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The trade in stolen and smuggled iPhones is big, big business.
Over the past eight months, two men allegedly earned just shy of $4 million illegally smuggling smartphones to China, according to California Attorney General Kamala Harris.
Shou Lin Wen, 38, and Yuting Tan, 27, were arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday and charged with felony counts of money laundering, grand theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The alleged scheme was said to be an elaborate operation that often used homeless accomplices. Wen and Tan would recruit homeless people to enter the stores of cellphone carriers and purchase the maximum number of smartphones that given company allowed.
Authorities say the homeless couriers, who had no intention of paying for the cellphone plans, would then deliver the iPhones, Samsung Galaxys, Blackberrys and other popular models to Wen and Tan for an agreed-upon fee.
The Daily News Flash
Wen and Tan then shipped the phones to Hong Kong, where they were resold at prices significantly higher than they first cost, according to law enforcement. In China, for instance, iPhones can cost as much as $2,000.
"The international theft ring used fraud and deceit to steal smart phones and exploit the homeless," Harris said in a written statement.
Wen and Tan also allegedly set their sights on stolen smartphones.
Agents with Harris' eCrime Unit set up a sting operation that nabbed the two men. Undercover agents offered to sell what they claimed were 408 stolen iPhone 4s and iPhone 5s to Wen and Tan.
When the two men agreed and took out more than $60,000 to purchase the non-existent phones, they were arrested.
Investigators also intercepted another 412 phones that were shipped to Hong Kong over the past year, the Bee reported.


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Tourism Industry News
China Travel Distribution Summit opens for registration
TravelDaily (www.traveldaily.cn), China’s leading online publisher and event organizer with emphasis on trends in the distribution, marketing, and technology of the travel and tourism industries, announced today it will partner with PhoCusWright to host the 2009 China Travel Distribution Summit in Shenzhen from December 2 to 3, 2009.
“Despite a global downturn that has been impacting the world economy since late 2008, China remains the hotspot of world’s travel market by achieving [a] 12 percent growth rate for the first half of 2009, measured by number of domestic travelers. China’s domestic air traffic also achieved over 20 percent of growth rate on a year-to-year basis,” said Eva He, event director of TravelDaily.
“The China Travel Distribution Summit 2009 will be a gathering of some of the world’s and China's leading travel industry leaders and executives to discuss core issues affecting the travel industry and how the travel organizations can partner together to improve market share, to collaborate in revitalizing the travel and tourism sectors, as well as to seek out implementable solutions that can help transform, drive efficiency, and improve bottom-line performance for the travel industry. By working together with PhoCusWright, the world’s leading research authority for the travel industry, we are confident we can create a truly interactive and inspiring event for the travel decision-makers.”
Get the full story at: eTurboNews
See Also Other News

domain: news


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Nokia XR20 smartphone has been launched in India today on Monday. This phone comes with a military-grade design, which is said to be used in extreme temperatures ranging from 55 degrees to 20 degrees Celsius. Also, it can work after falling down to 1.8 meters and underwater for 1 hour. It has also been promised about the Nokia XR20 that it will be given monthly security patches for four years and operating system upgrades for three years. Talking about the specification of the Nokia XR20 smartphone, it is equipped with 20: 9 display and dual rear camera setup. Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 processor and Zeiss optics have been given in the phone.
Nokia XR20 price in India, launch offers
Indian price of Nokia XR20 is Rs 46,999 and it has 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage variants. The pre-booking of the phone will start from October 20 and it will get Granite and Ultra Blue color options. The sale of the phone will start from October 30. This phone can be purchased through offline retailer stores, e-commerce platforms and Nokia.com.
Talking about launch offers, pre-booking customers will get free Nokia Power Earbuds Lite worth Rs 3,599 with this phone. HMD Global has announced that customers pre-booking the Nokia XR20 will get a free screen protection plan of up to one year.
In July, the Nokia XR20 was launched in Europe for 499 euros (approximately Rs 43,800), which is the price of the phone’s 4GB RAM + 64GB storage configuration.
Vivo Y20T with 6GB RAM and Extended RAM 2.0 Technology Launched in India
Nokia XR20 specifications
The dual-SIM (Nano) Nokia XR20 runs on Android 11 with stock experience. The phone flaunts a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) display with 20:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The display is designed to work with wet hands and gloves. The octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chipset is available in the smartphone. There is a dual rear camera setup, consisting of a 48-megapixel primary sensor and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. Both the camera sensors are equipped with ZEISS optics and include preloaded features like Speedwarp Mode and Action Cam Mode.


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Projector maker Christie announced the new LWU420 and LW555 widescreen 3LCD projectors. The LWU420 features 1920×1080 WUXGA Full HD resolution and 4200 lumens brightness while the LW555 offers 1280×800 WXGA resolution and 5500 lumens.
Christie’s LWU420 and LW555 are based on 3LCD display technology and includes 10-bit video processing. The former boasts a 1000:1 contrast ratio while the latter has 800:1 contrast and is designed with 3D Keystone technology, a new four corner geometry correction tool for easy image alignment and set up. They both offer HDMI 1.3 input.
Christie LWU420 and LW555 will be released soon.


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Restoring Consumer Trust in Financial Services: An Opportunity Awaits
When marketers talk about the effects of 2008’s financial crisis on the world of brands and communications, there’s a clear focus on decreased consumer spending, the decline in media investment and the closures of UK businesses that could not function within a climate of austerity; but what does this mean for today’s market? Our latest whitepaper, Restoring Consumer Trust in Financial Services: An Opportunity Awaits examines current market trends and how Financial Service providers can utilise these findings to the mutual benefit of their business and their clients alike.
Whilst consumer confidence has since recovered; media budgets are on the rise and new digital-first businesses have materialised in place of those that folded, there remains one casualty of the financial crisis that is more explicit and impactful today than ever before: consumers’ trust in The Establishment.
The crash set a precedent that unfettered trust in The Powers That Be to act in good faith will result in disaster. The signs are there: Brexit, Theresa May’s loss of the majority and the triumph of a reality TV star over “the most qualified presidential candidate in history” indicate that consumers are wary of placing their trust in anyone or anything they associate with the established order.
Whilst the public’s trust in major institutions (defined as the government, the media and banks) has significantly weakened in the past 12 months, with forty per cent of Dentsu Aegis Network respondents saying their trust in ‘major institutions’ had declined either substantially or slightly, compared to just 7 per cent who said it had either substantially or slightly improved.
In Restoring Consumer Trust in Financial Services: An Opportunity Awaits, we examine:
- The current Financial Services trends
- The expectations customers have of Financial Services
- What Financial Service providers are doing for their customer’s needs in a changing world
- How can banks and their customers work together to benefit both parties.


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Malawi has potential markets for rice in Africa, Asia and Europe, but farmers produce below the required demand, according to African Institute of Corporate and Citizenship (Aicc).
The observation by a non-governmental organisation that promotes the role of business development comes in the wake of complaints by rice growers that they lack viable markets for the commodity, a development which pushes down output.
In response to a questionnaire, Aicc chief executive officer Felix Lombe said rice farmers in Malawi have potential to export their commodity to Zambia, South Africa and the European countries because buyers from these countries have shown interest.
Figures based on Aicc research show that annual consumption of rice in Zambia is between 60 000 and 65 000 tonnes, but the country produces between 40 000 and 45 000 tonnes, creating a deficit of 15 000 tonnes which is supplemented by imports.
He said: “Zimbabwe does not produce rice locally and its demand is met through imports as evidenced in 2015 when it imported over 300 000 tonnes of the commodity while South Africa demand stands at one million tonnes annually,” he said.
Lombe said farmers in Malawi grow rice in small quantities, a situation which may see them fail to meet international demand, thereby stagnating the agriculture sector’s growth domestic product (GDP) growth, which has been stagnant at 30 percent.
According to figures provided by AICC, Malawi grows rice on 65 000 hectares when it has the potential to grow it on over 200 000 hectares.
The average potential yield for kilombelo, faya, pusa 33 and TCG10 (the popular rice for cultivation in Malawi) is between 4 000 and 5 000 kilogrammes (kg) per hectare.
This means the country can produce over 20 million tonnes of rice if 200 000 hectares is fully utilised.
This would be enough to feed South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and other countries for a year.
But agriculture experts argue there are still challenges contributing to farmers’ failure to grow more rice, citing inadequate water harvesting structures.
Another setback, according to experts, is the high cost of inputs such as fertiliser and failure to advance Private Public Partnerships (PPPs) that would be important for the development and maintenance of dilapidated rice schemes.
“Most of the rice schemes are in a dilapidated state since primary and secondary water ways have sediments blocking the area to be cultivated. Considering that public resources are limited, the only way is to venture into PPP to ensure development and maintenance of schemes”, said one expert.
Meanwhile, Asian rice suppliers are dominating the market in Zimbabwe with Thailand being the leading supplier accounting for 34 percent of total import volumes in 2015, according to figures.
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Principal Secretary Erica Maganga recently told the media that rice farmers should sell their produce through cooperatives rather than selling it individually for them to maximise economies of scale.


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Apex Legends Season 8 — Mayhem Kicks Off February 2
Apex Legends Season 8 — Mayhem kicks off next month, bringing a new legend, gun, and battle pass to the hit battle royale.
Apex Legends is ramping up to the start of its eighth season, which means it’s time for some new trailers to hit. Today, we got our first look at the new Legend coming to the hit battle royale via the latest Stories From the Outland video. If you haven’t had a chance, give it a look below. It doesn’t show Fuse in action, but it does delve into his backstory and give you an idea of who this wild man is.
Of course, most Apex Legends fans are probably holding out for a better look at Fuse in-game. Knowing he exists is one thing, but people want to actually know what comes with his kit. That video should be coming in the next few days though. So, don’t fret too much.
Outside of Fuse, we know that Apex is getting a brand new gun. The 30-30 Repeater is a lever-action rifle that is sure to pack a punch. It’s going to come at the expense of your fire rate, but players who excel at placing shots will likely love how this gun feels. As expected, we’ll also get a new battle pass and the start of the eighth season in ranked play. No hints just yet at what cosmetics to expect in the new battle pass, but again, that info will come in time.
Apex Legends is out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. If you haven’t given it a try yet, now seems like a good time to give it a go. You’ll have a few weeks to get your legs under you before season eight kicks off.


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A Grantham couple have pleaded guilty to stealing clothes from a charity shop, after attending court two hours late.
Initially a warrant for their arrest was issued by magistrates when neither 54-year-old Daryell Fottles nor 41-year-old Diane Lewis, both from Manthorpe Road, attended court to each answer a charge of theft by finding.
However the warrants were subsequently withdrawn and both Fottles and Lewis entered guilty pleas.
Prosecutor Paul Wood outlined how on the morning of July 9 the defendants were seen on CCTV carrying bags of clothes, which police believe were taken by another individual from an outbuilding at the British Red Cross shop in the Market Place during a burglary.
Fottles and Lewis then took the clothes to a recycling point where they could receive payment dependant on the weight, making £27 from the items.
When they were arrested and interviewed by police, the defendants said they had found the clothes in the street.
Rob Arthur, defending, told the court that Fottles and Lewis are ‘living on the bread line, and have often been the recipients of clothing from charity shops themselves’.
He said that in desperation they had foolishly followed the adage ‘never look a gift horse in the mouth.’
Fottles and Lewis received a conditional discharge of 18 months, and ordered to pay £15 each in compensation to the British Red Cross.


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Only have a minute? Listen instead
About five years ago, Marco and Michael Martinez began learning to churn ice cream from their grandfather, who is originally from Jalisco, Mexico.
He taught them the old-fashioned style of ice cream-making using ice and salt and encouraged them to go into business for themselves.
Marco recalled spending 30 to 45 minutes churning ice cream until it reached a smooth consistency.
“We were just turning and turning until the ice cream was made,” Marco said, adding that “it was a lot of work when we started but we’ve come a long way.”
They started off with only three barrels but it was enough to start a catering business.
Thanks to word of mouth and a lot of hard work, not to mention a soft and sweet flavor, the brothers have now branched out into their business, La Garrafa Nieve Artesanal, which includes an established location and, of course, a food truck.
Marco, 24, credits his grandparents for the success of the business.
Although the brothers are from Pharr, their ice cream shop is located in Mission where they’ve continued to find ways to make their product better.
Marco explained that after two years of owning the shop and their ice cream, continuing to grow in popularity, they’ve had to shift from making each ice cream by hand to now using motors to churn the ice cream.
“It’s been a journey,” Marco said with a laugh. “At first it was only me and my brother … between both of us where we would make the ice cream and we would serve the ice cream to everyone.”
Now the business has a team of eight people who help produce and serve ice cream.
But the team wasn’t the only thing that grew since the opening of the shop.
When Marco and Michael first began their business they had a total of six flavors, which included mango, lime, chamoy, coconut, Oreo and Gansito ice cream.
Now, they have a total of about 15 flavors that include both water-based and dairy-based ice creams.
Marco explained that they arrive each morning around 9 a.m. to begin making the ice cream so that they are ready to open the store at 1 p.m.
He explained that although they have motors now to help with the churning, the process still takes about 30-45 minutes.
“A lot of people choose us between our competition because of the flavor,” Marco said. “Because we use natural flavors and once you taste the ice cream you can taste the difference between our ice cream and someone else’s ice cream.”
He added that in all their water-based ice cream, they use the actual fruit to give it a natural flavor.
In fact, according to Marco, their most popular flavor is their mango ice cream.
“A lot of people like putting chamoy, Miguelito and stuff like Trechas and it’s the perfect combination,” Marco said.
Although he agrees mango is a great flavor, Marco prefers their watermelon-flavored ice cream because of its refreshing taste.
So far, summer has been good for business, likely due to the heat wave. Marco also attributes the refreshing fruit flavors for that success.
“Overall we just get a lot more traffic,” he said, adding that throughout the summer they’ve doubled their sales.
Although they have opened their own location and are doing well, they haven’t not forgotten where they came from. Marco and Michael, who’s 21, continue to cater events even now.
La Garrafa is located at 308 N. Shary Road in Mission and is open from 1 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.


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German auto giant Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off T-Cross compact SUV that will be positioned below the T-Roc. The new compact SUV has been revealed in standard and extended wheelbase versions in which the former is destined to the European market while the latter will go on sale in markets like South America, India and China.
Volkswagen T-Cross destined for the European markets is based on the MQB A0 platform and measures 4,110mm in length. The extended wheelbase version destined for emerging markets ha 4,190mm in length and it will be based on a modified version of the MQB A0 architecture currently under development with low build cost.
Volkswagen T-Cross is expected to launch in India in 2020 and it will be pitted against the Hyundai Creta and Nissan Kicks. The smallest SUV from Volkswagen will also lock horns against the upcoming Skoda SUV (expected in 2019) that also uses heavily localised MQB A0 platform for India.
Volkswagen T-Cross- a closer look
As the compact SUV segment sees massive traction around the world, Volkswagen's entry with the T-Cross looks like a bit late. However, the designers have done a smart job giving the SUV an urban appeal.
The face of the T-Cross gets wider wraparound headlamps and grille. The LED daytime running lamps at the bottom of the headlamp clusters and the chrome lining on the grille connects seamlessly and adds premium touch.
The chrome touches can be further seen as outlining to the rectangular fog lamps on the bumper. The front bumper also gets black body cladding at the bottom, along with a faux aluminium panel placed at the centre.
The thick body cladding runs across the sides and rear of the T-Cross. At the rear, the car gets LED elements for its tail-lamps and the horizontal lightbar that runs across the tailgate will remind new generation Porsche Cayenne's tail lamps cluster.
The longer wheelbase Volkswagen T-Cross will be offered with a 1.0-litre TSI petrol belting out 128hp and 196Nm. The bigger variants will be equipped with a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine that will deliver 150hp and 250Nm. The third engine option will be a 1.6-litre MSI petrol that churns out 110hp.


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Walmart is very likely launching their early Black Friday 2013 sale on this Friday, November 1. The retailer did the same last year to compete with Amazon's early Black Friday sale.
As reported earlier Amazon will host again an Early Black Friday sale starting on Friday, November 1. We expect that Walmart will also launch an early Black Friday sale tomorrow. Walmart did the exact same thing last year.
Don't Miss: Today's Best Deals on Amazon.com
The Early Walmart Black Friday 2013 Sale has launched on November 1.
There is no announcement yet, but expect the Walmart Ultimate Online Specials sale to start tomorrow. Amazon will for sure launch the Countdown to the Amazon Black Friday Deals Week tomorrow.
We will report about the best early Walmart Black Friday 2013 deals as soon as they appear. Last year Walmart opened the Black Friday season with deals that included a $179 32-inch HDTV and a $248 Windows 8 laptop.
Shop Walmart.com now for the currently available deals.
This year Black Friday is rather late falling on November 29th, 2013. Last year, Black Friday was on November 23rd. Retailers will have four full weeks to please you with special Black Friday 2013 sales until the culmination of the actual Black Friday and the encore on Cyber Monday 2013 (December 2nd).
Find all Black Friday 2013 Ads in our Black Friday flyer round-up.


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Traffic Is Up, Business Meetings Are Up, Buyer Interest Is Up -- But Attendees Say There's Little High-Quality Product To Acquire
Improving market fundamentals and increase retail deal activity raised the energy level several notches at this year's RECon convention, the annual deal-making confab sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in Las Vegas each spring.
More than 32,000 attendees -- including commercial real estate leasing and investment brokers, developers, retailers, lenders and other shopping center professionals -- converged on Glitter City for the annual three-day event this week with a heightened sense of optimism about the improving market.
But the enthusiasm was tempered by a healthy dose of realism forged during several years of diminished activity, along with a recovery that's far weaker than the recovery following the previous down cycle a decade ago.
Greg Maloney, president and CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Retail, said there’s no question there were more people than last year at the conference. But there are just few places for investors to park their cash.
"Activity is definitely up in our booth. There’s a very positive feeling going on here this year. People feel a lot better about things, even though they’re concerned about economic conditions," he said. "A lot of players out there are looking to expand and they have money and want to spend it on new product. But there’s no product available. There would be a lot more investment activity if there was product."
Regardless, Maloney said some people reported much more activity this year on the development front, albeit still at a very low level.
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"At least there’s some activity, which is very positive. Two years ago, there was virtually none."
"Compared to the past few years, there’s been a lot more of an upbeat enthusiasm about the market and the opportunities," added Phil Baxter, president, Stan Johnson Cos., a fast-growing investment brokerage specializing in single-tenant net lease properties nationwide. "It’s obviously still not like it was in the go-go years of 2006 and 2007. But we have about 50 brokers on the ground here and have scheduled in excess of 700 meetings. We’re busy and business is looking good."
"There’s been continued cautious optimism, a lot of positive will to do deals and more deals done year to date in 2012, but there’s a lot of uncertainty in the capital market s relative to Europe and how that affects our banks and lending institutions," said Dennis Vaccaro, senior managing director with Faris Lee Investments, a brokerage specializing in retail investment sales.
REITs have been very active for buying core and core-plus properties, the private markets are extremely active in the single tenant market.
"We are continuing to see a compression of cap rates for long-term net lease corporate-backed single tenant properties. In fact, in that category, we’ve returned to and in some cases exceeded 2007 pricing," Vaccaro said.
One major topic at the parties and receptions at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the hotel lounges was the lack of new development activity during this recovery, a trend cited in CoStar Group's First Quarter Retail Outlook and Forecast
last week. The dearth of new supply has resulted in a constrained environment for buyers as the existing supply of core retail assets is absorbed by tenants.
There’s consistent frustration and feedback about the lack of product available in the core and core-plus category, but that has not yet led to a dramatic increase in activity in the B and C and secondary markets.
Vaccaro said the conference has yielded more properties where construction is commencing or going to commence than at any time in the last three years.
"The development projects are all tenant-driven. The difference now versus three years ago is we’re now hearing about multi-tenant activity coming out of the ground, which has to be pretty much buttoned up before the first shovel goes in at 80+% preleased," Vaccaro said.
"It’s definitely a seller’s market and cap rates continue to fall," Baxter said.
He said development deals are starting to gain more traction and the supply in the pipeline is building -- not for Best Buy-type big boxes, but for smaller retail centers and drugstores.
The private buyers have been the most active and perhaps the most aggressive negotiators at the conference.
"There’s a lot of cash out there chasing opportunities, it’s a reflection of the supply and demand equation," Baxter said. "You have the private buyers and the institutions that are raising tons of capital and need to put those dollars to work."
Maloney said the gap between the asking and bid price is still a factor, particularly for the Class B and C assets.
"There’s no question it could be a seller’s market for core assets, but no one wants to sell because they can’t replace it," he said. "In the B class, there are owners who will sell it, but they want a certain price, and if they don’t get it they’re pulling it [from the market]. There’s still a spread between ask and bid, and the two groups are sometimes far apart."
While the increased availability of debt has been much discussed in the retail real estate industry in recent months, most of it is earmarked for Class A core properties, with a borrower lucky to get 50% or 60% loan-to-value for Class B and below, Maloney said.
"From a traffic, meetings and activity standpoint, the conference is over the top," Maloney said Tuesday. "But the fundamentals haven’t really changed in our business. We’re still in a situation where people are very cautious, there’s not a lot of stability."
"The retailers are talking about growth, but if you’re used to opening five stores and they’re now opening 10, everyone’s happy. In the hey-day, they were opening 100. So I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re heading into great times. There’s still too much instability in the system."
"The trophy centers are still performing amazingly well, but in the B and C and unanchored strip centers with softer traffic count, we’re still having a tough time getting interest and leasing them out. Landlords are having to get more creative in terms of offering more incentives than they would like to get those spaces leased," said Terrison Quinn, associate vice president, retail with Colliers International , a tenant representation specialist.


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In a Nutshell: Blockchain technology has long been associated with financial services, but the open-source Counterparty project is proving that any business can use tokenized economies. Since 2014, Counterparty has allowed users to create and trade their own unique tokens on the Bitcoin network and write in the margins of regular Bitcoin transactions. The program is currently being used by mobile gaming applications, artist co-ops, and security companies to create new, innovative projects.
Blockchain technology has long been touted as the future of financial services. Its ability to securely send traceable information makes it valuable in numerous ways to money lenders, banks, credit cards, and other fintech firms.
But its uses aren’t solely limited to financial transactions.
Shippers use the blockchain to track packages from sender to recipient. Some retailers use the blockchain to track the origin farm for the produce they sell. But one open-source project thinks the tech’s potential still has much to offer.
About six years after Blockchain’s 2008 introduction, Counterparty began extending the possibilities of the popular Bitcoin chain.
Counterparty allows users to write in the margins of regular Bitcoin transactions, thus extending Bitcoin’s functionality and opening the door for innovation and advanced features that previously weren’t possible with traditional Bitcoin software.
Today, Counterparty is used as the foundation for online collectible card games, app-based tokenized games, artist co-ops, and as a means to improve security settings in home- and business-based computer networks.
“Most applications for crypto and blockchain are about money,” said Theo Goodman, a Counterparty spokesperson. “That’s all great, but there’s a lot of other cool stuff that you can do with it.”
Transform Real-World Scenarios into Code
Besides allowing users to create and trade any kind of digital token, Counterparty users can write specific digital agreements — or programs known as smart contracts — and execute them on the Bitcoin blockchain.
By using Bitcoin’s decentralized ledger network and Counterparty’s built-in scripting language, real-world scenarios can now be transformed into code and executed automatically with no need for an intermediary.
“You can trade one of your tokens for someone else’s tokens on the decentralized exchange without having to trust anyone else,” Goodman said. “There’s no account or third-party custody of the tokens. It’s just a simple order for a wallet-to-wallet swap.”
Since Counterparty is a nonprofit, open-source project, funding for the advancement of the program takes place through its XCP token. XCP is the currency used to pay for the execution of all smart contract code and can be purchased or traded through Counterwallet.
XCP ownership also represents a stake in the Counterparty protocol and is the voting currency for changes the community must decide on.
XCP can also be used as currency to purchase Counterparty modifications through the bounty system.
“Let’s say I have an idea for an app or a project, but I need some adjustments to Counterparty,” Goodman said. “I could set up a bounty program for developers. If a developer can build what I need, and improve the Counterparty protocol, they receive the bounty.”
Create Versatile Crypto Tokens with Minimal Fees and Effort
Counterparty allows users to easily create tokens that are either divisible or not divisible, with total customization capabilities that typically require only the standard Bitcoin transaction fee.
“You can mint tokens that are on top of the Bitcoin blockchain,” Goodman said. “Since you’re using the Bitcoin network, you have to pay its transaction fee, but anyone with a Counterparty wallet can then receive any of the tokens that you send them.”
These tokens are a way of creating your own cryptocurrency by piggybacking off the Bitcoin blockchain. Token creators also have full control of whether they want to lock the issuance of the token — meaning that, once the tokens are minted, no more can be produced — or they can unlock the issuance and mint more when they’re needed.
Tokens can be traded through the Counterwallet on the decentralized exchange, which allows users to trade token for token within the wallet application as a peer-to-peer transaction with only the Bitcoin transaction fee.
Goodman noted that there are three main types of coins that can be created through Counterparty:
These tokens do not have a customized name and are displayed in the token-holders wallet with a random alphanumeric code (for example, token AB052231).
These tokens can be used like any other token, but lack the individuality that a custom-named token brings with it. As such, creating these tokens only costs the standard Bitcoin transaction fee.
“These can also have the same features as the other tokens, as far as being divisible, non-divisible, locked, and unlocked,” Goodman said.
Goodman referred to these as “human-readable named tokens” — meaning that you can name the token after yourself, your business or the app you’re creating that will use the tokens as a digital currency.
The only rules surrounding the creation of custom-named tokens is that the name must contain between four and 12 uppercase letters and can not start with the letter A.
This feature costs one-half of an XCP token plus the standard Bitcoin transaction fee. The added charge is an anti-spam fee to reduce the number of named tokens a user can create without facing a substantial cost.
Goodman explained this more technical type of token with the example of creating a fictional “Theo” token. By using Theo as the parent token, he could create child tokens, such as the “Theo.Goodman” token that can be used for different means.
“This works like a domain name,” Goodman said. “You can split the tokens up under one name and have them used for different purposes.”
Progressive Projects Include Games and Collectibles
A diverse group of startup businesses and mobile applications have adopted Counterparty as their preferred platform for creating blockchain enhancements. Current projects using the platform show that the capabilities for blockchain usage extend well beyond financial services.
Age of Chains is a collectible trading card game that allows players to build customized card decks that they use to defend their choice of the decentralized Milky Way or the corrupt Andromeda Empire.
Bitcorn Crops is an idle farm game where the objective is to accumulate Bitcorn. Bitcorn cannot be bought, rather, it gets harvested by bitcoin addresses (or farms) proportionate to their share of 100 crops.
“You can also form a farm co-op,” Goodman said. “That allows you to split your harvest with your co-op.”
Authparty allows Bitcoin- or Counterparty-enabled wallets to enable seamless, secure, and cross-service authentication. The Authparty project uses blockchain technology and private keys as a method of login authorization for a variety of security outlets.
The Scarab Experiment is an ambitious Counterparty-based decentralized artist collective that focuses on combined artwork.
Created in 2014, during Counterparty’s early developmental stages, Scarab is a multi-user persona that uses artificial intelligence image processing to form a single work of art from one thousand submissions.
“A lot of industries can use tokens like those created in Counterparty,” Goodman said. “As of right now, games and art are the two most concrete examples, but the possibilities are endless.”
What these users, and thousands more like them, appreciate most about Counterparty is its ease of use and ability to build useful, secure blockchain applications without giving up their creativity and personal license.
“There are lots of tutorials, helplines, and other documentation to help users out,” Goodman said. “But it’s relatively easy to use compared to other ways to make and send tokens.”
Segwit Capabilities Extend Future Functionality
Counterparty has no plans of slowing down its innovative ways, despite already being one of the oldest token platforms available. With many enhancements in the works, the platform is primed to become even more of a player in the token-generation game.
Goodman said that new implementations to the program will expand its appeal to industries that may have been slow to consider using tokens or blockchain technology.
“The possibility to use Segwit with Counterparty transactions has been implemented,” Goodman said. “I think that, down the road, we’ll also be looking at things like payment channels, the lightning network, and other new applications to extend the functionality of tokens.”
Segwit, or Segregated Witness Protocol, speeds up and scales down the typical Bitcoin protocol by reducing block sizes by breaking them down into smaller blocks. This also creates future possibilities of branching off blocks to write even more information in the margins.
Goodman noted that the upcoming Lightning Network will enable nearly instant, affordable, and safe off-chain payments.
This lessens the impact of crypto fraud and other often-publicized issues that keep many people out of the token markets.
Other Counterparty features that are under development will allow for use of uni- or bi-directional payment channels with Counterparty tokens. Plans are also underway to leverage the Lightning Network with Counterparty to enable fast, decentralized, and off-chain exchange of tokens that settles onto the Bitcoin blockchain.
“There are so many uses for tokens that haven’t even been discovered yet,” Goodman said. “Just about any person or business can use Counterparty to their advantage.”


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Last winter, when China ordered tens of millions of people back into a pandemic lockdown, executives inside the $170 billion automotive aftermarket parts industry took a deep breath.
Jeff Shepherd, CFO of aftermarket giant Advance Auto Parts, says that the possibility of another China shutdown had just not been part of Advance’s procurement calculus. Still, parts “in stock” at Advance stores during 2022 have dropped only a few percentage points from their usual inventory level in the “mid-90th” percentile, according to Shepherd, who credits the anticipation of yet another China-related event with influencing Advance’s astute purchasing.Read More
“The last time China hosted the Olympics, they shut the power down and they shut the factories down. So, during the Games, you can’t get product out and it’s not being manufactured,” explains Shepherd, who notes that Advance’s procurement team anticipated a China shutdown in February due to the Beijing Olympic Games.
“We started doing a lot of buying late last year and very early this year,” comments Shepherd, who reports that not unlike those of its competitors, Advance’s 2021 supply chain troubleshooting efforts were related mostly to bottlenecks at U.S. ports and a confounding shortage of truck drivers.
“We’re not out of the woods now—I will tell you that it’s not perfect,” remarks Shepherd, regarding the existing supply chain challenges inside the U.S. However, if Advance’s “in stock” levels stay in line, the company may have a read on future developments in China.
Says Shepherd: “I can’t take credit for knowing those things, but we were indeed able to get out in front of the China shutdown, and our ‘in stock’ percentages are now nearly back to their pre-pandemic levels.” –Jack Sweeney
Made Possible By
CFOTL: Tell us about Advance Auto Parts and the vision behind the company chapter that you are now helping to open …
Shepherd: I probably need to give you a little bit of history. I think that what a lot of people actually don’t know is that Advance is a 90-year-old company. It was founded in 1932 in Roanoke and was really a general merchandise store with appliances, televisions, toys, and so on. Then, in the ’70s and ’80s, as specialty retailers became increasingly popular, the decision was made to move into auto parts and related accessories. Then the company really started to grow through acquisitions. There were regional retail automotive parts locations such as Western Auto Supply and, in the Southeast, Discount Auto Parts. In 2001, the company went public. Then, in 2014, Advanced acquired Carquest. Maybe you’ve seen locations for Carquest and for another one of ours, WORLDPAC, which really supports the professional side of the business. All of this is what has brought us to be an $8 billion, $9 billion, $10 billion company.Read More
The 2014 acquisitions were quite large. One was like $5 billion, the other was $4 billion. So, you’re putting two very large organizations together. For the previous management, I would say that the integration of these entities was a challenge. Carquest and WORLDPAC primarily support professional customers. I don’t change my own brakes, so I take it into the shop. We provide the parts that go into these shops. This would be the professional side of our business, which provides about 60% of our revenue base. Advance was really supporting the do-it-yourselfer. Let’s say that you do change your own brakes. You would go into the Advance retail store, you’d get your brakes, you’d take them home, and you’d do them in your garage over the weekend.
It was a real challenge to get these two entities to integrate. What happened was that in 2016, an activist investor came in and then brought in our current CEO, Tom Greco. I joined the company in 2017. I was part of that. From 2016 to 2018, Tom changed out 19 of the top 20 leaders in the organization. In ’16, ’17, ’18, we had an organization that was essentially underperforming. There were really four different banners. You had Carquest, you had Advance Auto Parts, you had WORLDPAC, and you had another one called Autopart International. They were completely separate, so you had separate systems, separate supply chains, separate people, and separate processes that were supporting these systems. Now we were tasked with this integration. If you were to pull a 10-K from 2017, you would see that the operating income margin rates of our competitors were significantly bigger than ours.
This was really what attracted me to Advance. We were looking at this—looking at 2016, 2015—and you could see the discrepancy. But as you went back and looked at that journey, you could also see that the discrepancy was an opportunity. That’s where we’re at. We’re essentially a turnaround company, and we have significant margin expansion opportunities that you really don’t see very often in retail, especially in today’s environment. What we’re doing is going through these margin expansion initiatives. We laid this out in more detail last year for investors. This is the journey that we’re now on as we new opportunities to integrate the company and grow the business. The business’s top line was shrinking when we got here, despite the fact that we were opening stores. We’re on this journey now. We’ve taken out a lot of the structural issues, and now we’ve moved into not only that top-line growth but also that continued margin expansion process. We put out some guidance last year that by the end of next year, our margin rates will be between 10.5 and 12.5 percent.
“Build a world-class team and understand how all functions of the business work, and you will have success across the organization.” –Jeff Shepherd, CFO, Advance Auto Parts
Advance Auto Parts | www.shop.advanceautoparts.com | Raleigh, NC


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The map pocket has become a vital storage bin in today's vehicles, clearly used for much more than folded paper roadmaps. A smattering of photos from the 2015 Ward's 10 Best Interiors field shows the varying approaches as automakers attempt to maximize the utility of this space.
A concise summation of all 42 interiors evaluated as part of the 2015 competition. Many of these comments are taken directly from score sheets submitted by WardsAuto editors. Prices listed are sticker....More
The Lexus IS takes the No.1 slot with a satisfaction rating of 93.96%, ending the Skoda Yeti’s 3-year stint at the top of the survey. Three-quarters of all Lexus IS owners who responded own the eco-friendly hybrid version....More
BMW ranked third in last year’s survey and Daimler was eighth. Nissan and Suzuki were on the 2014 list but didn’t make the cut this year. GM squeezed in at 96th after missing the list last year while embroiled in the ignition-switch recall crisis....More
Many of Korea’s millionaires are just a generation or two removed from the days when their families lived humbly, so the supercars are one way to make a show of their elevated socioeconomic status....More
Yoon Dae-Sung, executive managing director of the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Assn., says the free-trade agreement has been beneficial, but measuring the size of its impact is difficult....More
The Bangkok Post reports Ipsos Business Consulting believes entrenched Japanese automakers will face increasing competition in Southeast Asia from the likes of General Motors and new players including Volkswagen....More
Automakers support the government subsidies but also want regulations on assembly operations eased, support for new agreements with foreign manufacturers, resumption of preferential auto lending and limits on steel exports....More
The in-vehicle experience continues to evolve rapidly, with both automakers and suppliers ramping up the rate of innovation. Here are a few thoughts on how we can bring a human touch to these connected features....More
“VW tried to keep their leadership in the market by producing cars that are very safe, since Brazil has some of the deadliest roads in the world,” analyst Mauricio Muramoto says. “But Brazilians actually want better design. That is where the market is going.”...More
Currently available only in a handful of imported premium models, Autoliv believes the take rate on the technology will increase significantly. Only 80,000 units were sold globally in 2014, primarily in the U.S., Europe and China....More
The industry expects diesel sales to rise 1% to 2% this year, aided largely by Volkswagen’s marketing efforts and the introduction of diesel versions of the Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Colorado and Nissan Titan pickups....More
The Volkswagen Touareg has been a laggard in Ward's burgeoning Middle Luxury CUV segment, selling only 6,961 units in 2014. Yes, VW is a mainstream brand, but the Touareg has skewed near-luxury based on price and premium content. The refreshed Touareg sticks with that formula and is much improved. Our AWD V-6 diesel test vehicle stickers for $60,080.
Automakers are investing heavily in lightweighting and new engine technology to improve fuel economy. But they could get a bigger bang for the buck simply by replacing batteries with supercapacitors in stop-start applications, Ioxus’ marketing chief says....More
Additional North American production capacity in 2016 from a new plant at Volkswagen and increases at existing facilities among other automakers will raise available straight-time production to 18.4 million units....More
It used to be no one got to see the new model before its big reveal. Now automakers are leaking early glimpses of future cars and trucks through spy photographers and other means. Is this a good thing?...More


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Wearable sensors or fitness-tracking bracelets, such as the Nike+ FuelBand or Fitbit Flex, are starting to go mainstream. But now, there's a new competitor in town -- the Amiigo. The team of entrepreneurs behind this new wristband claims their product is better than the others because it can automatically tell what kind of exercise you're performing.
3 Recent Stories
Fitbit has moved past the clip-on fitness tracker. At CES 2013 the company announced its Fitbit Flex -- a wearable wristband with Bluetooth 4.0 that keeps track of your workouts and sleep cycle. The slim wristband will track your steps, distance, calories burned and sleep quality. Having a wristband is a constant reminder of your fitness goals.
Here's a whole new reason to play fetch with Fido. With Tagg - The Pet Tracker, the activity tracker for dogs, you can view how much activity your pet has had in the past 24 hours and determine if he needs more or fewer walks. And just like advanced activity trackers for humans, this one can differentiate between various activities -- in this case, catching a Frisbee, rolling over or playing fetch.


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Uber celebrates National Ice Cream Day
It seems like there's a Holiday for everything, in fact every day on the calendar is reserved for something. And while National Tempura Day - (Celebrated on January 7th) may sound a little flaky, everyone can get behind National Ice Cream Day.
HONOLULU - You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream. With National Ice Cream Day coming up on Sunday, some residents got an early treat on this Aloha Friday. KITV's Maleko McDonnell shows us a unique way some keiki got to enjoy a hot summer day.
It seems like there's a Holiday for everything, in fact every day on the calendar is reserved for something. And while National Tempura Day - (Celebrated on January 7th) may sound a little flaky... EVERYONE can get behind National Ice Cream Day. Uber Hawaii's Tabatha Chow talks about a special promotion for the holiday. "This is Uber Ice Cream. This is our third year doing Uber Ice Cream here in Hawaii. It's our largest global promotion in Uber history."
Uber, The popular ride-sharing app was busy delivering a lot more than rides on Friday. National Ice Cream day actually falls on July 17th, but why wait?
These kids didn't seem to mind celebrating a little early. Chow says "Uber ice cream is really about celebrating cities and celebrating something that we all have in common. A shared love for ice cream."
The desert delivery celebration actually happens in over 400 cities and 69 countries this year. Users simply open the app on their smart phones, set their location and click on the ice cream tab. Pricing varies, but so does the delivery method. This group of Keiki got theirs via canoe. Chow explains "Definitely canoes are especially for Hawaii. We have drones in some places this year. We're delivering by land, air and sea in several cities."
Nathaniel Hall II was visiting from Los Angeles and saw the spectacle on the beach. "That sounds awesome. That means I need to be searching for this app right now. My daughter will love it. She said anything with ice cream even if she doesn't like it. If it had ice cream on the back she'll eat it." *laughing*


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FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (WWLP) — The TJX Companies, Inc., announced Thursday several actions related to its response to the rapidly changing market uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a press release sent to 22News, effective Thursday, the company is closing all of its stores in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia for two weeks.
In certain regions, including Germany, Poland, Austria, Ireland, and the Netherlands, and a number of U.S. and Canadian locations, the company had previously closed stores based on several factors, including government or health department requirements.
We know our Associates are very concerned for their health and financial well-being, and we plan to pay our store, distribution center and office Associates for two weeks during these closures.Debra McConnell, Senior Vice President, Global Communications
To further strengthen its financial position and balance sheet, and maintain financial liquidity and flexibility, the company is taking the following actions:
- Drawing down $1 billion from its revolving credit facilities.
- Suspending its share repurchase program.
- Evaluating its dividend program.
- Reviewing all operating expenses.
- Reducing capital expenditures.
The company also announced Thursday that it is withdrawing its first quarter and full-year Fiscal 2021 financial guidance given on its February 26, 2020 earnings conference call.
The company is not providing an updated outlook at this time.
As the COVID-19 pandemic is complex and evolving rapidly, the company’s plans as outlined above may change.


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BWTF sponsor Bigbadtoystore has sent us a fantastic bit of news about an upcoming exclusive figure!
Hi - We just could not wait until the next main newsletter to tell about one of the biggest pieces of news in www.bigbadtoystore.com history!
BigBadToyStore is proud to present our first ever Hasbro Exclusive: Decepticon Piranacon - G1 Commemorative Seacons!
The Seacons are available in their traditional G1 colors for the first time in over 20 years since their initial release in 1988!
This limited edition set is only available in North America from BBTS!


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Some interesting numbers in the article –
Overall, tourism has grown in Florida from about $87 billion in 2011 to about $109 billion in 2016.
According to the AANR report there are:
- 34 nudist resorts, including eight in Pasco County
- 30 naturist social clubs
- 5,100 nudist resort rooms available
- 2 million nudist room nights sold in 2016
- 22 million visitor nights
- Visitors on average stay 10 nights, with a high percentage staying a month or more
- $4.3 billion a year in direct spending by nudist visitors.
“Pasco County’s website has an online link, “Naked People Vacation Here,” at VisitPasco.net”
“They recognize that it is very important to our tourism tax here,” said Heather. But, much more could be done to promote nudist tourism”
These were all positive quotes about naturism from the full article:
Originated at source


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Upper Deck has confirmed that its newest brand, Power Play, will finally hit stores on Oct. 17. That's several weeks later than initially announced, but the product looks like it will be worth the wait.
He was a star quarterback at Arkansas and now he’s a rookie wide receiver in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Matt Jones’ cult-like following not only in football circles, but among card collectors, has created quite a buzz when it comes to his rookie cards.
Donruss/Playoff has reached an exclusive deal with the Heisman Winners Association to include more than 30 former Heisman Trophy winners in autographed insert sets releasing in 2005 and 2006 Playoff Honors Football.
Barry Bonds is back and that means one thing – HOME RUNS! 2005 Topps Baseball Series 2 featured one of the hottest insert sets of the year--Barry Bonds Homerun Highlights! And this ultimate Bonds collection continues in the upcoming
The 1927 ball being offered was truly a boy's dream come true for the 7 year old boy, Harry Lester Gates, as he recalls the thrill of talking with Babe Ruth at the very zenith of his legendary career. Here is Harry's story about getting a ball signed by the great Babe Ruth in his own words
The Upper Deck Company announced plans today to create a sports and entertainment memorabilia auction house designed to feature unique items of yesteryear and today. The auctions will be held via phone and online, with the first auction in the Spring of 2006. This new venture will be called Upper Deck Auctions.
Despite the continued financial struggles of Fleer/Skybox International LP and Fleer Collectibles, LLC, tens of thousands of redemption card holders of Fleer products are likely to get cards that are due to them.
Steiner Sports Marketing, Inc. announced today that they have partnered with the American Red Cross and will be launching an online auction on steinersports.com to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina through the sale of specially inscribed authentic memorabilia.
A remarkable collection of sports memorabilia, historical documents and items of Americana will be offered in an online auction by Geppi’s Memorabilia Road Show in October, highlighted by the Bert Padell Collection and the Weston Boxing Collection.
Native Hoosier and passionate Baseball collector George S. Hipp (1905-1983) came from a baseball loving family. His father, Grover Hipp, who played baseball for the Grover Hill team and later for the Kids & Kubs, passed on his love of America’s Pastime. Although he never played baseball himself, later in life Hipp’s interest in the sport became an obsessive hobby. Over the course of more than a decade, Hipp made it his goal to collect the signature of every living player from the dawn of Baseball through players from his time, the 1950s and 60s.
Robert Edward Auctions announces a significant new baseball card discovery:
Four previously unknown baseball cards issued in 1871 by J. A. Pierce & Company. Information about this important find follows
Collectors Universe, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLCT), a leading provider of value-added authentication and grading services to dealers and collectors of high-value collectibles, announced today its agreement with The Topps Company, Inc. (NYSE: TOPP) to authenticate single signed baseballs through a Collectors Universe division PSA/DNA Authentication Services, or PSA/DNA.
By now, collectors expect the leading Sports and Americana auction house, MastroNet, Inc. to attract the best items and deliver the best market values, especially for tried and true collectibles. But increasingly, MastroNet is becoming the venue of choice to establish a track record for unknown valuables.
The NHL and NHL Players' Association announced Wednesday that
they are joining forces to donate $1 million to the American Red Cross to assist those affected by the Hurricane Katrina disaster. In addition to the financial contribution, the League and the Players’ Association will participate in a unique auction of game-worn Opening Night jerseys to further support the fund-raising endeavor.


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Without strong and up-to-date credit card processing systems, companies of all sizes are putting their information and that of their customers at risk. Thieves and hackers that can break through a seemingly secure system can not only make fraudulent purchases, they can gain access to sensitive data that could wreak havoc on businesses and consumers.
Recent data compiled by the Nilson Report shows that global credit card fraud increased by 14 percent in 2012. Losses totaled $11.27 billion. Within those, 5.22 cents were lost per each $100, which is an increase from the 5.07 cents lost in 2011.
Perhaps a more disturbing statistic from Nilson is that a majority of the theft occurred in the United States. Specifically, 47.3 percent of global fraud happened in the U.S., yet the nation only accounted for 23.5 percent of all transactions.
"Adoption of EMV at the point of sale is the strongest defense against counterfeit cards," Nilson explained in a report about the study. "EMV adoption would not only help U.S. issuers but also issuers in other parts of the world that must continue to put mag-stripes on their cards to accommodate POS terminals in the U.S."
However, the news source added that criminals will pay money to obtain stolen mag-stripe data from EMV card countries to create fake credit cards to use in the U.S.
Organizations that want to ensure quality, secure transactions can partner with a credit card processing service. With current POS software, businesses across numerous industries will keep customers' information protected and hopefully cut down on the amount of credit card fraud.


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The most common charge added to ticket cost is $1,304.
Airlines in Hong Kong have been adding as much as $1,624 (US$207) to ticket prices after the industry regulator gave players free rein to slap fuel surcharge in late September in response to rising cost of oil, reports South China Morning Post.
Of the 84 passenger airlines flying out of Hong Kong, 36 added the fee to their ticket costs, 36 had not yet done so and the remaining 12 did not provide a breakdown of ticket costs, SCMP analysis show.
The most common charge was $1,304 per return trip with ten airlines already incorporating the charge for medium and long-haul trips.
In total, 21 airlines implemented a surcharge for long-haul destinations and 20 carriers enforced the fee for Asian routes.
“Individual airlines should be allowed to make their own commercial decisions on whether to levy a fuel surcharge. The key is to encourage competition and to ensure transparency in price display to facilitate consumers in making informed choices,” a Civil Aviation Department spokesperson told SCMP.
On the other hand, airlines that have yet to add a surcharge include British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Qantas, United Airlines, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
“If an airline wants more customers, they can drop the fuel surcharge quickly. That would offer a lot more opportunity for the industry to compete, and consumers to get more value for money,” explained Consumer Council chief executive Gilly Wong.
Photo from Edwin Leong, CC BY-SA 2.0
Do you know more about this story? Contact us anonymously through this link.


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AAC: Cold-and-flu season a good time to remind consumers about not doubling up on acetaminophen dosing
WASHINGTON — The Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition on Tuesday kicked off its annual “Double Check; Don’t Double Up” campaign, reminding consumers to double check their medicine labels to avoid doubling up on medicines with acetaminophen when treating cold and flu symptoms.
A majority of people (seven-in-10) will use over-the-counter medicines to treat their cold and flu symptoms, and many of these medicines contain acetaminophen.
Acetaminophen is found in more than 600 prescription and OTC medicines, including pain relievers, fever reducers, sleep aids and numerous cough, cold and flu medicines. It is safe and effective when used as directed, but there is a limit to how much can be safely taken in one day. The current maximum dose over a 24-hour period for adults is 4,000 milligrams. Taking more than directed is an overdose and can lead to liver damage.
“People may use a medicine to treat their cold or flu symptoms on top of a medicine they are already taking, not realizing that both might contain acetaminophen,” stated Tolu Akinwale, spokesman and registered pharmacist. “The Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition arms pharmacists with tools and resources to help us remind patients who are taking a prescription medicine with acetaminophen to also check the labels of any over-the-counter medicine they take.”
More than 50 million Americans use acetaminophen weekly. The Coalition is targeting these consumers through outreach to its member and partner networks, educational material distribution with an emphasis on retail pharmacies, and partnerships with online health information sites. Coalition members are urging cold and flu sufferers to follow four key acetaminophen safety steps:
- Always read and follow the medicine label;
- Know if medicines contain acetaminophen, which is listed on the front panel of packaging and in bold type or highlighted in the “active ingredients” section of OTC medicine labels, and sometimes listed as “APAP” or “acetam” on Rx labels;
- Never take two medicines that contain acetaminophen at the same time; and
- Ask your healthcare provider or a pharmacist if you have questions about dosing instructions or medicines that contain acetaminophen.
“Cold and flu season is a very appropriate time to remind consumers to double check their medicine labels and not double up on two medicines with acetaminophen at the same time,” commented Emily Skor, executive director of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Educational Foundation, a founding organization of the Coalition. “Educating consumers on safe acetaminophen use allows them to safely get the relief they are seeking from this important pain reliever.”
The AAC is a group of leading health, healthcare provider and consumer organizations. The Coalition formed the Know Your Dose campaign to educate consumers about safe acetaminophen use in order to prevent liver damage.
Gryphon Investors acquires majority stake in C. B. Fleet Co.
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Gryphon Investors, a San Francisco-based middle market private equity firm, announced Monday that it has acquired a majority stake in C. B. Fleet Co. Fleet’s management team, along with several additional investors, will hold minority stakes alongside Gryphon.
Fleet Labs, headquartered in Lynchburg, Va., and family-owned since its founding in 1869, operates in the personal healthcare and over-the-counter industry with product lines including Summer’s Eve, Fleet, Norforms, Pedia-Lax, Phazyme and Boudreaux’s. The company has a presence in North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Fleet Laboratories has a commanding position in the OTC and personal healthcare product areas, which we have closely followed for several years," stated Dennis O'Brien, a partner at Gryphon. "We believe the OTC sector is poised for continued expansion as consumers migrate toward more economical non-prescription products and that Fleet has unique and differentiated capabilities to serve these markets. Additionally, the company’s strong brand advantage in the personal healthcare segment under the leading feminine hygiene brand, Summer’s Eve, is a springboard for strong future growth.”
As part of the transaction, Steve LaMonte, a Gryphon advisor and a senior executive in both OTC and personal healthcare businesses who has held leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Schering-Plough, will become chairman of the board. CEO Jeff Rowan and the existing management team will remain with the company.
"Fleet Laboratories has a long history of innovation and responsiveness to customer needs, which is coupled with a growing acceptance and awareness of OTC and personal healthcare products among consumers, resulting in a well-run company with a bright future," commented Keith Stimson, also a Gryphon partner. "We welcome Jeff and his team and look forward to working with them on the growth initiatives that will allow Fleet to continue to deliver exceptional results and reach its full potential as a leading player in its industries. Fleet Laboratories is a true platform that provides an excellent opportunity from which to make numerous add-on acquisitions in desirable categories.”
Houlihan Lokey acted as exclusive financial advisor to Gryphon and TM Capital acted as exclusive financial advisor to Fleet on the transaction. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Gryphon and Hunton & Williams and Edmunds & Williams were the legal advisors to Fleet Labs.
NADDI: NPLEx curbing homegrown methamphetamine production in Alabama
LUTHERVILLE, Md. — The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators on Friday highlighted the latest results achieved by Alabama's real-time, stop-sale pseudoephedrine tracking system.
The National Precursor Log Exchange system automatically blocks unlawful pseudoephedrine purchases at the point of sale, and helps flag meth suspects for law enforcement. Police officers and narcotics agents often set up NPLEx "watch lists" that notify them via email when a meth suspect attempts to make a PSE purchase. The most recent NPLEx data show that in Alabama, the technology has blocked the sale of 56,050 boxes of medicine containing pseudoephedrine since the start of 2014, keeping 138,225 grams out of the hands of potential meth criminals.
Additionally, Alabama sold 15% fewer boxes of PSE compared to the same period in 2013. The number of individual purchasers was further reduced by 12.5%.
Alabama's NPLEx system works in concert with the state's drug offender block list, which prohibits drug offenders from being able to purchase PSE-based medicines. Together, the technologies have helped produce a decline in meth labs across the state — from 720 in 2010 to 154 at the end of 2013. That progress is ongoing.
"Alabama is stepping up efforts to take the fight directly to meth criminals, and NPLEx is proving to be an integral part of that," said Charles Cichon, executive director of NADDI. "With a strong foundation provided by tough anti-meth laws, the state has already made some great gains in this battle. These NPLEx numbers show meth cooks and their associates are taking notice. As NPLEx helps Alabama law enforcement officials curb domestic methamphetamine production, they will be able to focus further on the even greater threat of imported meth from Mexico."
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in the NewsCorrugated recovered for recycling hits all-time high of 93% in 2015 Expanded Panama Canal open for business but questions linger on its ability to be a game changer Brexit impact yet to be measured by U.S. logistics managers Behind KION Group’s acquisition of Dematic UniCarriers Americas executives partner with Roosevelt University More News
As noted in toay’s news section, small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) engaged in global business reported the most success exporting to Canada, Mexico, the UK and Australia – countries with which the U.S. either has free trade agreements or bilateral trade relations.
In contrast, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of SMB exporters say they have not had success exporting to the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) in the past 10 years. There are no U.S. free trade agreements with these nations.
We agree with Laurel Delaney, owner of the small-business consulting firm Global TradeSource, Ltd., who says it might seem “counterintuitive” for small businesses to expand internationally with the economic challenges in the U.S., but now is the time for calculated risk.
She maintains that by connecting with companies that have already been successful exporting, companies new to the process can realize the benefits of engaging in global trade a lot faster.
“The simplest way for SMBs to find a successful exporting lead is good old-fashioned word-of-mouth coupled with a great company website,” advises Delaney.Logistics Management December 28, 2011
About the AuthorPatrick Burnson Patrick Burnson is executive editor for Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review magazines and web sites. Patrick is a widely-published writer and editor who has spent most of his career covering international trade, global logistics, and supply chain management. He lives and works in San Francisco, providing readers with a Pacific Rim perspective on industry trends and forecasts. You can reach him directly at [email protected]
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San Antonio Mr. C’s Fried Chicken and Waffles Comfort Food Restaurant Opens New Location Near UTSA
Tuesday August 10, 2021
By Nina Rangel on Tue 10 Aug 2021 To 11:23
Mr. C’s Fried Chicken and Waffles has expanded its mini Southern Comfort Food Empire with a new location near the University of Texas at San Antonio.
With the opening of the spot at 6819 N. Loop 1604 West, the local chain now has three locations. The new outpost began serving cookies and gravy, fried green tomatoes and, of course, fried chicken and waffles on Monday, August 9, according to an Instagram post.
Initially, the new store will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to the Instagram post.
Mr. C’s other two additional locations are at 7907 W. Loop 1604 North and 9390 Huebner Road.
So many restaurants, so little time. Discover the latest culinary news from San Antonio with our Flavor Friday newsletter.


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CCTV is interviewing Eagle Brother: To announce a strong voice for the way to grow stronger.
15 DEC, CCTV – the official news platform of China is broadcasting the TV program ‘ China Brands’ in the economy channel.
According to the related information, ‘ 2019 China Brands’ is an important TV serial of ‘Brands make china better’. This ceremony is the collective work of famous Chinese brands and enterprises. The CCTV directors, experts from different associations, national wisdom conference members and public individuals of economy consist of the committee and choose significant brands from different industry. Demonstrating the efforts and exploring of 70 years.
Eagle brother is one of the only 2 companies from Shenzhen that been interviewed by CCTV, become one of the nominators of ‘ Brands of China TV Program’ Eagle Brother was established in 2015. She is one of the enterprises who have the capability to design and manufacture quad-drone and helicopter. It’s becoming an international, large-scale enterprise with couples of centres. It focuses on motivating global economy and modern agriculture. Eagle Brother won top 20 investible enterprises, national high tech enterprise, scientists work station of UAV, a national top 10 agricultural UAV, China top 10 brands and top 10 precise agriculture company.
Eagle Brother director of branding – Jin Sui
The way of growing stronger is demonstrated in Brand development. the typical enterprise of national branding spirit. Enhance the motivation to promote the core competent building. Highlight the meaning of national branding.


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Accused Shoplifter ID'd By Using Real ID
A daughter convinced her mom to steal about $70 worth of baby items from Walmart then return them for store credit where they had to show their driver's licenses.
Police say a mother-daughter duo stole baby items from Walmart and then used their real driver's licenses as ID when they returned the stolen goods for store credit.
Toni Braaten, 22, of Racine, was charged Friday in Racine County Circuit Court with one count of midemeanor retail theft, repeater and one felony charge of bail jumping, repeater. If convicted of both charges, she faces up to six years, nine months in jail and/or up to $20,000 in fines. Because she is considered a repeat offender, Braaten could get extra jail time added to her sentence.
According to the criminal complaint, Mount Pleasant Police were called to Walmart, 3049 Oakes Road, at 2:25 p.m. Thursday for reports of retail theft. When officers arrived, they spoke with store security who said Braaten and her mother, Leslie Shilts, were observed on video walking to the infants section of the store and taking two items and placing them in plastic bags.
Officers say the women took the items to customer service and returned them for store credit in the amount of $81.28 which they then used to buy groceries for $61.81. They exited the store and drove away in a black pick-up truck.
Because Braaten and Shilts were required to show their driver's licenses to receive store credit for the baby items, police say they were able to locate both women at Shilts' Racine address. When questioned, officers report that Braaten and Shilts admitted their roles in the scam both at Schilts' home and again at MPPD, saying Braaten got the idea from her boyfriend.
Braaten remains at the Racine County Jail on a $750.00 cash bond. She will have her next Racine County court appearance on Feb. 6 before Court Commissioner Alice A. Rudebusch. She is also scheduled to appear in Sheboygan County Circuit Court on March 6 for a plea hearing stemming from charges filed in October for disorderly conduct and escape-criminal arrest.
Court records do not indicate any charges pending against Shilts.


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USDA will buy another $1.5 billion of food to continue the Farmers to Families Food Box program, the department has announced.
Through funding available in the COVID relief bill passed in December, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said USDA will be able to issue solicitations to 240 organizations that have already received Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs).
So far, the program has resulted in delivery of more than 132 million food boxes nationwide. The latest cash infusion will bring the total spent on the program to more than $5 billion.
“This new round of Farmers to Families Food Boxes will go a long way in helping American families access nutritious and healthy meals as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said.
Interested in more coverage and insights? Receive a free month of Agri-Pulse West.
USDA said in this fifth round of purchases will again include combination boxes “to ensure all involved recipient organizations have access to fresh produce, dairy products, fluid milk and meat products.” Seafood products also will be part of the latest round.
USDA said it will issue an amendment to the BOA “to clarify the amount of acceptable processed meat products, to include seafood products and to clarify certain labeling requirements.”
“Solicitations to existing BOA holders are expected to be issued by the end of the week, with contract awards expected to be made by Jan. 19,” USDA said. “Deliveries will begin shortly after awards are issued and continue through the end of April.”
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.


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The long and anticipated wait for Circa Sports to hit Illinois is over.
The legal sports betting online and retail sportsbook went live on Friday at 1 p.m. ET, just in time for a busy weekend slate of college football and NFL action.
The launch of Circa, a popular brand in Las Vegas, comes after a long road that began in May 2022 when the operator applied for a betting license in Illinois. It ultimately took until April 2023 to receive approval to operate.
“The debut of Circa Sports Illinois is a tremendous moment for our company, and we are thrilled to have worked with this great state and Full House Resorts to bring the expansion to life,” said Circa owner Derek Stevens. “There’s nothing like a Midwest sports fan and we know our product matches up with what they are looking for in a betting experience.”
The plan was to launch in August, but Circa and partner Fun House Entertainment had to wait for American Place’s “The Temporary” to pass a probation period before the brick-and-mortar shop could open for business, thus also clearing the way for wagering on its online betting site.
Circa's brand expands
Circa currently runs six Nevada sportsbooks, including one of the most popular operations on the strip at Circa Resort & Casino. It also has sportsbooks at The D and Golden Gate Casino. Circa branched out to Legends Bay in Northern Nevada last year and currently operates online in both Colorado and Iowa.
On Thursday, Circa Sports also announced a licensing agreement with ECL Corbin, LLC to begin operating its mobile site in Kentucky through Cumberland Run harness track and The Mint Gaming Hall, giving Circa its fifth market.
A sportsbook that prides itself on giving bettors a customer-first approach, a user-friendly interface, and accepting wagers on a wide variety of markets, Circa also runs the wildly popular Million and Survivor football contests.
Land of Lincoln competition
Entering the sixth-largest state in the country and one of the leading sports betting markets marks a significant achievement for Circa, which is also eyeing Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio as potential markets.
Illinois could be a great test for expansion as there is plenty of established competition in the Land of Lincoln. Circa faces plenty of competition from FanDuel, DraftKings, PointsBet, BetMGM, Caesars, Barstool Sportsbook, and BetRivers.
Illinois sports betting has produced more than $2 billion of revenue for operators since wagering began in 2020. The Land of Lincoln took in a handle of $611.4 million in July.
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In the Vremena Goda shopping center on Kutuzovsky Prospekt in Moscow, a pipe burst, from which boiling water gushed. Four people died as a result of the accident. Initially, the city media reported one dead, but later the number of victims increased.
“The tragedy in the shopping center claimed the lives of three more people. Condolences to family and friends. Rescuers continue to work, ”wrote the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, on Telegram.
Pipe burst and ammonia leak
According to Shot, all four of the victims worked at the Globus Gourmet store. The grocery store is located on the minus first floor. Rescuers have already removed the bodies of the victims.
In total, about 70 people were injured due to a pipe rupture, said a source of the Moskva agency familiar with the situation.
Due to pouring water, about 20 people were blocked inside the shopping center. The Moskva agency, citing emergency services, reported that they were “in a safe room.” By now, these people have already left the building. Telegram channel Mash also reported that the smell of ammonia was heard on the second floor. According to the preliminary version, there was a leak from the refrigerators.
City services are working to eliminate the consequences of a pipe burst.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Western Administrative District took control of the investigation into the circumstances and causes of the incident. On the spot, the work of law enforcement agencies is coordinated by the first deputy prosecutor of the Western Administrative District, Soslan Khubulov.
The Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for Moscow opened a case under the article “Provision of services that do not meet safety requirements, resulting in the death of two or more persons through negligence”.
What eyewitnesses say
As one of the eyewitnesses told TASS, no one announced the evacuation at Vremena Goda.
“There was no signal about the evacuation. Many learned about what happened from the news, ”the source said.
An employee of the shopping center named Vlada also assures that for half an hour employees and visitors were not informed in any way about the danger threatening them. According to the girl, she worked on the third floor of the building and learned about the state of emergency from a relative.
“There was no alarm, there was no sound, there was no publicity.
Everyone was calm for the first thirty minutes. I myself learned about this from the news that my sister sent me. She knew that I was working (in the shopping center – Gazeta). And then I just went downstairs to see what was happening. Hot steam rose from the escalators,” Vlada Shot said.
She clarified that after that she immediately went down to the ground floor, where there were already quite a large number of people. However, no one was evacuated from the building.
“We stood for twenty minutes. And I wondered why no one was evacuating us.
Because it’s not normal,” the Muscovite concluded.
Another eyewitness told the Baza Telegram channel that they tried to force the cleaners of the shopping center to remove boiling water from the floor with mops, while the guards did not know how to behave in such a situation.
“I ran and saw the scalded legs of my friends,” she said.
How the shopping center reacted
The shopping center administration issued a commentary on the emergency, indicating that “an evacuation and emergency assistance to employees and visitors was immediately organized”, emergency services also promptly arrived at the scene. Vremena Goda continues to “provide maximum assistance to emergency services.”
“On behalf of the mall, we offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
All the victims are now receiving timely medical assistance, ”the press service quotes the words of the CEO of Vremen Goda, Lilit Adibekyan.
The Vremena Goda Gallery was opened in 2007. The area of the building is more than 32 thousand square meters. m. The shopping center occupies six floors.“They fell into boiling water”: how the guests of the Perm hostel died


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Today Forza Horizon 4 developer Playground Games and Microsoft released a new large chunk of gameplay for the upcoming racing game.
As we saw in the collection of previous gameplay snippets and livestreams for Forza Horizon 4, the focus on a new weather system is really important this time around.
In addition to the new weather effects and their impact on races, we also get a really close-up tour of the city of Edinburgh. The city will play a crucial role in Forza Horizon 4. With certain areas from the rest of Great Britain featuring in the game as well. The dev team is working really hard to not only include famous landmarks from around the area, but to ensure that the appearance and layout of the various areas in the game is faithfully represented. It’s all paying off really well judging from the trailers and other previews we’ve seen. Although this does mean some sacrifices had to be made. The massive London landscape is absent from the game because it’s simply too big and complex to accurately recreate in Forza Horizon 4. So we’ll just have to do without London this time around.
The video also showcased on the soundtrack and on the recording for the McLaren Senna cover car, alongside the Team Adventure online co-op feature.
And new expanded co-op content isn’t the only thing being added in Forza Horizon 4, there’s also a new way for players to earn in-game cash to spend on new rides. Players can run rental businesses and other properties to make money that they can then use to purchase new cars to cruise around in.
Forza Horizon 4 launches on October 2nd for Xbox One and Windows 10. You can check out the full Spring stream video down below.


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Marks & Spencer 's Irish operations have been hit hard by the VAT hike, with sales dropping in the first three months of the year
May 11 2012
The VAT hike has negatively affected sales in M&S
Marks & Spencer CEO Marc Bolland has told investors that the recent VAT hike hit sales in its Irish operations "hard".
The Irish Independent reports Bolland said “Ireland went back in the quarter."
Overall group sales for the British retailer also missed analysts’ forecasts moreover, with like-for-like sales dropping 0.7% in the three months to March, despite the market expecting a 0.2% increase.
Supply issues reportedly hampered M&S ability to meet demand within its clothing department.
Meanwhile in the Republic of Ireland where M&S has 21 stores, finance chief Alan Stewart said the VAT rise caused consumer sentiment to “take a turn for the worse”.
“Prior to that, Ireland had shown probably three or four months of certainly flat if not a mild recovery,” he said.
Yet he added that based on the group’s previous experiences, VAT impacts usually remain for “two or three quarters” but then become “part of usual business”.
The group’s executives made these comments just one week after generously announcing that over 3,000 Marks & Spencer staff would receive a pay rise worth €700 a year each, despite recording lower sales.
A 2.5% wage increase for the entire workforce worth €2 million was announced by the chain last month, after Mandate put in a claim in 2011.
Mandate said the pay rise, the first it has won for staff in the retail sector since 2009, should be awarded to employees for co-operating with the introduction of new technology and to help them cope with the rising cost of living.
It added that it hoped this would “set a precedent for the sector."
M&S has also impressed Irish customers by launching a localized Irish website, where over 10,000 homeware and clothing items are available for home delivery, although groceries are not. This forms part of a strategy to “become a leading international, multi-channel retailer.”


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Los Angeles ranked 4th best city for foodies
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Food lovers in Los Angeles have much to savor Tuesday, as the city was ranked the fourth best in the country for foodies by the personal finance website WalletHub.
The Best Foodie Cities in America list compared more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities across 24 key metrics. The rankings also expanded upon what a "foodie'' is beyond just a person who enjoys gourmet dining to include those who enjoy food that is affordable or purchased at the grocery store.
"But foodie culture isn't limited to restaurants. More importantly, far fewer than the many who claim to be foodies truly deserve the label,'' WalletHub wrote.
Los Angeles ranked first in the affordability and accessibility of highly rated restaurants, third in gourmet specialty-food stores per capita, fifth in coffee and tea shops per capita, eighth in the number of restaurants per capita, and 70th in craft breweries and wineries per capita.
San Francisco was ranked first on the list overall, followed by Portland and New York. California cities ranking in the top 50 included San Diego (ninth), Sacramento (15th), Oakland (22nd), Long Beach (41st), San Jose (42nd) and Santa Ana (47th).
The full report can be found at https://wallethub.com/edu/best-foodie-cities/7522/.
Copyright 2017 FOX 11 Los Angeles: Download our mobile app for breaking news alerts or to watch FOX 11 News | Follow us on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram and YouTube.


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Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah — GRA boss
The Ghana Revenue Authority has closed down five shopping centres in Accra over failure to integrate their value-added tax (VAT) invoices into the authority’s newly deployed electronic (e) invoicing system.
In an exercise to enforce compliance yesterday[October 11, 2022], the GRA’s tax force closed down four branches of Palace Mall and one branch of China Mall for noncompliance with the GRA’s directive to comply before October 1, 2022.
The four branched are the Labone, Spintex, Madina and Weija branches of the Palace Mall.
The authority had earlier closed down some branches of the China Mall.
The defaulting centres are part of about 50 retail centres selected by the GRA to pilot the implementation of the Electronic VAT system which began in October 1, 2022.
The Electronic VAT system began on October 1, 2022 as a measure to help it block revenue loopholes.
The implementation of the e-VAT invoicing system, was also to enable GRA to counter the various malpractices that the GRA said were denying the state billions of cedis in tax revenue.
The Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations at the Domestic Tax Revenue Division, Kwasi Eghan, explained that closing down was the authority’s last resort.
He urged the firms yet to integrate their system to ensure compliance before the end of this week.
He noted that by the end of 2023, 600 additional tax payers would be enrolled unto the certified invoice system.
Mr Egyan added that by 2024, all tax payers would have been fully integrated unto the platform.


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By Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India
The smartphone industry is evolving at breakneck speed. One moment, there is swelling anticipation around a new product, the next moment it is paving the way for a bigger, better feature-led innovation. The biggest shift in innovation and features is being witnessed at the entry and mid-budget smartphone segments. We take a look at five trends that will shape affordable smartphone market in 2020.
Modern consumer that says bigger is better: Even the category consumers of the modern Tier 2 and Tier 3 India are increasingly switching to their smartphones to view movies, videos, sports and play games. To cater to this trend, smartphones screens will grow bigger, taller with most screens at 6.5-inch size or beyond. These screens, because of their mobile viewing ability, need to ensure they are bright enough in daylight to provide smooth viewing experience.
Thin Bezel and Dot-In display: Smartphone makers are ensuring to provide dot-in display (commonly known as punch hole display) with really thin bezels to customers even at the entry and mid-budget segments. And this ubiquitous adoption of the feature seeks to make this one of the prominent trends of 2020 and make true full-view display a real possibility for all. The aesthetic factors that determine modern-day smartphone usage demand fluid, uninterrupted viewing, thus giving way to the pop-up concept. This is expected to set the trend in multiple avatars—a motorised pop-up selfie camera, rotational rear camera, or a slider.
Powerful battery with fast charging: Focus is now on larger, more powerful batteries and charging ability that can power phones at the snap of a finger. In 2020, more and more entry-level and budget smartphones will witness the introduction of 6000 mAh battery with fast charging.
Advent of the quad-camera: In 2019, new smartphones saw the rise of triple cameras in affordable segment. In the coming year, camera performance will be notched up further with the quad-camera set-up that was limited to premium or high-end smartphones will become popular in budget smartphones. The quad set-up will also focus on higher pixels, zoom, depth of focus and wide angle to provide a DSLR-like holistic photographic experience to consumers as well as enhanced performance under low-light conditions.
Improved AI experience: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to find enhanced and sharpened application in smartphones. From photography to user interface, the role of AI will evolve to provide smart, optimised and efficient user experience. And with the adoption and application in the entry level and mid-affordable segment, it is set to emerge as a potent trend that will guide the evolution of budget smartphone industry in the future.
The writer is CEO, Transsion India