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// Co-op to ditch plastic “bags for life”
// The supermarket said many shoppers are regularly buying bags for life to use just once
// The bags will be removed from circulation from the chain’s 2600 stores from today
The Co-op has announced it will remove plastic “bags for life” from sale in all of its stores in an effort to reduce plastic waste.
The supermarket said many shoppers are regularly buying bags for life to use just once, leading to a hike in plastic production.
More plastic is needed to produce bags for life than the conventional single-use bags.
The Co-op said the bags will be removed from circulation from the chain’s 2600 stores from today, with stock expected to be gone completely by the end of the summer.
It is part of its plans to remove 29.5 million bags for life – or 870 tonnes of plastic – from sale each year.
The initiative comes after Big 4 grocer Morrisons said in early April that it will scrap plastic “bags for life” and replace with tear-resistant paper bags.
“Increased use of bags for life has led to a sharp rise in plastic use,” Co-op Food chief executive Jo Whitfield said.
“With over 1.5 billion bags sold each year by retailers, this remains a massive issue for our industry as many shoppers are regularly buying so-called bags for life to use just once and it’s leading to a major hike in the amount of plastic being produced.
“We believe that it should be mandatory for all retailers to report on the sales of all of their reusable bags, not just single-use bags.
“Right now, Co-op is the only major retailer to report on all of the bags it sells.
“This policy would enable a fuller understanding on the impact of the levy and its true effect on shopping behaviours when customers are making decisions at the tills.”
Meanwhile, the cost of single-use plastic bags will double to 10p in England next month as part of the government’s new plan.


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COINBASE:ETHBTC has been looking pretty strong lately. On the weekly chart it appears to be one of the leading altcoins (as expected) in trading vs. BTC. The weekly chart has several indicators now trending towards bullish bias. The daily chart that I'm highlighting however is not as clear at this moment. I've circled two areas of interest on the price chart....
Description: BTC will slow down coming days. Alts will catch up. $ETH looks to be bottomed. Perfect time for a cocaine fueled high leverage play. Timeframe: One week. Indicators used: Force my neighbour to smoke crack, then dress him up in a suit and make him pitch me pump targets. We basicly pick the funniest one and just run with it. Shout out to: None
Bitcoin might be a reserve asset for the crypto community but its recent price trajectory, with gains and losses tracking equities, suggest the non-crypto “normies” don’t (yet) see it that way. Given the COVID-19 crisis’ extreme test of the global financial system and central banks’ massive “quantitative easing” response to it, that price performance poses a challenge to those of us who see bitcoin’s core use case as an internet era hedge against centralized monetary instability. Far from complying with that “digital gold” narrative, bitcoin has performed like any other “risk-off” asset. Meanwhile, actual gold has shaken off its own early-crisis stock market correlation to chart an upward course. While bitcoin has repeatedly failed to sustainably break through $10,000, bullion has rallied sharply to close in on $1,800, levels it hasn’t seen since September 2012. Some analysts are predicting it will breach its all-time intraday high of $1,917, hit in the aftermath of the last global financial crisis in 2011. To add insult to injury, one Forbes contributor even stole from the crypto lexicon to describe the state of play, telling his readers that gold prices are “soaring to the moon.”
The de facto cryptocurrency leader, no other coin even comes close to Bitcoin, or BTC. At the time this article was written, the dollar value of all outstanding Bitcoin was $150 billion. The total market capitalization for all cryptocurrencies is $230 billion, and the second-most valuable digital currency was Ethereum, with a market value less than $18 billion.
Unlike earning Bitcoin online currently, there are only a few legitimate ways available to earn Ethereum since Ethereum is younger than Bitcoin and yet to reach more people though it is the second most dominant cryptocurrency even if Litecoin is called the predecessor of Bitcoin. Some sites have started to pay free Ethereum and we can expect more sites to pay Ethereum for doing online jobs like taking paid surveys, completing tasks, & offers, etc. For now, there are only a few ways to earn Ether online. More ways to earn ETH will be updated once they are tested and found authentic.
Paid to Click sites otherwise called PTC sites enable the ways to earn money by clicking ads without investment. There are best PTC websites in the world that pay internet users just for clicking ads which makes it one of the simplest online jobs. While pay per click sites offer the easiest way to make money online from home, there are certain techniques you must follow to make a reliable income to earn money watching ads.
The original Ethereum value driver was the ICO (initial coin offering), another casino on Meth. The regulators did what they do well and snuffed it out but crypto at its base is a way of creating value outside of the maw of fiat monopolies and you can’t keep that at bay indefinitely. So snuffing out ICOs didn’t snuff out Ethereum, it just left it ticking over until the distributed computer got another hit app. Here it is.
ZIMBABWE ACCIDENTALLY LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR CRYPTO. Here’s a recipe for creating a fertile environment for alternative payment systems: outlaw the system everyone is currently using. When the Zimbabwean government made the nutty step of banning digital payments – used for 85% of transactions by individuals, due to severe shortage of cash – it clearly wasn’t trying to promote bitcoin. In forcing people to go to a local bank to redeem funds locked in popular payments apps such as Ecocash, its goal was to protect the embattled Zimbabwean dollar. In a statement, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said the move was “necessitated by the need to protect consumers on mobile money platforms which have been abused by unscrupulous and unpatriotic individuals and entities to create instability and inefficiencies in the economy.” The thinking is that Ecocash, which enables currency trading, is making it easier for people to dump the local currency. But here’s the thing: Ecocash, which said it suspended cash-in-cash-out functions (presumably because its banking lines will be cut) is still keeping in-app payment facilities open. And it said nothing about stopping its fairly popular service allowing people to buy cryptocurrency. Not surprisingly, since the ban “demand for bitcoin has skyrocketed,” according to African crypto news site, bitcoinke, with “sources claiming bitcoin is now selling at at 18% premium above the market rate.”
Trading suggestion: . There is a possibility of temporary retracement to suggested support line (0.0251). if so, traders can set orders based on Price Action and expect to reach short-term targets. Technical analysis: . ETHBTC is in a range bound and the beginning of uptrend is expected. .The price is above the 21-Day WEMA which acts as a dynamic support. ....
As is their wont, each faction described the growth of WBTC tokens, whose value is pegged one-to-one against a locked-up reserve of actual bitcoin, as proof of their coin’s superiority over the other. The Ethereum crowd said it showed that even BTC “hodlers” believe Ethereum-based applications provide a better off-chain transaction experience than platforms built on Bitcoin, such as Lightning or Blockstream’s Liquid. Bitcoiners, by contrast, took it as confirmation that people place greater value in the oldest, most valuable crypto asset, than in Ethereum’s ether token.
Interestingly, USD Coin (USDC), the world’s second-largest stablecoin from Coinbase and Circle, was ranked at 1.00 by the Crypto Rating Council (CRC), whose members include Coinbase, Circle, Kraken, Bittrex, Genesis Capital, eToro, OKCoin, Radar, Anchorage, Cumberland, among others). The CRC supports and promotes regulatory clarity in the distributed ledger technology (DLT) space.
5 Ethereum Apps To Make You Money in 2020 - Decentralized Crypto Finance [tutorial]

domain: news


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May 4, 2012
-- GreenerGreenGrass, seller of all-natural liquid fertilizers and soil amendments, has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for retail expansion. The company, which has been selling natural lawn products online since 2008, is responding to increased demand from both retailers and consumers who want to see the product line in local lawn and garden stores. Indiegogo’
s crowd sourcing platform allows small businesses like GreenerGreenGrass to raise funds for specific projects through donations from individuals. The goal of this 90-day campaign is to generate $10,000 in donations to print new labels that are retail compliant. Donors are rewarded with prizes based on their donation amount.
Adrienne Stauffer of GreenerGreenGrass comments, “We constantly get calls and emails from customers who want to buy our products from local garden stores, and in the past year we have received a number of similar inquiries from retailers and distributors. We have completely re-branded the product line with an innovative look that will stand out on retail shelves, now we just need some capital so we can pull the trigger. Indiegogo is the perfect solution for GreenerGreenGrass because our customers and supporters are so passionate about our mission to provide natural lawn products that are safe for children, pets, and the planet.” GreenerGreenGrass also views retail expansion as a way to reduce their carbon footprint. Stauffer adds, “Shipping a pallet or container of liquid fertilizer to one distribution center is much more energy efficient than shipping thousands of bottles to individuals. Selling in retail markets will help us reduce our impact on the environment, which is the whole point of the company.”
GreenerGreenGrass products are currently available for purchase through GreenerGreenGrass.com, Amazon.com, Buy.com, eBay, Ecobold, and several other online retail outlets. Donations to the Indiegogo campaign can be made at http://www.indiegogo.com/greenergreengrass


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US technology giant Apple announced that it had made its first compensation payment in South Korea on Thursday, over a feature on its iPhone that can track the location of users.
Apple Korea confirmed it had paid one million won (US$950) to Kim Hyung-Suk, complying with a compensation order from a court in the southern city of Changwon.
No ad to show here.
Kim, a 36-year-old lawyer, filed the suit on April 26. He said the smartphone’s location recording infringed on his constitutional rights to privacy and freedom and caused psychological stress.
He demanded one million won, and the court ordered Apple to pay the sum for violating his privacy.
Asked if Apple Korea paid the sum to Kim, Cho Yoon-Ju from the firm’s public relations department said: “Yes, it was paid in late June”.
Asked if Apple was objecting to the court order, she said “no” but declined further comment.
The settlement was expected to trigger an array of similar lawsuits since South Korea has about three million iPhone users.
Kim vowed to invite other iPhone users to lodge a joint suit against Apple.
“Amassing location data without iPhone users’ consent constitutes an apparent legal violation”, Kim was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.
About 300 people have signed up to join Kim’s campaign so far through a website that he opened Thursday, Yonhap said.
On April 29 other iPhone users in South Korea filed a joint suit against Apple, following claims that the US company traced and stored geographical data from its mobile device users in countries including France and Germany.
British security researchers have said the position-logging feature was contained in iOS 4, the operating system for the iPhone and iPad.
They said iOS 4-equipped iPhones and iPads store latitude and longitude coordinates along with a time stamp, probably through cell-tower triangulation.
The company in May released updated software for iPhones to fix “bugs” that resulted in location data being unencrypted and stored for up to a year. — AFP


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Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting GAZETTE NEWS to 80360, or email
Travel on the train for £5 this summer
4:06pm Tuesday 29th April 2014 in News
TENS of thousands of rail tickets are going on sale on Thursday for just £5.
Greater Anglia will release 30,000 one-way tickets for travel over the summer.
The tickets, which are available on the Norwich to Liverpool Street line, will be for travel between May 19 and July 4.
To book and for more information, go to abelliogreateranglia.co.uk.
Comments are closed on this article.


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SOUTHLAKE — Barnes & Noble has apologized to a Keller family after their 4-year-old child inadvertently discovered X-rated material on a tablet computer in one of their stores.
Sarah Blauser said she was horrified at the Barnes and Noble store in Southlake when she turned around from tending to her 10 month old and saw what her older son was watching on a Nook demonstration tablet in a children’s area.
“It was a very graphic pornographic video clip that was playing,” Mrs. Hauser said. “And I couldn’t believe it.”
After snatching the Nook away from her son, she said she immediately fetched her husband from the in-store café.
“I’m beyond angry,” husband Dan Blauser said. “Pornography at a kids’ table?”
The Blausers told the store manager, who told them his district manager would contact them about what happened.
No one from Barnes & Noble contacted the Blausers until News 8 contacted headquarters in New York today. A company vice president called and apologized.
The problem, outlined in a statement from Barnes & Noble, is that although there are parental controls on the Nook tablets in the book stores, the devices are not password protected. That means anyone can log onto any site while insider the store and objectionable material could be displayed.
Since they complained and posted their experience on Facebook, the Blausers say they have been contacted by a Bakersfield, California family which had a similar experience.
“New York did say they were trying to come up with a solution that will prevent this from happening,” Dan Blauser says.
In a statement, Barnes & Noble said: “While we investigate this incident, we plan to take steps to communicate a disclaimer to parents that while all Nook devices have parental controls, our in-store demo devices are not password-protected.”


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- The waters of the Red Sea have become troubled, disrupting the world of global trade.
- Attacks on ships passing through this crucial passage have sent shockwaves across industries, forcing many shipping companies to rethink their routes and strategies.
- The Red Sea, a vital route connecting major trading hubs, has encountered unexpected challenges.
- Vessels passing through this route, including the critical Suez Canal, have faced disruptions due to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group.
- These incidents have put a squeeze on global trade, affecting the movement of goods between Asia and Europe, among other regions.
- Shipping giants like Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd and Hong Kong’s OOCL have announced their intention to steer clear of these troubled waters.
- Additionally, the increasing conflicts have prompted these companies to avoid the Red Sea, choosing longer routes around Africa to ensure the safety of their shipments.
- Unfortunately, these detours mean increased travel times and costs, impacting the flow of goods and global supply chains.
- The consequences are far-reaching.
- Moreover, Retailers are feeling the strain as cargo delays loom, potentially leading to product shortages.
- Prices for shipping containers have surged, impacting various industries.
- The cost to ship containers from China to the Mediterranean, for instance, rose by a staggering 44% in December alone.
- These disruptions are not just a concern for large corporations; they affect daily lives.
- Products like apparel, toys, food, and even soybeans face uncertainties in delivery and pricing due to these shipping challenges.
- Efforts to mitigate these disruptions are underway.
- Some countries, including Greece, are mobilizing naval forces to ensure safe passage through these troubled waters.
- However, the threat looms large, with the possibility of wider conflicts brewing
- The repercussions extend beyond the shipping industry.
- Israel, situated along these crucial trade routes, is directly affected, witnessing a significant drop in port activity due to operational issues.
- In the face of these challenges, the global trade community is seeking solutions to stabilize these critical waterways.
- Moreover, the hope is to restore normality to shipping traffic and ease the worry on global supply chains.
- Navigating these troubled waters requires cooperation, resilience, and strategic planning.
- As industries adapt to these unforeseen challenges, the focus remains on finding ways to ensure the smooth flow of trade and goods worldwide.
- The path ahead might be uncertain, but the determination to overcome these challenges remains unwavering.
Red Sea disruptions impact global trade, forcing route changes. Houthi attacks cause tension and affect vital shipping routes. Retail, industries face delays and cost hikes. Efforts are underway to stabilize waterways for normal traffic. Among these challenges, they prompt the global trade community’s resilience and focus on solutions. Consequently, cooperation is key for trade flow among fears.
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A cautionary signal from the Red Sea on the impact .
Frequently Asked Questions
Iran-backed Houthi militants, controlling segments of Yemen, have intensified drone and missile strikes on vessels traversing the Red Sea. They’ve also conducted military actions targeting Israel’s Eilat port.
The Red Sea issue involves security threats from Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, targeting ships, disrupting trade, and raising safety concerns along this vital global route.
The Red Sea is located between northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, bordered by countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea, and others.


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ThePresidentPost.com – Tourism Minister Arief Yahya kicked off activities to promote pilgrimage tourism which has so far not been optimally developed in Indonesia.
“Currently, pilgrimage tourism needs to be developed more seriously, including the management of the destinations, the packaging of tourism product, and the promotion as well as marketing of special interest tourism segment,” said Minister Yahya on Friday (10/16/2015).
The Tourism Minister said there has been a shift in tourism paradigm from “sun, sand and sea” to “serenity, sustainability and spirituality.”
A study showed an increase of up to 165 percent in faith-based tourism over the past five years.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2010 estimated that some 330 million tourists, or 30 percent of the total global tourists, visited religious sites.
Indonesia has a number of pilgrimage and cultural heritage sites, such as ancient trails and sacred places, which date as far back as the seventh century. There are even megalithic sites in the country.
The country has a lot of characteristics to develop pilgrimage tourist destinations of Islam, Catholics, Christianity, Hindu, Buddha, Confucius, and 245 local faiths.
“We can say that Indonesia has a very complete package of religion-based tourist destinations which are internationally recognized,” the minister said.
Indonesia has Borobudur Temple which has been recognized as a world cultural heritage, and Maria Sendangsono Cave which won the Aga Khan Award, he noted.
The government has set a target of attracting 20 million foreign tourists, and 275 million domestic tourists by 2019. The country hopes to earn up to Rp240 trillion in foreign exchange and create 13 million jobs in the tourism industry.
Indonesia plans to further promote “Wali Songo” (Nine Islamic Saints) as a pilgrimage route.
The Wali Songo sites are located in eight districts and cities in the provinces of East, Central and West Java.
According to the 2014 data from some sources, a total of 12.2 million domestic tourists visited the Wali Songo sites with each tourist on an average spending Rp300 thousand per visit, or a total of Rp3.6 trillion a year.
Some 3,000 foreign tourists visited the sites, with the total expenditure coming to US$450 thousand a year, or US$150 a day.
The tourism ministry hopes that the Wali Songo pilgrimage tourism will be able to attract 18 million domestic tourists, or 15 percent of the total target of domestic tourists, by 2019.
Some 18 million tourists are expected to spend Rp7.2 trillion in total per year, or Rp400 thousand per tourist per visit.
Some 10,000 foreign tourists are expected to visit Wali Songo sites and spend a total of US$1.5 million per year, or US$150 per day per person.(awp)


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Kukri Sports have produced the official jersey of the 2017 World Championship (Division 1 Group B).
The six-team event is being hosted by Ice Hockey UK, the SSE Arena and Belfast Giants from Sunday 23rd to Saturday 29th April.
There will be limited availability of stock at the tournament itself.
However, fans can pre-order their souvenir jersey before Monday 20th March which will arrive before the 23rd April.
Prices: Adults £50 and kids £40.
Order now by calling Kukri Sports on 028 9064 7903 or if you are a Giants fan, you can order on matchnights.


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As 2016 comes to a close, what are some the frauds that investigators and security professionals are preparing for in the new year? Cybercrime, banking fraud and anything online rank high on the list. And as many corporations have learned the hard way, protecting data afrom hackers and fraudsters is of the utmost importance.
Using personal identifying information (PII) and stolen credit card numbers, for example, hackers will continue to rack up millions in fraudulent credit card charges. Some online merchants still don't require a CVV validation code to complete an online transaction, making it all the easier for fraudsters to use reams of stolen card numbers to make illicit purchases. At a time when the physical cards have become more secure (chip and pin in Europe, chip in the U.S.), banking by credit card is in many ways less secure than it was just a few years ago.
Beware of the Bots
Even without stolen credit card information, fraudsters can still commit costly schemes. New technology can randomly generate countless credit card numbers, testing and attempting to match them randomly generated CVV validation codes. When they find a match, fraud happens -- without an actual card ever being found, nor the occurrence of a security breach. To make things worse, fraudsters who find a match will place a slew of online orders at once, causing potentially high dollar loss before victims have any idea what is happening.
The Business Email Scam
There has been a troubling increase in a scam known as the "business email compromise" -- hackers generate an email to a company's accounting department, for example, posing as a CEO or similar high-ranking executive, request a high-dollar payment to a "vendor," usually on an urgent basis. The email appears to come straight from the executive's computer. Accounts payable (or whoever has access to payment details) then makes an electronic payment or a transfer into a dummy account set up by fraudsters. Millions have been lost to this scheme, usually committed by overseas fraudsters who live little trace and a slim chance for prosecution.
Fraud will only continue increase in 2017, and changing technology simply provides more ways for criminals to develop schemes and try to stay ahead of investigators. In this climate, it is critical for companies to be prepared and have robust due diligence and internal controls in place so that they have a better chance of preventing and detecting fraud.
The stakes for every organization around the world are high. Assets, reputation and your clients' trust all depend on protecting against data breaches and fraud. In most cases, fraudsters still look for the path of least resistance. So by being better protected than your competitors, you company will look less appealing to online hackers and crooks who are simply looking for easy prey.


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This Startup Is Making Food Mostly Out of Air and Electricity
Solar Foods says its protein powder is “completely” disconnected from agriculture. But its currently low production yield of 1 kg per day raises red flags.
Finally, Someone Asked Americans if We Actually Want Lab-Grown Meat
Horse, dog, cat, or cow, anyone?
The 'Bleeding' Veggie Burger Is Scaling Up to Take on the Meat Industry
Impossible Foods' new facility will allow its plant-based burger to be served in 1,000 restaurants by the end of the year.
The World's First Lab-Grown Chicken Finger Was Just Unveiled
In addition to the chicken strips and duck à l'orange, Memphis Meats plans to launch several poultry products playing off "classic American staples.”
How Long Until We Can Grow Thanksgiving Turkeys in a Lab?
Meatballs and hamburgers have already passed the first hurdle, surely our holiday meals can’t be far behind.
Biohackers Are Trying to Modify Yeast to Make Vegan Cheese That Doesn't Suck
A team of citizen scientists hope bacteria can do our bidding to make the gouda of the future.


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“Apple scored a strategically important legal victory on Wednesday that could have enormous impact on Apple’s patent assertions against Android,” Florian Mueller reports for FOSS Patents. “The order… came down in litigation between Apple and Motorola, but the issue is also relevant to Apple’s spat with HTC and could play a very important role in Apple’s dispute with Samsung as well as its dealings with any other Android device makers in the future.”
“In a federal litigation with Motorola in the Northern District of Illinois, an extremely influential, high-ranking U.S. judge agreed with Apple’s interpretation of the most important term, ‘realtime API,’ in its ‘263 patent,'” Mueller reports. “Under this interpretation, Android most likely infringes on the patent, and a workaround appears difficult to say the least. I published the original infringement claim chart from Apple’s complaint against HTC and Apple’s allegation, based on this patent, that Andy Rubin got the inspiration for Android while working at Apple (which might enable Apple at some point to have Google found liable for willful infringement).”
“In my opinion, a jury is very likely to find Android to infringe the patent based on that construction but much less likely to deem the patent invalid (unless someone comes up with better invalidity contentions than HTC did, presumably with help from Google),” Mueller reports. “The Apple v. Motorola litigation in Chicago is going to be the next occasion on which this patent is asserted against Android at trial (probably in the summer). With Google hoping to close its acquisition of Motorola Mobility in the near term, that dispute is going to be very important in and of itself. But the high profile of the judge who entered and signed the above order lends it importance beyond that particular dispute.”
Mueller reports, “You can read about United States Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner on Wikipedia. According to the Journal of Legal Studies, he was the most-cited legal scholar in United States in the 20th century.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Joe Architect” for the heads up.]


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Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2024
China has long persecuted individuals in their Xinjiang region, mostly Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims. Specifically, the Chinese government has a long history of forcing Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims to do manual labor. These human rights violations prompted President Biden to sign the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law late last year. On June 21, 2022, the UFLPA went into effect, blocking the importation of goods made from forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China. The law has four main functions. It employs both an enforcement strategy and a diplomatic strategy, it applies a presumption that all goods from the Xinjiang region are barred, and it has required sanctions. Although the United States had previously restricted imports from the Xinjiang region under the Trump administration, this is the furthest step forward the US government has taken to eliminate imports from the region all together.
The focus of the law
Robert Silvers, the chair of the U.S. Department of Homeland Securities Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, said that “forced labor is now a top-tier compliance issue”. The UFLPA was enacted by Biden, which had overwhelming bipartisan support, with the sole purpose of stopping and hopefully preventing further forced labor. Previously, the United States had already begun to restrict its imports from the Xinjiang region with the Withhold Release Order (WRO) on cotton and tomato imports under the Trump administration, however, this law is the most progress an administration has taken to fully eliminate the forced labor imports from the region. The enforcement strategy employs the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to issue lists and guidance to importers facilitating due diligence, whereas the diplomatic strategy requires the Department of State to issue lists to help with due diligence efforts. The Act also forces the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to presume that any goods produced in the region are barred from being imported. Lastly, the Act, incorporating the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, requires the president to sanction any foreign person involved in forced labor in Xinjiang. The president can sanction even Chinese government officials for being involved in forced labor, and the sanctions can come with criminal or civil penalties.
What has the law changed?
The UFLPA shifts the burden of preventing forced labor imports from U.S. customs officials to the companies receiving imports, who would face a heavy burden in rebutting the forced labor presumption. The companies sourcing from Xinjiang would need to provide “clear and convincing evidence” that there is no forced labor- an almost impossible threshold since Xinjiang has become rampant with government surveillance, making a lack of access to factories, and causing investigations into their forced labor to stall. The investigative burden is steering many companies away from importing any goods from the region, however, companies that regularly import cotton, tomatoes, and polysilicon from the region are being heavily impacted. Companies were unprepared for such strict regulation and will now face a challenging adjustment period where they will be forced to proceed with the burden of proving no forced labor in Xinjiang or getting supplies from other countries.
Facilitating legitimate trade is a very important thing for the world and specifically, the United States to participate in. The burden should fall onto the companies participating in such trade to prove that the goods were not a product of forced labor. Placing the burden on companies ensures that, if they want to continue importing from Xinjiang, they do so responsibly. Chairman Silvers has said that the Department of Homeland Security has allocated substantial resources to ensure the successful implementation of the Act. In the three months since it has gone into effect, the act has already targeted over 1400 cargo entries totaling 429 million dollars. The prioritization of the Act is incredibly important as it is putting on a strong front that companies will actually have to comply with the law. However, in order to ensure maximum impact, the Act could be further amended to add more consequences for companies that import products that are found to be made from forced labor including financial penalties since they are engaging in criminal conduct.


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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused some software providers to extend support for existing platforms to make life easier for administrators tasked with upgrading IT systems.
This includes Microsoft, who has repeatedly pushed back the end of support date for Windows 10 version 1809 to give businesses one less thing to stress over and ensure continuity in these uncertain times.
SEE: TechRepublic Premium editorial calendar: IT policies, checklists, toolkits, and research for download (TechRepublic Premium)
But the delay comes to an end soon. On November 10, Windows 10 1809 for Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, and IoT Core will receive their final security updates, and will get no further support from Microsoft beyond that date.
A post on Microsoft’s support site read: “On November 10, 2020, the Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, and IoT Core editions of Windows 10, version 1809 will reach end of service. After that date, devices running these editions will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates containing protections from the latest security threats.”
“We recommend that you update these devices to the latest version of Windows 10 immediately.”
Windows 10 1809 was initially due to reach the end of its shelf life on May 12. Microsoft extended this deadline on April 14, just weeks after it postponed the end of support for some versions of Windows 10 1709.
Microsoft also postponed its final security update for Windows Server 1809 (Datacenter and Standard) to November 10.
In August, the software company extended support for Windows 10 1803 for Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise even further. These users will be supported until May 11 2021, as will Windows 10 1809 Enterprise and Education users.
“Organizations should plan to update their devices to the latest version of Windows 10 to remain supported after this date,” Microsoft said at the time.
In the meantime, Microsoft’s second Windows 10 release of 2020, otherwise known as Windows 10 20H2, is currently rolling out to users.


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Ingenico Experts / Shaping the future of payment
How to upgrade the in-store experience?
Global online commerce will increase to $7trn by 2020, according to research carried out by Indian mobility solutions provider Mahindra Comviva and Boston-based consultancy Aite Group.
New technology has arrived promising to utilize the connectivity of the Internet of Things to drive footfall back into the high street and forge stronger bonds between brands and their consumers.
Apple Pay and Samsung Pay have been launched in Russia.
A better customer experience and more collaboration are two of the key themes to dominate discussion of the future of the payments industry
Around three -quarters of smartphone and tablet users said they have purchased a product or service on their devices in the past six months, according to figures released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Consumers in Europe will be able to pay for goods by taking a picture of themselves


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Telenor Pakistan announces financial results for second quarter of 2018
Telenor Pakistan, one of the country’s top telecom and digital services providers, today reported revenue of 28.066 billion for its 2nd fiscal quarter ending June, 2018. The latest financial results show a year-on-year growth of 8% in revenue. EBITDA has remained strong in Q2, growing by 11% as compared to the same period last year. By the end of Q2, 2018, Telenor Pakistan’s subscriber base showed a year-on-year growth of 6% with 43.24 Million total subscribers.
“We are pleased to have announced our latest financial results today that show our consistent year-on-year growth despite challenges and stiff competition,” said Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO at Telenor Pakistan. “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our customers who we owe all our success to. From launching the industry-first Customer Integration Lab at Telenor Pakistan HQ – 345, to launching Easy Bazaar, a retailer assisted online shopping using BVS devices, to hosting multiple hackathons for Pakistani youth to tackle social challenges; at Telenor Pakistan, providing products & services that make our customers’ journey better has remained an integral part of our spirit. Telenor Pakistan continues to have a long-term investment commitment in Pakistan and with the support of our people, we are determined to make even larger contributions to Pakistan’s socioeconomic development.”
Telenor Pakistan, with its mission of empowering societies, has been a major contributor to the digital and financial inclusion in Pakistan. The company continues to spearhead Pakistan’s ICT-powered digital revolution, setting new trends in the use of innovative communications technologies for the empowerment of Pakistani masses. Many of Pakistan’s industry-first initiatives – such as branchless banking, IoT (Internet of Things), mobile agriculture, digital birth registrations, and more – are to the credit of Telenor Pakistan. Since its inception, the company has carved its way up to remarkable success becoming the country’s primary digital lifestyle partner.
Note to the Editor
Due to exchange rate fluctuation, the YoY revenue growth, measured in NOK and actual revenue generation in PKR different slightly. For comparison please refer to below information.
|(Numbers in million)


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We have written in our earlier blog that the trend of overseas service providers offering the phones under contract is not catching up in India. Here, we have not seen any service provider offering a phone under contract with their services. In Europe and USA, majority of the devices are sold under contract for a period of 24 to 36 months and cost of the device are minimised in this deal as service providers recover majority of the cost of hardware by rendering services. The consumer is benefitted because he does not have to pay upfront full amount of the device and is required to pay in 24 or 36 instalments depending on the plan chosen or offered. But in this case, the consumer cannot switch the service to another service provider.
We understand that Reliance Communication (RCOM) and Google have entered into a two-year deal according to which all Google endorsed android mobile devices from companies like Samsung, HTC, Sony and LG will come with the RCOM’s third generation, or 3G, mobile connection with 1 GB of free downloads for the first six months. This is the smart move by RCOM to increase its subscription base of high-end users.
This arrangement will not be exactly on the models of foreign companies like Verizon in USA and Orange in Europe because Google-endorsed devices will work on networks of all other mobile operators and consumers will have the option to switch to other operators. In other words, these devices will not be sold under contract. We wish one day this trend of getting the devices under contract becomes reality in India. We hope that RCOM will make the bundling offer quite attractive for customers to buy devices and remain with the company for longer duration.
As part of the agreement, RCOM, the country’s second-largest telco by subscribers, will launch a 30-crore campaign for Google Android products starting Saturday. Google has also committed to an equivalently valued campaign on its online platforms. The advertisement, that depicts the android logo Green Bot going blue, will include platforms like augmented reality and will continue till the T20 World Cup.
In the past, Aircel and Bharti Airtel had exclusively launched Apple’s iPhone in India as part of similar tie-ups. Airtel retained a sizeable number of the customers that bought the phone, while many who bought it from Aircel switched to other networks. Idea Cellular also offer packs with Android-based handsets from ZTE and Huawei.
Industry experts estimate that more than 200,000 such phones will be sold in India over the next two years and that RCOM will be able to retain two-thirds of these customers on a long-term basis.


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Health Canada warning consumers of products including misleading information regarding COVID-19
Health Canada is urging Canadians to be vigilant when it comes to health products that may contain misleading claims about treating the coronavirus.
Health Canada is warning the public of products, including drugs, natural health products, homeopathic products, and medical devices, that make false or misleading claims regarding COVID-19.
According to a release, Health Canada has received reports of products such as masks, colloidal silver, some disinfectants, plant-based elixirs and formulas, hand sanitizers, Chaga mushroom blends, ultraviolet lamps, and oregano oil, making such claims, and is instructing them to remove said claims from their websites and advertising materials.
Additionally, Health Canada is urging anyone who may have purchased one or more of these products to stop using them immediately and consult a healthcare professional if they have any questions.
Further, Health Canada is instructing consumers to check if a drug or natural health product and its claims have been authorized by Health Canada by looking for an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM).
- Health Canada warning consumers not to use unauthorized skin-lightening products
- Health Canada warns against “fraudulent and unauthorized” N95 masks
- Health Canada Warning Against Use of Cream That Could Seriously Harm Children
- Health Canada removes sexual enhancement product from Mississauga grocery store
- These Sunscreens are Officially Approved by Health Canada
- VIDEO: Mississauga Youtuber Kyle Forgeard surprises his parents by letting them retire early
- A barbershop reopens during the lockdown as a film production studio
- Mississauga woman speechless after massive lottery win
- Mississauga church youth group leader arrested for sexual assault
- 24 flights with COVID-19 cases confirmed this week at Pearson Airport in Mississauga


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Surveillance footage appears to show a California restaurant owner protect her daughter and 2-year-old grandson from a customer who became violent because her food was not ready for pickup.
The reported incident occurred last Friday at Panchita’s Pupuseria & Restaurant in San Francisco. Doris Campos, 60, told KRON that she was in the kitchen cooking when she heard a noise and saw the customer fighting with her daughter.
“I still doing with my hands relax, relax and she say ‘I just want to kill your daughter blah blah blah,’” Campos recalled to KNTV.
The customer was filmed throwing a large bottle of hand sanitizer at Campos’ daughter — who was holding her toddler son at the time.
That’s when Campos is seen throwing a bag of food at the customer and flipping a table in the customer’s direction. Campos then uses the flipped table to push the customer out of the restaurant.
KABC reported that the customer eventually left and no one was injured. San Francisco police said they are investigating last week’s incident.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Featured image: CCTV screengrab]


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Another Pahela Baishakh, the Bangla New Year's Day, is knocking at the door. Celebrating the day amid fun and festivity has already turned into a big business no doubt. Baishakh is now the second largest shopping spree in the country after Eid-ul-Fitr. The traditional Baishakhi Mela or Baishakh Fair of villages has now transformed into urban trade exposition and even virtual or online trade event thanks to fast moving information technology.
Clothing and foods are the two main things for those consumers across the country, especially in urban areas, who spend their major portion of Baishakhi budget. They also spend on traditional handicrafts and ornaments. Cultural events in Dhaka and other parts of the country attract crowd and people enjoy music, dance and drama. There is a guesstimate that the Baishakhi festival is a market of Tk 70-80 billion as the businesses from posh fashion houses to marginal women entrepreneurs are getting their share of the market. The trend of money supply in the previous years may reflect the business boom. According to the central bank statistics, net money supply (M2) in April, 2016 was Tk 82.29 billion which was Tk 38.05 billion in April, 2015. Though it dropped to Tk 64.40 billion in April 2017, the amount is reasonably indicative of Boishakhi spending.
While Boishakhi business is growing, the socio-cultural connectivity of the Bangla New Year's Day is still not overshadowed as claimed by some. Inviting families and friends and handing over gifts of Boishakh are vividly there. And book can be easily a Boishakhi gift for all. In fact, it was in early '80s when a national level initiative was there to give book as a Boishakhi present. Noboborshe priyojonke boi upoher din (Give a book to your dear one as a gift in (Bangla) New Year) was the catchphrase introduced by Mr Fazle Rabbi, the then director of National Book Centre. In later years, the initiative, however, waned gradually.
But book as a gift in Bangla New Year is still appealing. Over the years, some people and libraries in different parts of the country are trying to promote the concept with their limited means. Some corporate and business houses are also adding books in their Boishakhi gift packages.
In fact, Boishakh may be a boost for book sale across the country. Many people couldn't go to Ekushey book fair and collect their desired books. To reach them, the publishers may launch a Boishakhi campaign about their latest books through print and electronic media as well as online outlets. As online book purchase becomes popular now, such a campaign is likely to enhance the sales on the eve of Boishakh.
There is no doubt that book as a gift is always more precious than any other thing. By giving books to their children, parents can encourage them to build up a good habit of book reading and presenting. Schools and colleges can take steps to encourage their students to celebrate the Bangla New Year with book. As almost everyone is in a spending spree in Boishakh, it is a good opportunity to try to set a custom of giving books as a gift.
© 2017 - All Rights with The Financial Express


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As you know, the presentation of the new series of smartphones Honor 60 is scheduled for December 1. Today one of the representatives of the upcoming line was spotted in the popular GeekBench benchmark. We are talking about the Honor 60 Pro model.
As we can see, the Honor 60 Pro is listed on GeekBench as TNA-AN00 with 12GB of RAM and Qualcomm model SM7325 processor, which could be the Snapdragon 778G +, as it runs at 2.52GHz. The integrated GPU is an Adreno 642L while the modem is the Snapdragon X53 5G which allows speeds of up to 3.7 Gbps.
The operating system is Android 11 and unfortunately, the datasheet revealed by GeekBench ends here, but rumors already say that the Honor 60 Pro should have a Full HD+ resolution screen with 120Hz, a 108MP main camera, and a sensor for selfies with 50MP.
The plug must also include a 66W charge. Further specs are expected to be confirmed on December 1st when Honor will finally unveil the line that will succeed Honor 50. It is also worth remembering that the manufacturer itself has already indicated that the new line must have a hidden camera under the screen, a differential long-awaited by those who hate notches on the display.
Finally, it’s interesting to mention that Honor is expected to announce 3 Smartphones in December: the Honor 60, 60 Pro, and 60 SE, so stay tuned at igeekphone.com for all the news about them.
Do not forget to follow us on our Facebook group and page to keep you always aware of the latest advances, News, Updates, review, and giveaway on smartphones, tablets, gadgets, and more from the technology world of the future.


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No lens? No problem for FlatCam
Dec 08, 2015
FlatCam, invented by the Rice labs of electrical and computer engineers Richard Baraniuk and Ashok Veeraraghavan, is little more than a thin sensor chip with a mask that replaces lenses in a traditional camera. Making it practical are the sophisticated computer algorithms that process what the sensor detects and converts the sensor measurements into images and videos. The research team will deliver a talk about its work at the Extreme Imaging Workshop Dec. 17 in Santiago, Chile, and have published a paper available via the online service ArXiv.
Traditional cameras are shrinking, driven by their widespread adoption in smartphones. But they all require lenses – and the post-fabrication assembly required to integrate lenses into cameras raises their cost, according to the researchers.
FlatCam does away with those issues in a camera that is also thin and flexible enough for applications that traditional devices cannot serve. FlatCams can be fabricated like microchips, with the precision, speed and the associated reduction in costs, Veeraraghavan said. Without lenses, he said, the most recent prototype is thinner than a dime.
FlatCam shares its heritage with lens-less pinhole cameras, but instead of a single hole, it features a grid-like coded mask positioned very close to the sensor. Each aperture allows a slightly different set of light data to reach the sensor. Raw data sent to the back-end processor – for now, a desktop computer – is sorted into an image. Like much larger light field cameras, the picture can be focused to different depths after the data is collected.


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The lights are on
The infamous global PlayStation Network breach that took place in 2011 is still living on for Sony. Today Sony Computer Entertainment Europe was fined £250,000 by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
According to ICO, Sony is accountable for putting its users at risk because they failed to make sure the network was secure enough. The ICO further confirmed that if Sony’s software was up-to-date the entire hack could have been prevented, but does acknowledge that Sony was maliciously targeted.
“If you are responsible for so many payment card details and log-in details then keeping that personal data secure has to be your priority. In this case that just didn’t happen, and when the database was targeted – albeit in a determined criminal attack – the security measures in place were simply not good enough," says deputy commissioner and director of data protection, David Smith.
Although, no proof exists to show that credit card details or personal data was accessed for fraudulent use, it’s still the risk that made the ICO decide on the fine.
You can read the full report here.
Email the author Kimberley Wallace, or follow on Twitter, and Game Informer.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Deputy lord of the Scality RING parts ways with object storage firm
President and COO leaves gaping exec responsibility hole
Object storage supplier Scality has lost its president and COO, Erwan Menard.
CEO Jerome Lecat announced the change at an all-hands meeting last week. We understand from a Scality spokesperson that the parting is amicable and Menard is staying on in an advisory role.
Menard joined as COO in January 2014, getting the presidential promotion in March 2015, and thus effectively becoming deputy CEO. He had previously been COO at DataDirect Networks from 2011 to 2013, and a VP and GM at HP before that. Perhaps he wants to be a CEO and got fed up waiting, or there has been a disagreement about the way forward for the company.
Scality is well known for its RING object storage but has recently moved into open-source software with Zenko, a public cloud gateway and controller.
It has also just received $35m in fresh funding, taking the total to $125m. This follows a $45m D-round in 2015 plus a $10m investment from HPE, which has had an OEM deal with Scality since 2014. We don't yet know the source of the $35m.
In April last year, Scality signed an OEM deal with Dell. In December the EMEA customer services part of HPE decided to partner with Cloudian and its object storage for some deals.
We further understand that Scality may be reconsidering its marketing activities. It's an eventful start to the new year for the firm and it will want things to settle down so it can function effectively as 2018 progresses. ®


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May 17, 2012 the New York Chapter of GEMA hosted a Breakfast Speaker Series event with Jason T. Williams (MBA ’05) – Senior Director, Global Consumer Products Business Operations, Viacom International Media Networks. At the breakfast, 20 GEMA members had the opportunity to have a roundtable discussion with Jason regarding a wide variety of topics affecting the media industry.
Jason The discussion began with Jason providing all of the attendees with a brief background on how his interest in television as a child helped him ultimately build a career in the media business. He then discussed some of the major drivers of change over the past ten years in media, and how they have affected the industry landscape. Some of the major changes he touched upon include the exponential growth in bandwidth now found in each home, the increase in the number of “devices” consumers are using, the more prevalent role of technology companies in the media landscape, and the democratization of media.
The group then had a spirited debate about what the most relevant factors are that will change consumer media over the next 10 years. Some of the common ideas that came up in the conversation included the continued role of technology, coordinated content, a potential return of vertical integration (maybe), and successfully monetizing short form advertising. All of the attendees enjoyed the opportunity to exchange ideas with Jason regarding the current state of media, as well as get his perspective on the industry going forward.


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HTC has sent out invites in which it clearly teased a new HTC One M9 variant with the One M8 Duo camera set up. Tie this in with the leaked images from the normally spot on @Upleaks on twitter, and could this be the rumoured HTC M9+?
From viewing the image, it appears the same image from the HTC invites for an upcoming announcement on 8th April. The design appears the same as a regular M9, with some additions — that second rear camera we’d seen previously and a Samsung-style fingerprint scanner beneath the screen, and another colour combo gunmetal grey on the front and back, with gold accents on the side, which I feel personally is the best colour variant.
Reports from@upleaks and others point to a tweaked M9 design for China and parts of the EMEA (Europe, Middle-East and Africa) region with a 5.2-inch Quad HD display (not exactly worthy of its rumoured ‘+’ moniker), a high-end octa-core MediaTek CPU (no Qualcomm chipset) and 3GB of RAM.
We don’t know if we will see this device here in the UK, so come April 8th we will be watching the announcement closely.


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Despite its dated hardware, the Google Pixel 6a is still one of the best budget Android phones to buy. It launched in July 2022 after being announced at I/O 2022 in May. As the phone’s anniversary is fast approaching, rumors and leaks surrounding the Google Pixel 7a have been in full flow. Earlier this year, the first hands-on images of the phone, albeit of poor quality, leaked onto the internet. Now, a couple of months before I/O 2023, high-quality hands-on photos of the Pixel 7a have been shared online, giving us a closer look at its Pixel 7-inspired design.
Based on hands-on images shared by Vietnamese blog Zing News, it’s clear that the Pixel 7a will adopt the Pixel 7’s camera bar design. This means the camera bump will use matte aluminum instead of glass, which it will make it much more durable. Unfortunately, the photos also confirm that Google hasn’t done anything to reduce the thick bezels surrounding the display.
Source: Zing News
Thanks to the glass back panel, the Pixel 7a looks much more premium in photos.
While it’s hard to tell from the hands-on images, the Pixel 7a should retain the same 6.1-inch screen size as its predecessor, though it looks like the refresh rate will be bumped up to 90Hz. According to information in the About phone and bootloader menu, the phone will come with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. By comparison, the Pixel 6a ships with 6GB of RAM.
Other details confirmed from the hands-on photos include a single physical SIM tray, rubber protection around the SIM slot for IP protection, a speaker and a USB-C port on the bottom. Google remotely locked the phone shortly after its images were shared online, making it difficult to determine its other specifications. However, if previous leaks are anything to go by, the Pixel 7a should use a Tensor G2 chip, include 5W wireless charging, and keep the same $450 price tag as its predecessor.
The unit is apparently a “software prototype” running Android 13. Given that the Pixel 7a is only a couple of months away from its official reveal, it’s likely that this will also be its final design. This isn’t the first time unreleased Pixel phones have surfaced in Vietnam months before launch. Expect more Pixel 7a leaks to appear as the phone gets closer to launch.


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The week in pictures
This week, in celebs signing Champagne bottles, Claire Foy and Matt Smith signed a jeroboam of Taittinger to celebrate their respective turns in Duncan Macmillan’s play about modern love and the climate crisis, Lungs, at The Old Vic, which finished at the weekend.
Taittinger is a corporate sponsor of The Old Vic. Our theatre-land spies tell us the signed jero will be used for a future fundraising opportunity. Watch this space.
A craft brewery in York was delighted to receive a picture of Dame Judi Dench sampling one of its beers – the Dame Judi Quench.
Dame. Judi. Quench.
The beer was made by Brew York in collaboration with local beer bar and shop The House of Trembling Madness.
Managing director of Brew York, Wayne Smith, told db: “We were chatting to the bar manager Geo at a beer festival earlier in the year and decided to brew a beer together,” he said.
“Being two York based businesses, we wanted the name of the beer to reflect something famous form York, so one of the Trembling Madness team came up with the idea of Dame Judi Quench, which we loved.
Smith explained that his business partner, Lee Grabham, who is also the head brewer, once worked with Dench’s nephew, who is a regular at Brew York. He offered to take the cans to Dench, who now lives in Outwood, Surrey, for her to sample.
Her positive reaction has now prompted calls for the beer, which sold out in August, to be rebrewed.
In dangerous driving, Smokehead Islay Single Malt Whisky has been working with Brooklyn-based Ducati mechanic and builder Tyler Lunceford over the past nine months to build a one-of-a-kind, customised Ducati, inspired by vintage motorcycles.
The time came to reveal ‘The Smoker’ on Tuesday night (12 November) at The Bike Shed, a private members club for motorcycle enthusiasts (yes, it’s a thing).
Bike blogger Motobob ran a Q&A with Lunceford, while custom motorcycle helmet designer Piers Dowell painted two Smokehead helmets live on the night.
Cocktails made with Smokehead, Smokehead High Voltage and Smokehead Sherry Bomb were served throughout the night, including the creatively-named ‘Smoker’, created exclusively for the project; a robust mix of Smokehead, lemon juice, honey syrup, ginger liqueur, and activated charcoal (we are in Shoreditch, after all).
In less petrol-fuelled news, Amarula, together with its conservation partner WildlifeDirect, hosted key customers, members of the press and some of the Women in Travel Retail network at Kew Gardens’ Cambridge Cottage on Tuesday evening. Guests heard from Dr Paula Kahumbu (CEO of WildlifeDirect) who spoke about the important elephant conservation work she does. Some of this work is funded by donations from The Amarula Trust.
For each person attending the event, Amarula donated £100 to elephant conservation.
In Hollywine, the American Cinematheque gala evening in honour of Charlize Theron took place on Friday (8 November) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
As the event’s wine partner, Château Malartic-Lagravière’s wines were presented to the 700 guests of the actress.
In celebrity drinks launches, we headed to the Trading House in the Square Mile on Tuesday night to toast the launch of a new low ABV label, The Clean Liquor Co, which is headed up by none other than former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews.
It was a star-studded event attended by Matthews’ nearest and dearest including Vogue Williams, sister in-law Pippa Matthews (ne Middleton), and close friends and former Made in Chelsea co-stars Hugo Taylor and Jamie Laing.
Matthews, currently co-starring with his wife in E4’s new series Spencer, Vogue and Baby too, began his TV career on Made in Chelsea.
Now, he is the CEO and public face of Clean Liquor Co, a new brand of distilled ‘spirits’ bottled at 1.2% ABV. The first drink in the range is called CleanGin.
We caught up with Matthews this week to find out more about his plans for Clean™ world domination.
“The ideal for me is that you should be able to go into a bar, and order any kind of drink you want, whether that’s a G&T or a rum and coke, and be able to get a Clean™ version of that,” he said.
Matthews told us he’s already got plans for darker styles that mimic whisk(e)y and rum. He and chairman Justin Hicklin have been working on the project since March, and the former MIC star said his patience was tested a lot as more and more low ABV and alc-free spirit products came on to the market.
“The thing that kept me sane was that I wasn’t really blown away by anything on the market, to be honest.”
Tough talk, indeed.
In cocktail comps, congratulations goes to Simon Davey of London’s Trailer Happiness, who has won the UK leg of this year’s Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge.
Dacey will represent the UK at the final in Trinidad and Tobago in February 2020 against fellow finalists from 36 countries.
Six competitors battled to prove their pedigree for judges Stu Hudson, co-founder of Forgotten Hospitality consultancy and the winner of the first-ever UK heat of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge, World Rum Ambassador, Ian Burrell, Senior Buyer for Master of Malt, Guy Holdsworth and Rory Gilles from The Bonneville Cocktail Collection.
Davey won the judges over with two serves; the Queen’s Park Hollows and Eye of the Hurricane.
Work is well underway on a first of its kind: a city centre home for Durham Distillery, which is expected to open in early summer 2020.
The 5,000 sq. ft. space is undergoing a full refurbishment into a working distillery, and once complete will create local jobs with roles including a distillery manager and distiller.
Champagne Bollinger hosted an event at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris last week, to mark the 40th anniversary of their partnership with 007.
Guest of honour Michael G. Wilson, one of the producers of the James Bond films, was joined by Étienne Bizot from the Bollinger family and an exclusive list of invitees.
The evening paid tribute to the shared history of the two brands dating back to 1979, when Champagne Bollinger become the Official Champagne of Britain’s most famous secret agent upon the release of Moonraker.
The Champagne house has also celebrated its partnership this year by launching a limited edition fizz packed in a box that definitely looks like a rocket and doesn’t look like anything else…
Spanish brewer, Estrella Galicia, has launched its first UK Beer Master Sessions; an international training and competition programme for key trade and on-trade partners that “aims to share and celebrate Estrella Galicia’s beer culture.”
Bar workers will be treated to workshops which will shine a light on different beer styles (this being Estrella, with a focus on lager); service and pouring training; and a tasting and pairing session.
The final stage of the programme, hosted in London on 19 November, will see 20 members of staff from across the country compete for the title of Estrella Galicia Beer Master in the UK.
Competitors will be tested on their knowledge of beer culture, as well as their pouring skills in pouring and presentation. The winner will be invited to participate in the final in Madrid 2020.


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TORONTO — Last night, buyers from Home Depot Canada’s seasonal and outdoor products categories gathered in a hip restaurant in downtown Toronto to present the latest in seasonal décor for the coming Christmas season. Everything from traditional trees and decorations to items driven by the latest high-tech gimmickry was on display.
A number of trees were pre-decorated right out of the box, while others featured trim also available from Home Depot Canada. A standout for this year was the increase in smart technology in many of the trees. One looked like a simple silver, unadorned tree. But it could be controlled remotely to begin changing colours, from red to green to purple. Another tree could shrink from nine feet to seven feet with the click of a button.
(Full story in Monday’s festive edition of our weekly HARDLINES e-newsletter. Want the whole story? Make sure you’re subscribing to this amazing publication. Click here for a free four-week trial!)


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Samsung Galaxy A10 to be their first telephone with UD fingerprint reader
Samsung Galaxy A10 coming soon, will this phone integrated with new feature Under Display Fingerprint Reader? For those who plan to buy new phone, may have a look on this new interesting feature!
According to leak rumors, seem like Samsung Galaxy plan to introduce a new feature which is Under Display Fingerprint reader [UD Fingerprint Reader]. Although this feature seem like involving great risk but it may also will bring a lot of fortune to the company.
As per Chinese leakster, the Samsung company is working on an upper-mid-range Galaxy A10 handphone. Although the tweet doesn’t uncover anything other things else. This is not the first time we hear about this.
— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) December 21, 2018
A similar account on Twitter revealed that Samsung is taking a shot at a Galaxy A model controlled by a Snapdragon 845 SoC. The Galaxy A10 appears the ideal fit for the FP peruser and the flagship SoC given that the Galaxy A8s, for instance, is shaking a Snapdragon 710.
We trust that more proof will heap up soon on the grounds that now we are simply hypothesizing and speculating.
If you do not understand what is Under Display Fingerprint [UD Fingerprint reader] and how it work. The video below going to explain to you!


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Eight in ten US broadband households have installed a home network, with nearly 40% of home network routers located in residents’ primary living rooms, more than twice the number installed in home offices, according to a new report from TDG, The Diffusion Group. The number of broadband-networked US households installing home network routers in their living rooms increased 26% in the last year, from 30% in 2010 to 38% in 2011. Conversely, the number installed in home offices declined 30%, from 26% in 2010 to 18% in 2011, according to TDG’s “The CE and PC Ecosystem of the Broadband Household: 2012.” “The migration of home network hardware from the ‘home office’ to the primary living space offers both functional and figurative insight,” notes Michael Greeson, TDG founding partner and director of research. “TDG noted in 2005 that, driven by the incessant desire to optimize their entertainment experiences, consumers would progressively place their network access point adjacent to key net-enabled video entertainment platforms such as game consoles, disc players, and DVRs. In 2012, this is precisely what we observe and most would acknowledge. The meaning of this shift, however, remains lost on the majority of observers.” Full Article:
Rapid Displays has debuted its new intelligent shopper recognition software platform that identifies gender and age group. The software can be integrated into a kiosk to allow retailers to identify who is viewing their ads and then tailor the message accordingly. The technology also tracks analytics, including who saw the media and how long they dwelled in front of the display, said Alan Foshay, vice president of business development for Rapid Displays. "It will allow brands and retailers to actively evaluate in real time who's actually watching, what they're watching, how long they stay there, and if that's proving to not be the target they anticipated they can instantly change that content."
The Atlantic Technology WA-5030 Wireless Transmitter/Amplifier System combines a brand new WA-5030-r zone amplifier and wireless receiver with the company's proven three-zone WA-50-t wireless transmitter. The WA-50-t transmitter can be sourced from any RCA analog audio line outputs or to a Mac or PC via a built-in USB connection. It broadcasts lossless, uncompressed CD-quality digital audio with a 48 kHz sampling rate over on the 2.4 GHz radio band. The wireless technology is highly robust with no data drop issues and essentially no time delay over distances of 150 to 300 feet depending on intervening structures. A three-position zone switch on both the transmitter and receiver allow up-to three separate WA-5030 systems to be used in close proximity to each other. The system's WA-5030-r receiver/amplifier contains a matching 2.4 GHz RF section, digital-to-analog converter, and a high-quality 30-watts per channel stereo power amplifier. The receiver is is suitable for driving most compact bookshelf or in-wall/ceiling 8-ohm speakers to high sound levels with low distortion. The WA-5030-r also comes with an infrared wireless remote control, to allow users adjust volume and to mute the system. WA-5030-r can also be programmed to drive speakers in the bi-amp mode or to drive speakers in a commercial or distributed audio system.
Finding the perfect fit so clothing conforms to a person's unique body shape is at the heart of the Bodymetrics Pod. Developed by Bodymetrics, a London-based pioneer in 3D body-mapping, the Bodymetrics Pod was introduced to American shoppers for the first time today during Women's Denim Days at Bloomingdale's in Century City, Los Angeles. This is the first time Kinect for Windows has been used commercially in the United States for body mapping in a retail clothing environment. Bloomingdale's, a leader in retail innovation, has one of the largest offerings in premium denim from fashion-forward brands like J Brand, 7 for all mankind, Citizens and Humanity, AG, and Paige. The Bodymetrics services allows customers to get their body mapped and find jeans that fit and flatter their unique shape from the hundreds of different jeans styles that Bloomingdale's stocks. During Bloomingdale's Denim Days, March 15 - 18, customers will be able to get their body mapped, and also become a Bodymetrics member. This free service enables customers to access an online account and order jeans based on their body shape.
Beijing - Television manufacturer TCL said Friday that its Shenzhen-based China Star Optoelectronics Technology subsidiary has developed the world's largest 110-inch 4K HD 3D LCD screen. The company formally launched the technology at a recent ceremony here by donating two of the mammoth screens to the Great Hall of the People for public display. "The successful launch of the world's largest 110-inch screen once again proved TCL's research and development capabilities," Li Dongsheng, TCL chairman and CEO, said. "Not only will TCL benefit from the development of this breakthrough technology, all TV manufacturers in China and overseas, will be able to capitalize on this revolutionary product design." There was no word yet on plans to introduce the LCD in the U.S. or how much the set will cost. Read Full Article here:
Digital Signage Expo® (DSE), the world's largest and longest running International Conference and Tradeshow dedicated exclusively to digital signage, interactive technology and digital out-of-home networks (DOOH), today announced that its ninth show held last week at the Las Vegas Convention Center has officially shattered previous records, set a new attendance milestone and reinforced DSE's position as the digital signage industry's preeminent show. While additional specifics will be forthcoming, show management has just confirmed that new all-time benchmarks established last week include: *4,024 qualified attendees (excluding exhibitors) - a 9% increase over 2011 *Record conference attendance *Record international attendance from a total of 69 countries *Record exhibit sales: 62,440 net square feet - a 4% increase over 2011 Click here for Full Press release.
Cutting edge visual displays and content creation and management systems were showcased last week at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas. For restaurants, the largest takeaways included a look behind best practices and usage at Dairy Queen and Wendy’s, where operators said digital menu boards and supporting technologies have increased sales, helped drive consumers to specific, margin-friendly items and helped inventory management. “I get goose bumps thinking about it,” said Sue Culver, vice president of retail merchandising for International Dairy Queen, while discussing the potential of digital signage to more easily manage the presentation and promotion of 47 different menu types that exist for the chain’s DQ Grill & Chill, Brazier and “Limited” concept variations. Read full article here:
Kaleidescapes movie servers allow user to copy DVD (but not Blu-ray) content to their server’s hard disk for playback with the Media Server. Even though this content cannot be copied to another location, the DVD CCA claims this is in breach of its contract with the DVD CCA. Kaleidescape and its agents and distributors cannot continue to sell the product and the courts agree. Moreover, Kaleidescape cannot provide any support related to the Content Scramble System (CSS) copy-protection scheme. If this becomes a legal precedent, the DVD CCA could go after any vendor that creates a product allowing the ripping of DVD’s. This could be the shot in the arm that Project Phenix and UltraViolet need. Ultraviolet allows a digital copy to be freely copied and played on registered players and the new Project Phenix will create and license solutions that secure high definition and other premium copyright-protected content on local and portable hard drives, and flash memory products such as USB flash drives, SD™ cards and solid state disk drives (SSDs). Of course, industry-wide buy would be required and two big players (Apple and Disney) are not on-board. In related news Walmart today announced its new Disc to Digital service for UltraViolet: http://hometoys.com/news_detail.php?pr_id=19998617
Stephen Gillett, the Starbucks chief information officer who revamped the retailer's technological approach to selling coffee, is joining electronics giant Best Buy. The 36-year-old former college football player is charged with no small task: helping Best Buy go up against Amazon while continuing to sell products in brick-and-mortar stores. Gillett joins Best Buy (BBY) Monday as president of the company's digital business, including its online stores, as well as replicating the information-systems responsibilities he held at Starbucks (SBUX). At the Seattle coffee company Gillett was instrumental in offering free wireless Internet service to customers as well as allowing payment by smartphones. The moves were credited with being a part of the rejuvenation of the customer experience at Starbucks under CEO Howard Schultz. In recognition of his efforts, Fortune named Gillett to its list of 40 top executives under age 40 in 2010.
Apple was recently valued at more than the country of Greece and there’s no denying its success in the smartphone, tablet and digital media market. Although, Apple doesn’t directly serve the digital signage market, the iPad is used for many DOOH applications, but there is an additional revenue stream for Apple in this sector. Recently, Apple was granted 24 new patents for multi-touch technology. Several of the patents were related the Magic Mouse’s 3D curved substrate lamination, but it was also granted 10 further patents related to multi-touch to bolster the 11 it was granted in 2010. So what does this mean for digital signage? Basically any vendor that uses multi-touch technology may have to pay royalties to Apple. In the digital signage world, this is likely to include kiosks, POS terminals, ATM’s, vending machines, e-ticket machines, etc.
Just when you thought your cable bill couldn’t get any higher, Comcast are planning to add a further offering—Cloud Enabled Thermostats—to their Infinity Home service. Building on their foray into home automation and security, they recently entered into an agreement with EcoFactor, a provider of energy management solutions, to create a new service that optimizes the heating and cooling patterns of a home and integrates with the Xfinity Home platform. "Through our Xfinity Home service, we've created a broadband and cloud-based platform for security, remote home control and energy management and we're always looking to collaborate with innovative companies like EcoFactor," said Mitch Bowling, Senior Vice President and General Manager of New Businesses for Comcast Cable. "With EcoFactor, we see an opportunity to bring new and exciting technologies to our customers through an automatic energy management solution that works in real-time." Adding Xfinity home with a thermostat will add $40 to your monthly bill and will require an initial investment of $350.
In a move that should surprise no-one, Aereo is being sued by not one, but two groups of broadcasters (including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the local PBS station) for allegedly rebroadcasting their content without permission. Subscribers pay $12/month to access 27 locally broadcast TV stations that Aereo streams via the web. Billionaire owner Barry Diller's, who was previously CEO at Fox, believes the company is not infringing copyright because each user does have their own antenna. The way Aereo works is that instead of rebroadcasting the signal from a single antenna, each watching subscriber is assigned a remote Aereo mini antenna. They just happen to be watching the channel with a remote antenna. Aereo is due to launch its service on March 14th, exclusively in New York city.
AVSystemsMag.com, the new eMagazine has a greater focus on Commercial AV, Automation and Digital Signage
HomeToys.com, a leading Home Technology and Automation eMagazine, went live today with a freshly revamped website. The new look is designed with increased white space and easier to navigate features that will improve the reader's overall experience. Not to worry though, it's 16 years of archived articles, news and product information remains intact. It's just easier to find. Along with the revamped look for HomeToys, the developers also formally announced the launch of their newest eMagazine, AVSystemsMag.com. Following the same mission and format as its sister publication AVSystemsMag.com will have a stronger focus on the Commercial side of AV & Automation as well as the digital signage industry. Click here to visit AVSystemsMag.com:
Digital Signage Expo (DSE), the world's largest International Tradeshow and Conference dedicated exclusively to digital signage, interactive technology and digital out-of-home networks (DOOH) is underway in Las Vegas. DSE will present a total of 42 topics in its FREE On-Floor Workshop Program on March 6-9, 2012, in Las Vegas. DSE's FREE On-Floor Workshop Program runs in three show floor theater areas - with the Digital Content Show Theater dedicated specifically to the all-important topic of content - from 10:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. and offers a rich variety of walk-up presentations on Wednesday, March 7 and Thursday, March 8. Click here for list of topics:
Records 871 to 885 of 1523
RETRO-M is designed to replace existing Home Intercom Systems and operate on existing 3 and 4 wire systems. BLUETOOTH you music by adding the BT-RECEIVER. No need to remove existing master wall housing, trim plates available to cover those large holes. The RETRO-M intercom unit has a built-in AM/FM radio. Plug in mp3 players such as iPod, iPhone, Zune or any other hand held player into the master and share your music with the entire family. Choose between two music sources; listen to the radio in one room and the mp3 in another room.


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Facebook and Instagram were down for the better part of the day Wednesday, and now we know why. According to Facebook, the outage was the result of a server configuration change. The social networking giant said the issue has since been fixed and all of its products and services are accessible once again. "We're very sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate everyone's patience," the company said.
Yesterday, as a result of a server configuration change, many people had trouble accessing our apps and services. We've now resolved the issues and our systems are recovering. We're very sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate everyone's patience.
— Facebook (@facebook) March 14, 2019
The outage, which plagued Facebook's flagship service as well as Facebook-owned properties Instagram and WhatsApp, lasted for nearly 14 hours, according to CNN. DownDetector, a website that allows users to report when a service isn't working, first started receiving a flood of reports starting around 12:01PM ET. The site received thousands of reports of issues each hour from users around the world, peaking at over 12,000 around 9:00PM ET.
Facebook first publicly addressed the issue Wednesday afternoon, acknowledging in a tweet that "some people are currently having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps." The company also quickly dismissed concerns that the outage was the result of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. The acknowledgment came at 1:49PM ET, and it would be 11 hours until the issue was finally resolved. At 12:41AM ET Thursday morning, Instagram confirmed it was back online via Twitter.
While outages are a rare occurrence for Facebook, this was the second noteworthy instance in recent months. Back in November, the company had a similar issue that left Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp inaccessible for some users. That outage was the result of a "routine test," according to the company.


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A prominent lawmaker is calling on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to order a recall of all Zantac and ranitidine heart burn drugs, amid concerns that the products could be contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical.
In a December 18th letter to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Aza, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, noted that Valisure, an online pharmacy based in her state, had detected extremely high levels of N-Nitrososdimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen, in every lot of Zantac and ranitidine tested.
“It is my understanding that ranitidine’s carcinogenicity has not been fully vetted by the FDA. Valisure’s data, in combination with four decades of scientific research, strongly suggests that ranitidine is a fundamentally unstable molecule and all products containing this drug have a risk of cancer,” DeLauro writes.
“It is incomprehensible that FDA is fully aware of this fact, yet, it continues to allow this drug to remain on the shelves,” the letter continues. “FDA’s failure to stop companies from selling ranitidine makes the United States government complicit in exposing infants and adults to the risk of cancer. I urge you to act and uphold the mission of the FDA, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services, by immediately removing ranitidine from shelves and banning all sales.”
The FDA first disclosed the possible presence of NDMA in Zantac on September 13th. The chemical has been designated a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as animal testing suggests exposure may increase the risk for cancer, especially gastrointestinal, liver, and kidney tumors.
Despite the cancer concerns, the FDA did not order a Zantac recall, and instead advised consumers using over-the-counter ranitidine products to consider switching to another heart burn treatment. However, those taking prescription versions of ranitidine should not stop taking their medication without first talking with their doctor, as doing so could greatly worsen the condition being treated.
The FDA initially blamed the high levels of NDMA detected by Valisure on the company’s high- temperature testing method. But later, the agency did acknowledge that some samples of Zantac and ranitidine contained NDMA above the FDA’s acceptable daily limits of 96 nanograms.
The FDA has since ordered new testing to determine if the carcinogen is formed when ranitidine is exposed to chemicals that naturally occur during digestion. Drug makers have also been asked to test all lots of the medication, inform the FDA if any are found to contain more than 96 nanograms of NDMA, and ensure they are not put on the market.
While the FDA has declined to order a Zantac recall, numerous pharmaceutical companies have opted to recall their ranitidine products. Various retailers, including CVS, Walmart, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens, have also pulled all prescription and over-the-counter ranitidine-containing medicines from store shelves.


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NRCA member GAF, Parsippany, N.J., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire FT Synthetics, Langley, British Columbia, a manufacturer of synthetic underlayments for the steep-slope roofing industry.
“FT Synthetics and GAF share a deep commitment to the roofing industry,” said Jim Schnepper, CEO of GAF. “This acquisition will enable GAF to pursue our shared goals of continued innovation and explore opportunities for expanded product offerings that support the entire building envelope.”
FT Synthetics will continue to operate as an independent business within the GAF portfolio, and FT Synthetics CEO Gary Sandhar will retain a senior leadership position within GAF.
The transaction is expected to close later this year.
Date : Jan. 01, 0001


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China's best-selling book of 2015 didn't have many of words.
Secret Garden, an adult colouring book, was the No. 1 book on China's biggest online stores — Amazon, Dangdang and JD.com.
"mashable.com/2015/12/10/amazon-best-selling-books-2015/" is not a valid see-also reference
The three companies released their lists on Wednesday, and the book from Scotland-based artist Johanna Basford made the top spot on each.
Dangdang told Chinese newspaper Huaxi Metropolis Daily that it sold million copies of the book within three months, and that Dangdang sold 1.5 million copies of Secret Garden in the year.
By August, the book's publisher said Chinese buyers had already snapped up 3 million copies of Basford's book — nearly half of the 6.8 million sales it had done globally.
The book has also enjoyed big sales in Brazil with a million copies and around half a million each in the United States, UK and South Korea.
Secret Garden was first published in 2013, but its exponential rise has been credited to increasing interest in adult colouring books.
Chinese netizens say they find colouring therapeutic and relaxing, and a Chinese cultural critic and professor at the Peking University said a rising middle class in China has been turning to the activity to destress.
On Weibo, Chinese fans of the book have been sharing pictures of their colouring processes and are discussing tips and techniques.
This user tried an alternative method of colouring, using charcoal to make a reverse image:
This one says it's challenging colouring in all the leaves:
Basford is one of the forerunners cashing in on this fad. Enchanted Forest, her sequel to Secret Garden, published in March of last year and crossed 2 million in global sales in 2015. She released a third book called Lost Ocean in October.


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RSPCA officers rushed to the rescue when a fish pedicure salon went under.
The animal welfare officers were called in after owners of The Bridges shopping centre, in Sunderland, noticed the fish had been left to fend for themselves after the closure of Babylon Spa at the centre.
The tiny garra rufa fish were rescued by officers, although some visitors to the centre say not all the fish were saved in time.
Andy Bradley, centre director at The Bridges, said: “Naturally we were concerned about the welfare of the fish so we immediately called in the RSPCA to ensure their safe removal and re-homing.
“It is hugely disappointing when a retailer closes but we’re doing all we can to ensure a new retailer opens within the centre very shortly.”
One concerned shopper believed he had spotted some dead fish in tanks inside the salon.
He said: “I was just passing the shop and had a look through the window. I know there has been a lot of controversy about these kind of places.
“There was a note outside saying it had closed down.
“It was pretty much deserted, but you could still see inside. There were all these fish just floating in the tanks.”
Mr Bradley reassured shoppers who snapped up vouchers for the spa, where reality TV stars Charlotte and Sophie from Geordie Shore were pictured enjoying a treatment.
“Shoppers who have purchased Babylon Spa vouchers should visit customer services within The Bridges who will put them in contact with the retailer,” he said.


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VISAKHAPATNAM: No sooner had fishermen
heaved a sigh of relief at the favourable weather conditions yielding an improved catch after a two-month long hiatus, which saw rough seas due to the fury of three major cyclones Phailin, Helan and Lehar, a dip in demand and resultant fall in prices in the market are now playing spoilsport.
According to fisheries industry
sources, seafood prices
have been witnessing a declining trend due to the falling demand. For instance, the major catch noticed during the current month is Yellow Fin Tuna, nearly 15 tonnes of which is landing on an average during each day. However, its price is hovering around Rs 120 per kg mark, the same as compared to last year. According to sources, Yellow Fin Tuna is largely seen on the coast of Visakhapatnam during the months of November to February, when the climate is cooler.
Meanwhile, the price of other fish such as anchovies have dropped to Rs 350 per kg as compared to the normal rate of Rs 450 per kg, and that of dry Ribbon Fish has declined by about Rs 10 to around Rs 120 per kg. The steepest drop has been witnessed in mackerel prices, which dropped to Rs 50 a kg from Rs 150 per kg in the normal season. Also, the rates of shear fish have decreased from Rs 450 per kg to Rs 120 per kg during the current month.
Visakha Dolphin Boat Owners' Association president Ch Satyanarayana Murthy said, "The overall landings have seen an increase as compared to last year. While in October this year, we literally had no fishing activity due to Cyclone Phailin, the situation is much better now as the speed of the currents has also reduced. Though the catch has increased, boat owners are having to face the dual impact of falling fish prices and spiralling fuel costs that are making a huge dent in revenues."
Apart from the excess catch that has been witnessed, District Fishermen's Youth Welfare Association executive secretary Arjilli Dasu felt that the falling demand for fish due to religious reasons has also contributed to the steep fall in prices. "The demand for fish has dropped mainly because it was Karthikamasam last month and this month many people have taken deeksha for going to Sabarimala." However, others felt that people prefer having chicken and mutton over fish during cold winter months. Dasu said that the prices of Yellow Fin Tuna have remained flat mainly because of the increased catch largely because most fisherfolk have focused on this variety. Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour Workers Union
general secretary J D Naidu said, "The major problem is that even though there will be a good price in the export market, fishermen will not be able to get a good price due to the rates fixed by exporters and middlemen."


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Can Apple Excite With Operating Systems This Summer?
After Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) earnings call Tuesday, it didn’t seem like there was going to be much coming out of the company’s product pipeline, but there may be some new software in the next few months.
Apple beat Wall Street consensus estimates with regards to revenue, and that may have helped stem further declines in share value, but the company still reported a decline in earnings from the prior quarter for the first time in a decade. The company may have managed to keep investors feeling warm and fuzzy by increasing its quarterly dividend to 15 percent and boosting the share buyback program to $60 billion, from $10 billion.
One thing that the iPhone maker couldn’t quite do for investors during the earnings call is put a rest to concerns that there were no new products coming out any time soon. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said that the company would be released some new products and breaking into new product categories in the fall and throughout 2014, which leaves a several-month gap continuing with very little to get excited about.
However, Apple doesn’t just make hardware. The company is quite well known for its entire operating system environment, which spans from its smallest iPod devices to its iPhones and iPads to its bigger laptops and computers.
According to comments by Apple’s marketing chief, Phil Schiller, it seems that Apple may be revealing its next incarnations of iOS and OS X. iOS is the operating system that runs on Apples iPhone and iPads, and the next update would likely be iOS 7 — which has been blamed by KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo for delaying the release of the so-called iPhone 5S. Apple’s latest laptops and desktop computers run on OS X, and the next version would be OS X 10.9.
This summer, Apple will be holding its Worldwide Developers Conference, and this is where it may be unveiling the new operating systems. The event will take place between June 10 and 14. Even though the operating systems might be launched at this time, it may not mean much for consumers yet, as it will likely be more focused on preparing developers to work with it.
Apple’s OS X 10.8, dubbed Mountain Lion, was released relatively quietly, simply being shared with the press on a limited scale and getting a press release announcement. However, as Apple doesn’t have new hardware coming out soon, it makes sense that the operating systems will be taking the spotlight at this summer’s WWDC.
Perhaps the software will be something for investors to get excited about while they wait for new products to save the stock from any further declines.