Globally such micro-entrepreneurs account for 50-60% of all businesses, and in Africa nearly 90%, says Jussi Impio, the head of Nokia's African research arm, based in Nairobi.

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People outside the Silicon Valley micro-blogging company, such as Twitter account holders, reportedly were not affected in the incident.

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Jenny Quyen Ta , founder of Titan Securities, a broker-dealer in Dallas, was disciplined in 2010 for alleged misconduct that included using her Twitter account to tout stock in Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

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"For millions of people in India, a mobile phone is a bank account, a front door to a micro-business or a lifeline to people in the remotest areas, " said Marten Pieters, Managing Director and CEO of Vodafone India.

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New ways of dealing with micro-payments are emerging, such as by deduction from a prepaid account with a computer company, Internet-service provider or mobile-phone company.

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For first-time use, consumers set up an account in Magellan's Content Manager and connect their SmartGPS device to a computer with a micro USB cable.

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Accounts on Twitter, the micro-blogging site, from other people saying they were passengers on the plane corroborated Ms. Abney's account.

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