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During his remarks on gun violence in America last Thursday, President Joe Biden repeated a falsehood he regularly cites on the subject and which was repeated in a tweet the same day:
Biden has made a broader claim on this subject in the past, previously calling gun manufacturers “the only industry in America that can’t be sued.” In his Thursday speech, Biden made a slightly different claim: That firearm manufacturers enjoy special privileges that protects them “from being sued for the death and destruction caused by their weapons.”
This phrasing is closer to being accurate, but is still misleading. Gun manufacturers do have a liability shield that protects them from most lawsuits involving crimes the weapons they make are used in. But, as noted in a past fact check:
“the liability shield doesn’t offer complete protection from all lawsuits related to crimes carried out with firearms: A lawsuit filed against Remington by the family members of victims from the Sandy Hook school shooting argued that Remington bore some culpability for the shooting because advertising for the gun used by the killer emphasized its use as a combat weapon. As this broke Connecticut state law regarding advertising practices, the lawsuit was allowed to proceed, and the case was settled with Remington agreeing to pay $73 million to the families.”
More significantly, gun manufacturers receive no protection regarding defects in their products and any injuries or death that may be caused by them. The liability shield also doesn’t protect them in instances in which firearm manufacturers knowingly break federal or state laws regarding the manufacturing or selling of firearms.
Biden went on to claim that gun manufacturers are “the only industry in this country that has that kind of immunity.” He is in error here as well. The manufacturers of automobiles, for example, are liable for injuries or deaths sustained because of their products in instances of a defect, but cannot be sued simply because someone gets in an accident. More recently, pharmaceutical companies and the Food and Drug Administration have received similar protections that prevent Americans from suing them over side effects from the coronavirus vaccine.
If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at email@example.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The U.S. government has launched a major crackdown on online copyright infringement, seizing dozens of Web site domains linked to illegal file sharing and counterfeit goods.
The domains of torrent sites that link to illegal copies of music and movie files and sites that sell counterfeit goods were seized this week by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security. Visitors to such sites as Torrent-finder.com, 2009jerseys.com, and Dvdcollects.com found that their usual sites had been replaced by a message that said, "This domain name has been seized by ICE--Homeland Security Investigations, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court."
One domain owner said he was surprised by the action.
"My domain has been seized without any previous complaint or notice from any court!" the owner of Torrent-Finder told TorrentFreak, which listed more than 70 domains that were apparently part of the massive seizure.
DHS representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The seizures came after a Senate committee unanimously approved a controversial proposal earlier this month that would allow the government to pull the plug on Web sites accused of aiding piracy. The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) allows a Web site's domain to be seized if it "has no demonstrable, commercially significant purpose or use other than" offering or providing access to unauthorized copies of copyrighted works.
The proposal has garnered support from dozens of the largest content companies, including video game maker Activision, media firms NBC Universal and Viacom, and the Motion Picture Association of America and Recording Industry Association of America lobbying groups. However, critics such as engineers and civil liberties groups say the COICA could balkanize the Internet, jeopardize free speech rights, and endanger legitimate Web sites.
The battle against online file sharing has ramped up. Earlier today, a Swedish court upheld the copyright conviction of the founders of The Pirate Bay, a notorious file-sharing site. In October, a U.S. district judge issued an injunction against Lime Wire, the company that operated the popular file-sharing software LimeWire. In May, a judge granted summary judgment in favor of the music industry's claims that Lime Group, parent of LimeWire software maker Lime Wire, committed copyright infringement, engaged in unfair competition, and induced copyright infringement.

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From: Caribseek News
Deputy Commander of the Counter Terrorism and Organized Crime (CTOC) Investigation Branch, Senior Superintendent Clifford Chambers and Executive Director of Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), Lilyclaire Bellamy, inspect footwear seized over the last 12 months as part of efforts to end Intellectual Property (IP) theft. Occasion was a media briefing, held on April 28 at the CTOC head office at Ocean Boulevard, downtown Kingston.
KINGSTON (JIS) — The Counter Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigation Branch (CTOC) has seized $1.5 billion worth of items found in breach of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), over the past 12 months. Deputy Commander of CTOC, Senior Superintendent Clifford Chambers, said that the items seized resulted from 32 major operations conducted islandwide, which led to 112 interviews, 25 arrests for serious IPR breaches and 12 convictions. Some of the items recovered include over six million CDs, DVDs, 33,000 counterfeit footwear, 25,000 pieces of apparel, counterfeit cigarettes, bleaching cream, T-shirts, rum and handbags. “The items seized were manufactured predominantly in Asian countries and distributed on an industrial scale to Jamaica, with complete disregard for the health and safety of the consumers,” SSP Chambers said.
“IP theft robs billions from the Jamaican economy and places the health and safety of consumers at risk. In addition, it funds organized crime. Today, virtually no product is too obscure or insignificant for the counterfeiters, and no industry is immune to this illegal activity,” SSP Chambers said.


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Despite some of the toughest market conditions in years, Mighty River Power increased its retail volumes, generation and earnings in the period under review.
The company, already gaining generation share on the back of its $1 billion investment in geothermal energy the past five years, has used a string of retail initiatives to help increase its sales amid high rates of industry churn. Despite a 7 per cent decline in retail accounts, overall retail volumes rose.
The Tiny Mighty Power brand signed up more than 5,300 provincial customers in the year, while GLO-BUG, the company's smart-meter based prepay product, also gained new users and this year will take over former prepay customers of Meridian Energy in Christchurch.
Mercury earlier this year extended its three-year fixed deal to customers already on the plan and more than half way through their contract term to help contain churn rates. The company also deepened partnerships with organisations such as RD1, the Tourism Association of New Zealand and the Auckland and Otago Chambers of Commerce to increase volumes in the small to medium-sized enterprise market.
As a result, commercial fixed-price, variable volume sales increased 24 per cent from the year before.
Key to the company's successes over the past year has been Mighty River Power's investment in new geothermal plants to supplement its nine hydro power stations on the Waikato River. Engineering and operational innovations at its power stations have also improved efficiency and yields.
Generation volumes in the year to March 2012 increased 11 per cent to 7,214 GWh, in part due to higher gas-fired production during times of high wholesale prices.
In 2011, GKS Hydro rated the company in the top five among a 43-strong international peer group based on the cost efficiency of its operations.
Mighty River Power has embarked on a $500 million decade-long upgrade programme of its Waikato hydro assets and in October commenced a $28 million refurbishment of its Ohakuri power station. The project will see turbine peak efficiency rise to about 96 per cent from 89 per cent and increase annual generation by more than 28 GWh.
The 82 MW Ngatamariki plant under construction will be Mighty River Power's third new plant since 2008.The company is among the world's biggest geothermal operators and this year the first international geothermal project it is involved with was commissioned - the 49.9 MW John L Featherstone plant in Southern California.
But the domestic geothermal portfolio, already achieving a high level of availability at more than 94 per cent, is also benefiting from innovative solutions to deal with silica deposition in reinjection wells.
A system for acid-treating geothermal brine before reinjection was developed at Kawerau and then replicated at Nga Awa Purua. It has seen the decline in injection capacity cut by about two-thirds over two years to 3.5 per cent early this year. As a result plant availability increased over the same period from 90 per cent to 97 per cent.
Those efficiency gains, and Mighty River Power's increasing market share, saw the company's net profit for the six months to December increase 9 per cent, while underlying earnings climbed 14 per cent. In March the company raised its full-year EBITDAF forecast by about 7 per cent to $460-$475 million.
Mighty River Power recognises its business is based on its ability to sustainably generate from natural resources. And the company says the relationships it has forged with local communities and regulators have been key to the development of its geothermal assets and the ongoing operation of its dams.
It is the principal funder and administrator of the Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust. Working with Waikato River iwi the trust has approved 122 projects worth a total $2.4 million in the past eight years.
Projects have included the creation, protection and enhancement of wetlands and game bird habitats, enhanced fish passage, native tree planting and riparian protection on private and public land.
And at Karapiro this year, in a project with Ngati Koroki-Kahukura and NIWA, the company installed a siphon in an existing channel in the dam to test whether the bypass channel would attract eels and enable them to pass over the dam.
Mighty River Power says it will continue to refine the system to assist downstream eel migration science which remains a worldwide challenge for hydro operators.
The Overall Energy Company of the Year Award category is sponsored by Port Taranaki.


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. import costs improved less than expected in June, likely as a robust greenback assisted to control gains in the costs of goods excluding petroleum products and solutions, presenting some hopeful signal for an overall economy having difficulties with soaring inflation.
Import selling prices rose .2% final month just after climbing .5% in May, the Labor Department mentioned on Friday. In the 12 months by way of June, import price ranges increased 10.7% just after advancing 11.6% in Could. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast import selling prices, which exclude tariffs, attaining .7% thirty day period-on-thirty day period.
The report followed on the heels of info this 7 days displaying yearly shopper prices shot up 9.1% in June, the greatest boost because November 1981, as the price tag of gasoline soared to record highs. Producer selling prices also accelerated past thirty day period.
The very hot inflation readings made it particular that the Federal Reserve would produce yet another 75-foundation-points interest amount increase at the stop of this month. The U.S. central bank has hiked its coverage charge by 150 foundation points considering that March.
But there are hopeful signs that inflation could peak before long. Crude oil price ranges have fallen sharply, with the world wide benchmark Brent trading beneath $100 for every barrel just after surging to $139 in March, which was shut to the all-time superior achieved in 2008. Other commodity rates are also coming off the boil.
Imported gas costs greater 5.7% very last month immediately after surging 6.5% in May. Petroleum selling prices received 5.%, whilst the expense of imported food declined .7%.
Excluding gasoline and food, import costs fell .5%. These so-called main import rates lessened .3% in Might. They climbed 4.4% on a year-on-year foundation in June. Dollar power is aiding to limit the increase in main import prices.
The greenback has acquired 6.3% against the currencies of the United States’ key trade partners given that January.
The report also showed export costs rose .7% in June just after increasing accelerating 2.9% in May well. Rates for agricultural exports fell .3%. Nonagricultural export rates improved .9%. Export rates rose 18.2% year-on-calendar year in June after increasing 18.7% in May perhaps.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani Enhancing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.


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How the gaming industry is approaching VR as well as Caesars’ partnership with UNLV could provide insight for other LBE verticals
By Martin Palicki
The Global Gaming Expo (G2E), held annually in Las Vegas, frequently makes headlines for the latest slot machines unveiled. That itself draws parallels to themed entertainment, with vendors securing licensing rights for the latest IP-branded games (think Monopoly or Wizard of Oz). There is also an abundance of Asian-themed games, a nod to the fact that, like the theme park business, casinos see much growth potential in Asia.
But there are other issues that the larger gaming community is wrestling with that might be instructive for themed entertainment. In particular, how the industry is integrating VR and a new partnership between Caesars Entertainment and UNLV are interesting developments.
Doubling down on VR
In separate sessions, both Gregg Katano of Hologate and Christopher Crescitelli of Dreamland XR spoke on the applications of VR/AR technology in the gaming and hospitality environment. Katano stressed the importance of ensuring the technology is delivering on its promise, which he claims not all VR experiences do. “If technology doesn’t seem like magic, it’s already obsolete,” he said.
Crescitelli pointed out that VR is already available in Las Vegas, but as standalone experiences not tied to gaming. MGM Grand, The Venetian and Linq have all had or will have VR experiences.
He is currently working on portable VR systems that can be rented and delivered to hotel rooms. He sees this initially as ideal for eSports players who want to practice in their own hotel room before a competition. Of course, it could also be used by regular gamers, and might have appeal in non-gaming hospitality environments as well.
Within the casino, Crescitelli doesn’t think we are close to seeing VR table games, but could see situations where eSports tournaments are experiences via VR, with betting on players taking place, similar to a sports book. As for slot machines, Crescitelli thinks there are still some challenges to integrating VR into slots. Slot machines, which rely on Random Number Generators to determine outcomes, have been experimenting recently with skill-based gaming. As the industry continues to explore how random winning can be paired with skill-based games, Crescitelli predicts a hybrid model will be most likely to succeed. Once those underlying issues are fully addressed, VR could provide an additional layer of interactivity to such systems.
Finally, Crescitelli sees more immediate applications for AR in the casino environment. AR could provide instructive tips for how to play table games or show ads to consumers within the casino, offering deals and resort information. This technology is already largely available today, but has not been adopted yet in such a wholesale fashion.
Black Fire Innovation
Early in 2019, Caesars Entertainment formalized a partnership with University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) to allow students the opportunity to help solve real-world problems in the gaming industry with a dedicated space to test and study their ideas. Elly Reed, Product Director for Caesars led a panel during G2E that highlighted the new partnership. She began by explaining how the two institutions came together. The gaming environment can be difficult for innovation, she explained. Casino owners rarely are inspired to try out new ideas in their properties. Dedicating casino floor space or hotel rooms for unproven ideas risks revenue loss.
On the university side, UNLV’s AVP for Economic Development Zach Miles explained that universities had shifted from a reactive model to a more proactive model in the 2000s — engaging with industry, the community and government actively and in a way that had not been done before. Within the last five years, universities have evolved again to provide more of a value-add approach. Instead of developing ideas and research in a vacuum, universities want to push innovation and resources directly into the marketplace.
Caesars and UNLV began to realize they were both looking at opposite sides of the same problem and that they could help one another. The result was Black Fire Innovation. Housed in a new building in Harry Reid Technology Park, Black Fire provides dedicated lab space to test out new ideas and concepts developed by UNLV students. The facility includes two fully built-out hotel rooms, a commercial kitchen and other infrastructure common to the hospitality industry.
Caesars’ Director of Business Innovation and Technology Strategy Andrew Baca stresses that the innovations developed are open to the entire industry. “We are providing a pathway to market,” says Baca. “Students develop ideas, Caesars provides a space, and ultimately we can also provide purchase orders once the idea is tested and successful.”
Miles says he is measuring the success of Black Fire by the quality of corporate engagement with students as well as the rate in pushing out innovations into the marketplace. He’s also hoping to attract more tech companies to partner on the project (currently, Intel is providing technology support for Black Fire).
Both Caesars and UNLV are excited with the initial results of Black Fire Innovation, seeing that ideas and concepts are being accelerated through the development cycle. “Black Fire can make things happen, and much sooner,” says Reed.
For more information http://www.blackfireinnovation.com/
Betting on the future
The gaming industry offers many parallels to themed entertainment, and is part of the larger LBE landscape. While Las Vegas and other gambling destinations have at times experimented with large scale themed attractions, there remains growth potential for both vendors and operators in this market. Perhaps that’s why themed entertainment leaders like ETI’s Roberta Perry have been involved with G2E for years. This year she moderated a panel on “Powerful Women Affecting Powerful Change,” featuring C-suite execs from across the gaming spectrum. Says Perry, “Our industries are stronger when we work together and solve problems that transcend sectors.”


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We're Going on a Summer Break!
Last week we unveiled our new mission statement and vision for the future. We are so excited for these big changes ahead, but all this change takes a lot work, and we need a break!
With summer in full swing (can you feel the heat out there!?), we are taking the opportunity to recharge, regroup, and refocus. The Featured Article section of our weekly newsletter is going on summer vacation while we work on improving our content and creating a brand new design for our weekly news.
We'll keep sending you weekly updates about What's New at the SFC Farmers' Markets and all the exciting food events going on in our community. Stay tuned for an exciting new newsletter starting this September, featuring even more content to keep you in the know about all things sustainable food.


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The GJC NJA’23 Screening round was held successfully.
All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC), the national apex body of the gems and jewellery industry, organised the NJA’23 Screening Jury Round on Monday, 4th September 2023, at IMC Chambers, Churchgate, Mumbai, for the 12th edition of the National Jewellery Awards (NJA), scheduled to take place on 1st October 2023, in Mumbai. NJA is GJC’s endeavour to stimulate industry growth and is considered the ultimate platform to inspire and recognize the true talent among GJC’s valued members and associates.
The NJA’23 Screening Jury Round hosted prominent industry personalities and veterans who have revolutionized the jewellery industry with modern and artistic designs, successfully propelling the industry to new heights. The NJA’23 Screening Jury Round include personalities such as Mr Laksh Pahuja, Mr Anand Shah, Ms Gunjan Suri, Ms Nirupa Bhatt, Ms Indra Jadwani, Ms Kalyani Deshpande, Ms Meher Castelino, Mr Gautam Banerjee, Ms Prerna Makharia, Ms Nehal Shah, Ms Sushama Kalzunkar Sawant, and Ms Anshu Gandhi.
NJA is the industry’s biggest and widest award show, recognizing all sectors of the industry and providing a platform to discover talent in the field. Known for its commitment to craftsmanship, dedication, and motivation within the industry, NJA is appreciated and encouraged for its role in stimulating growth and creativity. Nurturing creativity and honouring innovation, inspiration, passion, craftsmanship, and devotion that inspires the emergence of new talent is the core objective of NJA.
The immense success and recognition of the NJA Awards in the industry have determined the 11 editions of NJA to emphasize on brilliant aspects catering to every vital section of the industry. The 12th edition of NJA is being judged by a panel of renowned industry experts. It offers an excellent platform for all aspiring jewellers who want to make it big in the field of jewellery.
This year, NJA introduced new categories and received a record-breaking 733 entries. The awards comprise six segments with 34 sub-categories, celebrating excellence in the entire jewellery industry, including students, designers, stores, women entrepreneurs, and special honours like the prestigious Anmol Ratna Award, promoting the entire Gems & Jewellery Industry value chain.
Mr Saiyam Mehra, Chairman, GJC, said, “NJA 2023 will offer an opportunity for national recognition in the gems and jewellery industry, helping achievers stimulate growth in their businesses. NJA symbolises creativity and innovations, building sustainable imagery within the industry and among direct customers. It contributes to enhancing individuals’ knowledge of the latest industry trends and fashion, inspiring passion, craftsmanship, and devotion to the ‘Make in India’ ethos in gems and jewellery manufacturing. The NJA’23 Screening Jury Round will assist jury members in shortlisting the finalists for the NJA 23 awards.”
Mr Rajesh Rokde, Vice Chairman GJC, remarked, “The NJA’23 Screening Jury Round is one of the rigorous processes to select the final winner of the NJA 2023 award. NJA indirectly helps encourage competence in terms of designs and industry trends, providing an opportunity to showcase one’s talent in the industry and opening untapped business opportunities.”
Mr Sunil Poddar, Convener NJA, stated, “The jury members of NJA 2023 will congregate at the NJA’23 Screening Jury Round to select the final achievers for the grandeur event, NJA 2023. The selection is not easy as it involves a substantial number of participants from the various sectors of the gems and jewellery value chain.”
Mr Avinash Gupta, Co-convenor, NJA, emphasized, “The rigorous selection process, as evidenced by NJA’s 23 Screening Jury Round, confirms GJC’s transparency and authenticity, as well as achievers’ passion, craftsmanship, and devotion to the art and science of ‘Make in India’ jewellery manufacturing. It attracts young talent for the industry and inspires them to prove their abilities to their peers. NJA also brings India’s craftsmen and artisans to the centre stage and honouring their vital role and efforts in continuing the illustrious legacy of India’s jewellery business.”
GJC’s NJA’23 presented by WGC (World Gold Council), Powered by GIA (Gemological Institute of America), Trophy Partner is Pranda, Logistic Partner- BVC, Laboratory Partner – IDT Gemological Laboratories Worldwide, Education Partner- IIG International Institute of Gemology, Platinum Partner- Platinum Guild International, Supporting Partners are De Beers Institute of Diamonds, Laxmi Diamonds and Shringar House of Mangalsutra


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License Global speaks with Suzy Griffiths, senior director, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, IMG, to gain insight into the most prominent brand extensions, shows, stores and collaborations at Winter Wonderland 2019.
License Global looks at the trends bringing buyers to screens and stores this month.
The e-commerce giant reportedly makes another power play that could rock retail.
Retailers worldwide are hoping holiday shoppers start early by launching daylong shopping celebrations.
After succumbing to bankruptcy in 2018, the resurrected version of TRU is reportedly opening new retail locations, but can it recapture the toy throne?
Learn why kids of the ’80s and ’90s are reliving some of their favorite pop culture moments courtesy of licensing deals and TV commercials.
Plus size is no longer a niche market.


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Coronavirus Florida: Palm Beach a subdued version of its springtime self
So what does the new normal look like these days in Palm Beach amid worries about the coronavirus pandemic?
A mid-afternoon drive across the island this week revealed a town that looks much as it might on a late Sunday morning in September. That’s the slowest month of the year, when the snowbirds have long since returned North, the temperature outside is sweltering and hardy year-rounders have the island practically to themselves.
This week offered a far different scene from what one might usually see on a March weekday at the height of the tourist season, when traffic can be so busy and car horns so frequent that they surprise first-time visitors.
Many employees who travel daily across the bridges to keep the island’s businesses humming are no longer making the trip. Many of those establishments are closed.
And many Palm Beachers have decided to hunker down inside their homes and apartments, wary of gathering in public places as they seek to avoid contact with the virus.
So this week, there was car traffic on Cocoanut Row but not much.
There were walkers on Midtown’s sidewalks, and runners along Royal Palm Way. But not many.
There was parking aplenty on Worth Avenue, where the vast majority of the upscale apparel boutiques, jewelry stores and other businesses were locked tight — a condition that could last for weeks — as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
In the ocean block near the deserted Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, signs on shops not only announced closures but many of the stores’ display windows and sales floors had been cleared of merchandise.
A few window shoppers found no designer shirts or dresses displayed on the tables inside Anne Fontaine. The same went for shelves and cases at Emilo Pucci and Louis Vuitton, stores that would typically have been filled with shoppers looking for apparel, purses, belts and other merchandise.
The sign on the door of Emilo Pucci said the health and safety “of our clients and teams are our highest priority. This store location is temporarily closed, to ensure the well-being of all.”
A stroll through The Esplanade revealed more of the same. Among the many closed businesses was Starbucks, which typically helps draw foot traffic into the open-air shopping center.
An exception to the locked-down shops was Provident Jewelry, which has been in business for 26 years with several locations in Palm Beach County, Naples and Fort Myers. The store was open for business, although no customers were browsing when a reporter walked by.
One of the people inside, however, was company President and CEO Rob Samuels, who, when reached later by phone, said he had been in the store for about three hours that day. During that time, just one person had opened the front door — but only to say hello before moving on.
Samuels said business was definitely slower, although his company has made sales over the past couple of weeks. He mentioned the precautions his staff is taking — from maintaining “social distancing” with clients and regularly wiping down display cases, to offering hand sanitizer and scheduling by-appointment-only sessions for customers who want them.
“It’s not the handshake that it used to be,” Samuels said. “It’s ’How can we help you? How can we make your day better?’”
Making some hungry-and-homebound Palm Beachers’ days better were the pickup or delivery services offered by island restaurants. Kitchens were in use at Worth Avenue eateries such as Cafe Flora, Pizza al Fresco and Piccolo Mondo, as well as Bricktop’s on South County Road. But throughout town, dining rooms were closed.
On Brazilian Avenue, a woman walked her dog alone on the block — an odd sight in Midtown, where dog-walkers chatting with each other are as common as stop signs.
And on South County Road, where The Breakers closed March 18 for an anticipated three weeks, two movable white-trellis barriers blocked the main driveway. Behind the barriers was a large SUV with the word “Security” emblazoned on it in large letters.
There was some movement on the scene, however: Atop The Breakers’ famous twin towers, flags were fluttering in the breeze blowing in from the sea.
At Midtown Beach, a few pedestrians at the seawall looked out to the calm Atlantic. Nearby, a couple of people lay on the grass by the sidewalk, catching some rays.
It was perfect beach weather, with a high in the 80s. But the beach itself was closed, the sand devoid of anyone except the work crews who were carrying out a shore project.
And the beach-conditions sign, meanwhile, had a hand-lettered announcement: “Beach closed until further notice.”
Those five words, however, were followed by two more: “Thank you,” which is just the sort of politeness you expect to encounter in what has always been a service-oriented village.
Even if these days, it seems more and more like a self-service town.


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Apple is no slouch when it comes to technology. Its Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple TV and others are some of the most recognized and best-selling gadgets in history.
However, now it's planning to tackle a brand new area: cars. We're not just talking about its CarPlay in-car entertainment system. It sounds like Apple is aiming for something larger.
For a while now there have been rumors that Apple was working on a car. First it sounded like a self-driving car, similar to what Google is doing. But now rumors say it's going to be an electric car.
That would put Apple head-to-head with the current market leader for electric cars, Tesla. In fact, quite a few of Apple's 600 employees working on "Project Titan," as it's called, were hired away from Tesla.
Reports say that Apple is aiming for a 2019 launch date. That sounds far away, but in the automotive world it's about right for developing a car. Of course, that's from an entrenched car manufacturer; Apple has more hurdles to overcome.
Cars are a lot different than iPhones. There are more things to go wrong and a raft of unfamiliar laws to follow. If an iPhone breaks, it's annoying, but when a car breaks it's potentially life threatening.
Even selling the cars is going to be a challenge, as Tesla has already found out. Many states that have blocked it from selling to customers directly. That's presumably what Apple would try to do as well, unless it launches its own dealership.
Apple is also going to have to deal with the changing automotive landscape. In four years, Google might have its self-driving cars commercially available.
Tesla will certainly have the lower-cost Model 3 out the door, a new Tesla Roadster available, probably an updated Model S, and who knows what else. It should also have its Gigafactory battery plant up and running, which should bring the cost of its batteries down.
The other car manufacturers could have anything from new electric cars to hydrogen fuel cells. Apple could be hitting a moving target.
On the other hand, Apple has $200 billion in cash on hand, one of the most recognizable brands in history and a habit of dominating any market it enters. It could very well shake up the entire car industry.
What do you think is going to happen when Apple enters the car market? Let us know your thoughts below.


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Shopping center mogul McGill files $140M personal bankruptcy
- Paul Brinkmann
(Page 2 of 2)
The petition lists his gross income as $7.2 million in 2005, adjusted to a loss of $2.9 million; $8.7 million in 2006, adjusted to a loss of $2.5 million; and $9.7 million in 2007, adjusted to a lost of $2.5 million. The petition states his monthly income as $38,000.
McGill declined to be interviewed for this story.
Pugatch said McGill had been hit by several lawsuits over his personal guaranties.
“He ended up in workout mode with many lenders and, unfortunately, some were not willing to work things out in the way he needed,” he said.
Pugatch said his client believes he can help maximize the value of the retail properties.
“When all the dust clears and he has a better handle for how much he may be on the hook for personally, we’ll work out a plan to pay that back over time,” Pugatch said.
McGill has plenty of company in his troubles, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
The council held its annual retail real estate convention this week. In a news release, it said the financial crisis continues to aggravate industry woes and is “greatly extending the recovery timeframe.”
Christopher Niehaus, managing director of New York City–based Morgan Stanley Real Estate, said in the council’s release: “At the height of the credit bubble, there was an average of $100 in assets for every $3 of equity in commercial real estate. So, we are now in a period where there is a massive deleveraging.”
Charles Lebovitz, chairman and CEO of Chattanooga, Tenn.–based CBL Associates, said in the release that lack of financing has made it difficult for both developers and retailers to move forward.
“At the end of 2007, CBL had only one empty box in its portfolio,” he said. “At the end of 2008, there were 50 empty.”
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GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini Series can be used for mini-ITX motherboards.
GTX 670 DirectCU Mini has a dual-slot with a length of only 17cm with NVIDIA GTX 670 [...]
Ever occur to you to try out Android applications on Windows-based computers? If so, maybe this one could be a solution.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Monday (01/28), a program called WindowsAndroid allow it.
Although not a new series running Android, the Jelly [...]
An asteroid will make history as it will be a space object that pass closest to Earth next week, though certainly not going to hit this planet.
Sized asteroid is 45-meter, called 2012 DA14 will pass 27 700 kilometers from the Earth on February 15, closer [...]
iPad Mini shipments would begin on November 2.
After Apple issued invitations to a mysterious event on 23 October, rumors about the iPad Mini seems to have been confirmed.
In a simple invitation that Apple does mention “got a little more to show”. [...]
Exploration of the universe using telescopes have been done by the experts since time immemorial.
Various planets and outer space Unexplained phenomenon-was discovered using a telescope.
Various types of telescopes were presented by experts in order [...]
Good news for you gamers fans of Assassin’s Creed. The latest series of the popular game will be back for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U.
Quoted from IGN, Friday (3/1), as the publisher and developer Ubisoft game plan will reveal the details of the [...]
The name is usually known as a popular browser, Firefox, is now present as the operating system of a smartphone made by Alcatel.
Quoted from Ubergizmo, Monday (2/25), in the event Mobile World Congress 2013 Barcelona, Alcatel introduced a product called [...]
Search many information about the bombings in the Boston Marathon Monday, the utilized scammers (fraudsters on the internet) to steal data.
According to the company’s anti-virus research the origin of Rome, Bitdefender, malware tragedy into a campaign.
Sony has just announced a new game console, the PlayStation 4, the PlayStation event in the U.S. (2/21). What are the new features of the PS4? The following brief review.
Yes, PS4 will include a new controller called the DualShock 4. Controller [...]


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Flow International Corporation recently announced the launch of the new Mach 4r, a combination robotic waterjet and saw cutting system. It maximizes a shop’s productivity by optimizing countertop cutting and significantly improving operator efficiency.
In the December 2016 issue, we look at some highlights of the Marmo+Mac 2016, and the new renovations of the Freemasons' Hall in London, England. We also present some new products, technology updates, machine of the month, and stone of the month.
For this issue, we are excited to share with you four features that focus on using compact and ultrathin slabs in both residential and commercial projects. As these products continue to gain popularity, we wanted to share different ideas of applications, including an upscale dining environment in the interior of a Saks Fifth Avenue.


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Microsoft announced that it has won a key distribution deal with HP, the world’s largest PC manufacturer, to install a Live Search-enabled toolbar on all HP consumer PCs planned to ship in the United States and Canada, beginning in January 2009. As part of this deal, the default search engine setting in the browser on all HP consumer PCs will also be set to Microsoft Live Search.
“This agreement with HP is a strategic indicator of our increased focus on securing broad-scale distribution for Live Search,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms & Services Division at Microsoft. “This is the most significant distribution deal for Live Search that Microsoft has ever done, and we are very pleased to be partnering with HP to help bring Live Search to millions of consumers across North America.”
“This agreement provides HP customers with an outstanding search product in Live Search, as well as a user-friendly, fully customizable way to access their favorite online services,” said Ulf Claesson, vice president of Worldwide Attach at HP. “Microsoft shares HP’s passion for delivering world-class technology to consumers in meaningful ways, and today’s announcement will help to provide an even more personal computing experience for HP customers.”


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If you love anime for girls, you’re in luck: you can watch it for free on Netflix.
The streaming service announced on Thursday that it would start offering anime for free this week for all its customers, including those who subscribe to its premium service.
“We are pleased to offer free streaming of anime for all of our Premium members,” Netflix said.
Netflix will start letting customers watch its shows in its new section, “Adult Content,” which includes everything from original series to “special content” that isn’t available elsewhere.
The company says it will also begin streaming shows that are available on Hulu, which currently has a free trial that expires on December 31.
Netflix plans to continue providing free access to its service for subscribers through the end of 2018.
Netflix is also offering free streaming to users who have an account with its premium subscription service, Netflix Prime, and those who are a part of a Netflix Family membership.
Netflix’s announcement comes on the heels of the announcement last week by HBO that it is offering streaming of “Game of Thrones” for free.


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Courier declares dividend of US$0.21/common share, payable Aug. 30
NORTH CHELMSFORD, Massachusetts
August 1, 2013
– The Board of Directors of Courier Corporation (CRRC) has declared a dividend of 21 cents per common share, payable August 30, 2013, to stockholders of record on August 16, 2013. The amount of the dividend is the same as declared in the previous quarter.
About Courier Corporation
Courier Corporation is among America’s leading book manufacturers and a leader in content management and customization in new and traditional media. It also publishes books under three brands offering award-winning content and thousands of titles. Founded in 1824, Courier is headquartered in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.courier.com.
© 2021 Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.


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December 18, 2013 8:00 AM
Nintendo has announced a new Dynasty Warriors and Legend of Zelda crossover in the latest Nintendo Direct.
December 18, 2013 7:52 AM
Nintendo announces a new Club Nintendo award featuring Luigi's Mansion to celebrate the Year of Luigi.
December 18, 2013 7:32 AM
A new trailer for Mario Kart 8 has been released, showing a ton of new tracks.
December 18, 2013 7:28 AM
Nintendo announced a brand new puzzle game featuring Luigi stepping into a doctor's shoes in Dr. Luigi.
December 18, 2013 7:13 AM
Link in Donkey Kong? Check out Nintendo's crazy new take on some of their most beloved classics.
December 18, 2013 6:48 AM
Watch the final Nintendo Direct of the year here on Wii U Daily!
December 17, 2013 10:17 AM
A redditor is claiming that Nintendo sent them a $40 Pizza Hut gift card, and has a picture to prove it.
December 17, 2013 9:16 AM
The New Yorker listed its top ten games for the year of 2013 and the results are sort of surprising.
December 17, 2013 8:56 AM
Nintendo has released a quick video detailing how to get your free trials of Wii Fit U and Wii Sports Club on your new Wii U.
December 17, 2013 7:35 AM
Nintendo has announced via Twitter that a new Nintendo Direct is airing tomorrow to showcase new games through Spring 2014.


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It's hard to know whether greater transparency will benefit or hinder these short-term rental platforms. Might lawmakers use the information as a stick to wield over the industry?
Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group, and Tripadvisor have come to a data-sharing agreement with the European Union.
The deal means that for the first time reliable information about the short-term rental market will be made public via the EU’s statistical office Eurostat.
This is the first time that short-term rental competitors have come together to share data about a global market.
Airbnb and other platforms have been fighting a running battle across Europe over the proliferation of urban rentals. Cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona have put in place restrictions with many locals voicing their concerns about the impact on house prices.
When the first lot of data becomes available later this year we’ll have a better understanding of where the market is. It will include the number of nights booked and the number of guests staying. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said the agreement would protect the privacy of both guests and hosts.
“Tourism is a key economic activity in Europe. Short-term accommodation rentals offer convenient solutions for tourists and new sources of revenue for people. At the same time, there are concerns about impact on local communities,” said Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for internal market.
“For the first time we are gaining reliable data that will inform our ongoing discussions with cities across Europe on how to address this new reality in a balanced manner.”
Two lobbying groups for the sector — EU Travel Tech and the European Holiday Home Association — both welcomed the move.
“The short-term rental sector hopes that data sharing will contribute to more complete statistics on tourist accommodation around Europe, allow public authorities to better understand the development of the collaborative economy and support evidence-based policies,” they said.
According to a 2019 survey conducted by Eurostat, 21 percent of EU citizens had used a peer-to-peer accommodation site.
Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch
Photo credit: An Airbnb Plus listing in Lisbon. The company and others will share data with the European Union. Airbnb


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The majority of Black haircare products are purchased at major mass retailers and at beauty supply stores, not from beauty salons. This is why when you pop into a Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and even a Duane Reed or CVS you’ll see an expanded assortment of products for Black or “multi-ethnic” hair including natural, coily, curly, or even nappy hair. Yes, these large marketers have got the hots for the business of Black hair.
How did it happen? You may remember when Chris Rock released the film Good Hair in 2009 and showed the “creamy crack” market. Black women were revealed spending thousands of dollars on weaves, scorching their scalps with chemical relaxers, and many causing damage to their hair and their psyche.
The film led to serious discussions by Black women of alternatives and helped usher in the movement to natural hair. Since the release of Good Hair sales of chemical relaxers have fallen more than 30-percent according to market research firm Mintel. Weave sales have also declined adds BOBSA (The Black Owned Beauty Supply Association).
One thing about large, multi-billion dollar companies — they’re not stupid. Another thing is they won’t sit back and simply watch market share or sales decline without launching a strategic response.
Target, the second-largest discount retailer in the U.S., saw an opportunity in the natural-curls trend. So in 2010, they invited the founders of several small Black-owned (or multi-racial) companies to come and present to them at their Minneapolis headquarters.
Among those invited were Miss Jessie’s, The Jane Carter Solution, Mixed Chicks, CURLS, Kinky-Curly and Shea Moisture. Target decided to showcase these six brands, with a showcase promotion at the end of the aisle in 400 stores—and the bet paid off big time.
Combined annual revenue for the hair-care lines has soared from less than $10 million in 2009 to about $150 million today, estimates Michael O’Neil, vice president of sales at Ultra Distributors, which supplies the products to Target and other large retailers. Target expanded the initial promotion to 700 stores.
Essence’s 2009 Smart Beauty research study found that African-American women spend $7.5 billion annually on beauty products and spent 80 percent more on cosmetics and skin-care products than the general market.
According to celebrity makeup artist Sam Fine, Black women are spending more at the counter because “there’s little satisfaction. She keeps buying with the hope that this product will do what it’s supposed to do.”
Nielsen, the leading global measurement company, notes that hair care is serious business in the Black community at all income levels. In the African American Consumer Report 2013, they inform retailers and manufacturers that there is an “opportunity to improve market share by ensuring their products are placed in this popular [beauty supply store] channel.”
Non-ethnic products that are rebranded with messaging that addresses the uniqueness of Blacks’ hair textures and styles could see a rise in market share currently represented in the Ethnic Health and Beauty Aids (HABA) category.” – Nielsen and NNPA – The African-American Consumer Report 2013
Entrepreneur Jamyla Bennu decided to cut chemicals and other harsh ingredients out of her beauty regimen in the early 1990s and launched her company Oyin Handmade in 2001.
She didn’t feel she was ready for Target when they came knocking in 2009, but has since increased her production, output and staff and is now ready to hit the Target shelves. In the spring of 2014, Oyin Handmade will become Target’s newest natural beauty line.
The interest in the business of Black hair is what’s also spurring organizers to convene the first ever International Black Hair Summit in Montego Bay Jamaica in October of 2014. The goal of this event is to increase the knowledge and participation in this growing industry which is dominated by Black women on the consumer side.
What say you?


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Daymak Inc., a Canadian electric car manufacturer, has made history by producing the first personal Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs) in history, with the ability to mine and manage cryptocurrency. Daymak Nebula has become the world’s first electric car fitted with software and hardware that can generate $350 in a month.
Daymak Nebula comes exclusively with the company’s EV Spritus that can reduce monthly car payments and makes Daymak Spiritus one of the most affordable electric cars in history. Daymak plans to begin deploying street-legal EV on 3rd August 2021. The car will have the ability to mine and managing a variety of cryptocurrencies that include Dogecoin, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more.
Daymak started live streaming Spiritus prototype on its cryptocurrency mining platform on 29th July this year. Over a month of streaming, Daymak Spiritus mined $355, which is equivalent to $11.83 per day. In a statement, Daymak president Aldo Baiocchi affirmed that crypto is the future, and EV Spiritus is making that future possible.
Customers can order their Spiritus EV in a range of cryptocurrencies. Daymak is in a discussion with institutions to bring crypto financing to the table.
“With the average commuter car sitting parked and depreciating for 23 hours per day, the Spiritus will serve as a supplementary income source which all other vehicles will simply depreciate by the hour. Nebula Miners is projected to offset or even fully cover the monthly lease payment, making it the most affordable electric car ever.”
Daymak Nebula has already converted a gas-powered car into a fully electric vehicle, with Nebula EV custom being integrated into it as a proof of concept. The car will be on-road around Toronto this month, and mining cryptocurrency anywhere it is parked.
Onlookers will be able to see the technology in action and how simple it is to mine cryptocurrencies in a vehicle. Daymak plans to launch the Spiritus fifth model, Avvenire Series in 2-23. Interest in the Spiritus will continue to grow, Daymak has already amassed $600 million three months after the launch of LEVs. Daymak is extending the pre-order campaign to 30th September 2021 to allow more people to own their first LEVs of the future.


text: In late April 2015, a San Diego jury found Arash Ghahreman, a former Iranian national and naturalized U.S. citizen, guilty of IEEPA and money laundering violations for attempt and conspiracy to export goods to Iran and for aiding and abetting transfers of money from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United States in support of an illegal export. Prosecutors presented evidence showing that Ghahreman was involved in an Iranian procurement network using a UAE front company to purchase U.S. goods and technology for illegal export and transshipment to Iran. According to DOJ, Ghahreman and his co-defendants (collectively, the defendants) negotiated, over a six-month period, with undercover U.S. agents posing as U.S. goods and technology brokers in order to procure military electronic components and marine navigation components for illegal export to Iran. Negotiations culminated in an agreement between the defendants and the agents, in furtherance of which the defendants wired roughly $60,000 as partial payment from a UAE account to the agents’ bank account. Ghahreman will be sentenced in July 2015.


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Indian boy fighting aging disorder meets Asimo
Nihal Bitla is one of only four people in India known to have progeria, the genetic disorder that causes rapid aging. The 15-year-old Nihal, who loves robots, recently had a dream come true -- to meet Honda's Asimo humanoid robot.
Editor's Picks. Similar Videos
Self-driving taxi tested in Tokyo
Hinomaru Kotsu Co. and ZMP Inc. are testing a self-driving taxi in Tokyo, using real passengers. If all goes well, the companies plan to have the service up and running by 2020.
Diving into interactive digital art in Tokyo
Tokyo has a new museum, and it is interactive. Mori Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless features exhibits full of lights, mirrors and projectors that offer seemingly endless ways to explore .
Worldwide prospects for Bangladesh
In an interview, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina discusses the future of her country's economy, including nuclear energy deals with Russia and China as well as trade with the U.S.
Rooms fit for an emperor
Ever dreamed of staying at an ancient temple in a room once meant for the Imperial family? Ninna-ji Temple in Kyoto now offers just that as it opens its doors to its hermitage. But booking the renovated lodging is not cheap.
India's online grocery market's huge potential
Albinder Dhinsa, the CEO of Grofers, discusses the obstacles faced by the India's nascent but potentially huge grocery delivery industry, and how his business has already found some solutions.
Huawei's Ken Hu at the 20th Nikkei Global Management Forum
Ken Hu, the rotating chairman of China's Huawei, talks about his company's support of the new EU legislation over data protection.


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Next year's Assassin's Creed game will take place in London during the 19th century, Kotaku has learned thanks to an early leak. Farewell, Napoleon; hello, Jack the Ripper?
This new entry in Ubisoft's annual open-world action series, slated for release in the fall of 2015, will take us through the dirty back alleys and rattling stagecoaches of London during the Victorian era, a historical period that fans have wanted to see in an Assassin's Creed game for quite some time now. This new Assassin's Creed game is called or code-named Victory—like Victorian!—and it will be out next year for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, according to a person familiar with the game.
Victory is something of a shift for the series in a few ways. For one, this is the first Assassin's Creed game helmed by Ubisoft's Quebec studio, as opposed to their primary Montreal office, which has led development on the biggest Assassin's Creed releases since the first game in 2007. Earlier this year, the Ubisoft Blog teased that Quebec would be heading up a future game in their annualized series, but they didn't say much more about it. This is that game.
Of course, just about every major Ubisoft game is developed by teams of hundreds that work across all of their studios across the world, from Canada to China. But it's significant to see an Assassin's Creed game led by a new team. Ubisoft Quebec also developed downloadable content for Assassin's Creed III (The Tyranny of King Washington) and Assassin's Creed IV (Freedom Cry).
We also hear that this will be the only main Assassin's Creed next fall—unless something changes, we won't see two separate entries like we did this year with Unity and Rogue, according to a person familiar with goings-on at the company. Next year, Assassin's Creed is sticking to current-gen platforms and seemingly leaving the Xbox 360 and PS3 behind.
The annualized Assassin's Creed franchise is in a strange spot at the moment and has seen calls from some fans to take a year off, something that doesn't appear to be happening. And given how impressive Victory looks so far—and the implication that it must be pretty far along to already be looking this good—perhaps it doesn't need to. Still, it was just a week ago that Ubisoft had to apologize for the technical problems marring its newest major game in the franchise, Assassin's Creed Unity. Tepid reviews of Unity haven't helped, and a humble Ubisoft has opted to no longer charge fans for that game's major expansion, Dead Kings.
Some Assassin's Creed fans among the Kotaku readership and elsewhere online point to Unity, delayed from October to November yet still having launched in sub-optimal condition, as a sign that 2015 should be a skip year for the ubiquitous series. Ubisoft has instead appeared to be as ambitious as ever about its top franchise, releasing the old-gen AC Rogue last month as well and planning an AC sidescroller set in China for release some time in the next few months.
Earlier this year, we told you about Unity and Rogue before they were announced. Today we can tell you about Victory, thanks to a seven-minute "target gameplay footage" video leaked to Kotaku that demonstrates what Ubisoft's dev team expects from the upcoming Assassin's Creed game. The video is surprisingly slick and could pass for an E3 presentation, and although it may not represent what the final game looks like, the beginning of the video proclaims that it was produced entirely in Anvil, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed engine. In other words, it wasn't pre-rendered.
To the eyes of Kotaku staffers who have played recent AC games—and likely to those of you seeing the shots in this article—Victory appears to be using the version of the Anvil engine seen in Unity, the best-looking incarnation we've seen so far.
The video begins with an assassin, presumably the game's protagonist, climbing up a tower and looking out at the city of London. We get a quick overview of the city as the camera flies from alley to alley, showing us some of the game's potential side activities (gambling in a pub, street-racing with carriages, and so forth). We then cut back to the assassin, who leaps down to the street, makes his way into a nearby horse carriage, and accepts an assignment from a mysterious masked woman. The task: kill a man named Roderick Bulmer, who has been trafficking little girls for the assassins' ancestral enemies. "The templars must receive our message," says the woman. "You must send it in blood."
Mid-conversation, the carriage is attacked, so the assassin makes his way out and takes out several enemies—who are bearing templar insignias—while keeping his balance atop the moving buggy. It's frantic. A few quick kills later, the assassin arrives at the Charing Cross railway station, where he swaps his hood for a top hat and runs through the crowd, ignoring side quests ("stop that thief!") as he hunts down Bulmer, who is standing among the crowd in the middle of a train plaza.
Our assassin hops and leaps to a platform overlooking the trains, takes out a guard, then uses what appears to be a new item—a grappling hook—to swing over to Bulmer and stab him in the chest.
Once Bulmer is dead, the assassin jumps onto a moving train and fights off more templar soldiers while crossing the River Thames. As the video draws to a close, our protagonist leaps from the train into a conveniently-placed haystack, then staggers forward as the camera pulls toward the London horizon. Then the logo: Assassin's Creed Victory.
The takeaway from the footage isn't just that Assassin's Creed is in a new place and era yet again. It's that, apparently, Ubisoft is pushing for some gameplay innovation. We can see that in the multiple fights on moving vehicles. And we can see that in the introduction of the grappling hook, which seems, at least when used inside a massive, covered train station, to allow the player-controlled character to create literal jumping-off points on the fly. If that grappling hook works the way we think it does, then players would be able to walk into any covered space in Victory, shoot at the ceiling to drop a rope from it and then swing over to assassinate a target—or maybe escape into a crowd? This could significantly change how these games play and how gamers move through an Assassin's Creed world.
It appears that Victory will build on the same internal Ubisoft graphics engine—Anvil—that made Unity's Paris so striking. One hopes that Ubisoft will have its tech and its game better bug-tested for Victory. If so, this could be a good one, as the setting and the gameplay look like winners.
We asked Ubisoft for comment about the timing and platforms for the game. If they decide to say anything, we'll let you know.
UPDATE (3:59pm): Ubisoft has sent a statement out to several outlets, not including Kotaku. From PCGamer:
It is always unfortunate when internal assets, not intended for public consumption, are leaked. And, while we certainly welcome anticipation for all of our upcoming titles, we're disappointed for our fans, and our development team, that this conceptual asset is now public. The team in our Quebec studio has been hard at work on the particular game in question for the past few years, and we're excited to officially unveil what the studio has been working on at a later date. In the meantime, our number one priority is enhancing the experience of Assassin's Creed Unity for players.


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This year we have heard rumors about Sprint acquiring T-Mobile U.S. many times but as per the latest reports, Sprint and its parent company Softbank have now given up on this and are no longer after Magenta. However a few weeks ago Iliad, a French telecommunications company, submitted a $15 billion takeover bid for T-Mobile U.S. out of the blue. While that bid was rejected the company’s CFO has hinted that T-Mobile may be open to a sale if the price is right.
Back when the Sprint T-Mobile deal was in the rumor mill it was said that the former was going to put up a bid of over $30 billion. In contrast Iliad’s bid was nearly half of what was on the table then.
Talking at an investor conference, T-Mobile CFO Braxton Carter said that while Iliad’s to buyout 57 percent of the company was “very flattering” it was an “inadequate” value proposition. He hinted that the company might consider a higher offer. The sentiment has already been echoed by Deutsche Telekom which owns 67 percent of T-Mobile U.S., its open to a buyout at the right price.
There are more chances of a buyout by Iliad going through then there ever were of one by Sprint. It was widely reported that federal regulators didn’t want more consolidation in the market, even though Sprint and T-Mobile together would have been able to better change Verizon and AT&T. If Iliad takes over T-Mobile U.S. will continue to remain an independent carrier in the country and won’t be absorbed into another national U.S. carrier.
However just last week Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges revealed that at this point in time there is no offer on the table. We’ll have to wait and see if T-Mobile U.S. has any more suitors willing to pony up some serious money.


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His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, inaugurated the first edition of the Geneva International Motor Show Qatar (GIMS Qatar) in an official opening ceremony at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) on October 5, 2023.
Esteemed attendees included His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Interior, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, and His Excellency Mr. Saad Bin Ali Al Kharji, Deputy Chairman of Qatar Tourism. The event also saw the presence of various ministers, ambassadors, and senior delegates.
The opening ceremony was followed by a Gala Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha which featured remarks by His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive and Mr. Sandro Mesquita, CEO of the Geneva International Motor Show.
Covering more than 10,000 m2 at DECC, GIMS Qatar 2023 is set to be the region’s most prestigious and influential automotive show featuring 30 renowned automotive brands, 10+ world premieres and 20+ regional premieres. Hosting large-scale, global events such as GIMS Qatar is part of Qatar Tourism’s strategy to become the fastest growing destination in the Middle East by 2030.
GIMS Qatar will be open to the public from October 7 to 14, daily at the DECC from 14:00 – 22:00, and 10:00 – 22:00 on Saturdays. The event offers free entrance during weekdays and ticketed entrance, QAR 50, during weekends. Tickets, including those for free entry, are available on the Virgin Megastore website.


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esports News and Analysis
Motorsport Games’ Officially Licensed NASCAR Game Will Be Playable on the Popular Gaming Console Starting on November 19, 2021, with Pre-Orders Available Now!
After a thrilling 1ST round that saw more than 2.6 million impressions worldwide, the 2nd stage kicks off at 7:30a.m. EDT on Saturday.
The second round of the Le Mans Virtual Series takes place at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, where the world’s best online sim drivers will compete in a six-hour endurance race.
The latest in a long line of officially licenced MXGP video games is about to take off from starting gate. MXGP 2021 has been announced and will be released later this year.
For this weekend’s Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix, Red Bull has revealed a special Honda tribute livery, and it will be arriving in the F1 2021 game next week.
Historic interpretations of Monza are now available for racing simulator Automobilista 2. The 1971 and 1991 versions are spellbinding additions that add rose-tinted spectacles to the sim racing experience.
Williams Esports's Jack Keithley and Team Redline's Jeffrey Rietveld split the victories at the Sachsenring during the sixth round of the 2021 ADAC GT Masters Esports Championship.
Bono Huis has won the sixth and final Formula Pro Series race for this season and with it Mercedes-AMG Petronas the teams' title.
The F1 Esports Series Pro Championship grid is now set, with the drivers and calendar revealed for the championship held using the F1 2021 game.
Realteam Hydrogen Redline has won the 4 Hours of Monza, the opening round of the Le Mans Virtual Series, as Jeffrey Rietveld, Dani Juncadella and Michal Smidl held off GPX Rebellion Williams and Floyd ByKolles-Burst. In GTE, the Porsche Esports Team car driven by Mitchell deJong, Mack Bakkum and Martin Kronke was dominant.
On 24th September, tune in for a single broadcast with two events on display. The Le Mans Virtual Series kicks off its 2021-22 season with qualifying for the first race of the season at Monza. After that, the first race of the Le Mans Virtual Cup will take place, also at Monza, with the top 30 qualifiers from open qualifying taking part.
The entry list for Monza was revealed, and Timetable for the weekend.
The 2021 Formula 1 season is now playable on the go thanks to an update for the F1 Mobile Racing game, along with several new features and enhancements, and it’s available right now if you own an Apple or Android device.
The opening round of the newly-revised Le Mans Virtual Series takes place at the ‘Temple of Speed’ this weekend, with the world’s best online sim-drivers competing in a four-hour endurance race at the famous Monza circuit.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports driver Bono Huis claimed the inaugural Formula Pro Series title in emphatic style at Zandvoort, but the teams' title is still up for grabs.
MSGM and Automobile Club de l’Ouest reveal full driver entry list for the Le Mans Virtual Series 2021-22 Season
Impressive Rosters for the Endurance Esports Championship Includes Motorsport and Esports Global Racing Stars.
World Championship-winning endurance teams! Some of the world’s best sim racing names take on premier endurance racing.
Portimao has been added to the F1 2021 video game in the first major update for this year’s edition of Formula 1’s official title.
Lohan Blanc, aka Nexl, has taken his third WRC Esports championship, beating Sami-Joe, Noel and Izamusing in a close Grand Final.
Independent driver Isaac Price and Dorr Esports' Bence Banki shared the virtual victories at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz during the 2021 ADAC GT Masters Esports Championship.
The Le Mans Virtual Series has been launched to run a five-event Esports series in collaboration with Motorsport Games and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, culminating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual hosted at the 2022 Autosport International show.
The fourth round of the inaugural Formula Pro Series was won by Mercedes-AMG Petronas' Bono Huis – but it was far from straightforward.
The official game of the GT World Challenge is receiving a console upgrade, with enhanced visuals and more online options.
WRC 10 Game Director, Alain Jarniou, has run through the new features coming to the next official World Rally Championship game and what fans should expect upon its release.
The unflappable Bono Huis won the third Formula Pro Series at the Nurburgring, as Mercedes-AMG Petronas retains the championship lead.
Max Verstappen’s 51G impact in his British Grand Prix smash was the biggest accident of the Red Bull driver’s career. But despite being a bit bruised and battered afterwards, less than one week later the Dutchman was back at a race track – albeit a virtual one.
Team Redline's Kevin Siggy won the feature race during Round 4 of the ADAC GT Masters Esports Championship, but it was Moritz Lohner who extended his championship lead.
The founder and creator of the popular single-seater racing management game, iGP manager, has spoken openly about the platform’s origins and what the future holds.
The GRID racing game series from Codemasters is returning, thanks to the new GRID Legends, unveiled during the EA Play Live event.
Just over a year ago, the first-ever virtual edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans became the largest online racing event in motorsports’ history and registered a massive viewing audience. With this year’s real-world Le Mans delayed until August, what’s next for the virtual event?
Roger Penske was unfortunate to take charge of the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway just as the global pandemic hit. But the far-sighted leadership that made his team into US motorsport's gold standard is already paying dividends to the series too, with a video game announcement another step in the right direction
Leading racing video game company enters into long-term license with premier open wheel racing series, first game release anticipated for 2023
One of the most renowned sim racing peripheral manufacturers, Fanatec, and feted Gran Turismo game developer, Polyphony Digital, have announced a new official partnership.
Formula 1 fans will get the chance to hit the track themselves - virtually, at least - with this year’s cars as F1 2021 hits the shelves this Friday (16 July).
Williams Esports' Jack Keithley and Dorr Esports' Moritz Lohner took a win apiece at Zandvoort for the third round of the 2021 ADAC GT Masters Esports Championship.
As revealed in a recent live stream, a new BMW concept racing car has arrived, for free, in PC simulator rFactor 2. It launched alongside the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, so we thought that there’s no better location to test out this new racing thoroughbred than the hallowed Italian turf.
A new F1 2021 game trailer showcases the Braking Point story, two-player Driver Career and in-game icons for the very first time.
With the latest official game of the World Rally Championship, WRC 10, launching in September, we played an early preview version to see how it's shaping up.
Jack Keithley and Florian Hasse claimed the Sprint and Feature race wins respectively in the second round of the 2021 ADAC GT Masters Esports Championship.
Formula 1 drivers and teams offered greater levels of input and feedback for the new F1 2021 game after taking part in regular events through lockdown last year.
The opening round of the 2021 ADAC GT Masters Esports Championship kicked off this week at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, with the wins shared between Moritz Lohner and Nikodem Wisniewski.
It’s goodbye F1 Esports Pro Draft and hello F1 Esports Series Pro Exhibition, which is happening on Thursday 27th May 2021.
Following a successful competition last year, The Real Race returns for 2021 with the chance to win a Lamborghini headquarters experience and to become the first-ever Lamborghini Official Sim Driver.
Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher have been named among the Formula 1 ‘icon’ drivers included in the upcoming F1 2021 video game from Codemasters and EA Sports.
The off-road arcade racer has just been updated with a suite of online-related changes and some new Red Bull liveries from the world of motorsport.
When Frederik Rasmussen won the Formula E: Accelerate title, he also won the chance to prove just how realistic simulators are thanks to a drive in a real Formula E race car.
PC and Xbox users will soon be able to buy a direct drive wheel base by Fanatec for a much lower price – delivering realistic feedback for sim racing to a wider market.
The official game of MotoGP is back with a 2021 season instalment. Are the new features enough to elevate MotoGP 21 into the pantheon of great racing games?
Sim racing is to feature in the Olympics for the first time, with a Gran Turismo competition being chosen to form part of a new virtual games.
The new Thrustmaster SF1000 Edition Wheel Add-on allows racing game fans and Esports competitors to use a replica of the 2020 Ferrari F1 steering wheel used by Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel.
Codemasters and EA have announced the first details for the F1 2021 video game, which will feature an all-new story mode and three new tracks.
The 2021 World Rally Championship season will be replicated in the new WRC 10 video game. Set to be released in September 2021, the game will also celebrate 50 years of the WRC.


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Gov’t moves to offset high oil pricesThe government will soon announce a set of measures to help control soaring oil product prices that can hurt economic growth, the country’s top economic policy maker said yesterday.
Minister of Strategy and Finance Bahk Jae-wan said at a weekly economic policy maker meeting that high global crude oil prices have placed a huge burden on the economy, Asia’s fourth-largest.
“Crude prices have stabilized a little recently but there is a need to address this problem,” he said.
The minister stressed that he will call for close cooperation with other Group of 20 members to tackle this critical issue when key industrialized and developing economies meet in Washington later in the week.
The price of Dubai crude, Korea’s benchmark, averaged $122.5 per barrel last month, up from $116.2 in February and $106 per barrel for the whole of 2011.
Higher crude prices have pushed up both gasoline and diesel fuel prices that can exert a negative influence on consumer prices. The soaring prices also affect prices of manufactured goods and farm products, as well as service charges.
“Seoul will announce a comprehensive plan that includes the expansion of bargain gas stations and the introduction of an electronic exchange for fuel products to help lower prices,” he said.
The announcement is expected to be made by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which oversees industrial and energy policies.
The policy maker said the country has made strides in recent decades in terms of its R&D potential but there is a need to strengthen tie-ups between laboratories and companies. Yonhap
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Repo Rate Unchanged
Repo Rate Unchanged
Local headline consumer inflation quickened to 4.6% year-on-year in June, from 4.4 % in May, data from Statistics South Africa indicated on Wednesday.
Local headline consumer inflation quickened to 4.6% year-on-year in June, from 4.4 % in May, data from Statistics South Africa indicated on Wednesday. Core inflation, which excludes the price of food, non-alcoholic beverages, petrol and energy, fell to 4.2% year-on-year from 4.4%.
The monetary policy committee of the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) left the repo rate unchanged at 6.5% following its policy meeting on Thursday. With the repo rate unchanged, the prime lending rate will remain at 10%. Among the risks to inflation identified by the monetary policy committee were the strength of the US dollar, a sustained period of high oil prices, escalating trade tensions and higher electricity prices. Bear in mind that the primary mandate of the SARB is inflation targeting, and the target range for 2018 is between 3% and 6%.
South African Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago said the central bank expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.2% in 2018, which is down from its previous estimate of 1.7%. This follows a contraction in GDP by 2.2% in the first quarter of the year, and early indications of modest growth in the second quarter.
Local markets responded well during the past week and gained 1.12% in total. The industrial sector saw the biggest gain, by 2.12%, followed by the financial sector with 1.77%. The resources sector ended the week lower on the back of weaker commodity prices and lost 0.91% in value.
In the US, Fed chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers that the economy is strong and additional rate hikes are likely.
The Chinese yuan’s losses accelerated as trade discord between US and China intensified. Markets would seem to regard Chinese officials’ willingness to allow the currency to decline as a measure taken partially to offset the impact of US tariffs.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reiterated its forecast that global gross domestic product will expand 3.9% this year and in 2019 despite growing trade tensions. The IMF, however, highlighted the fact that the growing trade tension between the US and China is a major downside risk.
The rand traded weaker at around R13.40, mostly on the back of a stronger USD. The price of Brent crude oil fell to around $72.71 per barrel. The producer price index (PPI) data expected this coming Wednesday will be a good predictor of future inflation trends.
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Garth’s Brew Bar, set to open this fall, concentrates on expertly curated, craft beers
The bar is a project three years in the making
Ever since visiting a bar called Hops in Budapest in 2015, Garth Beyer was inspired to create his own craft beer bar. After more than three years in the making, that idea will be actualized in Garth’s Brew Bar, a new craft beer-focused spot on Monroe Street set to open this fall.
Beyer, who also works as a public relations and social media account executive at Hiebing, has had a long-time interest in craft breweries and brewers.
He started by writing about the local beer scene and getting to know the people behind the beer. In college, he was the managing editor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism’s Curb Magazine, where he created two projects related to Wisconsin breweries. He then moved on to start a beer column at the Badger Herald and freelance writing about beer for the CapTimes.
As he continued to write about breweries in the Madison area, Beyer says he developed a respect for brewers and connections within the brewing community.
“These people are amazing,” Beyer says. “Their tenacity is ridiculous, and they care deeply about the communities that they’re in, and they weren’t getting as much praise as they deserved.”
Beyer says he wanted to find something to help the local breweries thrive, but at the time, craft beer bars weren’t as prevalent.
Fast forward to visiting Hops in Budapest, Beyer says after that visit, he knew he wanted to open up his own craft beer bar. Then, shortly after that trip, the process to create Garth’s Brew Bar began.
Beyer meticulously thought about all the details necessary to open the bar over the past three years, including conducting a survey to find out public opinions on things like location, cost and how far people will travel. When it came to location, he found that most people wanted something in the near east side or near west side. Beyer ultimately set his sights on Monroe Street.
Beyer says Monroe Street stood out because of the community, neighborhood organizations and the merchant’s association.
“[In choosing Monroe Street] you’ve got the people confirming they’d go there, got the neighbors confirming they want it there, you have the businesses there to support you and for you to support them, it’s just like a whirlwind of this is the best space you could possibly do,” Beyer says.
Garth’s Brew Bar will be one of the new businesses in the multiuse building that replaced the Associated Bank. The interior will be done by Carlson Construction and Jacob Morrison of MoTiS Architecture which worked on businesses like Robin Room, RED Sushi and Madison Chocolate Co.
The spot will have 18 taps with a reach in cooler with 100 to 150 different bottles of beer. Beyer says he’ll mainly focus on Madison and Wisconsin craft breweries, but will also offer other selections from smaller American craft breweries.
Beyer, who is a certified Cicerone—what he calls the sommelier of beer—says he wants the place to “feel like a curated experience for folks” with really good beer. Beyer is one of nine certified Cicerones in the Madison area and the only one who operates his own establishment.
“It brings a little bit of credibility to the curation of beer at this venue,” Beyer says. “Not only am I tasting everything and making sure there aren’t any off flavors, that it’s good to sell and people are going to appreciate it.”
Beyer says he plans to have a gluten-free option and session beers for those looking to drink beers lower in alcohol content. He also says he’s also hoping to find a good-tasting, zero alcohol beer. While the bar won’t have a wide variety of food options, it will have Batch Bakehouse pretzels and Fraboni’s pizzas available.
Garth’s Brew Bar is expected to open in the fall at 1726 Monroe Street.
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Paul Allen is a cost manager at TowerEight
Is the tide out on two-stage procurement?Subscription
Warren Buffett, arguably the most successful investor in the world, once said: “Only when the tide goes out, do you discover who’s been swimming naked.”
Cost inflation has been occurring on a number of projects recently, particularly in the hot London market. So why do prices rise and how can the supply chain play a role in keeping the costs down?


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One of the foremost distributors in the field of creative workplace solutions, Ascentae provides innovative and intuitive technologies via its extensive UK partner network, under the Nureva Span and Evoko brands, including its audio conferencing and meeting room booking software respectively.
Frank Noon, VP of worldwide sales, commented: “Ascentae’s expertise as a leading value-added distributor in this sector makes them the ideal partner for our new digital signage business strategy. Together, we’re perfectly placed to take advantage of the current and projected growth in demand for digital signage solutions.”
Digital signage represents a massive market worldwide, worth over $27bn USD by 2022 according to a report by market research firm Markets and Markets. “We believe that the potential market size could actually be far larger if the technology was opened up to a wider customer demographic,” said Noon. “That’s what we aim to do with Illumineye Digital Signage – by not only making one of the easiest solutions for people to use but also simplifying the sales proposition with an outright purchase of a perpetual licence for indefinite usage with yearly support,” he added.
Illumineye is a combination of a powerful, Windows-based creator/manager software suite and dedicated media players. Both are sold as a bundle, at a one-off price which Noon believes offers the best value in the market. “Our software and media players – in terms of features – compare very favourably with even more expensive solutions. But we want to create a ‘desktop publishing revolution’ in digital signage, where organisations of any size can access the kind of power previously only available to professionals. It’s a complete package – customers just add their own display.”
Sharing the same vision, Jon Knight, commercial director of Ascentae, commented: “Illumineye Digital Signage represents a welcome addition to our existing software product portfolio and provides a game-changing solution for our reseller network looking for easy-to-use and cost-effective digital signage. The growth potential in the digital signage market is massive and Illumineye fits extremely well with our passionate and enthusiastic approach to launching groundbreaking software solutions with genuine differentiation.”
Established in 2016, Ascentae is a specialist distribution company focused on providing innovative, disruptive solutions to UK business and educational establishments. With offices in Surrey and London, Ascentae represents truly world-class brands, and supplies them via a network of expert reseller partners.


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Small Business Majority has created a comprehensive state policy agenda to ensure entrepreneurship is at the center of a thriving and inclusive economy in Illinois. It’s critical that state lawmakers enact policies that support and empower these entrepreneurs, guaranteeing they have access to capital to start and grow their business, affordable and quality healthcare and benefits programs that will make it easier for them to attract and retain talented employees.
Illinois Small Business Owner Highlight
Ramona Thomas, a trained mathematician with a Ph.D. in education, gave up an 18-year career and position as vice president of a venture philanthropy firm to strike out on her own and open what is now Chicago’s premiere artisan chocolate boutique—My Chocolate Soul.
Small Business Majority writes in opposition to the Regulatory Sandbox Act (HB 2825), which would permit a range of financial institutions to test unlicensed financial products on consumers, including entrepreneurs. We believe this legislation would open up small business owners and entrepreneurs to predatory lending practices.
Small Business Majority writes in support of the Wholesale Importation of Prescription Drugs Act (HB 1441), which would create a program to provide lower cost prescription drugs from regulated Canadian suppliers to Illinois consumers. We believe this legislation will help millions of healthcare consumers in Illinois, including many small business owners and solo entrepreneurs.
Small Business Majority writes in opposition to HB 2042, which would extend short-term, limited duration health insurance from the current 181 days to 366 days. We believe this legislation would help undermine a robust individual marketplace, which is vitally important for owners and employees of small businesses without group coverage, especially the roughly one million solo-entrepreneurs in Illinois.
In communities across the United States, it is the jobs small businesses provide and the consumers they serve that keep our economic recovery moving. However, this recovery is threatened when small businesses are faced with costly and frivolous lawsuits brought on by patent assertion entities—commonly referred to as patent trolls. Small Business Majority's national scientific opinion polling found small firms support patent reform legislation that would help prevent patent trolls from targeting small businesses.
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Union Savings and Loans has officially launched a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) clinic to educate individuals and business entities with the requisite skills and knowledge in handling their business and also offer business solutions aimed at advancing the growth of SME’s to help accelerate the country’s development.
Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director (MD) of Union Savings and Loans, Mr. Philip Oti- Mensah, said the clinic would provide resource persons who would break down complex business plans into the smallest unit for businessmen to understand.
According to him Union seeks to provide a management capacity building programme which will provide holistic business solutions and capacity development for its clients.
”This is in line with Union’s business philosophy of successfully combining commercial objectives with a strong development agenda by focusing our financial intermediation efforts of segments of the market that lack the needed attention and expertise from the regular financial services sector,” Mr. Oti-Mensah noted.
He further explained that the clinic will, ”look at institutions with an asset size of up to GHC 2million…in terms of credit capacity; we are looking at a loan amount of up to GHC 2million. We recover all sectors. We know that the service sector contributes up to 50% of GDP, so that is the sector we are really focusing on. We don’t want to only build businesses which are already SME in definition, but also others that can become SMEs.”
The SME clinic would also track the development of business companies that take advantage of it.
Small and medium enterprises and businesses with more than five to 200 employees will benefit from the Union Savings and Loans SME clinic.
By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana


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Welcome back to Kent Toolkit
Visit Kent has a new new consumer campaign, Welcome back to Kent.
Visit Kent has launched their summer consumer confidence campaign, Welcome back to Kent. The campaign will run until September 2021.
The Welcome back to Kent campaign is one of a series of Visit Kent campaigns following the lifting of COVID restrictions.
Visit Kent has worked to capitalise on opportunities around the visiting friends and relatives market, Kent’s major events programme, and residents’ and visitors’ abilities to move freely for travel and leisure.
This campaign will aim to position Kent as a safe and compelling getaway and will act as an inspiring invitation, and reassurance for residents and visitors alike.
At the heart of the campaign will be a selection of thematic features, along with support from a competition, influencer activity, organic digital activity, paid social, and paid search promotion.
This campaign is supported by South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) funding and KCC funding, which aims to help support the reopening of the sector safely.


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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — To encourage fans to renew season tickets early, the University of Louisville Athletics Department is offering fans a chance to win prizes.
Fans choosing to renew season tickets early will have the chance to win one-of-a-kind prizes and experiences. Once you are renewed, fans will also be auto-enrolled for subsequent drawings. Fans wishing to renew early can also take advantage of an extended interest-free payment play, which is a monthly automatic payment plan that will continue until the balance is paid in full.
To qualify for the prize drawings, accounts must be paid in full or have begun the payment program. Tickets must be renewed before noon on the day of the prize selection. Winners will be chosen every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from February 5 through February 28.
Here are the prizes for each of the weeks:
- February 5 — Notre Dame Away Game Trip (1 winner)
- February 7 — Autographed Coach Scott Satterfield Balls (10 winners)
- February 10 — Free Spaghetti vouchers courtesy of Fazoli’s (20 winners) & Gift Basket courtesy of Texas Roadhouse (1 winner)
- February 12 — Two Pregame Field Passes (7 winners)
- February 14 — $25 Papa John’s gift cards (20 winners) & Liquor Barn (TBD)
- February 17 — Two Kickoff Luncheon Tickets (10 winners)
- February 19 — $250 Kroger gift card & 4th Street Live (TBD)
- February 21 — Two Red & Black Night invitations (10 winners)
- February 24 — $20 Mark’s Feed Store gift cards (10 winners) & $75 Napa River Grill gift card (1 winner)
- February 26 — ULCG Foursomes (5 winners)
- February 28 — Free 2020 Season Tickets (up to four tickets) (1 winner)
2020 will be the second season for ACC Coach of the Year Scott Satterfield and the team is coming off a win in the Music City Bowl. The Cardinals will host seven home games including NC State, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Kentucky.


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Chobani Issues Moldy Recall; Yoplait Pours It OnBy
The Greek yogurt business turned a bit sour today, as Chobani recalled an unidentified amount of its popular product.
The company didn’t say how much yogurt was affected, but the Food and Drug Administration notice urged consumers to dump a range of Chobani flavors and sizes, from tiny tubes of “Chillin Cherry” to 32-ounce tubs of “Plain 2%.”
The formal recall relates to yogurt with “best by” dates between Sept. 11 and Oct. 7 and comes about a week after Chobani had encouraged retailers to pull its yogurt off shelves because some containers were showing “swelling and bloating.” Chobani did not return calls but said in an online statement that the affected yogurt came from its Idaho plant and represents only about 5 percent of Chobani product on the market.
Chobani’s chief executive, Hamdi Ulukaya, also told the Associated Press the issue was a caused by a fairly common type of mold and has been “totally fixed.” “It shook us up,” he said.
Chobani’s competition, however, seized on a chance to gain market share on a rare stumble from a company that lured millions of yogurt fans away from traditional blends. Greek-style offerings account for almost half of America’s $7.6 billion yogurt market, and Chobani controls about 40 percent of that segment, according to Sanford Bernstein data.
Late yesterday, Yoplait tweeted the following:
Now’s the time to try NEW delicious Yoplait Greek. pic.twitter.com/dSYgHAH8c8
— Yoplait Greek (@YoplaitGreek) September 5, 2013
This afternoon, it added:
Danone’s Oikos, Chobani’s closest competitor, was silent on the social-media front.
Chobani, meanwhile, tried to put its own spin on the situation. It wrote on its website: “We’re committed to crafting only the best-tasting, highest-quality yogurt made with only natural ingredients, which means all of our products are free of preservatives.”
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