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To mark 50 years since his mission to the moon, a giant portrait of Neil Armstrong has been mown into a field in northern Italy.
The company behind the colourful McCoo range of artwork and merchandise has gone into liquidation.
Artist Olafur Eliasson has unveiled a large waterfall sculpture outside Tate Modern and said he hopes it shows that “nature is relative”.
Career options for women in Scotland’s agricultural industries are rarely highlighted.
A British artist has filled a gallery with 70 of the world’s most recognisable pieces, made entirely from felt.
An exhibition by a carer turned photographer which explores the lives and relationships at a Perthshire care home has opened in Crieff.
Highland Cow enthusiasts are in for a treat this summer after a new art trail was unveiled in a Perthshire town .
A budding product designer has created a chair from barbers’ off-cuts to get people thinking about what we throw away.
Jacobite enthusiasts will flock to the Fair City this summer for Perth Museum and Art Gallery's new exhibition which explores the conflict and its effects on the local area.
The world of art makes its mark in Dundee in early summer. The West End Art Group is holding an exhibition, Spiritual Awakening, at Dundee Botanic Gardens June 29 -July 7.


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Table of Contents
A small local company is tackling one of the most vexing problems for the warehousing and transportation industries: measuring the dimensions and weight of a piece of freight, quickly and at a low cost. It says it has found the solution — in video games.
Cargo Spectre, founded about five years ago, has adapted video game technology for a system of scales, cameras and 3D scanners to measure and record within seconds the weight and dimensions — height, width, depth — of freight, including pallets loaded with goods and heavy machinery. This product, known as a dimensioner system, can make and record measurements in the fraction of the time it would take to take such measurements by hand, at one-tenth of the cost of similar devices marketed by competitors, according to company cofounder and CEO Jason Joachim.

domain: news


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American model and reality TV star, Jordyn Woods, who appeared to have put behind her, the cheating scandal with Tristan Thompson took to Instagram to flaunt her stunning look.
The 21-year-old model who is currently in Nigeria posed up a storm in a plunging khaki dress as she stepped out in Lagos on Saturday
Sharing the photo, she explained why her dress was unironed;
actually I liked this one better.. and before you say my dress is unironed.. this is the style it was made.?
More Photos below ;
Read Also: ??
Jordyn Woods announces on Instagram that she’s coming to Nigeria
Kylie Jenner dumps Jordyn Woods, gets a new best friend
Bobrisky slays in curve-hugging dress (Photos)
Kenyan couple dress causally for their wedding (Photos)


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On October 17th, a new VR platform arrives, Mixed Reality headsets are coming!
It was announced today at IFA in Berlin, that the first Windows Mixed Reality headsets will start arriving for the general public on October 17th! This is when the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 becomes available. Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Hewlett-Packard and others are all bringing out Windows "Mixed Reality" headsets during this launch. Truthfully, the whole "Mixed Reality" term is more marketing speak than anything else. These are basically just normal VR headsets. What really makes this thing special however, is the fact that we have a major new player entering the game. This player is Microsoft, one of the most powerful technology companies in the world. Microsoft has recognized that Virtual Reality isn't going anywhere. It's here to stay, and they've decided to claim their piece of the pie.
The real key with this consumer launch, is seeing what Microsoft does with their Windows 10 Store. We have Steam, Oculus Store, PSN and Viveport as the major retailers of digital VR software currently. (PlayStation VR of course also has physical software sold in brick and mortar stores, as well as online retailers). Will Microsoft have exclusive content that you can only get by signing into the Windows 10 Store? I'd expect so. The real key for them, is to try to get as many consumers as possible, to use their Windows 10 Store for their VR entertainment needs. Microsoft wants VR consumers to get used to the process of buying things from the Windows 10 Store. Microsoft would love nothing more, than to make inroads on Valve's domination of the market. Exclusive games and experiences are mandatory, because they need to have a reason to make VR consumers sit up and take notice.
Microsoft has already revealed that 343 Industries is working on multiple Halo Mixed Reality Experiences, the first of which could be arriving in the near future. Exclusive content like this will be absolutely key.
The question is, how long will it take for them to have an experience as powerful as Halo to draw VR gamers into their ecosystem? As much as we'd like to play some Halo VR this Fall, the chances of that happening are probably a bit remote. You'd think that Microsoft would want a Halo VR experience on their Xbox One X platform day and date with any Windows 10 Store version. To the best of our knowledge, Microsoft has never had an exclusive Halo experience on PC. It's always been Xbox titles that have been ported over to the PC at a later date. Microsoft is on record as saying that VR won't be coming to Xbox One X until later in 2018. Phil Spencer repeatedly stated that VR needs to incubate on Windows for awhile before coming to the living room. Our best guess, is that there won't be any VR for Xbox until November 2018. If this special Mixed Reality Halo experience is that far away, why talk about it now?
It's possible, instead, that there could be a much shorter, teaser type of Halo experience, that could actually arrive, long before VR arrives on Xbox. Lenovo, Acer, Dell and the rest of them, would be absolutely thrilled to have some content like Halo, to get consumers motivated to buy their headsets. Whether or not anything Halo actually arrives this year, we do know that Microsoft has a ton of VR games headed to their Windows 10 Store for launch. Already announced are games like Super HOT, Arizona Sunshine, REC ROOM, Ark Park, Fantastic Contraption and many others. So far, we don't know of a really big exclusive coming this fall, but Microsoft could have something under wraps that we don't know about yet. Stay tuned, because the VR market is certainly heating up and getting more interesting. This competition might be scary to the status quo, but the one thing that it does, is elevate the game for all the other players. Oculus, HTC, Sony and everybody else needs to step up their game, now that another big boy has entered the ring.


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By Kate McGeown
BBC News, western Thailand
Every day Yew Sittipan stands forlornly next to his empty souvenir stall on Thailand's Phi Phi island.
Railay beach is usually packed with tourists at this time of year
In the mainland town of Krabi, Michael Anderson's dive shop is also deserted, as is Nay Phethung's restaurant further up the coast in Phuket.
Since the tsunami hit Thailand's western coast on 26 December, tourists have been few and far between.
"Normally my shop is really full at this time, because it's high season. Now hardly anyone comes," said Yew Sittipan.
"We've already had Sars and bird flu in Thailand, and now this. What else is there to come?"
It is now three months on from the tsunami disaster, which killed more than 6,000 people in Thailand and left many tourist resorts in ruins.
Visitors are gradually returning to some areas, but others remain in urgent need of tourist cash.
Patong, the main tourist strip on the island of Phuket, has so far been the most successful area at attracting holidaymakers back to its beaches.
The main road, full of bars and restaurants, looks almost as crowded as usual.
Many of the tourists visiting Patong are surprised at how quickly the area has recovered.
"I think the Thais have done really well," said British tourist Sarah McKay. "I wasn't expecting it to be back like this so soon."
"When you're in the bars here you almost forget that the tsunami happened. It's only when you go down to the beach that you see the damage."
'Perfect time to visit'
But in the regions most affected by the disaster, such as Khao Lak and Phi Phi, practically all the foreigners in the area are volunteers, helping with the reconstruction effort.
"It's good that volunteers are coming here," said Yew Sittipan, "but they don't buy many things from the shops."
Frances Hill, who owns a clothes shop in the resort of Railay, near Krabi, warned that many small businesses in Thailand might not survive the huge drop in revenue after the tsunami.
"Some people are definitely going to go bankrupt. I already know a few shops that have closed," she said.
"The ironic thing is that it's a perfect time to come here. It should be high season - the weather's perfect - but there are fewer people now than we usually get at low season. You can virtually have a beach to yourself."
Even when tourists do choose to visit the area, they are rarely in a mood for spending money, according to Charouge Aka, who owns a gift shop in Patong.
"Many tourists have come because the hotels are cheaper, and they aren't interested in spending money in the shops or on excursions," she said.
"It means that people like me still don't sell very many goods."
Krabi dive shop owner Michael Anderson agreed.
"The number of tourists is gradually increasing, but they're a different kind of tourist. They've come here on cheap package deals and they don't want to go diving."
But there is one type of excursion which appears to be proving popular, particularly in Phuket.
Tourists are hiring taxis and even buses to travel to the areas worst hit by the disaster.
Lars Schmidt, a Danish tourist currently staying in Phuket, is one of those whose curiosity led him to take the two-hour trip to Khao Lak.
"When we heard what happened on the news, we wanted to see it for ourselves. I'd been to Khao Lak before the tsunami so I just wanted to see what had happened," he said.
Some areas of the devastated landscape are proving particularly popular with visitors. Displaced people living in camps along the coast are getting used to seeing bus-loads of Thais and foreigners.
Visitors regularly arrive at Khao Lak's refugee camps
A police boat that was washed several kilometres inland by the tsunami, and came to rest in a group of trees, is also a popular photo spot.
"It's becoming a tourist attraction," said Karen Blackman, a British volunteer in Khao Lak. "There are plans to leave it as a memorial."
Ms Blackman has recently decided to set up a shop close to the police boat, selling products made by victims of the tsunami. This shop, at least, is not short of customers.
"We've only been open a few days and we had a coach-load of more than 100 Americans this morning. They almost cleared us out," she said.
But while the money from a not-for-profit craft shop is a welcome source of income for Thailand's tsunami survivors, it is not a long-term solution.
Thailand's tourist agency is anxious to get the message out that its beaches, bars and shops are back open for business as usual.
"The only area that we would advise people not to go to is Khao Lak, but all the other areas are completely fine to visit," said Richard Hume, the UK Marketing Director for the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
"In fact, the sea looks better than it has done for 20 years, as the tsunami has washed a lot of debris away."
Mr Hume estimated that tourism would be back to normal by the summer - with the exception of Khao Lak, which would take a couple of years to recover.
In the meantime, the small businesses dependent on the tourist trade desperately need visitors.
As Giovanni Romchi, an Italian tourist in Patong Beach, put it: "The people who survived the disaster here need money. If tourists do not come back soon, they will face another disaster - this time a financial one."


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Keppel Land Partners has partnered with Indian developer TOI Yamuna Real Estate to develop a posh Mumbai township. A question that begs to be asked is this: will the deal to benefit us in the long run?
The two companies, in which Keppel Real Estate Investment Trust is one of the members, have formed a partnership to build a mall in a mall. The Indian developer plans to build a township in South Mumbai, not far from Vile Parle and Andheri. The mega-mall, they are planning to build will include some high-end residential towers, restaurants, retail outlets and leisure areas.
However, the actual intention of the township developers in Mumbai is to develop a shopping complex, while making use of the real estate at Vile Parle. The developers are hoping to attract a number of shoppers to the township who will spend more money at the mall.
In fact, with the help of Indian developers like TOI Yamuna Real Estate, the township development project will become a lucrative venture for the two parties involved. As they say, the money talks!
Razor-thin profits for developers
Developers will definitely rake in the profits, because the city is booming. The metro is the fastest growing major city in the world and has its own successful shopping complexes such as Bellandur and Bhendi Bazaar. The government has even implemented a set of rules to encourage investment in the city’s real estate sector.
People need to buy, especially now. Shopping malls in Mumbai are mushrooming day by day, as the city keeps on expanding, and more people want to visit these malls and enjoy shopping. Infact, the city has over two hundred shopping complexes. This means more people will be coming to shop at these malls.
Besides, there are more malls coming up every day, and it will not be easy to manage them all. Besides, most of these malls will require huge investments and take a lot of time to build. What this means is that more people need to get their hands on these malls, thus, they will need malls to call their own.
Since so many people are moving into the city, the growth of the city has become a matter of concern for many developers. They need to find ways to accommodate more people in order to sell more products.
A modern city with malls
In fact, Mumbai has so much to offer to people who want to live in a brand new city. The city is at the cusp of modernity. Thus, a growing number of people in the city are looking for exciting activities and a unique lifestyle.
One way of finding out what the people really want is to set up some open malls in a particular city, and then follow the activities taking place in the town. If you are interested in knowing what people want, you can take a close look at what is happening in your own town.
This is the best time to open malls and open shopping complexes in the city, as there is no time limit when the mall will become an open mall. It can even be five years or ten years before you finally open the mall to the public.
This is how real estate can benefit you, as developers will get a chance to meet and talk to people, get a good idea about what they want and then go ahead and build their project. The developers can take what they learn and apply it to their next project. thus, it is a win-win situation for everyone involved!


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Quality and Compliance no longer treated as a ‘tick-the-box after thought’, says industry expert
Moderne samfund resulterer i kvalitet og compliance management ikke længere betragtes som en eftertanke for virksomheder.
Globalisation, competition for choice – coupled by the explosion of social media in the last decade – means that businesses need to be operating to the upmost standards under immense scrutiny.
Paul Hastings, en kvalitets- og overholdelseskonsulent med softwarefirma Ideagen, er godt rustet til at diskutere de ændringer, der tvinger en kulturel bevægelse på tværs af kvalitet og overholdelse.
Paul, who has over 20 years’ experience and has advised some of the largest companies in the world on quality standards and regulatory requirements, will present at the upcoming Total Supply Chain Summit in London in May on ‘Quality and Compliance in the Digital Age’.
He believes, due to the developments of modern society – including the explosion of social media and general consumer and business awareness – that quality and compliance are becoming more inclusive.
Han sagde: “Quality is becoming a focus of modern day society because people are now more aware of the choices out there. If you look back to quality as it was in years gone by, there were limited choices – or limited knowledge of choices – and so businesses weren’t under as much competition for market share. For example, if you were buying a computer, you bought an IBM or Compaq or if you’re going to get soft drink you bought a Pepsi or a Coke.
“But now, when you look at the competition, there is so much choice and knowledge for consumers that any business not maintaining consistent quality levels or operating to the appropriate standards will struggle. It is literally forcing every single business to do things better to stay ahead of the game. In terms of quality and compliance, this in turn is forcing organisations to look at both areas more seriously, introducing dedicated software systems and electronic processes to help. No longer is it the responsibility of the Quality Manager or the Quality Department – it is becoming much more inclusive and involving everyone from the C-suite down.”
Paul tilføjede: “Businesses are being forced to modernise. They need to become more productive, more efficient and more streamlined and to be able to respond faster as well. It’s a good time for quality and compliance within the global business space.”
Hastings er stærkt involveret i produktions-, produktions- og servicesektoren for Ideagen, et britiskbaseret globalt softwarefirma, der leverer software og tjenester til organisationer, der opererer inden for højt regulerede industrier.
Throughout a career spanning more than two decades – ten with Ideagen – Mr Hastings has provided strategic guidance, advice and training to some of the world’s largest and most complex organisations.
Han tilføjede: “Globalisation and the impact of social media have played a huge part in helping quality and compliance become more mainstream.
“The interconnectivity of the world is a mega trend across all industries now – every company has a global market. For example, if you look at the car industry the likes of Honda, Mitsubishi, BMW and Volkswagon etc, all have a global market for their brand. Looking at companies such as Pepsi and Coca Cola again, as well as the likes of McVities and Walkers – all of them have global brands. If their standards slip – it could be catastrophic for them.
“Solid productivity and efficiency processes have to be in place to help these companies manage their global operations and this is where society is playing its part. You can’t have a global brand operating different quality processes in Paris than they do, in say, Sydney. Social media and the interconnectivity of the modern world means that simply isn’t possible now – the scrutiny is too much.
“People and businesses now have an understanding that quality and compliance management should be at the forefront of business’ strategy and, therefore, the responsibility of everyone. That can only be a good thing for global business and, in turn, the consumer.”
Det kommende samlede Supply Chain Summit bringer logistikprofessionelle og nøgleindustrien løsningsleverandører sammen. Topmødet består af en-til-en forretningsmøder, interaktive seminarer og netværksmuligheder. Arrangementet finder sted i løbet af to dage på mandag, maj 20th og tirsdag, maj 21st.
Within his presentation at the event, Mr Hastings will discuss modern day quality and compliance management and how to become a productive and efficient organisation in the ‘digital age’.


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How Vicky caught a break when the chips were down
LIKE many business owners Vicky Webster feared lockdown would prove disastrous. But with a loyal clientele and by embracing the digital world, her Christchurch chip shop – Captain Cod – has been busier than ever.
On one night early in the pandemic she recorded her highest ever sales of £2,700. Vicky said: “The app went absolutely mental. In just an hour and a half we had reached that total.
“I went home that night and cried. I had to close the app down as it was going crazy, it was amazing.”
She had launched the ordering app only three weeks before the coronavirus lockdown was imposed and was worried customers would not know about it. Her shop in Stour Road was not allowing customers in, as per government restrictions.
Vicky said: “I was really worried that I would lose the business as I still had a loan of a £1,000 a month to meet, and overnight the government had said I could not have customers in the shop.
“But I was completely wrong.
“I put info about the app on Facebook and orders started pouring in. I had furloughed all the staff, so it was just me in the shop.
“I had to call up my staff and say, ‘Help I need you to come in!’ We now have five staff in the shop and 10 delivery drivers making 160 on average a night between 5pm and 8pm.”
Vicky said the response from customers has been amazing: “I do a video on Facebook every week for my customers. Usually I give them a big hug, but I can’t at the moment.
They’ve been brilliant. I really miss them. Some of them have come down with flowers, chocolate and wine.
“The amount of messages of support I have got has made me cry.”
The delivery service has proved so successful that Vicky intends to expand it when the lockdown is over, saying: “Before lockdown we would only do five to six deliveries a night. But now we are doing absolutely loads.
“Everything has completely changed. We’ve made it into rural areas like Bransgore.
“I’ve invested in a £300 delivery bag which keeps food hotter for longer as sometimes we are driving for half an hour.
“We do not have a delivery charge. I didn’t think it was fair as people don’t have a lot of money at the moment and a lot are not able to get out.”
Vicky started working at the fish and chip shop when she was just 13 and took it over with her then husband when she was 19. When the couple divorced three years ago, her husband got their house while she got the business.
Vicky laughs: “At the time it wasn’t a brilliant plan, having two children and being homeless while trying to run a business. I was sofa surfing with two kids and a cat for three months.
“I didn’t think I could carry the shop on. But a good friend of mine gave me a kick and said, ‘You’ve got to do it!’. I’m a strong woman so I got to it.”
Vicky has built up a successful business – her chip shop won best in Christchurch for five years running. She laughed: “They changed it to best takeaway in the end to stop us taking top prize every year.”
Last year she undertook a £70,000 refurbishment. She said: “The range was completely gone as it had been there for 30 years. That was a bit of a shock.”
She credits her team for helping to keep her going during the pandemic and has made sure they are dealing well with lockdown.
Just before the shutdown a close friend died, and she admitted: “My head was just not in the right head space at all but coming into the shop helped because we were so busy.
“But every so often I would start to cry and then all my staff would have a cry with me.
“My message to everyone is to please look after yourself first. Many of us in this industry are very work-orientated and we work hard. But you need to look after yourself too.”
She does a daily WhatsApp chat with her staff to make sure they are all coping with lockdown, saying: “Even if it’s just to have a laugh and a giggle. A couple are having to self-isolate, so just having that contact really helps.”


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YOUR GATEWAY TO THE WORLD OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY
Costco Members Can Schedule $29 Online Healthcare Visits Costco members can save even more thanks to the retailer’s new healthcare initiative.
Costco is now offering members online health checkups for as low as $29. The...Read More
Dunkin’® will reward loyal customers on National Coffee Day on Sept. 29. Dunkin’ will also partner with the Little Words Project, a non-profit that supports cancer prevention and mental health programs across the country. Dunkin...Read More
Subway® is encouraging sub-sandwich fans to race to the northern-most city in North America for the chance to win 1 million rewards points, an automatic upgrade to the All-Star tier level in the Subway MVP Rewards program and be named a Subway...Read More
Target Offers Loyal Shoppers Week-Long Savings Target Circle Week is back with new savings for loyalty shoppers between Oct. 1-7. During the sales promotion, Target Circle members can save on thousands of items and receive up to 40% on...Read More
Creating a unique and differentiated loyalty strategy, data collection, and adapting to new technologies are top of mind for any loyalty manager. Givex partners with brands to integrate loyalty programs, maximize the benefits of their loyalty...Read More
88% of Gen Z Believe AI Can Help Shopping Experience Younger shoppers have a positive outlook on how AI (artificial intelligence) can impact their customer experience. A new consumer research study by leading e-commerce technology...Read More
Panera Bread has announced it has developed a new way of ordering, exclusively in the Panera App. The introduction of Crunch Time Ordering has been a part of Panera Bread’s on-going strategy to help improve customers’ experiences. This...Read More
Sprouts to Open 40 Stores and launch Loyalty Program Sprouts Farmers Markets will expand its store count to 40 new locations. With this move, the grocery store brand will also launch its loyalty program to reward shoppers for their continued...Read More
Cracker Barrel has just made every visit even more rewarding to fans of the country-style restaurant chain. Members of the new Cracker Barrel Rewards program can earn Pegs (like points) through restaurant or retail purchases and redeem them...Read More
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) has built its new loyalty program – LAFC Gold. Fans of the soccer team will be able to receive new offers and benefits to enjoy while shopping in the team’s pro store and other LAFC merchandise...Read More


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Cardboard Solar Cooker Wins Climate Challenge Contest
- Apr 13, 2009 4:52 PM EST
- [num] Comments
In really poor rural areas in developing countries where using firewood for cooking goes beyond the few days of camping many of us are used to, something that costs $5 a pop and can be used for a period of time is highly-desirable. Although its usefulness can be seen upon first glance, how it won the contest is a bit mind-boggling according to Fast Company, seeing as similar cooking devices have existed in the past, many in DIY form. One reason I could think of is that, as organizer Forum for the Future (a charity for sustainable development) puts it, the challenge is for products that have already "moved off the drawing board and demonstrated their feasibility." And indeed, a working factory in Nairobi, Kenya is capable of manufacturing 2.5 million Kyoto Boxes a month, thereby demonstrating the viability of mass producing the device.


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Shower manufacturer Triton has launched an initiative to draw attention to the safety of shower accessories and the dangers of installing incompatible, poor quality and non-compliant products.
The campaign focuses on the risks of connecting sub-standard hoses and spray heads to showers.
It also highlights how incorrect pairing of accessories can lead to operational issues and even pose a threat to the user’s wellbeing.
Triton is reminding bathroom professionals and their customers not all spray heads are suitable for electric showers, they can have an adverse effect on performance, and lead to the provision of extremely hot water.
In addition, Triton warns of the problems of low quality shower heads and hoses which can become twisted or kinked during use.
This restricts water flow and can create unwanted back pressure in an electric shower, as well as a build-up of hot water in the shower.
Senior technical manager for Triton Steve Saunders commented: “Compliance with quality standards is a huge issue for the bathroom industry and is an on-going theme which needs constant attention if people are to be adequately protected in their own homes.
“All too often we hear how cheap imports and badly-produced products are being sold at low price points in the UK. Understandably, discounted accessories are an attractive proposition for anyone looking for a quick update but there do not always equal safe solutions.
“Just because a product is available to buy in this country doesn’t mean it is compliant with the necessary British and European safety standards. As a result, Triton has chosen to raise the awareness of the importance of buying and fitting only shower accessories which have been designed and tested with the user’s safety in mind.
“Over the coming months, Triton will therefore be offering advice and information on this subject, including point of sales material to showing the effects on sub-standard hoses and shower heads.”
It follows a call by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) for the industry to better protect consumers against cheap products.
Chief executive of the BMA Yvonne Orgill said: “There has never been a better time to improve awareness among consumers not just of the importance of sourcing compliant ‘fit for purpose’ products but also to rid our industry of non-compliant operators.
“This campaign will have an important part to play in educating consumers and ensuring that those who adhere to the highest standards are easily identified so that they can be a natural choice for consumers.”


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The world's largest technology trade show, CES, is set to kick off in Las Vegas on Tuesday, unveiling a slew of cutting-edge gadgets from top tech brands even before its official opening.
Among the highlights are innovative high-end televisions, health-tracking devices, and a revolutionary phone holder capable of automatically tracking users as they move in front of the camera.
CES 2024 gadgets
Withings, a wearables firm, has introduced BeamO, a compact device integrating a thermometer, ECG heart monitor, digital stethoscope, and blood oxygen level scanner, touting it as the world's first four-in-one vitals monitor that conducts a comprehensive health check in just a minute.
Major players like Samsung, Sony, LG, and Panasonic will reveal their latest products and provide glimpses into their upcoming technologies at the annual event. Samsung is gearing up to showcase a new lineup of high-end 8K resolution TVs, including a speaker within its Frame range that mimics a modern picture frame when not in use. Additionally, transparent TV technology will be demonstrated by both Samsung and LG at the show.
Belkin, a smartphone accessory maker, has unveiled a motorised iPhone stand designed to automatically adjust and keep a subject in focus during camera use for social media, content creation, or video calling.
Etc, a startup under the BT Group, seized the opportunity to announce plans for a trial to convert old green street cabinets — formerly used for broadband and phone cables — into electric vehicle charging points.
Experts anticipate that artificial intelligence and automotive technology will dominate as major trends at the show. Ahead of the official opening, several prominent brands are scheduled to host events on Monday to unveil their latest devices and services, with the automotive industry increasingly taking centre stage at CES.


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Leading food manufacturing company Kellogg, plans to construct a new manufacturing line with investment of $145 million at its Pringles Factory in the Lodz Special Economic Zone in Poland.
Details provided below:
- The new manufacturing line of Kellogg will be completed by May 2021
- The expansion will bring 100 new jobs to the locality
- Dave Lawlor, President, Kellogg Europe commented, “We’re delighted to start work on this expansion of our plant here in Poland. We know that consumers love Pringles and we are seeing continued growth for Pringles across all of our core markets in Europe. This investment means that we’ll be able to increase production of our food to meet the increasing demand we’re experiencing. This is great news for Kellogg, great news for Pringles fans everywhere and great news for the team here in Kutno.”


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Event riders are being invited to travel to the Emerald Isle for an early spring run as popular events, including Weston Park and Bradwall, continue to suffer from heavy balloting with riders being turned away due to over subscription.
The organisers of the brand new Ballygraffan one-day event are offering a unique deal, including free return transport and free stabling, to British riders competing at the event on 24 April, which is located in beautiful undulating country.
The event is taking place at Comber, about 10mile from the Port of Belfast and 30mile from the Port of Larne, and is holding open intermediate, intermediate and novice sections.
Competitors who make the journey can look forward to being among the first to ride the brand new cross-country course, which was designed by Hugh Lochore and build by the Willis brothers, as well as a traditional Irish welcome.
Event secretary Margaret Spiers explains: “Irish riders regularly travel to Britain to compete and we would like to encourage British competitors to come and enjoy of taste of Irish eventing at this wonderful brand-new event.”
The organisers are offering:
- Free “return” lorry travel, paid for by Eventing Ireland Northern Region, providing lorries are filled to a “reasonable” capacity. For further details contact Harold Lusk of Lusk Transport (tel: 028 9263 8836)
- Free stabling, as close as possible to the event
- Any points and or prize money awarded will be accredited to the horse’s British Eventing records
- There will be a “day ticket” fee of £5, added to the entry fee
- Irish hospitality will be offered to all travelling to Ballygraffan
“On behalf of the Ballygraffan organising committee, we look forward to welcoming as many British riders and horses as possible to our event,” says Jean Mitchell of Ballygraffan.
The official closing date for entries is Saturday 17 April, although entries arriving on Monday morning (19 April) will be accepted. For more details, contact event secretary Margaret Spiers (tel: 028 4482 8734).


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EU-Vietnam economic and trade relations
The last decade has witnessed strong and consistent development in bilateral economic and trade relations between the European Union and Vietnam. This, in tandem with the robust growth of Vietnamese economy resulting from the successful implementation of the Doi Moi economic reform process has significantly improved the living standards for a majority of the Vietnamese population.
The EU has been a leading champion of Vietnam's integration into the global economy, and remains the country's foremost trade and investment partner. Vietnam's vibrant economy has benefited from a significant contribution in terms of capital and expertise from Europe and European investors. This, together with the fact that the EU represents a crucial destination for numerous key export items from Vietnam, has made the EU a key contributor to Vietnam's unprecedented economic growth and development.
In the year 2013, Vietnam's bilateral trade with the EU continued to grow against previous years. Exports of Vietnam-made products to the EU reached US$24.4 billion, representing a 24.4% year-on-year increase. The EU28, as Vietnam's largest overseas market, purchased as much as 19% of the country's global exports in the year. The EU was also the second largest trading partner of Vietnam after China only. In particular, the surplus that Vietnam had in its bilateral commercial links with the EU positively and significantly contributed to the country's success in achieving the global trade surplus after two decades of persistent trade deficit. Overall, in 2013, Vietnam enjoyed a record-high trade surplus of US$15.2 billion with the EU. This represents nearly 17 times of its global trade surplus, estimated at US$0.9 billion, according to the Vietnam's General Statistics Office (GSO). Meanwhile, EU goods entering Vietnam grew by 4.2%, at US$9.2 billion. The robust growth of the two way trade during the past decades imply the strong complimentary features of the two economies which have great potentials should there be further trade liberalisation.
Vietnamese strong expansion of exports to the EU market benefit considerably from the EU's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) which aims to facilitate exports of goods from developing countries into the region. Particularly, in October 2012, the EU launched the reformed GSP scheme which is expected to allow some key Vietnamese export goods, such as footwear, to enjoy more preferential tariffs when this enters into force on 1st January 2014. Full information on EU import tariffs and other market access conditions can be found at the EU's Export Helpdesk.)
Vietnamese exports to the EU concentrated on labour intensive products including assembly of electronic items/ telephone sets, footwear, garments and textiles, coffee, seafood and furniture while the top five commodities of EU exports to Vietnam are mainly high-tech products, including boilers-machinery & mechanical products, electrical machinery & equipment, pharmaceutical products, and vehicles. (A summary of the EU’s and Vietnam’s trade profile as well as their mutual trade flows can be found here .)
In recent years, Vietnam's Government has introduced a number of protectionist measures in an effort to trim down the country's persistent trade deficit up until 2011. The effects of certain remaining market access obstacles in Vietnam are a major cause for concern in the EU’s relations with Vietnam since they limit EU investment and two-way trade.
EU policy in this area aims at the liberalisation of trade and investment flows. Key objectives include the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to imports of specific goods, the removal of obstacles to investment (joint venture requirements, burdensome licensing procedures, outright closure of certain sectors to foreigners), and the improvement of the business environment (protection of intellectual property rights etc.). Some of these issues are featured in the “Commercial Counsellors Report on Vietnam” and Eurocham’s white paper on “Trade/Investment Issues & Recommendations”
In the past 2 years, the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Vietnam began to bounce back and is set to increase further in 2014. According to Vietnam's Foreign Investment Agency, total FDI committed by foreign investors in 2013 spiked to US$21.6 billion, a 54.5% rise from that of 2012. At the same time, it is estimated that implemented FDI also went up by 9.9% y-o-y, reaching US$11.5 billion.
Throughout the year, 1275 new FDI projects were licensed with a total committed FDI worth nearly US$14.3 billion, a rise of 70.5% in value. Also, around US$7.3 billion of additional capital was disbursed into existing 472 FDI projects. Following the trend since 2011, the majority of foreign capital was poured into manufacturing industries (76.9% of total registered capital), then power generation and supply, gas, water industries (9.4%) and others (13.7%).
The EU continues to be an important source of capital for Vietnam. Although official statistics show that total committed FDI in 2013 was US$656 million, it is believed that actual FDI inflow from the EU is much higher since most investments are made via multinational companies. In 2013, the EU was Vietnam's 6th largest investment partner, registering for 71 new projects according to the data of the Foreign Investment Agency. Other prominent FDI sources include South Korea (US$3752 million), ASEAN (US$3473 million), China (US$2276 million) and Japan (US$1295 million).
The legal framework
Vietnam's 1992 textile trade agreement with the European Community constituted one of its first trade deals with a Western partner. This was followed by a broader cooperation agreement in 1995, which granted Vietnam most favoured nation treatment in its trade relations with the EU.
The EU was a staunch supporter of Vietnam's endeavour to join the World Trade Organisation, which after over 12 years of arduous negotiations came to a successful conclusion on 11 January 2007. In October 2004, the Union became the first main trading partner to conclude bilateral WTO accession negotiations with Vietnam, a step which gave significant impetus to the overall accession process.
In addition, a new Market Access Agreement [295 KB] in December 2004 lifted all EU quantitative restrictions for Vietnamese textiles as of 1 January 2005, a very important step to put Vietnam on a par with WTO members such as China, well ahead of its WTO entry. In return, Vietnam agreed to open its market further in a number of areas of interest to the European Union, marked by the Framework and Cooperation Agreement [698 KB] in 1995.
Vietnam's WTO accession is not an end in itself, but only an intermediary step on the country's sustainable economic development path. The EU has supported Vietnam on this difficult journey, not least through a number of EU-Vietnam Cooperation Programmes. EU support started in the 1990s and continues with various practical activities carried out in the framework of a number of EC-funded projects, including the well-known Multilateral Trade-related Assistance Programme (MUTRAP), which has been instrumental in supporting Vietnam's negotiating efforts during the WTO accession process and continues to help Vietnam in the implementation period. In November 2013, with the support from MUTRAP, Vietnam shared its first Trade Policy Review since WTO accession, marking a key milestone in its trade reform efforts.
In an effort to bring their bilateral relations to a new height, Vietnam and the EU officially signed the EU-Vietnam Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in June 2012 after nearly 5 years of active negotiations. This framework, aiming for deeper bilateral activities, will extend the previous aid and trade agreements to cover new areas such as economics, trade and investment, science and technology, natural resource, climate change and environment, security, health, education, research and many others.
Managing the relationship
The main high-level forum for monitoring economic and trade relations, exchanging views on trade policy and regulatory issues, and reviewing the implementation of bilateral engagements is the EC-Vietnam Joint Commission, and in particular its Trade and Investment Working Group. In addition, there are frequent direct contacts between the Vietnamese Government and the European Commission, both at the level of its headquarters and the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam.
The Multilateral Trade Assistance Project (MUTRAP) is a key support programme for economic management and for trade development by Vietnam, totalling over € 60 billion already. The partners also maintain a high-level forum for monitoring economic and trade relations, exchanging views on trade policy and regulatory issues, and reviewing the implementation of bilateral engagements.
The European Commission represents the EU as a whole on trade policy issues, in close and regular consultation with EU Member States. In Hanoi, there are regular meetings between the Economic and Commercial Counsellors of all EU missions and the EU Delegation. In addition, the EU Delegation also regularly seeks the views of European industry; represented i.a. by the European Chamber of Commerce.
Moreover, as part of the European Market Access partnership, the European Market Access Team for Vietnam was established in 2008. This serves as a forum for discussions between the business community, Member States Trade Counsellors and the EU Delegation in Vietnam aiming at addressing market access barriers in a more systematic and effective manner.
Perspectives for the future
The year 2013 witnessed a much longed for advancement in the WTO's Doha Round where both the EU and ASEAN countries are key players. The Bali Package, though much less ambitious than the original Doha plan, is a clear indication that countries and regions across the world, the EU included, are still in pursuit of a stronger and more open multilateral trading system.
In the bilateral trade relationship between the EU and Vietnam, there are prospects for further trade liberalisation. The two sides officially launched negotiations for an EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in June 2012 which has now reached a substantial phase with the 6th round taking place in January 2014. The pact is expected to be signed in late 2014, marking a key milestone in EU-Vietnam relationship in terms of market access opportunities for both sides. It would also constitute a stepping stone to increased trade between EU and the region and ultimately contribute to deeper liberalisation of international trade.
* Data source on bilateral trade and FDI: GSO, MPI


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E3 2018: Nintendo Press Conference and Direct Presentation will be Liveblog On Tuesday
According to Arstechnica, Super Smash Bros. for Switch will be highlighted, and maybe more Metroid Prime 4..
On Tuesday, June 12, starting at 9am PDT (12pm EDT, 4pm UTC), for almost the sixth time in a straight year, award-winning game company, Nintendo w For the sixth straight year, Nintendo will abjure the pre-E3 press conference in favor of a live-streamed Nintendo Direct video presentation.
“The Super Smash Bros. fighting-game series will be a prominent focus of our E3 activities this year, so expect to hear a lot of details about that effort” – Nintendo
A presentation of games includes Dragon Ball FighterZ, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, Killer Queen Black, Paladins, and Overcooked 2.
We will update you on the go!
Credits: Nintendo, Arsenica!


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Nielsen’s recent analysis of African American consumer buying habits and trends highlights consumer opportunities for businesses. It also points out possible shortcomings on the part of marketers.
Produced in collaboration with the 72-year-old federation of 200 Black community newspapers, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), this was the second of three annual installments of a report on Black buying power, consumer behavior and lifestyles. African Americans comprise “a consumer group which continues to experience population growth, has unique generational behavioral trends and characteristics and are still a viable market segment full of business opportunities,” according to the report.
Nielsen’s predictions were largely consistent with those made by the Selig Center in 2010 regarding African American consumers’ spending habits. Nielsen projects buying power of $1.1 trillion by 2015 compared to Selig’s forecast of $1.31 billion in 2017.
The Selig Center for Economic Growth produces reports and commissioned studies. Jeff Humphreys, its director and the report’s author, said African Americans had increased their buying power over the past decade by some 60 percent. The study forecast that minority markets would continue growing faster than the majority market, where buying power increased by 49 percent over the past decade.
Defining buying power as disposable income, or money available after taxes, Mr. Humphreys added, “the report provides businesses with a valuable planning tool for judging start-up or expansion opportunities and for tailoring advertising, products and media to individual market segments.”
Nielsen’s insights include analysis of advertising spend in Black media and percentages of Blacks believing Black media is more relevant to them as well as what Black households purchase and use. Age and family composition were broken down along with estimates of where people shop, how much time they spend in various outlets and media used.
Of those insights, perhaps the most significant is the relatively small amount spent on targeted advertising — only one percent of that spent on mainstream audiences — this “despite the fact that Blacks are more brand loyal, watch more TV and less time shifted (DVR) programming than any other demographic group.”
By; Bernice Hurst


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WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced that the District of Columbia and all 50 states have reached a nationwide settlement with Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber) for hiding a data breach in 2016. The breach affected approximately 600,000 drivers nationwide, including more than 7,000 drivers in the District. Under the multistate settlement, Uber is required to strengthen its data security policies and will pay the District more than $2.62 million.
“Uber failed to report a massive data breach in a timely manner as required by District law,” said Attorney General Racine. “In fact, it took Uber one year to inform its drivers and authorities about the breach. Today’s action ensures that Uber will live up to its disclosure obligations in the event of future data breaches and better protects its users’ personal information.”
Uber, a California-based, ride-sharing company, learned in November 2016 that hackers had gained access to some personal information that Uber maintains about its drivers, including drivers’ license information for approximately 600,000 drivers nationwide. Uber tracked down the hackers and obtained assurances that the hackers deleted the information. However, even though the exposure of some of that information triggered District law requiring Uber to notify affected District residents, Uber failed to report the breach to affected drivers or to District and state government officials in a timely manner. In fact, the company did not report it until November 2017, one year after they were informed of the breach.
As part of the nationwide settlement, Uber has agreed to pay $148 million to the states. The District will receive $2,620,711.81. In addition, Uber has agreed to strengthen its corporate governance and data security practices to help prevent a similar occurrence in the future. The settlement includes provisions that, among other things, require Uber to:
- Disclose data breaches to consumers in a timely manner as legally required: District law requires companies to disclose data breaches to affected consumers in “the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay.” The District’s consumer laws also require companies to implement and maintain reasonable security practices to protect sensitive personal information that consumers have given to the company. The settlement requires Uber to comply with these laws in the future.
- Strengthen data security policies and procedures: Uber will strengthen its policies and procedures for data security. The measures include strengthening password policies for its employees to gain access to Uber’s network; implementing a strong comprehensive data security policy for all data that Uber collects about its users, including assessing potential risks to that data. Uber will also hire a qualified outside party to assess the company’s data security efforts on a regular basis and recommend security improvements, which Uber will implement.
- Implement program for employees to report ethics concerns to company management: Uber will develop and implement a corporate integrity program to ensure that Uber employees can bring any ethics concerns they have about any other Uber employees to the company and ensure that those concerns will be heard. As part of the corporate integrity program, the company is required to start a hotline for employees to report misconduct and develop, implement, and maintain an annual training program for employees concerning Uber’s code of conduct.
A copy of the agreement is available at: http://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-09/DC-v-Uber-Technologies-Judgment.pdf
Resources to Protect Your Personal Information
If you believe you may have been the victim of a data breach or that your personal information has been compromised in some way, report it to OAG’s Office of Consumer Protection by calling our Consumer Protection Hotline at 202-442-9828 or submit a complaint online on our Consumer Protection Page. For more information on how to protect your personal information, read our online privacy and identity theft consumer protection resources.


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Paris Hilton settles lawsuit with Hallmark
London, Sep 28, Socialite Paris Hilton has settled a lawsuit she had filed against greeting cards manufacturer Hallmark for allegedly using her image without permission.
The hotel heiress sued bosses at the firm in 2007 claiming they used her picture and her catchphrase, “That’s Hot!”, on a card which was captioned “Paris’s First Day as a Waitress”, reports dailystar.co.uk.
She alleged the card was based on a scene from her hit reality TV show “The Simple Life” and claimed her publicity rights had been violated.
Hilton was expected to battle it out with Hallmark heads in court December, but last week lawyers for both sides told a California judge they had reached a settlement.
The details of the agreement have not been released.


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TOWSON, Md. ( Associated Press) – The historic vote by Maryland Apple Store employees to unionize – a first for the technology giant – is a significant step in a long process that labor experts say is stacking heavily in favor of workers against their employers. Is .
Apple Store employees in a Baltimore suburb voted Saturday to unionize by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, joining growing pressure in the US retail, service and tech industries to organize for greater workplace safety Gone.
It is not yet clear whether the recent wave of unions represents a sweeping change in American labor. But experts say the current shortage of workers for hourly and low-wage jobs means employees have historically had more power, especially when unemployment is low.
“Losing one of these jobs is no big deal because you can get another crummy job,” said Ruth Milkman, a labor scholar at the City University of New York.
The question is what will happen now?
The union announcement said that Apple’s retail employees in Towson, Maryland, voted 65-33 to enter the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The National Labor Relations Board now has to certify the result. A spokesman referred initial questions about the vote to the board’s regional office, which was closed late Saturday. The board did not immediately respond to a message from the Associated Press on Sunday.
Once the vote is certified, the union and Apple can begin negotiating a contract.
“Labor law in the United States is a lengthy process. And so the fact that a single store negotiates or elects to have a union does not mean that there is a settlement contract in the workplace. And we look at recent history. I am aware that in many of these situations, the parties are unable to come to an initial contract,” Michael Duff, a former NRLB attorney and University of Wyoming College of Law professor, said Sunday.
“Employers in the United States have a lot of authority to withdraw recognition at the end of the process. The employer can prove that it no longer supports most of the employees in the bargaining unit,” Duff said.
Duff said that even after a union is certified, a company still has several legal maneuvers to fight it. For example, Apple may state that it does not believe that a bargaining entity certified by the NLRB is a suitable bargaining entity. and refused to bargain with the union.
Duff said, “If that happens, the whole thing goes to the courts and it could easily be a year or two before you even ask whether employers need to bargain with the union. “
Labor experts say it’s common for employers to drag out the bargaining process in an effort to gain momentum from union campaigns. It’s also possible that as Apple — or any other company — restructures its business, unionized workers are reclassified as independent contractors and not employees, in which case the union vote is controversial, Duff said.
Apple declined to comment on Saturday’s development, company spokesman Josh Lipton told The Associated Press over the phone. Apple, who arrived again on Sunday, did not comment.
John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University, said the successful vote motivates workers across the country to organize.
“Activists are already organizing at other Apple stores, but this shows that the company is not invincible,” he said.
Apple’s well-known brand name is also likely to help.
“The public has a very direct relationship with companies like Apple, so the first union victory will increase traditional media and social media coverage,” Logan said. “Young workers learn union activism through this coverage, and some will be inspired to try to organize their own workplaces.”
Despite the US labor law being pitted against workers, Duff said she thinks “if there’s going to be a rekindled labor movement in the United States it’s going to be this way.”
Union organizing in various fields has gained momentum recently, after decades of decline in American union membership. Organizers have worked to unionize companies including Amazon, Starbucks, Google’s parent company Alphabet and external retailer REI.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Apple employees who wanted to join said they had sent a notice last month to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking for a union. The statement said his driving motivation is “to seek rights we do not currently have.” It states that workers recently organized into coalitions, or corps, of organized retail workers.
“I appreciate the courage displayed by core members at the Apple Store in Towson to achieve this historic victory,” IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. said in the statement. “He made a huge sacrifice for the thousands of Apple employees across the country who were watching this election.”
Martinez called on Apple to respect the election results and let unionizing employees fast-track efforts to secure a contract at the Towson location.
IAM bills itself as one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive and other industries. does. Logan said Apple’s victory shows that the established labor movement has been able to “adapt itself to the needs of the group of independent-minded, self-confident workers you find at Apple Stores.”
The Apple Store unionization vote comes against the backdrop of other labor organizing efforts across the country – some of them rebuffed.
Amazon employees at a New York City warehouse voted to unionize in April, the first successful US organizing effort in the retail giant’s history. However, workers at another Amazon warehouse on Staten Island overwhelmingly rejected the union bid last month. Meanwhile, Starbucks employees at dozens of US stores have voted to unionize in recent months, after two of the coffee chain’s stores in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize late last year.
Many unionization efforts have been led by youth activists in their 20s and even in their teens. A group of Google engineers and other workers formed the Alphabet Workers Union last year, which represents about 800 Google employees and is run by five people under 35.
“It’s the kind of generation in the world that’s really different than what we’ve seen in many generations,” said CUNY’s Milkman. “They believe in it.”
The Associated Press


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OnePlus teased a OnePlus 9 “T” model a few days ago and this contradicted a report that had said the company wouldn’t release a premium smartphone in the second half of the year. The picture is clearer now with the emergence of a report from Android Central that claims the Chinese company plans to launch the OnePlus 9 RT later in 2021.
The new device will inherit OnePlus 9R’s 120Hz AMOLED screen, 4500mAh battery, and 65W charging support.
The OnePlus 9R missed out on OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro’s camera upgrades. It came with a 48MP main camera, a 16MP ultrawide sensor, a 5MP macro unit, and a 2MP monochrome module. The new iteration is expected to get the OnePlus 9 duo’s 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor.
Like the Nord 2, the OnePlus 9RT is tipped to employ the 50MP unit as the main camera sensor.
So, in essence, it sounds like a OnePlus 9R with a slightly better chip and a new camera. It will be interesting to see if these changes will be enough to make it the best midrange Android phone of the year.
OnePlus 9 RT will be the first OnePlus phone to run Android 12 out of the gate
The report has also revealed that the OnePlus 9 RT will ship with Android 12-based OxygenOS 12 out of the box.
OnePlus’ OxygenOS and Oppo’s ColorOS have been merged. With OxygenOS 12, OnePlus users can expect ColorOS aesthetics, floating windows, a theme store, redesigned Settings page, and new privacy-centric features such as alerts for clipboard access by apps and Private Safe for sensitive documents.
For current OnePlus users who have been waiting for OxygenOS 12, a closed beta would have been out by now were it not for bugs. The closed beta will apparently begin by the end of the month, which means the public beta should be available next month.
The OnePlus 9 RT will apparently be announced in October. It will be available in only a few markets and will go on sale first in India and China. No pricing details are currently available. The OnePlus 9R had a starting price of around $550 in India.
The phone will not be released in Europe and North America. In these markets, the company’s focus is the budget segment which it is trying to win over with the Nord N range.


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01 października 2019
Melco Ditches Junkets for brand spanking new Casino Spire, turret at Associated with Dreams Macau
Melco Resorts & Entertainment will not resort to junket operators to bring VIP potential customers to the brand-new tower in its City of Aspirations Macau enclosed resort, Lawrence Ho, TOP DOG and Chairman of the key developer, states.
Melco is determined to open typically the Morpheus podium at Associated with Dreams Macau next month. The very tower will feature through 770 rooms in hotels and a wide variety of amenities for visitors and also overnight friends, including game playing tables and event spots. It will chiefly target premium mass sector customers.
The fundamental hotel as well as casino creator is interested in make the hard to find move of ditching middlemen to help it again lure rich high roller players to the newest inclusion to her portfolio. Is among the a popular procedure for Macau’s casino hotel operators to partner with junket companies which would refer people to their game floors.
Melco’s move uses the government with Macau, the only place in Cina where online casino gambling is definitely legal, offers urged the main city’s six to eight licensed online casino operators to help reduce their very own reliance regarding VIP competitors and to try and draw even more mass market place customers in their properties by just diversifying most of their offering.
Stress from Macau lawmakers grown after Chinese President Xi Jinping brought out an anti-corruption campaign of which resulted in huge rollers via Mainland The far east withdrawing with the casino link in a put money on to avoid currently being swept within the crackdown . As a result, Macau’s gambling sales revenue dropped noticeably, which therefore affected the main city’s overall economy.
Location On The Jump
April profits from Macau’s casinos spiked 28% year-on-year, marking the 21st right month with gains . The city’s operators got into consideration the government’s instructions and diversified their offering in a manner that might make their attributes more attractive to help mass market customers.
While VIP participants still get more than a half the revenue generated at Macau’s gaming floorboards, casino owners are favourable about the prospective of the higher quality mass industry segment.
Mr.. Ho includes too also been bullish regarding that particular couple of visitors as well as fact that the company’s most innovative addition may target mass market guests indicates his particular confidence.
The very businessman furthermore expressed self-assurance about Macau’s growth this season. He says he plans gross gaming revenue at the popular gaming hub to go up around twenty percent in 2018 , thus exceeding marketplace projections on an increase in the high-single- so that https://online-casinos-vip.com/ you can low-double-digit spectrum.
Aside from Macau, Melco now operates any casino location in the Malaysia and is building a € 500-plus-million resort while in the Republic about Cyprus . The company will be eying Tosu, japan as its following expansion destination.
Mr. Ho said in the recent job interview with Bloomberg that he may be lobbying intensively in that country for over ten years now and that also Melco is usually ready to think big for its video gaming and hospitality markets . Japan legalized casino bingo within bundled resorts in late 2016 as well as being currently planning to set out the laws under which such real estate would be constructed and handled along with their games floors.


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Sep 15, 2014, 4:27 pm EDT
As usual, Ken Burns used the bully pulpit of the National Press Club to promote his latest PBS documentary, this one on Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, and how their flaws, as well as their strengths, made them American heroes.
Sep 15, 2014, 3:59 pm EDT
The Zesto Drive-In restaurant at 544 Ponce de Leon Avenue will close its doors Sept. 20 after 60 years in business.
Sep 15, 2014, 2:48 pm EDT
PulteGroup Inc. hired Manish Shrivastava as its chief marketing officer.
Sep 15, 2014, 2:09 pm EDT
DS Services of America Inc. acquired Pine Mountain Springs Inc. for an undisclosed amount.
Sep 15, 2014, 12:38 pm EDT
From client relationships to product development, businesses thrive on productivity. PeoplePerHour and DeskDonkie founder Xenios Thrasyvoulou suggests a few ways entrepreneurs can be more efficient and effective in their work.
Sep 15, 2014, 12:00 pm EDT
Former Georgia Democratic Party Chairman and attorney Mike Berlon was arraigned Friday, accused of defrauding clients out of $1.8 million.
Sep 15, 2014, 11:32 am EDT
Social media has become the mainstay for consumers to post, share, tag and link to both positive and horrible customer service experiences. Tracy Foster, founder of ONA, says social media is also an outlet for businesses to interact with consumers and bring high quality customer service.
Sep 15, 2014, 11:31 am EDT
Uffner will replace Trent Sorbe.
Sep 15, 2014, 11:08 am EDT
First Intercontinental Bank completed the sale of more than 1.14 million shares of newly issued common stock for $6 million.
Sep 15, 2014, 10:54 am EDT
Attention 1990s caffeine addicts -- The Coca-Cola Co. has brought back Surge 12 years after killing the brand.
Sep 15, 2014, 10:26 am EDT
A tradiphobic marketer has a serious problem that can’t be cured by “traditional” medicine, because, well, that’s the problem.
Sep 15, 2014, 10:23 am EDT
The cost of fraud to retailers jumped 10 percent in the past year as fraudsters increased dramatically their efforts, according to Atlanta-based LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ sixth annual True Cost of Fraud study.
Sep 15, 2014, 10:02 am EDT
Kelley Blue Book hired SunTrust Bank Inc.’s national online consumer lending unit LightStream as its exclusive online lender.
Sep 15, 2014, 9:46 am EDT
One of out every 60 new cars registered in the Peach State, in the first six months, was an all-electric vehicle.


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BROOKLYN, Ohio -- American Greetings Corp. reported robust first-quarter sales and earnings for the three months that ended May 31, with net sales up 26 percent to $490.5 million, and profits more than tripling to $33.4 million.
The family-run greeting card designer, manufacturer and retailer also reported that the long-anticipated shareholder vote on its plans to go private will be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 7, at its Brooklyn headquarters.
That follows last week's announcement by Chief Executive Zev Weiss, Chairman Morry Weiss, President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Weiss and other members of the controlling Weiss family that they were raising their offer to take the company private to $19 a share, up from the previous $18.20 price.
The company's board of directors has unanimously recommended that shareholders approve the transaction at the higher price next month. The deal must be approved by a majority of non-family shareholders.
American Greetings' first-quarter net income of $33.4 million, or $1.02 per diluted share, was more than three times the $7.3 million, or 20 cents per diluted share, reported in the same period the previous year.
For the first three months of its 2014 fiscal year, which will likely be its last earnings report as a publicly traded company, the company said its net sales rose about $101.3 million from the previous year's $389.3 million.About $63 million of that increase came from the retail stores purchased from Clinton Cards in the second quarter of the previous year. The company also saw an $11 million increase in net sales from its fixtures business, because of a contract to supply fixtures to a large unnamed consumer electronics company.
And the final $27 million came from increases in purchases of greeting cards ($20 million) and gift wrap, party goods and other products ($7 million).
The company also benefited from an extra six selling days in its first quarter, which ended May 31, compared to the first quarter of its 2013 fiscal year, which ended May 25.
The previous fiscal year's results were also hurt by about $4 million in costs related to a supply agreement for Clinton Cards' Birthday stores, closed during the Clinton Cards bankruptcy administration process.
American Greetings, the nation's largest publicly traded greeting card company, reported its earnings before the markets opened on Wednesday.
Follow me on twitter: @janetcho


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NORWALK — The first Amazon 4-star store in Connecticut opens Wednesday morning at The SoNo Collection, selling the top-rated, best-selling and otherwise trending products on its website in any given week.
“We take a lot of cues from what works and what people love about Amazon.com — the physical experience you see in our store is very intentionally related to that,” said Drew Sheriff, director of Amazon stores who previously spent a decade with Starbucks. “Amazon 4-Star is really all about discovery. We’re trying to make it a fun and exciting way for customers to discover a new product we think they’ll love.”
Amazon 4-star is the latest in a series of arrivals at The SoNo Collection, which opened in October with only a small selection of stores along with Nordstrom. Bloomingdale’s followed in November, then the Pinstripes bowling-bocce bistro in December and a sprinkling of others new to Connecticut like Camp, an rapidly expanding chain with an experiential toy store concept.
Still to come are a few more mall mainstays like Apple; Connecticut newcomers like EQ3, which sells modernist furnishings; and the mall’s cornerstone restaurant row on West Avenue just off Interstate 95, which will include the Yard House sports bar, the southern cuisine eatery Jacob’s Pickles and famed New Haven pizzeria Sally’s Apizza.
Amazon has hired 20 people for Amazon 4-star in Norwalk, with the store opening at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
A team of curators
The Norwalk location is the 10th Amazon 4-star store, with another 10 in the pipeline, including one for the massive American Dream retail and entertainment center in East Rutherford, N.J., which opened in late October to bring to an end to The SoNo Collection’s brief status as America’s newest mall.
Amazon 4-star is one of a handful of experimental retail store concepts from the dot-com giant, along with Amazon Books, and Amazon Go grab-and-go convenience stores in which customers are charged wirelessly as they leave the premises with items in hand.
Amazon 4-star approximates most closely the online Amazon experience, with shelves and tables crammed with an eclectic array of products, with tags listing prices (some at discounts for Amazon Prime members), online review counts and average ratings. Amazon 4-star accepts returns on qualifying items purchased on Amazon.com, as the case at Kohl’s in a service that has been popular.
Books, gadgets, games, gifts — to the first-time visitor, it amounts to a mashup of As Seen On TV, Best Buy, Toys ‘R’ Us, Williams Sonoma and any number more retailers. Like the website, banners identify product categories throughout the store, with the Norwalk location having more than 2,000 items on display.
“Every time you visit, I would expect you to find a new selection of products,” Sheriff said. “What we are really doing is we are listening to our customers and their feedback in terms of what they are buying, what they are loving, what are the newest products that are trending. And so we have a team of curators who are looking at all this information ..to select the products you see there.”
The initial slate of products includes more than a few from Connecticut companies, including kitchen appliances from the Cuisinart subsidiary of Stamford-based Conair and toys from Wilton-based Melissa & Doug.
And propped on a book shelf out front is the children’s version of “Principles for Success” by Ray Dalio, the Greenwich billionaire who is Connecticut’s wealthiest resident — not that the world’s richest man in Amazon founder Jeff Bezos needs the advice.
Amazon is coming off another record quarter to close out the 2019 holiday season, with sales up 21 percent to $87.4 billion, with profits totaling $3.3 billion even as the company absorbed extra costs in converting Amazon Prime to one-day shipping. Amazon also has been working to expand Whole Foods Market’s capabilities since acquiring the grocery giant in 2017.
Over the last 12 months, Amazon has added 150,000 employees to give it nearly 800,000 in all exiting the 2019 holiday season, including at a new fulfillment center in North Haven supporting more than 2,000 jobs. Another center is planned for Stratford.
“It’s advantageous — from a cost and transportation standpoint — to have that inventory closer to the customer, so we’re in the middle of that transition,” Brian Olsavsky, chief financial officer of Amazon, said on a recent conference call. “As we shift inventory to be more local, it will enable local deliveries to hit shorter cutoff times. ... We will have to scale our fulfillment center network further.”
Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman


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The young Harlem spitter A$AP Rocky stands alongside famed designer Jeremy Scott for Complex Magazine’s forthcoming February/March 2012 issue. Rocky is quite the fan of Scott’s work, as virtually from day one, he has been sporting the outlandish creative’s can’t-miss footwear in a variety of his music videos and such. Nonetheless, the upcoming edition is set to hit newsstands on February 7, as you can already read the accompanying story here.


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AXT, Inc. to Sponsor CS-MANTECH Conference
FREMONT, Calif., Feb 23, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- AXT, Inc. (Nasdaq: AXTI), a leading manufacturer of compound semiconductor substrates, today announced that it will be a sponsor of the upcoming 2006 International Conference on Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (CS-MANTECH), at the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia from April 24th to April 27th, 2006. The company will also exhibit at the conference in booth number 34 and will host a hospitality suite by invitation only for its customers on the evening of April 25, 2006.
CS-MANTECH is the industry's premier technical conference covering the breadth of compound semiconductor design and manufacturing issues. The conference includes a complete industry exhibition and numerous networking sessions.
"As a pioneer in the commercialization of vertical gradient freeze (VGF) technology, AXT is very proud to be a sponsor of this important industry event," said Phil Yin, chief executive officer. "We look forward to using this opportunity to celebrate our 20th anniversary and to express our appreciation to our valued customers by hosting a special evening event in their honor."
About AXT, Inc.
AXT designs, develops, manufactures and distributes high-performance compound and single element semiconductor substrates comprising gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and germanium (Ge). The company's substrate products are used primarily in lighting display applications, wireless communications, and fiber optic communications. Its vertical gradient freeze (VGF) technique for manufacturing semiconductor substrates provides significant benefits over other methods and enabled AXT to become a leading manufacturer of such substrates, particularly in optoelectronics applications. AXT has manufacturing facilities in China and invests in five joint ventures producing raw materials. For more information, see AXT's website at http://www.axt.com . The company can also be reached at 4281 Technology Drive, Fremont, California 94538 or by calling 510-683-5900. AXT is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol AXTI.
CS-MANTECH, formerly GaAs MANTECH, is a not-for-profit organization whose focus is to provide a forum for members of the compound semiconductor community to exchange and discuss new ideas to better serve the public in general. Specifically, the organization's goals include the following services to the community:
-- Industry (producers and users): To facilitate technical cooperation within the compound semiconductor industry through discussions on compound semiconductor manufacturing technology problems, to help advance manufacturing capabilities, and to establish and maintain credible high professional standards for the industry.
-- Suppliers (materials and equipment): To provide a forum for compound semiconductor suppliers to showcase products to the user community and to advance public relations with compound semiconductor manufacturers in general.
-- Academia (educators and students): To aid in the scientific education of interested college or university students; to aid in encouraging active participation by educational institutions' faculty and students; and to aid students in pursuing solutions to problems of compound semiconductor manufacturing.
Additional information on the CS-MANTECH conference is available by calling 540-563-8448 or by visiting the organization's website at http://www.mantech.org/ .
SOURCE AXT, Inc.
John J. Cerilli, Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing of AXT, Inc., +1-510-683-5900; or Leslie Green of Stapleton Communications, +1-650-470-0200, for AXT, Inc.


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PUBG Mobile receives a new feature that restricts users to play more than six hours a day. Here's what you need to know
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG Mobile Season 6 will start March 21. Here's what to expect from the Season upgrade.
PUBG Mobile 0.11.5 Beta update brings tons of new features to the game. Here's everything you need to know.
PUBG Mobile has become one of the most popular games. Here are the smartphones that can give the best gaming experience.
PUBG or PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile will soon allow users to become zombies and fight standard players. Here's what you need to know
PUBG Mobile finally releases the much awaited 0.11.0 update. Here's everything that has changed and how to install
PUBG Mobile is finally getting 0.11.0 update as servers are currently down for maintenance. Here's what to expect.
Apex Legends, one of the most popular battle royale games, is much better than PUBG and Fortnite. Here's why
Apex Legends is being a tough competition for PUBG and Fortnite as it already hits 10 million downloads within 3 days of launch.
PUBG Mobile is soon rolling out the 0.11.0 update. From Resident Evil 2 Sunset mode to new weapons, here's everything you need to know


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ATLANTA -- Honda Motor Co. will start producing automatic transmissions in a new Georgia plant in spring 2006, half a year earlier than previously planned.
The Tallapoosa, Ga., plant can make up to 300,000 five-speed automatic transmissions a year at full capacity for the Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV. Both nameplates are assembled in Honda's plant in Lincoln, Ala. The company is responding to robust demand for the two vehicles. For the first four months of this year, U.S. sales of the Pilot jumped 17.6 percent from a year earlier to 42,120, while Odyssey sales surged 22.8 percent to 55,466.
For this year, the Alabama plant expects to build 280,000 Pilot and Odysseys, up 55.8 percent from the previous year.
Lincoln started production of the Pilot in May 2004 and the 2005 Odyssey in August 2004.
Honda's automatic-transmission plant in Russells Point, Ohio, now supplies the Alabama plant. It will supply Honda plants in Ohio when the Tallapoosa plant gears up.
You may e-mail Yuzo Yamaguchi at


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Have you noticed that Chicago hasn't had many food trucks roaming around lately? That’s because a city ordinance limits where certain food trucks can park, and some say this is driving many entrepreneurs out of town.
The Supreme Court of Illinois however, will have a chance to weigh in on this case.
"The bread and butter of my business when I first started was to develop a route in Downtown Chicago," said former food truck owner of 'Cupcakes for Courage, Laura Pekarik.
She said she had to stop running her truck after the city passed a new ordinance that made it nearly impossible for her to run her business--The city had banned food trucks from parking within 200 feet of a restaurant or other business that serves food.
"I already had a route developed with my customers and they expected me in certain locations," she said. "All of a sudden I wasn’t able to go there anymore."
The city also required food truck owners' businesses to have a GPS tracking device.
[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
"When we looked at cities like New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., they don’t have these kinds of rules," said Senior Attorney Robert Frommer.
According to the Institute of Justice, in 2012 about 120 food trucks served the Windy City--now, there are roughly 70 in business.
"Throughout the country, food trucks have grown; but here, in Chicago, the number of food trucks has gone down by 40 percent in the past 6 years," said Frommer. "It has crushed the industry."
The Illinois Supreme Court is set to take a look at the case next Wednesday.


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Photo Credit: Courtesy of @kesitoandfro
20+ Black Travel Organizations And Content Creators Awarded $70,000 In Grants
MMGY Global has awarded $70,000 in grants to Black travel organizations and content creators, according to Travel Pulse. The company, which partnered with the Black Travel Alliance (BTA) and the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP) has announced the 30 grant winners.
To fund the grants, MMGY Global used proceeds from the sale of The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities, a research report produced by MMGY Travel Intelligence. Report proceeds in the amount of $30,000 had already been given in support of the BTA, the NCBMP, and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD).
“We believe that travel and tourism empowers communities. When we first started this journey, we wanted to do three things–the first being to heighten awareness for the $129 billion impact of Black travelers,” said Jason Dunn, former chair of the NCBMP.
“The second,” added Dunn, “was to embolden Black travel organizations globally to walk in their power and remove the false narrative that their business has no value. Third, we wanted to inspire the next generation of Black travelers to explore the world. It’s refreshing to know that the ten organizations selected reflect what we set out to do. Mission accomplished.”
Grant entries were reviewed by Dunn along with Ursula Petula Barzey, research committee chair with the Black Travel Alliance, with the support of MMGY Global. Applicants from the United States, Canada, France, Germany and U.K./Ireland, where MMGY conducted its study, were welcome to apply for the grant.
“Reviewing the applications for the content creator grant was inspiring for the team as there was a diverse mix of storytellers,” said Barzey. “The 20 selected are a snapshot into the amazing but often overlooked talent pool of Black travel content creators who are influential in advancing the Black travel movement. Thus, it is gratifying to know that a year of hard work on The Black Traveler study has generated funds to help amplify some of these lesser-known but important voices.”
“This entire experience–from concepting the study with our partners and analyzing the data to now awarding these grants–has been both eye-opening and extremely rewarding,” said MMGY Global CEO, Clayton Reid. “The research revealed many issues that need to be addressed in our industry, so I’m proud that these grants will be helping to amplify Black voices and support Black travel organizations.”
The following are the ten recipients of the Black Travel Organization Grant:
- Black Kids Adventures, Inc
- Black Kids Do Travel
- Fight Through Flights, Incorporated
- iFLY Youth
- Little Africa Paris
- Maison Carib
- Niagara Bound Tours
- Teens of Color Abroad, Inc.
- The Vonne Group
- The Wind Collective
The following are the 20 recipients of the Black Travel Content Creator Grant:
- Aisha Springer, Blogger, Urban Escapist
- Brian Oliver, Social Media Influencer, Beyond Bmore
- Calvin Hearns, Photographer, The Calvin Chronicles
- Caroline Sande, Vlogger, TravelEatSlay
- Danielle Desir, Podcaster, The Thought Card
- Frederick Murphy, Social Media Influencer, History Before Us
- Ime Umoh, Vlogger, Push the Button
- Jessica Ufuoma, Blogger, The Ufuoma
- Joyce Oladeinde, Blogger, Diy With Joy
- Jupiter Kayonga, Photographer, Jupiter Konnections
- Kareemah Ashiru, Blogger, Hijabiglobetrotter
- Kesi Irvin, Blogger, Kesi To and Fro
- Montoya Hudson, Blogger, The Spring Break Family
- Roobens Fils, Blogger, Been Around The Globe
- Sandy Salyeres, Travel Author, Abenafrica
- Sierra Redmond, Journalist, The Daily Impressions
- Simone Mills, Blogger, EverytingSimSimma
- Sojourner White, Social Media Influencer, Sojournies
- Tameika Gentles, Social Media Influencer, Tameika
- Tia Mills, Social Media Influencer, Tia Takes The World


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The diesel car tax surcharge is the biggest issue on Company Car Drivers' minds.
In a recent survey of Parkers users, more than 70% of company car drivers say the removal of the 3% tax surcharge for diesel cars is the most important issue the Government needs to address in the budget on March 23.
141 of the 196 voters said that removing the surcharge for diesel cars was the most important, with cancellation of the fuel price hike in April coming a distant second with 26 votes.
Industry watchdog ACFO - the Association of Car Fleet Operators - is urging the Government to act now on five major issues company car drivers are currently facing.
Commenting on the historic 3% benefit-in-kind tax supplement applying to diesel company cars, ACFO Chairman Julie Jenner said: 'This has been a feature of the current tax system since it was introduced in 2002. At the time diesel cars were nowhere near as environmentally efficient as they are today.
'As diesel cars have lower CO2 emissions than equivalent petrol engine models, drivers should not be financially penalised for selecting them.'
In our poll, the results on which issues were most important are as follows:
- The removal of the out-dated 3% tax on company car benefit-in-kind taxation for diesel cars - 72% of votes
- Cancellation of the inflation rate +1p a litre fuel duty rise scheduled for April 1, which could possibly add up to 5p per litre to petrol and diesel prices - 13% of votes
- To reveal company car benefit-in-kind tax rates for at least 2013/2014 and ideally 2014/2015 too - 12% of votes
- A full review of the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) system to allow for the factoring in of a car's CO2 emissions as part of the process - 3% of votes
- Vehicle excise duty for sub-3.5 tonne light commercial vehicles to be linked to their carbon dioxide (CO2) output in a similar structure to cars thus incentivising the uptake of low emission vans - 0% of votes


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The Institute for Justice filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging Atlanta's grant of an exclusive vending franchise to a single company, which now enjoys monopoly powers over all street vending on public property. Among the many losers in this sweetheart deal are longtime street vendors Larry Miller and Stanley Hambrick, who have spent years running successful merchandise stands outside of the Atlanta Braves stadium. Now each man faces upwards of $20,000 per year in rent if they want to occupy a state-sanctioned kiosk in the same location. So much for the city government supporting small businesses and fostering entrepreneurship.
For more on the case, check out this video produced by the Institute for Justice:


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There are nearly 15,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles in the U.S., but there hasn’t been a great way to navigate to those spots without an app or internet access – until now.
Included in a package of electric vehicle-related initiatives from the White House is the designation of 25,000 miles of U.S. highway as “sign-ready,” meaning they are ready to get uniform signs for electric vehicle charging next to the existing signs for gas, food, and lodging. For now, the placement of the charging signs is limited to highway segments that have charging stations (existing or planned) at least every 50 miles. But this limited placement is not insignificant. 25,000 miles of highway across 35 states already qualify, and with additional investments in public charging coming from states and utilities, tens of thousands more highway miles will likely be getting charging signs in near future as well.
I admit, signs for electric vehicle charging is not as exciting as breaking a 108-year championship drought, but this seemingly simple initiative could significantly impact the electric vehicle market.
First, the physical signs for electric vehicle charging could help alleviate range anxiety. Most electric vehicle drivers likely have an app for navigating to charging stations, but perhaps some are part of my T-Mobile family, which means ¼ the cell coverage for ¾ the price. So a charging locator app isn’t necessarily foolproof. If you’re driving along a highway with charging signs, however, no phone service is no problem. Charging signs will be a physical backstop to relying on cell phones or apps, and could give electric vehicle drivers additional peace of mind when embarking on a trip that is further than a single charge.
Second, signs for public charging can instill confidence in non-electric vehicle drivers and raise public awareness toward the existing network of 15,000 electric vehicle charging stations. Just seeing signs for electric vehicle charging every 50 miles along heavily trafficked highways could be the little nudge needed to choose an electric vehicle. Although most electric vehicle charging is done at home, many consumers want to know they can charge on-the-go, and both perceived and actual access to public charging is an important consideration when thinking about whether an electric vehicle can fit your needs.
Lastly, this announcement sends a clear signal to the next Administration that continuing federal initiatives to help electric vehicles gain a better foothold in the U.S. vehicle market should be a priority. Electric vehicles are not just a foil against climate change. They also cut oil use, are cheaper to fuel and maintain, and simply offer a better driving experience. For more on why electric vehicles are smart solution, check out our web content here.


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Once again, we’ve got your tech news links right here.Hewlett-Packard shares are up nearly 4 percent after reporting yesterday sales that exceeded expectations. But some analysts remain cautious.Those photos you’re uploading to Facebook take up space, you know: Facebook is experimenting with using Blu-ray discs for storage.A look at Facebook and other tech companies’ lobbying at the state level, in large part to get tax breaks for data centers.Facebook is reportedly expected to continue to grow mobile-ad revenue by end of year, while eMarketer expects Google’s (dominant) share to have fallen.S.F.-based Thumbtack, a service that helps find professionals for specific projects or jobs, gets $100 million investment led by Google Capital.Where can you get super-fast broadband access (besides Cupertino, once AT&T’s GigaPower comes to town)?Cybercops grouse that antivirus programs work so well that they can’t spy on people’s computers. This is in contrast to some reports that say antivirus software is no good.Photo from Reuters archives
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In an uncertain world, Reliance has achieved a lot and very few companies globally have done it, says the Director of Indus Equity. Reliance evolved from being a textile company to being an oil and gas conglomerate and now a technology-backed company. Would you call it the Amazon of India? How are you looking at Reliance?
Reliance has definitely transformed in every respect; starting from their petrochemical business which is now visible to the world where at a single centre, they were processing 2% of crude and petrochemical. Similarly, they started the telecommunication business in a new avatar of Jio and they are unbundling services. Now with the Facebook
partnership, they would take retail and other accessories and activities to the telecom world. We know that retail fueling to other segments is also connected to it. So it is a new avatar and a new digital world is likely to emerge due to Covid and Reliance Jio would work well on that front.Have you applied for the rights issue?
Yes.What would you tell the shareholders who have applied? What kind of returns are we looking for in the next three-four years?
It was a golden opportunity for right shareholders to apply because in the prevailing market, the stock is at Rs 1,540 and as a shareholder you have been putting Rs 315 with the next call in next May and balance 50% in next November; you are taking the next 18 months of upside of Reliance Industry
at one third payment. If you look at the market price, it is giving you 22% of the value. Now look at the potential of Reliance. With Reliance Jio listing globally and domestically by that time the demerger of oil to chemical fructifies into a new entity as a subsidiary and Saudi Aramco
investing, we need to see that those developments are in the offing.
Looking at all the infusion with the private equity led after Facebook transaction, it would emerge that Jio post today's rights issue is in the range of Rs 800. If you take one year forward and if you look at oil to chemical, it would be in the region of Rs 650 to Rs 700 depending on who wants to value it and the retail business again would be in the emerging value of somewhere between Rs 300 to Rs 400 a share.
So if I take my version of valuation: Rs 800 plus Rs 700, and Rs 350, it is roughly Rs 1850; that is the RIL
gross value less the debt assuming that something is left because that is a positive for tax efficient ways if you look at it and you should not be a totally debt-free company because Reliance funding cost is far cheaper than most of the enterprises in India on global basis also. So looking at those aspects, the share value of Rs 1,700 should be fair within the next three quarters. If you take a one-year outlook, Reliance has the potential to perform with 30-35% gain based on all the new developments.
So in an uncertain world, Reliance has done a lot and very few companies globally have done it. What Reliance has achieved in terms of stock performance between 23 March to today, very few stocks have achieved it. In this current scenario, they showed how to raise resources. Despite Covid, the rights issue is fully subscribed; oversubscribed rather and shareholders have been rewarded. On listing, there may be gains roughly for existing shareholders of almost more than 50%; Rs 300 would quote somewhere in the vicinity of Rs 550 approximately. By making a partial rights payment, you are saving an interest differential of Rs 1,000.