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This week, anyone interested in the goings on of the American box office can’t have missed the story, first published in the Hollywood Reporter, that The Lone Ranger is set to lose $150 Million. This figure is quoted after one week of release in the U.S., and before it has been released in many markets worldwide (including the U.K.)
So is it actually correct?
I decided to do some digging into where a movie’s revenue comes from, and why it might suit studios to have a perceived ‘flop’.
How does a movie make its money?
According to this article in the Economist, a movie can expect to make 25% of its profits from the U.S. box office, 25% from the rest of the world and 50% from DVD sales, television rights, etc. Also, according to this article by the BBC of its worldwide box office sales, a studio can expect to take home roughly 50%.
So with that in mind, let’s look at the figure quoted in the Hollywood Reporter Article. It expects a worldwide gross of $275 million, against a production budget of $250 million, and a marketing budget of $175 million. Add those two figures together and the total cost in $425 million. Subtract the worldwide gross and you get the $150 million loss.
Obviously the first problem with these figures is Disney will only take home half of its $275 million box office takings, $137.5 million. However, as we have seen that makes up half of its overall takings. So after we factor in DVD sales, television rights, and so on we land back at roughly $275 million again.
So the figures are correct then? Disney will lose money?
Well, yes if we believe they really did spend $175 million on marketing. It suits studios for this figure to be as high as possible, as we will see.
Why it suits studios to say they lost money
This point is well illustrated by this story in 2010. According to that report, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix‘s accountants said it lost $167 million. This is despite almost $1 billion worldwide at the box office. (The image from their accounts is below since I think it makes fascinating reading.):
Due to practices like this, there’s a whole wikipedia article devoted to Hollywood accounting. Essentially it boils down to companies using subsidiaries to spiral costs for services like marketing and distribution. This avoids studios having to pay actors any share of the profits if they have “net points” written into their contracts. (Something no actor in their right mind would expect to make any money from). Of course creative accounting like this in common in virtually every industry, as recent stories regarding Starbucks, Amazon and Google highlight.
Last year Disney said Lone Ranger‘s spiritual predecessor, John Carter, lost $200 million. As we can see from the example of Harry Potter, it suits Disney to say this, so why should we believe it? Other analysts have say John Carter would have made a $50 million loss, or even a profit.
The sad thing about all of this is that it highlights the fact it suits both the press and the industry for a movie to lose money. The press (and the public) seem to get a kick out of reading about box office bombs. The studios need to do less ‘creative accounting’ to ensure the movie never looks like it makes money.
The reality is movies rarely lose money. Waterworld made its money back easily for example. Will the Lone Ranger really lose $150 million? Probably not, but because it suits everyone for that number to be true, if and when it does make money no one will report it.


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European Union looks to WTO after Russian food sanctions
By CaSEY MINTER
The Russian embargo on food products will hit European Union farmers hardest, but the impact on world prices also worries U.S. exporters.
Russia last week cut off food imports from the EU, U.S., Canada, Australia and Norway. The ban was in retribution for western economic sanctions against Russia for its political and military involvement in the Ukraine and Crimea.
Before the ban, Russia was the EU’s second-largest customer for food exports after the U.S. In 2013, the EU exported $15.8 billion worth of agricultural products to Russia. The U.S. exported $1.3 billion in food to Russia last year.
Overall, the food products exported to Russia last year represented less than 1 percent of total U.S. agriculture exports of $144 billion. The three largest U.S. exports to Russia were poultry meat and products at $310 million, tree nuts at $172 million and soybeans at $157 million.
Beef and dairy products will not be directly affected by the ban because beef exports to Russia were closed in 2013 and dairy exports stopped in 2010.
However, the impact on world prices for commodities such as dairy is a concern, even for exporters not directly affected by the Russian ban, U.S. industry officials say.
Alan Levitt, a spokesman for the U.S. Dairy Export Council, warned there may be ripple effects from a suddenly flooded world market.
“We don’t ship anything to them, but that’s not to say there won’t be an impact on our market,” Levitt said.
Russia is the world’s second largest dairy importer and its major supplier before the import ban was Europe. European countries will now have to find a new buyer for products that had previously been imported by Russia.
“In a weak world market having all this extra supply on the market will not be helpful,” Levitt said. “There could be a little bit of a disruption in world trade for a while until this European product finds a new home.”
In addition, the EU will most likely go to the World Trade Organization seeking recourse, a trade expert says.
“I think there’s a huge likelihood of that happening,” said Craig Pirrong, director of the Global Energy Management Institute at the University of Houston. “Russia has been accused even before all this of being a chronic violator of WTO rules, and this is a legal forum that would allow the EU and U.S. to address them.”
Russia became the 156th member of the WTO in 2012 after a grueling 19-year application process that was riddled with controversy and conflict, he said. EU and U.S. officials hope that appealing to the WTO will make the sanctions they imposed earlier in July due to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and continued aggression in Ukraine a worldwide issue.
As of Monday, Russian grocery stores still had shelves stocked with EU and U.S. food, but once the reserves run out the country will have to find new markets to make up for now-restricted imports. Russia is looking primarily to South America to fill that gap.
EU officials plan on holding talks with South American leaders, appealing on moral grounds to dissuade them from stepping in to replace EU and U.S. exports, Pirrong said.
With billions of dollars to be made, South American farmers and processors likely won’t go along, he said.
“I doubt there’s much potential that South America will agree,” Pirrong said.
Brazil has already authorized the immediate export of chicken, beef and pork from 90 meat plants, and Russian officials have also contacted Argentina, Chile and Paraguay concerning more exports from those countries.
On the West Coast, growers will see around $175 million worth of exports disappear with Russia’s ban. That’s less than 1 percent of the region’s overall exports.
California: In 2012 Russia was California’s 15th largest agriculture export trading partner, with a total value of $144.7 million, said Steve Lyle, spokesman at the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
“Total California agriculture export value was $18.18 billion, so Russia represents less than 1 percent of that number,” Lyle said.
The top commodities exported to Russia from California last year were almonds at $102.4 million, pistachios at $17.4 million, rice at $5.8 million, prunes at $5.8 million and wine at $5.1 million. In light of Russia’s political problems, some California exporters had already started turning down business in Russia, reducing trade by as much as two-thirds of last year’s level and seeking more business in China and elsewhere, an industry representative said.
Washington: Growers sold $23 million worth of last season’s pears and apples to Russia, Mark Powers of the Northwest Horticultural Council told the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Of that, $12 million was 598,000 boxes of apples, Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, told the Capital Press. Russia bought 550,000 boxes of pears worth about $11 million from Washington last year.
Oregon: Exports to Russia totaled $5.3 million in farm products last year. Of that, $4.3 million was raw agricultural products and $1 million of manufactured agricultural goods. That makes up less than 1 percent of the yearly $3 billion of farm products that Oregon exports worldwide.
Idaho: The Russian ban does not include live animals, the major agricultural export from Idaho to that country. A total of $16.8 million in Idaho agricultural products were exported to Russia in 2013 and live beef and dairy cows accounted for $15.1 million of that. Idaho exported $1.3 million worth of pulse crops, including dry peas, lentils and chickpeas, to Russia last year. Idaho potatoes, which have been a growing export to Russia, will now be restricted as well.
Capital Press reporters Dan Wheat and Sean Ellis contributed to this story.

domain: news


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Spectrum today announced it has been awarded a North Carolina Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Program grant of $1 million to bring gigabit high-speed internet access to 270 homes and small businesses in Pitt County. Combined with the state grant of $1 million and a contribution from the County of $125,000, total project investment, including $62,000 from Spectrum, is more than $1.2 million.
The GREAT grant is one of 32 already awarded to Spectrum to expand fiber-optic broadband infrastructure to areas of the state that currently lack access to high-speed connections.
“We want all North Carolinians connected to high-speed internet so they can take full advantage of digital opportunities for work, learning, health and more,” said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. “These grants will fund projects in communities from all corners of our state so more families and businesses will have access to affordable, reliable broadband.”
Spectrum is already North Carolina’s largest broadband provider, serving 2.8 million customers and employing more than 11,800 residents in the state.
“Gov. Cooper, his administration and the North Carolina Legislature have shown tremendous leadership in embracing public-private partnerships as a vital strategy for connecting unserved communities,” said Brian Gregory, Vice President of Government Affairs at Charter Communications, which operates the Spectrum brand of connectivity products and services. “Through the GREAT grant program, Spectrum joins with state and Pitt County officials to bring gigabit broadband and more to hundreds of families and small businesses.
“We also commend the Legislature and Cooper Administration for their support of a $100 million utility pole replacement fund as part of the state’s broadband strategy, which is paying off with significant interest and investment — in all, Spectrum proposed 61 broadband projects across 60 counties and $419 million in investment, thanks to the positive regulatory climate and investment in pole infrastructure.”
GREAT Program grants further expand Spectrum’s rural construction initiative, the centerpiece of which is the company’s approximately $5 billion investment in unserved rural communities, which includes $1 billion won in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction. The company’s RDOF expansion will provide broadband access to approximately 1 million customer locations as estimated by the FCC across 24 states — including more than 125,000 locations in North Carolina — in the coming years. Combined, Spectrum’s GREAT Program grant and RDOF buildouts in Pitt County will connect more than 2,000 homes and small businesses.
"Constituents often reach out to me, naming the lack of equitable broadband access as one of the greatest challenges facing Pitt County right now,” state Sen. Kandie Smith. “Thanks to programs like the GREAT grant program, we are bringing better opportunities to our area, and ensuring that high-speed internet is available to everyone, regardless of their location."
Along with multiple broadband options, Spectrum services will also include Spectrum Mobile™ and Spectrum TV® in Pitt County.
Broadband Speeds up to 1 Gbps, Plus Money-Saving Mobile Options and 85,000 On Demand Choices
Spectrum Internet delivers speeds up to 1 Gbps and Advanced WiFi for both residential customers and small business clients, featuring starting speeds of 300 Mbps, with no modem fees, data caps or contracts. Spectrum Business Internet offers its clients plans with starting download speeds of 300 Mbps, with 600 Mbps and 1 Gbps options.
Spectrum Internet also exceeded advertised download and upload speeds for all tiers measured — even during peak weeknight usage between 7 and 11 p.m. — according to the FCC’s most recent “Measuring Broadband America Fixed Broadband Report” issued in January 2023.
Spectrum also was a day one participant in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which makes quality, high-speed internet service available at a low — or even at no — cost to eligible families in financial need. All Spectrum Internet plans are eligible for ACP credits, and because customers are not locked into a contract, families can always choose the right broadband plan to meet their changing needs.
Along with multiple broadband options, Spectrum services now available also include Spectrum Mobile™ and Spectrum TV®. Spectrum Mobile is the nation’s fastest-growing mobile provider* and combines with Spectrum Internet and Advanced Home WiFi to provide seamless connectivity inside and outside the home. Spectrum Mobile provides customers access to nationwide 5G at great value, with Unlimited lines starting at $29.99 a month, as well as By the Gig options.
Spectrum TV offers more than 270 HD channels and access to 85,000 On Demand movies and shows. Using the Spectrum TV App — the highest-rated pay TV streaming app in the U.S.** — viewers can stream content across a growing number of platforms, including iOS and Android mobile devices, Xbox One, Kindle Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, XUMO TVs and PCs.
Local residents and business owners should visit spectrumruralexpansion.com to learn more about when their home or business may be able to receive Spectrum services.
* Based on year end 2022 subscriber data among top 3 carriers.
**iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) average ratings as of June 1, 2023. Apps must have at least 150k reviews through combination of iOS & Android store reviews as of June 1, 2023.
Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 32 million customers in 41 states. Over an advanced communications network, the company offers a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services including Spectrum Internet®, TV, Mobile and Voice.
For small and medium-sized companies, Spectrum Business® delivers the same suite of broadband products and services coupled with special features and applications to enhance productivity, while for larger businesses and government entities, Spectrum Enterprise® provides highly customized, fiber-based solutions. Spectrum Reach® delivers tailored advertising and production for the modern media landscape. The company also distributes award-winning news coverage and sports programming to its customers through Spectrum Networks. More information about Charter can be found at corporate.charter.com.


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Uchumi Hits 4-Month High on Profit Speculation: Nairobi Mover
Uchumi Supermarkets Ltd., (UCSP) Kenya’s best-performing stock this year, jumped to its highest level in four months on speculation the company may this month announce full-year profit increased at least 20 percent.
Shares in Kenya’s only publicly traded retail chain gained as much as 3.1 percent to 18.50 shillings and were trading 1.4 percent higher at 18.20 shillings by 12:50 p.m. in the capital, Nairobi. A close at this level will be the highest since May 24.
“Guys are anticipating top-line growth of 30 percent and profit after tax of at least 20 percent,” Moses Waireri, a research analyst at Nairobi-based Genghis Capital Ltd., said in a phone interview.
Pretax profit for the six months through December climbed 26 percent to 204.3 million shillings ($2.40 million) while sales grew 29 percent to 7.5 billion shillings, Uchumi said in January. The company is expected to announce earnings for the 12 months through to June toward the end of the month.
Earnings will be boosted by increased consumer spending as inflation slows, Eric Munywoki, a research analyst at Nairobi- based Old Mutual Securities Ltd., said.
Kenyan inflation slowed for the 10th consecutive month in September, with the rate dropping to 5.3 percent from 6.1 percent the previous month. The measure had risen to a high of 19.7 percent in November 2011.
Uchumi’s stock has more than doubled this year, compared with a 28 percent gain for the NSE All-Share Index. (NSEASI)
To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Ombok in Nairobi at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at email@example.com


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Kellogg UK is to axe Ricicles after 62 years as part of a major health-focused move that will see drastic cuts in the sugar levels of Coco Pops and Rice Krispies.
The breakfast giant today (30 November) announced its Better Starts Plan to overhaul its child-friendly portfolio and “help the people of Britain make healthier choices”. Five years in the planning, the initiative was Kellogg’s “biggest change for a decade” said the company’s new MD Oli Morton.
It will begin in January when Kellogg’s ends production of Ricicles, the sugar-coated rice puffs launched in 1955. Delisting the cereal had been a “tough decision” Morton told The Grocer. “We’re going to have some upset consumers, but it shows our seriousness.”
Ricicles’ value sales have fallen 5.4% in the past year to £2.27m [Nielsen 52 w/e 29 September 2017]. Currently offering 34g of sugar per 100g, it could not be reformulated without detriment to its taste, Morton added.
However, Coco Pops, Rice Krispies and Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes are all set for new recipes, which will see Coco Pops’ sugar level cut by 40%. By July, the cereal will contain 17g of sugar per 100g following a £5m investment. Coco Pops currently contain 30g of sugar per 100g, having had its sugar level trimmed by 14% early this year.
Rice Krispies with 20% less sugar (from 10g to 8g) will roll out at the start of 2018, while the cereal’s Multi-Grain Shapes variant will have its sugar cut by 30% in July (from 21g to 15g).
The reformulations had been made possible through “a secret recipe” said Morton. A balance of mutigrains and cocoa reduced the need for sugar without affecting taste or requiring artificial sweeteners.
While Kellogg’s recipe changes were focused on “products that resonate with kids”, Frosties wouldn’t be affected because “this cereal now tends to be eaten more by adults than children”. As a result, it will no longer feature on-pack promotions.
As a further part of the Better Starts Plan, January will see the launch of WK Kellogg, a vegan-friendly cereal range featuring organic and no-added-sugar options.
Kellogg’s had “a long tradition of helping improve the nation’s diet – from pioneering high fibre foods in the early 1900s to adding folic acid to our products in the 1970s; from launching a long-term salt reduction plan in the late 1990s, to adding vitamin D to all our kids cereals in 2000s,” said Morton.


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With about a month away from one of the biggest shopping days of the year, Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, is laying it on thick this year by trying to lure shoppers with free breakfast on the day after Thanksgiving, or Black Friday.
From 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., the retailer is offering free continental breakfast in all of its locations nationwide on Black Friday, according to CNN. In San Antonio, Sam’s Club has five locations.
This year, consumers can also use their cell phones by texting “GO” to sams1 to sign up to get a preview of its “doorbuster” sales beginning Nov. 19.
CNN says an ongoing housing slump coupled with credit market woes have left many Americans with less discretionary income to shop.
The National Retail Federation expects total 2007 holiday sales to increase 4 percent to $474.5 billion, less than last year’s 4.6 percent growth.


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Capcom’s Resident Evil 6 has apparently had its release date pushed forward by nearly two months.
That’s according to a new trailer for the game on YouTube, which says the game is now out on October 2nd. It had previously been dated for November 20th.
If true it means that the survival horror sequel will avoid a release date clash with the likes of Assassin’s Creed III, BioShock Infinite, Black Ops 2 and Medal of Honor.
It will, however, see it ship after FIFA 13 and Halo 4.
Just moment ago another leaked Capcom video announced new release Lost Planet 3.
Here’s the trailer. Be advised – apparently it contains some SPOILERS:


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CLEARFIELD – The staff and board members from Visit Clearfield County (VCC) unveiled their new marketing van Thursday at the Expo II Building at the Clearfield Driving Park.
Executive Director Holly Komonczi described the marketing van as not only a “mobile billboard,” but also as a “mobile visitor’s center” for Clearfield County.
She said although the van will be used to distribute VCC marketing materials locally, it’s been equipped with a television to promote tourism opportunities when traveling outside of Clearfield County.
According to her, the VCC will offer van banner advertising to local businesses and organizations to promote local events while the staff is out on the road.
Komonczi said the VCC marketing van started out as a plain white van but was customized by Full Throttle Signs of Clearfield.


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BIG BEAR LAKE >> In what will make it part of one of the nation’s largest ski companies with more than 2 million visitors per year, Bear Mountain and Snow Summit have been bought by Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, the northern California-based company announced Wednesday.
“People say, ‘with the weather, why do this now?’” said Bob Roberts, executive director of the California Ski Industry Association in San Francisco. “Skiing is always going to be a part of it, but there are very active talks with the Forest Service … to allow more to do in the summer months on summer lands.”
The first change will be the addition of a season pass that will provide access to the four parks now controlled by the company — Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain — for $689 for adults. That’s a discounted rate available at www.snowsummit.com or www.Cali4niaPass.com, said Rusty Gregory, chairman and CEO of Mammoth Mountain.
“This is all about providing the best value we can to California skiers and snowboarders,” Gregory said. “The Cali4nia Pass cuts through the clutter. It is far and away the best product for California skiers and riders as it allows you to ski when you want and where you want.”
That’s good news for local skiers and others, said Dick Kun, the longtime CEO of Big Bear Mountain Resorts.
“Mammoth has always been the natural long-term fit for the Big Bear family and we are thrilled to enter this agreement,” he said in a news release. “I am deeply grateful to the employees, shareholders, and the Big Bear community for their work and support during the 63 years of our operations. Mammoth’s experience and leadership will ensure that Southern Californians will continue to enjoy recreating in the local mountains and will undoubtedly bring in a new era of experiences and opportunities for all of our constituents.”
As California’s drought continues, Roberts said he expects more offerings in surrounding forests.
The consolidation continues a trend among major ski resorts that has accelerated in recent years and has generally led to more opportunities as weather and increased equipment costs challenge smaller resorts, Roberts said.
“The ownership group there (Big Bear) was a family interest a long time,” he said. “It still was going to require a substantial change in order to move forward. … These companies have much larger capital opportunities, and they’ve invested heavily.”


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Publisher 505 Games and developer KUNOS Simulazioni announce the
Intercontinental GT Pack
, new DLC coming to Assetto Corsa Competizione
They promise more complete details on features and a release date later this
year. In the meantime, there are some screenshots on the
505 Games Website
. Here's what they do have to say about this for now,
including the use of "laserscan technology" for accuracy, and plans to bring a
free update to the base version of the racing simulation:
successful launch on Steam of Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official Blancpain
GT Series game, developed by KUNOS Simulazioni and published by 505 Games, Marco
Massarutto, Co-founder and Brand & Product Manager of KUNOS Simulazioni unveiled
at the last Tokio Game Show 2019 some juicy news about upcoming updates planned
for the impressive racing sim, talking about the first add-on package which will
be released for Assetto Corsa Competizione: the Intercontinental GT pack.
A few years ago, SRO Motorsports Group introduced the Intercontinental GT
Challenge, the first ever global GT3 Series, aimed to represent the highest
achievement in long-distance GT racing: its calendar includes some of the most
iconic tracks in the world.
The Intercontinental GT Pack, will be fully dedicated to Intercontinental GT
Challenge, featuring new tracks such as Suzuka, Mount Panorama, Laguna Seca and
Kyalami, with the South African circuit reproduced for the first time ever in a
racing simulation using laserscan technology, in order to guarantee the ultimate
accuracy to its fans.
More news about release date, features and media content will be available later
KUNOS also confirmed that the team is working hard on the 2019 GT Championship
update which will be released as a free update to the base game within fall 2019
and which will feature 6 new cars and Zandvoort circuit.


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The radical bookstore and cafe Red Emma’s is leaving its location on North Avenue for the old Ryleigh’s Oyster space on Cathedral Street, the collective announced today on social media.
Tag: red emmas
Tired of seeing your water bill rise dramatically? Concerned about the city’s practice of shutting off water service, or using tax sales to generate revenue at the expense of poor home owners? You’ll be in good company tonight.
Greenmount Coffee Lab, a new addition the Red Emma’s family of cooperative projects, is now operating inside Baltimore makerspace, Open Works (1400 Greenmount Ave.).
Offering a full coffee and tea bar, and a selection of vegan pastries and healthy snacks for a light lunch, the Coffee Lab is exclusively stocked with transparently-traded, cooperatively-roasted beans by Thread Coffee, whose new roasting facility is on-site at Open Works.
Urban Landscape: Ambitious Plans for Hutzler’s; Hampden Project One Step Closer to Approval; Red Emma’s Expands
Will Hutzler’s become Baltimore’s new hipster haven?
The first floor of the historic Hutzler Brothers Palace Building has been transformed into a temporary museum with Saturday’s opening of “The Ground,” a three-month exhibit of work by artist Michael Jones McKean. So many people came to the opening reception that the organizers ran out of wine glasses.
Red Emma’s organized as a worker’s cooperative to give all of their employees a voice and a share in their workplace. Last week, the Station North spot rolled out a new way to help people in need a chance to partake in their food and coffee offerings.


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(REUTERS) China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL], the world’s fourth-biggest smartphone maker, is ahead of schedule on smartphone shipments and will meet its 2015 target of 100 million handsets before the end of the year, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.
Shenzhen-based Huawei has recorded monthly global smartphone shipments of more than 10 million every month since May, the head of the company’s consumer business, Richard Yu, wrote to staff in a memo sent on Monday.
Huawei shipped 75 million smartphones in 2014, below its original sales target of 80 million. Earlier on Monday Huawei reported a 30 percent increase in first-half 2015 revenue to 175.9 billion yuan ($28.3 billion) and said it would achieve “effective growth” in 2015.
The company had a 5.4 percent share of the global smartphone market in the first quarter of this year, a distant fourth behind Samsung Electronics, Apple Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd, according to research firm Gartner.


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Shoppers shun ugly veg, says Tesco
Customers should be educated to select not only perfect fruit and vegetables, but to look at buying "ugly, misshapen" cheaper produce, says Tesco.
FirstGroup shuns Greyhound sell-off
UK rail and bus firm FirstGroup has rejected a proposal from one of its shareholders, Sandell, to sell its US assets, including the Greyhound bus service.
Ikea wolf becomes HK protest symbol
A stuffed toy wolf stocked by Swedish furniture giant Ikea sells out in in Hong Kong, after it appears to have become an unlikely symbol of protest.
DiCaprio in race for electric cars
Film star and "green" campaigner Leonardo DiCaprio is to enter a team in the new Formula E motor racing series, which aims to boost electric car sales.
Carney warns on housing market
The Bank of England's Mark Carney warns on the housing market as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says it expects house prices to continue to "surge ahead".


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PELHAM, N.C. -- Come July, North Carolinians living near the Virginia border can cross into Virginia for more than to buy cheaper gas.
Virginia lawmakers voted to allow ABC stores run by the commonwealth, even those in rural areas, to open after 1 p.m. on Sundays starting July 1. Right now, ABC stores in cities are allowed to open on Sundays.
"It’s kind of like an inconvenience that it's not open on Sunday," says Jared Cook, who believes Sunday, once set aside for faith and rest, should be treated as a normal business day.
"Everybody has different beliefs, and it's a country that is open to those different things and I think they should actually service everybody," Cook said.
The law doesn't require the ABC board to open its stores on Sundays. It instead gives the board the option to choose which ones to open on Sundays.
A recent survey of North Carolina residents by this state's ABC commission showed they would like to see ABC stores open on Sunday.


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No one can send America's press into a tizzy quite like First Lady Melania Trump.
Last week, while visiting a Toys for Tots event, the First Lady's good deed was overshadowed by her new do, as headlines around the world marked her changed hairstyle - with noticeably a noticeably lighter color and shorter cut.
And, of course, the public rushed to weigh in on Melania's updated look as well:
"I think Melania mixed up her hair dye with Donald," one Twitter user joked.
Others brought up the old Coco Chanel quote, "A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life," and pondered what changes could be in store for Melania.
But just three short days later, Melania was back to her old self and spotted sporting darker hair again at the Congressional Ball.
While Melania has not answered any questions about her changing looks so far, it's clear that she thinks carefully about something as small as a new haircut.
Her hair stylist, Mordechai Alvow, revealed that Melania chose to keep her hair in one consistent style during the run-up to her husband's presidential campaign.
"When someone is going to be in the eyes of the public and will constantly be on the news, there is a look that people want to understand and be comfortable with and associate with," he explained.
To be clear, Alvow does not color the First Lady's hair.
This week's blonde experiment wasn't the first time Melania's hair has made headlines. Shortly after President Trump's election, actress Olivia Wilde announced she had gotten a cut to avoid having "Melania Hair."
The comment kicked off a fiery debate between Wilde's Instagram followers, but two years later Melania still seems happy with her signature style - even if she can't decide on a color.
[H/T: Vanity Fair]


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The athletic apparel retailer also boosts site visits by 50% using customer analytics platform AgilOne.
With plenty of upside for online pharmacies, strategy’s the key to carving out a share.
A trip to the drugstore, by car or on foot, is a habit deeply entrenched among consumers, who have yet to turn to online ordering of medications, health and beauty products to the same degree they’re now willing to buy books, CDs, computers and even clothing online. In fact, according to 2004 data from Forrester Research, of U.S. consumers surveyed who take prescription drugs, only about 9% have filled a prescription online.
The demise of most of the purely web-based drugstores; the continuing struggles toward profitability of Drugstore.com, the largest remaining pure-play in the category; and the fact that online sales represent only a tiny share of total sales for drugstore chain giants such as Walgreen Co. and CVS Corp. are all testament to that. And overall, online sales of prescription drugs, estimated at $5.6 billion by Jupiter Research in 2004, remain a very small drop in a big bucket, given that U.S. spending on prescription drugs was $188 billion that year.
More than habit
But consumers’ slow uptake hasn’t blotted out the promise of the online channel among industry players-it’s simply shifted earlier strategic thinking and caused them to reach for that promise in new ways.
While the industry has long believed that online prescription ordering is perfectly logical, consumers have been slow to fulfill that belief. Beyond habit, a closer look at what drives the largest share of revenue at drugstores-and who’s buying much of that-may offer a clue as to why category sales online have been slower to catch on. Prescription drugs represent the largest share of chains’ sales: 64% at Walgreen’s in fiscal 2005; about 70% at CVS in 2004. Older consumers are the buyers of a sizeable chunk of the prescription drugs sold across all channels-a demographic currently less likely to buy anything online.
In addition, the evolution of how drugs are paid for is having a big impact on the online industry. Health benefits providers are the largest payers for prescription drugs, and retail prices for covered drugs go through a long chain before the drugs end up in the consumer’s hands. Figuring in the price chain are negotiations among drug manufacturers, benefits providers and the pharmacy benefits managers to which they subcontract drug benefits administration, then wholesalers and finally, the drugstores. By the time the drugs get to the retail level, drugstores have little pricing flexibility. The result is that the sale of covered prescription drugs at retail is a high-volume, low-margin business which means that while prescription drug sales may represent most of a drugstore’s sales, they don’t represent most of the profits.
How multi-channel drugstore chains and pure plays are addressing that fact is helping to cast the Internet in different roles at different companies. Drugstore chains that added an Internet channel at the height of the dot-com boom as a hedge against pure-play online drugstores now see a different utility for their web sites.
The earlier fear that the online channel would overtake brick-and-mortar stores was what kick-started web efforts at chains such as Walgreen’s and CVS, according to Vikram Sehgal, Jupiter Research analyst. “But they soon realized that online sales weren’t going to eliminate offline sales and that consumers don’t necessarily prefer the online channel,” he says. “So now they’ve moved to the store pick-up model. The idea here is dual: first, they’re continuing with the online channel even though it is not contributing large sales, and secondly, it’s another tool to bring people into the store.”
It’s a different story at pure-play Drugstore.com. It got only about one-quarter of its $399 million in sales last year through store pick-up of online orders-it has a relationship with chain Rite-Aid for store pick-up as one fulfillment option for prescriptions. Drugstore.com, unlike its offline brethren, doesn’t look for its major revenue from insurance-sponsored prescriptions, though it has relationship with a number of pharmacy benefits managers and health plans for covered drugs. Instead, Drugstore looks to drive online prescription sales with a focus on the customer who pays for a prescription out of his own pocket either because insurance doesn’t cover the cost or doesn’t cover enough of it.
So-called “lifestyle” prescription drugs-for instance, the hair treatment Propecia-constitute a large share of the self-pay category. Drugstore attracts self-payers with prices on some drugs that may be as much as 25% below the going rate at other pharmacies, says Jonathan Tinter, Drugstore’s chief marketing officer. Negotiating directly with manufacturers and wholesaler suppliers, Drugstore has more flexibility in pricing the drugs not typically covered by insurance, and it passes some of those savings on to self-payers as a key element of its value proposition, according to Tinter.
But even more than with lower prices for self-payers on prescription drugs, Drugstore.com looks to higher-margin, front-of-store products to boost revenues: at $174 million, they represented 44% of total sales and more than 60% of margin contribution last year, while so-called mail orders-mailed fulfillment of prescription drugs ordered online-accounted for only $76 million or about 19%.
“They’ve expanded their business substantially since their inception to include higher-end beauty lines and items with a greater margin that are harder to find,” says Liz Boehm, Forrester Research analyst. Tinter estimates that across its online store and the linked site Beauty.com, which it owns, Drugstore.com offers about 25,000 health and beauty products against the typical drugstore’s 5,000. This includes brands and lines not typically found in chain drugstores, such as Philosophy skin care products, for example.
Drugstore’s shopping cart allows customers to shop both the prestige brands at Beauty.com and the mass-market offerings at Drugstore using a single cart. That convenience, the broad assortment and lower prices on the kind of prescription drugs whose cost is more typically borne out of pocket are what’s driving more traffic to Drustore.com rather than to the web sites of Walgreen’s or CVS. For example, in January, Drugstore.com had 3.65 million visitors to Walgreen.com’s 3.53 million, according to comScore Networks. CVS.com posted the fourth-highest traffic in the category that month at 1.96 million unique visitors.


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Professional Community for Car Dealers, Marketing, Advertising and Sales Leaders
Typically, it’s not until the end of the month when they’re trying to squeeze out those last few…Continue
Added by Andy Church on August 31, 2018 at 7:00am — No Comments
For some people, it’s family. For others, it’s pets. Others will maintain it’s their career, and some will point to their favorite pastime.
Regardless of what anyone chooses, there is a common denominator used to keep up with their passion -- one that has become the center…
Added by Ujj Nath on December 12, 2017 at 6:00am — No Comments
Recall Masters’ Christopher Miller warns auto dealers they could be easy targets for aggressive plaintiffs’ lawyers; offers advice to keep them safe
Added by Chris Miller on December 6, 2017 at 5:50am — No Comments
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Added by Timmy D. James on October 19, 2017 at 6:30am — No Comments
Every year, Forrester publishes their customer service trends report, and 2017 is not an exception. To see what we can expect in this field, we are here reporting on the six most important predictions of Forrester’s analyst Kate Leggett who believes that operations will…Continue
Added by Thomas F. Jung on May 4, 2017 at 6:42am — No Comments
Timonium, MD – June 27th, 2016-- Helion Automotive Technologies announced today it has received a UCSE Tier 1 Support Certification from ShoreTel, a leading provider of business telephony and Unified Communications (UC) solutions. As a certified ShoreTel partner, Helion is authorized to work with auto dealers to design, program and implement custom UC systems, provide support for day-to-day operations…Continue
Added by Erik Nachbahr on June 27, 2016 at 6:12am — No Comments
Automotive Dealership Internet Phone Sales Training-Outbound Sales Calls-J.R. Batchelor
Training automotive dealership on the effective use of incoming and outgoing sales calls and the importance of follow up with incoming automotive dealership Internet…
Added by J.R. Batchelor on February 24, 2016 at 9:58am — No Comments
Added by J.R. Batchelor on January 27, 2016 at 6:10pm — No Comments
What’s the most time-consuming part of making a sale? More often than not, it’s the paperwork: dragging the customer inside to input information…involving sales managers who are stuck in their offices desking deals...getting trade-in information down on paper to input into the appraisal tool, which is back in the…Continue
Timonium, MD – January 18th, 2016-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions, is now offering the Cisco® Unified Communications Platform (UCP) for auto dealers, an integrated phone and communications system designed to improve the customer experience and streamline phone processes. Cisco's UCP helps dealerships greatly reduce incidents of lost or dropped calls, placing…Continue
Added by Erik Nachbahr on January 18, 2016 at 6:59am — No Comments
What's the best way to generate more leads from your website? Contrary to popular opinion, the answer isn't to "get more website traffic." Although a comprehensive digital marketing strategy is key to driving appropriate traffic levels to your website, unless those visitors convert into leads, that's money down the…Continue
Added by J.R. Batchelor on June 30, 2015 at 4:04pm — No Comments
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Do you remember the AT&T ad slogan “Reach Out and Touch Someone” from the early 1980s? It may have been thirty years since that slogan reached its peak in popularity, but it still has a similar meaning today. Our high-paced, digitally driven world has made it even easier to stay in touch with our friends and…Continue
Added by Richard Holland on December 4, 2014 at 5:00am — No Comments
When was the last time you tried calling into your own--or another--dealership? Chances are high that the phone went unanswered, you were put on hold, routed into voicemail or were told that the sales or service person you're trying to reach is out to lunch.
The latest data collected from our call center agents is overwhelming: car dealers are missing way too many sales and service opportunities from lost phone leads. Behind showroom ups, these are the highest value inquiries…Continue
Added by Patrick Kelly on October 16, 2014 at 10:41am — No Comments
Added by Stephanie Young on April 8, 2014 at 8:30am — No Comments
Some clouds are huge, with small silver linings. Other clouds are small, dwarfed by the silver lining they bring. This cloud snuck up on many dealers who rely upon Craigslist (CL) to generate a steady source of leads: now, all posts by dealers for their cars and trucks will cost $5 each.
Gone are they days of capriciously spamming the CTD (Cars and Trucks by Dealer) board with hundreds of ads. And I, for one, welcome it. Because now, gone too are the days of…Continue
Added by Justin West on December 3, 2013 at 11:39am — No Comments
In this era of tweets, texts and Likes, the wise sales associate still recognizes and practices good phone.
Good phone means knowing how to engage others using the telephone. For sales associates, good phone means having learned how to sell by phone, practiced those skills and worked to overcome it unfamiliarity.
Most any sales associate who makes up their mind to excel at using the phone to drive business can be a success.
Yet for many, the…Continue


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Millwall today launched their new third kit, with the club unveiling a new all white number which features a big use of navy blue trim, which is a nod towards the Lions’ traditional home strip colour.
The kit also features the use of the club’s main sponsors, kit suppliers Macron and shirt sponsor Huski Chocolate, which is a new addition to this season’s kits, with the club having signed a sponsorship deal with the Swedish company this summer.
The kit itself provoked a wide range of reactions amongst supporters, with the club’s official Twitter account posting a tweet in their the thread of their original post about the kit launch being a return for Millwall to the all white kit that they last sported between 1999 and 2001, which is shown in the image below of club legend Tim Cahill, who showed his delight at the news of the Lions’ return to white.
— TIM CAHILL (@Tim_Cahill) September 19, 2019
It was Cahill, of course, who spent two spells with the Bermondsey based club, with the Australian having made 106 appearances, scoring 26 goals across the space of four collective seasons with the Lions, before he then went on to play for Everton, New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Shenhua, Melbourne City, Zhejiang Greentown and lastly, Jamshedpur FC, before eventually retiring in March this year.
Millwall fans will no doubt be pleased to see their former player take such a keen interest in the current affairs going on at their club and it shows that there is still a strong bond between Cahill and the Millwall supporters.
Happy with this Millwall fans?
From the club’s perspective, this kit represents a huge step forward both on and off the pitch, with the new deal signed with Huski Chocolate this summer being Millwall’s most lucrative and biggest sponsorship deal in the club’s history.
Which is a move that will no doubt help to grow the club’s amount of exposure they get internationally, with the Bermondsey based side previously having had shirt sponsorship deals with UK based companies such as TW Drainage and Wallis Teagan in past seasons.


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Creator Day India 2021 will provide aspiring and emerging creators an opportunity to learn, earn and grow their communities on Instagram and Facebook.
Instagram and Facebook today announced their 2021 edition of Creator Day, scheduled to take place on September 30, 2021. The initial lineup of talent and programming for creator day is designed to help creators build their careers and personal brand, support their wellbeing, and be inspired by creators who’ve monetized well.
Creators, Ruhee Dosani and Niharika NM will host the day. Faisu, Kusha Kapila, Awez Darbar, Dolly Singh, Ashish Chanchlani, Sakshi Sindwani, Saurabh Ghadge, and more are among the confirmed speakers, with additional expected appearances by some of India’s most influential and up-and-coming creators.
The day will consist of sessions on ‘You went viral, now what?’, ‘Reels editing masterclass’, ‘Brand ban gaya friend’, ‘Algorithm myth-busting, ‘Talk money: Get that coin on FB & Instagram’ amongst others. Some creators will launch their AR effects, and some such as Juhi Godambe will speak about her recently released brand. The day will also include new updates from Instagram and Facebook, as well as industry experts from top agencies and creator-driven companies.


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The Latest Outer Heaven News, Video, Interviews and Features
As major and underground bands produce unique brews, craft beer is quickly becoming metal’s ultimate merch accessory.
Here are the 50 bands who have defined American metal in the 2010s.
Since Rivers Of Nihil’s first Brooklyn date sold out, the band has announced a second one with Outer Heaven, Imperial Triumphant, and Bury The Sky.
Even after getting signed and recording a much-hyped debut, the Pennsylvania five-piece aren’t going to change their ways, shirts.


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Starting today, users will be now be able to play a game of solitaire and tic-tac-toe simply by searching "solitaire" or "tic tac toe" respectively. Unknown to some folks out there, this actually isn't the first time that Google has implemented games into the search engine. Prior to these two newest additions, users could play games of Pac Man and Breakout by searching for their own terms on Google. However, the solitaire and tic-tac-toe games appear to be much more refined and fleshed out than previous games that have existed within the search engine.
While these games aren't on the same level as things like Pokemon Go or Angry Birds, it's still a great time-killer to keep in mind for those times when you so desperately need something to do. Solitaire and tic-tac-toe are both available to play starting today, and you can access them through both a desktop and mobile device.


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Uh-oh! It looks like Kylie Jenner is in trouble AGAIN!
Hmm... so essentially the gorgeous gal's palette is a better deal? You don't say!
She'll always be the Supreme of our hearts!
Marc Jacobs must feel the same way because he just cast Jessica Lange as the new face of his beauty line!
The news was announced on the brand's Instagram account! How very now!
"Announcing the new face of @MarcBeauty, Jessica Lange! Campaign shot by David Sims."
The actress looks gorgeous in the two sultry pics that have been released so far, but what makes this decision even more amazing is that Jessica is 64 years old!
We're so used to seeing teen and twenty-something models front beauty campaigns that it's remarkably refreshing and AWESOME to have an older woman do it for once!
Check out a second shot of Jessica and some pretty makeup pics in the gallery (below)!
[Image via Marc Jacobs Beauty Instagram]


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Electronics retailer Best Buy Co. says it is cutting its fiscal 2009 earnings outlook below analyst estimates amid what the company called the toughest retail environment it has ever seen.
Richfield, Minn.-based Best Buy expects earnings per share between $2.30 and $2.90 for the fiscal year ending in February, down from a prior estimate between $3.25 and $3.40 per share.
The retailer forecast revenue between $43.7 million and $45.4 million, as well as 1 percent decline in same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least 14 months.
Analysts expect earnings of $3.02 per share and sales of $46.23 billion for fiscal 2009, according to a Thomson Reuters survey.
Best Buy's same-store sales dropped 7.6 percent in October.
Same-store sales are a closely watched performance indicator because they measures sales at existing locations rather than newly opened ones.
Chief Executive Brad Anderson said "seismic" changes in consumer behavior have created "the most difficult climate" ever seen by the company.
Best Buy also says the stronger dollar will weaken revenue and profit from its international segment more than previously expected.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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Bill would keep violent video games out of children's hands
It is no exaggeration to say that video games can help train people to kill. Ask the people we trust most, the United States military.
The military succeeds at the difficult task of getting people to overcome their natural barriers to committing unthinkable acts of violence. They use video games to train our servicemen and women for the rigors of combat.
The same games for children reward cop-killing, auto theft and drug dealing. An underage child should not have the unilateral discretion to walk into a store and purchase such a product. This is common sense.
As regional director for the Parents Television Council, I regularly speak to parents who want all the help they can get to protect their children. Many have trouble keeping up with what is in the latest games or which shows and movies that should not be viewed by their children. They want help to keep these games out of their kids' hands.
Currently, a 10-year-old could purchase a Mature (M-rated) or Adult Only (AO-rated) video game. There are voluntary guidelines that tell retailers not to sell these products to children, but they have been a failure because of their voluntary nature.
A new law (SB 492) proposed by Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, would basically take those guidelines and make them law. Despite the failure of the voluntary guidelines, the multibillion-dollar video game industry is fighting this legislation as it did (unsuccessfully) in Illinois, Michigan and California.
The evidence is conclusive: Countless independent studies confirm that repeated exposure to graphically sexual, violent and profanity-laced video games has a harmful and long-term effect on children.
Most recently, researchers at Michigan State University used functional magnetic resonance imaging technology to observe which areas of the brain are stimulated when a subject plays violent video games. Researchers concluded, "there is a causal link between playing the first-person shooting game in our experiment and brain-activity pattern that are considered as characteristic for aggressive cognitions and affects ... Violent video games frequently have been criticized for enhancing aggressive reactions such as aggressive cognitions, aggressive affects or aggressive behavior. On a neurobiological level we have shown the link exists."
If these games are marketed to and manufactured for adults as the industry insists, then their sale to minors should be restricted. This solution protects our children without interfering with the rights of adults. We place similar restrictions on the sale of firearms, tobacco, alcohol and pornography. This is no different.
Video game retailers have failed to police themselves. A year ago, the Parents Television Council conducted a secret shopper in several cities across the country and found that more than 50 percent of stores were willing to sell M-rated video games to children under 16 without asking for identification.
Law enforcement in Michigan found about half of the stores they investigated sold adult-rated games to minors without asking for ID. In New York City a sting found 88 percent of stores selling M-rated games to minors.
The children of Florida are being bombarded with sexual and violent images through video games. The more than 67,000 members of the Parents Television Council in Florida are calling for the passage of SB 492 to give parents another tool to protect their children from such harmful influences. Florida must follow the lead of Illinois, Michigan and California and show that we care about our children as much as they do theirs. Parents should contact their legislators about this bill to urge a quick passage. Remember that our children are watching!


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The Sandy Row community are calling for investors to take a chance on the area and bring it back to the thriving shopping district it once was.
For decades the South Belfast street was a busy commercial hub with over 120 different businesses that would bring people from all over Northern Ireland.
Shops such as Reid's Shoes, which was the go-to place for thousands of parents looking to get school shoes for their children, helped solidify the area and boost other businesses nearby.
However in recent years the area has seen a noticeable decline with between 15 to 20 shops currently open on The Row and many properties have been empty for quite some time.
This doesn't mean that businesses are not able to succeed on Sandy Row, and some are still thriving after being open for more than 20 years.
Belfast Live spoke to local representatives about what they believe can be done to bring businesses back to the area and show them that Sandy Row can be a great place to invest.
Local DUP councillor Tracy Kelly, said: "I think Sandy Row needs a lot of investment, it has declined over the years and you only have to look around the area to see how many shutters are down and not up.
"A lot of houses have been lost in the area that have been replaced with apartment blocks and hotels and that has had a negative impact
"We would love to see more shops in Sandy Row, we would love to see a supermarket, we would love to see Tesco, Lidl or Iceland, someone like that to come here and invest.
"We are a good community, we have lots of houses here, lots of people living here still so the footfall is there.
"I don’t know why all our shutters are down on Sandy Row, I don’t know why people have stopped investing in Sandy Row, I don’t know why people have stopped shopping in Sandy Row, we are a good community and the shops are here and they need support.
"I would ask investors to come and have a look at us, walk around our area, speak to the people speak to the community groups and ourselves and find out what kind of community we are – we need investment and we need footfall and I would ask anyone to come and look at the shops that are thriving."
Garnet Busby, of Belfast South Community Resources, says that his organisation has taken over some properties on Sandy Row and allowed some local businesses to set-up with a number finding success.
He believes that Sandy Row needs to become a place for destination shops and that the redevelopment of Great Victoria Street Station could provide a great boost to the area, which could become the natural route for those going to South Belfast.
He said: "There are a number of reasons for the decline in trade in areas like Sandy Row. For a start outside shopping centres are attracting a lot of trade away, small shops like the ones residing in Sandy Row can’t compete against the likes of Lidl and Tesco and things like that there.
"So small grocery shops can’t survive population decline in the area, we have gone from about 10,000 to 15,000 houses in the 70s to 800 or 900 now, so that footfall has been a great loss to the area.
"The fact that we need to attract destination shops to a place like Sandy Row to attract people in, because the local indigenous population isn’t enough to sustain small businesses.
"Harris Kilts couldn’t sustain itself on the population of Sandy Row, the dog groomers, the sewing shop, those types of places cannot sustain themselves unless we attract more people in so we have to make Sandy Row a more attractive place for people to shop in.
"The likes of Reid's is a perfect example, now it is closed now because of Covid, but before it was a destination shop. People would come from all over Northern Ireland to come and do their shopping for their kids for their shoes, so people did come.
"But now it is finding how we replace that and how we get businesses that will attract people from outside the area into the area and make it attractive for those people to come into.
"What is going to save the Row in my view is if the railway station/central station comes in and if we can attract the footfall from that station who are going to South Belfast, to the Lyric, Queens University or the city hospital If we can attract those people going to South Belfast, rather than going round and up Great Victoria Street if we can do that there, we can save Sandy Row, we can put the footfall in place we would be the natural flow route for that."
Video by Belfast Live's Harry Bateman.


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Producers of Darjeeling tea heaved a sigh of relief after the Tea Board of India set aside its November 2021 notification and lifted the ban on blending of Indian teas with those imported.
On October 18, the Tea Board of India amended its earlier notification that had completely banned the blending of Indian teas enjoying the geographical indications (GI) tags with imported ones.
The earlier notification had a major impact as top Indian tea buyers of the Darjeeling tea had stopped buying it.
They used to buy the Darjeeling tea and mix it with other varieties to sell it at a cheaper rate in the Indian market, as the pure Darjeeling tea is expensive.
The ban, according to the Darjeeling tea planters, had left them in serious crisis as more than 12% of Darjeeling tea which used to be bought by a single corporate buyer prior to the ban imposition on the blending, was forced to be sold at distressed price.
As there were fewer takers of premium quality Darjeeling tea both in the auction and open market, the price dipped while the cost of production increased exponentially owing to the rise in wages and coal price.
Rishi Saria, director of Gopaldhara and Rohini tea estates said, “The export of Darjeeling tea is 3 to 4 million kg and the production stands at around 7 million kg per annum. Basically, close to 3 to 4 million kg has to be sold within India. The demand in the domestic market has gone down as buyers have found an alternative in Nepal tea.”
The ban on the blending of Indian teas enjoying GI tags with imported ones resulted in the major buyers dealing with blend teas to start procuring it from Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Nepal Tea produced in the climatic condition similar to Darjeeling hills and similar topography with less cost of production affecting the livelihood of Darjeeling tea planters.
The Tea Board of India’s notification of Tuesday will now let sellers blend Darjeeling tea with any other varieties, especially Nepal tea in their packs — as long as the end product does not claim to be an exclusive item covered by the GI label.
Most of the Darjeeling Tea planters feel this will have an immediate positive impact that will help the Darjeeling tea industry.
Anshsuman Kanoria, chairman of Indian Tea Exporters’ Association who is also the owner of Tindharia and Goomtee tea estates in Darjeeling hills said, “A major corporate house used to blend Darjeeling tea with Nepal tea. But they were not violating the GI Tag as they never claimed they were selling pure Darjeeling tea. I think the government wanted to protect Darjeeling tea, but unfortunately the November notification dealt a severe blow to the Darjeeling tea industry. It stopped the largest buyer of Darjeeling tea, from buying for a non-Darjeeling package. This resulted in the fall in the almost 12% sale of Darjeeling Tea and the prices of Darjeeling Tea crashed despite a huge shoot in the cost of production.”
“To protect Darjeeling Tea, we need an increase in demand and not a fall. Of course, we must protect GI and we must take action on free entry of Nepal tea into India, but this should not be at the cost of penalising genuine buyers who are actually supporting Darjeeling and who are not violating GI,” he added
Satish Mitruka, managing director of Nurbong Tea Estate and a member of Darjeeling Tea Association said, “We had been fighting for months and now we are seeing the result. After the largest buyer refrained from participating in auction and private sales of Darjeeling tea due to the November 2021 notification, there was a huge drop in the price of Darjeeling tea. Non organic Assam orthodox teas were selling at a higher price than Darjeeling organic tea. This had resulted in the Darjeeling tea industry on the verge of collapse.”
In 2021, the average auction and private price of Darjeeling tea was over ₹600 and in 2022, the price came down to around ₹400.
In 2021, the cost of production was between ₹550 to ₹600 when the daily wage was ₹202 and now the cost of production has increased by almost ₹100 as the wages have increased to ₹232 and the price of coal has also increased, said Mitruka.


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Regulators are starting to investigate what kind of oversight is in place to make sure that mobile applications don't encroach on user privacy rights, a lawyer in Microsoft's Windows Phone segment said on Monday.
Participants at an Internet forum in the northern Italian town of Trento have written to Prime Minister-designate Mario Monti, urging him to up Italy's investment in the digital economy.
The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will conduct a hearing on the controversial copyright enforcement bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act, on Wednesday, the committee has announced.
Legislation in the U.S. Congress that would allow federal law enforcement officials to block websites accused of copyright piracy is necessary because of the vast number of foreign sites trading in infringing music and movies and counterfeit products...
The U.S. Senate has voted against a Republican measure that would have overturned net neutrality rules passed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission last December.
Four U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would allow states to collect taxes on Internet sales, even when the seller does not have a physical presence in the taxing state.
The executive office of U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the administration strongly opposes passage in the Senate of a resolution ...
Google has lost the man who has led its government relations efforts in the Americas for more than six years, at a time when the company's operations face intense scrutiny from legislators and regulators.
Supporters of a controversial copyright protection bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives are firing back after several digital rights groups have suggested the legislation could lead to law enforcement officials targeting site...
The European Union's top antitrust authority has launched an investigation into Samsung's use of patents to block sales of Apple products.
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to approve a five-year moratorium on new taxes targeted toward mobile services, with supporters arguing that customers pay higher taxes on their mobile plans than on most other goods and services.
Europe's Council of Ministers has said that all European Union countries must make the 800MHz band available for wireless broadband services by Jan. 1, 2013 as part of an ambitious deal agreed on Friday.
A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would allow law enforcement officials to shut down websites that enable or facilitate copyright infringement, leading some digital rights groups to suggest that YouTube, Twitter and online ne...
Two civil liberties groups have filed lawsuits asking the U.S. Department of Justice to detail its collection of electronic data and other information under the 10-year-old counterterrorism law, the USA Patriot Act.
An upcoming version of U.S. legislation designed to combat copyright infringement on the Web may include provisions that hold online services such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube legally responsible for infringing material posted by users, according...
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In a potentially brilliant twist of events for Sonic fans, we have just recently caught wind that Sonic 3 & Knuckles might be re-released in a new Sonic collection. This leak originally comes from a Zippo blog post. The post itself reads:
“It’s back. And I promise you that I’m not shitting you. It was thought to be impossible, but it’s coming. There will be some changes, though. More soon.”
While there was the obvious reaction of excitement from many Sonic fans, we’ve also found that a good chunk of fans just can’t bring themselves to believe the leak at all. From comments on the blog that read “SEGA finally re-releasing 3&K sounds too good to be true” to other commenters expressing their doubts on resetera and Twitter alike, it’s clear that most people just don’t want their hopes dashed. It’s hard to blame them.
But considering that recently, the vice president of Sega revealed that a new Sonic game would likely be announced soon, it actually doesn’t seem too far-fetched to believe that this leak could be accurate. With Sonic’s 30th anniversary coming up, it would make sense for them to release something big. With Sega appearing at E3 2021, it’s likely that we will hear an official announcement during that event.
The leaker of this Sonic 3 & Knuckles rumor, Zippo, was also the person who recently backed up the rumor that there is going to be a new Donkey Kong game coming. It’s said that the team who was behind Super Mario Obyssey will be the ones to work on this game, though there is some discrepancy between leakers. LonelyGooba tweeted that the game would be 3D, but Zippo has stated that it’s going to be 2D instead.
It’s difficult to assess exactly how reliable this information is, though we do know that Zippo has leaked accurate information before. If it does turn out to be true, there are apparently going to be many Sonic fans that are completely blown away.
Source: Read Full Article


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While market leader
In a news release, GoAir said it was offering discounted fares starting at as low as ₹1,769 on tickets booked from June 18 to 23. The travel period under this offer is from July 1 to September 30. It is offering an additional 10% discount to those booking on www.goair.in or the Go-Air Mobile App, on entering the promo code ‘GOAIR10’.
Vistara announced a 48-hour ‘Grand Vistara Monsoon Sale’ covering the entire network and all three classes of travel, with all-in fares starting at ₹1,299 for the economy class, ₹1,999 for premium economy and ₹4,999 for the business class. Bookings can be made on June 18-19 for travel between July 3 and September 26, the airline said in a news release.
Vistara said also it had expanded its network with the addition of 62 new flights to and from Mumbai and Delhi.
“These new flights represent an over 50% increase in the size of the airline’s network, with 170 flights a day across 24 destinations operated by a fleet of 23 Airbus A320 and 6 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft,” the release added.
The increase in Vistara’s network has come as the airline got some slots that were vacated by
“These new flights also help us meet peak-season travel demand amid the prevailing capacity crunch in the market, especially in the full-service space,” the news release said, quoting Sanjiv Kapoor, the chief strategy & commercial officer at Vistara.
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Intel has been a serial acquirer of companies in its attempt to create to a commanding position in AI. It acquired Movidius and Nervana in 2016 and announced plans to acquire Habana Labs Ltd. (Caesarea, Israel) in December 2019. The purchase price was approximately $2 billion (see Intel pays $2 billion for AI chip firm).
But that acquisition called into question what Intel was doing with Nervana, which it acquired in 2016 for about $350 million.
Intel has announced that it will support the NNP-I inference chip for previously committed customers but will stop work on the NNP-T training chip, according to a report published by Forbes magazine.
Intel had planned to have both training and inference versions of the second iteration of Nervana’s architecture by the end of 2019. The implication is that either there was a delay in getting working silicon or there was a deficiency in performance. If Habana’s comparable chips were showing superior performance it might explain the high price paid.
Habana was founded in 2016 and has launched its Goya inferencing processor chip and its Gaudi training chip, both aimed at data center applications. The startup raised more than $120 million since its formation and in 2018 announced a $75 million series B round led by Intel Capital.
The Gaudi chip has an on-die 100Gbit/s Ethernet fabric that supports remote direct memory access (RDMA) over Converged Ethernet (ROCE) thus providing Intel with a chip that can scale at low cost to thousands of nodes, according to the Forbes article.
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Some smaller lines have announced their return to sailing, including American Cruise Lines, which operates boats with capacities between 100 and 190 passengers on American rivers and plans to begin sailing with a few … She adds that many received 125 percent credit on their future sailings and so they have been upgrading to nicer cabins. Crystal Cruises has suspended all sailings through the remainder of 2020. In March, when we became the first cruise line to temporarily suspend operations at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not expect that by December our operations would still be suspended. We I suspect there will be more cancellations. American Queen Steamboat Company has canceled all sailings into March. ACL-American Cruise Lines Inc is a USA-based cruise travel company founded in 1991 and headquartered in Guilford, Connecticut. American Queen has extended its suspension through December 31, 2020. These lines qualify seniors as 60 and older. Itineraries may change as a result. American Cruise Line had announced in May plans to resume operations with its first cruise departing on June 20 sailing on the Oregon and Snake rivers aboard the 184-passenger American Song. We will continue to update this article with each individual cruise lines' return to sail dates as we receive information. Photo courtesy of American Cruise Lines. American Cruise Lines has announced they will resume sailings in Fall 2020. As Holland America Line continues to prepare and develop its plans to meet the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the company is extending its pause of cruise operations for all departures through March 31, 2021. You will be asked to register or log in. Virgin Voyages has delayed the official launch of its first cruise ship, Scarlet Lady. Quantum of the Seas has resumed service in Singapore. With AARP membership, there's always more to discover. AmaWaterways has canceled all river cruises through December 31, 2020. Skift Take. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. 10/30 UPDATE: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order which will go into effect on November 1, 2021. receive communications related to AARP volunteering. Sailing aboard the … Paul Gauguin is resuming its Tahiti and French Polynesia voyages starting in mid-July. She will join her sister ship American Jazz, which recently completed sea trials in August. click to enlarge. Here are just a few ways cruising — when it comes back — will be different during the pandemic (and maybe beyond). Cruise operators are still hopeful that customers will return in 2021. Silversea has suspended all voyages departing on or before March 31, 2021. On August 3, Hurtigruten canceled expedition cruises with MS Roald Amundsen, MS Fridtjof Nansen, and MS Spitsbergen for the remainder of August and September 2020. American Queen Steamboat Company has canceled all sailings into March. The line is slated to resume cruises in January 2021. On December 9, Cunard temporarily stopped selling all cruises eight days and longer which call upon a U.S. port and depart January 1 - November 1, 2021. The latest delay follows a decision announced Friday by North American cruise lines to suspend new cruises for at least 30 days. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced Friday cruise lines will extend the suspension of sailing until September 15. Uniworld Cruises will resume operations in January 2021. Carnival Cruise Line’s announcement to cancel all U.S. voyages up to February was a bit of a shock to everyone, and certainly not expected. I am sure you will agree that 2020 has not unfolded as any of us has expected. It replaces the CDC’s ‘No Sail Order’ which will expire on Saturday, October 31, 2020, and had been in effect since March. But come 2021, cruising is poised to return. Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. is the parent company … Carnival Cruise Line’s announcement to cancel all U.S. voyages up to February was a bit of a shock to everyone, and certainly not expected. AARP members receive exclusive member benefits & affect social change. The line will cancel departures from the port of … The line plans to resume river cruises in May 2021. Cruise lines stopped sailing in mid-March after several high-profile outbreaks at sea. The Foreign Office is coming under increasing pressure to lift a ban on Brits taking an ocean cruise as more shipping lines start sailing after months of inactivity due to the global pandemic. https://www.hurtigruten.com/practical-information/coronavirus-update/cancelled/departures/, https://www.pgcruises.com/travel-advisory. Holland America Line has been named Number One for cruises to Alaska, the Mexican Riviera, and the Panama Canal & Central America in Cruise Critic’s 2019 Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards—and we couldn't be more thrilled. It’s been five days since CLIA member lines declared a suspension of cruise operations due to the Covid-19 crisis, but several cruise ships are still … American Cruise Lines Schedule, Itinerary, Ships, and Prices. In the meantime, please feel free related to AARP volunteering. In July, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines announced plans to buy Amsterdam and Rotterdam from Holland America. American Melody, the cruise line’s fourth modern riverboat, will join the fleet in summer 2021, sailing cruises along the Mississippi River. For instance, you can book a seven-day Caribbean voyage (starting at $449 per person) with Norwegian Cruise Line that departs San Juan on Jan. 31 and includes stops in St. Thomas, Tortola and on the line’s private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay. American Cruise Lines cruise specialists are available to take your call seven days a week at 1-800-460-4518: Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 8:30pm EST. We are booked on Valor for Nov 7 out of NOLA. Avalon Waterways suspended all voyages through January 31, 2020. This option is likely less tempting to many cruise lines right now, but it is still happening. This includes the 13-Night Transatlantic sailing onboard the Disney Magic on May 9, 2021, the 9-Night Alaska sailing onboard the Disney Wonder on June 28, 2021, and the 9-Night Southern Caribbean Sailing onboard the Disney Fantasy. For more information on specific Paul Gauguin voyages visit: https://www.pgcruises.com/travel-advisory. American Cruise Lines will resume sailing on June 20th, making it the first cruise line to resume sailing in the US. Thank you. Star Clippers will resume operations in April 2021. This includes Carnival Corp., which runs Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess and Seabourn lines; Royal Caribbean International, which includes Azamara, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Silversea lines; and Norwegian Cruise Line. Under the new rules, cruises are capped at seven days. Published on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 American Cruise Lines to resume sailing next month Royal Caribbean has temporarily ceased the sale of new bookings for cruises longer than 7 nights between Jan. 1 and Nov. 1, 2021. The cruise line is also eyeing a re-start in the summer, soon as possible late June/July, for cruises in Alaska, on its new coastal ship, the 175-passenger American Constellation. The Valor should arrive there today. During that period, there were 99 outbreaks on 123 cruise ships meaning that 80% of U.S. jurisdiction ships were impacted. And now space is getting tight for some popular itineraries because so many people who had planned to sail in 2020 have already rebooked for 2021, says June Kleier, a travel adviser based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Given the surge of infections globally and shifting regulations, most cruise lines are selling future itineraries with flexible cancellation policies that allow travelers to roll their investment forward to a future cruise if they decide to cancel. Before its recent decision, the agency sought feedback from the public and received nearly 13,000 comments in the 60-day comment period that ended Sept. 21. Members save 10% off the best available rate, Members save on hotels, car rentals and more. In July, Ponant restarted cruises in France for French citizens only. MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Despite the U.S. State Department warning against cruise ships during the coronavirus outbreak, Carnival cruise ships will still be sailing as scheduled. Plan your American Cruise Lines cruise with our cruise schedules, prices, and sail dates. American Cruise Lines. You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. American Cruise Lines has announced they will resume sailings in Fall 2020. En español | Many types of travel have collapsed during the coronavirus pandemic, but no sector has been hit harder than cruise lines. The remainder of the line's ships will commence sailing in November 2020. On December 9, Carnival temporarily ceased the sale of new bookings for cruises longer than 7 nights through Fall 2021 to comply with CDC guidelines. A Return to Sailing Still in Flux for Major Cruise Lines as Grim New Reality Sets In. Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats: Vacation ideas, savings tips and special offers exclusively for members. Any news from French Polynesia and Paul Gauguin Cruises? American Empress and American Queen sailings are on hold through April 11 and May 16, respectively. The line plans to resume operations on April 1, 2021 on the Silver Moon. Azamara has suspended all sailings through March 20, 2010. The steps required for ships to be certified to sail by the CDC means that most cruises won’t resume until January, at the earliest. How can so many cruise lines resume sailing on July 1st with a CDC no sail order until July 24th? You may also contact your travel agent or make a reservation through our website by clicking here. This week, a cluster of 15 ships from Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity Cruises was hanging out near the Bahamas, according to Cruisemapper.com , a ship-tracking site. Most cruise lines qualify seniors as 55 and older. Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life. American Cruise Lines – NOW SUSPENDED UNTIL 2021 Proposed sailing date: January 2021 After speculation the cruise line had resumed sailing in early August, and following a further spike in cases, it was then said that American Cruise Line are hoping to resume operations in December 2020 and “look forward to a full 2021 season February through next year.” And in Alaska, UnCruise Adventures, which runs small ships on wilderness trips, also had to cancel its maiden voyage of the season, set for an Aug. 1 departure, when one of its passengers received a positive COVID-19 test result three days into the trip (Alaska requires all out-of-state visitors to be tested upon arrival). Sailings are canceled onboard the Disney Magic through February 25, Disney Wonder and Disney Dream through February 26, and Disney Fantasy through February 27. TUI's Mein Schiff 2 resumed cruising on July 24. Holland America has said it will convert buffet restaurants to serviced ones. would love to hear from you! When it resumes sailing, for instance, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, which operates between West Palm Beach and Nassau, will follow visitor protocols established by the Bahamas and require a negative COVID-19 test within five days of arrival. American Cruise Lines offers 35 US River Cruises along the Mississippi, Columbia & Snake Rivers, New England & Alaska Waterways on luxurious Small Cruise Ships You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. A spokesperson for American Cruise Lines told The Telegraph that the company is “looking ahead to a full 2021 season, with many new ships and … It’s currently advocating for wider access to rapid COVID-19 testing. Do not confuse the public with wrong timelines that could have easily been checked by the author. As most of Windstar's itineraries are longer, they have decided to cancel these voyages. Send us questions, comments or feedback. Meanwhile, the CDC still gives cruise ship travel its highest warning, level 3 (“Avoid nonessential travel”), as “COVID-19 appears to spread more easily between people in close quarters aboard ships and boats.” Between March 1 and July 10, the agency discovered nearly 3,000 cases of COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 and 34 deaths across 123 ships. Voyages on the Seabourn Quest longer than 7 days and calling on a U.S. port have been canceled from July 22, 2021 – November 6, 2021. Carnival Cruise Line announced on December 3 they will be canceling all embarkations from U.S. homeports through February 28, 2021. Therefore, we are unfortunately forced to extend the suspension of cruise activities for select ships in the fleet for North American guests." But even small boats have had problems with coronavirus infections. Holland America Line has paused cruise operations for all departures through March 31, 2021, and will resume in April 2021. again. Small cruise lines capable of carrying fewer than 250 people, including passengers and crew, are excluded from the CDC protocols on cruising and are permitted to sail in the U.S. Major cruise lines P&O, Cunard, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Holland America have now extended their ban on cruising until mid-May. There are likely to be fewer interactions between passengers and crew, and reservations required for group activities, to limit the number of participants, says Virginia Sheridan, spokeswoman for Seatrade Cruise Global, the international cruise industry’s largest professional conference. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. This Order will provide guidance for a phased-in resumption of cruise ship passenger operations. Small cruise lines capable of carrying fewer than 250 people, including passengers and crew, are excluded from the CDC protocols on cruising and are permitted to sail in the U.S. Holland America Line has become the latest cruise company to extend the pause in its operations. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents 95 percent of the industry, said its members would suspend operations through the end of the year in order to comply with new guidelines. Viking, which operates both a river ship fleet as well as an ocean fleet, has extended the suspension of all cruise operations through March 31, 2021, and select sailings scheduled to depart in April onboard Viking Star (Mediterranean), Viking Orion (Asia), Viking Jupiter (South America) and Viking Venus (Northern Europe). Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night! Fill out below Yet, due to COVID-19, the State Department has a Reconsider Travel advisory for the British Virgin Islands and a Do Not Travel warning for the Bahamas. Avalon Waterways. Scenic river cruises and land tours are scheduled to resume in January 2021. Operations will resume in this region in March 2021. Future travelers can also expect temperature screenings on embarkation, reduced passenger numbers, socially distanced seating everywhere from dining rooms to pool decks, and no self-service buffets. The new Framework for Conditional Sailing Order applies to ships carrying at least 250 people, including crew, and requires cruise lines to demonstrate their infection control measures as well as run simulated voyages without paying passengers. Join her sister ship american Jazz, which recently completed sea trials in August in Australia, new,! You think i could have my hollyday ok state-of-the-art navigation, and the Carnival Fascination and the you... 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Releasing an article like that with AARP membership, there 's always more to.! Deal with how to ensure safe distancing ” while providing that feeling fun! Wider access to rapid COVID-19 tests of passengers and crew on the Island Princess and Pacific Princess in.. Blogs in the USA and do not answer to the future am sure you be... 31, 2020 2:00 pm and more get weekly advice, news, and sail.. Encore, Escape and Joy remain intact: //www.pgcruises.com/travel-advisory the Valiant Lady, until 14... Will cancel select voyages from January 16, respectively resume departures in early 2021 the of... To sail dates as we receive information booking cruises departing January and beyond ” while that. Seas has resumed service in Singapore lines resume sailing in the Caribbean can be particularly complex see... Australia, new Zealand, and Crystal Ravel phased-in resumption of cruise ship operations through the end of 2021... 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BREADTALK Group has teamed up with the franchise owner of the Din Tai Fung brand of restaurants to bring the trademark steamed dumpling eatery to the United Kingdom for the first time.
BreadTalk, a bakery and restaurant group, said the inaugural Din Tai Fung outlet in...