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|A crane loads containers at a China's port (AFP Photo)|
The European Union (EU) may be losing out to China in ASEAN export markets just like in Africa
because of its insistence on high quality standards even as China and the ASEAN have signed a limited Free Trade Agreement cutting tariffs by 2010 and a Trade Treaty in the services sector.
The EU is negotiating with ASEAN for an FTA but it has many non-tariff issues – like environment protection, labor safeguards, sanitation and food hygiene, human rights. China, on the other hand, comes with no such baggage.
Cecile Leroy, project officer, Economic & Regional Cooperation, of the EU delegation in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, told journalists from nine ASEAN countries that since China has been engaged with ASEAN for a long time, the EU cannot compete with it.
However, the EU now is the second largest trading partner after the US for most countries in ASEAN and had a trade turnover of US$550 billion with the bloc last year. China was only the fourth largest partner.
However, China is very active in trying to expand trade.
An FTA between the EU and seven members of the 10-member bloc is expected to be signed in the next two or three years.
An FTA involving China and the six original members of ASEAN is targeted to come into force in 2010. The other four members will come on board in 2015, creating a zero-tariff market of 1.7 billion people,
With the EU continuing to make high demands for cooperation with the region, it might no longer remain ASEAN's second largest partner in the next two years when the FTA between ASEAN and China kicks in.


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Peloton’s UK arm has struggled to keep up the momentum of its pandemic success, with the group posting widening losses as sales of the luxury exercise bike fall significantly from their lockdown peak.
In its most recent financial results in the year to June 2022, the American brand’s British division said sales contracted 13 per cent and its losses nearly doubled – reaching £210m compared to £81m the prior year.
However, cost of goods sold increased over 17 per cent, as Peloton splurged on the opening of a permanent London location in Floral Street Covent Garden, which includes three fitness sites.
Peloton saw a rapid rise during the pandemic thanks to the stuck-at-home public being more willing to splash out on its £1,345 exercise bike due to gym closures. In 2019, the US company went public at $29 per share to value the company at $8bn (£6.47bn).
However, the lifting of social distancing restrictions has seen the brand suffer, with the company’s share price having plummeted since its 2021 peak. Shares continued to fall after the news today, down around five per cent to $8.20 at mid-afternoon, representing an around 67 per cent drop on its IPO price.
The brand has also faced reputational challenges, with the business having to recall a number of machines in 2021 following the death of a child in the US and problems over display consoles falling out.
“International markets continue to be a focus and area of growth for Peloton. The work of FY22 has been about bringing costs in line with revenue globally and on a market-by-market basis as we pursue our top priority of becoming free cash flow positive globally,” a Peloton spokesperson said.
“FY22 was a transformational year for Peloton as we began to restructure our operations, reduced headcount, and outsourced manufacturing of connected fitness units.”
“This update reflects the changes Peloton has made in creating a sustainable structure that allows us to focus on growth and continue to deliver an amazing member experience,” they added.


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Maruti Suzuki is reportedly working on a 7-seater Jimny for the Indian market. The 7-seater Jimny is expected to launch in the country soon. Now, the 7-seater Maruti Suzuki Jimny was spotted testing with heavy camouflage on the Indian roads. This has cemented the rumour of its launch in the country further.
Maruti Suzuki Jimny is expected to launch the Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5-door in India at the Auto Expo 2023 but now it appears that we may also see a 7-seater Jimny in the country soon. The Jimny 5-seater will take up on the Mahindra Thar in the off-road lifestyle segment.
This is the first time when the 7-seater variant of the Jimny has been spotted testing on the Indian roads. Though the rumoured test mule of the 7-seater Maruti Suzuki Jimny was heavily camouflaged, we got to see some details about the colour, door handles and alloy wheel of the vehicle. The 7-seater Maruti Suzuki Jimny was seen in black colour OVRMs and seems to have a design similar to the 5-door model.
The 7-seater variant of Jimny was spied with a red seat upholstery inside the cabin. It has got a sporty appeal. The four wheeler looks spacious from the outside and houses front-facing third-row seats. There is not much information about the car yet. So, we don’t know any detail about legroom available in the car.
If reports are to be believed then the company may offer a 7-seater option as a variant just like the Mahindra XUV700 SUV.The Jimny is rumoured to be powered by a 1.5-liter K15C hybrid petrol engine that will will likely generate 103 PS of power and 136 Nm of torque. It will be paired with a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Suzuki Jimny 3-door is quite popular in several countries. The 7-seater version of the car is expected to hit in the Indian market keeping the inclination towards affordable SUVs in mind.


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Samsung has joined HTC by essentially confirming the launch of its flagship - the Galaxy S6 looks all set for an MWC announcement, according to the invite sent to TechRadar.
The launch will take place 18.30 CET on March 1 at the large Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona, so clearly the South Korean brand is set to announce something big.
That means the Galaxy S6 is ready to make its debut, and it's almost certain it will be joined by the Galaxy S Edge - a similarly specified device with a next-generation double curved screen on either side of the display.
According to an earlier tip to Android Pit, the new phones won't be cheap but will start at 32GB in capacity, with the Galaxy S6 likely to cost even more than previous flagships as Samsung looks to pack in more power.
The price of the S Edge will be higher still as Samsung looks to claw back the higher cost of producing the phone; its predecessor in the bendy screen stakes, the Galaxy Note Edge, is one of the most expensive on the market right now, so we can't see the double curve helping with the price.
It won't be long now until we get the full and complete shakedown of either phone - stay tuned to TechRadar where you'll be able to find all the information on what could be your next smartphone.


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Reeclaim automatically scans tube journeys to determine if commuters are due to receive a refund. If delayed, it will submit a refund request to TfL on behalf of the passenger, who will then be credited the full amount.
Monzo has announced that it is closing its legacy prepaid cards programme over the next few months; Monzo account holders who have yet to upgrade their accounts to their full current account will need to do so in order to continue using a Monzo card.
first direct has wasted no time in optimising its mobile banking app to support Face ID on the iPhone X.
first direct is partnering with Bud to trial a new business model, which provides customers with an integrated offering of financial services products and tools from across the market, including those from other providers.
Travellers can now use Apple Pay to make mobile payments when using Thomas Cook’s pre-paid currency card.
eBay has announced the imminent launch of a Price Match Guarantee on more than 20,000 deals on its UK site.
DrnkPay is an app which promises to connect your credit and debit cards to a breathalyser or biosensor wearable to stop drunken spending.
HSBC UK has announced that it has rolled out over 1,500 “talking cash machines” across the UK, allowing customers who are blind or partially sighted to receive spoken instructions.
Google has announced a new feature for its GMail Android app which allows users to send and receive money for free.
Plum, the UK’s first Artificial Intelligence powered Facebook chatbot which allows consumers to start saving and investing without any effort, announces its partnership with RateSetter, one of the UK’s largest peer-to-peer investing platforms.


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Sorry guys, I’m not a MS fan, but I cover every Technical aspect, so here goes. Microsoft is plugging away at making Windows more manageable, completing Office 2010, and on making application virtualization as seamless as possible.
Windows business senior vice president Bill Veghte opened TechEd 2009 here by thanking the show’s 7,000 attendees for coming during “lean [economic] times.”
He announced that Microsoft will deliver a technical preview of SQL Server 2008 R2 in the second half of the year. Additionally, new support for Complex Events Processing (CEP) would be added to SQL Server some time in the second half of the year, though it will not be included in the SQL Server 2008 preview. The SQL and Microsoft Office Team are working in unison to add business intelligence to Office client applications, he added.
Microsoft is using R2 in production for the MSN ad center, processing 500 million events per day, he revealed.
Microsoft technical fellow Mark Russinovich confirmed reports that Windows 7 is on schedule to ship before the holidays, but a source at Microsoft told SD Times that the date could slip to January, mirroring the Windows Vista launch, should anti-trust action be taken against the company by the European Commission.
Russinovich also showed off some of Windows 7’s new data management capabilities that can deny access to removable storage devices such as USB keys. He highlighted Windows 7 AppLocker, an application security management feature that he called Software Restriction Policies “on steroids.” AppLocker-applied policies do not break when an application is updated to a new version, he noted.
Russinovich showcased Windows XP mode, an integration technology that virtualizes Windows XP applications. Virtualized Windows XP applications run from the Windows 7 start menu and behave as if they were native Windows 7 applications, so end users do not need to be trained about virtualization, he explained.
While XP mode targets small businesses with limited numbers of users; Microsoft offers Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization and Microsoft Application Virtualization for enterprise customers. App-V was formerly known as SoftGrid.
Iain McDonald, director of product management for Windows Server, discussed how Windows Server 2008 R2 has reliability and security features that are designed to work with Windows 7. R2 will ship in the same time frame as Windows 7.
Making new announcements, Microsoft Monday said users testing Vista should abandon that effort for the Windows 7 RC candidate. Windows 7 RC should be the platform for users planning a client operating system migration.
Veghte said users that are already deploying Windows Vista, which first shipped in November 2006, should continue with those efforts. “Your investment will be protected, ” he said, though he did not define what that protection entails.
Microsoft said last month that it will not drop Vista when Windows 7 ships, which is now planned for the “holiday shopping season.”
Microsoft said it will continue at least until January 2011 selling Vista to computer makers, system builders, volume licensees and consumers, the company said.
There have been persistent rumors that Microsoft would abandon Vista once Windows 7 ships. Vista has not sold well in the enterprise since it shipped.
Forrester Research recently reported that Vista’s business penetration is still in single digits at 9%. The company predicts that number could hit 30% before year-end.
Monday’s recommendation for Vista testers to switch to Window 7 RC could cause that number to drop substantially.


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Edison Research and Triton Digital have released the 2019 findings for adoption of mobile devices, social media services, and online audio in their 2019 Infinite Dial report. According to the report, smart speaker ownership has seen tremendous growth and it
Shopping campaigns have not only become a requirement for e-commerce companies to stay relevant and promote their online and local inventory, but to also protect their Brand impression share from competitors and retain their current client base. It’s been a
Video has become an extremely important strategy in content marketing over the past few years, especially on social media. Facebook has more than 500 million people watching videos daily; Snapchat users are watching 10 billion videos daily; 82% of Twitter
Watch our Search Team (SEM, SEO & Analytics) explain the Direct Agents' process and methodology to data-driven, performance-focused digital customer acquisition. Hear from our experts about the unique differences that Direct Agents brings for their clients.
On May 17th, we partnered with BrightEdge to successfully launch an SEO webinar focused on how marketers can leverage user micro-moments to amplify their brand's voice online. Tune in to hear from the SEO experts about how to maximize your


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314.92 -6.43 (-2.00%)
Pre-Market: 7:08AM EDT
|Bid||314.10 x 100|
|Ask||315.00 x 1000|
|Day's Range||319.07 - 327.40|
|52 Week Range||250.24 - 389.61|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||N/A|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
Delivering up-to-the minute news, analysis, interviews and explanatory journalism on logistics, supply-chain management, e-commerce and more
Tesla Inc. may be falling short of its production goals for the Model 3, but investors may not necessarily care, analysts at Consumer Edge say.
When Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, the automobile had already been around for two decades. The revolution he engineered was not the car, but the system that made it. Ford introduced standardised, ...
The electric car boom could come to a screeching halt due to a looming lithium supply squeeze, but one small company may have the answer
As Yogi Berra might have put it: Nobody buys Tesla stock anymore. It’s too popular. Yet the hunt continues for promising bets on rising demand for electric vehicles, and Belgian battery-materials company ...
Dow Jones Global Indexes | Global Stock Markets As Yogi Berra might have put it: Nobody buys Tesla stock anymore. “There are very few EV champions—companies that have a meaningful percentage of their profits today coming from the electrification megatrend,” says Adam Collins, an analyst at investment firm Liberum covering specialty chemicals and new energy technologies.
Bloomberg Technology's Eric Newcomer speaks with Scarlet Fu and Joe Weisenthal about Tesla's many recent executive departures on "What'd You Miss?" (Source: Bloomberg)
A Fool chats with Wilko Stark of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz about the future of self-driving vehicles, mobility services, and the changing role of luxury vehicles.
If you’re anywhere near Friday’s printed Wall Street Journal, it will be hard not to spot the headline, right there on the front page: “Tesla Faces Crunch As Cash Hoard Thins.” (The story ran online yesterday with an arguably even more provocative headline: “Tesla’s Make-Or-Break Moment Is Fast Approaching.”) The story crystallizes what some critics have been saying about the Barron’s Next 50 company for some time: “The auto maker is entering one of the most critical phases in its history,” the Journal wrote, “a make-or-break period in which Tesla must boost production of the Model 3 or possibly face severe financial consequences.” Tesla (TSLA) has said it intends to be producing 2,500 of the cars by the end of Q1, and twice that by midyear. On Thursday, CNBC reported on a “high ratio of flawed parts and vehicles” made by Tesla, saying those flaws have hampered Model 3 production.
So far investors have been willing to tolerate Elon Musk's unfulfilled production promises. Will they remain sanguine if they learn next month that Tesla has missed its Model 3 production targets?
Jim Chanos, the short seller famous for betting against Enron, has said he thinks Tesla Inc.’s stock is “worthless.” Chanos got some new evidence this week that may support his short sales against Elon ...
Tesla is entering one of the most critical phases in its history, as the auto maker must boost production of the Model 3 or possibly face severe financial consequences.
Mar.16 -- Bloomberg Technology's Eric Newcomer speaks with Scarlet Fu and Joe Weisenthal about Tesla's many recent executive departures on "What'd You Miss?"
Adam Grant, The Wharton School professor, explains how corporate culture impacts the workplace and how companies can manage missteps effectively.


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First-year students and transfer students in their first year who have already achieved academic success at the University were honored at the Success Scholars reception Feb. 23. The Success Scholars program recognizes new students who earned a GPA of 3.75…
Annual Plant Sale Benefits Scholarship Funds
The Women of the University Community (WUC) will hold its annual plant sale this year to benefit three endowed scholarships: The Mildred Eggers, Ruth Tolley and Beverly Whaley Scholarship Funds.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual poinsettia and wreath sale will not be able to be held. Instead, the WUC is partnering with Flower Power Fundraising to sell beautiful Amaryllis (six colors) and fragrant, easy to grow Paperwhites kits. The WUC will receive 50 percent of all plant sales which will go directly to scholarship funds.
Individual bulbs are $22 each and the value kit (three bulbs) is $58. Plants will be shipped directly to the delivery address indicated at a flat shipping fee of $6.
Orders must be placed online by Nov. 30 and are guaranteed to be shipped by Dec. 1.


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Bitcoin used to be initiating to inquire of fancy the next store of worth than historical currencies — even gold — unless the cryptocurrency crashed 44% final month. DW unpicks the refined world of currencies.
The US buck and the euro are examples of fiat or historical currencies — banknotes and coins printed by governments, whose worth is decided by economic protection and the energy of a nation’s economic system. The timeframe fiat derives from the Latin notice, meaning “let or no longer or no longer it’s finished.”
The buck, as an instance, maintains its worth throughout the US being a world economic powerhouse. Most commodities, from oil to gold, are traded in bucks, giving the US currency so-referred to as reserve role (most countries’ central banks shield necessary quantities of bucks). Similarly, the energy of the eurozone economic system has boosted the worth of the euro, which is the 2d most most frequently held reserve currency.
As effectively as to the notes and coins in circulation, many of the fiat money offer is created digitally, both by central banks which is then credited to fundamental banks or created by banks themselves in the construct of loans to governments, firms and customers.
Cryptocurrencies, on the quite a whole lot of hand, are private and operate independently of governments. Bitcoin, per chance the most renowned example, emerged in 2009 at some stage in the financial crisis amid predicament in regards to the soundness of the realm economic system. It rapid obtained traction as a result of fears of political instability and governments taking on too powerful debt. There are currently more than 5,000 cryptocurrencies in a market worth over $1 trillion (€820 billion).
Bitcoin transactions are digitally verified throughout the exhaust of blockchain technology, which is never any longer run to one server nonetheless a world community of computers, making them much less inclined to fraud. That is additionally the technique that enables the mining of up to the moment coins, though there might be a ceiling on the introduction of up to the moment Bitcoins — 21 million — a figure as a result of be reached by 2040.
Bitcoin rose from $0.0008 to $0.08 in its first 5 days after initiating and has since skyrocketed as high as virtually $60,000 earlier than crashing 40% final month.
What about gold and currencies?
Many fiat currencies, fancy the buck and the British pound (which used to be previously the realm’s fundamental reserve currency), include been as soon as backed by scarce commodities fancy gold and silver, which helped to withhold their worth.
A fiat currency can change into nugatory if governments print too powerful of it, fancy in the case of 1920s Germany. The nation used to be saddled with huge debts and economic sanctions following its World War I defeat, which the authorities tried to pay throughout the mass printing of banknotes. By November, 1923, $1 used to be worth 4,210,500,000,000 marks.
Till the Gargantuan Despair of the 1930s, holders of bucks can also in theory exchange in their money for gold stored in the US federal vaults. In 1971, US President Richard Nixon unlinked the buck to gold, turning it into a fiat currency. At the time an ounce of gold used to be worth $35. Currently, the worth is $1,920.80.
Gold (and silver) dwell in vogue sources, namely at some stage in commercial downturns and a few economists need the realm’s biggest currencies to return to the so-referred to as Gold Fashioned.
Others teach the transparent manner that Bitcoin and varied cryptocurrencies are “mined” makes them as legit an funding as the treasured steel and gold-backed currencies. They predict that as soon as the total selection of Bitcoins is in circulation, the digital currency can also be worth $514,000.
Crypto critics impress the wild volatility in the values of Bitcoin, Ether and others, which makes it advanced for firms to salvage them for the fee of goods and products and companies. Tesla, as an instance, said in March it would salvage Bitcoin for the acquisition of its electrical autos nonetheless backtracked two months later.
Will cryptocurrencies replace fiat money?
China is currently attempting out its possess digital currency, the digital renminbi. The US and the European Union teach it’s handiest a topic of time earlier than currencies trek fully digital, reminiscent of cryptos. Many fiscal analysts ponder the blockchain technology at the motivate of currencies fancy Bitcoin shall be kindly for the rollout of digital versions of existing authorities-backed currencies.
Bitcoin followers teach the shortage of the private currency can help its credibility among merchants, amid huge stimulus and money printing by central banks across the realm in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, most cryptocurrencies include been held by retail merchants, nonetheless final year saw an inflow of institutional money and the increased acceptance by merchants and online fee platforms.
But some cryptocurrency trading platforms include been shut down over investigations into fraud and money laundering, though-provoking billions of bucks. Governments including China, India and Turkey include currently clamped down on cryptotrading, in a fundamental setback to articulate plans and public acceptance. Stronger legislation by Western governments additionally appears to be like to be on the cards.
Environmental concerns, too, can also abate the articulate of cryptocurrencies, as a result of the huge electrical vitality wished to mine the coins and evaluation the transactions.


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Santa Cruz tourism is hoping for a rebound during the holidays
It's been another difficult time for the Central Coast's tourism industry.
During the pandemic last year, hotel occupancy was down. They saw those numbers increase during the Summer and there was cautious optimism that the trend would continue.
Two years ago, before the pandemic, tourism was a $1.1 billion industry in Santa Cruz County. In 2020, travel spending was down 53% compared to $837 million in 2019 but this holiday season; Visit Santa Cruz County doesn't know what to expect.
"We are still in recovery mode from COVID, so we really are still up in the air about what exactly to expect. Usually, around this time of year, we have an accurate prediction but we're kind of taking a wait and see attitude," said Christina Glynn, Visit Santa Cruz County communications director and film commissioner.
Despite record-breaking gas prices with an average of $4.69 a gallon in California, AAA predicts that won't stop seven million people from taking to the roads this holiday season.
Hotels say they are filling up.
"We're looking pretty full. Thanksgiving is traditionally a busy weekend for Santa Cruz with a lot of travelers. Their kids are out of school. were a family hotel so we're seeing a lot of families with that they have with the school" said Dream Inn director of sales and marketing, Dan Smart.
Visit Santa Cruz noted that occupancy figures this year have been affected by labor shortages; many hotels were unable to turn over rooms to meet demand and therefore occupancy figures were affected.
And it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
The coastal amusement park has a giant Christmas tree decorated with what else, flip flops and beach balls as they get into the holiday spirit and hope to pull in more visitors.
And they're pulling out all the stops with a visit with Santa Claus in a Giant Dipper seat Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving.
"We are planning to open rides every weekend through t Winter, weather depending of course, and opening all of our arcades so we're still a place to come. We're having pretty good attendance this year," said Karley Pope, director of sales and promotions.
A U.S. international travel ban that was recently lifted will help but that's not expected to have any impact until next year.


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Perth’s strawberry growers look set to receive higher prices for their fruit this year. The reason a national shortage is looming, driven by lower plantings and drought conditions on the east coast.
Plantings for growers in the Perth strawberry area are estimated to be 25 per cent down on recent years, based on aerial surveys of the black plastic mulch laid in preparation.
Growers have had a spate of major bad luck, including the 2017 incursion of the tomato potato psyllid which closed off Eastern States markets. The financial strain has meant many local growers had been forced to wind back this year’s plantings, which cost about $50,000 a hectare, including runners, labour, plastic mulch and protective plastic tunnels.
Compounding the reduced plantings is a major squeeze on the number of runners available because of dry conditions in Queensland and Victoria, where major runner nurseries are based.
Other States had also had trouble accessing runners, including Queensland where some big growers have reportedly received only half the number needed. Queensland farmers produce about 42 per cent of Australia’s strawberries.
WA Strawberry Growers Association spokesman Jamie Michael said the combination of factors meant there would likely be fewer strawberries produced Australia-wide this year, but the lower supply should lead to better prices for growers: “There is unlikely to be the dirt-cheap prices that shoppers have seen in recent years, but they still will be reasonable and affordable for consumers. I expect instead of offers such as three or four punnets for $5, prices will be in the vicinity of two punnets for $5. Importantly, the wholesale price paid to growers will be better.”


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After launching the LG G Vista in the US earlier this month, LG has announced the device for the South Korean market today, where it will be called the Gx2. Available exclusively on the LG U+ network, the Gx2 will be marketed as the successor to the LG Gx, which made its debut last December.
Like the Gx, the Gx2 will be aimed at the mid-range segment, and features a 5.7-inch 720p display, 1.5 GB RAM, 8 GB internal storage, 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU, 8 MP camera at the back, 1.3 MP front shooter, LTE and LTE-A connectivity and a 3,200 mAh battery. The Gx2 also features a camera laser focusing system that was first seen on the LG G3.
Will LG launch more spinoffs of the G3? Your guess is as good as ours.


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Square Enix have a lot of games coming up for E3 this next week. Square Enix have a lot of games in the work and a lot of questions to answer. Games like Final Fantasy XV, Kingom Hearts, Hitman, Rise of The Tomb Raider, Just Cause 3, Deus Ex Mankind Divided and more. This might be one of the bigger years for Square Enix after having financial trouble in the recent years.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was announced in April, and it almost certain to be shown during E3. It’s one of the series that is critically well received by the press. Final Fantasy XV was already shown during last years E3. That game has already been development for years. Kingdom Hearts was also shown last year, but it’s unknown if that game will actually get release this year. Rise of The Romb Raider was announced as a timed exclusive last year. It is still an exclusive after Phil Spencer cleared the confusion about the game. It is one game to look out for since the reboot got a very good reception by the media and gamers.
Just Cause 3 is going to have a Q&A session during E3, from the swedish located developer Avalanche Studios. Square Enix have come out on their own site to announce the session on June 16th between 12:30 to 1PM PT. You can ask the Game Director Roland Lesterlin directly about the game itself during that live stream. You can talk to the Global Community Manager Petra Opelova between 11:30 and 12PM PT.
Let us know which games you are looking most forward to for E3 in the comments below.


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As streaming services dive deeper into high-quality original content, including movies, they’re expected to start competing with traditional films at the Oscars. Jeff Bezos hopes to be a part of that phenomenon in a big way.
With that much output, it’s probably only a matter of time before the e-commerce giant’s name is called at the biggest movie awards ceremony of the year. Amazon has stated numerous times it hopes to invest heavily into its original content as well as its acquisition of third party movies and television. Some big awards ceremony victories would certainly drive subscriptions to their Prime Video service, which is included with their Amazon Prime membership program.
Bezos also commented that it’s not Amazon’s job to meddle in the creative direction it offers filmmakers who end up working alongside the service. In other words, if Amazon hires Spike Lee or Woody Allen to make a film for the service, they’re given plenty of creative freedom in order to minimize traditional studio oversight.
Regardless, we’re willing to bet that an Amazon original film will at least nominated in the 2016-2017 Oscar season, and we’re certainly excited to hear what titles the streaming service plans to release in the coming year.


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Most Asian currencies weaken ahead of Fed meeting
* Most trade in a tight range
* All eyes on Fed rate decision
* Rupee hurt by trade worries, bigger deficit
* Yuan stable
(Adds text, updates prices)
By Rushil Dutta and Renju Jose
June 17 (Reuters) - Most Asian currencies weakened on Monday
as the U.S. dollar drew strength from strong retail sales data
that tempered market expectations that the Federal Reserve could
cut interest rates this week.
Despite a mild pull-back, the dollar index hung
around two-week highs after the United States' Commerce
Department on Friday said retail sales in May had increased, and
revised sales for the prior month higher.
The sales numbers suggested consumer spending was picking
up, and helped allay fears the world's biggest economy was
slowing down sharply in the second quarter.
Expectations that the Fed would cut rates at its June 18-19
meeting receded from 28.3% to 21.7% last week, according to CME
Group's FedWatch tool. However, wagers on easing at the July
meeting remained high.
"With U.S. data not showing clear signs of weakness, it is
difficult to justify looser monetary policy on fundamental or
financial conditions arguments," DBS FX strategist Philip Wee
and rates strategist Eugene Low said in a note.
"The only conceivable way would be to highlight downside
risks due to prolonged China-U.S. trade tensions."
Currencies of export-reliant economies were the worst
performers on the day, with the Thai baht and South
Korean won weakening as much as 0.26% and 0.19%
U.S. pressure on Chinese technology majors and global
weakness in memory chips have made the won the region's worst
performing currency this year.
The Singapore dollar firmed slightly after the island-state
reported a smaller-than-expected decline in non-oil domestic
exports (NODX) in May.
The 15.9% fall, however, was the biggest since March 2016
and was partly due to a sharp decline in shipments to
The Chinese yuan was stable in thin trade
morning, as the central bank kept the midpoint fixing nearly
unchanged to curb downward pressure.
The Indian rupee slipped to over two-week lows
after data released post market hours on Friday showed the
country's trade deficit widened in May to $15.36 billion.
Oil imports, the biggest item in the import bill, rose
8.23%. India meets nearly 80 percent of its fuel demand through
imports. On Monday, higher crude oil prices continued pressuring
Meanwhile, worsening trade relations between India and the
U.S. further dented sentiment.
India said last week it would impose higher retaliatory
tariffs on 28 U.S. products after Washington's withdrawal of key
trade privileges for New Delhi.
CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR
Change on the day at 0501 GMT
Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move
Japan yen 108.590 108.55 -0.04
Sing dlr 1.371 1.3708 +0.01
Taiwan dlr 31.525 31.530 +0.02
Korean won 1185.700 1185.3 -0.03
Baht 31.230 31.16 -0.22
Peso 52.090 52.07 -0.04
Rupiah 14340.000 14320 -0.14
Rupee 69.840 69.80 -0.06
Ringgit 4.172 4.165 -0.17
Yuan 6.924 6.9258 +0.03
Change so far in 2019
Currency Latest bid End 2018 Pct Move
Japan yen 108.590 109.56 +0.89
Sing dlr 1.371 1.3627 -0.58
Taiwan dlr 31.525 30.733 -2.51
Korean won 1185.700 1115.70 -5.90
Baht 31.230 32.55 +4.23
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(Reporting by Renju Jose and Rushil Dutta in Bengaluru; Editing
by Kim Coghill)
First Published: 2019-06-17 03:53:05
Updated 2019-06-17 07:28:00
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During the intervening night of Sunday and Monday goods worth lakhs of rupees were stolen from an electronic shop in Baramulla Main Chowk.
Police claimed to have identified the "thief with the help of CCTV footage."
The burglar as per police, looted the electronic showroom, Everest Radios, situated in the main Chowk Baramulla at around 4.15 am on Monday and took away electronic goods including mobile phones and scores of other electronic items from the showroom.
SHO Baramulla Khalid Ahmad said the burglar has been identified and efforts are on to trace him. "We raided his residence at Rafiabad, however, could not find him there. Efforts are on to trace him and we are hopeful to arrest him soon and recover the stolen items," the SHO Baramulla said.


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SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia, a major Balkans steel exporter, asked on Friday to be exempted from the European Union’s steel import curbs, imposed in response to U.S. tariffs on incoming steel and aluminium.
Bosnia is concerned about the negative impact the EU trade measures may have on its metal industry, which dominates its exports. It exported steel worth 1.1 billion Bosnian marka (£501.51 million) to EU markets in the first half of 2018.
The EU’s executive Commission has launched a combination of quotas and tariffs to counter concerns that steel products no longer imported into the United States would instead flood European markets.
The quotas for 23 steel product categories have been set at the average of imports over the past three years, with a 25 percent tariff set for volumes exceeding those amounts. These quotas are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Bosnia is especially concerned for the fate of its largest steel exporter, the steel-making unit of ArcelorMittal, which accounts for 2.5 percent of the country’s GDP and employs about 3,000 people.
In a letter to the EU’s executive Commission, Bosnia’s Foreign Trade Minister Mirko Sarovic cited an analysis showing that Bosnia’s steel exports could not damage or disturb the EU steel market.
“We duly expect that the European Commission should make every effort in finding a suitable modality to exempt Bosnia from the implementation of temporary protection measures... and to prevent negative effects from them,” Sarovic said in the letter.
He said the Commission has overlooked the possibility that the measures may hit its partner countries in the western Balkans, who are all at different stages of integration with the bloc, and that the import curbs would violate the terms of its stabilisation and association process with Bosnia.
Sarovic, who had said Bosnia might be forced to introduce counter-measures on imports from the EU, said the country was prepared to take part in a hearing related to the EU trade measures scheduled in Brussels for Sept 12.
Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Jan Harvey


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The Dutch company Solarplaza, an expert in solar power industry, have developed a map of crowdfunding platforms that target or have funded renewable energy projects.
The exhibit called The Green Label Gallery will be hosted at Museumplain and coincide with another youth-targeting event—European Dew Tour Am Series—a daylong amateur sports competition.
"This partnership will allow us to leverage each company's best-in-class capabilities, putting us in a prime position to drive further category growth," commented Nina Barton, vice president of Coffee for Kraft Foods, McDonald's coffee supplier.
The second quarter's average global index for consumer confidence this year is 97—which is the highest level since Q1, 2007.
According to Bloomberg, the estimated Panasonic's investment in the technology and equipment for manufacturing of the batteries at Gigafactory may reach $5 billion by 2020.
Specifically, the report analyzes 17 markets showing the fastest dynamics or growth of ad spend in nominal volume.


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BOULDER, COLORADO – Dec. 14, 2011 – Last year eCrypt Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:ECRY), developer of easy to use encryption solutions, announced that the Company was setting its sights on iPhone users. Today eCrypt announces that it is finalizing the development of “eCrypt Me for iPhone,” to be released on the iTunes App Store.
eCrypt Me for iPhone is a mobile application that connects to the web based eCrypt Me platform, allowing users to send and receive secure emails and attachments from their iPhone. eCrypt Me secured emails are shielded from hackers, cyber criminals and other unwanted intruders. By leveraging the eCrypt Me service, the app offers the highest level of encryption commercially available and provides complete end-to-end security for emails and attachments on the iPhone.
“For many people, their smartphone is their key communications tool,” says eCrypt CEO Brad Lever. “By developing an app specifically for the iPhone, we are able to increase the level of convenience to our subscribers, and expand our market to those iPhone users who rely on the iTunes App Store to source solutions for their smartphone. There are very few email security solutions currently available to iPhone users, and none comparable to eCrypt Me. We are very excited to bring this product to a whole new audience.”
In January of this year, Apple announced that it has sold over 50 million iPhones, and currently has a market share of 29% in the US alone. Cannacord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley claims that the iPhone’s market share is set to increase 43% globally, suggesting extremely strong growth for the iPhone.
The initial release of eCrypt Me for iPhone is the first on the roadmap of apps for mobile devices, and a part of the Company’s strategy to increase awareness to the eCrypt Me platform.
Learn more about eCrypt Me and sign up for a free 30 day trial at ecryptinc.com.
About eCrypt Technologies
eCrypt Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:ECRY) provides email encryption and secure file storage using the strongest encryption algorithms available to prevent the theft of data during email transmission and storage. Today its products including eCrypt Me, eCrypt One On One for BlackBerry smartphones, and File Vault are being used by businesses and professionals including lawyers, accountants, financial advisers and medical practitioners.
eCrypt Me is a web-based platform that allows users to securely access their email and stored documents from anywhere in the world, from any Internet-enabled device. No software is downloaded nor is any special configuration required.
eCrypt has forged a new business model by providing customers with an easy-to-use, secure email platform at a low monthly cost. Customers can now communicate freely and securely, without having to change their email address, knowing that no one – including eCrypt – has access to the sensitive information that is routinely contained in emails, giving you, the user, control over access to your data.
Learn more and sign up for a free 30 day trial at ecryptinc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements,” as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and the actual results and future events could differ materially from management’s current expectations. The economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors identified in the Company’s previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


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- 1 min read
COAI collaborates with WTCIS to establish ‘ESDM Center of Excellence’ in WTC Noida
Telecom industry body COAI has collaborated with World Trade Center India Services Council (WTCIS) to establish an ESDM Center of Excellence at the WTC-1A, World Trade Centre Noida.
The proposed Centre of Excellence will work towards the development of human capital in India, and will aim to strengthen the innovation ecosystem pertaining to mobile, telecom, electronics and allied network industries.
“We are excited to partner with the World Trade Center India Services Council, an international ecosystem of global business connectivity, iconic properties, and integrated trade services spread across several cities and countries. Our combined expertise in telecom, mobile and ESDM industries will go a long way in helping the industry, state and the country at large,” said Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI.
ESDM aims to be a $400 billion industry by 2025 with targeted production of 1 billion mobile handsets by 2025, valued at $190 billion (approximately INR 13 lakh crore), including 600 million mobile handsets valued at $110 billion (approximately INR 7 lakh crore), for export.
The Government of Uttar Pradesh initiated the MOX-Mobile Open Exchange Cluster, with WTC Noida as a business enabling hub as part of which the government signed MOU with WTC Noida to develop techzone as nucleus of MOX to enable growth in mobile and allied sectors in U.P.


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- Associated Press•1 hour ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Violent gunmen still menace pick-and-shovel miners in eastern Congo, a new report finds, despite years of efforts to loosen their grip by local reformers, Western activists and companies like Apple and Intel that use minerals from the African region in their products.
- American City Business Journals•3 hours ago
It’s been six months since Intel said it would lay off 11 percent of its global workforce or 12,000 workers. A group called Intel Eliminati, created following a smaller layoff in 2015, took on a greater role connecting former co-workers with each other, and, hopefully new job opportunities. “We are going to advertise it as ‘what has been going on’ and use it to craft our own training strategies for people,” said organizer Richard Vireday, a software developer who was laid off after 31 years with the company.
Intel Corporation (INTC)
NasdaqGS - NasdaqGS Real Time Price. Currency in USD
|Bid||35.04 x 14200|
|Ask||35.05 x 4700|
|Day's Range||35.01 - 35.25|
|52wk Range||27.68 - 38.36|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
Trade prices are not sourced from all markets
|P/E Ratio (ttm)||17.00|
|Avg Vol (3m)||21,335,287|
|Dividend & Yield||1.04 (2.96%)|


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A Jamul-based goat breeder is among a dozen plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit in San Diego charging that seven individuals and five businesses have been improperly denied "meaningful economic participation in the pygmy goat industry."
Donna Elkins and her Proverbial Pygmies breeding operation are among those who last week sued the National Pygmy Goat Association, charging that a campaign existed to banish gray-brown agouti goats from registering with the organization and participating in competitive shows sanctioned by the organization.
"Gray-brown agouti" refers to the goat's coat — these animals will have a mix of gray and brown hair intermingled with white hairs, lightening the color on certain parts of the fur.
For three decades, the plaintiffs charge, the association employed language stating that "all body colors are acceptable." In 2008, however, association board members began to receive complaints that the gray-brown agouti markings were "undesirable," and Elkins was accused of introducing them to her herd through cross-breeding with a Nigerian dwarf goat.
After a "Just Say No to Tri-Color" campaign eventually succeeded in getting the "all body colors" language removed from association guidelines in 2010, Elkins says she was accused of fraudulently attempting to create "interesting colors" through the improper cross-breeding, and Los Angeles–area lead plaintiff Debra Hosley faced charges of running her operation as a "puppy mill."
In June of 2013, the association finally implemented a competition ban on goats of "nonconformity of color/pattern." The association website's page on goat coloring contains various examples of acceptable markings, though gray-brown agoutis are not featured. The result of the rule change, plaintiffs say, is that their goats, even those who have previously won awards at regional or national shows, are now prohibited from participating in competitions.
"Now animals that are fully registered, some with Grand Champion wins, will no longer be able to enter the show ring to compete," charges the complaint.
"A pygmy goat without NPGA papers is a virtually worthless breeding animal," say breeders, who note that most buyers in the boutique pygmy goat market demand association papers when buying goat kids. By getting their animals banned from the association, the plaintiffs argue, the association members who launched the campaign against them effectively forced Elkins and others out of the market, allowing for less competition and for the remaining breeders to command higher prices.
The breeders seek punitive damages and reinstatement of the right to register their gray-brown goats.


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Thursday, September 9, 2010
Variety really is the spice of life
No longer content with exhorting us simply to eat five portions of fruits and vegetables a day, scientists now say that consuming a broad and varied range of produce is where it’s at.
So let’s not restrict our vegetable and fruit intake to iceberg lettuce, peas, carrots and bananas (bland foods that many people favor). Instead, why not add more assertively flavored foods to your meal plan, such as leeks, beets, cauliflower, radicchio, parsnips, onions, chard, broccoli, garlic, kale, mushrooms, eggplant, spinach, peppers or red and blue berries? Only by consuming the broadest-possible range of vegetables and fruits can we obtain the widest-possible spread of nutrients.
When you think about it, this is hardly surprising: Humans did not evolve on a mono-diet comprising only a handful of foods. They survived on whatever the terrain and prevailing seasons had to offer, and this would have translated into a wide variety of foods. By some estimates, our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate more than 800 different types of wild plant foods. These days many of us in the industrialized west are lucky if we get more than 20 different fruits and vegetables into our bodies on a regular basis. (Or five portions a day, for that matter.) No wonder our collective health is flagging.
While it is generally accepted that we need to eat a certain amount of greens each day – at least five portions, or about 200 grams each of vegetables and fruits – to maintain health, quantity is not enough. Diversity – eating five portions or 400 grams of different vegetables and fruits a day, and varying these constantly – is increasingly seen as a key to good health.
Talk of dietary diversity in cancer prevention received fresh fuel a few days ago when the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention published a study that found smokers who eat a wide variety of vegetables have a statistically significantly lower risk of developing lung cancer than those whose diet includes little vegetal variety.
The study is drawn from the ongoing, multi-centered European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, a large-scale investigation involving nearly half a million participants in 10 countries. Scientists sorted the subjects into four groups depending upon how many of 14 fruits and 26 vegetables they had eaten over a two-week period. Those in the top quartile ate between 23 and 40 different fruits and vegetables; those in the lowest quartile ate less than 10 different types.
After tracking participants on average for almost nine years, researchers found that – regardless of the amount eaten – increased diversity of vegetables was linked with reduced risk of lung cancer, especially for smokers. Smokers who ate the greatest variety of vegetables had a 23% lower risk of lung cancer than those consuming the lowest variety. And smokers who ate the greatest variety of fruits and vegetables were 27% less likely to get squamous cell lung cancer, which accounts for 25-30% of all lung cancers.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can smoke and still remain healthy as long as you eat your greens. “By far the best way to reduce one’s risk of lung cancer is to stop smoking altogether,” says H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, one of the study’s lead authors and project director of cancer epidemiology at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in The Netherlands. However, for the billion smokers worldwide who are addicted to nicotine and find it impossible to quit, eating a variety of vegetables and fruits may represent at least a small risk reduction, he said in an interview.
After years of searching for the Holy Grail of anti-cancer foods – Broccoli sprouts? Green tea? Tomato paste? Turmeric? – scientists increasingly believe that the very combination and interaction of these foods – and many others – may afford the best protection against cancer.
Several studies have suggested that eating a wide diversity of healthy foods may reduce the risk of various cancers, notably those of the digestive tract (see this study, this and this) and breast cancer – even in women with a genetically heightened risk of developing breast cancer. The health effect of a varied diet is most noticeable with vegetables and fruits; varying different types of meat or cereal grains does not appear to have noticeable benefits. (Needless to say, a wide variety of junk foods has no positive health effect at all.)
What this boils down to is that we should embrace dietary variety, consuming many different whole, fresh foods every day. Eating seasonal produce (locally produced for optimum freshness) is an easy way to vary your nutrient intake; as the seasons change, so does the food on your plate. Alas, many people aren’t keen on eating vegetables and fruits; indeed, among the population investigated in the EPIC study, only 23.8% fell into the highest-variety quartile.
Vegetable-phobes may be tempted to substitute a wide diversity of fresh vegetables and fruits with food supplements. However, “a nutritional supplement can never replace the complex matrix of a whole food,” says Dr Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita. As he explains it, each fruit or vegetable contains many different bioactive compounds, none of which can be solely responsible for reducing cancer risk. “A rich mix of vegetables and fruits will expose you to a rich mix of bioactive compounds which may interact and reinforce each other” to help reduce cancer risk, he says.
It may be too early for governments to issue formal recommendations based on these initial findings, but I for one will continue piling my plate high with vegetables and fruits of all sorts. Like everyone, I have good and bad days on the diversity front. Today was good: I ate peppers and onions (breakfast frittata), a nectarine and three plums (snacks), onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery, garlic and dried mushrooms (Bolognese sauce), leeks, broccoli, spring onions and more carrots (vegetable soup). Can I do it again tomorrow?
For more information on increasing the variety of healthy foods in your diet: Zest for Life, The Mediterranean Anti-Cancer Diet (http://www.zestforlifediet.com)


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Food Unwrapped goes behind the scenes of several production lines to find out exactly how food items are made. On tonight’s episode of Food Unwrapped on Channel 4, viewers found out just exactly how blue cheese is made.
Andrea visited Derbyshire where she found out exactly how the cheese was made at Hartington Creamery in Matlock.
Meeting Alan Salt, the presenter said: “I’ve arrived just as the new batch of stilton is starting life.
“It’s a British institution we’ve been making for more than 300 years.”
Alan said: “This batch of curd will make about one tonne of cheese.
The cheese is not pressed like cheddar which leaves small air pockets within the cheese.
These air pockets are where the mould will grow after some time of being left.
Presenter Andrea said: “The next stage is called sealing the cheese, this stops oxygen getting in which the mould needs to grow.”
Once sealed, the cheese is then moved to a special room where it ripens for 12 weeks before the last stage.
Little holes are made in the cheese, helping the oxygen into the food which enables the mould to grow.
Twitter users were amazed with the process, with one person tweeting: “This is fascinating, I didn’t even think that is how it was made!”
Another said: “Food Unwrapped showing how the cheese is made, looks quite processed.”
“No wonder blue cheese is quite expensive, it takes so long to make,” commented a third.


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2021 was a year of economic recovery – as well as a year of recession, rising inflation by Omicron.
Increased immunizations, advances in antibiotics and reduced immunity. 2021 provided an opportunity for many countries to reverse the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.
But opening a business and returning to a normal life has brought many obstacles, such as rising prices for living.
Despite the difficulties, expectations were growing for the new year, until the Omicron brand and the opportunity to get vaccinated re-calculated.
So, what will come in 2022?


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Audi India Business Back On Track
Mumbai: German luxury carmaker Audi has reported that its business is growing back to normal levels and is hopeful about the upcoming festive season.
While footfall levels are not at pre-COVID levels, they are slowly growing and there is increased digital enquiries, the company said in a report published in ET Auto.
Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said that earlier customers used to spend more time offline in exploring their vehicles while now they are spending equal time online and offline.
Audi will be launching a new SUV Q2 during the festive season and is banking on it for increased traction.
Comments are closed.


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The Ultimate Pick-Me-Up: Vanilla Yogurt Found to Boost Your Mood
It’s not unusual to have passing food cravings throughout the day. We think of food all the time: when the smell of pizza wafts from the place down the street, when you pass a chocolate cake in a bakery storefront, or when you see an advertisement for a burger on television. But you might notice that these cravings are particularly strong when you’re emotionally vulnerable. People often turn to food for comfort, unconsciously or consciously, when feeling stressed, sad, or bored.
A recent study reveals that our inclination for comfort food during troubling times has is linked to more than just our need for a sense of security. It turns out that the taste of certain foods can actually change your mood. Researchers from the Netherlands, Austria, and Finland set out to measure the implicit and unconscious emotional effects of food consumption. Using four different techniques, researchers determined what, if any, emotional responses people had after eating different flavors of yogurt.
Three groups of 24 participants were given a pair of yogurts, both from the same brand and marketed in the same way. The only difference was the flavoring and fat content of each yogurt. Researchers used facial reading during consumption and eye tracking to measure the impact of packaging. They also used an emotive projection test, in which they showed participants photographs of other people and asked them to rate them based on six positive and negative traits before and after eating the yogurt. The idea was that, based on the emotion the participants projected onto the person in the photo, researchers could determine the participants’ own moods.
Finally, they used an autobiographical reaction time test based on mood congruency. However, that did not yield any significant results. Ultimately, the researchers found that liking or being familiar with a product had no effect on mood. Emotions did change after the food was tasted. Being pleasantly surprised or disappointed with a flavor appeared to influence people’s moods. Of all the yogurts, the low-fat varieties led to more positive emotional responses.
The vanilla flavor elicited a particularly strong positive emotional response. This supports previous evidence that a subtle vanilla scent in places like hospital waiting rooms can reduce aggression and facilitate bonding between patients and staff. These new findings will likely be valuable to product manufacturers, in that they demonstrate how consumers unconsciously respond to a product. Previous research has been focused on consumer response, based on conscious thought. For consumers, this offers a unique glimpse into our own consumption patterns and what leads us to purchase one product over another.
The accompanying slideshow is provided by fellow Daily Meal staff writer HellaWella


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Vaith, chef at the Vig Ale House, 501 Hilltop Road, said the Vig will serve giant turkey sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving, heaped with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy and cranberries.
“They probably weigh a pound apiece,” Vaith said.
At home, Vaith said he favors the recipes handed down from his Midwestern grandmother. That includes corn pudding and cornbread stuffing, which is made with bread crumbs, corn, bacon and herbs.
“My grandmother put cream and cheese in everything. Not too healthy, but it tastes good,” Vaith said.


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Check out all the on-demand sessions from the Intelligent Security Summit here.
Seedcamp, a seed fund that is best described as Europe’s version of Y Combinator, just announced a partnership with Facebook that will give Seedcamp’s teams access to product, technical, and design support as well as early access to beta products and programs on Facebook Platform. This means that Seedcamp’s teams will get a head start on other startups when it comes to integrating new Facebook features.
Seedcamp provides seed investment of up to $67,000 in exchange for 8 to 10 percent of the startup in question. The fund stages events all over Europe and beyond (in 2011, Seedcamp events are also planned in New York, Singapore, India and South Africa) that culminate in 20 or so companies being selected to participate in the annual Seedcamp week in London. Following an investment, the startups spend three months in London working with mentors to develop their product. Seedcamp raised a new $4 million fund last year.
Since Seedcamp launched in 2007, it has received over 1,500 applications (which reflects the pent-up demand for seed investment in Europe) but invested in only 22 companies. The selected companies have so far come from 12 countries, including tech-talent hotspots like Estonia, Romania and Slovenia. Semantic blogging company Zemanta, one of Seedcamp’s most successful investments, raised $3 million last year and is heading towards profitability.
The Facebook partnership is also significant in that it involves a Silicon Valley behemoth taking an interest in the oft-neglected European startup scene. European VCs have consistently described Europe to me as being under-invested (lots of good companies, not enough money) whereas Silicon Valley is the opposite. On the other hand entrepreneurs like GetJar’s founder have complained that Europe is still not a friendly place for investors, and the high-growth companies they back. In that context, Facebook turning its eye towards Europe can’t be a bad thing. It also reflects the growing globalisation of the startup scene in general.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


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Last updated on September 26th, 2023 at 08:29 am
- Public Smoking of Cannabis Restrictions
- Smoking at Dispensaries
- Persons Prohibited From Using Cannabis in Thailand
- Online Sales and Advertising
- Driving While Intoxicated
- Foreigners And Marijuana in Thailand
- Growing Marijuana
- Commercial Growth of Cannabis in Thailand
- Importing Cannabis Into Thailand
- Importing Cannabis Extracts Into Thailand
- Flying in Thailand with Cannabis
- Foreign Cannabis-Related Patent Requests
- Why Did The Government Make Marijuana Legal in Thailand?
- What’s Next for Thailand?
Ever since the Thai government voted 166 to 0 to legalize cannabis for medicinal use in Nov 2018, the question “Is marijuana legal in Thailand?” has been a hot topic both online and throughout Thailand.
There were many contradictions between what was promised and what was allowed.
But on June 9, 2022 Thailand eventually legalized cannabis for most uses.
While officially classified as legalized for “medicinal” use, there are no longer any legal penalties for possession of any part of the cannabis plant, including buds.
No prescription, marijuana card, or other approval from a medical professional is required to possess or use cannabis in Thailand.
Some cannabis activists have termed Thailand’s approach as, legalizing recreational use without officially legalizing recreational use.
The only exception to this rule is for THC extracts. Any extract with a THC content of over 0.2% is still considered a Category 5 narcotic substance.
Extracts were not defined in the new law but it’s safe to assume that the following products would be considered extracts:
- THC oils (these are still available via medical prescription by a licensed Thai medical care professional)
- Budder / Badder wax
- Any edibles that do not use the buds or leaves from the plant (i.e. no gummies)
Additionally, Thailand released approximately 4,000 inmates from Thai prisons who were being incarcerated for cannabis-related crimes. This seems to bolster Thailand’s commitment to treat cannabis in a new light after June 9, 2022.
Also, news sources are reporting that the police are actually returning 16 tonnes of confiscated cannabis to people who have had their cannabis confiscated.
The new laws do come with some, relatively, minor stipulations.
Public Smoking of Cannabis Restrictions
The most cited new regulation pertains to smoking cannabis in public places. Any cannabis use that is considered to be a public nuisance will be treated similar to Thailand’s smoking regulations.
If someone is caught smoking cannabis in a public place or their usage has resulted in someone filing a complaint, the person will be given a warning for the first offense. Second offense carries a 2,000 baht (approximately $60 USD) fine and a jail term of up to 30-days. The maximum penalty for multiple offenses is 25,000 baht fine and up to 3-months in jail.
This seems to be pretty easy to avoid. If someone, police or not, ask you to smoke elsewhere, just be courteous.
Smoking at Dispensaries
In Nov 2022 the Thai government passed additional rules which included prohibiting the smoking of cannabis on the premises of a dispensary unless a licensed medical professional (doctor, veterinarian, dentist, or traditional medicine practitioner) is on-site.
Persons Prohibited From Using Cannabis in Thailand
The new laws also come with some prohibitions on who can use cannabis in Thailand.
- No sales to persons under 20 years of age
- No sales to pregnant women
- No sales to women who are breast feeding
The government has said that all sales must be taxed as any other sale and they will be producing guidelines which will be available at a future date.
Online Sales and Advertising
In Nov 2022, Thailand prohibited online sales of cannabis. Included in online sales was sales from vending machines.
There is also a ban on any advertising of cannabis products.
These rules are similar to Thailand’s restrictions on the online sale of and advertising of alcohol.
Driving While Intoxicated
The government has stressed that operating a motor vehicle while impaired by cannabis will result in strict punishment as they do for driving under the influence of alcohol or any other drug.
Foreigners And Marijuana in Thailand
There does not seem to be any restrictions on foreigners possessing or using medical marijuana in Thailand other than those outlined above. In fact, the Tourism and Sports Minister has stated that he would like to promote medical marijuana tourism.
Everyone in Thailand, citizen or not, is allowed to grow cannabis in Thailand for personal, medicinal use.
You are required/requested to use the Plook Ganja app to register your grow with the FDA or you can notify your local government agency directly.
Interestingly, there are no published penalties for not registering. Essentially, you are asked to register your grow but there doesn’t seem to be a penalty for failure to do so.
According to the government, on the first day the website/app was announced, the site crashed as over 35 million people tried to access the site.
Commercial Growth of Cannabis in Thailand
Commercial growers must still seek appropriate approvals and licenses.
Importing Cannabis Into Thailand
You may import seeds and cannabis plants into Thailand after receiving permission to do so from the government. This is less about cannabis and more in keeping with the 1964 Plant Quarantine Act and the 1975 Plants Act.
Importing Cannabis Extracts Into Thailand
Technically, this is possible. But extracts containing greater than 0.2% THC are still considered a Category 5 narcotic. You can seek FDA permission to import extracts for personal medicinal purposes. This would be the same procedure for importing any prescribed medication which is highly controlled.
Flying in Thailand with Cannabis
Airports of Thailand (AOT) has announced that passengers are permitted to carry cannabis on domestic flights within Thailand as long as it meets all other regulations such as not exceeding maximum luggage weight.
I personally can confirm this as I emailed VietJet asking about whether or not I could bring cannabis on my domestic flight and they emailed me back saying that there are no restrictions on cannabis other than their normal luggage restrictions.
And, I did indeed fly from Bangkok to Phuket with several grams of cannabis in my carry-on luggage and went through all of the normal security screenings and x-rays and without an issue.
Foreign Cannabis-Related Patent Requests
In Jan of 2019 the Thai government revoked all pending foreign patent request related to cannabis. The reasoning behind this action was to protect Thai interests and prevent foreign companies from creating a stranglehold on the Thai cannabis industry.
Using special executive powers granted to the military government under Rule 44, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) was granted to right to suspend cannabis-related patent applications on the grounds that they violate the public order, morality, public health, or welfare of the state.
Why Did The Government Make Marijuana Legal in Thailand?
Considering the fact that Thailand has taken such a hard stance against all drugs in the past and has punished marijuana possession and trafficking as harshly as hard drugs, it’s natural to wonder what brought around such an abrupt change.
But, it’s important to remember that marijuana was once a major crop for Thai farmers and was used in Thai traditional medicine.
The United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) pressured the Thai government during the 1960’s and 1970’s to join in its War on Drugs, which led to marijuana being banned in Thailand and for local law enforcement to crack down so severely.
With the US loosening its own restrictions on marijuana and many other countries already having legalized or decriminalized marijuana, Thailand wanted to be the first country in South-East Asia to relax it’s drug laws on cannabis.
Somchai Sawangkarn, the chairman of the committee that drafted the 2018 legislation heralded it as a “New Year’s gift from the National Legislative Assembly to the government and the Thai people.”
It also didn’t hurt that Thailand’s economy relies heavily on agriculture and legalizing a new cash crop for the farmers was seen as a savvy move by the government.
Thai officials have stated that they would like to become a major exporter of marijuana and attract new types of tourism to the country based on the legalization of medical marijuana.
There are many news sources and plenty of barstool experts that are claiming that the only thing that was legalized is cannabis with a THC content of 0.2% of less.
This is false. If one reads the law, it specifically mentions the 0.2% only in relation to extracts.
Additionally, prior to June 9, 2022, cannabis with less than 0.2% THC content was already legal. There were even restaurants on the grounds of government hospitals selling cannabis infused drinks and food flavored with cannabis.
It’s important to view things within the context of the Thai legal system, not the laws in another country.
Many people, especially westerners who come from countries where laws are very precise, want it written in black and white. You can do X. You cannot do Y.
But that’s, generally, not how Thai laws work. Laws are often written very broadly and interpretation is left to the courts and law enforcement.
It’s understandable that people can’t believe that Thailand has made such a radical shift. They’re looking for a gotcha.
But, as of the moment, there are no gotchas. Buds are being sold openly, police are giving people back their weed, and the police have been told not to arrest anybody for cannabis.
In fact, I attended the Highland 420 Festival in Bangkok shortly after cannabis was legalized and people were openly smoking weed in front of police who were providing security for the event.
There was also a story by Coconuts Bangkok where they asked the Thong Lor police, who notoriously are known to shake down foreigners looking for drugs, whether or not they had made any arrests for cannabis since the new law came into effect and Col. Duangchote Suwanjaras, chief of Thonglor Police had this to say:
“For now, we will accommodate people who possess, buy, and sell buds.”
“Just do not smoke in the public,” he repeated. “We’re waiting for the [Cannabis Act] to be effective and from then we’ll know clearer guidelines of what you can do or cannot do.”
There are even photos of uniformed military officers allegedly buying weed from a cannabis vendor on Khao San Road.
What’s Next for Thailand?
Thailand seems to realize after removing nearly all restrictions on cannabis that it may have gone too far, too fast.
Immediately after it became legal, various government agencies began either proposing or implementing restrictions.
So far, most of the proposals seem reasonable.
For instance, the military has banned cannabis from military facilities. The national government has likewise banned the use or sale of cannabis from government buildings.
Others have raised issues about minors and have proposed banning sales on or around school grounds.
The health department has issued guidelines about how restaurants should inform their customers about cannabis in foods with suggested signage.
There was also quite a bit of worrying in the media when it was reported that several people had to be hospitalized after getting “too high” and one person died of heart problems which was reported as a death caused by cannabis by some journalists.
The hysteria has since died down a bit as medical examiners concluded that the man died from pre-existing heart disease and the other patients were treated and sent home.
And, some in the government have expressed concern about people using cannabis recreationally when they’ve repeatedly told people that it is for medicinal use.
Perhaps I’m a pessimist but I was expecting much worse. I was expecting the media to be filled with conservative Thais staunchly opposed to cannabis calling for it to be made back into a Category 5 narcotic, but most of the calls for more regulation seem like common sense.
Not that everyone is happy. Islamic representatives have express their disapproval and some government figures have openly questioned the decision.
But, overall, legalization was broadly popular with the Thai people.
Fortunately, it seems like they may take an approach similar to how alcohol is handled. For instance, no advertising, restrictions on who can purchase (no sales to minors, pregnant or breastfeeding women, etc), limits on where dispensaries can be located, perhaps even requiring dispensaries to obtain a license, a limit on how many plants can be grown for private use (they’re already floating the number to be capped at 10), etc.
The government has announced that it will be putting forth additional rules at a later date. They have put together a group who is monitoring how things are developing and they will make recommendations on further laws regarding cannabis.
But the good news is that, at least for now, most of the additional restrictions being discussed in public seem responsible rather than a reversion back to the old attitudes towards cannabis.
This seems to also be in keeping with other changes by Thailand in regard to drug laws in general. For instance, Thailand has announced that they want to move the focus of drug enforcement away from punishment and more towards treatment (at least for drug users). Mandatory minimum sentences are being slowly replaced with fines and treatment options.
Thailand has been battling amphetamine (yaba, ice, etc) issues for many years and this is a massive change in how Thailand enforces drug laws.
THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED ON 06-DEC-2022


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I’ve added 17 new high quality photos of Katrina and Dan Feuerriegel at the Kittcrusaders Charity Signing held at the Dark Delicacies store this past weekend. You can check them out in our gallery below!
I’ve added 4 photos of Katrina and Dan at yesterday’s signing event at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, California. All profits made are directly going to kitties! You can check out the photos in our gallery below!
According to DeeDee Bigelow on Twitter, Katrina and Dan Feurriegel have yet another signing event planned at the Dark Delicacies shop in Burbank, California. The date is set for the 8th of December at 2pm! Katrina and Dan will sign their Kitt Crusaders charity photos, so make sure to mark your calendars and pay the shop a visit!
— DeeDee Bigelow (@DeeDeeBigelow) December 2, 2013
Yesterday afternoon Katrina and her former Spartacus cast mate and buddy Dan Feuerriegel paid Dark Delicacies a visit, for a little signing event for the release of the ‘Spartacus: War of the Damned’ DVDs and Blu-rays. Del Howison, owner of the store, has shared two pics of the autograph session. You can check them out in our gallery below!


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The San Francisco company readies to reveal its first clinical study results in the near termRead more...
New workouts include yoga and circuit-training, along with personalized trainers
To many, exercise is a dirty word. So many people simply do not have the time, or the motivation, to get up and go to a gym after an eight hour day of work. I’ll admit I am guilty of it myself, but I try to make up for it by walking at least two miles every day. Many people don’t even do that much. But, as new apps pop up that allow us to workout from our homes, those excuses are going to become harder and harder to get away with.
GAIN Fitness is unveiling a new type of workout to its iPhone app, the company announced on Wednesday.
The new version, called GAIN 3.5, now offers two “trainers,” who offer help with specialized types of workouts. Each trainer costs $5-10 flat fee and can be used as often as the user wants. They can be personalized on an individual's time, goal and equipment.
The trainers currently guide users through one of two types of training, called Butterfly Yoga and The Road Warrior.
Butterfly Yoga, as the name suggests offers yoga instruction to improve balance and strength. The Road Warrior training is circuit-based, meaning a more fast-paced and efficient type of workout that can be done anywhere.
In an interview with VatorNews, Nick Gammell, creator and CEO of GAIN, says that he created these new trainers as a way for busy professionals, who may lack the motivation, may be too busy or may not have the knowledge, to workout while on the go.
“Fitness is a common problem many people face,” Gammell says. And these new trainers are there to offer support.
What separates the new workouts from the ones already offered by GAIN is not just that they offer more specialized workouts, but they also offer clearer audio cues, so users do not have to constantly look at their phones during their workout, and they also offer enhanced graphics and better media quality, Gammell says.
GAIN worked closely with personal trainers, including fitness author and bodybuilder Nate Miyaki, “learning their methods and determining their algorithm rules,” as to get a better understanding of how to maximize workouts for users.
GAIN also had photo shoots with the trainers, which were then edited into motion images that tests showed users preferred to video. They preferred to use the app as a reference, rather than always having to look at it during exercise.
These new types of exercises, Gammell says, add variety and make exercise fun.
“People get bored, both physically and psychologically,” he says. More specialized types of exercises will help change up what the body is doing, and will help bring new people in.
Founded in 2011, San Francisco-based GAIN, raised $650,000 in funding this past December from InterWest Partners, Keith Rabois, Ben Ling, Michael Tanne, Brent Hurley, Seraph Group, and others. All together, the company has raised a total of $965,000 to date.
The app currently has over 100,000 active users, with the average paying user spending $12.
Apps are changing fitness
When asked how apps, such as GAIN, are changing the fitness industry, Gammell pointed to his app as a place where a person would not be forced into one specific type of exercise that was supposedly “the best.”
Apps, on the other hand, give people a choice, and don’t try to pigeonhole them into believing that there is only one type of workout that will help them.
“Fitness doesn’t have to be fragmented,” he said. “It depends on the person which workout will be the best for them.”
The future for GAIN
In addition to workouts that target cardiovascular, as well as upper and lower body strength, GAIN’s new foray will be into the world of social media.
This is something GAIN had been thinking about for a while, Gammell says, but he wanted to “make sure that the core experience was rich and compelling” before diving into new territory.
GAIN 4.0 is expected to be released in the next two to three months, and will focus on having users compare their workout with friends on social media, specifically Facebook.
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Many Aussies are abandoning lettuce to avoid paying exorbitant prices for the leafy vegetable after floods meant the price skyrocketed – but now even the humble cabbage is expensive, fetching up to $9 at wholesale prices.
A number of Australia’s fast food favourites, including KFC, Subway and Oporto, were forced to tweak their menus recently due to the lettuce shortage, blending cabbage into the salad to keep their prices low.
But the price of cabbage is also on the rise now and is looking to be the next budget blow-out for healthy-eating families amid surging living costs.
At Sydney Market on Wednesday, the city’s biggest, the price for a wholesale cabbage was as high as $9.
Typically, restaurateurs expect to pay around $4.50 for a head of cabbage at the market, meaning prices have doubled in the past month.
Many supermarket shelves are empty across the eastern states (pictured) with shortages expected to continue as low supply drives up the prices and leave many missing out
Australians are likely to continue having to pay $12 for a lettuce as recent flooding pushes up the price of fruit and vegetables (Pictured, a supermarket in Brisbane selling lettuce for $12 a head last month)
Coles’ online catalogue showed a full-sized, organic head of cabbage is now worth ten dollars, nearly half an hour’s work for anyone on Australia’s minimum wage.
A whole green cabbage runs at seven dollars at Woolworths.
Cos lettuce has nearly doubled in price from the beginning of January, with the cost of other greens like baby cucumbers and cherry tomatoes also skyrocketing.
KFC notified customers earlier in the month it would use a blend of lettuce and cabbage across its restaurants, Subway also warned of changes to its menu amid the leafy comestible crisis.
Retailers and restaurants have put the price hikes down to supply chain issues off the back of flooding rains which put many parts of eastern Australia underwater, including the Lockyer Valley which was inundated twice in two months.
The region is responsible for many of Australia’s winter crops, with the fertile black soil lending itself to growing low-lying crops including beetroots, potatoes, broccolis and lettuces.
The high prices aren’t expected to fall anytime soon.
‘In normal times fruit and vegetable prices tend to recover relatively quickly and return to normal as production in other areas becomes available to fill supply gaps,’ the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences said in a report.
‘However, in 2022–23 almost all aspects of the supply chain are facing inflationary pressures.’
The Lockyer Valley in south-east Queensland flooded again in May (Laidley, pictured) for the second time in just two months, causing trouble for farmers and crops in the region
AUSVEG, the lobby group for growers, said the Lockyer Valley floods, and high petrol and fertiliser prices meant consumers would continue paying more for fresh food for much of 2022 as other farming regions struggled to keep up with demand.
‘It might take some weeks and months for supply to resume to levels that we would normally see for this time of year,’ spokesman Shaun Lindhe told Daily Mail Australia.
‘When you compound that with supply issues from the Queensland floods, you see the results of it at the supermarket.’
‘The floods have impacted supply, there might be some shortages not just in Queensland but throughout the country, we’re seeing that at the moment.
‘Lockyer Valley is a major winter-growing region, a lot of supply from this time of year comes from there.’
Speedy sandwich specialist Subway had changed their typical lettuce offering to a lettuce cabbage blend along with other chains
Supermarket giants have struggled to keep stock levels of lettuces and cabbages high following wild weather in Australia
KFC were one of the first to announce they would be adding cabbage to their burgers, much to the distaste of some consumers
Woolworths predicted stock levels won’t be back to normal for some time either.
‘We’re still seeing challenges with lettuce and berry supply so while the new crops have been planted, it will take a few weeks for stocks to return to more stable levels,’ it said in a statement.
Fast-food chains have been divided on the cabbage question, with Subway making an official announcement they would be mixing cheaper cabbages with lettuce in response to the price hikes in step with KFC.
Sydney-based burger joint Chargrill Charlie’s also responded by announcing it would not be mixing cabbage in to their chicken burgers.
McDonald’s hasn’t yet made the change to their burgers either.
Red Rooster and Oporto also switched their recipes to include a lettuce and cabbage blend.
WHY ARE VEGETABLES SO EXPENSIVE RIGHT NOW?
Supermarket giants and wholesale food retailers have put the current prices and shortages of leafy greens down to a number of factors.
The heavy rains in Queensland and New South Wales earlier in the year have been responsible for debilitating Australia’s domestic lettuce growing and harvesting, reducing the local supply of the products.
Trade and export flows also affect the domestic supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Cabbages and lettuces are both highly perishable vegetables and cannot be stored for very long even in ideal storage conditions.
Fuel costs have increased across the globe on the back of the war in Ukraine and political instability, heavily affecting transport costs within food supply chains in Australia.


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Now Tesco bans cheques - following M&S, Sainsbury, Morrisons and Asda
Last updated at 23:20 29 January 2008
The ban will be brought in at the supermarket giant's 2,000 UK stores.
Britain's biggest store chain is the latest in a line of major retailers to stop accepting personal cheques, which could now face extinction.
Scroll down for more...
Sainsbury, Morrisons, Asda, Boots and many other High Street stores have already imposed bans.
Marks & Spencer has announced it will stop accepting cheques from March 1.
A Tesco spokesman said: "Phasing out the use of cheques in stores will result in quicker service and improved security for our customers."
M&S said it decided to ban cheques because their use is declining every year.
The charity Age Concern is worried that the move will cause problems for older customers.
A spokesperson said: "Many older people prefer to manage their expenditure through the use of a chequebook where they can easily record the amount of money they are spending.
"Modern receipts are full of information printed in small type and are also very flimsy.
"Many older people dislike using large amounts of cash and are unable to use Chip and Pin due to physical or mental frailties."
The other retailers which have stopped accepting cheques at all their UK outlets are Argos, Asda, Boots, Sainsbury's, WHSmith, Next, Shell, Currys and PC World.
Tesco had earlier made a small number of its stores cheque-free to test customer feedback.
In-store notices will alert Tesco customers to the forthcoming change.
The Tesco spokesman added: "We recognise that some people especially the elderly might be worried by this change and this is why we have given customers plenty of notice and we will be in touch with Age Concern and other groups to advise that where necessary they can call their bank, building society or credit card provider and request an alternative, usually a signature card which will not require them to use a pin number."
The first fully-printed cheques were introduced in the early 1700s followed by the first personalised printed cheques in 1810.
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Minecraft has hit its milestone release last month with the release of Minecraft 1.0, but the developer still has plans for the game according to Notch. The developer says that Mojang definitely intends to keep releasing updates for the build anything creative, conditionally.
“For as long as people keep buying the game, I guess,” Notch said in a recent video interview with IGN.
While the developer didn’t outline any of these future plans for the game, he did speak briefly about AI updates for the game. Mojang is also currently working on Scrolls, as well as a collaborative effort with Oxeye Game Studio for a title called Cobalt.
- This article was updated on:December 4th, 2017


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Hungary’s poultry producers are in a panic as the cut to the VAT rate on pork from 27% to 5% as of January 1 has led to a significant drop in demand for poultry meat, and other food sectors are lobbying for similar VAT decreases, Hungarian economic daily Világgazdaság reported today.
Attila Csorbai, head of the Poultry Products Council, called the favorable tax on pork meat discriminatory, and told the paper that its negative impact can already be felt in the industry.
He said that the industry is open to a similar VAT cut, the paper reported, adding that the council head is scheduled to meet György Czerván, state secretary for agriculture, to discuss the possibilities.
Csorbai declined to give figures for the time being, however, he noted that data will be evaluated as of the beginning of January, and exact figures will be published at a later date, the paper noted.
The fishing and dairy industries have already expressed openness to a similar VAT decrease, according to reports.


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THREE days ahead of Sunday's race meet at JamWest Speedway in Westmoreland, the new and certainly improved Audi TT-R DTM was unveiled at the dealership's state-of-art showroom in New Kingston yesterday.
The occasion also marked a reuniting of race car driver Doug Gore with his super machine since its collision at the Dover Raceway in St Ann in May last year.
"It's been nine months since I've been behind the wheel of this wonderful machine," said Gore.
In his presentation to the audience, former lap-time record holder said he thought his career would have ended with the crash. However, the ATL Group and his sponsors have been very supportive.
"We will be champions again," he said.
The Audi was flown to Germany to be repaired by the hands that crafted it, ABT Sportsline.
ABT's instructions were beyond a simple fix-it job.
"They were told to return a competitive car, or sell it," Gore told Auto.
Adam Stewart, ATL Automotive's CEO, thanked Jamaica for accepting the brands his company sold and shared his commitment to being number one.
"The move into the automotive sector for our group had been a solid one. It is something we chose to do, and wanted to do it differently," he said.
"When we took over Audi brand [in 2010], 14 units were sold per year. Last year, we sold 174 vehicles," Stewart said.
He used the opportunity to laud race car veterans David Summerbell Jr and Peter Rae. He said the Thunder Sport class would again be buzzing with excitement with Gore's return.
The overhauled Audi has been made to look like the current generation. Under the skin, engine power has been upgraded, as well as suspension.
"A lot of the changes came from what ABT saw and data captured on local conditions; so it should be even faster than before," Gore told Auto.
ABT's input has gone even further for the 2013 season indicating their confidence in the Audi TT-R.
"ABT reduced their parts and labour costs as part of a sponsorship package for us. Their sticker will be on the car this year," Gore said.
Other sponsors include Boom Energy Drink, Rainforest Seafoods, and Sherwin Williams.
On its race debut this weekend, ABT DTM race engineer Franco Chiocchetti is expected to be in attendance to ensure the car performs at its optimum.


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This time of year is usually the most joyous for Umbrian farmers and producers, whose dedication transpires through the fragrances of the region’s world-famous extra virgin olive oils wafting through the countryside.
It’s also the time of the season when mills open their doors in an annual tradition, the Frantoi Aperti, inviting toruists and locals alike to rejoice in the harvest and taste the celebrated Moraiolo, Frantoio and Leccino extra virgins olive oils fresh from the press.
But while the guided tours, concerts and cooking classes will go on as always, many farmers in the region are in no mood to celebrate. Instead they are in the throes of a horrendously bad harvest ravaged by the olive fly that thrived in this season’s unusual humidity.
“It will be a year that growers and mills will want to forget,” said Brian Chatterton, the former South Australian minister for agriculture and now an olive oil producer in Umbria.
Chatteron said many growers are angry that the advisory services from the region and the associations failed to predict the disaster and advise growers on control measures. Other parts of Italy where the olive fly is a more frequent problem have good monitoring services including cooperatives of growers practicing integrated pest management (IPM) systems.
Chatterton said most frantoi that would normally be going 24/7 this time of year are operating just eight hours these days. Many growers, he told Olive Oil Times, are not bothering to harvest at all, preferring to leave the pillaged fruit to rot on the trees.
Things are no better for farmers in Liguria, where floods at the worst possible time have decimated crops and production is expected to be just half of last year’s.


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Bewil makes its presence felt
Bewil was one of several sponsors at the recently hosted ICATT
(Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad Tobago) 40th Anniversary celebrations at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad. The event attracted hundreds of local finance professionals who all visited the notable display put together by Bewil.
A similar scene played out a few days later at the IACA (International Association of Court Administration) conference of which Bewil was also a major sponsor. Several judges, court administrators and other managers from the region attended the conference which featured a large exhibition area for sponsors to showcase their products and services to the visiting judges and court personnel.
Bewil’s display booth drew large crowds who were visibly impressed by the beauty and quality of the office furniture exhibited. Sales representatives were on hand to demo the products and answer questions on the company’s comprehensive service offering.
Berry Ferdinand, Managing Director of Bewil, commented, “I was quite pleased with our showing at both events. We generated substantial interest in our products and were able to bring a bit of what we do closer to the user. It was a true representation of the Bewil brand and I am certain we further cemented our reputation as a high quality, professional full service provider and leader in the supply of international and local office furniture.”