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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an update after their cost of living payments were paused during last week's bank holiday weekend.
The government department said it was temporarily halting the £301 payments, which more than eight million households are eligible for. It was not made clear why the payments were stopped, but the bank holiday was believed to be the reason behind it.
On Tuesday (May 2), the DWP confirmed that payments had restarted and a further 1.6 million people had received their money. The payment has now arrived in 6.4 million bank accounts, since the cash boost began being processed last week.
The payments are delivered automatically, but people shouldn't worry if they are yet to receive theirs. Deposits are being made until Wednesday, May 17. If your payment hasn't come through by then, you should contact the DWP.
The department has also previously warned that any email, text, or call asking for your personal details in order to receive the payment is a scam. If you have received one of these emails you should report it to firstname.lastname@example.org - for text messages, forward it to 7726 for free.
The cost of living payment will be made available to those who are receiving payments from means-tested benefits such as: Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, and Universal Credit. Claimants must also have received a payment from one of the qualifying benefits during the qualifying period - between January 26, 2023 and February 25, 2023.
Another payment of £300 will arrive in the autumn, while a third and final payment of £299 will be paid during spring 2024.


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The team behind Gamescom have confirmed that iconic video game expo in Cologne, Germany will not be taking place this August because of Coronavirus.
The good news is that an online event will be taking place digitally instead, so you'll still get a Gamescom-ish experience without the real-life element.
Read on to learn all the details about the Gamescom 2020 cancellation and the digital event that is rising from the trade show's ashes.
Gamescom 2020 has been cancelled
"The nationwide ban on major events until 31 August announced yesterday by the German government" is cited in the blog as having "direct consequences for hosting gamescom 2020 at the Cologne fair grounds."
Hammering home what this means, the announcement adds: "This means that a business or entertainment area in the previous format will not be possible this year." There will not be a physical event.
Oliver Frese, Managing Director of Koelnmesse GmbH, offered this statement: "As the organizer, this decision is as painful for us as for the half million gamescom fans who come to Cologne every year to celebrate games together."
Long live the Gamescom 2020 digital event!
The announcement is keen to stress that this news "does not change the fact that gamescom will definitely take place digitally.
"In addition to established formats such as gamescom: Opening Night Live and gamescom now, we are currently working intensively on the expansion of these offerings and introducing additional modules."
Further details about the digital Gamescom 2020 will be announced in mid-May, the blog states.
As the blog promises, "Further information on the handling of ticket and booking refunds will be made available in the coming weeks."

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Cocoa Media is a new distributor of Turkish TV series
Media industry veteran Christian Toxvig has launched the distribution company Cocoa Media, focusing on providing Turkish TV series to global Free Ad-supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels.
Toxvig, former Senior Vice President of HBO Max and Chief Commercial Officer of iFlix, has entered into an exclusive partnership with the Turkish content aggregator Merzigo to expand access to Turkish dramas on FAST platforms such as LG, Samsung TV Plus, Philips, and Rlaxx TV.
Cocoa Media will offer an extensive library of both classic and new Turkish dramatic series for major FAST platforms.
In partnership with Merzigo, Cocoa Media will leverage content from leading Turkish producers and TV companies, including Acun Medya, Tims & B, Fox, KanalD, and TV8. Their lineup includes hits like “Magnificent Century,” “Forbidden Fruit,” “The girl named Feriha,” “Golden Boy,” “Knock on My Door,” and “The Good Doctor.”
Cocoa Media is launching its content under the brands Merhaba Turkish Drama and Merhaba Turkish Films, as well as in the form of AVOD series.
The launch of AVOD channels and content is planned in the coming months on various platforms, including Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Philips Titan, Rlaxx TV, and others. The company also plans to expand its portfolio with new shows, ensuring a continuous supply of engaging content in the future.
Cocoa Media’s content will be provided with subtitles or dubbing according to the requirements of each region.
Christian Toxvig will present his project at the Mipcom TV exhibition in Cannes and participate in discussions during the FAST & Global Summit.


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Apple has scored a major victory in its battle against Samsung, as a German court temporarily bans Samsung from selling its iPad rival tablet – the Galaxy Tab 10.1 – across most of Europe.
The court order comes a week after Samsung was forced to delay the Australian launch of its latest Galaxy tablet because of a separate lawsuit from Apple, alleging Samsung infringed on a number of Apple’s patents.
Apple has engaged in a widespread and ongoing legal fight with Samsung around the world over the South Korean firm’s Android-powered Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets, which they accuse of ‘slavishly’ copying the iPhone and iPad . Lawsuits have been filed in Europe, the United States, Australia and elsewhere. Samsung, naturally, has countersued.
Apple has confirmed that a district court in the German city of Dusseldorf has granted a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
The ban applies throughout the European Union, with the exception of the Netherlands, where a Hague-based court said separate hearings were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Apple would not say why it filed a separate case in the Netherlands.
Samsung hit back at the ruling, saying: ‘The request for an injunction was filed with no notice to Samsung, and the order was issued without any hearing or presentation of evidence from Samsung. I think we will be rigorously defending our position.’
In a statement, Samsung Germany said it would file an objection immediately. However, it is not clear how long it might take for Samsung to get the ban overturned.
Industry executives speculated that Samsung could potentially launch a new variation of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to get it on sale in Europe, as it plans to do in Australia. It also has the similar, but slightly smaller, Galaxy Tab 8.9 launching imminently, which will not be affected by the injunction.
The Galaxy range has been a largely successful one for Samsung, with its Galaxy S smartphones in particular raking in sales. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 – which has only just launched in Europe and was in the process of being rolled out – has been well reviewed, and widely hailed as the best challenger yet to the iPad’s tablet dominance.


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What if They Run Out of Juice: Biggest Share-Buyback Queens
What if They Run Out of Juice: Biggest Share-Buyback Queens by Wolf Richter for Wolf Street
Five companies blow $55 billion in Q1 to prop up their own shares.
Apple was once again the biggest share buyback queen of them all: In the first quarter of 2019, it spent a new all-time record of $23.8 billion on buying its own shares, apparently because everyone else was selling them, and someone had to buy.
Over the past four quarters through March 31, Apple spend $75.1 billion on share buybacks to prop up its own shares, according to the latest report by S&P Dow Jones Indices. But Apple’s shares remain 16% below their peak last October. Over the past five years, Apple spent $284 billion on share buybacks.
When a company buys back its own shares, the shares get canceled and disappear, the cash used to buy them gets handed to sellers and is gone, and “stockholder equity” on the balance sheet drops by that amount.
Buybacks are at the core of financial engineering: They lower the share count, and so earnings are divided by a smaller number of shares, which generates a larger earnings-per-share figure, and a lower price-earnings ratio, to bamboozle people who still bother to look at these metrics after 10 years of being told that fundamentals don’t matter.
Share buybacks also cover up the dilutive effects of stock-based compensation plans and stock-based acquisitions of companies that have no earnings, such as startups, that Apple and others constantly gobble up.
Apple still has a rock-solid balance sheet and can afford to blow this kind of money. Other companies are not so lucky; nevertheless, they did blow a ton of money on share buybacks.
In total, companies in the S&P 500 index spent $205.8 billion in Q1, the biggest first quarter ever, the second biggest of any quarter ever, and up 8.9% from Q1 2018, but down 7.7% from the all-time dizzying record in Q4 2018:
Over the past 12 months through March 31, share buybacks jumped 43% from the prior 12-month period, to a record $823 billion. And it’s adding up: Since 2012, share buybacks have totaled $4.03 trillion, which is about the magnitude of Germany’s annual GDP. The chart shows share buybacks for each 12-month period through Q1:
Higher share prices in Q1 than in Q4 – less bang for the buck – and the 7.7% decline in share repurchases in Q1 from Q4 resulted in 20% fewer shares being repurchased in Q1 than in Q4. The share count dropped in aggregate by 0.94% down from a 1.18% drop in Q4.


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Krasnodar, 31 May – Yug Times. Kuban is reportedly introducing some restrictions on the turnover of alcohol beverages for the time of the 2018 Football World Cup.
The regional Legislative Assembly has adopted the bill on restriction of the retail sale of alcohol drinks during the World Cup. The document submitted by the regional Department for Consumer Sphere and Regulation of Alcohol Market bans sales of alcohol in glass bottles within the Fisht Stadum and fanzone in Sochi, training sites in Anapa, Krasnodar and Gelendzhik, and within the radius of 500 m around these sites.
“The restrictions are aimed at enforcement of security measures during the World Cup in accordance with the federal law, mainly to protect health and wellbeing of the individuals engaged in the football activities,” said Roman Kurinny, Head of the said Department. He was quoted as saying that the ban on alcohol in glass bottles will be acting on the days of the matches and a day before them.
“Such restrictions are a global practice; they are applied elsewhere during large-scale events,” commented Yuri Burlachko, Chairman of the Kuban Legislative Assembly. At the same time, all rights of FIFA and its commercial partners will be fully observed.
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We have been crowned Dealer of the Year 2017 from a network of 27 authorised sales dealerships nationwide!
Over the past 12 months, we have been striving to surpass our KPI’s for the ŠKODA Balanced Scorecard. The Balanced Scorecard measures key performance indicators across all sides of the business including administration, sales, parts and service as it is the integrated focus between sales and aftersales and high-quality customer service that will encourage customers to come back to us.
It is with great pleasure to announce that we have been named the winners of the Dealer of the Year for 2017. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our team for their tremendous work throughout the past year with us and also our customers for their ongoing loyalty to us. It is thanks to you who have helped us to achieve such strong KPI’s that ultimately resulted in us taking home this exceptional title.
Oliver Brannock, ŠKODA Sales Manager said: “We are overwhelmed with the ŠKODA Dealer of the Year award. It is quite rewarding to know that our team’s continued efforts are acknowledged by ŠKODA Ireland. I want to thank each and every member of our team at Boland ŠKODA sincerely for all of their tremendous work in 2017 and a big thank you to our loyal customers over the years too. We look forward to and even stronger year with 2018.”
We are very proud to represent ŠKODA in Carlow. The ŠKODA brand and range has never been so strong or diverse – we look forward to 2018 with renewed confidence and what it has to bring.
2017 was another record year for ŠKODA Ireland. Specifically, they increased market share to 6.9%, delivering over 9,000 new cars and our Aftersales business (Parts & Accessories sales) continued to grow to over €9.5m. Furthermore, the CSS results continue to rank ŠKODA as one of the top performers in Europe.


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Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned Sets Record Sales
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported December sales of 20,025 vehicles, its highest monthly volume of the year, bringing the company’s total 2009 volume to 190,604 and narrowing the gap versus last year to 15.3 percent.
Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA said: “The strong finish to a year marked by challenges on every front, underscores the customer confidence in the Mercedes-Benz brand and the unstinting efforts we have undertaken in partnership with our retail network to provide an unparalleled ownership experience.”
The C-Class – the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – was the volume leader for the year with sales of 52,427 vehicles, a 27.7 percent decrease from last year. The all-new, 9th generation E-Class, launched in late June, bucked the industry sales trend by increasing its volume year-over year by 11.7 percent (43,072 versus last year’s 38,576). Rounding out the top three volume lines was the popular M-Class SUV which recorded a 21 percent increase in December, bringing the annual volume to 25,799.[adsense]
Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 5,098 vehicles in December 2009. This boosted the MBCPO year-end total to 71,886 units, an 11.2 percent increase over the annual sales record set last year.


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As per legal agreement, Vijay and Naveen Munjal (father-son duo) were granted exclusive rights to use ‘Hero’ brand for their electric vehicles
Around a decade back, the extended Munjal families parted ways and were given their respective ownership of businesses. Vijay and Naveen Munjal got ownership of Hero Electric whereas Pawan Munjal continued with Hero MotoCorp. As per claims, Vijay and Naveen Munjal have the rights to use ‘Hero’ brand to manufacture and sell electric vehicles in domestic as well as international markets.
Hero Electric approaches Delhi High court
Just a few years back, there didn’t appear to be any friction between the two Munjal families. However, things may have changed dramatically in recent times with growing interest in electric two-wheelers. With clear indications of things moving in favour of an all-electric ecosystem, Hero Electric is taking proactive steps to protect its turf.
Hero Electric has approached Delhi High Court to prevent Hero MotoCorp from using the Hero brand name for its upcoming electric two-wheelers. This appears to be a pre-emptive move, as Hero MotoCorp has not indicated any plans to use the Hero nameplate for its upcoming electric two-wheelers. At least nothing has been revealed in public domain. However, as stakes are high, the fight over ‘Hero’ brand may intensify in future.
Hero Electric Vs Hero MotoCorp
While Hero MotoCorp is currently the largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero Electric has made significant gains. The latter currently leads in electric two-wheeler sales. One of Hero Electric’s USP is affordable pricing, which has helped boost sales. Moreover, Hero Electric has the first-mover advantage in electric two-wheeler segment.
Ten years earlier, it may have been difficult to predict the dramatic shift to electric two-wheelers. As of now, one can easily visualize that the future will be an all-electric ecosystem. This may be one of the core reasons that may have revived the fight for use of ‘Hero’ brand.
From Hero Electric’s perspective, they have the rights to use the brand for their electric vehicles. In case of Hero MotoCorp, it can be argued that the shift to electric is something beyond their control. Moreover, it is happening at national and global level and is linked to managing climate change. It would be unfair if they are not allowed to use the Hero brand for their upcoming electric two-wheelers.
While Hero Electric has legal rights, the dramatic shift in industry ecosystem may warrant a review of the earlier agreement. It remains to be seen how the court takes a decision in this case. Both parties have refused to comment, as the matter is currently sub-judice.
Earlier, it was reported that Hero MotoCorp could launch its electric scooters and motorcycles under VIDA brand. The company is expected to launch its first electric two-wheeler in March 2022. Hero MotoCorp has partnered with Taiwan-based Gogoro to manufacture its electric two-wheelers.


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Letter: Does CVS want to take control of drug pricing?
I was very sorry to read of CVS’s acquisition of Ritzman Pharmacies and of their decision to close 17 area pharmacy outlets, including both Ritzman locations here in Wooster. The Daily Record’s article of Jan. 8 helps to clarify this confusing and troubling news for consumers.
Pharmaceutical producers set the “sticker price” for medications, and these continue to rise at an alarming rate. But large retail pharmacies and health insurance companies play a major role in determining our actual costs and reimbursement rates. And now we also have PBM’s (pharmacy benefit management companies) who work behind the scenes as “middlemen” to negotiate with producers, insurers, retailers and Medicare/ Medicaid to work out prices and reimbursement levels.
CVS is apparently trying to take more control over the entire process: acquiring health insurance giant Aetna, buying up more and more pharmacies to reduce competition, manipulating reimbursement rates, and operating its own PBM (CVS Caremark) to serve as its own middleman.
Consider the fact that every one of these companies is a profit-based entity that needs to keep its shareholders happy. Every one of the companies owned by CVS will need to take its share of profit at each stage of the process between manufacturer and consumer. If any one of them fails to meet its profit goals, CVS will be motivated to raise prices in one of the other components of its empire.
Forgive me, but given all the above, how confident should we be that the kinds of mergers CVS is aggressively pursuing will result in more pharmacy choices or lower drug prices for consumers?
Sharon L. Shelly


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Easter egg shoppers are paying up to five times the price of regular chocolate for fancier packaging, at a high cost to the environment.
Scouring the shelves of Coles, Woolworths and Aldi, The New Daily found that Lindt, Cadbury, Ferrero, Chocolatier and Kinder were some of the most expensive Easter products, per gram of chocolate.
The costliest was a Lindt box with a chocolate egg, bunny and carrots at $12.46 per 100 grams, five times the price of a regular chocolate slab.
The giant Grand Ferrero Rocher cost $8.25 per 100g and a Kinder Surprise Maxi Pink Egg was priced at $8 per 100g.
Cadbury and Lindt blocks, priced at only about $2.50 per 100g, were far cheaper – and sold with much less harmful packaging.
Dr Trevor Thornton, hazardous materials expert at Deakin University, said consumers needed to realise they were effectively paying a premium at Easter time for fancy packaging, at the expense of the environment.
“I’d say that most consumers probably don’t think too much about environmental impacts or the fact that they’re paying more for the extra packaging, but they probably should,” he told The New Daily.
Many of the Easter eggs currently on Australian supermarket shelves were “over-packaged”, Dr Thornton said.
A recent audit of British supermarket shelves, which stock similar Easter eggs as Australia, supported this warning. Shockingly, it found that packaging accounted for 25 per cent of the weight of the average Easter egg.
Easter chocolates are harmful to the environment because they often use plastic windows, which make the products difficult to recycle, Dr Thornton said.
“Foil is generally recyclable – most councils will accept it – and cardboard is recyclable,” he said.
“The trouble is that often these Easter gifts are packaged in cardboard with clear plastic windows and whenever you have two different materials, it becomes more difficult to recycle because contamination can occur.
“When materials get sorted at a recycling facility, cardboards and plastics get diverted to different bins. Plastics in composite packaging go to the landfill rather than being recycled.”
Value for money: The worst Easter chocolate offenders
Dr Thornton said this increased the environmental impact as plastics take a long period of time to break down and cardboard emits greenhouse gases, when these resources could have been recovered for recycling purposes.
“There should be more pressure on manufacturers to do something about this and to, at the very least, make their packaging out of recycled material,” he said.
“Tonnes and tonnes of waste could be prevented by chocolate manufacturers using recycled material and light-weighting their packaging by using the same material but not as thick.”
New research suggests there are a growing number of Australians who prefer to pay more for “higher quality” chocolate such as Lindt and Haigh’s than a larger quantity of cheaper chocolates, according to IBISWorld data.
A spokeswoman for Mondelēz International, the company that owns Cadbury, said it aimed to make its Easter packaging as “special and presentable as possible”.
“Packaging plays a key role in this,” she said.
“Globally, one of our sustainability goals is to eliminate 65,000 tons of packaging material by 2020 to help minimise waste.
“We’ve made substantial progress in our packaging reduction goals and to date we have successfully eliminated 46,300 metric tonnes of packaging.”
Lindt was also contacted for comment but did not respond by deadline.


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Marc B are a brand with a huge in-store presence selling thousands of chic and super shiny quilted bags each week. The go-to brand for those seeking sophisticated arm candy at an affordable price, Marc B offer a plethora of sleek designs in a variety of pop colours, complete with elegant link chain straps.
At the Surgery PR press days earlier in the month the newest addition to the AW11 Marc B range, ‘Amelia’ caught my eye. Reminiscent of an old-fashioned doctor’s bag, this structured design boasts the brand’s signature quilting, chain detailing and funky a leopard print lining!
**Images throughout courtesy of Surgery PR.
Fashion News #116
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Monday, 29 June 2015
An ink illustration of China done by Hergé found a buyer in Brussels on Sunday. The new owner paid 379,502 euros, says the Banque Dessinée auction house. A comic book specialist, the Etterbeek house sold several “exceptional original pieces” on Sunday, to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
The 1938 illustration by Hergé was presented as the top piece in this birthday sale. It shows Tintin getting off a plane. He is pretending to faint, and is grabbing hold of the person claiming to be Professor Alembick’s beard to check it is real. Snowy is waiting in the background. The scene, which is from “Ottokar’s Sceptre”, was published on the cover of Petit Vingtième on the 1st of December 1938. The drawing was estimated at between 400,000 and 450,000 euros.
Among the other lots was a sketch of Spirou and Fantasio (Franquin) from “The Shadow of Z”, which sold for 64,002 euros. A copy of “Tintin and the Soviets” sold for 49,602 euros, and a “Lotus Blue” sold for 29,762 euros.
A Hausman drawing of a forest scene sold for 600% more than its estimation at 9,603 euros, Banque Dessinée has said.


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Just four short years. That’s how long IDC says it’s going to take for mobile internet usage to surpass wired use. They base these estimates on the explosion in sales of smartphones and tablets, as well as the new innovation in mobile networks. IDC also suggests that by 2015, web access on PCs is going to begin declining.
This change is expected to come with the inclusion of hundreds of millions of new internet users all over the world. For these people, the mobile web will be the only web they have ever known. "Forget what we have taken for granted on how consumers use the Internet," IDC research vice president Karsten Weide said in a statement. "Soon, more users will access the Web using mobile devices than using PCs, and it's going to make the Internet a very different place."
Smartphones are expected to surpass feature phones, enabling a full mobile web experience. This, along with the continued growth of tablets, will lead to the stagnation of the PC market, IDC reports. This change is expected to occur first in Western Europe, Japan, and the US. What do you think the future of web access looks like?


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Students held a fundraiser at a high school in Somerset, Texas to surprise one of their classmates with two new pairs of shoes last week before the school went on holiday break.
Classmates at Somerset High School noticed that 14-year-old JR Gilbert wore shoes that were too small. Gilbert, who is considered a "special needs" student, wore size 10.5 boots from his grandfather everyday to school. Gilbert's feet have grown to size 13.
On Friday, students from the high school presented two shoe boxes wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper to Gilbert, both with size 13 shoes.
"It's from all of us," says junior Roger Villegas says to Gilbert in the video. "Everybody here gave 'em to you."
"Green is my favorite color, Gilbert said as he opened the first box containing a pair of green Nike shoes. "Thanks guys. Y'all are the best."
After Gilbert opened the second shoe box, he held up one of the red shoes into the air as students cheered. After he opened the new pairs of shoes, the students gathered in a circle and gave a shout of "Family."
According to the school district, Gilbert has a shoes that fit him, but has opted to wear the boots given to him from his grandfather. Gilbert's mother Linda told KSAT-TV that her son did not need the new shoes, but wanted a new pair of Nike shoes.
"It's not about needing it," she told the station. "It's something he wanted, and these boys basically granted a wish he wanted."
A video showing Gilbert's reaction to receiving the gifts from his classmates has been seen by nearly 40 million Facebook users.


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T-Mobile user data was acquired by hackers this week when credit bureau Experian was compromised. Hackers got customer names, addresses, drivers licenses, social security numbers and more. According to T-Mobile CEO John Leger, 15 million people including new applicants requiring a credit check from September 1st, 2013 through September 16th, 2015 were affected. Customers will get two years of free credit monitoring and identity resolution services from Experian.
Patreon also had been hacked this week, and at least 15 GB worth of password data, donation records, source code, credit card numbers and more were acquired.


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While sales of hardware may be suffering greatly it seems that the general economic gloom has not yet diminished the ambitions of the larger technology companies to give us new products and services online.
In the last few weeks we have had Wolfram Alpha offering a way to search structured data and provide results in a form suitable for further computation. We have had Google Squared promising a simple way of pulling organised data from websites into a spreadsheet style format.
Finally, a new controller-free interface for the Xbox 360 games console from Microsoft that – the company hopes – will open up gaming to the millions who are intimidated by the complexity of current controllers.
And now, after years of effort, billions of dollars worth of investment and several failed attempts, Microsoft has launched Bing, a search engine that it thinks has a chance of unseating Google and which it would like us to think of as a “decision engine.


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Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin, states that, as a peer-to-peer currency, this virtual exchange could signal the end of the need for traditional financial institutions and systems. It has been broadly discussed that the current requirement for trusted intermediaries to act as payment processors demonstrates the weakness of the existing system of payments. Furthermore, the problem inherent in traditional systems is that payments are reversible, forcing financial institutions to incur mediation costs, which are then passed on in the form of transaction costs. The Bitcoin system appears to be superior as it facilitates non-reversible transactions, enabling traders to interact without third party involvement.
Is This The Future?
On Bitcoin.org, the official website of Bitcoin, it is explicitly said that this virtual currency could become the currency of the future, dispensing with intermediaries by utilising cryptography as a control mechanism. Many advantages of the virtual currency have been considered: controllability, freedom from time or border constraints, lower fees than competitors, low merchant risk and cost and increased security, transparency and neutrality.
Nonetheless, many have acknowledged the disadvantages, which include volatility, low public awareness and the fact that the currency is still being developed. Moreover, Izabella Kaminska, a journalist with the New York Times, has highlighted the importance of being more cautious, suggesting that the Bitcoin community has listed many major incidences of hacking of Bitcoin exchanges since the currency’s inception. Indeed, this author is yet to be convinced that this is the currency of the future.
Unveiling The Frailty
The severity of the recent $60m Bitcoin theft which has caused turmoil among dealers and commentators, It has been highlighted by many researchers. Indeed, it should be noted that Bitfinex exchange, the latest hack victim, was previously well-respected, the largest in terms of dollar value and a trader development leader. Many have asserted that Bitfinex’s existence is now threatened. This is due to the fact that the hack leaves the exchange in an uncertain position. On top of that, the company’s decision to spread its losses among its customers, with all taking a mandatory 36% haircut, has seen criticism. For instance one of the editors of coindesk.com, also commented on this solution, suggesting grave effects on public confidence.
It must be noted that this is the second time that Bitfinex has been hacked in the last two years. Therefore, the event appears to have a negative impact on the confidence in the supposedly unhackable currency. Furthermore, it could be said that this theft might also lead the banking industry to reconsider its position on the use of Bitcoin and related technology.
Explaining The Strength
All that said, the price of Bitcoin dropped from around $600 before the theft, to $480. Afterwards, a rapid recovery took place, and the currency’s price went back to $560 within a day, and traded between $560 and $580 the following week. The confidence in the virtual currency appears to be a key element in understanding this contradictory response of the financial market. Petar Zivkovski, director of the Bitcoin trading platform Whaleclub, stated that this quick price recovery was due to a market correction, as the post-hack price fell “too quickly.” He also highlighted the importance of market confidence, which has led to bullish trading and a sudden and significant price recovery. Many have agreed that the Bitcoin theft set a “low bar,” from which it had to rebound, mainly because the 20% fall in value was excessive.
Nonetheless, the value Bitfinex’ positive reaction must be acknowledged, as it refused to contemplate bankruptcy as an option, thus boosting the confidence in the virtual currency. Indeed, many have stressed the importance of the robust response from Bitfinex in the recovery of Bitcoin’s market price. By refusing to consider bankruptcy, and ensuring that the exchange was quickly reopened, the damaged company helped significantly the swift price recovery. Another key element in explaining the sudden recovery of the virtual currency’s value appears to be company’s decision to offer tradable vouchers, issued with a promise of future shares in its parent company iFinex, to all its loss-bearing customers. It could be argued that this was a decisive and timely move, which boosted trader confidence in both Bitfinex and Bitcoin, aiding the currency’s post-theft recovery.
To sum up, Bitcoin may be seen as the currency of the future. Although the virtual currency is volatile, still in development, and exposed to various risks, its strength is an element that should not be overlooked. The confidence in its value and, even more, in its potential is a key element in outlining the traits of this currency. Therefore, even if not clearly on the pathway of becoming the currency of the future, Bitcoin has the potential to achieve this long-term objective.


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Finally, the never-ending rumors to a coming ‘Pepsi made’ smartphone seem to be true after all, as the popular Soda maker has so far deviated from the business of bottle sodas, and has released a smartphone dubbed Pepsi Phone P1.
The new comer doesn’t just come empty handed as it’s currently one of the cheapest devices with the kind of specs slammed into it. Made by Shenzhen Scooby Communication Equipment company based in China, the device features a pretty aluminum unibody, which houses the now famous 5.5″ 1080p screen.
Worthy of note is the device’s 5.5″ screen has a 2.5D glass. Asides that, the P1 device houses an octa-core MediaTek MT6592 chipset. The device runs on a dido OS, which is based on modified Google Android 5.1 Lollipop. The phone has a 13MP main camera (f/2.0, 1/3.06″) and a 5MP selfie camera, also as is popular these days there’s a fingerprint reader on the back. A 3,000mAh battery powers the handset.
The Pepsi Phone P1 is a dual-SIM phone with LTE-connectivity. There’s a version for China Unicom (with FDD-LTE) dubbed the P1s. Either way you can replace the second SIM card with a microSD.
Itching to get yourself a piece of the Pepsi P1 phone? Well, the device is available on Chinese e-commerce site JD.com for CNY 699 ($110/€100), although that pricing limited to the first 1,000 users, (earlier, an early bird offer for CNY 499 was issued, but as expected, already ran out). The P1 will come with a charger, cable, earphone and a protective case.


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There were whispers last Friday that Microsoft would be offering a budget Xbox bundle: lower up-front cost, offset by a sort of combination payment plan and Xbox Live subscription. Microsoft has just confirmed the deal is real: if you have a Microsoft Store nearby, you can pick up a 360 and Kinect for just $99.
(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
You'll also have to sign up for an Xbox Live Gold subscription at $15 per month; existing accounts can be had for as little as $5, but in this case they're adding the cost of the console distributed over two years. The math works out fairly decently for the consumer: the cost of an Xbox and Kinect bundle now, plus two years of Xbox Live, ends up at around $420. With the $99 deal, the final cost is closer to $460. That's $1.67 per month extra for the privilege of not paying full price up front.
The lower barrier for entry, however, is worth a lot in marketing terms. Mobile phone companies have known for years that subsidized phones sell just fine -- far fewer people would have bought iPhones if they had a $600 price tag, even if it meant lower monthly payments after the initial hit. The 360 isn't exactly a must-have item, after more than six years on shelves, but the low price will almost certainly help Microsoft move a few units.
It also extends the cost of those units out two years while getting people hooked on the Xbox Live service. When the two years are up, the 360's successor will almost certainly be available, and the option to continue their Live service right onto the new platform will be tempting.
The catch is that deal is only available in Microsoft Stores right now. You have to show up in person and ask for "offer code 885370366266" to get signed up. Check here to find whether there's a Microsoft Store near you.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is coldewey.cc.


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In Zoom’s IPO two years ago, Salesforce earned much money, $100 million at the offer price, and watching the stock soar immediately. The giant company, Zoom, learned a little something
The giant car maker, Tesla, is about to unveil the new Model S Plaid. This will arguably be the biggest update to the vehicle program. Tesla aims to reignite interest
According to the latest news, Amazon’s Echo devices has news for you. They are officially sharing your internet connection. Amazon launched a shared low-bandwidth network under the name Amazon Sidewalk.
According to Goldman Sachs to disruptions stemming from the global chip shortage may soon be over. Andrew Tilton, the chief Asia economist at Goldman Sachs, announced that the situation could improve


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600 jobs set to go at Travis Perkins as 30 branches close
0 Have your say The UK’s biggest builders merchant, Travis Perkins, whose businesses include DIY chain Wickes, is closing 30 branches, putting 600 jobs at risk.
The branches will be shut across its trade businesses, while it is also closing 10 smaller distribution centres and writing off IT equipment.
The 600 affected workers have been told of the changes, Travis Perkins said.
The group operates almost 2,000 stores in the UK, including branches of Travis Perkins, BSS, Tile Giant, as well as Wickes.
It said profits would be lower than expected this year because of disappointing sales in its... read more
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text: Shares of Ambarella Inc. /zigman2/quotes/207997433/composite AMBA -1.47% fell more than 5% in the extended session Tuesday after the semiconductor design company swung to an adjusted profit in its fiscal first quarter but called for fiscal second-quarter sales below expectations. Ambarella said it lost $15.5 million, or 45 cents a share, in the quarter, compared with a net loss of $17.3 million, or 53 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned $1.3 million, or 4 cents a share, versus an adjusted loss of $100,000, breaking even in a per-share basis, a year ago. Sales rose 16% to $55 million, the company said. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected Ambarella to report an adjusted loss of 27 cents a share on sales of $54 million in the quarter. Ambarella said it expects sales around $50 million for the fiscal second quarter, plus or minus 6%. Operating expenses are seen between $31 million and $33 million, the company said. The analysts surveyed by FactSet expect second-quarter sales around $56 million. Ambarella did not address the pandemic directly, but said that the "unprecedented combination of geopolitical and public health risks" will "limit visibility and cause the duration, severity and impact" of a slowdown to be unknown." The long-term outlook for "the higher levels of automation" it enables remains healthy, the company said. The shares ended the regular trading session 6.5% higher.


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Google Currents is Set to Replace Google+ on July 6th
While Google's initial attempt at social media, Google+, has now been shut down for over a year (since April 2019), its enterprise-level customers are still taking advantage of G Suite features to this day. On July 6th, however, a new product called "Google Currents," will be taking its place and be made available to all G Suite users.
Is Google Currents a Rebrand of Google+ or Something Entirely New?
From start to finish, Google+ never had much of a fighting chance against other social media networks, such as Facebook or Instagram. Because of its failure to launch, ultimately leading to its shut down, many tech publications are calling Google Currents a "rebrand" in attempts to gain more traction the second time around.
On the other hand, Google itself is boasting enhanced features, a "new look and feel," and improved usability. During the press release, they added: "Currents makes it easy to have meaningful discussions by enabling leaders and employees to exchange ideas across the organization and gather valuable feedback and input from others without flooding inboxes."
While some Beta participants already have access, the full roll out will be carried out on July 6th, 2020. Until we get our hands on Google Currents ourselves, it'll be hard to say whether this is a band-aid over Google+ or a new and exciting platform that everyone should get their hands on.
Why Use Google Currents?
When it comes to additional features, here is a big-picture overview of what we know so far:
Google Currents is making it easier for employees to communicate with each other and for leaders to engage with employees
It connects employees to useful and timely content that is personalized to their role and interests.
- Admins can shape the discussion in the organization by creating custom streams to promote specific content to a targeted set of employees or the entire company. Additionally, admins can measure engagement across the platform with metrics to track usage and understand what content is resonating across the organization.
What Does This Mean for G Suite Users?
According to Google, the transition from "G Suite" aka Google+ to Google Currents should be a smooth one:
Beginning July 6, 2020, users will be transitioned to Currents on all platforms. Currents provides users access to new features, including custom company streams, content discovery and routing via tagging.
Users of the iOS and Android Google+ mobile apps who have auto-update enabled will be automatically upgraded to the Currents mobile app, which replaces their existing Google+ mobile app. Other users will be prompted to upgrade to the new Currents mobile app (via redirection to the appropriate store) so they can continue using the service.
All existing links to plus.google.com will continue to work, as users will be transparently redirected to currents.google.com.
- In the days prior to this switch, users may see a banner in Google+ apprising them of these changes and linking them to relevant Help Center content.
Additionally, no actions will need to be taken on the user's behalf, however it is recommended to read the "Getting Started Guide," as well as upgrading device iOS' and Google+ Android apps.
As the transition happens, your Bloomtools team will continue to keep you informed and up-to-date on Google Currents and other industry news. If you have any questions or need help transitioning, don't hesitate to contact us.
|Tags:Social MediaBusiness Development


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LGBTQ cruisers’ most anticipated ship of 2018 has finally arrived. Following a 15-day Atlantic crossing from Saint-Nazaire, France, Celebrity Edge arrived at Port Everglades’ Terminal 25 (T25) in Hollywood, FL
Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO of Celebrity’s parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., noted that the ship’s arrival “book-ends a major chapter in the growth of Celebrity Cruises. It’s the culmination of years of dreaming, designing and dedication to bring this magnificent ship to life. A new era is truly upon us.”
President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, noted that Celebrity Edge’s debut “has been more than four years in the making.” Lutoff-Perlo stated, “collaboration and effort between teams across the world all comes together in this incredible moment.” With the debut of Celebrity Edge, Lutoff-Perlo said, “we are sailing into the future, literally and figuratively.”
T25 is the first terminal designed exclusively for the Celebrity brand. Broward County and City of Hollywood officials attended a ceremony marking the T25’s grand opening. The new cruise terminal boasts stunning design plus unique technology, such as Expedited Arrival. T25 will also offer The Retreat guests separate entrance to the suite-class guest sanctuary.
The new vessel’s inaugural winter season will alternate seven-night eastern and wester
Bookings for Celebrity Edge are now open. A sister ship in the Edge series, Celebrity Apex, will debut in 2020. Two additional Edge series ships will follow in 2021 and 2022.
Call our travel professional Adam soon to book your dream cruise on Celebrity Edge.


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The Cadillac XLR will receive a new grille, restyled fog lamps and will sport a fair amount of chrome vents on the fenders.
Today we have laid our hands on some of the first pictures of the upcoming 2009 Cadillac XLR Facelift. It took some effort though from our spy photographer who was eventually shadowed by a Mazda RX-8 so that the new XLR could get away.
The facelifted Cadillac XLR will receive a new grille, restyled fog lamps and will sport a fair amount of chrome vents on the fenders. The new front fascia has definitely been inspired by the Cadillac Provoq concept, and with good reason.
Which engine will be featured in the 2009 Cadillac XLR is a bit of a question since GM has announced that it will stop developing its Northstar V8 engine, an engine almost exclusively used by Cadillac. The Northstar V8's will most likely be replaced by V6's, like the 3.6 liter direct-injection V6 VVT engine (311 hp with 374 Nm of torque) powering the wildly popular CTS.
Possibly the Corvette's 6.2 liter LS3 engine (430 hp with 586 Nm of torque) will be powering the performance XLR-V, but these are mere speculations. Only time will tell which engines will find their way under the Cadillac bonnets.


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Bollywood celebrities and lifestyle and fashion influencers including Hrithik Roshan, Kiara Advani and Siddhant Chaturvedi, are set to build excitement among their vast fan base and audiences.
The films will also be pairing off the celebrities for the first time, with a 15-second-long edit featuring Roshan with Advani and another with Roshan and Chaturvedi. The films will have transitioning costumes with Roshan donning trendy and hip styles, Chaturvedi featuring the uber comfortable casual wear and Advani repping western, casual and ethnic wear.
Nandita Sinha, chief executive officer, Myntra, said, “Hrithik, Kiara and Siddhant are going to take center-stage in the EORS-16 ad films, creating heightened visibility for the event and driving deeper reach among fashion-forward shoppers in the country. Their films exemplify the message of the opulence of the event, which will bring together the biggest brands and trend-first styles. We will also offer brands the unparalleled opportunity to harness the power of the creators’ economy and leverage India’s leading influencers to effectively engage our upwardly mobile fashion-conscious consumers.”


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The damage from the COVID-19 pandemic to economies in the Asia-Pacific region is predicted to reach US$3 trillion over two years, S&P Global Ratings said on Friday.
The latest estimate is higher than the US$2 trillion in lost economic output that S&P in April forecast for the region in April.
Based on its estimate, economic growth across the region this year would contract by 1.3 percent, compared with the 0.3 percent growth the ratings agency previously forecast.
However, regional economies would recover next year with 6.9 percent growth, S&P said.
“Asia-Pacific has shown some success in containing COVID-19 and, by and large, responded with effective macroeconomic policies,” S&P Global Ratings Asia-Pacific chief economist Shaun Roache said in a statement. “This can help cushion the blow and provide a bridge to the recovery.”
The IMF last week said in its latest World Economic Outlook report that growth in Asia’s emerging and developing economies this year would likely contract 0.8 percent before rebounding next year with 5.9 percent growth.
S&P retained its forecast that Taiwan’s and South Korea’s economies this year would shrink by 1.2 percent and 1.5 percent respectively, citing the nations’ success in containing COVID-19, a swift reopening of their economies, governments’ targeted fiscal easing and support from the resilient technology sector.
The ratings agency also held its growth forecast for China at 1.2 percent this year and 7.4 percent next year, but warned that China’s private-sector confidence remains fragile.
S&P cut its forecast for Japan’s economy, saying it would contract by 4.9 percent this year and grow 3.4 percent next year, adding that consumers have not recovered from the effects of last year’s consumption tax.
“We expect cautious consumers in Japan to save more than before COVID-19, and this will crimp spending and growth,” Roache said.
The agency further lowered its forecast for India’s economy to a 5 percent decline this year, compared with the 1.8 percent growth that S&P previously predicted, citing the country’s difficulties containing the virus, an anemic policy response and underlying vulnerabilities, especially across its financial sector.
S&P also cut its growth forecasts for Indonesia from 1.8 percent to 0.7 percent this year and predicted that Malaysia’s economy would contract by 2 percent, compared with a decline of 1.1 percent it estimated earlier.
The agency said that Thailand’s economy would fall 5.1 percent this year, down from a 4.2 percent contraction it forecast previously.
While most economies in the Asia-Pacific region would see a sharp bounce next year, the recovery looks set to be weighed down by weak balance sheets, as governments, companies and households might try to bolster their weak financial positions by saving more, paying down debt and spending less, S&P said.
“The downturn caused by COVID-19 did not start as a balance-sheet recession, but may end up as one,” Roache said. “This means less investment, a slower recovery and a permanent hit to the economy that will last even after a vaccine is found.”
WIN-WIN SITUATION: Customers, products and client portfolios of the companies are complementary, allowing for inroads into new fields, Chipbond’s chairman said Chipbond Technology Corp (頎邦) yesterday said it plans to acquire about a 31 percent stake in Orient Semiconductor Electronics Ltd (華泰電子) in a cash-and-share deal, aiming to make inroads into flash memory-chip packaging. Chipbond said the strategic alliance would open the door for the company to enter the flash memorychip packaging and testing market, which is a new business for the Hsinchu-based company. Chipbond primarily provides testing and packaging services for driver integrated circuits that are used in flat panels. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY “Except for flash memory chips, we also saw a lot of new businesses that require the technologies of Chipbond or Oriental
MOMENTUM: While next-generation smartphones feature more semiconductors and vendors increase their inventory, the chipmaker remains focused on production in Taiwan Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the sole chip supplier for Apple Inc’s iPhone series, yesterday raised its revenue forecast again, saying that robust demand for 5G smartphones and high-performance-computing (HPC) would help boost revenue this year by 30 percent in US dollar terms. Three months ago, the chipmaker estimated that revenue would grow 20 percent this year from last year, reaching its long-term growth target of 15 to 20 percent annually. “Moving into the fourth quarter, we expect our growth in revenue to be supported by strong demand for our industry-leading 5-nanometer technology driven by 5G smartphone launches and HPC-related applications,”
Luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental Taipei (文華東方酒店) plans to reopen its guestrooms in December to take advantage of a boom in domestic travel. The reopening would come six months after the five-star facility suspended room operations to cut costs as countries across the region impose border controls to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, diminishing demand for business travel. “We are delighted to share that Mandarin Oriental Taipei will resume room operations on December 1,” the hotel said in a statement yesterday. The hotel in Songshan District (松山) said it would adopt stringent health and safety practices to ensure the well-being of its guests and employees. It
India’s COVID-19 economic gloom turned into despair this week, on news that its per capita GDP for this year might be lower than that of Bangladesh. “Any emerging economy doing well is good news,” Kaushik Basu, a former World Bank chief economist, said on Twitter after the IMF updated its World Economic Outlook. “But it’s shocking that India, which had a lead of 25% five years ago, is now trailing.” Ever since it began opening up the economy in the 1990s, India’s dream has been to emulate China’s rapid expansion. After three decades of persevering with that campaign, slipping behind Bangladesh hurts


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Saturday January 26th, at a location and route to be revealed on friday is the Idiotarod. Like Alaska's Iditarod dogsled race but...not. The Idiotarod is a shopping cart race with modded carts, elaborate costumes, bribery and sabotage. The route will be revealed at idiotarodnyc.com the day before the race; e-mail email@example.com to register your team of five or more. Gownaus Ballroom will host an after-party from 6pm.
|Things get a little crazy|


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AM.CO.ZA is a leading supplier of large-format printing solutions for industrial applications and offers a wide variety of options to take care of all your printing needs.
Its high-quality solutions recently helped one of its clients, In-House Branding, win two awards at the prestigious The GAPP Awards ceremony.
In-House Branding is an interior design and décor company that specialises in large-print sublimation, screen printing, and DTF (Direct to Film) printing.
It recently entered The GAPP Awards – a competition for companies active in the printing, packaging, and signage industry in Southern Africa – and walked away a winner.
With a printer and heat press from AM.CO.ZA, In-House Branding was able to take its clients’ designs and produce high-quality printed and finished décor items – with this work winning two awards in the Large-Format Interior Décor Category.
This is particularly impressive considering In-House Branding only bought its printers from AM.CO.ZA less than a year ago, and thanks to AM.CO.ZA’s impressive solutions and support it was able to produce award-winning prints in a short time.
“We looked at a number of systems and solutions, and we found that the products from Advanced Machinery (AM) offered a number of specific advantages,” said In-House Branding cofounder Jason Brett.
This included the fact that “the AM.CO.ZA printer and heat-press, as well as the controlling printing software, are easy to learn and use.”
“When we needed help or assistance, a technician from Advanced Machinery was available to assist us, either in person or online, to help us gain the information and experience we required to be able to achieve the desired result,” said In-House Branding.
“All of these are factors which made the AM.CO.ZA printer and heat press so attractive to us.”
AM.CO.ZA printing solutions
AM.CO.ZA’s large-format printers are equipped with a variety of unique features that enable you to produce the best possible prints.
These features include:
- CMYK bulk ink system – Two levels of ink supply for printing continuity.
- Automatic pinch roller – Wide pinch roller that reduces press marks.
- Integrated paper feeder – Rolled media feeding device provides increased media tension for flatness.
- Optical media sensor – Pauses printing when running out of printing media.
- Servo motor printing – Fast printing speed and high accuracy movement which results in high-quality printing results.
- Status indication light – Increases productivity by showing the printing status.
“We are very proud of the achievements of In-House Branding at The GAPP Awards 2022,” said Eric Yin, Managing Director of AM.CO.ZA.
“In-House Branding is proof that even a small company can produce work of the highest quality which can win awards,” said Yin.


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Ennyluap, Atlanta Based Brand Will Now Be Available At Belk and Belk.com
Designer Amanda Williamson wins the 2015 Belk Southern Designer Showcase. Her brand Ennyluap, will be available at Belk in spring 2016.
Jun 10, 2015, 11:22 ET
ATLANTA, June 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The growing popular brand Ennyluap, has grabbed the attention of the largest based department store in the south. Thanks to designer Amanda Williamson's selection as a winner in the 2015 Belk Southern Designer Showcase, millions of fashion finders will now be able to shop the brand in-store and online at Belk.com, beginning Spring 2016.
Ennyluap is truly an outfitter for all women, by carrying classic contemporary style, in pants, shorts, skirts, dresses and an array of tops and blouses. After being featured in Vogue, and a successful debut at New York Fashion Week, this brand has really taken off, and has captured the eyes and hearts of many timeless women around the globe. It is no surprise that we will now be able to shop Ennyluap in a major Department store. Be prepared to shop one of America's newest and favorite brands, Ennyluap Spring 2016! Available at Belk and Belk.com
Ennyluap (pronounced in-a-lope), is an upscale clothing label dedicated to timeless style, and high quality for women, by designer Amanda Williamson of Atlanta, Ga. Ennyluap lives by the mantra "Timelessly Bold," and displays just that, in our assortment of Blouses, Dresses, Pants, and Skirts. Ennyluap encompasses class along with style, and fun. Along with showing at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Ennyluap has also been featured in the covers of the July 2013, September 2013 and April 2014 editions of British Vogue. All details from the fabric to the last stitch are carefully handpicked, to ensure that the final product speaks for itself.
2890 Ga Hwy 212 Suite A-297
Conyers, Ga 30094
Media contacts: [email protected]
Direct Contact: [email protected]
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The first medical cannabis retail dispensary in Lahaina opened today, after the state Department of Health last week issued a formal notice to proceed to retail to Maui Grown Therapies, which opened Hawaii’s first such operation in August 2017.
Maui Grown Express Lahaina is located at 1087 Limahana Place, Unit 4B, and is open by appointment only for registered patients who pre-order at mauigrown.com. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
It is the state’s 16th licensed medical cannabis retail center and the third on Maui, which is home to 19% of the state’s registered patients, said Michele Nakata, DOH dispensary licensing section supervisor, in a news release.
Maui Grown and Pono Life Sciences Maui LLC both have dispensaries in Kahului.
As of Feb. 28, there were 31,853 registered medical cannabis patients statewide, according to the DOH. The primary reported condition for registered adult patients is severe pain; for children under 18 years of age the primary reported conditions are seizures and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The other licensed retail centers operating in the state include six on Oahu. Aloha Green Apothecary has two dispensaries in Honolulu and one in Waikiki; and Noa Botanicals has locations in Aiea, Honolulu and Kaneohe.
Hawaii island also has six dispensaries. Hawaiian Ethos and Big Island Grown Dispensaries each have locations in Hilo, Kailua-Kona and Waimea.
Green Aloha operates the lone Kauai dispensary, in Kapaa.
Under state law, registered patients and their caregivers may purchase no more than 4 ounces of medical cannabis during any 15-day period and up to 8 ounces over a 30-day period. The medical cannabis must be transported home after purchase in a sealed container and not be visible to the public.
Use of medical cannabis must be on private property; it is illegal to use it a vehicle while on the road, at work, at the beach, on hiking trails or any other public space. It also is illegal to use or possess medical cannabis on federally owned property such as military installations and national parks.
For more information on the Medical Cannabis Dispensary Program, visit health.hawaii.gov/medicalcannabis.


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BEIJING -- Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. has spelled out plans to produce its own brand of car for China and for export, possibly to the United States.
The company already assembles cars for China through partnerships with General Motors and Volkswagen AG.
The first model will be a large sedan based on the Rover 75 platform. SAIC acquired the intellectual property rights to the Rover 75 and 25 platforms last year before MG Rover's collapse.
Prototypes of the sedan, which will come with an automatic transmission and V-6 engine, are undergoing safety testing, says David Lindley, chief engineer of SAIC Automotive Engineering Academy. Lindley, a former MG Rover engineer, also is general manager of SAIC Motor Overseas (Europe) R&D Center in England.
Production of the sedan will begin in late 2006, and the model will be launched in 2007. Exports also will begin in 2007.
"Initially, we will target the markets which are former MG Rover markets - the United Kingdom and maybe Spain," says Andy Chen, spokesman for SAIC Motor Manufacturing Co. "In the long-term, (we will export to) the United States and Japan." SAIC Motor Manufacturing is the unit set up to manufacture and market SAIC's brand.
The second model will be a family sedan based on the same platform. It is being developed at the r&d center. At the end of the concept phase, which will be soon, development will pass to SAIC's engineering academy in Shanghai, Lindley says.
As for the name, SAIC hasn't decided on one but should announce its choice by the end of June, SAIC managers say. Sources say the names "Shanghai" and "Phoenix" are being considered.
SAIC aims to introduce five product lines over the next four years, including a hybrid vehicle. More than 30 variations on the various models will be offered, SAIC says. Prices will range from 65,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan, or $8,110 to $37,500 at current exchange rates.
"Our products will not be niche products," says Wang Xiaoqiu, general manager of SAIC Motor Manufacturing. "They will appeal to a wide segment of the population."
By 2010, SAIC plans to sell more than 200,000 of its own brand cars, including 50,000 exports. European sales will be through a wholly owned sales subsidiary.
An overseas dealership network will be established in the second half of 2006, SAIC said without providing details.
The cars will be assembled at an existing plant in Yizheng in Jiangsu province, a few hours from Shanghai. SAIC also is building a plant in the Shanghai suburbs near the Shanghai Volkswagen plant.
Total annual vehicle production capacity will reach 300,000 by 2010, and engine production capacity will hit 400,000, SAIC says. That will include the ability to produce 10,000 alternative-fuel vehicles such as hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Current vehicle production capacity is 120,000, and engine production capacity is 170,000.


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Winners of the 2015 3D Printing Excellence Awards Announced
Norwalk, CT, July 31, 2015 - TMC, a global, integrated media company helping clients build communities in print, in person and online, today announced the winners of the 2015 3D Printing Excellence Awards. The awards are presented by TechZone 360, a leading technology news source, sponsored by TMC.
TechZone360's 3D Printing Excellence Awards identify those products, services, and applications that are driving the growth and evolution of 3D Printing from niche market hype to mainstream reality.
'Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 3D Printing Excellency Awards,' said Rich Tehrani, TMC (News - Alert) CEO. 'These innovators are leaders within the 3D printing industry and are deserved of this recognition. We look forward to their future successes.'
Winners of the 2015 3D Printing Excellence Awards:
For more information about TMC, visit www.tmcnet.com.
Edited by Dominick Sorrentino
Session Details TBA
ChatGPT: More than just a Machine
Solutions Showcase TBA


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Applications now open ahead of away game.
Applications are now open ahead of Sunderland's Barclays Premier League game at Aston Villa.
The Black Cats travel to Villa Park on Saturday 30th November (KO 3pm) and season card holders have until 5pm on Friday 1st November to apply in person or online.
Seats for this game are priced at £39 adults, £31 over-65's and under-20's, £15 under-16's and £10 under-8's.
Should any tickets remain, these will be placed on general sale at 9am on Wednesday 13th November.


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Dell to invest in computers despite dire forecasts
Dell Inc. plans to continue investing in personal computers despite the dire forecasts by industry analysts.
CEO Michael Dell told employees that taking the company private will enable it to pivot more quickly and that developing computers will be part of that shift, according to a Tuesday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“The world is headed in our direction toward modern, open, scalable architectures, and there are no plans to alter the strategy,” Michael Dell wrote in a letter to employees. “That includes investing in our PC business. PCs are an important business for us and an important tool for our customers. … Overwhelmingly, PCs are still how business gets done around the world.”
Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), which employs about 14,000 workers in Central Texas, is the No. 3 computer maker in the world.
Dell’s letter comes days after New York-based Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) withdrew from its involvement in a potential bid to Dell stockholders, challenging another group of investors led by Michael Dell.
Christopher Calnan covers technology, finance and clean energy for the Austin Business Journal. Subscribe to the Energy Inc. newsletter
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Eurogamer continues its countdown and reveals ten more games from its Top 50 Games of 2007 list.
This article has no credibility unless 95% of those titles are on Xbox 360 or Games For Windows platforms
EUROGAMER has credibility and is also better than 1up/GS
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Verizon will have the rights to stream Sunday afternoon in-market games on tablets, but not the national prime-time games. "In New NFL Deal, Verizon Trades Mobile Exclusivity for Rights on Yahoo" at 8 a.m. ET incorrectly said Verizon would have tablet rights for all of the games to which it acquired mobile streaming rights.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 11, 2017 17:15 ET (22:15 GMT)


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Japan and South Korea are showing no signs of resolving an escalating trade dispute, which traces back to 1910. It now poses a threat to the world’s tech supply chain and has potentially severe consequences for the global economy. And the dispute is being played out within a complex confluence of historical grievances, domestic politics, the ongoing US-China trade war and a looming global recession.
Japan has officially removed South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners that receive preferential treatment for importing sensitive Japanese-made goods, as of August 28. The list of goods includes chemicals that are crucial to producing the semiconductor memory chips found in most modern electronic devices.
This means that Japanese companies will now have to apply for a licence to export the chemicals to South Korean companies, a process that could take up to 90 days. Semiconductors are South Korea’s top export item. With manufacturers reliant on the chemicals from Japan, any delay in their production could pose a significant threat to the country’s economy and the South Korean currency, the won, which has already dropped 8% against the US dollar this year.
From a global perspective, South Korea semiconductor giants Samsung and SK Hynix, which supply 60% of the world’s memory chips, have warned that they can’t rule out production disruption if the Japanese export restrictions remain in place. Any delay to supply could cause serious disruption to global tech supply chains and significantly impact other tech giants, like Apple and Huawei, who use memory chips and displays from Samsung.
Japan has given no indication that it will change its mind. It claims the restrictions are a response to a national security concern, alluding to leaks to North Korea.
With no evidence put forward to support this, the likely scenario is that Japan’s action is part of an escalating and ongoing dispute involving historic grievances that date back to Japan’s colonisation of the Korean peninsula more than a century ago. During World War II, Japan conscripted more than 670,000 Koreans as forced labourers to support its military ambitions.
The recent decision to remove South Korea from trusted trade partner status originates with a South Korean high court ruling in October 2018. The court ordered Japanese companies to compensate individual victims of forced labour including the “comfort women” – Korean women taken as sex slaves and forced to work in war-time brothels.
Japan insists that most of the necessary compensation was settled as part of a $500 million payout under a treaty signed in 1965 and then a new agreement that was reached in 2015. But the current South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, created a taskforce in 2018 which concluded that the 2015 agreement did not reflect the opinions of the victims, especially their demand that Japan admit direct responsibility. Tokyo refuses further discussion of this issue and the bilateral relationship has continued to deteriorate.
The dispute is an emotional one for both countries. Thousands of South Korean protesters have marched on the Japanese embassy in Seoul, to express their displeasure at being downgraded as a trading partner. Many South Koreans have also vowed to boycott Japanese products, and there are reports that petrol station operators have been urged to stop refuelling Japanese cars.
Both Japan and South Korea are integral to the world economy and disruptions will have spillovers that will go beyond the two antagonists. The most immediate threat is to the global tech supply chain, but any slowdown increases the likelihood of a worldwide recession.
The dispute has come at a particularly bad time. Major economies are currently experiencing weak growth with negative numbers coming out of the UK and Germany and a general slowdown in the US, China and India. With the world’s two largest economies, the US and China, involved in an escalating tariff war that is chilling business investment, confidence and trade flows across the world, the Japan/Korean trade spat will only add to business uncertainty.
There is little indication as to when these disputes will be resolved, or in whose favour. Add to this the chaos surrounding Brexit and businesses are left wondering what will happen next. Not surprisingly, firms are already adopting a wait and see attitude, postponing investment and waiting for clarity amid increasing uncertainty, as bond markets send alarming signals of a looming recession.
In the past, the US would have stepped in to prevent any flare-up between its two Southeast Asian allies from getting going out of hand. But the Trump administration has been hesitant to get involved, despite the important role both countries play in monitoring North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
In a telling sign of shifting power in the region, China has already offered to step in and help mediate the dispute. The foreign ministers of the three countries met recently but failed to set a date for the annual meeting of their leaders.
China considers stability a priority and has been actively seeking to bolster regional economic integration as its relationship with the US sours. It will also be worried about the impact the Japan-South Korea trade spat could have on large Chinese technology companies like ZTE and Huawei, which rely on US suppliers like Qualcomm for chips and semiconductors. But if the US trade sanctions cut off this source of supply, they will be looking to South Korea for the vital components.
Another concern globally is Japan’s use of national security to justify its trade policy. This weaponising of trade follows Donald Trump’s citing of security concerns when putting tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. China sees the trade war as an attempt to disrupt its core development strategy, the Made in China 2025 plan, prevent it’s reemergence as a world power and views the trade dispute through the lens of security and sovereignty.
World Trade Organisation rules which govern trade between countries are, to a large extent, based on norms. They include a national security exemption clause which relies on members applying it in good faith. Once member states start taking advantage of the provision, there is likely to be a cascading effect, tempting more countries to weaponise this exemption in a tit-for-tat trade war.
Pushan Dutt is Professor of Economics at INSEAD.
This article first appeared on The Conversation.


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Estée Lauder Reach $10B Milestone
The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. made over $10 billion in sales in 2013 for the first time, and capped off its four-year restructuring plan.
"We have always been a growth company, but over the past four years our mission was to make that growth more profitable and sustainable, and we clearly accomplished that goal," said Fabrizio Freda, Lauder's president and chief executive officer. "Having established a firm foundation, we have an even better position today to focus on our top-line growth with the added advantage of having greater advertising firepower to unite our brands and promote the latest innovations."
The company said it expects fiscal 2014 sales to grow by 6 to 8% and also anticipates reaching a new long-term operating margin target of 16.5% in fiscal 2016.
Freda plans to keep the momentum going with "attention-getting innovations," like the recently launched reformulated versions of Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, as well as new products in brands like as MAC Cosmetics, Smashbox and Bobbi Brown.
Freda explained the strategy to WWD as threefold: "Updated formulas reward loyal customers with improved technology; attract new customers, particularly from the mass market, with energized marketing efforts, and help make inroads into markets where the product may not have been a strong performer."
He also said the company will continue to focus on "fewer but bigger launches to the largest market and consumer opportunities." He included that the product lineup includes a number of fragrances, a key focus area for the firm this year.
"We believe [fragrance] can be a larger and more profitable opportunity for our brands, particularly in emerging markets such as Latin America and the Middle East," he said. "In the past few years, we focused on improving fragrance profitability. Today, we are well positioned to resume faster growth, leveraging the new cost structure we have implemented."
Upcoming fragrance launches for fall will be from Estée Lauder Modern Muse, Tory Burch and a quintet of scents from the Aerin brand.


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The sale includes Vive Cosmos, Vive Pro and more.
HTC Vive Cosmos
The VR experience arrives tomorrow.
The Sonic Screwdriver is within reach.
Low-light tracking has been updated.
Those who already own a Vive Wireless Adapter will need a Cosmos Compatibility Pack.
Optimise your PC ready for their arrival.
Still no release date at the moment.
There's more in store to the sword fighting title.
It'll take place at the end of the month.
Pre-orders have now gone live.


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Korean smartphone manufacturer has announced all-metal phone, which is one of its kind.
The second largest Korea smartphone manufacturer made the announcement on Tuesday in a ceremony at their headquarters in Seoul.
The phone will start retailing in Taiwan, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Taiwan is LG’s main market where the company sales millions of smartphones each year.
Features of LG all-metal smartphone include a solid aluminium body, Arc Glass, 1.2GHz Quad-Core Processor and 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front-facing.
The phone will also have 32 GB, 3 GB RAM and will operate on Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop).
TLG Zero is simply an improvement of LG G4, which has sold millions of units and still making inroads in Northern America despite facing competition from iPhone 6S.


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German authorities have shut down the darknet marketplace Hydra after securing server infrastructure and seizing hydra market BTC (25 million USD). The world's largest marketplace on thedark web, the Russian-language Hydra Market, has been completely shut down. Botnet, Hydra Dark Market Separately, law enforcement agencies in the hydra market. and Germany moved to decapitate Hydra, a billion-dollar. Hydra Market Russian Darknet Marketplace Hydra Shut Down, 25M in Bitcoin Seized BEinCrypto News now. Hydra Market sold various items such as illegal drugs, stolen financial information, fake identification, money laundering and bitcoin mixing. Question: Q: Hydra market. Guys i got a question! While I was using TOR browser my new iPhone was released. More Less.
Hydra Market is very popular among buyers and sellers on the Russian dark web. This is because it has a lot of features that make life easy for both sides. An analysis of Bitcoin transactions from the Hydra marketplace show that the operators are locking sellers into Russian exchanges. View Hydra crypto price and chart live, market asap darknet market cap, 24-hour trading volume, circulating supply, latest news and more. April 5 (UPI) -- Authorities in Germany and the United States have seized and shuttered Hydra Market, the world's largest and. Prosecutors in Frankfurt described the Hydra Market platform as the world's biggest illegal darknet marketplace. They said they seized its. Latest hydra market News, Photos & Slideshows, Videos from Gadgets Now. Explore more about hydra market at Gadgets Now.
Pegasus Market (TV Series 2022 ) In-gyeom Jeong as President of Hydra Market. Germany say they've shut down Hydra Market, the largest illegal marketplace on the dark internet. German authorities have shut down the darknet marketplace Hydra after securing server infrastructure and seizing hydra market BTC (25 million USD). Germany closes Russian darknet marketplace Hydra. Founded in 2022, Hydra sold illegal drugs but also stolen credit card data, counterfeit currency and fake. German authorities have taken down the Hydra marketplace a popular destination on the Dark Web for trading in illicit goods and services. Law enforcement agencies in Germany have targeted Hydra, a leading darknet market (DNM). As part of an operation conducted with hydra market. Germany.
The servers of Hydra Market, the most prominent Russian darknet platform for selling drugs and money laundering, have been seized by the. OFAC announced sanctions against the Russian exchange Garantex and Hydra dark web marketplace after German Authorities shut it down. Today the German Federal Criminal Police, in coordination with US federal law enforcement, seized the servers of Hydra Market, the US Justice. The Treasury Department Tuesday sanctioned Hydra Market, alleging it offered hydra market a marketplace for illicit ransomware and hacking software. It also. Markets First Mover Asia: Bitcoin Drops Below 60K Amid Broad Sell-Off in Crypto Markets. Nov 18, 2022. Hydra Onion Market is top russian Darknet market famous. Law enforcement agencies in Germany have targeted Hydra, a leading darknet market (DNM). As part of an operation conducted with hydra market. Germany.
Hydra represents archetyp market a new kind of dark web marketplace. Much of Hydra's setup will look familiar to dark web drug buyers: Logging in through. SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/CNN) The Justice Department announced Tuesday it has shut down the Hydra Market, a massive digital bazaar where. In just a few years, stablecoins have mushroomed into a 175 billion market The companies claim that a stablecoin is backed by real dollars. Illegaler Darknet-Marktplatz Hydra Market abgeschaltet. Server des weltweit grten Darknet-Marktplatzes beschlagnahmt und 543 Bitcoins im. US and German officials have seized what they described as the world's largest and most prominent darknet market, which traffics in illicit goods and. Hydra Market seizure is spreading like wildfire through the market. authorities aren't done busting dark web crime operations this week.
Versus Market Darknet
Silk Road payment scheme as an example of the escrow system. Reviews of Spurdomarket on private forums indicate archetyp market url that it accepts cryptocurrency as payment for orders, but orders are not always sent by vendors, and the site is allegedly fraudulent. There you can’t cancel your order that’s why first confirm, is still you want to order or not? Margaret Strom, a New York-trained actress, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and holds both BA and MA degrees in theater, as well as an MS degree in educational administration and supervision. It also requires creating a particular, multi-sig Bitcoin pocket, which is one of the options present in major hot pocket services such as Electrum. The crime that comes from heroin comes from people trying to make money to buy heroin. Police regularly troll the dark web in pursuit of drug dealers. As of now, the Dream Market has incorporated three virtual currencies viz.


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OnePlus 11R 5G launching in India on 7 Feb
OnePlus 11R 5G features and specifications: Amazon released OnePlus 11R 5G teaser without revealing any phone specifications. Teaser images show the back side of the phone, which looks stunning with a curved display.
The teaser image just released the phone’s processor details, which is powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, rated to have 10% faster performance and a peak clock speed of 3.2 Hz.
Although no other specifications were released officially, based on earlier rumours, OnePlus 11R 5G is expected to have a 6.7-inch fluid AMOLED display, 16GB of RAM with 256GB of internal storage.
OnePlus 11R 5G has been much discussed on the internet due to its powerpack battery specifications (leaks), it is expected to 5000mAh battery with a 100W ultra-fast charger.
OnePlus 11R 5G features and specifications will be updated as soon here…
Link: Full Specifications


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We told you about the new 365 by Whole Foods store that is coming to Buckhead’s Paces Ferry Plaza back in August, and now the renderings are here!
Demolition permits that were filed with the City of Atlanta have work slated to begin “in the coming months” with talks of the grand opening happening in late 2018. “365” Whole Food Stores will allow customers to shop for healthy and high-quality food without the high prices, according to Jeff Turnas, president of 365 by Whole Foods Market Inc. Most of the product carried will be the Whole Foods Store Brand “365”. This will be the second Georgia location announced for Whole Foods 365; the other is located in Decatur. There are currently only three “365” stores open across the country.
According to the site plan and renderings (from whatnowAtlanta), Smith Ace Hardware will move to the far left of the center and grow from 5,000 to about 8,800 square feet. Pero’s Pizza, West Stride, Carriage Cleaners and Day Spa & Nail will remain part of the Plaza.


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We echoed this at the beginning of November, strict confinement had been imposed on Foxconn teams in Zhengzhou, China, in the largest iPhone factory. As a result, Apple had indicated that there was likely to be shortages of iPhone 14 Pro at Christmas and underlined its commitment to the safety of workers at this production site. About twenty days later, videos of riots in this same factory have just been published on Weibo and Twitter.
According to information from Bloomberg, hundreds of workers at the factory dedicated to the Apple brand clashed with security personnel. Tensions seem to be exacerbated after nearly a month of health restrictions, against a backdrop of unpaid wages and fears linked to the spread of Covid, according to a source quoted by the American media who wished to remain anonymous.
“You are sending us to death”
“I’m really scared of this place, we could all be Covid positive now”throws a worker in a video seen by Bloomberg. “You are sending us to death”another person said.
The videos would be dated to the very early hours of this Wednesday, November 23, when workers came out en masse from their dormitories. We can see on videos the guards in white uniforms, some of whom attack demonstrators by hitting them on the ground with sticks. Since then, the riot police are said to have intervened and in turn injured several workers.
Several factors can explain this riot. The factory is like an “iPhone city” of nearly 200,000 people under confinement since October. “Many of the employees are plunged into isolation, forced to make do with Spartan meals and to stock up on medicines”writing Bloomberg.
Another explanation: when the confinement was announced, many employees fled the scene. To stem this phenomenon, Foxconn as well as the authorities had promised better working conditions as well as unusually high wages. Bloomberg suggests that this last promise would not have been kept, which could also explain the anger.
At the time of writing, the situation is too recent to assess the impact on Apple’s business. Let’s just remember that about four out of five latest generation iPhones and the majority of iPhone 14 Pros would be assembled in this place.


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Microsoft is reportedly spending between $5 to $10 million to create Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, a live action film that will be released as part of a marketing campaign for the Halo 4 Xbox 360 game.
Ransomware: what it is, and what you can do about it
Huawei's MateBook goes toe-to-toe with Surface
Windows 10 Insider Preview build 14376 out now for PC and Mobile
Microsoft: Windows 10 Anniversary Update available on Aug. 2 - here's what's new
Nokia Lumia Icon finally gets Windows 10 Mobile upgrade
99% of Windows 10 Mobile devices are Lumias (and other Windows phone insights)


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Karlie Kloss, Emma Chamberlin, and Eiza Gonzalez Try a Met Gala Beauty Sandwich by Iván Pol and Dr. Barbara Sturm
Yara Shahidi, Kate Hudson, Leslie Grace, and Dixie D’Amelio were amongst others who indulged their skin ahead of fashion’s greatest night.
Coming off of more than a year spent indoors, social media stars, celebrities, and fashion industry notables ascended The Met steps Monday evening in celebration of American fashion – its long tail of Western tropes and glamorous shapes, its ever-evolving impact on today’s socialscape, and its seemingly endless parallels with beauty. While Karlie Kloss, Zoe Kravitz, Kate Hudson, and droves of others arrived for fashion’s greatest night, it was surely their skin that glowed the brightest.
Famed aesthetician and creator of the Hollywood-fêted, Beauty Sandwich facial – Iván Pol teamed exclusively with Dr. Barbara Sturm and her latest in ingredient-science based products to achieve the ultimate #STURMGLOW for a night at the museum.
“What made this setup unique is that we created our own ‘Sturm Sandwich,’” Pol told W’s Maryam Lieberman. “They would prime the sandwich, then I would bake it, and then Sturm Dressing was applied for the glow.”
Abiding by his unique ethos of non-invasive, non-toxic facial sculpting, “layered like a sandwich,” Pol and Sturm prepped Kloss, Kravitz, and Hudson alongside Eiza Gonzalez, Charlie XCX, Dixie, D’Amelio, Emma Chamberlin, Barbie Ferreira, Alton Mason, and a short-list of A-list others.
In a deft rotation of Sturm’s squat pots of cream and frosted pipettes of serum, her Glow Facial signature seemed all the more show-stopping amidst the avant-garde of American style. And just as apt, she’s been announced the official skincare sponsor of New York Fashion Week tentpoles, and Western fashion mainstays – LaQuan Smith and Joseph Altuzarra.
“The days leading up to the show are so stressful and hectic that I really rely on my self-care routine as a moment to re-center and find time for myself,” said Altuzarra of his NYFW S/S 2022 outing. “What I have always loved about Sturm products is that they feel comforting and sensual — a perfect antidote to my busy daily life.”
It seems there has never been such a faultless match of style and skin, making the #STURMGLOW a pillar of any runway- let alone the Met steps.
Achieve Dr. Barbara’s Sturm’s MET-ready skin with the below lineup:


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The UK economy is contracting at the fastest rate since the financial crisis, according to new figures released on Friday morning.
The Markit/CIPS purchasing managers? index (PMI) stood at 47.7 for July 2016, its lowest reading since April 2009 and down from 52.4 in June 2016.
Manufacturing output and new orders both fell for the first time since early 2013. But new export business rose, mainly due to the sharp fall in the pound.
The downturn in services was more marked than that seen in manufacturing, with services activity and new orders both falling at the fastest rate in over seven years. Service providers? optimism about the coming 12 months slumped to a seven-and-a-half year low.
Chris Williamson, chief economist at survey compiler Markit, said that the downturn in the economy is primarily due to the result of last month?s referendum in which the UK voted to leave the European Union.
?The one ray of light was an improvement in manufacturing export growth to the best for two years as the weak pound helped drive overseas sales, though producers also suffered the flip-side of a weak currency as import prices spiked higher,? Williamson explained.
He continued: ?At this level, the survey is signalling a 0.4% contraction of the economy in the third quarter, though much of course depends on whether we see a further deterioration in August or if July represents a shock-induced nadir. Given the record slump in service sector business expectations, the suggestion is that there is further pain to come in the short-term at least.
?With policymakers waiting to see hard data on the state of the economy before considering more stimulus, the slump in the PMI will provide a powerful argument for swift action.?
Markets analyst Neil Wilson from ETX Capital, quoted by the BBC, said the PMI data suggests the UK is heading for another recession ?and it is almost certain the BoE (Bank of England) will pull the trigger on aggressive stimulus to boost aggregate demand?.
Peter Dixon, an economist at Germany?s Commerzbank, agreed that the data points to a tough time for the economy.
?I think we?ll get a recession, but it?ll be a shallow one. But yes, we are in for a prolonged period of sluggish growth,? he told Bloomberg.


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Flood Damaged Cars Being Resold
Roseville, Calif.- In the destructive aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in September 2017, hundreds of thousands of new and used cars were left flooded. Some reports indicate that 500,000 to nearly 1 million vehicles may have been flooded.
It is projected now that the used car market will be “flooded” (no pun intended) with water-damaged vehicles. One source says that within days of the storms, scammers began dumping affected cars into their used car inventory. While many of these cars end up in the scrapyard, flood-damaged cars can be sold again to unsuspecting consumers.
senior consumer advice editor for Edmunds says these damaged vehicles are often sold at independent used car dealerships or by private sellers through classified listings. The cars aren’t just re-sold in the storm-affected areas, buyers throughout the country are at risk.
Why is law enforcement interested in this subject?
Because the resale of salvaged vehicles with “washed titles” (switched VIN numbers) is Fraud. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) works with law enforcement agencies to protect consumers against scammers who try to sell such severely damaged vehicles. Anything that is ruled a total loss by an insurance company should get a salvage title. The problem occurs when unethical dealers buy the cars cheap at auction, clean them up, switch the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and retitle them in a different state without disclosing the flood damage. Flood damage in cars can short the electrical system, cause corroded mechanical parts (especially from salt water flooding) and diminish safety features like airbags and anti-lock brakes. There are also health risks such as mold and bacteria that can linger.
Here are some telltale signs of flood damage in a car:
* Musty odor
* Damp or discolored carpeting
* Brand new upholstery in an older car
* Fogging inside headlamps or tail lights
* Water line inside headlamps or under hood
* Mud or silt in the glove compartment, trunk or under seats
* Rust around doors, under the dashboard, the undercarriage or inside the hood and trunk latches
* Rust on tire changing tools attached to spare tire
The main form of buyer protection is checking the title history to make sure that it has no record of being marked as “salvage” or “beyond repairable.” Vehicle history reports are available from various companies including Carfax, AutoCheck and the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s free VINcheck site. NICB’s VINcheck website will help buyers determine if a specific vehicle has been reported previously as a declared loss vehicle or even reported stolen but not recovered.
January through March is typically high used-car-buying-season because people use tax refunds for this purpose. Buyer beware. Is the car for sale from out-of-state? Did you see the car you’ve been looking for with a price that seems too good to be true? Did you see the words salvage title? You need to know that salvage title voids any vehicle warranty. While it’s legal to sell salvaged cars, that fact must be disclosed and the vehicle must pass certain operational safety tests in order to be allowed on the road.
Resources: National Insurance Crime Bureau; RPD officer, Member of Vehicle Fraud Task Force; AccuWeather; Edmunds; Fox News; New York Times; Consumer Reports
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Fruitful Follows: fruit growers turn to social media to market to younger demo
Marketing strategies for fruit growers have shifted during the pandemic. Some are trying to find new ways to get their fruit to the market, and others are looking for new strategies altogether.
Industry leaders say that their target market is getting younger, so they are reaching them through social media.
“We’re doing a lot more with the online shopping sites. We’re doing sponsored search and we’re doing banner ads, and we’re trying to ensure that we get that impulse sale when consumers are not necessarily going to the store, or for those consumers who are doing some shopping online and shopping in-store,” according to Pear Bureau Northwest President Kevin Moffitt.
The Pear Bureau Northwest says that the Millennial and Gen X households make up 61 percent of purchases in the United States.