What’s the Story

A group identified as Saraya Awliya al-Dam (“Guardians of Blood”), declared that they were responsible for the rocket attack on the U.S led base in Iraq on Monday, killing one contractor and wounded five civilians.

According to security reports, at least three rockets landed near Erbil International Airport where the U.S. troops occupy a military base.

Some Iraqi official allegedly said that the attack is connected with several rocket and roadside attacks against coalition forces and U.S installations including the embassy of Baghdad.

Currently, the central government of Baghdad together with the Kurdistan Regional Government, is forming a committee to investigate the incident.

Iraq rocket attack kills contractor, wounds U.S. service member

It was the most deadly attack to hit U.S.-led forces for almost a year in Iraq, where tensions have escalated.

NBC News disclosed that according to U.S. officials, a civilian contractor was killed and five others were wounded in a rocket attack Monday at a U.S.-led military base in Kurdish northern Iraq that also left a U.S. service member with a concussion

The contractor who was killed was not an American, and of the wounded civilians, four are from the U.S. and one is from Turkey.

Kurdish security sources said at least three rockets landed near Erbil International Airport in the autonomous region late at night.

U.S. troops occupy a military base adjacent to the civilian airport.

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Iraq rocket attack kills contractor, wounds US service member, coalition says

A group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam (“Guardians of Blood”) claimed responsibility for the attack on the U.S.-led base

According to Fox News, a coalition spokesman said on Twitter the attack hit coalition forces in the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil, and that more details would follow.

Reuters reporters heard several loud explosions and saw a fire break out near the airport.

U.S. troops occupy a military base adjacent to the civilian airport.

A group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam (“Guardians of Blood”) claimed responsibility for the attack on the U.S.-led base, saying it targeted the “American occupation” in Iraq. It provided no evidence for its claim.

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Foreign contractor killed, 6 wounded in Iraq rocket attack

CGTN: A rocket attack targeting an airbase in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Monday killed a foreign civilian contractor and wounded five others including a U.S. service member. It was the most deadly attack to hit U.S.-led forces for almost a year in Iraq.

Source: TG Daily – Iraq: One Contractor Killed, Several Wounded in Deadly Rocket Attack

Amazon is undoubtedly one of the biggest e-commerce platforms available. Online sellers benefit from using this platform since it receives tons of traffic a day. There’s a good chance that people can see the products they want when searched using Amazon. The problem is that other businesses also use the same platform. Competing with them would be extremely difficult. Hence, working on eCommerce SEO would be necessary. It allows businesses to rank higher in Amazon and be more visible. 

Being at the back pages of Amazon would be terrible for business owners. Potential customers already found what they want after browsing the first few pages. Working on eCommerce SEO is the best way to boost online visibility. These tips could be of huge help. 

Improve the product listing

The first step in ranking higher in Amazon is to improve the product listing. It makes the page more popular. To improve the listing, the product description should be complete. They need to contain all the details people want to know before they decide to buy the products. If possible, use a more specific and concrete language. Avoid being fake. Remember that people who buy items online don’t have other means of determining if they get the right product. They will only rely on the descriptions available. 

Choose the right pictures

Images are also important. Invest in having high-quality pictures to use for the product listing. They need to look sharp and appealing. Use quality equipment in taking photos. The biggest mistake is to use stock photos that look like the items sold. The disparity might be too big, and customers will think of it as false advertising. It could adversely affect the company’s reputation. 

Drive traffic from other sources

If amazon’s algorithms realize that the page keeps driving traffic from other sources, it will help in drastically increasing the ranking. It means that many people feel interested in buying the products, but they don’t necessarily use Amazon to search. If unique traffic makes its way into Amazon, the product listing will get a huge bump. 

An excellent way to do it is by increasing social media efforts. Many people use social media for advertising. It’s easy to campaign using this platform, and it also reaches plenty of potential customers. Be creative and advertising using social media and remain engaged. When people see the brand value on social media, they won’t hesitate to buy the products.

Work with social media influencers

Another strategy is to work with social media influencers. These people have a massive following. When they endorse certain products, there’s a good chance that people will buy them. The good thing is that they have targeted followers. Working with them will make it easier to make the company more popular. Their followers might also be the same people the business targets in buying the products. It would be a smart strategy to work with influencers. However, the downside is that they don’t have a stable reputation. If they do something terrible or insensitive, it could drive their followers away. The company might get tied up with them and hurt its brand.

Participate in forums 

Participating in forums and communities would also be a wonderful opportunity to get traffic from outside sources. There are specific topics discussed in these communities. When they’re relevant to the products sold by the company, responding to the thread would be great. There’s a chance that those who participated in the conversation will look at the brand and eventually decide to buy the products. 

Optimize the right keywords 

ECommerce SEO is about the use of the right keywords. Optimizing certain keywords will make it easier to rank higher in Amazon. When people type the keywords, the product listing will appear on the first page if optimized well. It’s somewhat tricky to choose keywords, though. Some of them are short and popular but highly competitive. Other companies also optimize the same keywords, and ranking higher would be challenging. Conversely, longer keywords are easier to optimize, but they’re not popular. Not everyone is patient enough in typing long keywords. The good thing is that there are tools available to examine the right keywords to optimize. Using this tool would be the first step in search engine optimization. 

Entice customers to leave positive reviews 

Reviews are very powerful since most people read reviews before they decide to buy the products. They won’t have other means of determining if the products are of top quality. They can only do so if they can learn more about what other people say about the products. Convincing people to leave positive reviews would be challenging. Even those who liked the products might not have enough time to write positive words about the business. However, there are ways to make it easier for them to leave good reviews. Reminding them via email is a good strategy. The worst thing that could happen is not having any review at all. It means that the products are of terrible quality, that no one wouldn’t even bother to say something about it. The lack of review will turn off other potential customers. They don’t have a means of gauging product quality. 

Get help for eCommerce SEO

Figuring out how to rank higher in search engines isn’t an easy task. Several businesses also target the same keywords and aim to rank higher in Amazon too. They also have different tricks up their sleeves to catch more attention. Hence, it makes sense to work with experts in eCommerce SEO. They understand what it takes to be more visible on Amazon. They can also provide help if the business sells products on other eCommerce platforms. They worked with other brands in the past, and they already know which strategies are useful. Getting their services will help save time and effort. There are experts with a reliable name in the industry. Compare the choices and determine which of them would extend help for the business. It also takes a while before results are visible. It’s crucial to remain patient while waiting for things to change. 

Written by Lara Harper

Source: TG Daily – 8 Effective Tips to Improve Your Ranking on Amazon

In the digital marketing world, reputation is everything. For some people, reputation doesn’t matter much. However, if businesses have a negative reputation online, it will turn off potential customers and even the existing ones. Therefore, there is a need to focus on reputation management. It’s the process of creating a positive perception. The goal is to make the business more popular to many people and make them feel the need to purchase the products and services offered. Maintaining a positive reputation isn’t easy. The good thing is that the company can use reputation management software to help in this regard. It’s also useful to understand the potential mistakes that could hurt the business. These are some of them.

Not having a strong strategy

The problem with maintaining a positive reputation is that things can change overnight. Just because the business has a good reputation today doesn’t mean it will stay the same forever. Something wrong may happen, and it would immediately change how people perceive the business. Even established brands also experienced this problem. A single mistake in the marketing campaign can erode people’s trust. Therefore, not having a strong online reputation management strategy would be a disaster. When something wrong happens, there’s no way for the business to respond and change the narrative. Like any other aspect of online marketing, there should also be a clear reputation management strategy that the business follows.

Failing to respond to negative reviews 

One of the goals of reputation management is to reduce negative reviews or deal with them. The problem is that the company can commit mistakes in both ways. It’s possible not to address these concerns at all. If negative reviews continue to spread online, people will have a negative perception of the company. They will also believe in issues that are inexistent or incorrect. 

Conversely, the company might have an aggressive response to every negative review. While the response is necessary, the strong approach might be terrible. Instead of appeasing the person who left the review, it could create a more negative impression. It’s even worse for those who saw the interaction and responses. They might think that the business doesn’t care about the customers and their concerns. The point is that there should be a good response to every negative review. The business should maintain a professional tone in clarifying the concerns. Apologies might also be necessary if the issues are correct. There also needs to be a promise for improvement in future partnerships with the company.

Ignoring positive feedback

Some businesses are quick in responding to negative reviews, and it’s a good thing. It’s important to stop them from spreading right from the start. Otherwise, it will be too late. However, the problem is that some companies don’t focus on responding to positive feedback. It’s just as important as responding to negative reviews. When people say something good about the company, they should at least get a thank you. The company needs to show appreciation for the feedback given. Not everyone will go out of their way to say something positive about the products and services. Most people are too busy and wouldn’t even consider writing reviews. It’s also encouraging for those who left positive reviews. They will consider writing good words in the future if they feel appreciated. Don’t forget to highlight the good things said by the person who left the review. Those who come across the reviews and interactions will most likely remember the highlighted ideas.

Posting fake and incorrect reviews

It’s a big no to post fake and incorrect reviews to boost the company. There should be strategies to entice more people to leave positive reviews. However, if they don’t, there’s no need to post fake reviews. It’s easy to spot reviews coming from people who didn’t really try the products and services. Sometimes, the exaggerated tone will also make readers believe that the reviews are inaccurate. They will think that the company paid someone to leave these reviews, and reliability is on the line. Saying something negative to other companies is also a strategy to avoid. If they use it, it’s their choice. However, there’s no need to fight fire with fire. Again, readers are smart enough to determine the quality of the reviews and their authenticity. They will refuse to believe anything that doesn’t sound right. Besides, in this age of disinformation, it’s irresponsible to write fake reviews.

Lack of authenticity

People will trust businesses that are authentic and relatable. There should be changes to highlight the brand and guarantee that it’s authentic. For instance, there’s a need to replace all the stock photos with real images. While these stock photos are free and won’t have any issue if used for legal purposes, they don’t appeal to any potential customer. No one would think that the images are convincing enough. The content should also be authentic. Avoid writing exaggerations since they will turn off potential readers. While the company wants to profit, there shouldn’t be too much focus on making money. If people keep getting ads telling them to buy the products and services, they will feel turned off. Instead of becoming loyal customers, they might decide to look for other choices. Another way to show authenticity is by giving rewards and prices. Offering promotions and discounts would also be an excellent strategy. Again, it’s crucial to make the people feel that the business is only after their money. They also want to get something from the company without the need to pay. 

Using reputation management software and asking for help from experts 

Maintaining a positive reputation takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s crucial to ask for help from experts. They know what to do to make the business more appealing. They can even use quality reputation management software to help identify positive and negative reviews online. It’s easier to respond to them with the use of this software. Tracking the success of reputation management strategies is important. The business should focus on improving weak areas and making the most out of the positive ones. 

Written by Scott Weathers

Source: TG Daily – Reputation Management Mistakes to Avoid

What’s the Story

Japan was able to acquire 144 million shots of Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer for the immunization of its 72 million recipients.

Each vial contains six doses, as a recipient is required two shots with a three week interval, to strengthen the level of protection

The sixth shot requires a special syringe with a narrow plunger that can extract leftover vaccines while the five shots uses only the standard syringe.

Due to the shortage of low “dead space” syringes, only 60 million of its residents will be able to be vaccinated with the Pfizer shots.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government is urging manufacturers of these specialized syringes to increase its production.

Japan says it has to throw away millions of Pfizer COVID-19 shots because it doesn’t have enough syringes to extract them

The country lacks enough special syringes to extract the sixth dose out of each vial, its health minister said.

The Business Insiders announced that according to Kyodo News, millions of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses are likely to be thrown away in Japan because the country doesn’t have enough special syringes to extract the final dose from each vial.

Pfizer’s two-shot vaccine is sold in vials containing six doses, but extracting the sixth dose requires a special syringe called a low-dead space syringe.

Japan announced last month that it had made a deal with Pfizer to buy 144 million shots — but without enough syringes to extract final doses, the country will have to revise the number of deliverable doses to 120 million.

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Japan to discard millions of Pfizer vaccine doses because it has wrong syringes

The US and European Union countries have also reported a shortage of low dead space syringes, meaning there is likely to be strong competition to quickly secure additional supplies

Japan has secured 144m shots of the Pfizer vaccine – enough for 72 million people – on the assumption that each vial contained six doses, The Guardian reports.

According to Pfizer, each recipient requires two jabs, three weeks apart, to increase the level of protection.

But a shortage of low “dead space” syringes – which have narrow plungers that can push out any leftover vaccine – means vaccinators in Japan will have to use mainly standard syringes that are capable of extracting only five doses per vial, or enough for 60 million people.

Read full article

Source: TG Daily – Shortage of Specialized Syringes Forces Japan to Discard Millions of Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccines

This week Ducati and Lenovo spoke about their unique partnership, including a blend of brand sharing and technology sharing targeting Laptops and Racing.  With cars increasingly becoming rolling computers, it is fascinating to see a technology partnership involving motorcycles because bikes arguably need this tech infusion more than cars do.  

Let’s talk about that infusion this week.

The Need For Technology Advancement In Motorcycles

Motorcycles have several advantages over automobiles.  They tend to be more efficient from the standpoint of energy use because they are far lighter when used by a single driver, and they can move through traffic where lane splitting is allowed.  During the Pandemic, they are less likely to transfer the virus because, even with a passenger, they prevent face to face conversations, and without they are naturally socially distant.  And, finally, they are far easier to park.  

But they have several disadvantages.  That low weight results in them being far more deadly in vehicle-to-vehicle accidents; they are very susceptible to any lack of road traction. If they tip over, both the bike and rider become ballistic resulting in crippling or deadly consequences.  They require unique skills and practice to ride as steering them at speed is counter-intuitive (you start a turn by steering in the opposite direction), resulting in high-risk driver error.  Safety gear standards in cars like airbags and safety belts aren’t widely available or don’t work on a bike.  Finally, they have an extremely high power to weight ratio that often exceeds the driver’s skill.  

There are little-known new companies like Damon Motorcycles out of Canada doing impressive work blending technology to create far safer high-performance bikes, but what about traditional vendors?  This lack of tech with traditional vendors is what makes the relationship between Ducati and Lenovo so impressive.  

Ducati

Ducati is not only a storied motorcycle brand but one that exists in the premium performance space.   They uniquely have deployed a radar-based system that enhances their anti-lock and traction control systems resulting in one of the most advanced premium motorcycle lines in the industry.  Like every vehicle maker, they are starting to dip their toes into electrical power but, smartly, initially focusing on bicycles where the greatest opportunity currently exists.  They have been showcasing some stunning electric motorcycles as well that will take the company into the future. 

As they move to electric motorcycles having an innovative technology partner that is open to learning about vehicles and that will provide what a vehicle vendor wants is critical to their success.  

Lenovo

Lenovo represents one of the most innovative personal technology vendors in the world.  They have stepped out in digital assistants, collaboration platforms, virtual reality, foldable displays (on both Smartphones under the Motorola brand and Laptops under their brand), and head-mounted displays.  While their partnership with Ducati initially focuses on competition support (wind tunnel, design, and race analysis) and a co-branded laptop, the potential to expand this relationship to create dedicated market-leading advanced consumer-focused motorcycles is unprecedented.  

There is an opportunity to create a bike that sets the standard for safety. Electrical power proficiency would be significant to any vehicle maker, particularly now, with the world increasingly focusing on both aspects.  But with Motorcycles, which are generally viewed as unsafe today, it could be a game-changer for parents and spouses that don’t want their loved ones put at high risk of a crippling or deadly accident.  

Given Lenovo’s broad interest and existing technology, the possibility of a bike meeting Toyota’s Guardian Angel concept (where the vehicle actively prevents accidents) or providing safe features like heads up GPS navigation or safe communication are potential natural extensions of a partnership between Ducati and Lenovo.  

Wrapping Up:  The Perfect Partnership

 Most of the past partnerships between transportation brands and tech companies are more about marketing than substantive help.  Support for the racing team, co-branded PCs like the Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Hummer notebooks have previously existed.  But the real opportunity is to partner to help create the vehicles of tomorrow.  Both Ducati and Lenovo appear willing to cooperate in efforts that could result in the safest and most advanced electrical and partially autonomous motorcycle of the future.  Now that’s something this old bike rider is looking forward to seeing, and maybe even riding one day. 

Source: TG Daily – Ducati/Lenovo: Blending Tech And Transportation To Create The Perfect Future Motorcycle

Onboarding is a tricky process and can be even more complicated when bringing on a remote team member. New employees rely on their managers for guidance during their first few months as a source of critical company knowledge and support in their day-to-day.  A strong onboarding process can improve employee retention by up to 82%. This becomes even more important when we’re operating in virtual settings. 

The Society for Human Resources Management defines onboarding as, “integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting a new hire the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team.” Many companies have adopted this definition and focus just as much on culture as they do on tools and information during a new hire’s first few months. 

When bringing on a new team member remotely, it’s critical to implement structure in order to integrate them into the team more easily. By utilizing onboarding roadmaps, OKRs, and communication guides, you can ensure that new hires get onto the same page quickly and easily in order to start making valuable contributions as soon as possible. 

Create an onboarding roadmap with clear milestones 

Onboarding roadmaps help integrate new hires into their roles without overwhelming them with tasks and information. They clearly illustrate the initial path forward by providing new hires with milestones related to learning, team contributions, and role independence. We typically recommend a 30-60-90 framework for onboarding roadmaps, because they separate these processes into easily digestible timeframes. 

When creating an onboarding roadmap, set distinct goals for these 30-day increments to establish clear expectations and milestones. These milestones help employees stay focused on their day-to-day goals while staying tied into the larger departmental picture. 

When a new hire joins the team, their first thirty days should be focused on learning. This includes being introduced to company norms and getting a sense of the culture. During this time, new employees should be connecting socially with new coworkers and any key people such as department heads or members of the management team.  HR and the hiring manager should take care to ensure that this experience is a positive one, as it sets the tone for the rest of their tenure at the company. 

Days 31-60 are about contributing and aligning with team members. This might look like contributing to strategy discussions, creating reports or presentations, and digging deeper into social frameworks at the company. Managers should start discussing any challenges that their new hire is experiencing and support them in problem-solving.  

Days 61-90 should focus on reaching independence in the role. By this time, new employees should be ‘doing’ their jobs. They might still make mistakes at this point, but those mistakes should be related more to lack of context or uncertainty with systems, as opposed to them still feeling like they’re settling in.

Throughout this time, consistent check-ins will go a long way towards aligning expectations and making sure that your new hire is progressing along the desired track. This is the honeymoon period at any company, so it should be filled with excitement and support as they become more ingrained into their role and the company. 

Set OKRs to establish performance expectations

Another key tactic to onboard remote new hires is to set OKRs to establish performance expectations. The definition of “OKRs” is “Objectives and Key Results.” It is a collaborative goal-setting tool used by teams and individuals to set challenging, ambitious goals with measurable results.  OKRs help new employees get on the right track by clearly outlining what they are expected to accomplish in their role over the next quarter. 

However, OKRs do not just need to focus on professional performance expectations. By encouraging new hires to set up personal development OKRs, you’re showing them that you care just as much for their skill development as you do for their professional development. It’s important to have conversations to clearly differentiate between which will contribute to company success and which are focused on personal development. 

One key factor of strong employee engagement is when employees can see that they are progressing. OKRs set employees on a path of ownership and success, which leads to greater engagement and a sense of belonging at the company. 

Discuss communication norms 

Setting communication norms becomes so much more important when communication is only happening virtually, and the nuance of in-person communication no longer exists. The goal here is to establish a certain level of predictability when communicating with team members. 

Managers and their teams should discuss communication norms for emails and slack, for example, the general level of urgency for each and which warrants a more immediate response. Time zones should also be taken into account when working with a distributed team.  If teams are scattered across different locations, setting the expectation of standard working hours can help streamline communication. 

By setting these guidelines and standardizing them across the organization, new hires can more easily acclimate themselves to company norms. Communication skills are probably some of the most important skills for a remote team to master, so codifying existing norms and setting guidelines for different methods goes a long way towards making it easier for people to share information. 

Empower managers on remote teams to set teams up for success by setting communication norms and clear expectations. From day one onwards, remote teams need to prioritize transparency to maximize productivity and efficiency. The goal of any onboarding program is to make sure that new hires feel confident to move forward in their roles while positively impacting the success of the company.

Author Bio
Adi Janowitz is VP of Customer Success at Hibob. 

Source: TG Daily – Remote Onboarding: Setting Teams Up for Success

When people are injured due to another person’s negligence, they frequently turn to personal injury lawyers to help them recover the settlement they need to move on from their accidents. Personal injury lawyers can help their clients with a wide variety of situations, including motor vehicle crashes, slip and fall cases, and medical malpractice cases.

Personal injury law is a segment of the legal field known as tort law. Tort law covers negligence, intentional acts or omissions that injure or harm another person. These offenses are civil wrongs against the plaintiff. Tort cases give relief to injured parties and impose liability on the parties responsible for the harm. Most commonly parties seeking judgment under tort law are looking for monetary damages.

There are three categories of torts: intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability torts. Within an intentional tort, the defendant either knew or should have known that they would cause harm to someone else through their actions. Torts based on negligence come about when the defendant’s actions are unsafe and breaches duty of care causing injury. Strict liability torts, like those that apply to products liability, cause the courts to focus on standards of whether a product was defective and caused injury.

Evans Agrapidis, the founder of Agrapidis & Maroulis law firm, explains the top five types of personal injury cases and how the law applies to each one.

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1. Motor Vehicle Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents with personal injury are a sadly common occurrence. The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 52 percent of personal injury cases were related to motor vehicle accidents.

The process of filing a motor vehicle accident lawsuit can be lengthy and complex. On average, motor vehicle lawsuits take about 24 months from the time of the accident to the conclusion of the trial or settlement process. Many cases are settled without a lawsuit being filed.

The first step involves obtaining the police report. An officer takes photos, interviews witnesses, and analyzes the accident to find out what happened. The parties involved in the crash then file claims with their respective insurance companies. The insurance companies then determine who was at fault. The insurance company may then reimburse some or all of the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged vehicle.

If there are physical injuries a party may bring a claim for monetary damages for those injuries. If the injuries are severe, one party may consider filing a lawsuit against the other. The defendant’s insurance company typically covers the cost of the defense and pays the monetary settlement reached or the amount of judgment if a trail is required.

2. Slip and Fall Cases

The basic procedures for a slip and fall case closely follow those involved in a motor vehicle accident case. The primary objective of a slip and fall case is to provide compensation to the plaintiff who encountered unsafe conditions that were caused by the defendant.

The key factor in slip and fall cases is that the defendant knew that their actions or negligence caused a “dangerous condition” on their property. The burden is on the plaintiff to prove that the defendant had notice of the dangerous condition which caused the fall. The burden of avoiding known dangers rests with the plaintiff, but if the defendant causes unexpected risky situations, they could still be held responsible for plaintiff’s injuries.

3. Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice is a complex facet of personal injury law. This section of tort law covers poor diagnosis, botched surgeries, fraud committed by medical professions, prescription mistakes, and breaches of confidentiality. Some common areas of medical malpractice include the prescribing of dangerous drugs and birth injuries causing lasting harm to the mother or baby.

The burden of proof in a medical malpractice case can be difficult to achieve. Most medical professionals are operating in good faith, meaning that they have no reasonable expectation that their actions could cause harm. Medical professionals generally try to give the greatest degree of care possible. In the state of New Jersey gross negligence must be proven in order to be successful in a medical malpractice case. Additionally, an affidavit or certification of merit signed by a physician is required in order to file a lawsuit.

4. Defective Products

Another facet of tort law involves injury caused by defective products. In the case of a defective product, a plaintiff must prove that the manufacturer knew or should have known that the item could cause personal injury or harm.

The three categories of defective product claims involve defects in manufacturing, defective design, and negligence when it comes to providing a warning or proper instruction for the use of a product. 

5. Wrongful Death

Wrongful death cases are perhaps the most complex of all personal injury cases. These claims are filed in civil court by the estate of the deceased party. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages as a result of the victim’s death.

Wrongful death lawsuits can come about because the victim was intentionally or negligently killed and often involve motor vehicle accidents, construction site accidents, and medical malpractice cases.

Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help You

If you have an injury caused by a third party’s negligence, it is a good idea to consult with a personal injury attorney for help. An attorney like Evans Agrapidis may be able to help you navigate the complexities of personal injury law and discover whether you are entitled to a monetary recovery.

Written by Jennifer Sampson

Source: TG Daily – Attorney Evans Agrapidis Explores the Most Common Types of Personal Injury Cases

What’s the Story

In its attempt to address concerns regarding the emergence of the new coronavirus variant, new and tougher border policies were rolled-out in England on Tuesday.

The guidelines states that visitors arriving to England coming from what the government considers as “red list” countries will be required to purchase “quarantine package” worth $2,400 dollars that includes accommodation, virus testing and other items.

It also mentions that travelers will face up to 10 years prison sentence if they try to conceal any recent visits to the countries included on the travel ban list.

Lying on arrival could mean 10 years in prison in England

Individuals not abiding by the rules, including those arriving from a red list country without a hotel booked, also could be subject to a series of fines.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that starting Monday, residents of the United Kingdom and Ireland arriving in England from the places on the government’s “red list” will have to purchase a “quarantine package” that costs 1,750 pounds ($2,400) per person and covers accommodation, virus testing and other items, Los Angeles Times reports.

Anyone arriving in England and found to have lied about a recent visit to a country on the British government’s travel ban list faces up to 10 years in prison under new tough coronavirus border policies.

However, British and Irish citizens, as well as all other U.K. residents, are permitted to enter provided they self-isolate for 10 days after their arrival.

Read full article

Travelers to England can face 10 years in prison under new COVID-19 policy

U.K. recorded 12,364 new cases and 1,052 deaths on Tuesday. There have been 113,850 total deaths tied to the virus.

According to Fox News, Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock made headlines last week when he said in an interview that the 2011 movie “Contagion” helped to influence his approach on how best to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.K.

The new policy came into effect on Monday, where is states that any traveler who visits England from a “red list” country faces steep fines and a possible 10-year prison sentence.

Hancock said that from Monday, residents of the U.K. and Ireland arriving in England from the places on the government’s “red list” will have to purchase a “quarantine package” that costs $2,400 per person and covers accommodation, virus testing and other items.

Read full article

New Covid border rules for the UK set out by Matt Hancock

Guardian News: The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has outlined the new rules for people arriving in the UK.

Source: TG Daily – England: Lying Travelers From “Red List” Countries Will Face Steep Fines or Up to 10 Years Imprisonment

What’s the Story

A classified United Nations report revealed that hackers from North Korea have allegedly stolen around $316.4 million worth of virtual assets from financial institutions and virtual currency exchange houses, to fund their nuclear weapons program and to boost their struggling economy.

The report also disclosed that Pyongyang “produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure” while continually seeking “material and technology for these programs from overseas.”

Since 2006, UN has issued sanctions on North Korea in an attempt to discontinue funding for its nuclear missiles programs

At the moment, North Korea has not yet given a comment regarding this report.

North Korean hackers stole more than $300 million to pay for nuclear weapons, says confidential UN report

North Korea’s army of hackers stole hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs in violation of international law, according to a confidential United Nations report.

CNN disclosed that they were able to obtain details of the confidential report through a diplomatic source at the United Nations Security Council, who shared portions of the document on the condition of anonymity. 

The document accused the regime of leader Kim Jong Un of conducting “operations against financial institutions and virtual currency exchange houses” to pay for weapons and keep North Korea’s struggling economy afloat.

One unnamed country that is a member of the UN claimed the hackers stole virtual assets worth $316.4 million dollars between 2019 and November 2020, according to the document.

Read full article

North Korea upgraded nuclear missile programme in 2020, says UN diplomat

Confidential UN report reveals Pyongyang was acting in violation of international sanctions

According to The Guardian, North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, said a UN diplomat with knowledge of a confidential report given to security council members on Monday.

The report by independent sanctions monitors said Pyongyang “produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure”, and continued to seek technology for those programmes from abroad.

In 2019, the UN sanctions monitors reported that North Korea made at least $370m by exporting coal, which is banned under UN sanctions. But last year, they said coal shipments appeared to have been largely suspended since July 2020.

Read full article

Source: TG Daily – Confidential UN Report Alleges North Korean Hackers Stole Millions of Dollars to Fund Its Nuclear Weapons

What’s the Story

In its efforts to alleviate the transmission of Covid-19, Canada’s Minister of Transportation Omar Alghabra, announced on Thursday that they will extend bans on cruise ships until March 1, 2022.

Pleasure vessels carrying more than 100 passengers will not be allowed to sail Canadian seas while ships that carry 12 people are banned from entering Arctic coastal waters.

Although some of the cruising companies understand the measures being taken by the Canadian government, they are still hopeful that the ban will be lifted once the pandemic conditions improve.

Canada bans cruises until 2022 in latest blow to industry paralyzed by COVID-19

The announcement by the country’s transportation ministry is a blow to the already beleaguered cruise industry which has been paralyzed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreaks.

Miami Herald disclosed that in addition to banning cruises for the next year, the Canadian ministry warned citizens not to take cruises outside the country’s waters either.

The ban will eliminate cruises to Alaska, which stop in Canadian ports to comply with U.S. shipping laws.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its ban on cruises in October and replaced it with a long list of conditions cruise companies must meet in order to resume passenger operations. However, Michael Rubin, Florida Ports Council vice president of governmental affairs, told members of the Florida Senate Transportation Committee that it could take companies more than a year to comply.

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Canada bans cruise ships into 2022 as COVID-19 pandemic continues

No cruise ships will be able to sail in Canada until March 1, 2022.

Canada once again extended its ban on cruises – pushing back the possibility for large passenger vessels to sail in Canadian waters by an additional year after shutting them out last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The order pertains to cruise ships carrying more than 100 people. Passenger vessels carrying more than 12 people are banned from entering Arctic coastal waters, including the Labrador Coast, Nunatsiavut and Nunavik, according to a news release from the Canadian government.

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Canada’s cruise ship ban extended until 2022

CBC News – The National: The federal government has extended its entry ban on cruise ships carrying more than 100 people until 2022, serving another blow to port cities that rely on the tourists.

Source: TG Daily – Canada Extends Cruise Ships Ban Until 2022

Managing a personal schedule is not an easy thing, let alone planning the workload for the whole team. 40% of project managers spend most of their time micromanaging and answering questions by email. Why? The most common reason is the lack of a single workspace that becomes a single source of truth for everyone, not just a PM. 

What is a planner for teams?

A good team planner is a tool that helps people get work done together. It lets your team know what they’re in charge of, visualizes the workflow and builds up an effective collaborative environment.

How to get the planner for your teams?

If you and your team are looking forward to setting up a planning tool, we’ve made a short list of apps that you definitely need to take a closer look at:

1. Planyway

If you are looking for the best planner app for teams, we recommend you to give Planyway a try. The power of this applies on multiple territories. Whether you manage complex workflows that require versatile views to see work from different angles, task dependencies, milestones, etc., or just want a simple calendar to plan out post releases for social media, you can get it all in Planyway.

Planyway effectively integrates your teammates’ calendars even the side ones like Google Calendar or Outlook into one intelligent space, helping you visualize and coordinate workload thoughtfully. As additional superpowers Planyway offers time tracking connected with task planning and a meeting scheduling functionality.

Pros:

• 10 views to visualize workflows at any angle
• Export of all data into CSV format
• Time tracker for planned tasks
• Connected boards and calendars

Cons:

• No dashboards
• You can’t provide read-only access

Pricing: 

Planyway offers a Free Plan that comes with the calendar views. For extra functionality and the timeline, go for the paid plans that start at just $3.50/user per month. 

2. TeamUp

TeamUp is a great tool to manage multiple calendars with time-allocated tasks and coordinate schedules. You can create shared calendars for your team members and see them together on one page to organize work without back-and-forth availability checking and double-booking. One more feature that levels up this app lets you share calendar events with third-parties as web pages. So, you don’t need to give access to your calendar.   

Pros:

• Scheduler view to plan for groups
• Event scheduling with web pages

Cons:

• Only iCal sync which means you can’t edit events
• Limited project management functionality

Pricing:

The paid plans start at $8/user per month.

3. Toggle Plan

When it comes to a team planner for project management, Toggle Plan is a really powerful option. It can help you both plan ahead and track progress with the board and timeline views. Toggle Plan provides a project high-level overview as well as a granular level to focus on tasks and see how teamwork impacts a project time and budget. 

Pros:

• Intuitive interface
• Provides different access options

Cons:

• No calendar views
• Can’t be used as an event scheduler

Pricing:

Toggle plan provides standard features for free for teams up to 5 users. The paid plans start at $8 per user/monthly.

How to set it up? 

Once you choose the best task planner for your team, remember that throwing a new tool at your team and telling them to use it doesn’t work. To get started successfully, all your team needs to buy into it. Set up a demo and show the key feature you want them to use explaining the benefits they will get.

When you’re up and running with the tool that fits your needs and everyone approves, you will be amazed at how much more productive and organized your team can become.

Source: TG Daily – TOP 3 Simple Team Planners for Effective Collaboration

Businesses these days face a lot of competition from rivals. As a result, many now use a variety of tools and methods to help them to compete with greater ease. Using solutions such as social media, digital marketing, and other modern methods has helped many smaller businesses to boost exposure and gain more custom. Another thing that can help in today’s digital age is creating an online blog.

Whether you have a small business or a larger one, having a blog is a great idea for many reasons these days. You will find platforms through which to create and publish your blog such as WordPress, and you can find the best WordPress hosting providers with ease online. You can also use your blog for all sorts of purposes, from subtle marketing to educating your audience about your industry. In this article, we will look at some of the benefits of creating a blog for your business.  

Some of the Benefits for Your Business

There are lots of great benefits that you can look forward to when you set up your own business blog. One of the key ones is to educate your audience about your industry, which is important if you want them to relate to both your industry and your business. You can do this in a fun but informative way by creating the right posts that are lighthearted yet full of accurate and factual information.

Another of the benefits is that writing blog posts will enable you to subtly market your brand, products, and services to people. While this is not ‘in your face’ advertising, the subtle nature of the marketing is often very effective. People will read your post because they are informative or interesting, which means that they are more engrossed than they would be if they were just looking at an advertisement. This can then help to generate more interest in your brand.

All businesses need to have the respect and trust of their audiences in order to succeed. Producing blog posts is an excellent way to do this, as you can impress your audience with your well-written and informative blogs. You will present yourself as a leading authority in your industry, which will help to improve trust and confidence in your business. This can then equate to more recommendations and a boost in business.

Your blog can even be used to drive more traffic to your website via other platforms. For instance, whenever you publish a new blog post, you can post a link on social media platforms and send it to email subscribers. This will then help to drive traffic to your website when people click on the link to read your new post. If people on social media share your link with their own circles, this can further boost traffic to your website.

These are some of the many benefits you can look forward to for your business when you start your own blog. 

Source: TG Daily – The Benefits of Creating a Blog for Your Business

What’s the Story

Around 13,000 American Airlines employees are likely to receive furlough notices by Friday, due to the low travel demand caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

This was announced by their CEO, Doug Parker and President, Robert Isom in a memo on Wednesday, as the payroll support package will end on March 31.

Airline labor unions are now asking for an additional $15 billion federal aid for the industry to prevent the layoffs and support its employees until September 30.

American Airlines warns 13,000 employees of potential furloughs

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices will be issued to employees beginning Friday

According to Fox Business, American Airlines has issued a warning to approximately 13,000 employees that potential furloughs could be coming as travel demand remains suppressed due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the memo, the airline will begin issuing Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices on Friday. While WARN notices are generally required 60 days in advance by law, the notices do not guarantee that workers notified will lose their jobs.

American furloughed 19,000 workers after the first round of government payroll support expired on Oct. 1 but recalled them in December, following approval of an additional $15 billion from Congress. The new round of federal aid requires airlines to keep recalled employees on the payroll through March 31.

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American warns 13,000 employees of furloughs as airlines prepare to lose federal aid next month

The latest round of payroll support expires March 31 and labor unions are seeking more government aid.

American Airlines on Wednesday said it will send furlough notices this week to about 13,000 employees as a second round of federal payroll aid is set to expire next month and travel demand remains in tatters, CNBC reports.

“The vaccine is not being distributed as quickly as any of us believed, and new restrictions on international travel that require customers to have a negative COVID-19 test have dampened demand,” American’s CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom wrote in a note to staff.

The furlough notices will go to 4,245 flight attendants, 3,145 fleet service workers, 1,850 pilots, 1,420 maintenance workers, 1,205 in passenger service, 100 dispatchers and 40 instructors, according to a American Airlines securities filing.

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American Airlines employees brace for more furloughs

Reuters: American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told employees to brace for another round of furlough warnings in the near term as it expects to be overstaffed on April 1, when a payroll support package for airline workers expires.

Source: TG Daily – Some 13,000 American Airlines Employees Warned of Possible Furlough

What’s the Story

A group of World Health Organization investigators, composed of experts in veterinary medicine, virology, food safety and epidemiology, recently visited Wuhan Institute of Virology, to look for information on the origins of Covid-19.

The controversial Chinese labs, which is a research institute on virology, was developed during the height of the SARS epidemic in 2003 to conduct studies and experiments about bat coronaviruses .

This has led scientists to conclude that these labs may allegedly have been the source of a “leak” of some deadly pathogens like the Covid-19.

News Coverage

WHO team heads to China bat lab at the center of coronavirus conspiracies

The controversial laboratory run by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which officials in former US President Donald Trump’s administration suggested, without providing evidence, could have been the origin of the coronavirus.

CNN revealed that the lab in question, which is affiliated with the central government-run Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the only one in mainland China equipped for the highest level of biocontainment, known as Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4).

BSL-4 labs are designed to study the world’s most dangerous pathogens — those that pose a high risk for transmission, are frequently fatal and most often have no reliable cure, such as coronaviruses.

 The controversial laboratory run by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which officials in former US President Donald Trump’s administration suggested, without providing evidence, could have been the origin of the coronavirus.

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WHO team visits Wuhan virus lab at center of speculation

One of China’s top virus research labs, the Wuhan Institute of Virology built an archive of genetic information about bat coronaviruses after the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

AP News reports that one of China’s top virus research labs, the Wuhan Institute of Virology built an archive of genetic information about bat coronaviruses after the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. That has led to unproven allegations that it may have a link to the original outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan in late 2019.

China has strongly denied that possibility and has promoted also unproven theories that the virus may have originated elsewhere or even been brought into the country from overseas with imports of frozen seafood tainted with the virus, a notion roundly rejected by international scientists and agencies.

The institute’s deputy director is Shi Zhengli, a virologist who tracked down the origins of SARS that originated in China and led to the 2003 outbreak. She has published widely in academic journalists and worked to debunk theories espoused by the former Trump administration and other American officials that the virus is either a bioweapon or a “lab leak” from the institute.

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WHO team doesn’t rule out theory that virus escaped from Wuhan lab

Sky News: The World Health Organization team in Wuhan investigating the origins of COVID-19 say they have not ruled out the possibility that the virus had escaped from a lab.

Source: TG Daily – WHO Visits Controversial Wuhan Laboratory to Investigate Covid-19 Origins

Printing is in decline at the moment, and when you are in a market decline for a class of product, you are generally given a choice.  Either exit the segment or double down on it and expand the market, which, if successful, will eventually result in you being in the market and in a better position to either pivot that market or reverse the decline.  This approach is the path that HP is on, and as the market adjusts to the post-COVID world, HP reported quarter over quarter growth ranging from 28% to 64%, depending on the segment.  

Years ago, when faced with the same decision on Mainframes, I watched IBM decide to pivot to Client-Server prematurely, giving Sun Microsystems a significant portion of their market and almost failing.  IBM eventually reversed their decision, and today the Mainframe remains one of their most profitable offerings, and they are now nearly the only company still selling this platform.   HP learned from IBM’s initial mistake and moved aggressively to consolidate the printer industry around HP, and, today, they dominate Printing.  

To showcase how long it takes technology, even a primarily abandoned one, HP reports their customers are still Faxing 1M pages a month even though Fax Machines were deemed obsolete back in the 1990s, having been replaced by email.  

Their approach to market recovery has three primary elements.  The redesign focuses on building printers for today’s needs, Printing as a service, and a massive focus on sustainability to offset the printers’ environmental footprint.  The Power Of Print event focused on these capabilities. It showcased a best practice in extending a declining market until a workable pivot can be identified or advancement can reverse the decline.  

Let’s take each in turn.

Building Printers For Today’s Needs

HP went into a redesign effort that cut across their lines and most recently focused on printers that would better fit in with employees working from home.  The HP OfficeJet pro was for those who work from home regardless of company size.  This product line had self-healing features that would assure it worked in homes that generally lack IT support, and its users could interact with the printer using the  HP Smart App.  

The enterprise-class workers have 400 Enterprise and 500 Enterprise-class printers, representing a 50% lower price and 40% smaller footprint than their predecessors.  This series uses the Vision printing system, the most connected, accessible, and secure printing ecosystem globally.  

For those that want a laser printer, they have the LaserJet 200.  While laser printers are often seen as high energy users thanks to their fixing element, which uses heat, HP could lower that footprint by 25%, reducing the size of the printer so it would work better in homes by 40%.  HP represents this printer is the fastest double-sided printer 

Finally, for those printed in high volumes they created the Neverstop print line that uses reservoirs rather than print cartridges.  These reservoir based printers are more expensive but lower significantly the cost of each printed page.  

Printing As A Service 

HP has been shifting their model to use web services to shift their retail model to a subscription service.  The first implementation is called HP Instant Ink, and it has, according to HP, been prevalent, reporting 8M current users of this service.  This service starts at $1.99 a month for toner and $1.99 for Ink.  And buyers of new printers qualify for a six month free trial of Instant Ink.  This service assures users never run out of Ink and, I expect, this service will eventually expand to cover paper.  Information on these offerings can be found here.  

Sustainability

HP is one of the most aggressive technology vendors when it comes to sustainability and their Instant Ink.  This service comes with prepaid return envelopes for recycling ink cartridges.  Paper can be recycled, but plastics require special treatment, and most landfills are not set up to handle them, but HP has contracted out to recycle both.  

HP, to date, has consumed 1.7M pounds of ocean-bound plastics. They have achieved zero deforestation associated with HP brand paper. They have a goal to eliminate 75% of single-use plastics in packaging by 2025.  The company is currently ranked as the #1 most responsible company in America. It has earned the partner of the year award for 2020 in sustained excellence. It is on the CDP A-List for sustainability, and it is a member of the Dow Jones sustainability index.  The company takes sustainability very seriously.  References to these awards can be found here.  

Wrapping Up:  

To fight the decline of Printing to gain the time to pivot, the personal printing industry HP has gone through a series of transitions.  These transitions include a focus on design for the new work from home every day, developing a print as a service model that is still evolving, and a massive effort to become the most responsible company in America.  

This progress should give them time to discover what is coming next, and their efforts in 3D Printing represent just part of that effort.  For there is one thing for sure, HP is assuring that even if Printing eventually ends, HP won’t and will be one of the leaders for the eventual pivot away from printing in a decade or so.  

Source: TG Daily – HP’s Power Of Print: Keeping Printing Relevant

What’s the Story

Ford made a six-year strategic partnership with Google to install its Android operating system for their cars and trucks’ infotainment systems, cloud computing.

Starting 2023, drivers will be able to access Google Maps, Google’s Voice Assistant, and will have their own car version of Google Play Store for downloading music, audiobooks and podcasts, among others.

Executives from both Ford and Google are positive that the team-up will improve the online car shopping experience with the use of customer data.

News coverage

Ford will also use Google’s artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities improve customer service, manufacturing and marketing.

According to CNN, Ford and Google will collaborate on new technologies and install Google’s Android operating system as the primary system in its infotainment screens in millions of Ford and Lincoln cars and trucks starting in 2023.

Android’s operating system will enable drivers to access Google Maps for in-vehicle navigation and Google’s Voice Assistant for handling voice commands in the car without the use of an Android phone.

Ford will also use Google’s artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities to better interpret the data it collects from vehicles and its own operations to improve upon things like customer service, manufacturing and marketing.

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Google is expected to assist Ford with everything from in-car infotainment systems and remote, or over-the-air, updates to using artificial intelligence.

In a report by CNBC, it disclosed that the partnership is designed to streamline Ford’s operations and accelerate an ongoing $11 billion restructuring plan. It marks a major shift for the automaker, which has spent hundreds of millions of dollars annually in recent years to develop and maintain such systems.

Under the deal, Ford and Lincoln vehicles will sport Android, the Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play starting in 2023, and Google’s cloud will enable other types of services.

Google will also help Ford use artificial intelligence in areas such as supply chain logistics and manufacturing, the companies said.

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How AI is Transforming Customer Care

Source: TG Daily – Ford To Install Google’s Android Operating System in All its Cars and Trucks by 2023