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Popular video-sharing site Vimeo claims that a “safe harbor” rule shields it from being liable for copyrighted videos uploaded by its users. A judge isn’t so sure — here’s a summary of the latest in the back and forth legal fight over who is responsible for online copyright issues.
Vimeo is offering film makers $10,000 to sell movies on its website. But for now, the offering is only available to select few.
40daysofdating is a website that combines text, photos and video to tell the story of two friends Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman who after failing at finding love, are dating each other and sharing the experience. It is like reality television, except for the web.
It looks like Chromecast won’t be limited to playing content from YouTube and Netflix for very long, with a number of media platforms getting ready to support the new device.
A report on Tuesday from 9to5Mac says Apple is looking to bolster social sharing options in iOS 7 by integrating Vimeo and Flickr. The inclusion could be a subtle way to boost one of its biggest competitor’s rivals.
Short films released online have become an increasingly common way for filmmakers to break into the studio system — the latest example being an upcoming action film produced by Mark Wahlberg.
Vimeo will allow creators with Pro memberships to charge for their video content starting Tuesday. Creators keep 90 percent of revenues, after transaction fees.
Dynamo’s proprietary player was one of the first to give creators the option to directly charge viewers for their content. Now, the company is closing the player to the public, instead refocusing on a white label offering for filmmakers, continuing the trend of pay-to-play services.
Vimeo which recently broke into the top ten web video web destinations list, is giving video makers new ways of monetization. It is offering two new tools and has plans for others at it helps its indie creators grow.
It’s easy to embed a wide variety of music players on your website, but hard to get them singing from the same hymnsheet. Musicplayr’s trying to fix that with a newly-revamped player it calls ‘eye-candy for the ears’


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In 2015, we saw JUUL vaping devices hit the market. Since then, we have seen a new generation of addicts explode. Aggressive social media and shrewd marketing campaigns have led many people to become addicted to vaping. JUUL, an electronic cigarette business, is one of the companies that have led this, promising that their product would improve the lives of one billion adult smokers. They stated that their mission was to help people quit smoking in the traditional sense, and they have certainly made a massive impact. By 2017, JUUL had grown to be a vaping empire worth $5 billion. The start-up, which is located in San Francisco, now controls more than 75 percent of the vaping market in the United States.
You may be wondering what the problem is here. After all, surely helping adults to quit smoking is positive? Well, the truth is that JUUL has attained this lion share because they have created an entirely new set of customers for their products. They have developed a generation of nicotine addicts through their aggressive social media campaigns and marketing efforts. With an easily disguisable and clever product design, combined with a number of other strategies, they have been targeting children and teenagers across the United States. This is extremely worrying, as a lot of youngsters are being negatively impacted by JUUL.
Before we can take a look at the negative impact that JUUL products have had on the younger generation, it is first important to understand why JUUL vaping is dangerous. Therefore, we need to look at the chemicals that are contained in their products. A JUUL cartridge contains liquid that is made up of benzoic acid, flavoring, propylene glycol, glycerol, and 40 mg of nicotine. When compared with the other vaping devices that are on the market today, JUUL contains a very high level of nicotine. When compared with other devices, like the Blue vape cartridge, JUUL contains more than twice the concentration of nicotine. This makes the addiction risk very high.
In fact, there was a study that was carried out by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom. It showed that nicotine is more addictive than anti-anxiety drugs and alcohol. They also concluded that it was on the same level of addictiveness as cocaine.
This is not the only negative impact that is associated with nicotine. While it is highly addictive, there have been a lot of different pieces of scientific research that have shown that nicotine is known to impair lung development and brain development if it is utilized during adolescence, as well as being toxic to fetuses.
Plus, it is also worth pointing out that it is not just the nicotine that is bad in JUUL products. While these vaping products do not contain a lot of the bad stuff that you would find in tobacco, there are other bad things in them. In fact, 42 additional chemicals, aside from the five main vape liquid ingredients, have been identified in the vapor. A number of these different chemicals are known carcinogens. For example, when compared with other vaping products out there, JUUL products contain a higher amount of benzoic acid. This is worrying because benzoic acid is known to cause vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, sore throat, and coughs if someone has constant exposure to it, which will certainly be the case if you are using JUUL vape products.
Let’s take a look at the negative health effects associated with nicotine in further detail…
So, now that you know all of the negative effects that are associated with the nicotine and other chemicals that are found in JUUL vaping products, it is important to understand how JUUL has targeted to teen and young adult market so successfully. A lot of people would argue that when they redesigned their vape device, this was so it was better suited to a young audience. Engineers working for the company fashioned a new line of vape devices that were designed so that they mimicked the look of a USB flash drive. Not only this, but they can be plugged into your computer, just like a USB device would be. This means that middle school and high school students are able to hide their devices in plain sight. They could charge their vape at school and their teacher would be none the wiser because it looks lie a USB flash drive. We can deduce that this has been done purposely to hit the younger audience market. After all, any adult that is looking to quit smoking is going to want something that mimics the look and feel of a conventional cigarette. This would help them to more effectively quit smoking. However, the JUUL products do not adhere to this at all. Many people have concluded that this is because they wanted to have a special and unique appeal to the youth audience across the United States, and this has certainly worked.
A lot of critics also believe that the fun range of flavors found within the JUUL product range is also designed to appeal to children. After all, when someone is trying to quit smoking, they are going to want something that reminds them of a traditional cigarette. They are not going to want something that is pancake syrup or strawberry milk flavored. These are the sorts of flavors that appeal to teens and children, as they are based on candy and other sweet treats. If that was not bad enough, a lot of the skins features cartoons, photos of animals, artwork, mascots, and school colors too. This is much more likely to appeal to a young person than it is an adult who is genuinely looking to quit smoking.
There have also been a number of different studies and expert commentary when it comes to the way in which JUUL goes about marketing its products. It has been shown that the company exploits social media channels like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, where teens and school children in the United States are known to spend a lot of their time. Plus, the business has paid influencers on social media to promote JUUL. JUUL-related hashtags were also incorporated onto videos and images of young people vaping while having fun and hanging out.
Public health has been significantly impacted by JUUL. Studies that have been conducted in recent times show that high school students are vaping double the amount than before, with figures taken from 2017 and 2018 proving these. To make matters worse, this is the highest increase in drug use, drinking, and smoking that has ever been recorded in the United States. Smoking amongst students in the United States has dropped to a record low, which would be positive if it was not for the fact that vaping has well and truly replaced it.
More and more lawsuits are being filed against JUUL for their aggressive marketing campaigns and the way that they have appealed to a younger target audience. If you have been impacted because of this, there is every chance that you could be entitled to compensation. This includes cases relating to the use of JUUL vaping devices and suicide, behavior problems, mental health, respiratory and lung problems, heart problems, heart attacks, strokes, seizures, nicotine poisoning, young adult and adolescent addiction, and more. If you would like more information and to benefit from a free, no-risk consultation, please sign up for a free case evaluation below.

domain: news


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- First Chipset in the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G NR Modem Family Delivers Gigabit Speeds and Demonstrates Data Connection on 28GHz mmWave SpectrumHONG KONG, Oct. 16, 2017 — (PRNewswire) — Today, Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies Inc., successfully achieved a 5G data connection on a 5G modem chipset for mobile devices. The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X50 5G modem chipset delivered gigabit speeds and a data connection in the 28GHz mmWave radio frequency band, driving a new generation of cellular technology forward while accelerating the delivery of 5G NR enabled mobile devices to consumers. Additionally, Qualcomm Technologies previewed its first 5G smartphone reference design for the testing and optimization of 5G technology within the power and form-factor constraints of a smartphone.
The full release is available on the Qualcomm News Center website at ( https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2017/10/16/qualcomm-achieves-worlds-first-announced-5g-data-connection-5g-modem)
Qualcomm's technologies powered the smartphone revolution and connected billions of people. We pioneered 3G and 4G – and now we are leading the way to 5G and a new era of intelligent, connected devices. Our products are revolutionizing industries, including automotive, computing, IoT, healthcare and data center, and are allowing millions of devices to connect with each other in ways never before imagined. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, including, our QCT semiconductor business. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.
Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Pete Lancia, Corporate Communications
John Sinnott, Investor Relations
SOURCE Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
|Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.


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The first title now live on the Mediahuis CUE Platform
April 19, 2023 – 1 min. read
Last week the very first Mediahuis title went live on the enterprise CUE solution.
It was the French-language news brand Vigule.lu that had the honor of being the first using the platform. The go-live with CUE included the digital news site and a new app.
The launch is a milestone for Mediahuis, as they have chosen CUE as an enterprise CMS solution, meaning that all Mediahuis titles will be onboarded to the platform in the future so that all content creation will run through CUE.
With CUE, Mediahuis aims to achieve its ambition of a future-proof editorial CMS that supports mobile-first creation, is data-informed, and is AI-enabled. With that, they will continue to be able to deliver the highest quality of journalism and the best possible user experience for all their audiences.
In order to keep up with the global digitization of news, Mediahuis established a multiyear digital transformation plan. One of the most important aspects of the plan is to keep customers at the center of the work that the company produces. Furthermore, Mediahuis wants to ensure it is offering the best mobile and audio experience, working in the most efficient way in its newsrooms, and maintaining a successful print model in a growing digital world.
Mediahuis believes CUE is at the heart of its digital transformation, as they move toward a more consolidated landscape with common standards and best practices across Mediahuis’ 30+ brands. Going live in Luxembourg will serve as a blueprint for the future launches of CUE within the media group.


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While the Moschino Barbie doll sold out in less than four hours, Off-White and Vaquera designs were expected to sell out, too.
The brands will receive mentorship from a member of the industry mentor and be able to take part in workshops that will help them with financial planning, distribution, strategy, branding, marketing and business management.
The award-winning documentary filmmaker and environmentalist has “protect what is precious” as her motto.
The event will take place September 14-15.
Sources say Charlotte Olympia’s production has been transferred to an Onward factory in Italy.
Mary Katrantzou, Charlotte Dellal, Manolo Blahnik and Aquazzura among others created customized Havaianas in aid of Women for Women.
Hosted by Alex Eagle’s The Store and The Vinyl Factory’s Brewer Street Car Park, the latest edition of the sale spanned two floors.
The sale will take place at Brewer Street Car Park, former London Fashion Week venue.
Charlotte Dellal created a pair of kitten heels for May to mark Red Nose Day, an annual fund-raising initiative.
British luxury organization will mentor winners.


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Thu, 07 Nov 2019
Air France has unveiled new amenity kits that will be available to customers travelling on all long-haul flights in La Permiere (First) and Business Class, each kit has been specially designed for each cabin and features the iconic Air France brand accents.
Sun, 20 Oct 2019
Etihad Airways recently celebrated the commencement of the state of the art 787-9 Dreamliner service between Aub Dhabi and Milan, showing the airlines commitment to the Italian market and customers, creating a more comfortable and personalised travel experience.
Tue, 27 Aug 2019
Japan Airlines has announced changes to upgrade to their business class Amenity Kits from the end of August. The new amenity kits which have been designed by French brand Maison Kitsune (the first airline collaboration for the brand) and Japanese brand Beams will differ on flights
Fri, 12 Apr 2019
Finnair has released a new range of amenity kits and inflight comfort products. Continuing to work with iconic Finnish design house Marimekko, the airline has released a range of new stylish designs which compliment their new business class sleep textiles onboard Finnair’s long haul flights.
Mon, 08 Apr 2019
Qatar Airways has released a new range of business class and first class amenity kits. Continuing their partnership with luxury luggage brand BRIC’s and natural skincare company Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, the airline has launched a new stylish take on their amenity kits.


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Could Apple have made a car as amazing as the McLaren GTS? It apparently thought about it – and now we'll never see it, because Apple's many car ideas have all been binned after the firm reportedly spent over a billion dollars a year on its ill-fated Apple Car.
Bloomberg's well-sourced story suggests that Apple had an awful lot of money but not much in the way of direction: in addition to designing its own cars it "weighed partnerships or acquisitions" with Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and McLaren, "among others". But Apple never even came close to testing full-scale self-driving prototypes in public.
Could Apple have acquired Tesla?
One of the most interesting bits of the story is the detail that Apple considered buying Tesla. At the time Tesla was considerably less successful, with a valuation of roughly 1/20th of what it's worth today. But while Apple did have meetings with Elon Musk, the negotiations were shut down by Tim Cook when they were still at an early stage.
That's believed to be in part because the margins in the car business are very different to those of the iPhone and iPad: Apple's gross profit margins are more than double that of even the most successful EV manufacturers.
With a Tesla deal off the table, Apple nevertheless decided that it still wanted to be in the car business – the premium end of it, where high-value customers wouldn't balk at a high price tag. But the project, dubbed Project Titan, was plagued from the outset by infighting and a lack of agreement on what level of self-driving the car should have.
Some Apple insiders felt that driver assistance would be the best bet; others wanted full self-driving capabilities, aka Level 5, where cars don't have steering wheels or pedals. Level 5 cars remain the flying cars of the industry, long promised – Elon Musk has been promising full self-driving was a year away since 2016 – but never delivered. The most recent Apple target was downgraded to Level 2, which is much like the driver assistance in current Teslas.
If Apple had managed to deliver it, you'd be paying a big price for it – and you'd keep on paying. Full self-driving was always intended to be a subscription service; after shelling out an anticipated $85,000 for your Apple Car, Apple would then bill you for self-driving features as well as for Apple Music and Apple TV+. And even then Apple would have been losing money: the estimated cost of making its $85K car was $110,000.
Apple can afford to play the long game with new products, of course, as the Vision Pro currently demonstrates. But the Apple Car appears to have been more of a Very Hungry Caterpillar than a car. If you want to drive an Apple-flavoured McLaren, it looks like the GTS with its CarPlay compatibility is as close as you're going to get.


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U.S. markets rallied on Friday morning as investors began to grow more optimistic about the possibility of the U.S. and China reaching a trade deal.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged by 368 points or 1.39%. The S&P 500 rose by 41 points or 1.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite edged higher by 125 points or 1.58%.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that the talks with China are going “really well,” after he tweeted that he would meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Friday.
Primarily, many investors are focusing on a potential trade deal that will avoid the tariff increase from 25% to 30% on USD 250 Billion in Chinese goods, which is set for October 15.
The Wall Street Journal reported that a deal could possibly include agreements for more Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products, a pact to deter the devaluation of the yuan, a suspension of tariffs increases by the U.S., and lessened export bans on Huawei Technologies.
“While markets are reacting positively to the likelihood of a limited U.S.-China trade deal ... it’s critical to remember that all existing tariffs are expected to remain in place,” said Alec Young, Managing Director of Global Markets Research at FTSE Russell. “Until we get a deal that ends existing tariffs, 2020 earnings visibility will remain murky, especially in light of the ongoing weakness in the global growth outlook.”


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Friday, March 1, 2013
Mexican Imports Pushing Down Prices Of Farmed Bluefin Tuna
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Wholesale prices of fresh farmed bluefin tuna are sinking at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market on an influx of supply from Mexico.
Mexican-raised bluefin is shipped to Japan by air and is typically available at Tsukiji from autumn to spring. It now sells for 1,700 yen to 1,800 yen per kilogram -- 30% less than at the start of autumn and down about 20% on the year.
The lower prices are spilling over to supply from elsewhere sold at Tsukiji. Domestically farmed tuna is hovering at around 3,000 yen per kilogram on average, about 20% below what it fetched last fall. Tuna raised in Spain has tumbled 10-20% since the start of the year and now changes hands at slightly under 4,000 yen per kilogram.
Prices of tuna from Mexico began tumbling in January after the number of suppliers increased by one to a total of three. A failed fish-farming business in the country restarted operations under new ownership.
Supplies also increased after a Japanese trading house and local farmers failed to reach agreement in price negotiations on frozen farmed tuna. The product ended up shipping fresh, loosening supply-demand conditions.
The lower prices have spurred some wholesale customers to give Mexican-raised tuna a try.
"The Mexican-ranched fish had been known primarily for its low price, but many customers who tried it for the first time have marveled at how it was much better than expected," a wholesale broker at Tsukiji says.
But prices of wild bluefin, typically served by high-end sushi restaurants and other eateries, remain solid on limited shipment quantities.
Such tuna caught in Nagasaki and Wakayama Prefectures at this time of year can command wholesale prices of more than 10,000 yen per kilogram at the high end.
(The Nikkei, March 1 morning edition)


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BRUSSELS: EU consumers should be able to sue Volkswagen in their national courts if they have bought cars with emission cheat devices installed, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on Thursday.
The verdict by the EU's top court raises the possibility that the German carmaker could face masses of legal complaints from consumers across the bloc.
The case came to the EU court after an Austrian court handling a claim by the Austrian consumer association VKI on behalf of 574 owners of manipulated vehicles had sought to establish if it had jurisdiction on the matter.
The Court of Justice said that under EU law court applicants should, in principle, sue where the defendant is domiciled.
However, in cases of tort there was also the possibility of taking action in the place where damage had occurred.
The EU court said that the damage occurred only at the time when the vehicles were purchased as they were acquired at a price higher than their actual value.
The VKI wants compensation for the difference between the price consumers paid for vehicles, and the value of a manipulated vehicle.
Volkswagen said the judgment changed little for plaintiffs, defendants and courts in the dieselgate proceedings.
"Outside of Austria, the question of jurisdiction has hardly arisen," it said.
Austria's minister for consumer protection, Rudolf Anschober, said the ruling was encouraging for a large number of affected Austrians.
"Consumers must not be treated differently according to their nationality," he said in a statement.
Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to using illegal software to cheat U.S. diesel engine tests, a scandal that has cost it more than $30 billion in vehicle refits, fines and provisions.
Nearly all U.S. owners of affected cars agreed to take part in a $25 billion settlement in 2016 in the United States. The carmaker is in talks in Germany to settle a class action lawsuit there.
We are extremely saddened to inform the untimely demise of Vikram S Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor on 29th November 2022. At this time of grief, we request everyone to pray that his soul rests in peace. Last respect can be paid at Hebbal Crematorium, Bengaluru, at 1 pm on Wednesday, Toyota said.
According to ETAuto sources, the raid began at the company’s Corporate office in Gurgaon around 3:00 PM and continued till the story is filed. The latest development comes in light of heightened scrutiny by law-enforcement agencies on companies operating in India which have links with neighboring country, China.


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The People’s Bank of China has said that the nation has successfully ensured a zero-risk exit for the numerous players in the Crypto business. The statement elaborated that 88 Crypto exchanges and 85 ICO trading platforms have left the country since the introduction of a ban last year. Xinhua overheard Zhongchao Credit Card Industry Development Company’s blockchain analyst Zhang Yifeng praising the regulators for ensuring effective exit that had little impact on the price of the Cryptocurrencies.
The Chinese government started some toughness against the Cryptos early last year. In February this year, news from Hong Kong claimed that adverts of products and services provided by businesses from the Crypto sector had vanished from China’s main search engines and social networks. This has made the local media to see it as a sign that the government is targeting Crypto-related ads.


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Latest Boots Stories
Today, Fecbek, a well-known female boots manufacturer and retailer, has delightedly pronounced its new series of super quality female boots.
Transparency Market Research published a new report "Industrial Protective Footwear Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2019" to its report
Popular secondary market provider Ticketability.com is delighting customers with Kinky Boots theatre tickets for sale at discounted prices.
ALBANY, New York, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research "Global Industrial Protective Footwear Market
Focus on footwear, say orthopaedic foot and ankle specialists ROSEMONT, Ill., Feb.
With the excitement of the Olympics in the air many will be getting off the couch and hitting the ice and slopes.
More amazing shoes have been reduced from Clarks and Merrell. (PRWEB) January 30, 2014 The Walkingonacloud.com Winter Sale has expanded.
PARK CITY, Utah, Jan.
Our olfactory senses alert us to noxious smells in our environment. Exposure to T. mentagrophytes, a.k.a.
- A person in a secondary role, specifically the second most important character (after the protagonist).


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Coming to America was definitely one of those movies you had to be there for. The critical reception was rather middling at the time, but the charming performance of Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem Joffer kept in the minds of the movie-loving public as a cult classic. With the release of Coming 2 America on Amazon Prime, we seem to have a repeat of history: critics haven’t been especially kind to the film, calling it a retread of previous jokes, but if the reports are to be believed, more than enough people watched the film anyway.
According to research firm Screen Engine, since its weekend debut on March 5, Coming 2 America has swiftly become the most watched film released on a streaming service not only since the beginning of this year, but since this time last year. While Screen Engine didn’t disclose precise viewership statistics, they confirmed that Coming 2 America had received more views than both Wonder Woman 1984 and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The movie has also surpassed the most recent high profile offerings from Paramount+ and Disney+, such as The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run and Raya and the Last Dragon, respectively. Considering Raya and the Last Dragon required an additional payment of $30 from subscribers of Disney+, that probably had something to do with its being surpassed.
— Nikki J (@ReinaDeBaila) March 8, 2021
“The Zamunda Royal family has arrived and audiences around the globe welcomed them enthusiastically!” Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said in a statement. “The premiere of Coming 2 America has far exceeded any of our wildest expectations. It’s clear an entire new generation of fans have joined the enormous loyal fanbase who already adored the magical world created by global phenom Eddie Murphy, the incredibly talented filmmaking team and the hilarious, all-star cast of existing and newly-cemented legends. Coming 2 America is the perfectly fun, celebratory, escapist, feel-good comedy movie that worldwide audiences needed.”


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Dine-in reopens at Interstellar BBQ, Pho Please and Salt & Time
Many restaurants that were previously closed completely or operating with only takeout service are starting to open up their patios and dining rooms.
Several Austin favorites have recently announced plans to add dine-in service for the first time in a year.
Interstellar BBQ. The restaurant owned by John Bates and Brandon Martinez has spent about half of its life as a takeout only operation, with the pandemic curtailing services after Interstellar launched onto the scene in 2019 and earned a place among Austin's best. The restaurant on FM 620 is now taking orders at its counter for patio dining, as well as takeout.
Takeout orders during the pandemic had previously been accepted solely via online ordering. Interstellar now asks anyone ordering online for pick up to do so 24 hours in advance. "As we transition we ask for your support and understanding. This is our first step back to normalcy," the owners wrote on Instagram. (interstellarbbq.com)
Pho Please. One of the best Vietnamese restaurants in town, this counter-service spot on East Riverside Drive had limited its operations to curbside service for a year but reopened its dining room on Wednesday. The restaurant, which is now open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, asks on its website that customers wear masks when interacting with staff. (phopleaseaustin.com)
Salt & Time. The butcher shop and restaurant has been one of the rare success stories during the pandemic, as the business owned by Ben Runkle and Brian Butler increased its butcher business and added grocery offerings featuring many products from local restaurants and purveyors. Amid the pivot, the restaurant arm of Salt & Time stopped service. It's back as of this week, with lunch and weekend dine-in service now available on its patio. Because seating is limited, Salt & Time recommends diners make reservations.
"This is the beginning of a slow process of reopening the restaurant portion of Salt & Time, and expanded hours and seating will be phased in over the coming weeks," the owners wrote on Instagram.
The butcher shop, market and wine shop at Salt & Time will continue its regular operations. (saltandtime.com)


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MEERUT: Owners of several Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) have flagged their concern about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) announced by the government for re-starting of production activity post lockdown, saying that they were not consulted in its drafting. According to industry experts, SOP to restart industries is not “practical”.
They said that there is demand in green zones, but the transportation of goods is hit because local authorities are shifting responsibilities. “Even export goods are stuck in airports and dockyards. This will all lead to the collapse of the entire sector compromising the future of 1.65 crore workers,” a leading businessman said.
MSME accounts for 60% of industrial output in Uttar Pradesh. The state has over 90 lakh industrial units, highest in India. And, 50% of these units are in western UP which accounts for 56% of the employment in the sector. At present, 1.65 crore people are employed in the sector in the entire state, according to data provided by the Indian Industries Association (IIA).
Chairman of Meerut chapter of IIA, Anurag Agarwal, said, “If things continue like this, we will certainly witness a transition from Covid-19 to Economic Covid-20. Due to the closure of enterprises, production is stopped now. Debtors are not making the payments, finished and semi-finished goods and inventories are blocked. The administration is not allowing the trucks to move.
“So far employers of MSME have been able to honour the orders of the government to pay salaries to their employees but with prevailing circumstances, majority of MSMEs are left with no funds and the revenue has dried up completely.”
Nischint Mehra, a trader, says, “Bank interest and various tax burdens are still there. Fixed charges on electricity connections are to be paid even without consumption of power. We have not received what the government owes us in the form of GST refund. On the contrary, there is a heavy penalty if we fail to discharge our responsibility in terms of paying taxes.”
The entrepreneurs felt neglected as they claimed that they were not involved in the drafting of policies for the industry during lockdown.
“The government guidelines to start industries have been made without taking us into confidence. These guidelines say we must start our factories with 50% labour. It also says that we should provide boarding and lodging for them within the campus. How is it possible?
“If we have 50 people working for us, it’s because we require that many hands. No one keeps extra labour. And then we are asked to get Covid-19 tests of labourers. How far is it justified? Then the worst part is that the permission to start factories will be null and void if the location of that industry is within the jurisdiction of municipal limits which means only those factories can run which are in villages. And there is hardly any industry in villages because of lack of uninterrupted power supply. And how will the labour reach factories there? This is despite the fact that government is the largest beneficiary of industrial production that takes away 20 to 30% of the revenue in the form of taxes,” says Suresh Sundrani, Bareilly-based national vice president of IIA.
Sumnesh Agarwal, member council of administration, The Sports Goods Export Promotion Council, feels the worse. “For example, Meerut’s sports industry employs 2 lakh people in one city and accompanying villages. If industries do not start functioning, there will be a law and order problem. The local administration has some powers but they don’t want to do anything. The government must act and must act now before it's too late.”
When contacted, UP’s minister for MSME, investment and export promotion, Siddharth Nath Singh told TOI, “The government has taken feedback from the MSME sector and has started a control room to address their complaints. Soon, more reliefs will be granted to assist the already stressed sector.” The minister, just two days ago, had said while addressing industry stakeholders in an interactive session, “Saving lives is of utmost importance for the government and then comes livelihoods”.
The automotive sector is one of the largest industries contributing about 7.1% to India’s GDP and generating huge direct and indirect employment. In the Union Budget FY24, the industry has got major boost towards electric vehicle manufacturing, hydrogen fuel adoption and the changing technology mix. However, there were certain misses with regards to the GST reduction.


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Boy group BTS swept first, second, and third place on the charts of Japan Tower Records.
As of May 27th, Tower Record reported that BTS ranked #1 on pre-order sales chart with their limited DVD BTS MEMORIES OF 2014, #2 on the DVD sales chart, and #3 on the single album charts with the upcoming single “FOR YOU.”
“FOR YOU,” which is set to be released on June 17th, will be their fourth Japanese single featuring a total of three tracks including “FOR YOU,” “Let Me Know,” and “War of Hormone.” With their rising popularity in Japan, BTS will launch an event at a pop-up store starting June 1st at the Marui department store in Shibuya. The pop-up store is a part of their 1st-anniversary celebration project, which will be selling various BTS customised merchandises.
After announcing various stops for their Episode II: The Red Bullet world tour, including, New York, Dallas, Chicago, and LA, as well as in Sydney and Melbourne, BTS has confirmed the last stop of the highly popular tour to be in Hong Kong.
Source: Herald Corp


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The NFL’s partnership with DirecTV to carry NFL Sunday Ticket is set to expire at the end of this upcoming season, and the NFL is looking to explore the digital frontier by making streaming “extremely important” in future media deals. DirecTV is aware that it’s likely the NFL will be moving on to a new partner, with Rob Thun, DirecTV’s chief content officer stating, “The NFL … I don’t think they were interested in an exclusive relationship beyond the term of our underlying deal, “ during an interview with CNET.
Currently, DirecTV pays $1.5 billion per year for Sunday Ticket, but the NFL is expected to land between $2 and $2.5 billion per year in its next deal. With the league making a streaming product, it’s expected to have a number of bidders for its out-of-market game package. In theory, the new rights holder could lease out Sunday Ticket to a satellite provider like DirecTV. Amazon, Apple, Disney, Comcast, and Paramount are expected to make a play for the package but fans want to know which streaming service is most likely to cross the goal line with Sunday Ticket in hand. Below is the case for each service.
Paramount’s CBS is one of the NFL’s oldest partners with the broadcast network carrying games since 1956. During that 66-year run, the only time CBS hasn’t aired NFL games was from 1994 to 1997, and the network is the current home of the American Football Conference. As part of Paramount’s latest multi-platform deal with the NFL, the company pays the league around $2.1 billion per season to broadcast games on TV and stream games on Paramount+. The NFL is a big money-maker for CBS, as America’s Most Watched Network led all networks in advertising revenue from streaming platforms this past season. Even with the 2022 AFC Championship Game being the most-streamed non-Super Bowl game of all time on Paramount+, the streaming platform appears to be a dark horse to get Sunday Ticket.
Comcast’s NBC has been a partner of the NFL’s from as early as 1939 and had a three-decade run as the home of the AFC before losing their contract to CBS. Now, the Peacock Network is the home of Sunday Night Football after agreeing to pay the league $1.71 billion per year during last year’s rights deal. Peacock is the streaming home of SNF, and could be in the mix to land Sunday Ticket, but insiders do not view it as a “serious competitor.” Although, when asked about Sunday Ticket in the past, NBC chairman Pete Bevacqua has said that NBC is “interested in any kind of conversation with the NFL where we can deepen our partnership with them.”
Of all of the legacy media companies, Disney has shown the most interest in adding Sunday Ticket to ESPN+. Disney’s ESPN is the home of Monday Night Football, ESPN2 and ESPN+ air the ManningCast, and the network struck a deal with the league for around $2.7 billion per year, which allows the Super Bowls in 2026 and 2030 to stream on ESPN+, along with the ESPN/ABC broadcast. Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed his company is interested in placing a bid on the Sunday Ticket package, which gives the company the strongest case to land Sunday Ticket among traditional/legacy media conglomerates.
Apple TV+ (Apple)
Unlike the aforementioned legacy media companies, tech companies are the undoubted favorites to land Sunday Ticket. Apple has shown interest in the past in adding NFL Sunday Ticket to Apple TV+. With a market cap that exceeds 2 trillion dollars, Apple’s value cannot be underestimated, and the NFL has reportedly wanted Sunday Ticket to go to Apple for a few months now. Apple has the infrastructure in place with millions of people owning iPhones, iPads, and other products within the Apple ecosystem. On top of that, the tech giant is reportedly planning to spend billions on live sports over the next four years, and NFL Sunday Ticket would be the crown jewel of them all.
Prime Video (Amazon)
Amazon may not have pockets as deep as Apple but the tech behemoth has the potential to secure Sunday Ticket for Prime Video. The company made history by securing the NFL’s first all-digital package, which will make Prime Video the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football beginning this upcoming season. Like Apple, Amazon has been named a “front runner” for Sunday Ticket within the last year, but unlike Apple, Amazon’s existing relationship with the league could prove to be the difference-maker. The company is expected to be the favorite to land a 49% stake in NFL Media, which includes NFL RedZone and NFL Network. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said that Sunday Ticket “could be included” in the NFL Media deal. If Apple offers the league a price that Amazon refuses to match then that could be the difference between which tech giant crosses the endzone with Sunday Ticket.


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Google would have to spend $400B to roll out its fiber nationally, totally worth it
Capstone Investments‘s Rory Maher this morning had some reflections in the wake of Google’s announcement last Thursday that it plans to offer free Internet service in some parts of the U.S. and paid packages with access up to a gigabit per second.
Writes Maher, it looks like Google is planning nationwide availability given an ad the company has put up for a sales person to sell the service to businesses on a nationwide basis. Maher thinks building a network coast to coast would be too expensive, so probably Google would seek to “barter” fiber: “We believe in most markets Google will likely build in outlying areas where fiber capacity is limited and barter with other fiber providers to build the capacity to serve an entire market. We believe this could cut construction costs significantly.”
BI noted that this would cost nearly $400 billion—significantly ahead of Google’s war chest allotment.
Whatever Google needs to do to make this happen is totally worth it. I have taken to looking at Zillow’s Kansas City pages, noting the $1,000’s plus charge for Gigabit in NYC would quickly offset the cost. Does anyone know how good the pizza is in Kansas City?


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Nov 25, 2013 — More older Americans are going online, but many seniors don't have the resources, devices or skills to navigate the Web. One pilot program is giving tablets and training to seniors to help them combat isolation while staying safe online.
Nov 14, 2013 — Snapchat's leaders balked at a $3 billion buyout offer from Facebook. But as the three-year-old company grows up, the ephemeral photo message sharing service — widely loved by teens — is also facing some adult questions.
Nov 8, 2013 — Last week's story about what video game companies are doing to make their games more addictive made an impression on some Washington, D.C., third-graders. They wrote in with their thoughts.
Oct 30, 2013 — They're everywhere — smartphone users who wander the sidewalks, and sometimes into other people, tapping away at their cellphones. Is resistance futile?
Oct 29, 2013 — NPR readers wrote in to share how they're dealing with the technology tension in modern parenting — raising technologically adept kids without making them technologically dependent.
Oct 28, 2013 — Researchers are still learning about the effects of touch-screens on kids. But scientists say that certain kinds of screen time, involving interaction with other people, can help youngsters learn.
Oct 19, 2013 — The Web is full of sites promoting views that many find offensive — and often, those sites do business with credit card companies. Some advocacy groups are pressuring Visa and MasterCard to end those relationships, but others worry these campaigns will have a chilling effect on free speech online.
Oct 14, 2013 — New technologies give parents ways to keep tabs on their kids' driving habits. One such device can alert parents when their children are speeding, when they slam on their brakes, and shows their location. But some experts say parents shouldn't rely too much on technology to keep their teens safe.
Oct 10, 2013 — You check your phone a lot, even when it's not ringing or buzzing. But just how much? New numbers say it's more than 100 times a day.
Sep 30, 2013 — An expert advisory committee recommended Monday that the Federal Aviation Administration allow the use of some personal electronic devices during takeoff and landing. But while many passengers are eager to use their tablets and music players all flight long, it may be months before any rules are changed.


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Consumer Reports filed comments with the Colorado Department of Law on its draft regulations interpreting the Colorado Privacy Act. Last year, Colorado enacted the law, making Colorado the third state in the country to adopt a comprehensive privacy statute; Consumer Reports had worked closely with Colorado lawmakers on the bill and supported its passage. The law charges the Department of Law with adopting regulations to provide more clarify to businesses and consumers. Last month, the Department of Law issued its initial regulations, inviting feedback from stakeholders on any suggested changes.
Consumer Reports broadly supports the draft regulations, but urged narrow revisions to address a number of key areas, including:
- How companies can authenticate Colorado residency,
- How privacy choices and information must be presented to consumers,
- How online opt-out requests should be extended to other contexts, and
- How to safeguard customer loyalty programs without creating inadvertent loopholes in the law.
Consumer Reports is also testifying before the Department of Law in stakeholder meetings this month, and will be submitting more extensive comments on the draft regulations before the final deadline of February 1, 2023.


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Google headed to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island in South Australia last week to run digital skills workshops for businesses, community organisations, and locals looking to grow their businesses, organisations, careers and education.
It’s the first time the Grow with Google workshops have been held in Adelaide and Kangaroo Island, and it was great to see locals picking up new skills regardless of where they were on the digital journey.
Grow with Google in Adelaide
First up, more than 200 Adelaide locals joined special training workshops in Glenelg. We were joined by Steve Georganas MP who officially opened the event.
Grow with Google visited Glenelg in Adelaide
Local businesses learned how to grow their presence online and gain valuable insights about their customers — and individuals at all stages of the digital journey picked up new skills.
One Adelaide business that has been using digital tools to grow successfully is outdoor camping gear retailer, Snowys. They created an online shop in 2011 to complement their existing physical retail store, and it’s helped the company grow significantly. Today half of their employees work solely on fulfilling online orders.
Learning new STEM skills at Madison Park
We also visited Madison Park School to help students prepare their FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team for the upcoming regional competition. Together with the FLL team from Pedare Christian College we ran through robotics missions and provided feedback on their innovative solutions to this year’s City Shaper challenge. We also spent time with the older students talking about careers in STEM and answering all their questions about Google and technology.
Googlers visited Madison Park School to help students prepare for competition.
With support from Schools Plus and Google, Madison Park has introduced a STEM learning program across all year levels, aiming to lift student engagement in STEM and develop teachers’ skills and confidence in incorporating STEM learning in the classroom.
Last year, Madison Park was not only able to participate in the FLL Competition for the first time, but they won the regionals to then earn a place at the Nationals in Sydney later that year! Through Schools Plus, Google is providing STEM education in schools across Australia, reaching more than 1300 students and 480 teachers.
Grow with Google Kangaroo Island
Then it was on to Kangaroo Island where we ran workshops over two days for sixty local businesses and community organisations. It was great to see the locals picking up new skills they can put to use to grow their businesses and organisations beyond the Island!
Kangaroo Island locals joined Google experts for digital skills workshops
A big thank you to South Australian Senator and Shadow Minister for Tourism Don Farrell and State Member for Mawson Leon Bignell for officially opening the event.
A report released by AlphaBeta in September found that Google’s advertising and productivity platforms were helping more than a million Aussie businesses and had helped deliver business benefits of $35 billion so far this year - including supporting 7,400 South Australian jobs through its economic activity.
Grow with Google aims to provide all Australians with access to digital skills training online and in-person, to help them make the most of the Internet. It includes an online learning hub accessible from anywhere, on any device, with hundreds of handy training modules. The next Grow with Google event will be held in Perth on 19 November. Find out more at: http://g.co/GrowPerth.


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Some local florists say they are getting creative when it comes to having enough supplies to prepare for Valentine’s Day. They said shipping issues have made some things impossible to get. These florists said the flowers themselves used to be hard to get at the beginning of the pandemic, but now they say it’s the vases and supplies that have disappeared from shelves.
Mrs. DeHaven’s flower shop at the corner of 15th and Boston has been serving Tulsa for more than 100 years. Owner Terri Vaught says Valentine’s Day is their biggest holiday of the year and it’s coming up in a little more than two weeks.
She said they easily do more than 150 deliveries out of their one location that day, and most of them are large arrangements, but this year, Vaught says the supplies have been hard to come by. Vases, the foam they stick the flowers in, tools and other needs aren’t in stock.
“My supplier keeps telling me 'the shipments coming the shipments coming' and they are waiting as well so we are all kind of in this together”
She says they have had to get creative when it comes to making sure they have what they need not only for everyday use, but also as they prepare for the Valentine’s Day rush.
“So we get creative and started doing more hand-tied bouquets and that sort of thing and really thinking outside the box,” Vaught said. “It really paid off because we had some beautiful designs and the customers were very pleased.”
She says if you’re planning on having flowers delivered for your loved one on Valentine’s Day, don’t wait until the last minute since the florists need extra time to prepare and get enough supplies this year.


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Ukraine introduces new rules for agricultural exports
Kiev, Nov 2 : The Ukrainian government introduced new rules for agricultural exports, the cabinet press service has said.
The rules include a clause that Ukrainian companies which sell certain foodstuffs abroad have to register as agricultural exporters within government agencies, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a resolution published on the government website.
The requirements will apply to the exporters of wheat, corn, barley, oilseeds and some other products.
According to the new rules, only companies that have no tax debts and are not involved in bankruptcy court procedures could be registered as verified foodstuffs exporters.
The rules, effective till December 31, 2024, are aimed at preventing law violations in the export of agricultural goods.
Ukraine exported more than 67 million tons of grain and oilseed products in the 2022-2023 marketing year, which ran between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.


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The much-anticipated 2009 Corvette ZR1 began production, as the first unit finished the assembly process and was delivered to Chevy dealer Dave Ressler during a press event in Bowling Green on Monday. What, you didn't notice? Well, it seems the build coincided with the unveiling of the new Chevy Camaro, forcing the ZR1 news under the radar. Guess those promotions budget cuts only allow one high-profile unveiling per week, eh?
Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Dave Ressler, the new owner of the first 2009 ZR1 — the rights to which were sold at Barrett-Jackson, with proceeds going to charity — also happens to be the owner of the oldest known Corvette, a 1953 model. So what does Ressler do for a living? Why, he's a Chevy dealer, of course, and the owner of a large 'Vette collection in North Dakota. Ressler hasn't announced his plans for the new car, which has unique blue paint and a special VIN, but we hope he doesn't squirrel it away in his barn. North Dakota farm roads and ZR1s seem made for each other. [via VetteTube]


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Russia Data: Jan-Dec oil product exports up 1.1% at 150.052 mil mt
Russian exports of refined oil products over January-December rose 1.1% year on year to 150.052 million mt, customs data showed.
In December alone, exports dropped 1.5% month on month to 11.604 million mt as the authorities asked companies to increase sales on the domestic market.
Export flows were mixed last year, with an initial uptick in volumes followed by drops due to rising domestic prices and authorities’ concerns about the impact of exports on domestic supply.
Russia exports diesel, jet and fuel oil to international markets, but its gasoline exports primarily head to nearby countries.
Jet exports rose 17.5% in January-December, the customs data showed, although no figure for volumes was provided.
Gasoline exports in January-December were lower, down by 3% year on year. They had slowed partly as Kazakhstan introduced a ban on imports of Russian gasoline in May and then again in late August.
Exports were ramped up in February and March, but then in April fell back 35% month on month and by a further 16% in May amid refinery maintenance and repeated warnings from the Federal Anti-monopoly Service that domestic prices were surging due to tighter supply.
In June gasoline exports fell 4.7% on the month, also affected by the Kazakhstan ban, while in July they plunged 22%. In August, they rose 8.9%, but in September were down again, falling 11.8%. In October, gasoline exports rose 51.5% on the month on strong netbacks. In November however, gasoline exports were 17% down on the month as the government asked companies to secure good domestic availability in order to dampen price rises. In December, exports were up 21.8% on the month, following the big drop in November.
Diesel exports in the January-December period rose 7.6% year on year, but were 16.1% down month on month as more product was redirected to the domestic market.


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The long-anticipated HD versions of BBC One's English regions look set to launch as soon as next month.
Earlier this year the corporation outlined plans to turn its flagship TV channel HD in England by the end of 2022 as part of an increased commitment to serve the regions.
Up until now BBC One has only been available in SD quality across its 12 regional variants, plus three sub-regional variants, in England, although a generic HD version of BBC One has been available, complete with an infamous holding screen whenever regional programmes are broadcast.
Viewers in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have been able to watch their respective version of BBC One in HD for almost a decade.
The 15 English versions of BBC One now look set to follow suit on Thursday, October 21 - almost a year earlier than originally planned.
Availability of the HD variants is currently unclear, although carriage on Freeview and streaming via iPlayer are almost certainties.
Should all of the variants launch on Sky and Freesat next month then the change would be seamless for viewers with HD-capable boxes, with smart-swapping meaning that the new local HD variant will automatically replace its SD counterpart on channel 101.
The BBC has been approached for comment.


text: Budweiser Brewing Company APAC has revived its stock sale with a lower valuation after disposing of its Australian brewery assets, handing Hong Kong’s stock exchange the second-largest global initial public offering (IPO) of 2019 at a time when the city is going through its worst political crisis. Budweiser, the Asia-Pacific unit of the world’s biggest beer brewer, has priced its shares at HK$27 each, at the bottom of a price range of between HK$27 and HK$30 in its US$5 billion stock offer, its parent Anheuser-Busch InBev said in a statement. The offering was increased to 1.45 billion shares because of demand, with an overallotment option to issue another 217.7 million shares, the company said. If the overallotment is fully exercised, the listing would raise US$5.75 billion in gross proceeds. Anheuser-Busch InBev would retain 87.2 per cent of the Budweiser business following the IPO. The offer by the brewer of Corona, Stella Artois and its namesake beer was halved from the US$9.8 billion sale that was shelved in July, after bankers failed to get Budweiser the valuation it wanted amid weakening sentiment from the US-China trade war, and the escalating political crisis in Hong Kong. That earlier listing attempt sought to price shares at between HK$40 and HK$47 each. Still, Budweiser’s discounted offer would make it the world’s second-largest sale of 2019, after Uber Technologies’ US$8.1 billion IPO in May, according to Refinitiv’s data, handing Hong Kong a much-needed boost to catch up with New York and Nasdaq in their annual race for the crown as the global fundraising capital. The listing would give Budweiser an enterprise value of US$45 billion, equating to a price-to-equity ratio of 33 times based on 2020 consensus estimates. Hong Kong had secured the top spot in six of the past 10 years. The Asian exchange, in third place globally in the first six months, saw three IPOs valued at a combined US$11.05 billion deferred in July as the city’s public order deteriorated into daily street protests amid popular opposition to a controversial extradition bill. After Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor withdrew the bill two weeks ago, sentiment has improved, helping the city’s benchmark stock index claw its way out of a 6 per cent decline. As the market bottomed out and monetary authorities cut the cost of money, some companies are dusting off their shelved plans to raise funds . In the first three weeks of September, 16 companies have applied to raise funds on the local bourse. Besides Budweiser, the logistics real estate developer ESR Cayman has revived its Hong Kong listing, while Home Credit, a Czech consumer finance lender that counts China as its biggest market, has been meeting with investors ahead of its planned US$1 billion IPO. Budweiser’s slimmed-down offering follows a sale in July of its Australian business to Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings for A$16 billion (US$11 billion). The Asahi transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of next year. Excluding the Australian operations, Budweiser earned US$6.7 billion in revenue, with US$959 million in 2018 net profit. The company employs more than 29,000 people. Budweiser was hoping to entice investors around the growth potential of its remaining Asian operations, which counts its principal markets as China, India, South Korea and Vietnam. The company is the third-largest brewer by volume in China, with a smaller production than China Resources Snow Beer Holdings and Tsingtao Brewery, both of which are listed in Hong Kong. Shares of China Resources rose 0.24 per cent to HK$41.25 in Hong Kong on Tuesday, while Tsingtao’s shares were down 1.54 per cent to HK$47.75. Budweiser’s stock will begin trading on September 30. Retail investors’ reception to the revived Budweiser listing had been “a bit lukewarm” heading up to the pricing, said Louis Tse Ming-kwong, managing director of VC Asset Management. “The market sentiment right now, it’s very cautious regarding any IPO at the moment.” One question for investors – and companies looking at Hong Kong listings – will be whether further escalation in the US-China trade war or continued unrest in the city will again weigh on sentiment and close the window for new offerings later this year. A big test could be if Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding – owner of the South China Morning Post – moves forward with its secondary listing in Hong Kong. The company, still the worldwide record holder with its US$25 billion New York IPO in 2014 for the biggest fundraising in history, had filed a confidential filing in Hong Kong for a secondary listing. Proceeds from the Budweiser offering will be used to pay down debt at its parent, Anheuser-Busch InBev. After acquiring SABMiller three years ago, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s debt grew to more than US$100 billion. Budweiser believes the listing will give it the ability to more easily pursue acquisitions as the brewing industry consolidates in Asia. “We still have a lot of growth opportunity in consolidating and working together with other brewers, regional brewers in Asia, to build on this platform,” Jan Craps, the Budweiser chief executive, said at a press conference last week. JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley are acting as joint sponsors on the offering.


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While it’s Halloween time currently in Disney World, we’re already daydreaming about what this year’s Thanksgiving dinner is going to be like.
Buuut, we don’t have to daydream anymore, because a new Thanksgiving menu has popped up in Epcot!
The Rose & Crown Dining Room in the UK Pavilion has released their Thanksgiving Special Menu for this November 28th!
For $35 per adult and $15 per child, you can indulge in herb-crusted roasted turkey, savory stuffing with gravy, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry relish. Finish your meal on a sweet note with pumpkin cheesecake too!
You can order the Thanksgiving Special on November 28th (and we can hardly wait!).
Will you be heading to Rose & Crown for Thanksgiving dinner? Let us know in the comments below!


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Chevy Really Is Considering A Camaro SUV-Like, Really
A year ago we would have laughed. Even a few months ago we said “no way.” Now? After seeing this sketch from GM Design we think that Chevy really is considering a Camaro SUV. At least it is worth considering, right? So here it is. Now that the Mustang brand has embraced the SUV variant of a sporty Mustang why not?
The Camaro brand is just not as sacred to Chevy as the Mustang brand is to Ford
The Mustang E-Mach sold out its first year rather quickly with online ordering. We’ll bet that got GM’s attention. And let’s be honest, the Camaro brand is just not as sacred to Chevy as the Mustang brand is to Ford. There was a period where it didn’t even sell a Camaro. And without a Camaro showing up in GM’s plans for assembly plants after 2023 it looks like the Camaro is on the outs.
But what if it just needs to be reimagined? What if that Camaro faithful would rather have an SUV than a two-door coupe in 2022? This sketch was done by Youngho Jung who is the Exterior Design Team Manager at GM Korea.
Chevy screwed up when it christened its latest whatever crossover as Blazer
Here’s the deal; Chevy screwed up when it christened its latest whatever crossover as Blazer. So now it no longer has that iconic name to call a Bronco fighter. You know, like it did in the 1970s. So where does Chevy look to revive an iconic name to push an SUV? Yeah, that’s why with Camaro cues it is right back in the ballgame that Ford sort of has a hold on right now.
Let’s imagine this truck with a 6.2-liter V8 packing almost 500 hp? That sounds a lot better than the Trailblazer’s 1.3-liter 155 hp stomach pump, doesn’t it? Or abandon gas-powered internals altogether and go the way the Mach-E has gone. Stuff four electric motors-one for each wheel, to power this beast.
The electric Camaro SUV plays right into its euphoria over electric vehicles
Going the electric route has not hampered Mach-E sales, so why should it do anything but increase a Camaro SUV’s sales? GM is all-in on electrification. It seems like every press release we get is about one EV or another. Or how GM is doubling down on this synergy or that. This electric Camaro SUV plays right into its euphoria over electric vehicles.
Time will tell but GM has an iconic brand with the Camaro that it could parlay into an SUV with recognition, hype, and a certain presumption by the public. That presumption is that a Camaro SUV will convey whatever it is that a Camaro coupe is supposed to convey. Maybe it’s muscle, or style, or Chevy heritage?
Whatever it is GM has an iconic brand name that it won’t use for another sporty couple. That’s because in the 2020s there aren’t coupes. It’s SUVs and pickups all day long. So it can leverage a positively perceived iconic brand and apply it to an SUV.


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It’s always been about “the children” and “organized crime.” The Liberals never recognized pre-existing rights. It was always about decriminalizing incidental possession and regulating everything else.
But since prohibition doesn’t work for teenagers now, it’s unlikely to work in the future when adults are permitted to buy from federally licensed producers.
Only five per cent involved with cannabis are connected to violent crime. And you don’t remove violence and fraud from the cannabis marketplace through overbearing regulation.
Just like everywhere else in the economy, a safe and profitable cannabis sector will thrive under laissez-faire capitalism.
That is, allowing contractual relationships to prosper in a free market will go a long way to combating the almost-non-existent organized crime, while educating minors, and producing rules that will facilitate peace and cooperation for all Canadians.
But the Castro-loving Trudeau family has never let a little liberty and economic logic get in the way of their socialist ideals.
Justin Trudeau admits that legalizing for the Canadians who actually consume the herb is not the goal of his government.
But — “We recognize that that is something that’s going to happen when it happens, but it’s not happened yet.”
Justin speaks as if he can control the millions of decisions and transactions Canadians make every day.
The growth of “illegal” cannabis farmers and vendors, even in prohibitionist Ontario, is enough to discredit his “sunny ways.”
Every once in a while, people realize the power they have over politicians. Often, it’s when the political system has failed them.
Not legalizing for the recreational users is not legalization. It’s a new prohibitionist policy. Justin’s “promise” was made from whole cloth.
Failure to permit a free and fair cannabis market will only result in further defiance.
Justin says legalization has “not happened yet” but people are opening dispensaries. People are farming and extracting cannabis.
The people have already decided it’s happened. We are now waiting for the Liberals to play catch-up.
Justin’s Liberals can’t prevent markets from forming.
But like the old Soviet Union, Justin can recommend criminals sanctions on any markets that fall outside state control. And that’s precisely what he’s done.


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New World was Amazon’s real big hitter for an MMORPG. This title was such a massively anticipated game that when the title launched, Amazon had server troubles. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only issue Amazon would have to face. Instead, the game was soon flooded with an exploit that caused so many headaches for players. As a result, the economy went out of whack and developers had to close trading posts.
If you were unaware, players in New World found a duplication exploit. This allowed players to duplicate any item, including gold. As you can imagine, the game was soon flooded with powerful gear that very few legitimate players had even unlocked. That eventually caused Amazon to find a way to fix the issue and clear up the game. To start things off, the developers had to close off the trading posts for all players completely.
Today, we’re finding an official blog post update from the community manager at New World. According to the post, it looks like the developers were able to successfully ban over 1,200 players from the game who were caught exploiting. This is an ongoing process, but the developers are finally cleaning house from mischief players. Outside of permanently banned accounts, there was also the cleansing of duplicated items from being available in the game.
With all that said, no accounts are being banned if they accidentally stumbled upon the exploit. Instead, the developers can tell what accounts were using the exploit to gain items on purpose. Hopefully, this would mean a new resurgence to the game from those that have dropped the game because of the flood of accounts using the exploit. If you’re interested in the game and want a bit more insight to the gameplay then we can help. Embedded above is our Before You Buy episode coverage of New World. Here we’ll offer some gameplay footage and offer our initial impressions.


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Amazon has introduced a new app that helps merchants market and sell their products in larger quantities, according to Fortune.
Around 46% of all items sold on Amazon come from third-party merchants, according to the company, which is up by 5% since January 2015.
Selling Coach is part of the Amazon Seller app which is given to merchants by the company. Amazon is also ramping up its fulfillment programme for third-parties which gives them access to the company's extension logistics network, payment processing, and item packaging (for a fee.)
According to Mark Mitchke, the vice president of fulfillment at Amazon, the company is adding more merchant-focused features, including a control panel that displays sales data which can highlight items that aren't selling well.
Walmart recently let third-party vendors sell through its website, creating competition for Amazon.
Amazon's new app and other initiatives are an effort to increase the stickiness of Amazon's services for merchants who won't then sell on Walmart's website or through their own websites.
"Amazon is really focused on what I call the fundamentals: Selection, assortment, value, convenience and trust," said Scot Wingo, the executive chairman of ChannelAdvisor, to Fortune. "To provide those fundamentals to buyers, since 46% of the volume is from third-party sellers, Amazon is always improving the seller tools to encourage sellers to put up more product."
ALBL will sell fixed assets, lease deposits, warehouses, inventory and other current assets of the 74 retail stores and warehouses at book value. In return, it will get an estimated Rs 150 crore upon the closure of the transaction. Actual consideration may vary depending on the actual purchase price on the transaction date.
US-based e-commerce giant said the EA award of Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) was enforceable and the single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court rightly gave an interim order in its favour granting a stay on the ongoing amalgamation.


text: Nearly two years after the FDA shut the door on 23andMe‘s direct marketing of genetic testing, it is now back in the market with FDA clearance. The new Personal Genome Service (PGS) now meets FDA standards–and is now $199 where it was previously $99. It is as before a saliva-based test that in about two months, provides that person with an online report. There are multiple types, for instance the carrier status test on 36 inherited conditions, including cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia. The company is also bolstered by closing a $115 million round this month and in January a partnership with Pfizer to sell the company its Research Portal aggregated, anonymized data. Earlier this year, FDA cleared in Class II their Bloom Syndrome test [TTA 20 Feb] and late last year resumed DTC test marketing in the UK. Mobihealthnews also includes a helpful timeline of 23andMe’s troubles and recovery.


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Irish mineral explorer Ovoca is expected to announce it has secured an option on a 50 per cent interest in four large oilfields in western Siberia. The fields could contain proven and probable reserves of more than 550 million barrels. To fund the deal Ovoca is issuing 2.1 million shares of 2p each. Last night Ovoca's shares were quoted a penny lower at 15p.Reuse content
Shares in Helene were suspended yesterday at 7p as the clothes manufacturer said it had agreed to a proposed reverse takeover by Dyckhoff, a privately-run German retailer with about 30 stores. The deal, which is subject to due diligence, would mark the stock market return of textiles entrepreneur Harold Tillman, who recently won a four-year court battle to overturn his disqualification from being a company director.


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In a report released today, IDC Financial Insights looks at five mobile payment initiatives: MasterCard MoneySend in the U.S., India and the Philippines; Jibun Bank in Japan; Zoompass in Canada; SK Telecom in South Korea; and PayPal Mobile in the U.S. and shares why these projects have been successful.
The IDC report suggests that for a mobile payment scheme to work, the mobile device manufacturer, mobile network operator, banks and money transfer agents must be willing to work together. The authors suggest that there are two ways to accomplish this: one is to create a closed network where one company sets the standards and operates the scheme; the other is to establish open standards.
In countries where there are only a few dominant telecom operators, they tend to acquire a bank to gain access to the payment system, as SK Telecom did in South Korea. Where there are a small number of mobile network operators and a small number of banks, a joint venture makes sense; this is what Jibun Bank did in Japan.
Where there are many mobile network operators and many banks, as in the U.S., there will be many competing schemes, the authors say. "As a result, we see in the United States a chaotic environment with multiple mobile network operator-based schemes, multiple bank–based schemes, and a wide assortment of independent schemes, such as PayPal, Obopay, Amazon, Apple, and Google," the report observes.
The report notes that in the past, U.S. banks have been reluctant to enable interbank funds transfers out of fear that consumers would concentrate deposits in high interest-bearing accounts; lack of a business case, since consumers have been generally unwilling to pay for such transfers; the fact that consumers could more easily switch banks; concern that merchants could pose as consumers to bypass credit and debit card interchange; and worry that criminals might use the system to launder funds or commit fraud.
"Banks were specifically wary of PayPal, seeing it as a potential competitor, or at the least as disintermediator," the report notes. "However, we have seen the level of concern decline over the years, and banks may now feel that the risk of not having the mobile or online transfer capability is higher than the other risks." PayPal has also accommodated banks' concerns with a special funding model, card-like pricing and anti–money laundering checks and know your customer authentication procedures.
The report concludes that each country will come up with its own mobile payment model based on economic and cultural factors and that multiple technologies will coexist to serve different user groups and device types.


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By Bulletin staff report / The Bulletin
May 13, 2005
Max, a 4-year-old Bend thoroughbred gelding, is recuperating from knee surgery funded by a series of garage sales held in early April.
The garage sales were previously reported in The Bulletin. Several local businesses donated items to the sales, which were well attended, said Kirstin McDonald,....


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Samsung is known for releasing high-end, often expensive handsets to the market, with the likes of the Galaxy S6 and Note5 both being big hits. However, it seems that the South Korean company isn’t against the budget market either, after its latest device leaked with a number of low-end specs.
Following up from the already budget Galaxy J1 device, the J1 Mini is the latest Samsung handset to leak, bringing a smaller build and a very cheap price tag, but will it be a hit?
After appearing on a number of benchmarking websites, it appears that the Galaxy J1 Mini is now completely in the public eye, even though it’s not been officially announced by the manufacturer yet.
However, if you’re in need of a powerful smartphone then this probably won’t be to your taste, with a 4.3” 800x800 display immediately showcasing the level of specs you can expect.
Inside the phone we get a quad-core processor, with a Spreadtrum SC8830 chipset also included. Elsewhere, we get 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal memory, although we’re yet to find out if this is expandable (we certainly hope it is!).
Photography is tackled by a 5 megapixel rear camera, whilst the front side of the phone boasts a VGA lens, so you can keep updating your latest Snapchat stories at least.
The phone runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, meaning that we get a strong OS to play with, albeit not one which is the newest of the bunch. We could see an update to Marshmallow in the future, however we wouldn’t recommend holding your breath on this.
Samsung hasn’t given the J1 Mini an official launch date as of yet, however, it’s likely that it should be around come the start of 2016, making it an ideal addition to the CES or MWC roster in January or February respectively.
What we do have more of a gauge on is the phone’s potential price tag. Listings online have the phone costing just $50 sim-free, which is just £30 or so if the company keeps to the conversion rate.
This obviously makes the J1 Mini one of the cheapest smartphones on the market right from the off. But whilst this might not interest top notch smartphone enthusiasts, it could prove to be an ideal gift for someone who is in need of a back-up device, or just needs a phone to handle the simplest of tasks.
Of course, as Samsung issues more information about the J1 Mini, we’ll be sure to keep you updated!
Written by Luke Hatfield


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This past weekend, a record 8,020,813 gamers were on Steam at the same time. According to Valve's stats page, the new peak occurred around 12:12 PM PDT, amid the closing hours of the Steam Summer Sale.
This new record shatters the old peak figure of around 7.5 million users during the Christmas period last year, according to Polygon. With this record, and with over 75 million active users as of January, Steam and PC gaming seem plenty healthy. If you were playing one of your Summer Sale acquisitions yesterday afternoon, give yourself a pat on the back for helping to make this record possible.
|be quiet!'s Silent Base 800 case reviewed||3|
|MSI Aegis Ti wraps up SLIed GTX 1080s in an aggressive shell||27|
|Deals of the week: a Dell G-Sync monitor for $470 and more||10|
|Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.7.3 serves up the bugfixes||4|
|AMD reveals the full specs of the Radeon RX 460 and RX 470||67|
|Nvidia will pay GeForce GTX 970 owners $30 over memory snafu||47|
|Gigabyte's GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming graphics card reviewed||38|
|Microsoft's free Windows 10 upgrade offer ends tomorrow||111|
|ASRock H110M-STX mobo puts the 5x5 platform in builders' hands||15|
|Now you can install Crysis directly on the video card!||+65|


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The South Carolina State Ports Authority has created a new position. Paul McClintock will serve as senior vice president and chief commercial officer for the ports in Charleston and Georgetown. Public Relations Director Byron Miller explains the position.
“Paul will be responsible to everything related to business development, all of our sales efforts, trying to bring new cargo into the port, and keep our existing customers here. All of our real estate and cruise functions, anything that has to do with business development he will be overseeing,” says Miller.
McClintock has 26 years of maritime, logistics, sales and operations management experience. Miller says with this experience, McClintock will bring more business to the state’s ports.
“Well, we’re looking to bring an increased focus, sharpen the knife and make sure that we have all the resources that we need to make sure we keep Charleston and Georgetown growing ports and successful ports,” says Miller.
And although the Ports Authority has recently lost some business, Miller says they still are in good standing.
“Port’s Authority continues to have a very strong bottom line, although business is down we continue to operate independent of the state and we have a good financial position,” says Miller.
McClintock will start on May 4.


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A Tanzanian cabinet minister told Parliament on Tuesday the government was on the final stages of banning production and sale of illicit spirits packed in sachets that was taking its toll on the youth.
Poorly packed liquor sold across the nation has been blamed for harming health of the youth and affecting the production chain in the east African nation.
Charles Mwijage, Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, told the National Assembly in the political capital Dodoma that the government was in the final steps of banning the spirits from the local market.
He said the government would give new guidelines on production and packaging of the spirits to save the youth from excessive and unhealthy consumption of the spirits.
“The new packaging will not allow commuter drivers and our students to hide spirits in their pockets or sip it discreetly,” said the minister.
Mwijage was responding to a follow up question by Faustine Ndugulile, an MP for Kigamboni, who asked when the government will ban the spirits that he said were posing health hazard to consumers.
Ndugulile said there was great connection between the consumption of the spirits and the increase on drug abuse among the youth. Enditem


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What are the potential long-term economic and business effects of the massive protests sweeping Hong Kong?
Both the NFL and its adversaries pointed to the low number of blacked-out games as a reason the FCC should rule in their favor in a dispute over a regulation giving the league the power to punish fans for staying home
The U.S. has precisely the kind of robust infrastructure missing in West African countries struggling to contain the outbreak
Microsoft has given in to critics and brought back the traditional start menu that consumers will recognize from Windows 7
Gross’s success also coincided with one of the best times in history to be a bond investor
Inspired by sculptor Richard Serra, a New Jersey management consultant makes equipment that doesn't dictate how kids play
There are already kimchi and yogurt doughnuts available abroad, but Dunkin' Donuts' top chef sees fermentation coming to the U.S. menu in sandwiches
Not every undergrad can afford to volunteer in Guatemala over the summer. Does recruiting global citizens diminish diversity at the bank?
Governor Jerry Brown vetoes a union-backed California bill to give franchisees more rights in fights with corporate partners
Founded in 1931
New Jersey transplant Ben Canter opened his now-famous delicatessen in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles before moving to the city's Fairfax neighborhood in 1948. Open 24 hours, Canter's is famous for its Canter's Fairfax sandwich (1/2 pound of corned beef and pastrami), chicken matzoh ball soup, and Hollywood clientele (from Jack Benny to Frank Zappa). Canter's expanded in 1961, adding a cocktail lounge called the Kibbitz Room. In 2003 it opened a Las Vegas location in the Treasure Island Hotel. Today, Canter's still makes pickles on site, bakes its own goods twice a day, and prepares proprietary potato salad, cole slaw, and egg salad. The LA institution says it sells over 4,900 pounds of pastrami a month and makes 1,500 gallons of chicken soup per week.


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College student launches company amid pandemic
VICTORIA, Texas — While businesses across the country recover from the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, one Arizona State University senior is using the moment to launch his own company.
Jaron Lodge, a business entrepreneurship major at ASU, will officially launch Skip nn’ Hole on July 7th — a water game that blends cornhole and skipping stones. Despite the difficult economic climate, Lodge says spending the last few months homebound has actually helped his young company.
“It gave me enough time to make sure I have everything together,” said Lodge. “And then with everyone stuck at home with their backyard pools, they’re looking for fun things to do.”
The company will go live with a Kickstarter campaign on July 7th.


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ISMG Debuts Responsive DesignUsers Now Can Choose How to View Content
Information Security Media Group, publisher of this media site, announces the launch of a new "responsive design" that enhances the features and functionalities of multimedia content.
The new format makes it easier for subscribers and consumers to read, watch and listen to content produced for the two dozen-plus ISMG websites by enhancing the features and functions of multimedia on all platforms, including smartphones and tablets.
ISMG is rolling out the new format starting on July 10. Viewers are urged to share their feedback on the redesign in the comment box below.
After months of development and testing, the redesigned sites will:
- Showcase ISMG's news, interviews, education and research regardless of how they are accessed, via every form factor - desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone;
- Feature the most urgent topics and content items via a new "Trending" bar atop the sites;
- Present exclusive interviews with industry thought-leaders in an enhanced "Interviews" section that presents audio and text versions, giving viewers a choice about how to experience the conversations; and
- Promote greater engagement with the audience via social media and viewer comments, both of which are more prominent in the new design.
ISMG General Manager Mike D'Agostino discusses the new responsive design.
ISMG's General Manager Mike D'Agostino says the company's rapid growth in Europe and Asia, where consumers rely on mobile devices to access news and information, is a driver behind the move to the new responsive design, in which content is viewed based on the format of the device.
In the past four years, the share of non-North American traffic to ISMG websites has grown to 40 percent from 10 percent. And a high percentage of non-North American users access ISMG content on their mobile devices. "For us, when it comes to these developing countries and regions outside of North America, it's even more important that our content is displayed in applicable formats for them to absorb it all," D'Agostino says.
ISMG, headquartered in Princeton, N.J., publishes InfoRiskToday, DataBreachToday, BankInfoSecurity, CUInfoSecurity, HealthcareInfoSecurity, GovInfoSecurity and CareersInfoSecurity.


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After Price Cap On Stents, Government To Regulate Prices Of Artificial Heart Valves And Syringes
After cardiac stents, around 14 more medical devices that are rampantly sold at inflated rates in hospitals, could see a price regulation in the coming months .
The list includes orthopedic implants, intraocular lenses and artificial heart valves to consumables such as syringes, needles and catheters.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has begun scrutiny of such devices, even asking makers to log in every detail about their manufacture and cost. NPPA chairman Bhupendra Singh said,
"We are collecting data on these devices on a war-footing. It will give us a fair idea about the volume of consumption, cost of manufacturing and price at which they are supplied to a patient. Exorbitant pricing in the health system will be dealt with strongly."
In terms of steep retail markups, orthopedic implants probably come closest to cardiac stents. The imported hip and knee implants easily see profit margins in the range of 500-1,000%, industry insiders said. Indian implants too are sold at margins of 200-500%, though surgeons often prefer imported types.
The cost of intraocular lenses also varies widely depending on the hospital and the operating surgeon. Consumables, on the other hand, are not just sold at arbitrary MRPs, but also billed in bulk to make money.
Currently, 14 devices are classified as 'drugs' under Section 3 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, but none feature in the list of essential medicines. Cardiac stents+ therefore had to be included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NELM) before their prices could be capped. If a drug is not in the NELM, the NPPA can merely ensure that their MRP is not increased by more than 10% annually.
"It is therefore important for us to see the extent of profiteering in other devices and seek the union health ministry's help to add them to the list of essential medicines before their prices can be capped. In our online platform IPDMS (Integrated Pharmaceutical Database Management System), a tab has been created for information on medical devices and not just stents," said Singh.
Singh said the NPPA is undeterred by the medical industry's hue and cry that innovation and research will be throttled by price regulation. "We did an elaborate study before cracking the whip on stents. When an original manufacturer sells a product, the cost of innovation, packaging and everything else is built into it. The importer spends nothing on R&D or packaging. Their money is only spent on marketing, paying commissions and distorting the system. With price-capping, affordability will increase," Singh said.
A senior cardiologist recently alleged that the NPPA's move was meant to facilitate two Indian stent-makers. Singh said, "Indian stent players were making equal profits as their counterparts who were importing them. Our price calculation was objective and based on research."


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One of the things that irritated many people who wanted to try out the Google social network Google+ since the service launched was that you had to use your real name. For many of people using their real names wasn't such a big deal, but for those who aren't known by their real name is was a problem.
That requirement to use your real name became even more annoying when Google started to use Google+ credentials to leave comments on YouTube videos. The reason for this was the idea that people would be less likely to troll if they had to use their real name.
Google has now made an about face three years after the launch of Google+ and issued an apology to users and is now letting people sign up with whatever name they want to use. You can now register an account with most any name you want; presumably, Google will still block names with naughty words in them.
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Traditional brokerage platforms are starting to provide crypto trading services to their clients.
Interactive Brokers launches crypto trading services
Interactive Brokers announced earlier today that it would now allow its users to trade cryptocurrencies. This latest development comes after the brokerage platform partnered with Paxos Trust Company.
In a press release earlier today, Interactive Brokers said, “Interactive Brokers Group (Nasdaq: IBKR), a global brokerage firm, today announces its launch of cryptocurrency trading, enabling clients to trade and custody Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) via Paxos Trust Company. Through Paxos, IBKR clients will be able to trade cryptocurrency alongside other asset classes available on the Interactive Brokers platform, creating a unified customer experience.”
Interactive Brokers intends to offer better services compared to the other brokerage platforms. It stated that crypto trading with Paxos on Interactive Brokers’ platform would come with low commissions of just 0.12% – 0.18% of trade value, depending on monthly volume, with a $1.75 minimum per order. Furthermore, there are no added spreads, markups, or custody fees.
More people are seeking access to cryptocurrencies
Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers, stated that launching cryptocurrency trading services is necessary for the broker as more retail and institutional investors seek access to the cryptocurrency space.
“In giving our clients access to cryptocurrency trading, we recognize the need to meet the growing investor demand to trade cryptocurrency alongside other asset classes in a convenient and low-cost way,” he added.
Interactive Brokers said it intends to introduce cryptocurrency trading to additional client types, including Financial Advisors and clients in other parts of the world, in the coming months and years.


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With economy booming, Texas sales tax receipts hit record for June
DALLAS – A booming Texas economy produced record sales tax revenue for the month of June with collections of $2.77 billion representing a 13.7% increase.
On a percentage basis, June revenues increased at the highest rate in at least five years. The June total was the highest so far this year and just slightly behind the all-time record of $2.78 billion last November.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said revenue collections were strong across the board, including a 69% increase in oil and gas production taxes. Oil prices have steadily increased this year.
“Sales tax revenue increased for almost all major economic sectors,” Hegar said. “The strong revenue growth was led by collections from the mining and manufacturing sectors. The construction, wholesale and retail trade sectors also saw strong gains.”
Total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in June 2018 was up 12.4% compared to the same period a year ago. For the first six months of the year, sales tax revenue is up 10.2% and on pace to set a record. Monthly records have been set in every month this year so far.
With no state income tax, Texas relies on sales tax revenue for 58% of all tax collections.
Revenue from other major taxes on motor vehicle sales and rentals, motor fuel and oil and natural gas production also rose in June, Hegar said.
Motor vehicle sales and rental taxes increased 4.5% to $433 million. State taxes on motor fuel produced $325.4 million, a 4.2% increase from June 2017. The 69% increase in oil and natural gas production taxes provided $456.5 million, Hegar said.
Hegar said that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing states to collect sales taxes from out-of-state merchants may not represent a major windfall.
The comptroller anticipates that the state and local governments will see tax collections increase, but the amount depends on the implementation and resolution of several significant issues raised by the Supreme Court's ruling, Hegar said.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Wayfair v. South Dakota, is commonly referred to as Wayfair.
"As is often the case with Supreme Court decisions, the principles can be applied broadly on a nationwide basis, including here in Texas," Hegar said. "But it's up to my office to implement those principles in the way that best serves the state of Texas, our citizens and the businesses operating here. We're going to make sure we do this carefully, deliberately and with ample input from the public, the Legislature and the business community."
Under its existing legal authority, the Comptroller's office has started reviewing rules that may need updating. Hegar said this would not include any retroactive application of the new law to remote sellers that have no physical presence in Texas.
"We're looking forward to working with those affected businesses to ensure this is a smooth transition and a successful partnership," Hegar said.
Early 2019 is the target effective date for rule amendments, Hegar said. However, that could change pending issues that arise during the rulemaking process.
Gains from the ruling are likely to be lower than previous estimates of taxes uncollected by remote sellers, Hegar said. In the past year, for example, some remote sellers have volunteered to collect in anticipation of the Wayfair decision or for other reasons.
Wayfair already collects Texas sales and use taxes. Also, in order to avoid imposing an undue burden on interstate commerce, the state will likely relieve some out-of-state sellers from collection responsibilities, Hegar said.