify has 75 million active users on its free service, with 20 million subscribed to its $9.99 a month premium service. Pandora also managed to boast a user base in excess of 70 million in the last quarter.
Whilst Apple may not have achieved their goal of toppling Spotify, they still have a huge pool of potential customers to draw from. There are over 800 million devices connected to iTunes (which is linked to Apple Music), meaning Apple has still got a large supply of potential subscribers from which to tap.


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Friday, July 2, 2010
The Wall Street Journal tweeted today that Microsoft axed the Kin. It appears that Microsoft's timing could have been better. The Kin was released while Apple fans lined up to buy the latest version of the iPhone. Apple has made a huge comeback in recent years. The fact that the iPhone sold out so quickly tells you that Apple knows what its customers want and delivers it to them. It looks like Microsoft is guessing what their customers want and is off target. For now at least, Microsoft's loss is your gain. If you are into social networking and don't need all of those iPhone apps, then the Kin is worth the look. It really is a good phone for what it does. You can buy the Microsoft Kin for a penny while supplies last. You can also check out a Microsoft Kin review here. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing Microsoft's next innovation.


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Shortages of microchips and other car parts continue to hit new car supplies all over the globe. Latest industry figures showing that almost 100,000 cars are cut from production from factory schedules worldwide.
Recent reports from Auto Forecast Solutions, an industry tool reflecting the status of the global automotive industry supply chain, say that about 1.25 million vehicles have not been built in factories around the world since the start of 2022.
Apart from supply shortages, the global semiconductor chip shortage has also resulted in increased prices, spec changes for some popular car models, and tumbling sales for many auto makers.
To date, 618,000 vehicles have been cut from European automotive plants, 308,700 from North America, 70,900 from China, 206,300 from rest of Asia and about 50,000 from South American and Middle East/Africa.
According to Australian Automotive Dealers Association Chief Executive James Voortman, wait times for popular models have blown out to 12 months and longer.
This means that Australians can still expect new car shortages and long wait times in the foreseeable future.


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There has been a tremendous increase in the consumption of psychoactive substances for the last few decades. Every critical or depressing situation leads to the consumption of psychoactive substance and alcohol is the most common substance used to overcome tension, anxiety, and depression.
Social Justice and Empowerment minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said that there are approximately 16 crore alcohol consumers, 3.1 crore cannabis consumers, and 77 lakhs opioids consumers in our country.
He further said that these stats are according to the National Household Survey conducted by the ministry of social justice and empowerment in 2018.
Out of the above mention psychoactive substance consumers 5.7 crore alcohol consumers, 77 lakh cannabis users, and 76 lakhs opioid users are addicted to an extreme level. They need urgent treatment to overcome their respective addiction.
The survey was conducted in all 28 states and 7 union territories in association with National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC).


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One of the problems with virtual reality is that it is so, well, virtual...but maybe not for long. Researchers at the Computer Vision Lab at ETH Zurich have developed a method to produce virtual copies of real objects that can be touched and sent via the Internet. This article talks about the efforts to create virtual reality you can touch.
In order to accomplish this, they’ve used a 3D scanner to record the image and dimensions of the object. Next a probe with a force, acceleration, and slip sensor collects information about the object’s shape and solidity, and a model is created on the computer. It can then be displayed remotely allow a user to sense the object using a haptic (touch) device and while viewing it with 3D glasses.
Not sure what the business implications will be but it does make for some interesting remote collaboration possibilities. Taking these approaches from a haptic pen to gloves or other more intuitive approaches would definitely make the experience more user friendly.
Here is also an article from the BBC on using virtual reality to tackle tough questions.


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The controversy started last week by a post on Reddit surfaced yesterday, after further tests carried out by the creator of the app Geekbench, and took on a proportion that made Apple come to the public to address the issue.
In summary, for the first time it was proved, by numbers, that iPhones with old / worn batteries run even slower than expected. And, at first glance, the general public can understand this measure as a classic technique of the so-called "programmed obsolescence".
We debated the issue initially in last week's podcast and talked about it a lot again in issue # 259, which will air until today. And what Apple said to TechCrunch matches a lot with what we discussed:
Our goal is to deliver the best consumer experience, which includes the overall performance and life span of your devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less able to provide peak current demands in cold conditions, with a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can cause a device to shut down unexpectedly to protect its components electronic.
Last year we launched a feature for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out instantaneous spikes only when necessary, in order to predict that the device will turn off unexpectedly under these conditions. We now extend this feature to the iPhone 7, with iOS 11.2, and we plan to add support for other products in the future.
The statement clearly explains why these devices no longer reach benchmarks that they normally reach, with a new battery. That purposeful; depending on the condition of the battery, it simply is no longer able to supply enough current for certain very heavy tasks on the device. And testing of benchmarks they are a full plate for that.
But despite that, what * does * not happen on these devices that day-to-day performance is affected. As Apple's statement explains, the idea is simply to smooth out processing spikes so that the device continues to function, without harming its internal components and preventing it from turning off before the battery is actually drained.
What must happen, in many cases, is that the battery has really passed the stage of wear and tear when these “smoothings” implemented by Apple on iOS are not so noticeable. The worse the state of the battery, the greater the need to reduce these processing peaks and, increasingly, the overall performance of the device is impaired. Until, of course, your battery is replaced.
As I said in our podcast to come out later, for me the big mistake in this whole story was the lack of transparency / communication. If the state of the battery itself, coupled with this feature of iOS, can come to harm both the experience of users with the iPhone, Apple had to make this very clear and even recommend replacing the battery, perhaps offering a program itself for this, it is paid in order to prolong the useful life of the device, instead of giving the general feeling that it as a whole already needs to be changed, which has been exceeded for the current requirements of the operating system and apps. Not the case.
Apple also needs to be more proactive in the tips / recommendations it gives to users who want to extend the life of their batteries. An iPhone left inside a closed car in the sun, for example, may not show any signs of defect afterwards, but a full plate to greatly damage your battery and absurdly anticipate a state such that makes your performance go to the bag.
All of this is happening with great news for us, consumers. As much as Apple said today, it is possible that from now on it will become more transparent in this regard and even implement warnings / alerts on iOS in order to better guide the common user. Not least because most people * don't * follow technology sites like ours and continue to be unaware of all this information. That's the minimum, Apple.


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As if things weren’t bad enough on the stateside across the Atlantic Ford’s European sales were down 4.7 percent in July. FoMoCo sells its vehicles in 51 European market and in July sales were down a total of 149,800 units as compared to the same month last year.
But Ford is optimistic since European sales for the first 7 months are up 2 percent to 1,196,200 vehicles sold.
“Despite the economic headwinds affecting the industry, we are on track to sell more vehicles than we did last year — and 2007 was already a record year for us,” said Ingvar Sviggum, Ford of Europe’s head of marketing and sales.
Sviggum says that new cars like the Ford Kuga and the upcoming Ford Fiesta will help the automaker. The UK remains Ford’s largest market in July with sales up 4.3 percent to 32,200.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)