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If you have not yet seen a shiny, red Wilson truck parked outside your favourite grocery store this weekend, you likely will soon. It will be easy to spot the 10 pickup trucks with banners and volunteers poised outside stores such as Sobey’s, Superstore, Extra Foods, Save On Foods and Safeway collecting food and money donations for the 2012 Christmas Food Drive.
From 1 to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, approximately 600 volunteers will work on rotating shifts to collect and transport thousands of pounds of canned and dried goods. Executive Director of the Fort McMurray Food Bank, Arianna Johnson, says these donations make up 33% of the food bank’s non-perishable food stocks for the year.
Johnson says this food drive is “vital” to the organization, asserting that the food collected this weekend lasts them until summer when people tend to donate less often. She also said that traditionally they have raised more than 50% of the money for their annual operating budget during this drive.
Volunteers at each location will be handing out 25 versions of shopping lists with five different items on each list. “This is to help people donate in a way which is really meaningful. While chocolate bars are nice, we want our kids to go to school feeling full and learning well and parents to go to work and have energy to get through the day.”
People are also welcome to bring food items from home, says Johnson. Examples of much-needed items include canned vegetables, peanut-free school snacks, cooking oil, sugar, flour, rolled oats and canned meats.
Once the items are collected this weekend, the Fort McMurray Food Bank has a high need for volunteers until Dec. 21 to help sort the items by type and by expiry date.
Originally initiated by Syncrude, the fundraiser kicked off on Thursday with corporate challenges, sponsored by Country 93.3 and Rock 97.9, when companies called in and pledged a dollar amount. For example, Johnson recalls last year ESS Compass donated $6,000, which resulted in them buying $500 worth of frozen chicken each month for a year.
Johnson says these types of donations are essential because it allows the centre to then spend money throughout the year on fresh milk, bread, vegetables and other perishables which are required to give the families who visit the food bank a wholesome diet. On average the centre serves five families a day.
Managing 600 volunteers can be a bit hectic, says Johnson with a smile, but she says she has a lot of confidence in the team and the communication system they have set up for the weekend.
She is also grateful for the on-going support and generosity from the community and for the two new locations that have been added this year. “We are very excited to be at MacDonald Island Park and Family Foods in Gregoire, and also to be back at Walmart too because people there tend to donate hygiene and baby products.
“When people come to the food bank, they are looking for everything you would get at a grocery store, so we do need laundry soap and these kinds of items too.”
Johnson explains that many people like to allocate their monetary donations specifically to food, but that “limits the food bank in a way because we have rent and staff to pay.” Financial donations can be made in person or through pay pal online at www.woodbuffalofoodbank.com. The website also lists upcoming fundraisers and volunteer opportunities.


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Mainers defended their claim that the whoopie pie was invented here and not in Pennsylvania when it was named the state “treat” in a 2011 compromise that also saw wild blueberry pie deemed the official “dessert.”
A new battle may be brewing as the No. 2 Democrat in the Maine Senate launches an effort to establish the lobster roll as the state sandwich. It stirs several issues, including that the lobster roll was invented in Connecticut in 1929. One potential contender, the Italian sandwich, was invented in Portland in 1899 by Italian baker Giovanni Amato as a staple sold to construction workers and now at convenience stores and sandwich shops bearing Amato’s name.
Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, proposed the sandwich bill at the request of a constituent who felt it worthy of discussion given the challenges the lobster industry has experienced this year, a spokesperson said. The Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library found no similar attempt to establish a state sandwich since 1985. A student-backed bill naming the lobster the “state crustacean” passed in 2016.
Amato’s owner was not immediately available for comment, but both sandwiches are sold at Leavitt & Sons Deli locations in Portland and Falmouth. While owner Pete Leavitt sees the Italian as a success story, ham, cheese, tomatoes and other ingredients aren’t traditional Maine foods.
“Lobster is known as a Maine good. This is where the quality comes from,” Leavitt said. “No one ever advertises ‘lobster from Connecticut.’”
The lobster meat on the Connecticut version is served warm compared with being served cold in Maine, which Leavitt finds “sort of weird.” He serves cold chunks of lobster with high-quality mayonnaise on a toasted bun.
Dore Douty, co-owner of Douty Brothers Seafood, a wholesale and processing company in Portland, said she sees how the lobster roll-Italian debate could be a tossup, but given that job and another as a manager at McLoons Lobster Shack in South Thomaston, she has to pick the lobster roll.
“It’s the most popular item in the summer for tourists, so it makes sense,” she said.
McLoons, like other lobster roll sellers, saw record prices this year at $24.95 per sandwich, up from $16.95 last year. For Douty, meat is the key to the best roll. McLoons uses fresh tail, knuckle and claw meat from new-shell lobsters. It swipes a split top roll inside with a little bit of mayonnaise, fills it with steamed lobster and then drizzles some butter on top. While others may add celery or other ingredients, McLoons stays with the basics.
Deborah Gagnon, owner of Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, said naming the lobster roll the state sandwich will support fishermen and women, like those in her family.
Vitelli’s proposal must be approved by a 10-member panel of legislative leaders to advance to the 2022 legislative session. She sits on the Legislative Council alongside five other Democrats and four Republicans. The panel will meet on Oct. 25 to consider 330 proposals from lawmakers.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of Democrats on the Legislative Council.

domain: news


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While many McDonald's employees are protesting their low-wages and demanding $15-an-hour pay, the fast-food company is advising them how to spend their disposable income this holiday season.
According to NBC News, McDonald's reprinted Emily Post's End of Summer Tipping Guide" on its employee outreach website. The guide offered suggestions as to how much McDonald's minimum-wage employees should tip their "regular caddy," "tennis or golf pro" and "pool cleaner."
It also suggested that McDonald's employees tip their "dock attendant" between $20 and $50 for his or her services.
At the same time, protesting McDonald's employees in Miami Beach staged a rap-battle in which one employee, David Perez, engaged in a war of words with men dressed as Ronald McDonald and the Burger King.
Organizers said the protests occurred in 100 cities. It was mostly organized by the Service Employees International Union with help from other groups.
According to the event's coordinator, Muhammed Malik, "David Perez beat the Goliath fast-food corporations in a rap-battle, which I think foreshadows real worker victories down the road. Across the country, workers are rising up in Walmart megastores and fast-food restaurants, demanding a living wage and respect - and they, just like David, will win."
Watch the entire rap-battle below.


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U.S. farmers are facing a changing scenario this year. From wet conditions impeding planting in 2020, to now drought concerns creeping in, one analyst thinks weather could be a major market mover in 2021.
Trade seems to be taking a back seat in Washington. From COVID-19 recovery to a focus on climate, other issues are taking priority in the new White House. That's not stopping ag groups from pushing for key trade deals.


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Posted March 8, 2016
This weekly brief highlights the latest threat intelligence news to provide insight into the latest threats to various industries.
“Healthcare cybersecurity must improve, as organizations average about one healthcare cyber attack per month, according to a recent Ponemon survey.
In The State of Cybersecurity in Healthcare Organizations in 2016, Ponemon also found that 48 percent of those surveyed said their organizations have experienced an incident involving the loss or exposure of patient information during the last year. However, only half of respondents also said that their organization currently has an incident response plan in place.”
“Network traffic encrypted using an RSA-based SSL certificate may be decrypted if enough SSLv2 handshake data can be collected. This is known as the “DROWN” attack in the media.
According to the researcher, “DROWN” is a new form of cross-protocol Bleichenbacher padding oracle attack. An attacker using “DROWN” may obtain the session key from a vulnerable server supporting SSLv2 and use it to decrypt any traffic encrypted using the shared certificate.”
– US Cert
Legal and Regulation
“The Internal Revenue Service today issued an alert to payroll and human resources professionals to beware of an emerging phishing email scheme that purports to be from company executives and requests personal information on employees.
The IRS has learned this scheme — part of the surge in phishing emails seen this year — already has claimed several victims as payroll and human resources offices mistakenly email payroll data including Forms W-2 that contain Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information to cybercriminals posing as company executives.”
“A number of credit unions say they have experienced an unusually high level of debit card fraud from the breach at nationwide fast food chain Wendy’s, and that the losses so far eclipse those that came in the wake of huge card breaches at Target and Home Depot.
As first noted on this blog in January, Wendy’s is investigating a pattern of unusual card activity at some stores. In a preliminary 2015 annual report, Wendy’s confirmed that malware designed to steal card data was found on some systems. The company says it doesn’t yet know the extent of the breach or how many customers may have been impacted.”
“According to a series of chat messages posted in one of ISIS’ private Telegram group chats, Newsweek is reporting that ISIS’ cyber troops wanted to take down Google, defaced a website, and then bragged about it like they’ve really hacked the Mountain View company.
What the hackers didn’t know is that the Google website they hacked wasn’t one of the company’s smaller services, wasn’t even an official Google subdomain, but a puny Indian-based SEO company that just happened to use the word “Google” in their domain.”
“The Pentagon is looking for a few good computer hackers.
Screened high-tech specialists will be brought in to try to breach the Defense Department’s public Internet pages in a pilot program aimed at finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
According to the Pentagon, it is the first time the federal government has undertaken a program with outsiders attempting to breach the networks. Large companies have done similar things.”


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First published on Blogwatch.ph
Is Sen. Edgardo Angara being alarmist when he warned of a looming food crisis? Or is there a grain of truth in it?
Last week, Angara called on the Aquino government to act on a looming food price hikes in light of the rising prices of oil products allegedly spurred by the ongoing unrest in the North African and Middle East countries.
But the Palace downplayed the alarm, insisting that there is no food crisis at the moment. The government said though that President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will meet top officials of the National Food Authority (NFA) and the agriculture department upon his return from the Indonesia and Singapore trip.
Someone should have told the President and the DTI that the prices of almost all basic goods – from bread to rice and vegetables – have unusually increased several times since the start of the year despite stable supply.
In the latest round of food price hikes, prices of loaf bread increased by P2 last March 7 while vegetable prices recently spiked alongside non-stop oil price hikes. Even processed meat has joined the price hike bandwagon. Meanwhile, sugar (refined) remains steeply priced at around P65 per kilo.
Put this barrage of price hikes side by side with stagnant wages and dismal employment situation, and we’ll more or less see how panic buying, as what the DTI has forecast, can be close to impossible. How can the majority of Filipinos resort to panic-buying when they barely have anything to spend on? As it appears, the problem with the Aquino government’s diagnosis of the food situation is its penchant to focus on the supply side even without taking into account the wages of Filipinos.
After all, the problem boils down to food accessibility. When you have 45 percent of the population living on $2 a day, any price hike will certainly hurt. Sadly, the Aquino government plays blind to this as it uses to the new poverty yardstick, which ridiculously pegs the tolerable standard of living at just P46 per person per day.
Another reason why Aquino should not belittle the current food price hikes is the fact that global prices of food commodities have sharply risen since late last year. Based on the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) world food price index, current food prices are the highest in 20 years, even higher than the levels during the 2008 world food crisis which sparked food riots across the globe.
Such upsurge in global food prices lays down the context of the continuing unrest in North African and Middle East countries. Soaring commodity prices, aside from unemployment, were the primary drivers for the mass protests rocking the Arab world. In Egypt for instance, commodity prices increased by a whopping 17 percent. This is what mainstream reportage has often missed out, as it zoomed in on the violent stream of events in many parts of the region.
It should be noted however that global food prices are surging not primarily due to supply and demand problems, as what mainstream economists are insisting. The FAO itself said that there is no significant change in the global food supply and demand at the moment. The recent spikes in global food prices are actually chiefly caused by intensified speculation of the Wall Street and other banks. After speculating on various industries and sectors, financial oligarchs are now shifting to food commodity speculation in their drive to extract more profits.
So why should the Aquino government be concerned? Any drastic food price adjustment can potentially affect local prices since agricultural trade is liberalized. Should the price of rice in the world market for instance scale up, Filipinos could be hardly hit as our country is the world’s biggest rice importer, thanks to the neoliberal policies of past and present regimes. From heavy import dependence to widescale conversion of farmlands, the neoliberal project in agriculture has only exposed the country to greater peril.
The country’s vulnerability to food price shocks is even magnified by the policies of the Aquino government. Even if the National Land Use Act (a priority bill of the Aquino administration) is not yet legislated, massive conversion of farmlands into agro-industrial plantations and residential areas are already being undertaken. For instance, President Aquino boasted last year of the conversion of 11,000 hectares of land in Isabela into a bioethanol plantation after his trip to Japan. The target area is roughly equal to the size of Manila, Pasig City and Kalookan City combined, and will displace hundreds of farmers from their lands.
In Aurora, hundreds more farmers will be evicted as the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) will be established on 13,000 hectares of land, including prime agricultural lands. Ironically, this project is actively being pushed by Sen. Angara, who has warned the government of a food crisis.
Alarmingly, President Aquino is also hinting at abolishing the NFA, supposedly the agency that will ensure that rice will be accessible to the poor. The plan came out as the government highlighted the P177 billion debt incurred by the agency, which is by the way the result of over-importing. As voiced out by militant groups, such move will not solve the problem – it will instead make poor Filipinos vulnerable to price shocks.
Obviously, there is an urgent need for the government to focus on agricultural self-sufficiency through genuine land reform rather than subscribe to the discredited mantra of agricultural trade liberalization. Unless the Aquino government pursues this policy change in agriculture, we will always be caught flat-footed in the face of a food price tsunami. #


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Harris Teeter announces new lower prices throughout the store – but could changes to its generous coupon policy be the catch?
Coupons In The News
A store manager is sentenced for fraud, for making her employees accept her invalid coupons.
General Mills completely reverses its controversial new legal terms, which would have barred coupon users and newsletter subscribers from suing the company.
General Mills outrages couponers with a quiet update to its legal policy, saying you can’t sue them if you download their coupons.
A new study finds that many couponers are overwhelmed, and want high-tech help to sort through all of the offers available out there.
A Target cashier in Ohio is sentenced for her role in an elaborate scam, that saw her overriding nearly $24,000 in fraudulent coupons.
Well, that’s a waste of paper! A new report shows just how many coupons we print at home, but never even use.
A federal appeals court reinstates a lawsuit involving the now-defunct Coupon Network printable coupon site.
A Tennessee woman faces criminal charges, after allegedly failing to cover her tracks while using stacks of counterfeit coupons at Walmart.
If you’ve ever been perplexed at a Toys “R” Us coupon, you’re not alone. Now the store wants to change that perception, before it’s too late.


text: One might expect a package store to be on the lookout for minors using fake IDs, but few people would expect minors to bust a package store for selling alcohol to them. But in Connecticut, students do exactly that. This year, as of mid-August, students have gone undercover and completed 412 compliance checks, with 97 resulting in a bust. And there are more checks scheduled for the remainder of the year. “We train, transport, and give students everything they need to go undercover, and we still have about a 25 percent rate of stores selling to minors,” said Rachel Bruno, the state coordinator for Students Against Destructive Decisions, or SADD.


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Twitter has responded to users' requests and is bringing private group messaging and "mobile video camera" to its platform.
Showing results 1 to 20 of 760
Its kiteworks file-sharing platform extends existing content management systems to smartphones and tablets, while addressing compliance concerns.
Eight months after launching its Enterprise Mobility Suite, how close is Microsoft to enabling users to manage not just devices, but also the apps and data on those devices?
The Samsung Knox team boss tells how it all got started and how the Korean tech giant wants to evolve its touted mobile security solution for the global mobile workforces of today, reports ZDNet Korea's Cho Mu-hyun.
Under the deal, HP's Managed Mobility Services, which has about 570 global customers, will integrate AirWatch to offer mobile device and application management.
TomTom regularly updates and improves their GPS Watch fitness devices and this week they released a major update with Android and iOS 8 support.
Optus is expected to deliver better mobile network coverage to remote areas of the country with its newly launched Optus 10 satellite.
Describing it as a "key milestone", the Chinese mobile operator says the new facility is its first and largest facility overseas, as it looks to expand its global business.
More internet users and devices, faster broadband speeds and more video viewing will result in global IP traffic reaching 1.6 zettabytes by 2018.
Garmin 2595LMT 5" GPS, map updates $90
Many weeks using the Nokia 1020 as my primary phone revealed it to be both a strong iPhone competitor and an example of why Microsoft has struggled to build a mobile juggernaut. Its superb camera will bring many users, but how does it stack up as a primary phone?
Samsung mobile technology is set to be used for on-board camera viewing and social communications aboard Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft, according to former astronaut, Christopher Ferguson.
New features are part of two recent updates to the global Web development platform for small businesses.
Telenav's Scout program for mobile phones is a powerful navigation solution that competes with Google and Apple Maps. A couple of announcements were made today that set them apart from these solutions.
The Korean government plans to invest 35 billion won ($34.26 million) in the next five years for the development of Korean-made mobile central processing unit (CPU) cores to remain competitive in the global semiconductor industry reports ZDNet Korea's Jeong Hyeon-jeong.
Global online population will hit 3 billion by end-2014, with two-third from developing nations and Asia-Pacific home to the largest population. Mobile subscribers will reach 7 billion.
The company's New Industries Business Unit will deliver social, mobile and connected cloud solutions for six global industries, with a strategy that includes building out its team of industry experts and creating an ecosystem of partners.
To kick off its annual GPU Technology Conference this week, Nvidia announced new products for the PC, mobile and cloud, and updated its technology roadmaps for GeForce GPUs and Tegra mobile chips.
Qualcomm said that Derek Aberle will oversee the mobile chip maker's global expansion and business units.
The Deputy Commissioner of Taxation in Australia is seeking to wind up global mobile virtual network operator Lycamobile's operations in Australia.
The best of ZDNet, delivered
- 1 Perfectly legal ways you can still get Windows 7 cheap (or even free)
- 2 Windows 10: You've got questions, I've got answers
- 3 Hands-on with Windows 10: Installing the latest Technical Preview
- 4 31 ways to improve your iPhone's battery life
- 5 How much does an iPhone 6 really cost? (Hint: It's way more than $199)


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In the LEED: San Francisco hotels go green
Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor
As their economic advantages become clearer, eco-friendly features matter more and more to the hospitality industry. Not only can these programs decrease building operating costs, but some studies also show that green features can boost revenue, too.
Within the San Francisco Bay Area, many hotels have accepted the demand to go green, reports the San Francisco Business Times. A number have become LEED- or Energy Star-certified, and 66 hotels, or 27 percent, of the 230 San Francisco properties on online travel site TripAdvisor are included in its GreenLeaders program, which showcases facilities with green practices.
Along with “luxury,” “boutique” and “budget,” travelers today can search for “green” hotels, highlighting that sustainability has become an important magnet for consumers. Only 15 percent of New York City hotels and 8 percent of Los Angeles hotels on TripAdvisor are designated GreenLeaders.
These heightened environmental standards among hotels should spell good news for businesses in the construction, HVAC, engineering, environmental and design industries, which can benefit from these opportunities.
In the LEED
LEED certification, a standard among green buildings, is still relatively new having only launched in 2000, but research shows that LEED-certified hotels might have a financial advantage over peers. LEED-certified hotels saw increased revenue per available room in the two years after becoming certified, more so than their non-certified competitors, according to a 2014 study by Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research.
About a half dozen San Francisco hotels have gone LEED, with several others in progress, including the new 350-room Grand Hyatt San Francisco International Airport, which is pursuing a gold rating and planned for completion in 2019.
Spending on Green Building
Green building construction spending is expected to rise over the next couple of years, according to a 2015 U.S. Green Building Council study prepared by Booz Allen Hamilton. That number is projected to go from $151 billion in 2015 to $224 billion next year.
Conservation on the upswing
From whole-building energy management systems and LED lighting to recycling programs and biodegradable room keys, hotels are increasingly incorporating features to save energy, water and waste, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2016 Lodging Survey Hotel Trends, conducted by research company STR. Many of these features are found in Bay Area hotels today.
Energy management systems: About 50 percent of larger hotels (130-plus rooms) have integrated energy management systems to improve building energy efficiency, according to the lodging association. The Hotel Nikko in San Francisco in 2015 installed microturbines on the hotel’s roof to generate its own electricity. The system works by capturing exhaust heat from the building, and through heat exchanger cogeneration, converts the exhaust into thermal energy.
The Nikko also replaced its old HVAC units with two Daikon Magnitude chillers, which save 15.2 percent on energy use annually.
Energy sensors: About 48 percent of hotels today feature energy sensors in guest rooms, according to the AHLA. Local hotels like the Grand Hyatt San Francisco offer occupancy sensor fixtures that can turn off lights or change thermostat settings when rooms are vacant.
High-efficiency lighting: LED and high-efficiency lighting is found in 90 percent of hotels today, increasing from 77 percent of hotels in 2014, according to the AHLA. More than half of room lighting and 90 percent of back-of-house lighting at the W San Francisco are energy-efficient.
Water savings programs: About 77 percent of hotels have adopted programs to save water, according to the AHLA survey. Hotel Nikko San Francisco has worked to reduce water faucet flow rates from 2.2 gallons per minute to 1 gallon per minute. It also uses a laundry program that saves more than 150,000 gallons of water per month. The Axiom Hotel provides guests with filtered water stations, reducing the need for plastic bottled water.
Linen re-use programs: We’ve probably all seen those signs in the bathroom — one of the most widely adopted programs among hotels, linen and towel re-use programs can be found in 94 percent of lodgings today, according to the AHLA. And the impact is measurable, reducing laundry loads by an average of 17 percent, according to the association.
Topics: Architectural Firms, Automation and Controls, Building Owners and Managers, Certifications, Construction Firms, Consulting - Green & Sustainable Strategies and Solutions, Energy Saving Products, Engineering Firms, Healthy & Comfortable Buildings, Hospitality, Lighting - Energy Efficient Lighting, Plumbing, Sustainable Communities, Technology, Urban Planning and Design, Water Saving Strategies and Devices


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Today's video focuses on Disney (DIS -1.04%), Tesla (TSLA -1.14%), Paysafe (PSFE -0.73%), and Spotify (SPOT -2.12%). These four companies are the ones I have on my potential buying list due to recent stock price movements and news. Here are some highlights from the video.
- Paysafe has announced three acquisitions in the past few weeks: Viafintech, PagoEfectivo, and SafetyPay. All three acquisitions accelerate Paysafe's e-cash exposures and international exposures. The countries affected are those in Latin America and the DACH region in Europe.
- Tesla continues to show why it is more than just an automobile company. During Tesla's AI Day, the company showed plans for a Tesla Bot, a product that is driven by its vision-learning technology. Tesla also introduced its D1 chip to run its supercomputer, Dojo. The chip will be designed and built entirely by Tesla in-house procedures.
- For Disney's third-quarter earnings, the company reported roughly $17 billion in revenue, of which $4.2 billion came from direct-to-consumer media, which saw 57% year-over-year growth. This growth is driven by its streaming platforms, like Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN.
Click the video below for my full thoughts and analysis.
*Stock prices used were the closing prices of Aug. 27, 2021. The video was published on Aug. 29, 2021.


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Anker announces the latest GaN chargers in its Nano II lineup, offering faster speeds with smaller form factors.
Anker is looking to win you over with its new line of Eufy cameras which are smarter than ever, yet still don't require a monthly subscription.
HyperX revealed a new line of gaming devices at CES 2022, including the HyperX Clutch gaming controller and the HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headset.
During CES 2022 ECOVACS revealed the DEEBOT X1 OMNI, a robot vacuum that empties its own dustbin and cleans its own mop. It's a powerful unit that conveniently keeps your home clean.
The Linksys Hydra Pro 6 is set to deliver AX5400 Wi-Fi 6 speeds to dozens of devices with 160MHz support. It's also powered by Qualcomm's Immersive Home 216 platform for solid stability.
A new lineup of Hisense TVs comes equipped with Mini LED displays, variable refresh rates, and is powered by the Google TV platform.
TCL’s new NXTWEAR AIR wearable display glasses come with a more premium, lightweight design than the previous generation NXTWEAR G.
Be an expert in 5 minutes
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android


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President Lazarus Chakwera has advised African governments and the African Union to do more in opening up opportunities for all economies on the continent for them to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Intra Africa Trade Fair (IATF) 2021 in Durban on Monday, President Chakwera called for additional efforts from policymakers and implementers to ensure that all Africa’s 55 economies have a fair share under all continental trade frameworks.
The Malawi leader highlighted the need to realize total connectivity across all sectors from Cape to Cairo.
“To make Intra-African Trade a reality, we must make our border procedures Intra-African; our visa policies Intra-African; our tax regimes Intra-African; our transport infrastructure Intra-African; our bus-line, rail line, and airline routes Intra-African; our electricity distribution Intra-African; our fiber and broadband connectivity Intra-Africa; our investment policies Intra-African; our industrialization and urbanization drives Intra-African; and our shops Intra-African,’ he said.
The Malawi leader, who was accompanied by 30 Malawian businesses, also observed that information is critical in ensuring that industries remain vibrant and markets, accessible.
“One obstacle we must lift to close the gap between our trading dreams and our trading realities is the lack of information about what goods and services supplied in one nation have a market in another. The Intra-African Trade Fair goes a long way to lift this obstacle.”
The theme of the fair is ‘Building Bridges for a Successful African Continental Free Trade Area’.
The AfCFTA is an African Union cross border trade tool that was established to accelerate intra-African trade and boosting the continent’s trading position in the global market by strengthening Africa’s common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations.
The fair, which will run for the whole of this week, has brought together close to 5000 participants among which are Heads of State and Government, cabinet ministers, business gurus, economic experts, 1100 exhibitors and thousands of buyers from 55 African countries. It is estimated that deals amounting to $40 billion will be sealed at the event.
The first edition of the IATF was held in 2018 in Egypt where $32 billion worth of deals were signed. A total of $25 billion deals have been implemented while the remaining $7 billion are still being processed and are at an advanced stage.
Development and economic experts say trade on the continent is nowhere near its potential. Of all the trade by African economies which is valued between $400 billion – $500 billion, intra African trade stands between at only 16 percent. This is low compared to other continents such as Europe whose intra-continental trade stands at 70 percent while North America is at 65 percent.
According to African Union, the continent must upscale its intra-continental trade to at least 50 percent by 2035.
Africa is a market of close to 1.3 billion people with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of about $3.4 trillion.
The IATF also seeks to continue with the alignment of policy regulations so as to allow free movement of goods and people. This comes about because Africa’s history segmented the continent in line with those who colonized different parts. As such most countries have varying standards of certifications informed by Anglophone, Francophone, Portuguese and Spanish systems.
During the opening ceremony, it was announced that the next Intra Africa Trade Fair will be held in 2023 in Ivory Coast.


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Home > News > Molecular Imprints founder retires
October 19th, 2005
Molecular Imprints founder retires
Norman Schumaker, the founder and CEO of Molecular Imprints Inc., is retiring. Mark Melliar-Smith will take over running the company, which specializes in imprint technology, used in the chip industry.
Molecular Imprints Inc.
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Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals to Webcast Fiscal 2017 Second Quarter Results April 27th, 2017
Video captures bubble-blowing battery in action: Researchers propose how bubbles form, could lead to smaller lithium-air batteries April 26th, 2017


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Even though Samsung is the one making most money from Android, things will be moving in Google’s favor in the next few years. The search giant pretty much controls the platform and sooner or later, it will be the one making most of the money.
According to a Barron’s report, Google may generate $1.3 billion from Android apps in 2013. The figure was derived from the total number of Android devices (900 million), and an expected average revenue per user (ARPU) at around $4.59. This in turn brings total Google Play revenues to $4.2 billion, of which Google takes a 30% cut for the mentioned figure of $1.3 billion, before hosting and management costs.
Going forward, Google Play revenues will reach at least $17 billion, resulting in Google taking a slice of $5.2 billion from the sale of mobile apps. Add mobile advertising to the mix, and you get at least $7 billion a year by 2017.
Android was a huge bet for Google and obviously the one that will pay off, big time.


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Ubergizmo website reveals a smartwatch patent “Smart-watch with user interface features” thought by Google and integrating two touchscreens.
The smartwatchs have spilled a lot of ink lately. Google, which has decided to come on the market, the potential is so far not proved, in any case filed a patent that says a lot about the intentions of the digital conglomerate.
A removable touchscreen
This patent discloses indeed existence of not one, but two separate touchscreens. The watch design implements components beyond the main screen and extends through the strap. According to forecasts of the site Ubergizmo, the Google smartwatch would be able to support an internet connection via wireless connectivity. However, there is still no tangible evidence that the watch will be able to synchronize with a device running Android. We do not know whether it will have a separate connection. Reading the patent also suggests that secondary touchscreen can be removable.
The filing of a patent does not automatically mean the technical operation thereof by the depositary. Look first to see what the Mountain View company provided us next week at Google I/O.


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Phone number: 6082044865
Our class is in need of colored construction paper, markers, glue,
colored pencils, and scissors. We would also benefit from instructional
videos for Spanish class.
- Two people shot at while in a car on Madison's east side
- Dick's Sporting Goods windows smashed, teen arrested
- Dog recovering after eating nails wrapped in hot dogs; Police look for person who left them
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- FDA issues warning letters over 'bogus cancer cures'


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The tourism campaign will try to increase the number of business travelers, but focus more heavily on Indian leisure travelers who are likely to spend more money than visitors from other nations.
Brand USA, the tourism marketing entity for promoting the US to the world, is looking at generating nearly 1.3 million arrivals from India in 2016.
The public-private entity will be undertaking various promotional campaigns in India focusing on the business and leisure travel segments to increase Indian arrivals in the US, which stood at 6.63 lakh in 2011.
According to the US Department of Commerce, 6,63,000 Indians visited the country in 2011, making it the 12th in the world in terms of arrivals to that country. However, they ranked 10th in terms of spending and spent USD 4.4 billion.
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Gilbert, Ariz., December 8, 2021 -- Footprint, Inc., a global materials science technology company focused on creating a healthier planet, announced today it has appointed Hilla Sferruzza as an independent member of its board of directors. Sferruzza has been the chief financial officer and executive VP for Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE:MTH) since 2016 and its chief accounting officer and SVP, corporate controller since 2008. Prior to Meritage, she served in various management roles at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), subsequently acquired by Marriott International, and as a public auditor for KPMG.
“I’m honored to join Footprint’s already strong and diverse board as the company continues to innovate to help companies move away from harmful single-use plastics,” Sferruzza said. “I’m passionate about sustainability and believe it’s the future for companies looking for both top- and bottom-line impact. I’m impressed with what Troy, Yoke and the team have accomplished in seven short years working with global customers and look forward to contributing as an independent board member.”
“We continue to add extensive experience and diversity to our board and Hilla has breadth and depth in strategic operations, finance and external transactions that will be vital to Footprint’s next phase of growth,” said Footprint Chairman of the Board Don Thompson.
“Footprint’s rich board expertise, combined with our talented senior leadership team and deep bench of engineers, position the company well for developing strategies and execution plans to meet record demand for plant-based solutions that address the plastic disaster,” said Footprint Co-Founder and CEO Troy Swope. “We’re pleased to welcome Hilla to the team.”
Background on Hilla Sferruzza
Ms. Sferruzza is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Arizona and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Arizona Society of CPAs, the National Association of Professional Women and Financial Executive International (“FEI”) and was voted Arizona Businesswoman of the Year – Real Estate in 2011 and CFO of the Year (FEI’s Arizona Chapter) in 2019. She earned her Executive Masters of Business Administration from Washington State University and her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with an Accounting and Journalism emphasis from the University of Arizona. She is a frequent guest speaker at industry events and a commentator and contributor for various podcasts and finance and technology publications and has served as a board member for not-for-profit organizations and foundations. She is currently a member of the Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business Dean’s Council and Finance Advisory Board.
Footprint has a clear vision to create a healthier planet and healthier people. Phase one of our mission is to provide solutions that eliminate single-use and short-term use plastics in our food chain. Footprint’s team of engineers use plant-based fiber technology to design, develop and manufacture biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable products that compete with plastic’s cost and exceed its performance, keeping harmful chemicals away from consumers in materials digestible by the earth. Footprint is rapidly expanding into new categories with unique and patented solutions for customers. Footprint’s products have already led to a global redirection of 61 million pounds of plastic waste from entering the air, earth, and waterways working with leading global consumer brands.
Footprint was founded in 2014 by former Intel engineers, Troy Swope and Yoke Chung. The company employs more than 2,500 employees, with operations in the U.S., Mexicali, Europe, and Asia. Footprint was named to the 2020 Fortune “Change the World” list in 2020, is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Innovators Community and was named a CNBC Disruptor 50 company in 2021.


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Success for 2017 City of Ale as 55,000 pints sold
- Credit: copyright ARCHANT 2017
Six years on from the first-ever City of Ale festival, the event has gone from strength to strength with more than 55,000 pints sold across Norwich this year.
The 10-day celebration saw 43 Norwich pubs, 36 Norfolk and Suffolk breweries and 250 different real ales involved.
Around 55,000 pints of cask ale were consumed, the majority made with barley grown and malted in the region.
Dawn Leeder, co-founder of City of Ale, said according to their research 95pc of pubs reported more people coming through their doors as part of an 'annual pilgrimage' for the event.
'Many commented on groups of visitors coming from all over East Anglia for the ale trails, and some had parties from much further afield,' she said.
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Fellow co-founder Phil Cutter, licensee at The Murderers on Timberhill, said: 'Not so long ago, the region had the reputation of a brewing desert. Look at it now.
'The industry has risen phoenix-like from the ashes. There are lots of excellent craft brewers producing amazing beers from barley grown and malted within 30 miles of the city.'
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City of Ale was initiated to get people rediscovering the joy of great pubs. It aimed to inspire them with the ever-growing range of crafted cask ales from the region's excellent breweries - and to generate economic, social and educational activity. This year's 200 events included tutored beer tastings, talks and seminars as well as quizzes, bands, food and beer matching, promotions and beer festivals.
More than 1,000 ale trails were completed during the course of the 10 days. Each trail had six or seven pubs to visit, so people were stepping into new territory and discovering pub gems they might have heard about but never experienced.
'Nine out of 10 pubs sold more cask ale than usual,' said Mr Cutter. 'This year, nearly eight out of 10 pubs sold more keg beer and cider, nearly a quarter sold more soft drinks and nearly a third sold more food.
'These findings back up research published in previous Cask Reports by [beer writer] Pete Brown. They show that cask drinkers bring value to pubs in all sorts of ways. Yes they buy real ale, but they also buy other drinks and food, bring friends – and are key to keeping pubs open.'


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2015 has seen some top-of-the-line smartphones that have excelled in the camera department. We look at the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, Moto X Style, HTC One A9, and Qiku Q Terra and how they perform with the snapper. The images taken are all in auto mode for better comparison.Galaxy S6 Edge+
The one thing you can blindly trust about Samsung is their camera. The past few years, Samsung’s flagship devices have come with spectacular cameras that have become a kind of benchmark for other flagship devices. The primary camera of S6 Edge+ rocks 16 MP, 2988 x 5312 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus and LED flash, while the front camera has a 5 MP along with dual video [...]
There is something unique about the Chinese smartphone companies. They just keep on coming with phone after phone that look pretty great. Qiku is the latest entrant in the smartphone game. The joint venture Qiku Network Technologies Co Ltd launched its first phone, the Q Terra, around two weeks ago priced at Rs. 19,999 (with invite) and Rs. 21,999 (without invite).
The Qiku (pronounced cheeku) Q Terra is a massive phone. The 6.0-inch screen does indeed look big especially when the display covers the sides end-to-end. The phone is on the bulky side, however the smooth metallic finish with a curved design makes it great to hold.The Qiku Q Terra is powered by the [...]


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A woman has reportedly been sent a package of hundreds of patient prescription records
The UK’s Manchester Evening News reports that the unnamed woman, who lives near Elgin, Moray in Scotland, was sent a package of scripts from both GP surgeries and dental practices.
The woman said that the package, from Lloyds Pharmacy, was addressed to her by name, with her address and telephone number.
It contained a shopping bag in which was “a stack of hundreds of prescriptions from places like Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes”.
“It’s got patients’ names, ages, home addresses, the practices they’ve been to and what they’ve been prescribed,” she told Search and trends writer Jessica Sansome.
“They’re handwritten. It’s quite worrying.
“It’s all confidential information, plus how they’ve got my address to begin with. It’s bizarre.”
The box also had “Delivery of Data to NHS on behalf of Lloyds Pharmacy,” written on it.
The News suggests that the box was intended to be delivered to an NHS address in Bolton, greater Manchester.
A spokesperson for the pharmacy chain told the News that after it completed an investigation, the mistake was put down to courier error.
“The prescriptions were secured by our Data Protection Officer within 24 hours and we’re pleased to confirm that this was not a reportable data breach,” they said.
“We have spoken to the courier provider who have conducted an internal investigation and assured us that steps have been taken to prevent this from happening again.”
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WASHINGTON (WHTM) – Ben and Jerry’s is out with a new ice cream flavor to promote criminal justice reform.
The new flavor is called Justice ReMix’d and it features cinnamon and chocolate ice cream with chunks of cinnamon roll dough and spicy fudge brownies.
Ben and Jerry’s has partnered with a multi-racial civil rights organization, The Advancement Project National Office, that works with local grassroots organizers on racial justice issues.
The company says they’ve been advocates for social justice and equity throughout their 40-year history.
“Our approach to creating social change is to raise up the work non-profits are doing on the ground,” said Co-Founder Ben Cohen, in a release. “We bring every resource we have to support them—our business voice, our connection with fans, our Scoop Shop community and of course, ice cream. Somehow, it’s easier to talk about difficult issues over a scoop or two.”
Part of the proceeds from the sale of Justice ReMix’d go to support the Advancement Project National Office.


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Irish medical technology firm Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) on Tuesday announced results for the first quarter of 2020 that were better than what analysts had expected. Shares of Medtronic gained 3.45% immediately following the announcement.
Revenues for the quarter inched up 1.5%, or 3.5% on a constant currency basis to $7.493 billion, outbidding the projection of $7.4 billion.
Adjusted net income grew 8% year-over-year to $1.26 per share, versus $1.18 per share expected.
The Cardiac and Vascular Group (CVG), the company’s largest unit, saw revenues decrease 0.7% to $2.79 billion. The company has been seeing revenue declines in this business for the past few quarters.
This was offset by revenue increases of 2.4% at Minimally Invasive Therapies Group, 3.2% at Restorative Therapies Group and 3.5% at Diabetes Group.
Medtronic reiterated its revenue growth guidance of 4% and raised its EPS guidance for the fiscal year 2020. The company currently expects adjusted EPS of $5.54 to $5.60, compared to the earlier guidance of $5.44 to $5.50.
Though Medtronic completed the acquisition of Titan Spine in the first quarter, the company had earlier stated that the deal is expected to be immaterial to the fiscal year 2020 adjusted EPS.
Shares of Medtronic have gained 13% so far this year and 2% in the past one month.
Earlier we looked into how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers saw changing trends in terms of their assortments and how the acceleration of online shopping led many of them to
Data is at the heart of business innovation. Recognizing this trend, companies are seeking ways to transform their businesses by capturing, analyzing, and mobilizing data. The public cloud is becoming
The second half has been highly rewarding for design software maker Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) amid stable demand for digital content solutions. The company has remained unaffected by the virus-related


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DomRaider’s DRT can now be staked on Uniswap and will be used by NFT pioneer Auctionity as a governance token.
One of the earliest adopters of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), Auctionity, has offered crypto enthusiasts a 100% blockchain-based NFT auction platform since 2017, made possible through implementation of the DomRaider network. Auctionity helped to forge a method for the convenient sale of NFTs in 2018 by building an innovative and secure auction protocol – a model which has been validated via scientific publication.
Today marks a new milestone for Auctionity as it implements staking for the DomRaider Token (DRT). In anticipation of the project’s launch, a liquidity incentive program begins right now and will last one month. To this end, three million DRTs are being distributed to DRT/ETH liquidity providers (more details). The new developments mean that token


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Arzoo.com revamps their website on the occasion of their first anniversary
Added: (Thu Jun 07 2007)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
Mumbai: Arzoo.com, the leading travel portal, has revamped their entire website to mark successful completion of their first year of soft launch. The website now flashes a more vibrant and much more user-friendly look. The new website focuses more on holiday packages and airline bookings. Airline fares are now available in grid based fare display that helps customers for easy fare comparison.
Arzoo.com has also recently introduced their US to India operations. With this new service, Arzoo.com would facilitate NRI�s as well as Indians based in US and Canada to book air tickets, hotels & holidays to & within India at economical prices.
�With the launch of this new service our customers can avail variety of facilities like booking tickets and planning their entire holiday trip to India by sitting in US itself. Arzoo.com offers excellent and cost-effective deals across all the airlines. By booking on Arzoo.com, our customers can enjoy 7 nights and 8 days trip to India only for US $560 per person,� said Mr. Yogesh Patel, COO, Arzoo.com on the launch of US-India operations.
Arzoo.com has also introduced few new services like online car hire, visa information on the website for the customers and payment through ITZ cash card. � To mark the successful completion of one year, we thought we should expand our basket of products and hence we have launched many new holiday categories like Mind, Body & Soul; Roads Less Traveled & Monsoon Masti�, said Mr. Amal Purandare, Head-India Operations - Arzoo.com.
Arzoo.com will also launch more exciting international products on its website in the near future.


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Free Coffee On national Coffee Day
Sure, that start of the week is a bummer. But next week, not all is lost. Tuesday, September 29 is National Coffee Day, which means you can get a free cup of joe to start your week off right. Here are a few deals you can find around Broward and Palm Beach counties come National Coffee Day. Can't wait that long? Some deals are available now, as well.
For National Coffee Day on Tuesday, September 29, Dunkin' Donuts is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its premium Dark Roast with a special free offer: guests can walk into any participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurant across the country and receive a free medium cup of Dunkin' Donuts hot or iced Dark Roast Coffee (limit to one per guest). This month, Dunkin' Donuts has another special Dark Roast offer for members of the DD Perks Rewards Program. Through September 27, DD Perks members can purchase any size hot or iced Dark Roast for only 99 cents, when they pay using their enrolled DD Card.
The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.
Calling all coffee lovers: The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. is brewing up two special offers in celebration of National Coffee Day. During the national holiday, get a free Cold Brewsta — available all day long — with the purchase of any menu item on Tuesday, September 29. Can't wait? Now through the month of September you can also get a 12-ounce cup of their hot, in-house roasted coffee for a $1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday at their Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, or Hollywood locations.
Krispy Kreme — with locations in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Hollywood, and Sunrise — will be offering a special giveaway on Tuesday, as well. Celebrate National Coffee Day with a free 12-ounce cup of Krispy Kreme house, decaf, or dark roast coffee and a free regular glazed doughnut. Or for extra $1, get a premium coffee beverage, like a 12-ounce mocha, pumpkin spice latte, or iced coffee, at participating Krispy Kreme locations.
Released On 10th Sep 2015


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Festive month GST collection low due to tax avoidance by e-commerce companies: CAIT
New Delhi, Nov 2 (KNN) The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has alleged that the reduction in GST is a result of a major chunk of offline sales shifting to the E-commerce companies which have recently done a business of over 30,000 crore through their portals in the festive season.
”Since, these companies by flouting the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy are indulging in deep discounting and predatory pricing policies, they have an expertise in avoiding GST and causing a severe loss of revenue to the Govt. A shortfall of approx. 4500 crores in GST as compared to last year would not have happened, if e-commerce companies hadn’t indulge in predatory pricing and deep discounting,” the traders body said in a press release.
”In fact, the GST collection for October festive month would have been higher than last year, if the e-commerce companies had been paying GST as per actual value of goods sold. The CAIT reiterates it earlier position that if the e-commerce companies are made to follow the rules in letter and spirit, both the Online as well as offline retail will flourish and coexist and there will be no loss of GST to the government. There is a need for urgent and immediate intervention by the government to investigate the working process of these e-commerce companies,” the release further said.
As per the latest GST collection data released for month of October, 2019 the tax collected was at 95,380 crore which is 5.5% lower than the same month last year. Despite being the most important month for retail sales in the country due to the festive season, a lower tax collection should not be assumed as a slowdown in the economy.


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SEOUL, July 25 (Korea Bizwire) – LG Electronics, South Korea’s tech giant and Samsung’s arch rival for both the local and overseas markets, plans to enter next “big thing” in the global automotive market: auto parts business.
LG will make an announcement at the upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in next January to this end. The consumer electronics brand will transform itself as a leading auto parts supplier for electric vehicle (EVs) and connected cars, according to local sources and reports.
The second largest electronics supplier in Korea plans to demonstrate the concrete results of its efforts at the world’s largest consumer electronics exhibition; Included in the plan are establishing a vehicle components unit with auto parts-related organizations and shoring up R&D activities dedicated to develop IT technologies for EVs and connected cars
According to the electronics industry sources, what LG is paying attention to most is the advanced audio-video navigation (AVN) system. LG’s AVN system enables drivers to connect their smartphones to vehicles much easily. With this system, drivers can view and control their smartphones such as making calls and sending text messages through the in-car display system.
Last June, LG showcased its AVN system solutions for connected cars at Google I/O 2014 applying the Google platform. It joined the Open Automotive Alliance — created to introduce and promote greater connectivity into cars through the innovative application of the Android OS platform — together with Google, General Motors, Hyundai, Honda, and Nvidia.
LG has reportedly nearly completed the development of the advanced drive assistance system (ADAS) which helps detect risks from surrounding objects while driving and provides warnings to drivers.
A market analyst said, “With its own accumulated technologies for air-conditioners and smartphones and supports from other LG subsidiaries like LG Chem’s EV battery and LG Display’s vehicle display, LG Electronics wants to stake out more territory in the “smart” automotive parts market. As future vehicles are to be much more related to electronic parts and battery, LG might have its “fare share” in the market with its edge.”
By John Choi (firstname.lastname@example.org)


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The humble family wagon has undergone a revolution over recent years. Stationwagons, or estates for the more European among us, have slowly faded away, replaced by larger four-wheel drive vehicles and, more recently, the SUV. The Holden Equinox, released in Australia earlier this year is a larger SUV with seating capacity for five adults. Here's what I found after a week of using one as the trusty family car.
Tagged With holden
The last Holden car is expected to roll out of General Motors' assembly plant in Elizabeth, South Australia, on October 20, during a ceremony for employees. But an image that surfaced ahead of that appears to show the car in the process of being built. The car will be the last commercial car ever built in Australia.


text: ISLAMABAD: Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin has said that agriculture, livestock and poultry are a major source of GDP, and both livestock and poultry are less organized and informal sectors formed an essential component of food supply. In his budget speech, he said that the government was striving to strengthen these sectors. He also said that multiple relief measures had been taken for livestock and poultry sectors as well as agricultural sector in the budget. Vaccines for the veterinary medicines had been exempted from customs duties, he said, adding that similarly, concessions in tariff had been given to a number of feed additives which were considered as one of the most basic requirements of the dairy sector and had now been made importable at concessionary rates. To give relief to agricultural sector and farmers of the country for long term grain storage, mechanical silos had been exempted from the customs duties fulfilling the demand from this sector, he added. He said that auto industry was contributing significantly to the country GDP and national exchequer in term of duty and taxes being the largest contributor. He said that vehicles upto 850cc were being exempted, whereas relief to existing manufacturing industry and new models was also being provided by removing ACD and rationalizing the tariff structure. Due to these targeted interventions the middle class of this country will be able to afford a car of this specific category. Moreover, further incentives in the form of reduction of customs duties are electric vehicles for one year to promote the culture of electric vehicles in Pakistan, he said, adding that similarly keeping in view of changing international motorcycles trend usage of local manufacturing of heavy motorcycles and specific categories of trucks and tractors were also being incentivized. The minister said that that the government had taken kinetic measures to boost the industrial growth to tear away the label of fragile, attached with the economy. He said that this government from the day one focused on boosting domestic industry and reducing their cost of doing business. In the Finance Act, 2019-20, tariff rates were reduced to zero percent on 1639 PCT codes, which were primarily raw material for domestic industry.


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- Core inflation increases to 5.1%
Sri Lanka’s countrywide consumer prices as measured by year-on-year (YoY) change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) rose to 1.2 percent in January 2019 from 0.4 percent in December 2018, driven by base effect and increased non-food prices.
The YoY non-food inflation increased to 6.5 percent in January from 4.7 percent in December. However, YoY food inflation decreased further to -4.8 percent in January from -4.5 percent in December.
The change in the NCPI measured on an annual average basis decreased to 1.8 percent from 2.1 percent in December.
The month-on-month change of the NCPI was increased by 0.2 percent in January 2019, mainly due to increase in prices of items in the non-food category comprising housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels sub-category. Housing rent recorded the highest increase.
Further, prices of items in the alcoholic beverages and tobacco, clothing and footwear, furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance sub-categories also reported increases during the month.
Meanwhile, prices of the items in the food category decreased where vegetables, coconuts, limes, big onions, potatoes and green chilies recorded prominent decreases.
The core inflation, which reflects the underlying inflation in the economy, increased significantly from 3.1 percent in December to 5.1 percent in January on YoY basis.
Meanwhile, annual average core inflation also increased from 2.4 percent to 2.7 percent.


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Renowned fashion and beauty house Chanel needs no introduction when it comes to innovative beauty and makeup products for added glam. On 11 October 2022, the French luxury house launched a new beauty project called Cometes Collective.
The project is aimed at building a coherent community of budding makeup artists. The brand has also appointed a trio of global creative makeup partners to head its pool of colour cosmetics.
Here’s more about Chanel’s Cometes Collective and the artists leading it
About Cometes Collective
View this post on Instagram
This new initiative is a step towards creating a global community of talented makeup artists to showcase their innovations. Also, it is sure to offer a pluralistic vision of beauty as a form of creative expression as well as a regular activity.
At Chanel, timeless innovation, simple elegance and a classic interplay of encounters and paradoxes define beauty and everything that shapes it. Carrying forward this idea of opposites making a harmonious blend, this project is a celebration of new and creative beauty trends that are exquisite as well as timeless.
The Cometes Collective project comes at a time when the French Maison’s makeup arena is undergoing changes after Lucia Pica’s exit, who was in charge of colour creation and makeup.
The team of three makeup artists
The initial team of the project comprises three multicultural makeup artists from different parts of the world.
The trio includes Gambia-born Spanish artist Ammy Drammeh, who is currently based out of London and has worked in campaigns for Gucci, Dior and Bottega Veneta; Belgian artist Cécile Paravina who has worked with leading photographers Lea Colombo and Elizaveta Porodina; and Guangxi-born Valentina Li whose works have been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, Dazed, Vogue and Elle.
With a brilliant repertoire of styling and makeup, these three creative artists are responsible for creating new makeup lines and styling products reflecting their own backgrounds and aesthetic vision, while being in tandem with the high luxury value of Chanel.
They will be joined by others over time and the first Cometes Collective line of makeup is expected to roll out in January 2024.
(Main and featured Image credit: @chanelofficial/ Instagram)
This article first appeared on Prestige Online Singapore.


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First Teaser Image Of Toyota Hybrid-R Concept Revelaed
It was announced a few days ago that Toyota will unveil at 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show a brand new concept vehicle named Hybrid-R. Now the Japanese brand is teasing the public with an image that gives a glimpse of what the car would look like.
The Hybrid-R is going to be based on a current Toyota production model. What is more, the concept will be equipped with a powertrain that includes similar technology to the one utilized in TS030 Hybrid race car. The latter took part in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
This means that the vehicle will combine a high-power internal combustion engine with electric motors. The result is expected to be stunning: an achievement of a maximum power output of more than 400 hp (298 kW).
In addition, a dual mode control will offer the option the car's performance to be tailored to suit either road or racetrack. Toyota Hybrid-R Concept will be revealed at the event on 10th of September.


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Trentham Estate has once again experienced unprecedented demand for its summer lakeside concerts.
Tickets for the June line-ups - which included Totally 90s, A Tribute to Michael Jackson, and Pure 70s - went on sale at 9am this morning.
By 9.34am a post on the Trentham Estate Facebook page confirmed that tickets for the Totally 90s gig had sold out.
Tickets for the other two June concerts are still currently available.
This year Trentham Estate revealed ticket sales would be staggered to help cope with demand.
Sales for the July dates will kick off at 9am tomorrow - so get on the website early to avoid disappointment.
What's on sale tomorrow (March 27)?
The Bon Jovi Experience and Guns n' Roses (Saturday, July 7)
A Tribute to David Bowie (Saturday, July 14)
A Tribute to Foo Fighters (Saturday, July 28)
The tickets for the August concerts (A Tribute to Queen, The Take That Experience, and A Tribute to ABBA) will go on sale on Wednesday, March 28.
Meanwhile tickets for the September gig, 80s Mania, will be available on Thursday, March 29.


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Riedel Releases Report on Crypto Leader AC3 with Coin Value of $20.52
AC3, the trusted leader in the digital content and education marketplace, announces the release of the Riedel research report. The report is an independent analysis of AC3’s decentralized platform, utility value and medium-term coin value.
“Our focus from day one was to bring institutional quality governance and operations to the crypto ecosphere as we developed our business. In the last year, we built the blockchain infrastructure for secure digital content transactions and we are thrilled the hard work is starting to be recognize and valued,” stated John Fields, AC3 co-founder..
Read More: The Three Biggest Industries Who Can Utilize A Language Translation Device
Riedel has established a long track record for independent research on global emerging companies. Recently, the firm witnessed growing interest from their clients on blockchain technology and crypto companies. “Since AC3 is one of the first blockchain ecosystem with partners and adoption, we thought they were the ideal candidate for our rigorous analytics,” stated David Riedel, owner of Riedel Research. Adding, “The digital content space is massive and the companies that eventually win, will win big and AC3 has a significant lead.”
Read More: Insurtech: The New AI Disruption Hitting Insurance
AC3 already has had over 218,000 transactions, which is a testament to the security, functionality and user experience of the AC3 digital wallet. AC3 is on pace to add hundreds of partnerships with creators and educators as well as gain 200,000 active users through their expanding network of strategic relationships.
Read More: California Becomes First State To Strengthen Consumer Data Privacy Protections


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Mahindra Two Wheelers posted a cumulative scooter sales figure of 58689 during April to September 2012. Standalone sales in September 2012 touched 8,122 units.
In anticipation of increased demand ahead of the festive season, Mahindra Two Wheelers recently launched a new communications campaign for its scooter portfolio.
Commenting on the outlook for the two wheeler industry and Mahindra’s new campaign Viren Popli, Executive Vice President – Strategy and Market Development, Mahindra Two Wheelers said, “Today, Mahindra has a rich legacy of manufacturing powerful, reliable and stylish vehicles designed specifically for Indian roads. With the onset of festive season, we are expecting the buoyancy in market to be restored which will drive growth for new offerings of Mahindra Two Wheelers. An aggressive marketing plan is lined up to ensure this.”


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Amazon Web Services is giving all users direct access to its underlying hardware with the launch of EC2 bare metal instances, the company announced yesterday.
- Cisco reveals VPNFilter malware infects 500k routers, Ukraine fears they'll be bricked by Saturday
- CPUs take another Spectre-Meltdown speculative execution hit
- Despite education campaigns, Australians are falling harder for scams than ever
- Chrome to strip “secure” from HTTPS sites in September
- The week in security: During Privacy Awareness Week, warnings that we are neither private nor aware


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Gingerbread, mulled wine and Christmas spirit can be enjoyed this year in the Chinese capital, thanks to an exported version of the famous Christmas market in Strasbourg.
For the 362nd time the famed Thüringen onion market will be expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors this weekend. Even Goethe was once a fan.
The famous Spanish Steps in Rome are closed for repair works. The renovation is set to continue until spring 2016.


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Image Source: Associated Press
According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 17% of Americans say that they are on a diet. That's up from 14% ten years earlier. Over the same time period, obesity rates climbed to 42% of Americans, up from 34%. The takeaway? At least we're aware of our growing waistlines. Now, if only dieting could help the situation more.
Image Source: iStock
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 3,000 additives are used in foods to enhance flavor, texture, and shelf life, among other functions. Some are simple ingredients like salt and sugar, while others are complex chemical compounds such as acesulfame potassium. In a new review, Consumer Reports weighs the pros and cons of FDA approved additives such as carrageenan, nitrites, phosphorus, and various artificial sweeteners. subscription model
Image Source: Frankie Cordoba / Unsplash
The City Council of Berkeley, California, passed an ordinance preventing grocery stores from stocking candy and soda in checkout lines, and encouraging them to stock fresh fruits and vegetables instead. Under the ordinance, the first of its kind, grocery stores larger than 2,500 square feet cannot sell products with more than five grams of added sugars or 250 milligrams of sodium per serving at checkout aisles, where junk food is often at the eye level of children. The new ordinance goes into effect March 1, 2021.
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A recent peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Oncology followed 1,171 colon cancer patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Researchers found that those who drank 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day were more likely to live longer than those who did not drink coffee. Patients who drank more than three cups a day had an even greater likelihood of longer survival, and results held true for both caffeinated and de-caffeinated coffee drinkers.
According to Chinese authorities, samples of frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil to Shenzhen as well as the outer packaging of frozen Ecuadorian shrimp sold in Xi’an have both tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In response to the finding, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement with the reminder that “People should not fear food, food packaging or delivery of food.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also stated “there is no evidence that people can contract COVID-19 from food or from food packaging.” Brazil’s Aurora meat company that sold the chicken said they were never formally notified of the contamination by Chinese authorities. For the past several months, China has screened all meat and seafood entering major ports, and since June it has suspended meat imports from places like Brazil. Countering the WHO and FDA statements, Li Fengqin, head of the microbiology lab at the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, said that the chance of new infections from contaminated frozen food should not be ignored. Fengquin linked an outbreak in June to the popular Beijing food market, Xinfadi, where the virus was traced to imported salmon. In its latest update to that outbreak’s investigation, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it still has not determined how the virus made its way to the Xinfadi market.
A recent peer-reviewed study analyzed pesticide levels in four American families for six days while they were on a non-organic diet and then six days on an entirely organic diet. The switch to an organic diet reduced levels of a common weedkiller, glyphosate, by 70% in those six days. In 1983, the Environmental Protection Agency listed glyphosate as a potential carcinogen, but aggressive marketing of Roundup (the most popular brand of glyphosate) to farmers and homeowners has only increased its use since. Since the 1970s, the percentage of the U.S. population with detectable amounts of glyphosate in its blood has skyrocketed from 12% to 70% in 2014. In the new study, researchers detected glyphosate in every participant, including four-year-old children.
After the World Health Organization also determined that glyphosate is a likely carcinogen, thousands of farmers, pesticide applicators, and home gardeners filed lawsuits linking their diagnosed cancers to Roundup use. The first three of those cases settled in favor of the plaintiffs, leaving Bayer (Roundup’s new owner after it purchased the previous owner, Monsanto, two years ago) with $2 billion in damages to pay. Despite Bayer agreeing to pay a total of $10 billion in settlements for another 95,000 cases, the company was granted permission in a recent court case to continue selling Roundup. Under the terms of the settlement, glyphosate will still be sold for use on yards, school grounds, public parks, and farms without a safety warning. The European Union announced this summer its plan to cut pesticide use in half by 2030 and a move to make at least 25% of its agriculture organic. However, glyphosate use in the U.S. is increasing, and the new study’s researchers emphasize the importance of organic food in reducing the body’s levels of the potential carcinogen, particularly among children.
The Bluegrass Provisions Co. of Crescent Springs, Kentucky has produced and distributed sausage products with a potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes, according to the Department of Agriculture. Listeria is a disease-causing bacteria, and if consumed it can have harmful effects such as listeriosis, an infection that primarily affects older adults, and severe illness in those who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems. The following 14 ounce, 6-piece packages are included in the USDA health alert: “BLUE GRASS METTWURST”, “WALNUT CREEK FOODS Smoked Sausage”, Lidl “SMOKED BRATWURST”, and Lidl “SMOKED BRATWURST WITH CHEESE, all with a freeze-by date of July 23rd, 2020.
Red onions that were potentially contaminated with salmonella were shipped to all 50 states as well as Canada, according to health officials. Last Saturday, Thomson International in Bakersfield, California, recalled all red, white, yellow and sweet yellow onions shipped from May 1 to the present due to concerns of contamination according to the Food and Drug Administration. Onions were sold in cartons and mesh sacks with brand names including Thomson Premium, TLC Thomson International, Kroger, Food Lion, Hartley’s Best, Tender Loving Care, El Competitor, Imperial Fresh, Onions 52, Majestic and Utah Onions. Packaging photos of the onions can be found on the FDA’s website. The FDA teamed up with the CDC to investigate whether an outbreak of salmonella newport infections could have been connected to the onions. As of now, the FDA has not found a source of contamination. According to the CDC, officials have reported 640 illnesses and 85 hospitalizations in 43 states, and no reported deaths.
Walmart, Kroger, Publix, and Giant Eagle grocery stores across the U.S. have also recalled at least 50 ready-to-eat products that contain the onions, including salads, pizzas and hoagies.
About 38,400 pounds of ground beef has been recalled due to its failure to be presented for U.S. import re-inspection. The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced JBS Food Canada ULC is recalling the “raw, frozen, boneless beef head meat items” imported on July 13 and “further processed by another company into ground beef products.” The recalled meat came in 80-pound boxes with eight 10-pound chubs of “Balter Meat Company 73/27 ground beef” with “Use by/Freeze by” dates of Aug. 9 or Aug. 10. Pack dates read “072020, 072120 or 072220.” The recall has been classified as a “Class 1” recall by the USDA, defined as a “health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”


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Posted 十月 6, 2016
PEMCO AS has completed the sale of Peterson Packaging, the largest independent corrugated packaging provider in Scandinavia, to VPK. Pöyry Capital acted as financial adviser to PEMCO.
Peterson Packaging manufactures corrugated packaging, Point-of-Sale solutions and corrugated sheets for Scandinavian FMCG and industrial clients. In 2015 Peterson achieved a turnover of Euro 150 million and had approximately 800 employees.
With the acquisition, VPK, one of the most successful integrated packaging companies in Europe, continues to deliver on its growth strategy in the corrugated packaging sector and has now gained an important manufacturing footprint in the Scandinavia corrugated packaging market.
Celedonio Moncayo, Managing Director at Pöyry Capital commented “We are thrilled to announce this closing. PEMCO has done a tremendous job in restructuring and improving the Peterson Packaging operations in Scandinavia. We thank PEMCO for selecting us to help them through this sale process. We believe that Peterson is a good complement to VPK. VPK and its Blue Box Partners are now able to supply corrugated packaging solutions to Pan-European FMCG and Industrial clients in Scandinavia, Western Europe and the Iberian Peninsula”.
Pöyry Capital is the investment banking advisory arm of the Pöyry Group focusing on transactions in the energy, forest products and packaging industries.


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The Kenya Airways owned no-frills carrier is set to receive its eighth DeHavilland Dash 8-400 plane next month, followed by the potential delivery of a ninth in the first quarter of next year, CEO Karanja Ndegwa told Reuters.
"We used to get the new ones just also as we build our maintenance capabilities but over time, the ones that we are getting now, they are not new," he said in an interview.
Jambojet is leasing planes that have been in service for at least two years, which are coming with shorter lease terms compared with new ones, Ndegwa said.
The company expects passenger numbers to grow by a fifth this year to 1.2 million, he said, mainly due to demand on local routes by business travelers.
"We are on our way there," he said, adding that the airline was also benefiting from a recovery in the tourism sector following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The nine-year old airline carried 719,000 passengers in 2019, before its business was severely curtailed by the pandemic over the next two years.
In 2022, it transported 1 million passengers.
But like other businesses in the East African country, the company is feeling the pressure from a steep weakening of the shilling currency against the dollar.
"About 90% of our sales are in shillings yet 78% of our payments are in dollars," Ndegwa said, referring to obligations like plane leases, which are usually settled in dollars.
Jambojet is also being buffeted by higher fuel costs, partly due to higher taxes in Kenya.
It is responding by adding extra flights on routes with huge demand to boost revenue, Ndegwa said, and it might also pass on some of the extra costs of doing business to passengers.
But any ticket price increment will be measured to stay true to the airline's low cost model, the CEO said.
"You also don't want as a low-cost carrier to push your prices to an extent whereby customers are not able to afford," he said.


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Meet Guru Gowrappan: The Indian-Origin Techie Who Is Now Yahoo’s CEO
A few days ago, Verizon Media announced that it has been officially acquired by Apollo Global Management. In case you didn’t know, Verizon Media included the popular search engine, Yahoo as well as AOL.
The acquisition was worth $5 billion, nearly half of what Verizon paid at the time of acquiring them originally, a few years ago -- it acquired AOL in 2015 for $4.4 billion and Yahoo in 2017 for 4.5 billion, placing them both under the ‘Oath’ brand and later changed to Verizon Media in 2019.
And with the company in fresh, new hands, it also got a new CEO -- Guru Gowrappan, who was earlier the COO for Oath’s media properties, which at the time included HuffPost, Yahoo News and TechCrunch, followed by becoming the CEO of Verizon Media Group.
Early life and academics
Guru Gowrappan hails from India and has completed his bachelor’s degree in IT from the prestigious Madras University.
According to a bio highlighted by BNY Mellon, Gowrappan also possesses an MS degree in the field of Computer Science from the University of South California as well as a Business Bridge Program from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
According to Crunchbase, Gowrappan started his career by helping co-found two startups in India -- Mantra Partners and Techfolk Ltd. however, post that, he’s held multiple leadership positions in renowned technology companies around the world.
He was the COO at Quixey -- a mobile tech company backed by Alibaba, however, soon after he held the position of Global Managing Director at the Alibaba Group.
Next, he became the Director -- Business Operations, Office of the CEO at Yahoo, and further progressed to become the Senior Director and Head of Business Operations and PMO.
He later switched to Zynga -- the company behind popular FB games like Farmville, Petville etc. where he was the COO of the Japan division, before he became the COO, followed by the CEO for Verizon Media.
He has also held director positions at BNY Mellon and also serves on the Board of Directors of Tech:NYC -- a non profit organization representing New York City’s technology industry with government, civic institutions, in business, and in the media.
Becoming the CEO of Yahoo, Gowrappan said in a statement, “This is a new era for Yahoo. The close of the deal heralds an exciting time of renewed opportunity for us as a standalone entity. We anticipate that the coming months and years will bring fresh growth and innovation for Yahoo as a business and a brand, and we look forward to creating that future with our new partners.”
What do you think of Yahoo's new CEO? Can he turn things around and take Yahoo to its pre-dot com bust heights? Let us know in the comments section below, and keep reading Indiatimes.com for all the latest technology news and science updates.


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From October 21 2013 Seachill, Coldwater and Icelandic UK trading names will cease to exist as they become part of a united Icelandic Seachill organisation.
The three Grimsby factories which employ over 1500 staff within the UK will continue to operate as distinct manufacturing units. With distinct sector focus these sites will be named “Chilled” (Laforey Road site) “Coated”, (East Site) and “Meals” (West Site) with the former “East Site” becoming the newly named Icelandic Seachill Head Office address.
Malcolm Eley, CEO of the combined organisation now being renamed Icelandic Seachill, commented: “Icelandic Group has decided to rename their three UK operating divisions in recognition that we are now one united business with one combined voice in the market. Our ambition is for Icelandic Seachill to have a unified operating model which will see benefits across the business in terms of supply, sales and production.”
Meanwhile, Icelandic Group’s Belgium division will be renamed from Gadus to Icelandic Gadus. Icelandic Seachill and Icelandic Gadus will all be supported by a new consistent company logo that is in line with the Icelandic logo used in other parts of the world.
Magnús Bjarnason, President and CEO of Icelandic Group, comments: “The renaming of Gadus and our UK businesses underlines the emphasis we place on a more united and collaborative business model to further build on the success we have enjoyed. Our new vision, experienced staff and our unique access to quality fish from sustainable resources will result in higher customer satisfaction”


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SBI Credit Card holders in Mumbai were in utter shock when they were given a option to buy a discounted iphone using their credit cards and they can use it on any mobile network around the country which means its a unlocked iphone in India.
This was a advertisement sent by SBI Credit cards in tie-up with Deals4all – a online indian shopping mall and the offer seems completely illegal, because Apple officially does not offer unlocked iphones and SBI being a very big nationalised bank from India has made tie-up with this kind of offer. Apple iPhones are not yet officially available in india and are expected to be available with the tie up with HCL or else they would open their own Apple Store in India
Recent Update Policies from Apple :
1. Apple Limits iPhone to 2 per individual : Apple has now limited their iphone to just two per individual because of the 20% sold phones being unlocked which is what they hate. Apple has sold approximately 1.4 million iPhones Q4 out of which approximately 250000 were unlocked which apple didnt like and that is when they decided not to sell more than 2 iphones to any individual.
To keep away the unauthorised resellers they have brought in a new policy that they will accept just credit card and debit card holders who want to purchase a iphone and no cash will be allowed to buy this excellent phone.
2. Unlocked Apple iPhones wont be offered warranty and the device would be irreparable.
Though the SBI officials in India have confirmed that they are not linked with deals4all regarding this Apple iphones but they are just limited to the credit cards deal. The officials from deals4all cleared lied when called quoting that Apple authorities are going to Unlock iPhones for them which is completely baseless comment. Earlier Wipro Technologies and HCL Infosystems were expected to be iPhone distributors/resellers in India but still nothing has been confirmed and i personally feel that Imagine store in bangalore and gurgaon will be the first sellers of Apple iPhone because thats the only store currently which sells Apple Macbook in India.


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An alleged T-Mobile variant of the upcoming Moto G smartphone has been spotted at the FCC recently. The listing reveals model numbers XT1032, XT1033, XT1034, XT1035, and XT1036 which could all be carrier variants in the U.S. except for the XT1032, which is the UK variant of the smartphone. Users however might not be able to buy this smartphone directly from T-Mobile. Instead, they will have to rely on T-Mobile’s MVNOs or Mobile Virtual Network Operators to get the smartphone. The likes of Solavei and Brightspot have recently joined the T-Mobile stable, while MetroPCS sounds like an instant choice for this smartphone.
Considering that the handset is targeted towards budget prepaid carriers, it makes sense for T-Mobile to launch it in the country. The smartphone retails for just $179 in global markets and American customers would be more than happy with this news. Although it lacks 4G LTE support, it shouldn’t be much of a deal breaker given the pricing.
Motorola recently mentioned that the Moto G smartphone would make its way to the U.S. with Android 4.4 KitKat onboard, which is definitely an added incentive for potential buyers.
Via: Phone Arena


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Netflix may not be a leader in the gaming category today, but the company has shown no signs of slowing down its pursuit of the booming mobile gaming market. Interpret data has shown that interest in mobile gaming has been steadily rising among the Netflix audience in the US as the streamer has promised upwards of 50 titles on its free mobile gaming service this year (it has 33 as of this writing). Not only did Netflix acquire studios like Next Games and Boss Fight Entertainment, but recently the company announced that it’s building out its internal games development capabilities with a new studio in Finland.
The Helsinki-based studio is in good hands, as it’s being helmed by former EA executive and Zynga co-founder Marko Lastikka. COO Greg Peters commented on an earnings call that the company is “very enthusiastic” about building internal capacity, but the company has also acknowledged that it has a lot of work to do to boost its gaming profile. Signing French publisher Ubisoft to a deal that includes an Assassin’s Creed exclusive could help in that regard. Netflix has also done well in curating a number of solid games from indies, including Poinpy, Into the Breach, and Before Your Eyes, to name just a few.
Members of the games media have noticed the quality of Netflix’s growing games catalog, too. “Its initial gaming launch last year with five games was uninspiring and forgettable, but this summer has dramatically recolored my perception of Netflix as a games publisher,” commented GameSpot’s Chris Pereira in August.
Additionally, while not a major feature, Netflix is beginning to recognize the importance of supporting its gaming community through the use of public usernames that can be used across all Netflix games. As is common with online services like Xbox Live, Netflix notes that having public game handles will “help players discover, make friends and play with each other.”
Building a video game empire can take many years. When Microsoft first decided to launch the Xbox, the company endured numerous growing pains as it challenged Nintendo and Sony. Netflix is at the embryonic stage of a long journey in this vibrant industry, and with all the synergy gaming is already seeing through anime and live-action shows (The Witcher, Castlevania, Arcane, etc.) on the streaming platform, the company is positioned to succeed. According to Interpret’s New Media Measure®, the average Netflix subscriber in the US clearly values gaming as part of their entertainment diet, spending nearly 10 hours each week on games compared to 15.5 hours on video streaming. Moreover, Netflix users spend around $45 per quarter on games or game subscriptions, which is on par with the cost for a standard Netflix plan.
Ready to level up your career? Check out Interpret’s Careers page for current openings and join our squad of Fun Scientists!


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DiRT Rally 2.0 Game of the Year Edition Includes All 4 Seasons of Content and More, Available March 27
Codemasters has announced a new version of DiRT Rally 2.0 that veterans and newcomers alike will be able to get their hands on later this month. Dubbed the Game of the Year Edition, this new release includes over 80 cars and 26 locations.
Since its release last February, DR2 has enjoyed a steady schedule of post-release content. Now, with this “definitive” edition of the game, players will have all DLC content in one tidy package. That means all four seasons’ worth of content, in addition to the anticipated Flat Out expansion pack that celebrates Colin McRae.
Releasing March 24, the add-on contains two brand new cars, a new location, and 40 new challenges that pay homage to the rally icon. If this all sounds too good to be true, you can watch the video below and see for yourself.
Of course, that’s not all the GOTY version of the game brings to the table. Up until now, Oculus VR users have had to make do with only playing the standard version of the game. On March 24, all Oculus users will have their games updated to the Game of the Year Edition. As a result, all content — that includes all four seasons and the Flat Out expansion — will become available at no extra cost.
Moreover, coinciding with the release of the GOTY edition, those who have access to the Ford Focus RS Rally 2001 available in Season 3 will have a new, original Valvoline livery to use. Both the car and livery are also available in the Colin McRae scenarios included in the Flat Out expansion.
DiRT Rally 2.0 Game of the Year Edition releases March 27 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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