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Positioned as a ‘Leader’ in Aspire Leaderboard™ 2022
We have been positioned as a ‘Leader’ in 2022 Aspire Leaderboard amongst AnyPrem Customer Communications Management (CCM) Software Leaders
Discover what industry-leading analysts are excited about. Read through a selection of analyst reports.Find out more
Avinash Kulkarni joins Intense Technologies Limited as Head of Cloud & CCM Automation Unit to drive opportunities and accelerate Intense’s growing global footprint.
Intense Technologies Limited, a leading enterprise software products company, celebrated its annual company meet on 14th October 2022 at Alankrita Resorts, Hyderabad.
Intense Technologies Limited, a leading enterprise software products company, is pleased to announce Anisha Shastri, Director, Intense Technologies, amongst the ‘10 Prominent Women in Spotlight 2022’ by Women Entrepreneur India magazine.


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The Massachusetts Attorney General's office announced Thursday that Sensible Auto Lending LLC, of Connecticut, will provide $733,925 to provide relief for those who purchased vehicles at F&R Auto and three other dealerships.
BOSTON — The company that provided financing to a Westport used car dealership found to be selling "defective and inoperable vehicles" has agreed to provide debt relief and refunds to resolve allegations that it facilitated the sale of defective vehicles.
The Massachusetts Attorney General's office announced Thursday that Sensible Auto Lending LLC, of Connecticut, will provide $733,925 to provide relief for those who purchased vehicles at F&R Auto and three other dealerships. F&R previously entered into a consent judgment with the AG’s Office over its deceptive sales practices.
“This settlement will give consumers victimized by these dealerships a clean slate by refunding them for faulty cars and repairing their credit,” Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. “Sensible Auto has also changed its business practices so that consumers are protected from fraud in the future.”
An investigation determined Sensible facilitated the dealerships’ sale of defective and inoperable vehicles by supplying the dealerships with financing, despite knowing of consumer complaints against the dealerships and of their high default and repossession rates.
"The investigation also found that Sensible violated the Massachusetts Cost of Consumer Credit Disclosure Act by failing to account for the cost of certain insurance policies that consumers were required to purchase. These Vendor Single Interest insurance policies are intended to protect lenders when a vehicle is damaged or unrecoverable, but Sensible used its VSI claims to recover for credit losses. This practice effectively caused the annual percentage rates on consumers’ loans to exceed the state statutory cap of 21 percent," the attorney general's office said.
Under the terms of the settlement, Sensible will provide refunds to certain consumers, including those who purchased a vehicle from F&R Auto, complained of mechanical defects, and lost their vehicle to repossession. Sensible will also waive all outstanding deficiency obligations for the hundreds of consumers who purchased vehicles from F&R Auto and the three other dealerships and will repair these consumers’ credit with credit reporting agencies. Sensible will refund interest payments to consumers where the company misused VSI claims.
The attorney general's office said Sensible cooperated fully with the investigation and made substantial changes to its business practices, including tracking consumer complaints, repossession rates and delinquency rates of the dealerships with which it does business.

domain: news


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HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Nissan Motor Co. climbed Friday on a newspaper report that the automobile major is aiming to develop its own technology for hybrid vehicles and plans to launch a hybrid minivan in Japan in 2011.
The popular Serena minivan is likely to be the first model in Nissan's current line-up that could get a hybrid makeover, the Nikkei business daily reported, without citing a source.
Nissan also plans to introduce a compact electric car in Japan and the U.S. at the end of next year. The vehicle will initially be targeted only at corporate customers, while general sales are scheduled to begin worldwide in 2012, the report said.
Nissan currently has the Altima hybrid car in its line-up, which was developed using Toyota Motor Corp.'s (7203)


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Christophe Decarnin Leaves Balmain
Christophe Decarnin has today left French fashion house Balmain, where he has been Creative Director for the past 5 years. Decarnin’s departure has been expected since March when the designer did not attend the fashion houses runway show at Paris Fashion Week, with reports that he was no longer communicating with the brands management. The brand should be announcing later today who will be his successor.
For more visit the New York Times site.


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Chains are getting bolder and bolder with their milkshake offerings these days by mixing in everything from bacon to red wine. According to CNBC, Connecticut-based burger chain Wayback Burgers might be the boldest of them all with their newest protein-packed takes on a shake. The restaurant will debut milkshakes next month made with cricket flour — which has been called the food of the future — and another made with everyone's favorite dried meat snack, beef jerky.
The new cricket Oreo mud pie milkshake will be made with Peruvian chocolate-flavored cricket powder. The bug-infused shake initially started off as an April Fool's joke this year "to generate buzz." Due to a positive response, the chain tested the item at locations in Long Island, N.Y. before deciding to add it to its menu nationwide for a limited time. John Eucalitto — the president of the chain — notes, "We had it for two hours. There were people lined up to try it." The cricket shakes will be available this July through September. Curious customers who aren't into Oreos will also be able to add cricket powder to any shake during that time.
If crickets aren't a customer's animal protein of choice, Wayback's second non-vegetarian milkshake features jerky. It comes in three flavors — barbecue, maple syrup, or hickory spice — is garnished with a Slim Jim stick or two, and most likely comes with a side of regret.


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BEIJING — China is under great pressure amid imported inflation triggered by soaring international grain prices and oil prices, a senior economic planning official said on Wednesday.
The country has taken a series of measures to control climbing prices since the second and third quarters of last year, Xu Xianping, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at a press conference.
The measures, such as raising interest rates, increasing market supplies and cutting fees, have shown some results, Xu said.
The most obvious change has been a decrease in vegetable prices, Xu said.
Countering price hikes is a top priority for the country, and measures to keep prices down will be gradually carried out over time, Xu said.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a major gauge of inflation, rose to 5.3 percent in April, well above the government’s annual inflation control ceiling of 4 percent.
The May CPI is scheduled to be published on June 14.
Analysts: Consumer inflation to rise in May
Qiao Hong, an economist from Goldman Sachs, said the CPI will climb to 5.5 percent in May from 5.3 percent in April.
Rising food prices, particularly for pork, are the main reason for the predicted increase, she said.
Pork prices have been rising steadily since early May, as demand increased during the recent Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
Vegetable prices have also risen by nearly 20 percent, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
Qiao expects food prices, which account for one-third of the CPI, to jump 12.1 percent in May from a year ago, higher than the 11.5 percent posted in April.
The China International Capital Corporation (CICC) also expects the CPI to rise to 5.5 percent, reports Shanghai Securities News. A lingering drought in south China will push up prices of aquaculture products, and non-food prices will continue to stay high, the company said in a report.
With higher inflation, analysts expect an interest rate hike to occur in June.
Economist Dong Xianan predicts that the rate hike will happen as soon as this weekend. Dong was quoted by the Shanghai Securities News as saying that the central bank is likely to hike the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for commercial banks after macro-economic data is released next week.
The CICC said in its report that the government’s monetary tightening measures will continue in the third quarter.
The CPI hit a 32-month high of 5.4 percent in March. To curb the rising rate of inflation, the central bank has hiked its benchmark interest rates four times since last October, and raised the RRR for commercial banks five times this year to a record high of 21 percent.


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Anticipation for next month’s popular Game Connection Lyon event is building – and the organisers have offered up a glimpse at what attendees and fellow exhibitors will see at the event.
Connection Events says that the event "will welcome dozens of companies at the forefront of the new development trends for new target audiences on all platforms" – that’s next-gen formats as well as iPhone, they say, while those exploring or looking to take advantage of new business models will also be in attendance.
The organisers also say that a number of new companies, and media firms looking to expand their games interests, will be on hand at the event, which runs from November 5th to 7th.
Confirmed exhibitors for Game Connection Europe includ: Arkane Studios, Blitz Games, Daedalic Entertainment, Eutechnyx, GSC Game World, Kuju Entertainment, Rebellion, Team 17 Software and Techland.
Those looking to attend should head to www.game-connection.com to register.


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Jan 22, 2021, 4:17 pm1.5k ptsTopNasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. rose to hit a new all-time closing high. During trading today, Apple also reached a new… The post Ahead of Q121 earnings, Apple shares hit new all-time intraday and closing highs appeared first on MacDailyNews.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sold about $1.09 billion worth of Tesla shares, following a Twitter survey last end of the week that found out if he should sell 10% of his stock. 57.9% decided in favor of and 42.1% casted a ballot against, and presently we’re here.
Numerous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday show the CEO selling more than 930,000 offers out of more than 2.1 million choices at a cost of $6.24 per share. Musk’s portions sold at a number somewhere in the range of $1,200 and $1,100 each as Tesla shares plunged by 4.8% on Monday.
Musk revealed in the documenting that he offered a portion of his stake to fulfill charge commitments identified with practicing investment opportunities. The CEO is confronting personal assessment on stock acquires that were granted in 2012 at $6.24 per share, which is funny checking out the stock value today that shut at $1,067.95 on Wednesday. At whatever point Musk chooses to practice those choices, he’ll be checking out an assessment bill of more than $15 million.
This news isn’t actually is business as usual. Musk has as of now said that he would sell a huge square of his Tesla stock openly previously, and the SEC recording uncovers that Musk was at that point wanting to sell the stock on September 14, making his show on Twitter simply that — a show. Furthermore, during a discussion with tech columnist Kara Swisher in September, Musk said an enormous piece of his investment opportunities would lapse in August 2022 and the sky is the limit from there or less vowed to sell them in Q4.
As we told you over the course of the end of the week, Musk’s remuneration plan conceded him various offers that were expected to lapse in 2022. To practice that award, he should sell about $15 billion in shares, as he depicted exhaustively at the Code Conference on September 28th, fourteen days subsequent to organizing this deal. Around then, Musk said, “I have a lot of choices that are terminating right on time one year from now, so a tremendous square of choices will sell in Q4. Since I need to, or they’ll terminate.”
The monetary advantages and punishments that apply to Musk mean Wednesday’s deal isn’t the final remaining one — and notwithstanding Musk’s edgelord persona, it doesn’t make any difference what you say on Twitter around extremely rich people and charges.
Musk actually holds more than 170 million Tesla shares, which is around 17% of proprietorship.


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HOPE FOR EMILIA is an exciting event from July 22 to August 9, 2012 including a Summer Fashion Fair, fashion shows, an art expo and entertainment events to fundraise for the victims of earthquake in Emilia, Italy.
As most of the world is aware, the northern region of Italy has been hit by devastating earthquakes since May. The impact of these earthquakes has been terrible: 26 people died, and thousands are homeless, living in tents. The whole economy of the country was brought to its knees.
“Hope for Emilia” aims to fundraise to help the many victims of the earthquakes: 100% of the funds raised with this event will be donated to victims of the earthquake through the bank account opened by Emilia-Romagna region. At the fashion fair many designers will be supporting the cause by offering an exclusive item, the full proceeds of which will be donated to Hope for Emilia.
Fashion shows highlighting the exclusive items are planned for July 29th and August 5th.
There will also be an Art Exhibition starting on August 3rd, at which artistic creations from the grid’s most accomplished artists will be on display and available for purchase.
Hope for Emilia will open officially at 1pm SLT on July 22nd, 2012.
Shown here - the Hope for Emila exclusive gown from Desir. I'll be bringing you more when the fair opens!


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One of the most crucial aspects of any online business is the landing page of the website. Nowhere is this more crucial than for any hospitality company, and in particular hoteliers. We have typed ourselves to bloody fingers, talked ourselves blue in the face, but still even wonderfully lavish hotels offer up hamburger to their prime rib consuming visitors.
Augustus Collection, the boutique umbrella sales and marketing specialists for hotels, hotel groups, travel technology and travel media companies, has today announced a new partnership with one of Bulgaria’s most prestigious Black Sea resorts.
World Independent Hotels Promotion (WIHP), in a deal with TripAdvisor, has enhanced their “Show Price” PPC ad capability there by including budgetary control for hoteliers.
Have you ever Google’d before going on a trip, only to run across one crappy website after another in search of a hotel? Face it, despite all the technology advances, the mobile breakthroughs enabling us like never before, hotel websites still suck. WIHP aims to change all that.
In hotel news, Prague will see the opening of the Fusion Hotel. This chic affair coming to the city center should satisfy city visitors with a contemporary taste for the edgy, even the funky. €15 million, and a play at being the most moody and raw accomodation in all the Czech Republic, hotel marketing gurus WIHP called the Fusion design something “Andy Warhol and Le Corbusier would have collaborated on.”
Meritus Hotels & Resorts has announced a campaign to celebrate, among other things, four decades of Meritus signature hospitality in Asia. These luxurious hotels are encapsulated in a new commercial campaign of extraordinary beauty and clarity.
Paris, London, New York, or even a Caribbean cruise, what’s the one thing all vacations have in common? The place a traveler stays after arrival, for one. Argo Travel News went far afield today in search of the extraordinary. After all, while we seek pattern and commonality in travel, many times – isn’t it the “unique” that is so often missing?
HotelWebsiteMarketing.com has announced a series of conferences to take place across Europe in May and June, 2011. Also, TripAdvisor, Availpro.com, Meetingsbooker.com, reviewPro.com, TIG Global, and other leading travel companies have joined the conferences to speak and contribute. The focus will be on hotel sales, marketing, revenue and e-commerce, among the many other topics.


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CES 2014: Dish unveils “Super Joey” and Coors to make first appearance at tech conference
LAS VEGAS – Dish Network, the nationâ€™s second largest satellite-TV provider, announced the third phase of its transformation Monday, lifting the curtain on three new products at CES that will enhance the features on its disruptive Hopper set-top box.
After releasing a second version of the Hopper last year, the company is zeroed in on upgrading Joey, the comparatively tiny companion box for the Hopper.
The so-called Super Joey features two tuners that can be controlled by the Hopper. That gives subscribers access to five tuners after including the Hopperâ€™s three tuners.
â€śFor American consumers, say goodbye to channel conflict,” Dish CEO Joe Clayton.
With two additional tuners, Dish subscribers can record up to eight shows at any given time. Thatâ€™s because one tuner can record shows on the four major networks simultaneously. The Super Joey will be available in the first quarter, with a monthly lease price of less than $12.
“The biggest issue we see today is the channel conflict. People say they want to watch more TV,” said Vivek Khemka, senior vice president of product management for Dish. “We wanted to figure out a way to let people record more shows if they want to.”
“Wireless Joey” allows subscribers to watch their channels on any TV set without the need for a coaxial outlet or Internet connection. The Wireless Joey connects to the Hopper via a local area network connection, so the content isnâ€™t affected by any outside Internet traffic.
The new box is targeted for kitchens, garages or other areas without a coaxial outlet, or for wall-mounted TV installations. Wireless Joey will launch in the second quarter with a lease price similar to the Super Joey.
Lastly, Dishâ€™s Virtual Joey is a software app that allows Dish subscribers to watch their channels on certain connected TVs without the need for a wired Hopper.
Virtual Joey will be available for select LG smart TVs and TVs that are connected to Sonyâ€™s PS3 and PS4 gaming consoles.
Douglas County-based Dish took home top honors in CES 2013 for the Hopper with Sling, the second version of the set-top box. Khemka says the Hopper, which includes the controversial ad-skipping features, that allowed its subscribers to watch more content. Phase one of Dish’s transformation started in 2012 with the introduction of the Hopper.
“Hopper customers actually watch more TV than Nielsen reports for the average U.S. household,” Khemka said.
Nielsen says the average household watches 35 hours of TV per week.
Colorado Connection: A beer company at CES? Yes. For the first time, MillerCoors is participating in the conference this year. The brewer’s chief marketing officer Andy England is participating in a CES keynote panel.
“While members of our team and our agency teams have attended CES in recent years, Andy Englandâ€™s participation in Wednesdayâ€™s keynote panel is the first time weâ€™ve been involved in that way,” MillerCoors spokesman Scott Bussen said Monday. “As we continue to expand our digital marketing plans, we thought this was a great opportunity to share our insight and to learn more about whatâ€™s ahead.”
Bussen said the company doesn’t plan to make any CES-related product announcements. England is participating on a “Brand Matters” panel that will focus on “consolidation, data, and the interplay of computation and communication.” Other panelists include executives from Ford and Facebook.


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OTTAWA – On March 25th, 2022, the Northwest Territories announced that it’s ban on the sale of flavoured vaping products will take effect. This ban was intended to better protect the public and youth from vaping as “a significant health hazard… causing acute lung injury”, despite overwhelming evidence that these events were linked to illegal THC products purchased from the illicit market, not legal nicotine vape products.
“Switching from tobacco cigarettes to vaping will reduce your exposure to many toxic and cancer-causing chemicals.” – Health Canada
Vaping is a tobacco harm reduction product for adult smokers, not for non-smokers and never for youth. Surveys and studies show that approximately 85% of adult vape product users rely on flavours that don’t taste like tobacco in their efforts to switch and remain smoke free. Unfortunately, NWT is not alone in banning flavours, and we have seen the consequences in Nova Scotia after they implemented a similar ban in 2020.
To better understand the impact of these measures, VITA commissioned a highly experienced and credible third-party company to conduct an in-depth scan of the illicit market operating in Nova Scotia since their flavour ban was enacted. The findings were clear, prohibition and ineffective enforcement have made the situation far worse, while exposing youth and consumers to unregulated and potentially unsafe products.
“Existing regulations provide all the tools necessary to go after anyone who is selling vaping products to youth, the problem is they’re not being effectively and consistently enforced” said Daniel David, VITA President. “Existing legislation also prohibits the use of potentially harmful ingredients in e-liquid, but as we’ve already seen in other provinces, flavour bans result in new illicit market activity which increases the risk of harm.” added David.
In a population where smoking rates are over 30% VITA is deeply concerned that we will once again see how misguided policy on vape flavours leads to increased smoking rates, and the emergence/growth of a dangerous illicit market that supplies un-regulated vaping products.
It is VITA’s sincere hope that policy makers in NWT will reconsider their approach on this important issue and if or when that happens, VITA will be there to assist in any way we can.
Full illicit market report & video can be found Here
For media requests please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.org
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From 15 July to 15 August, customers can earn generous discount vouchers simply by playing a contactless digital game in the mall
The three lucky winners of New Year new car competition
• Campaign concludes with one golden grand prize winner announced at each mall.
• A gamified activation at City Centre Sharjah and City Centre Ajman will offer instant prizes when shoppers spend AED 200 or more.
• Promotion is available at City Centre Ajman, City Centre Fujairah, and City Centre Sharjah
• Two Jeep Compass and one Toyota RAV4 models are waiting to be won
• Members of the SHARE rewards programme will also earn four times the points on their purchases
• Families can support the less fortunate in the country with their generous donations of essential items
• Enjoy the malls’ hospitality and traditional Ramadan-themed décor with friends and family
• For the first time in the Northern Emirates, customers can collect points to redeem for baggage allowance, meals and free flights
• One winner will walk away with 1,000,000 points on July 31


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Vegan Pammie takes non-leather shoes from India
New Delhi: Apart from saris, suits and Indian spices, former ‘Baywatch’ star Pamela Anderson, a strict vegan, also took away a bagful of non-leather shoes made by Indian designer Rina Shah, back home to the US.
During her short visit to India for reality show ‘Bigg Boss 4’, Anderson took out time to arrange a variety of vegan shoes to be brought to her in Lonavala.
Anderson loved Shah`s leather-free shoes so much that she took a suitcase full of them back with her, says a source.
Shah`s label, Rinaldi Designs, is popular for shoes, belts and bags made of non-leather material. Earlier this year, Shah also gave a pair of vegan shoes to Hollywood star and animal activist Natalie Portman in celebration of the actor`s 29th birthday.
Like Shah, Anderson is a longtime supporter of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and animal rights. She even wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to ban leather trade in India.
More from India
More from World
More from Sports
More from Entertaiment
- Emraan Hashmi takes up 'Fear vs Neerja' challenge!
- Can't take freedom of speech for granted; religion in politics is not healthy: Kamal Haasan
- Sunny Deol's fans give thumps up to 'Ghayal Once Again', mints Rs 14.85 cr!
- Henry Cavill flaunts new look for upcoming flick 'Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice'
- Second dialogue promo of 'Neerja' is here!


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The world of non-fungible tokens (NFT) continued down a difficult path this week and this is reflected in the main facts of this summary. Although the days were dominated by negative news, there is also room for optimism. In the latter case, the rise of some Solana protocols stands out, which show considerable momentum. However, the negative elements were at the top of the information. When it comes to bad things for sectors linked to the crypto market, the SEC and its boss, Gary Gensler, could not be missing. The official continues to present himself as the villain of the movies against the companies and projects in the sector. This time, the agency cracked down on a second NFT project.
If you want to know details of all these cases, we invite you to continue reading this news summary.
The SEC attacked the NFT sector this week
Among the notable news in our summary this week, a new attack by the SEC against the NFT sector stands out. The Securities and Exchange Commission has taken aim at Stoner Cats 2 LLC (SC2), the company behind the animated series ‘Stoner Cats.’ The accusation was the classic “unregistered offering of securities.” SC2 raised approximately $8 million by selling Stoner Cats NFTs, promoting them as an investment with resale potential on the secondary market. The Stoner Cats project was directed by actress Mila Kunis and featured a roster of celebrities. According to the SEC, SC2 violated the Securities Act of 1933 by offering and selling these cryptoasset securities in an unregistered offering. SC2 has agreed to a cease and desist order, a $1 million civil fine, and the destruction of all NFTs in its possession. A Fair fund will also be established to return money to harmed investors. However, SEC commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda argued that SC2’s activity constitutes fan crowdfunding. This implies that applying securities laws rigidly to NFTs could stifle artists’ creativity. Thus, this week the SEC once again becomes the executioner of NFTs and that is why it appears as the highlight of this summary.
Major platforms abandoned recurring commissions for creators
Recently, the abandonment of recurring commissions for creators on the OpenSea platform was made official. Behind this was growing competition from Blur, a free platform that gained market share by not charging platform processing fees. Total NFT trading volume has decreased significantly in 2022, and OpenSea has lost market share. Without guaranteed royalties, artists may further lose interest in NFTs. The latter could be the icing on the cake in a market that is going through an extremely delicate moment. Prices for digital art linked to the blockchain are declining dramatically. However, removing royalties also raises regulatory concerns and may impact smaller artists. Blur’s emergence was a devastating blow to what seemed like OpenSea’s stranglehold. Although the first of these platforms has only been on the market for a short time, that did not prevent it from becoming the main contender. In that sense, OpenSea is now forced to follow in the footsteps of its opponent so as not to be left behind. The side effect of this, as Forbes relates in a recent work, is that the artists’ dream of independence seems to be diluted. This week, as this summary shows, a continuation of the decline in interest in the NFT market was evident.
Solana NFT Market Outperforms Entire Sector on Ethereum
The Solana NFT marketplace is gaining traction and has almost as many day traders as all Ethereum-based NFT platforms. This is due to the unique synergy between Solana’s cost-effective and easy-to-use blockchain and the appeal of NFTs. But the most notable aspect of all this is at the bearish moment that the sector gains momentum in Solana. It should not be lost sight of that the convenience of this network for trading is not just a theory. In fact, speed and low costs are a factor that makes the difference in a time of ebb like the current one. In that sense, the TVL of Solana DeFi is rising rapidly, which creates a strong base for NFTs. Ethereum has its strengths and its NFT markets are far from obsolete. However, the rapid rise of the Solana NFT platform is a wake-up call. This is a reminder that the digital currency market is constantly evolving. This becomes one of the biggest news this week in the world of NFTs.


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Nineteen eighty-seven will be remembered as the year Hollywood got serious about home video. Last year, video rentals surpassed ticket sales for the first time; this year, the video customer became a subject of concern in Hollywood, because the growth rate of new renters was slowing down as quickly as the frustration level among current renters was rising.
Accordingly, the studio folks booted their spreadsheets, focused their focus groups, summoned their MBAs and got to work redesigning the golden egg that video technology had inadvertently left in their nest. The results were usually scrambled, and probably tarnished the industry's luster a bit, but may in the end make it easier and cheaper for consumers to buy or rent a wider variety of video entertainment in 1988 -- if they are willing to make some compromises in the process.
Pricing fell squarely into the scrambled category. The year began with a price increase on major rental titles. The studios were relieved when orders weren't cut back, until somebody finally realized that that was nothing to cheer about: To keep renters happy, video stores needed to buy more copies of the week's blockbuster, not just the same number. By the end of the year, CBS/Fox, the company that led the price rise with "Aliens," developed a program that essentially cuts in half the price the dealers will pay for "Predator," due next month. As a result, the "Predator" monster should storm into more homes faster than "Aliens" did last winter.
On the budget end of the market, the $20 movie looks like it's here to stay. An industry standard this Christmas, the $20 price tag on "collectible" films is already popping up in promotions planned for early next year. That's good news for everyone but the video dealers, many of whom report that they're making less money even though they're selling more tapes.
The Ads of '88
"Top Gun" was credited with getting hundreds of thousands of movie fans into the practice of taking home last year's favorite movie for keeps, and its prefeature Diet Pepsi commercial proved to be an easy compromise, since it was almost as entertaining as the film itself. While ads on movie tapes were unheard of a year ago, and remain the exception rather than the rule today, the studios are busy lining up more exceptions for 1988. The Diet Pepsi ad was designed to echo "Top Gun's" aviation theme, but the first big video of 1988, "Dirty Dancing," will carry a 30-second spot for Nestle's Alpine Winter chocolate that is already familiar to TV viewers.
It's possible no one will ever see Lee Iacocca's "tribute" at the front end of "Platoon" -- or the rest of the movie, for that matter. Whatever its legal problems, the "Platoon" episode brought the video business one step closer to the paperback reprint industry, with which it shares some obvious parallels. HBO Video wasn't the only company willing to bid high stakes and spend big ad dollars to lure "Platoon" renters into the store. The next major feature to come legally up for grabs is the forthcoming George Lucas/Ron Howard fantasy "Willow," on which the bidding for distribution has reportedly topped $15 million. If that money is indeed spent, you can be sure it will not go quietly onto tape.
Bad News for Beta
The biggest casualty of the year was the Beta format. While it's still around for big new releases, studio cutbacks on lesser and low-price titles in the format, along with the proliferation of VHS-only stores, portend slimmer Beta pickings in 1988; the fact that no studio has followed Paramount's lead in cutting Beta prices doesn't brighten the picture. The three major hardware innovations of the year -- CD video, super VHS and ED Beta -- had virtually no impact on the 1987 market, but may be factors in 1988.
Video of the Year?
Another story for 1988 gets the Video Monitor's vote for video of the year 1987. "Dirty Dancing" was the first feature from Vestron Pictures, which was created to provide movies for industry veteran Vestron Video. A surprise hit in the theaters, "Dirty Dancing" will be surrounded on tape by ads for both Nestle's and the film's No. 1 sound-track album. The film itself plays like it was designed for video: With abundant musical numbers culminating in a shamelessly upbeat ending that radio listeners are constantly reminded of, "Dirty Dancing" is choreographed for repeat viewings. That video-inspired appeal won't be lost on the other studios when they're considering film projects -- nor with the unprecedented pair of on-tape commercials. This slick nostalgic tale of lost innocence that begs a second viewing, bracketed on tape by commercial messages, may well be the video of the future. Hollywood will doubtless repeat itself in 1988 -- except this time there will be sponsors to help pay the bills.


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Vivo launched the Funtouch OS 10 based on Android 10 late last year. The company generally delays OTA update for its older devices. But now, the company seems to be finally rolling out the Android 10 update for Vivo Z1 Pro in India. A Twitter user, who shared screenshots of the new Funtouch OS 10 says the update is rolling out to few users as of now but is expected to roll out for all the users very soon.
A Twitter user named TechTipster has shared screenshots of the new update. The update with the firmware version Vivo rev 6.9.11 has a file size of 3.1 GB which will update the Vivo Z1 Pro to Android 10. The changelog of the update also talks about UI changes it brings to the device including other improvements.
Funtouch OS 10 Features
The screenshot has the changelog that says the firmware will update the device to newer Funtouch OS 10 based on Android 10. Additionally, features like Dynamic effects for the UI, new Calculator, and Compass accompany the update.
If we recall, Vivo introduced the new Funtouch OS 10 back in December at the Vivo X30 launch. This new UI based on Android 10 has a minimalistic design and features native screen recording, improved Digital Wellbeing. Additionally, Vivo talked about improved privacy controls for third-party apps, a system-wide dark mode, revamped weather, quick sharing, and more.
Generally, companies roll out major Android OTA updates in a phased manner to monitor potential bugs in the devices. Similarly, Vivo is likely to test out the new Funtouch OS 10 through a staged rollout.
Further, the user shared a screenshot where a Vivo account has replied that update is under grey testing as of now resulting in few users getting it. But we would like you to take this reply with a pinch of salt as the official Vivo account is not from India.
In the meantime, users can update if their devices have received the update by going into Settings>About>software update.


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Up to 50% of food gets wasted in EU households, supermarkets, restaurants and along the food supply chain each year, while 79 million EU citizens live beneath the poverty line and 16 million depend on food aid from charitable institutions.
Currently food wastage amounts in the EU27 to 89 million tonnes per annum (i.e. 179 kg per capita) and the projection for 2020 – if no action is taken – is 126 million tonnes (i.e. a 40% increase).
Food waste prevention and reduction are important aspects in the wider context of food security and resource efficiency. In its recent CAP-Opinion the EESC recommends that the Commission review best food waste reduction practices in countries such as Germany and support them with legislative measures at EU level.
The proposed own-initiative opinion should give impetus to draw up at the European level a coordinated strategy, combining EU-wide and national measures, to improve the efficiency of food supply and consumption chains and to tackle food wastage as a matter of urgency.


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Earlier this week, friends sent me a segment on plastic from John Oliver’s Last Night Tonight, where he takes aim at the plastics industry and the notion of recycling. I started working in the recycling industry a few years back, and friends were keen to know what I thought.
For those that have yet to watch it, John Oliver’s message is, in simple terms, that recycling is a con. There is a world of difference between “recyclable” and “recycled”. Recycling campaigns were a callous marketing ploy developed by the plastics industry starting form the 1980s to pass the responsibility for dealing with plastic waste from the industry to individual consumers.
The idea was that if you and I did the right thing and recycled, we could solve the problem – yet the industry knew full well that this was impossible, because across the US and around the world, the infrastructure to recycle the majority of waste plastic simply does not exist. As such, what bin consumers put their plastic in is meaningless at worst and marginal at best.
It is hard to argue with John Oliver’s diagnosis. Just 5 per cent of the plastic packaging we use globally is recycled. In developed economies like Singapore or Korea, waste plastic is sent to incinerators, while in emerging ones like Indonesia, it ends up either in unsanitary landfills and/or leaking via rivers into the ocean. As use of plastics continues to grow – particularly here in Asia – the problem will only get worse.
But what about his prescription – that the way to solve the problem is to a) use less plastic and switch to alternatives and b) to make polluters pay?
Plastic as a packaging material has enormous advantages – mostly related to its weight and cost – that alternatives like paper and glass cannot match. Bio-based plastic is an emerging solution that faces its own challenges – not least the risk of displacing virgin forest or food production in countries that can ill afford to do either. I fully agree with using less plastic – but such an edict is easier to comply with in European supermarket aisles than here in the emerging economies of Asia, where access to packaged products at low cost makes a vital contribution to health, nutrition and economic development.
So, rather than turning to alternatives, can the recycling industry do better? Can we offer a genuine solution rather than just another shallow marketing campaign?
My company, Plastic Energy, is in “advanced recycling”, a category that describes emerging technologies that process plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled. We take mixed, contaminated post-consumer plastics and turn it back into a recycled oil that can be used to make new plastics. You can already buy packaged products – like Magnums, or Tupperware – made using our process.
The technology is great – but it is not a silver bullet. Global recycling rates are low not because of lack of technology but of incentives.
Just look at Southeast Asia. Here in Singapore, there is no economic rationale to separate plastics and other recyclables from the general waste stream when it is cheaper to send everything to the incinerator. In Indonesia, local authority budgets mostly don’t stretch far enough to cover collection, never mind recycling. We could look to the EU, the world leader in plastic recycling, but which still only achieves rates of around 40 per cent - and that hides volumes that have been rejected from recycling facilities or exported overseas, but which in reality is likely to be sitting in open dumps in Malaysia or Turkey. Even getting this far has taken decades of generous government spending, subsidies and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes that range from a few hundred to more than a thousand euros for every tonne of packaging put onto the market.
Such “polluter pays” schemes are vital to create the right incentives. Waste management systems in emerging economies are in desperate need of better funding. By turning their attention to this problem, the global plastics value chain has an opportunity to address not just plastic pollution but broader environmental degradation, poverty and labour conditions. No one should have to scavenge on landfills to make a living.
But EPR schemes are not a silver bullet either. Ultimately, they are a form of consumption tax. The companies may pay in the first instance, but over the long run those costs will be passed back onto the consumer, and in Asia, any price rises – however small – will be felt most acutely by the poor and the lower middle classes.
Governments in the region are also worried about competitiveness. The EU has introduced a tax on plastic, which has been highly effective at creating demand for recycled content, but it is hard to imagine Asian economies competing for manufacturing and value-added racing to follow suit.
As a society, we struggle to deal with plastic waste for the same reason that we struggle to deal with climate change: because the negative externality associated with plastic packaging is not captured in the cost of the product. Putting a price on plastic, and channelling the proceeds towards better waste management and recycling infrastructure, will go a long way towards solving the problem, but figuring out how to distribute the costs equitably is the tricky part. There will be opportunities too, but governments will need to stand ready to prioritise long-term sustainability at the cost of some risk to short-term competitiveness.
We can solve the plastic waste crisis by making the polluter pay – but we need to recognise that it’s not just the big companies that are implicated, but all of us.
Ying Staton is head of corporate development in Asia for Plastic Energy, an advanced recycling company. She previously worked for the UK Government and was head of Asia at Global Counsel, a public policy consultancy.
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Fur coats, made famous by Disney’s iconic Barbie doll, are getting a makeover.
The company has unveiled a new line of Barbie products featuring nude fur coats in a bold new style that is meant to bring new life to a beloved doll.
The new line is a response to demand from fans who want to explore the world of Barbies nakedness and are searching for a way to bring a new element of expression to their daily lives.
“We’re really excited to finally offer this new version of the iconic Barbie line, which is our most popular doll in the world,” said David Lassiter, vice president of global product development at Barbie, in a statement.
“We wanted to make a statement with this new line that is truly new and different, but also timeless.”
“Barbie Fur Coat” is a new addition to the Barbie line that includes the Barbie Fur Coat and Barbie Fur Fursuit.
The brand’s current line includes the classic and a new version with a “Barbie” version of a coat and a fur jacket.
Barbie said the new line includes an “unapologetically naked” version and a “very sophisticated” version.
The company said the “fursuit” version was created for women who wanted something new and not just something to wear in a bikini.
The fur coat and fur jacket were inspired by the classic Barbies outfit.
“This new line gives us an opportunity to show our customers what the new Barbie line looks like,” said Mattel vice president and chief creative officer, Steve McCarten.
“For women, the new Barbie is a beautiful, sexy, timeless, and stylishly modern product.
It’s a new way to look at Barbies iconic look.”
Barbie is not the only brand trying to bring nudity to the world.
In June, the Japanese brand YKK unveiled a line of “unwanted” clothing with “barbie” in the title.
The line includes a “barbette” shirt and jeans, with a matching scarf.


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Realme C11, the new entry-level smartphone, is set to launch in India today. The smartphone is likely to arrive as the successor to Realme C3 and sounds like a huge leap in terms of naming convention. The fourth largest smartphone brand in the country has been on a roll. It launched the Realme Narzo series in May and then followed up with Realme X3 series. Now, it is set to launch Realme C11 as a more affordable option. Also Read - Flipkart Big Saving Days sale begins for Plus members: Check top 5 deals on smartphones
Realme C11 India Launch: How to watch livestream
Realme C11 is not a new smartphone and it made its debut in Malaysia last month. The smartphone is a budget device priced at RM429 and we expect it to be priced between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 in India. Realme is hosting another online launch event where it will make the C11 official. There is a possibility that the company will also debut Realme 6i at this event. The launch is scheduled for 1PM IST and you will be able to watch it live on YouTube and other social media channels. You can also watch via the video embedded below. Also Read - Realme MagDart charger looks like this, Apple iPhone 12 users won’t be surprised
With Redmi Note 9 confirmed to launch in India on July 20, the battle for the entry-level price segment is set to heat up. Realme C-series, however, has been a best-seller in this price segment. With C3, the company nailed the perfect balance between design, performance and price. Now, it seems to be continuing on that path with Realme C11. It offers a similar textured plastic back and is powered by MediaTek Helio G35 SoC. Also Read - Realme GT Master Explorer Edition, Realme GT Master Edition launched: Here's a closer look
Realme C11 is equipped with a 6.5-inch HD+ display and comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. However, we expect to see a 3GB RAM variant as well in the country. There is a dual rear camera setup placed in the shape of a square like the one seen on Google Pixel 4 series. The main camera is a 13-megapixel unit paired with a second 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies, there is a 5-megapixel camera. It packs a 5,000mAh battery and runs Realme UI based on Android 10.


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The Infinix XBOY Explorer NFT set will come to the limelight during the company’s Zero series launch event. We have been able to gather some information on this coming NFT pack from Infinix. Let us now take a look at this rather weird move from the Transsion Holding company in the event of the Zero series launch event.
NTFs are non-fungible tokens that serve as digital identification of ownership of things stored on the blockchain. So, an NFT is a sign that you own some asset with a unique value on the blockchain, and in the case of Infinix that asset will be a piece of artwork. This artwork will be of the famous Infinix mascot, the XBOY, and the company has five NTFs ready for distribution.
This NFT set goes by the name Infinix XBOY Explorer because the story behind its existence has a bearing on life on Mars. After the Infinix Zero series launch event, the company will explore this story with its global community. Currently, the five NFTs are up for grabs via a lucky draw that fans can access on the official Infinix website.
Winners of all five NFTs will be announced on October 11 and get access to these artworks on the blockchain. Other users can as well download these artworks, but, the actual ownership of these NFTs will belong to those who win the lucky draw. At the launch event to take place in a few hours, we will get more information on the Infinix XBOY Explorer NFT set and the story they intend to pass along to the global community.


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The Adriatic hotspot of Croatia continues to draw visitors to its vast and beautiful coastline.
In fact the new EU member this year is on target to exceed 400,000 UK arrivals in 2013.
According to September figures released by the Croatian National Tourist Office (CNTO), 74,027 Brits enjoyed an early autumnal break in the country, up a massive 27 per cent on the same period in 2012.
So far this year, 374,674 UK tourists holidayed in the Mediterranean hotspot, a boost of 25 per cent on last year's figures.
In total Croatia welcomed 10,525,621 foreign visitors in the same period, an increase of almost six per cent on the previous year.
"British travellers to Croatia have been increasing year-on-year and with 2013 proving to be a very strong year for the market, I'm more than confident that we can exceed 400,000 UK arrivals before the end of the season," said Tonko Rilović, UK and Ireland Director of the CNTO.
"Obviously, there's still more to do if we're to get back to our record-breaking 1990 figure of 500,000, but I'm hopeful that with the continued support of our trade partners and new EU membership, that even more Brits will be tempted to visit our shores next year."
"To encourage further growth in the UK, we're looking to show British visitors that Croatia is an accessible and exciting alternative to the traditional sun, sea and sand holiday at less than a three hour flight away. We will do this by highlighting our culture-rich cities, eight national parks and ever-growing list of electronic music, gastronomic and theatre festivals during the shoulder seasons," continued Rilović.
With October temperatures ranging from 15-20 degrees Celsius and a range of inspiring exhibitions, local events and seasonal delicacies on offer, the destination's historic cities, including Zagreb, Pula and Split, are expecting to welcome even more Brits before the end of the year.
The same factors are behind the increase in interest in UK property hunters and Croatia has entered our Top Ten most searched-for destinations at the close of this year.
With EU membership this year, the Croatian government is making a big effort to attract foreign buyers to its shores, and increasing the transparency in the buying process. Read our newly updated guide to buying in Croatia here.
An increase in air routes is also good news for tourists and UK holiday home owners in Croatia.
Jet2 expands regional routes to Pula.
Jet2 has announced new weekly flights between Edinburgh and Pula and increased the number of flights from Manchester to Pula starting from May 2014.
The picturesque Istrian town will soon be a quick weekend gateway for travellers from Scotland and the North West of England at just over two hours flight away. Jet2holiday customers can also book ATOL-protected holiday packages to Croatia.
Located on the Istrian peninsula, Pula is renowned for its impressive Roman amphitheatre and inviting crystal clear waters, perfect for a relaxing beach holiday or cultural break.
Search here for properties for sale in Pula.
Additional flights to Dubrovnik from Norwegian Air and BA.
British Airways and Norwegian Air are increasing the number of departures between London Gatwick and Dubrovnik, the 'Pearl of the Adriatic'.
UK travellers will be able to take in the iconic sights of Dubrovnik's mighty walls, its delicious Ston oysters and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the old town with BA's flights taking just two hours and 35 minutes.
Search here for properties for sale in Dubrovnik.
New easyJet flights from Scotland to Split
From summer 2014, Scottish travellers will be able to experience the charming city of Split with the impressive Diocletian's Palace thanks to direct flights from Glasgow airport.
Taking just over two hours, Split is an affordable and a quick city break for Scots seeking a cultural weekend away.
Search here for properties for sale in Split.


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"Some guys poured fuel on my house and set it alight. The next morning workers were already pulling down my house."
Natalya Tatjana Strezhniova
""This is something that happened in the past, and of course it will happen in the future again.""
Director, Museum of Natural History Vienna & Professor, University of Vienna
""Priority must be given to the rescue of human lives and then the immediate docking at a safe port.""
Communications Officer, UNHCR
"I hope that one day I, my family and all displaced Syrians will be able to return to our homeland freely and independently."
""His effots have led to other countries taking up Operation ENABLE and later this year there will be a pan-European operation.""
European Traffic Police Network
"It is too early to say North Korea government is starting to play games with America and Chinese government."
Director of the Korean Peninsula Centre at Peking University
""This standoff shows how Europe has lost its moral compass in the Mediterranean""
Head of MSF Emergency Desk
""People have continued to come and die in this tense kind of limbo where the EU itself cannot reach a united policy""
World news editor, The Daily Beast
HSBC.,Europe's biggest bank, just reported a 29 percent drop in pretax profits for the first half of 2016 and will buy back $2.5 billion worth of shares.
Samsung has reported better than expected quarterly profit but warned earnings from phones will weaken in the rest of the year.
Volkswagen has suffered a 12 percent drop in quarterly profit at its main passenger car division as it tries to overcome the toxic emissions rigging scandal.
Despite the popularity of Pokemon GO Nintendo has announced an operating loss for the period from April to June.
Air France-KLM is downbeat about profits this year amid terrorist attacks in Europe and Brexit uncertainty.
Rosneft's quarterly net profit fell by 75 percent as crude oil prices declined, but Russia's top oil producer also blamed heavy investment in the period.
French carmaker, Peugeot Citroen, has unveiled its plans to return to consistent sales growth. In what chief executive Carlos Tavares described as a
Eurostar's profits dropped last year. It has blamed the Paris terrorist attacks, disruptions from migrants getting on to French train tracks and the stronger value of the pound.
Air France-KLM's shares took off on Thursday after the Franco-Dutch airline said it had returned to profit last year helped by lower fuel bills and increased numbers of passengers.
Strong sales of new models pushed French carmaker Renault's profit up by nearly 50 percent in 2015, but it slashed the value of its stake in Russia's AvtoVAZ as sales there slumped.
Toyota has raised its net profit forecast for the current business year thanks to increased production efficiencies in its Chinese operations and improved sales in North America.
Social media giant Facebook has bucked the trend of underwhelming tech results of Apple and eBay and more than doubled its profits in Q4.
Indications the tech industry could be in for a tough year. That’s one interpretation behind Samsung’s fourth quarter profits forecast. The company
The owner of the Zara chain and the world’s biggest fashion retailer, Inditex, has posted a 20 percent rise in profits. The Spanish group says in the
The American gunmaker Smith & Wesson has reported in its latest quarterly statement that profits in the three months to October almost tripled
Thomas Cook has reported its first return to profit in five years, saying it’s positive about the outlook for next year, despite security fears. The
The aerospace group Rolls-Royce has issued its fourth profit warning in just over a year, saying it may cut its dividend due to weaker demand for
Things are looking up at Ryanair. The low-cost airline has revised its forecasts after posting a rise in six-monthly profits – up by 37 percent to a
Europe’s biggest bank HSBC has seen profits jump by a third in the third quarter, to $6.1 billion (5.5 billion euros). The results, which exceeded
Air France-KLM has announced a larger-than-expected rise in third-quarter profits – while insisting that there’s still an “overwhelming need” to cut


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Currently, Debit/Credit card uses CVV (Card Verification Value) number for better security. This CVV number is found on the back side of credit or debit card. But, this concept will soon replace by including a device that generates a frequently changing number to wrong-foot fraudsters. The concept is known as Enigma technology. The Enigma technology is being built into tiny processors to develop the next generation of ultra-secure bank cards.
Inventors David Taylor and George French have secured a patent for the technology. It will use a contactless payment chip and either a wifi aerial or Bluetooth.
Second World War encrypted communications worked on the basis of ever-changing ciphers, some of which codebreakers like Alan Turing successfully cracked, gifting Allied commanders a wealth of intelligence. Similarly, Barclays customers will tap their PIN into a keypad mounted on the card. It will create various security cipher code.
The codes that generate within an interval of time by a tiny clock and appear next to the signature strip.
A cyber security expert, professor Alan Woodward said, “Barclays are trying to have technology that could display several different codes for different situations. These systems put yet another obstacle in the way of criminals.”
According to analysis, Banking fraud affected 20,255 people and cost around £755 million last year. Generally, hackers target CVV number by launching so-called distributed guessing attacks, by spreading attempts to guess the code across more than 1,000 websites in just one or two seconds.
A spokesman for Barclays said, “We are constantly looking at ways of tackling fraud and protecting customers.This patent was filed in support of an innovation. It would see a CVV code that changes dynamically put onto a physical card, in order to tackle online purchasing fraud.”
“However, that it was not possible to predict when the technology would be ready for customers to use,” he added.
In other words, the Enigma Technology has opened up a new avenue for fraudsters.


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Brand Beckham. Dave Thompson/PA Wire
By Tamara Friedrich, University of Warwick
Victoria Beckham has been named Entrepreneur of the Year by Management Today. She topped their list of 100 successful entrepreneurs thanks to her fashion company’s turnover, which has grown from £1m to £30m in the past five years, and its employment growth, which has grown from three members of staff to 100 in the same time.


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Business & Legal Reports’ 2006 Survey of Exempt Compensation also found that behind purchasing managers, advertising managers will earn an average raise of 8.22% and administrative services managers will earn 6.99% more.
The survey measures the salaries of employees that are not eligible for overtime and found that these workers, on average, will receive a 4% increase this year, just below the 4.1% cost of living index for 2005, according to a news release.
BLR Editor, Catherine Moreton, speculated in the news release that “globalization pressures are forcing companies to focus on improving their cost structures, making purchasing managers the unlikely new corporate rock stars. Likewise, marketing and promotion managers will be amply rewarded to increase sales and market share.”
The only position that will show a salary downturn is wholesale and retail buyers, with a .19% dip to $43,192.
The survey also found that a shortage of health care workers will prompt higher pay for mid-level managers in that sector. According to the news release, pharmacists are expected to gain salary increases of 5.44%, to $89,230 and registered nurses of 4.96%, to $54,914.
Engineers and non-management computer positions will see relatively anemic pay raises, the survey found.
« EBRI: Soc. Sec. Cutbacks Won't Push Scores of Americans into Poverty


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Thank you for contacting me about your concerns for the hospitality industry.
Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, I have been contacted by many constituents who either work in hospitality or care deeply about the future of the industry.
Prior to new national lockdown that was imposed in England on 5 November, Coronavirus restrictions had meant that pubs, bars and restaurants were unable to operate at full capacity and they had to close their doors at 10pm. On top of that, the introduction of Tier 2 restrictions in London had been difficult for hospitality businesses. As different households became unable to mix indoors, an inevitable drop in bookings followed, limiting custom even further.
Labour welcome the government’s decision to continue the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This extension will mean that hospitality staff who will be unable to work during the four-week lockdown will have the opportunity to be furloughed and continue to receive 80% of their wages.
Over the past couple of weeks, constituents have been right to point out that no conclusive evidence was ever presented that a 10pm curfew resulted in a reduction in the reproduction rate of the Coronavirus. That is why Labour had been pushing the government to urgently review and publish the evidence for their 10pm curfew, which has had a huge negative financial impact on hospitality businesses.
The government’s initial decision not to allow hospitality businesses to offer takeaway alcohol during their four-week closure was announced without evidence and without explanation. I am very pleased that the government have since declared a U-turn, allowing pubs, bars and restaurants to continue to sell takeaway alcohol despite their temporary closure.
Labour had also been calling on the government to impose a two-to-three week “circuit breaker” lockdown since 13 October. We believe that it is right that we follow scientific advice, which is why we urged the government to use the half-term holiday in England to fix testing, protect our NHS and save lives. The government refused to listen and instead of getting a grip on the virus, they have lost control of it. We have all been let down by this Tory government and we must now all live with the consequences of their incompetence.
Please be assured that Labour will continue to hold the Tories to account for their abysmal response to the Coronavirus pandemic. We are demanding that the financial help the government makes available to businesses operating in the hospitality industry is adequate, and that this time nobody is left behind.
I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are keeping safe and well. Thank you again for contacting me about this important subject and if you have any further points you would like to raise, please do not hesitate to get back in touch.
The Rt Hon. Emily Thornberry MP
Islington South and Finsbury


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There has been a recent drive toward acceptance of Bitcoin by Australian enterprises, following in the footsteps of North America, Israel, Switzerland and Great Britain with a view to expanding the availability of virtual currency across Australia.
Today, Sydney became home to a brand new Bitcoin exchange, which is operated by Independent Reserve and offers a fast, secure and robust method of utilizing cryptocurrency.
Despite the Australian Tax Office’s less than favorable treatment of taxation rulings relating to Bitcoin-related transactions recently, and the subsequent backlash by Australian Bitcoin proponents, Australia looks set to become the next jurisdiction in which Bitcoin prepares to gain ground and flourish.
Independent Reserve understands that Bitcoin is on the verge of becoming a mainstream financial instrument and currency, with the firm’s CTO Adrian Przelozny having stated that the new virtual currency exchange is “robust, secure and easy to use.”
As an Australian you will be able to open an account and be verified in a matter of minutes,” he said.
According to a report by Australian news source ABC.au, The new exchange plans to embark on a recruitment drive toward emphasizing the value of Bitcoin to local online traders and the taxi industry.
“Ebay is about to start accepting Bitcoin, you can buy a holiday on Expedia using Bitcoin, and you can buy a computer from Dell using Bitcoin,” Mr Przelony said.
Indeed, with Australia widely regarded as a region with fine business ethics, a stable economy and very close trade ties to the Asia Pacific region, the dark days of MtGox may well soon be a distant memory to those with a penchant for the virtual currency with new found credibility and popularity.


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ORGIN STORY: Today Is The Two Year Anniversary Of The BAYC's First Tweet. Check It Out
On this day in history, the Bored Ape Yacht Club introduced the world to its collection of 10,000 Bored Apes and gave everyone the chance to win a primate simply by interacting with their Twitter account.
On April 17, 2021, the BAYC shared a four-tweet thread that introduced the world to swamp and gave everyone a chance to win a Bored Ape!
"Announcing the Bored Ape Yacht Club, the BAYC tweeted at the time. "10,000 unique #NFTs where each Ape doubles as membership to a digital club with member-only benefits. For a chance of winning a Bored Ape: 1 - Follow @boredapeyc 2 - Retweet This 3 - Like and Comment on this tweet."
In this thread, the BAYC highlighted the club’s first utility, the Bathroom, “a communal graffiti board where only ape-holders are allowed to draw,” and teased what would become the club’s Mutant Ape Yacht Club collection.
"Future membership exclusives are activated via our Roadmap Activation, the BAYC wrote. "The more apes sell, the more we get to work on future membership benefits. Activations include: a member-only Merch store, member-only giveaways, and even an interative NFT breeding arcade game: MUTANT APES!"
“This thread and the comments are so pure,” BAYC member GButter.Eth tweeted. “Happy 2 year @BoredApeYC.”
As many community members reflected on the club’s first tweet, many marveled at the impact that this project would eventually have on people.
“Happy second birthday to @BoredApeYC,” BAYC member Fischin tweeted. “Which has changed thousands of lives, led to thousands of new friendships and new memories, and been one of the coolest product launches this century.”
The Bored Ape Gazette will continue to follow all things BAYC and looks forward to covering this community for years to come!


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Nokia, Vodacom take Asha to Tanzania
TELECOMS| July 21, 2012, 12:22 p.m.
By Hudson Kazonta, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Vodacom Tanzania and Nokia they have entered into a joint promotion that will see the introduction of two new mobile phones to the market.
The mobile phones, which are targeting the youth market in the country, are the Nokia Asha 200 and Nokia Asha 302.
Vodacom will run a campaign that will see Nokia Asha 200, a data enabled device for young professionals, sell at Tsh149,999 and Nokia Asha 302, the first to offer Mail for Exchange, sell at Tsh 219,999.
Customers will get double airtime and internet bundle for free to be used within 7 days for six months once they top up either Tsh1,000, Tsh2,000 or Tsh 5,000 for the first time. Facebook, Twitter and Wikipedia will also be accessed for free.
According to Vodacom Tanzania the campaign will aim at maintaining and growing Vodacom's market share and leadership, adding that the youth form a big percentage of the population of Tanzania, hence the need to give them affordable services and products.
There will be regular countrywide activations, which will enable many customers to be reached, and this is one of the many launches Vodacom Tanzania has planned for this year.
The Nokia Asha range of mobile phones offer consumers integrated social networking, entertainment and thousands of apps at their finger-tips.
They also provide consumers with freedom of choice when it comes to design, colour, form factor and price - many compelling reasons for consumers to buy.
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On LSU's campus, thousands of students run business and create their own brand identity. Artist and student Nicholas Belson is no exception. He has taken his passion for art to new heights after opening his own digital design company, joining a fraternity and still finding time for life, all while trying to graduate.
Check out our latest coverage at http://www.tigertv.tv/ .
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Join the conversation on social media by using #lsuttv on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.


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After introduced in 2014, Star field was held off to the first fifty percent of 2023, with no details date as well as after that the 2nd post movement was finally formalized.
The game will certainly be released on September 6, 2023, for Computer and Xbox Collection x | s.
In addition, Star field Direct was confirmed for June this year.
Star field launch date confirmed
The release day ad trailer is a great 2001 Area Odyssey recommendation in more than one way.
Every year, September is constantly packed with fantastic releases, and also 2023 will obviously be no exception.
Uncomfortable choices will have to be made if you intend to play all the wonderful titles of the minute.
Balder’s Entrance 3 shows up on August 31, as an example, and lots of ads are anticipated to be made throughout E3 as well as Summer Season Video Game Feast throughout June.
Star field Direct Revealed
The launch day is not the only news.
We already know when it will certainly be Star field’s and-new presentation, with improvements and also changes made given that last time.
This program was introduced a couple of months back, but will finally arrive.
It will certainly be on June 11, 2023.


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Rio South Texas Economic Council
Textiles | On 27th May 2017
To support the textile sector in Pakistan, finance minister Mohammad...
Apparel/Garments | On 27th May 2017
About 6-7.5 million retail jobs in the US are likely to be automated...
Everflow Petrofils Ltd
‘An innovative technology which India needs desperately is the...
Fashion shows are also encouraging and highlighting sustainable fashion
Indian fashion market is growing at a staggering rate
Nature Works LLC
Eamonn Tighe, Fibres and Nonwovens - Business Development Manager of...
About one in every 20 patients picks up an infection while hospitalised....
Urs Stalder, CEO, Sanitized AG, talks about the increasing use of hygiene...
Rupa Sood and Sharan Apparao
Nayaab, an exhibition meant to celebrate Indian weaves, is in its second...
"We should not compare India and the West. There are things we do that...
Bridal couture created with rich Indian heritage, exquisite craftsmanship...


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UK government sets £100 million to develop electric cars
29 October 2008
Britain's fledging auto industry received a boost when the government announced £100 million to help it develop electric and other ultra-low emission cars in which the government will fund up to 100 electric vehicles to test how they operate in real-life driving conditions.
Gordon Brown has come down heavily on OPEC for cutting oil production when the world is going through an economic crisis.
He has also championed electric cars as a means of cutting dependence on oil and thereby reducing the UK's carbon emission level by 80 per cent of which road transport accounts for 20 per cent.
Transport secretary Geoff Hoon outlined the scheme to fund the development of electric cars and said that the government had shortlisted 10 companies that would compete to supply low-carbon vans to local councils and government bodies so that the electric vehicles could be tested in real-life driving conditions.
He said that the scheme had the potential to create up to 10,000 jobs in the automotive sector.
Such vehicles are emissions free, and those available on the market usually cost between £9,000 and £12,000. Once fully charged they can travel up to 40 miles.
The government will also give £20 million for research and development in technology to make electric and other green cars more affordable since at present the price of electric cars is very high, the function of their batteries and the problem of recharging since Britain does not have a network of charging centres.


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Metric Debuts ‘Youth Without Youth’ Single From Forthcoming ‘Synthetica’ Album
For an alternative rock/indie band to become a trending topic on Twitter, it takes a legion of fans. Such is the case with Metric today. This little band from Toronto, Canada has been quietly amassing fans since their debut way back in 1998.
Today, marks the release of their first single titled “Youth Without Youth” from their forthcoming album Synthetica, due in stores June 12th.
Most widely known for their 2008 international smash single “Help I’m Alive,” and their 2010 single “Gold Guns Girls,” Metric is due for a powerful follow-up. The band announced that the new album’s focus is on “strong beats and futuristic, yet organic sounds.
In a letter posted on Metric’s website, singer and frontwoman Emily Haines said “Synthetica is about staying home and wanting to crawl out of your skin from the lack of external stimulation…about forcing yourself to confront what you see in the mirror… about being able to identify the original in a long line of reproductions. It’s about what is real vs what is artificial.”
- Artificial Nocturne
- Youth Without Youth
- Speed The Collapse
- Breathing Underwater
- Drums So Real
- Lost Kitten
- The Void
- The Wanderlust
- Nothing But Time
–Jay Tilles, CBS Local


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The Maryland SPCA's 2nd Annual Pet Photos with Santa
Hampden | Website
This event occurred in the past.
The Maryland SPCA’s second annual pet photos with Santa event will take place on Saturday, December 5th from 12-2p.m. The event will be held at the Maryland SPCA (3300 Falls Rd., Baltimore, MD 21211). The event is also a holiday toy/pet food donation drive for the pets of the Maryland SPCA, and for the Kibble Connection community project. Those who wish to have their pets take a photo with Santa are asked to bring an in-kind donation and/or a five-dollar donation. Pets of all types are welcome. “Our holiday toy drive was a huge success last year,” said Tami Gosheff, MD SPCA special events and outreach manager. “It was great to have members of the community and their pets come out for some holiday cheer, and I hope to see that again this year.” Common Ground Café and Coffee will provide coffee and sweet treats at the drive. After the event, pet photos taken by Trevor Holamn Photography will be posted to the Maryland SPCA Facebook page. A holiday wish list for the animals of the Maryland SPCA can be found at www.mdspca.org/give/wish-lists. For more information please contact Tami Gosheff at email@example.com or call 410.235.8826 ext. 138.


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Samsung’s Galaxy S21 will supposedly launch on January 14th
Samsung’s next lead cell phone lineup, the Galaxy S21 series, will launch around the world on January fourteenth, Android Authority is revealing. The date was uncovered by Samsung’s biggest versatile experience store in India, and SamMobile therefore affirmed the date with an organization official at Samsung’s nearby workplaces. Despite the fact that Android Authority reports this as the worldwide launch date, Samsung HQ still can’t seem to affirm it.
Albeit a January launch is sooner than the February Unpacked occasions we’ve gotten familiar with as of late, this isn’t the first run through this date has been supposed. Recently, Android Police announced a January fourteenth launch dependent on its own sources.
The phones will supposedly go marked down on January 29th in India, as indicated by representatives at Samsung’s Opera House source in Bengaluru, Android Authority reports. The store is taking preorders for three forthcoming handsets, the Galaxy S21, the S21 Plus, and the S21 Ultra, with a Rs 2,000 (around $27) store. Full valuing for the series is yet to be declared.
Alongside affirming the launch designs, the new report from Android Authority has additionally uncovered a portion of the forthcoming handsets’ specs. They’ll obviously be controlled by Samsung’s Exynos 2100 processor in India, and the three models will be accessible in the accompanying tones: dark, pink, purple, and white for the S21; pink, purple, silver and dark for the S21 Plus; and dark and silver for the S21 Ultra. Android Authority says the S21 Ultra will have a 108-megapixel principle sensor, close by two extra 10-megapixel sensors, one of which will have a 10x optical zoom.
The most recent report adds to a large group of spilled insights regarding the new handsets. Recently we got an early gander at the phones through a progression of spilled mystery trailers, which hotshot their updated camera knocks. The trailers seem to affirm that the S21 Ultra will have a sum of five cameras, contrasted with three on the S21 and S21 Plus.
The trailers followed a report in November which said that every one of the phones will accompany 120Hz shows, and will have screens going from 6.2 to 6.8-crawls in size. Inside, they’ll supposedly have batteries going in size from 4,000 mAh to 5,000 mAh, and will be fueled by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 888 processor in districts that don’t utilize Samsung’s own processors. The S21 Ultra is likewise expected to be viable with Samsung’s S-Pen, which is significant considering the bits of gossip that the pointer prepared Note series is being ceased.


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SMRT is apparently in talks to sell its taxi business to Grab, and if all goes through, it won’t be long before the familiar SMRT taxis vanish from our roads.
What’s the Deal?
Why is SMRT selling its taxi business anyway? Well, it seems that Temasek, its holding company, wants SMRT to get its act together and focus on the rail business to make the MRT and LRT lines reliable, just like they have been… many, many years ago.
Not only that, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has also set a new reliability target, which will be a 72% improvement over the previous years.
With pressures to ‘Make The MRT Great Again’, it seems that selling off smaller and less profitable businesses is the …


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The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) asked the Chief Secretary (Punjab) to take action against warehouses illegally storing petroleum products in the province, it has been reported.
In a letter, OGRA said it has identified illegal storage of petrol and diesel which might be used to dump or store POL products for inventory gains.
“It is requested that immediate action against these culprits is required by your good office to avoid inconvenience to the general public,” it added.
OGRA also reportedly shared the list of illegal petrol/diesel storages identified with the provincial government.
The development comes amid reports that POL products are in short supply in different cities of Punjab.
Recently, the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), a representative body of the downstream oil industry, warned authorities that the sector was on the brink of collapse.
“The sudden depreciation of the rupee has caused a loss of billions of rupees to the industry, whose Letters of Credits (LCs) are expected to be settled on the new rates whereas the related product has already been sold,” read a letter.
OCAC said that these losses not only have an impact on the profitability of the sector but also on the viability of the sector since these losses in some cases might exceed the entire year’s profit for the sector.
“It is requested that immediate steps to compensate the industry should be devised,” said OCAC.


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Marisa Sergi is a third-generation winemaker and one of the forces behind Red’s and L’uva Bella Winery. Her family, of course, lent their support and wine-making expertise, but Sergi wanted to make it her mission to understand the business behind making a good bottle of wine. So, after earning a BS in winemaking from Cornell University, she moved to California to work for the largest winery in the U.S. Upon moving back to Ohio, she launched her initial brand, RedHead Wine, now known as Red’s.
But it wasn’t always easy. Sergi started RedHead from the ground up, and she knew there was a lot she could learn. Sergi looked to the YBI, entering the Women in Entrepreneurship Program. Sergi joined our WE Launch cohort, a 10-week program where she was able to gain valuable knowledge that ultimately helped her project her brand to where it is today. Sergi saw through the entire program, pitching her business at the final meeting, and taking home a $5,000 cash prize, which she used to purchase branded boxes for her wines; a critical piece of packaging she needed before pitching her business to the executives at Walmart!
“The women who participated in the WE Launch program have been amazing and Marisa is one of the hardest working women that I know,” says Stephanie Gilchrist, director of Women and Youth Entrepreneurship at the YBI. “She stays on the road promoting and selling her product. Marisa is ambitious, passionate and willing to take risks to see her dream become a reality.”
“We are all absolutely thrilled with Marisa’s new venture with Walmart,” says Jim Cossler, digital entrepreneur in residence at the YBI. “From the very first day that we met her, we knew she was absolutely destined to take her brand onto the national stage.”
Today, Sergi’s wines can be found in Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, DC (and will soon be available in North Carolina and South Carolina). Due to the success of the Red’s brand, in 2020, she acquired her family winery, L’uva Bella, while still developing and executing multiple brands. This has earned L’uva Bella the title of one of Ohio’s fastest growing wine companies while also being recognized by the world’s largest retailer (Walmart) as a “Lead Supplier.”
“We just announced that we are adding a manufacturing facility that will double the current warehouse, and we’re probably going to spend about $1 million on that expansion,” Sergi says.
“Growing your own business takes dedication and a lot of persistence,” Sergi says. “I’d say my proudest moment so far was the day my business partner and I closed on the acquisition of L’uva Bella Winery in May 2020. We worked incredibly hard to make it happen, and our goal is to turn L’uva Bella into a CPG company focused on making modern wines for the everyday consumer. We want L’uva Bella to be a place where our employees can enjoy their work, prosper and support our surrounding communities with more high paying jobs as we progress in this journey.”
Marisa’s entrepreneurial spirit goes far beyond winemaking. Over the past few years, Marisa has spoken to over 50,000 aspiring entrepreneurs and continues to mentor students as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell.


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Represented Alibaba Group in the acquisition of a 33% stake of Ant Financial, operator of China’s biggest online payment platform by market share.
Represented Alibaba Group in relation to Ant Financial’s US$14 billion Series C fundraising, valuing Ant Financial at approximately US$150 billion.
Represented SoftBank Vision Fund’s US$11 billion investment in WeWork.
Represented SoftBank in connection with the additional US$4.6 billion purchase of Didi shares; we also represented SoftBank as sole counsel in its US$4.6 billion investment in Didi.
Represented SoftBank Vision Fund in connection with a US$3 billion investment into Local Services Holding Company, a company established by Alibaba after consolidating the businesses of Ele.me (the food delivery business owned by Alibaba) and Koubei.com (an affiliate company that focuses on bringing local businesses online by providing payment and other technology services); after such consolidation, the valuation of Local Services Holding Company is over US$30 billion.
Represented SoftBank Vision Fund in connection with an investment totaling US$1.5 billion in Chehaoduo, a leading Chinese customer-to-customer auto retail services company that operates Guazi, an e-commerce platform focusing on second-hand car transactions, and Maodou, an e-commerce platform focusing on new car transactions.
Represented Walmart in a US$500 million financing and strategic alliance with New Dada, China’s largest localized, on-demand logistics and grocery O2O e-commerce platform; the transaction included a US$320 million investment by Walmart and a new business cooperation agreement.
Represented Ally Bridge Group in its equity investment in GRAIL, a company developing a blood test that will detect cancer before symptoms appear in order to increase survival rates as compared to those patients with late-stage diagnoses; the investment, led by our client, raised US$300 million in an oversubscribed Series C financing.
Represented Oriente, a Hong Kong-based financial services and technology company, in its US$105 million initial funding round, and a series of recent expansions in Southeast Asia, including two strategic alliances: Cashalo in the Philippines with JG Summit, and Finmas in Indonesia with Sinar Mas.
Represented Trusted Doctors (Xingren) in its strategic merger agreement with Tencent Doctorwork. The newly formed venture, which is named Tencent Trusted Doctors, will offer an ecosystem of both online and offline services devoted to leveraging Internet technology to provide high-quality and accessible healthcare service to customers all over the country.
Represented C-Bridge Capital’s portfolio company Everest Medicines II in its exclusive collaboration, license, and supply agreement with VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals, to support the development and commercialization of cefepime/VNRX-5133 in Greater China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Represented the licensing arm of a French multinational corporation as claimant in a Hong Kong law-governed, Hong Kong-seated HKIAC arbitration with substantial PRC law-governed elements.
Represented a Chinese consumer products manufacturer as respondent in a Hong Kong law-governed, Hong Kong-seated ad hoc arbitration with substantial PRC law-governed elements and in subsequent enforcement proceedings in Hong Kong and Israel courts.
Represented a global industrial gases company as claimant in a PRC law-governed, Shanghai-seated, Chinese-language CIETAC arbitration.
Represented multiple Hong Kong and Chinese clients in high-stakes U.S. litigation proceedings, including civil and criminal trade-secret, and economic espionage litigation, and litigation alleging violations of U.S. state and federal securities laws.
Represented multiple multinational and China-based clients in internal and government investigations involving alleged violations of anti-corruption laws, anti-money-laundering laws, accounting fraud, conflicts of interest, and trade compliance issues.


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American investment company Loup Ventures published ratings of the Apple Pay payment service audience. Over the year, this figure has doubled, compared to the previous result of 62 million people.
Earlier, Apple itself noted that its service accounts for about 90% of all mobile payments through NFC-terminals. According to Loup Ventures, over the past year the number of payments through the “apple” system has tripled. At the same time in the US, only 5% of iPhones users activated the option, and only 11% in the international market.


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Auction houses say bidders are scaling back
A slow economy and changing tastes are resulting in smaller crowds at auction houses and more conservative bids from buyers of antiques and collectibles, the operators of several facilities say.
Although high-end items such as rare paintings and furnishings still draw big bids -- particularly from well-heeled European and Asian buyers -- the auction house operators say interest in mid-level items is lagging.
Some attribute it to the weak housing market, competition from online sellers and higher prices for everything from food to fuel.
"People aren't out spending like they used to. Decorative items are selling for a fraction of what they have in the past," said Gary Braswell, owner of Stamford Auction Gallery in Norwalk.
An item that sold for $1,000 last year might fetch only $400 this year, he said.
Some auction houses in lower Fairfield County say they have cut back on their auctions, while others say they are offering incentives for bidders such as removing "reserves," or minimum acceptable bids.


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Inflation in China decelerates in August
China's headline inflation, measured by the Consumer price index (CPI), increased by 2.4% y/y in August, down from 2.7% in July, easing the pressure on consumers. Food prices continued to rise, growing by 11.2% y/y in August.
However, this is a 2 pp less than the July figure. Compared to the same month in 2019, pork prices surged by 52.6% in August and were a major drive of the increase in overall food prices.
Non-food CPI remained barely changed, staying at 0.1% y/y in August compared to zero change in July.
Further data and analysis on China’s economy is available on the CEIC China Economy in a Snapshot – Q3 2020 report.


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Obama Campaign Statement on the New Trade Deficit Numbers
August 13, 2008
Chicago, IL August 13, 2008
-- Statement from Jason Furman, Obama Campaign Economic Policy Director, on the new trade deficit numbers: "While Senator McCain may believe that the small reduction in the trade deficit represents great progress in an economy he thinks is doing just fine, Barack Obama believes that America can do better than a $693 billion trade deficit over the last year. We cannot afford another four years of the massive trade deficits we've had under President Bush - trade deficits that Senator McCain's economic policies would only make worse.
Instead, we need to change our economic policies by investing in education, new energy jobs, and technology so that we can strengthen the productivity of our workers and businesses; by enforcing our existing trade agreements and negotiating better trade agreements; and by reducing record budget deficits and raising low savings rates so that America does not have to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars annually from abroad."
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Resorts, luxury hotels anticipate post-coronavirus rush
Some of Australia’s wealthiest resort island and boutique hotel owners are anticipating a rush of new business as cashed-up Australians eschew traditional European holiday boltholes in Sardinia and Provence.
Instead of boarding private jets for Europe or Aspen to escape the Melbourne cold, wealthy Australians are settling for a holiday at home this winter.
Nor will Christmas be held at a luxe Balinese mansion retreat this year — more likely it will be celebrated at Port Douglas, or wine tasting at a boutique resort in the NSW Hunter Valley.
Agents and analysts predict international travel is unlikely to start returning to pre-COVID-19 levels until at least next year, sparking huge interest in exclusive Australian destinations that have been enjoyed by wealthy Americans for years.
Orpheus Island owner Chris Morris says his exclusive far north Queensland resort, which charges $1600 for a double per night, is already fully booked, even though it has not yet reopened.
“We are planning to open on July 10, when the Queensland government lifts the travel restrictions, but we are already totally booked out on Orpheus,” Morris says.


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The EU and US are currently negotiating a Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The US negotiator, the United States Trade Representative, is reported to be soliciting support for inclusion of provisions from Article 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) in TTIP and other trade agreements being negotiated by the US. So far so good – the CDA creates liability protections for internet intermediaries, thereby reducing the risk of restrictive measures being imposed by them.
The European Parliament is going to adopt a Resolution on TTIP. A resolution is a political statement which does not have binding effects. However, a strong resolution from the Parliament could be a step in the right direction.
The Committee on International Trade (INTA) is in charge of the dossier and it will be guided by Opinions from 14 other Committees before it submits its report to Plenary (vote scheduled 18-21 May).
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between Europe and the United States have been published by the European Commission.
As the 8th round of the TTIP negotiations just ended in Brussels, Access reflects on the state of play of this major transatlantic trade deal.
Data protection is a contentious issue in the discussions about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and other trade or investment agreements, such as the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). Now that the European Parliament is preparing to issue a non-legislative resolution on TTIP, various parliamentary committees are giving their input to the committee in charge, the Committee on International Trade (INTA).
Today, European Digital Rights (EDRi) is publishing its latest booklet, “TTIP and digital rights”: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a trade agreement that is currently being negotiated between the United States and the European Union. TTIP has already raised many concerns among civil society, trade unions, consumer groups, some businesses, and European and national institutions.