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WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government’s power to force automakers to fix vehicles could be hindered if Chrysler Group LLC prevails in its refusal to recall 2.7 million Jeeps linked to 51 fire deaths.
The automaker and its regulator, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, may be headed for a rare public hearing and ultimately into a federal court system whose top leader, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, was Chrysler’s lawyer 15 years ago when it last defeated a recall effort.
“If the agency wins, that’s going to show a new and improved agency,” Joan Claybrook, NHTSA’s administrator during President Jimmy Carter’s administration, said in an interview. “The agency has a long history of winning.”
“If they go to court and Chrysler wins, that would be very damaging to the agency. If it’s found that it overstepped its bounds or didn’t do a through investigation, other companies would be more likely to challenge recalls.”
While companies routinely negotiate with NHTSA on the timing or scope of recalls, they rarely refuse to comply. The agency in January said it influenced recalls of about 9.4 million vehicles last year, the most since 2005.
Recalls, whether influenced by NHTSA or not, last year involved about 16.2 million vehicles, compared with 15.5 million in 2011 and more than 20 million in 2010, when Toyota was fixing cars tied to reports of unintended acceleration.
The proposed Jeep recall would be one of the 20 biggest in U.S. history, said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, based in Washington.
Chrysler, which is majority-owned by Fiat S.p.A., on Thursday recalled about 630,000 newer SUVs for transmission and airbag defects while standing by its position that 2.7 million Grand Cherokees and Libertys made over 15 model years meet or exceed all U.S. safety standards.
In its recall proposal letter to Chrysler dated June 3, NHTSA said its investigation found leaks from the SUVs’ fuel tanks and fires after rear-impact collisions.
Months of negotiations preceded NHTSA’s issuance of the letter. The agency proposed recalling Grand Cherokees from model years 1993 to 2004 and the Liberty in model years 2002 from 2007 after investigating the vehicles for more than two years.
“Only if the manufacturer told the agency to in effect pound sand would they send a recall request letter,” said Allan Kam, an auto-safety consultant who retired from NHTSA as a senior enforcement attorney in 2000 after 25 years with the agency. “It is quite an affront to the agency for a manufacturer to not only refuse a recall request but to do so very publicly.”
The Transportation Department began investigating the Chrysler SUVs following a petition from the group led by Ditlow, who in a 2011 letter to Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, called the Grand Cherokee a “modern-day Pinto for soccer moms.”
About 1.5 million Ford Motor Co. Pintos and Mercury Bobcats were recalled in the late 1970s after a series of rear-end accidents in which the fuel tanks leaked, causing fires that NHTSA linked to 27 deaths.
The regulator has twice lost in court on procedural grounds when automakers challenged recalls.
In 1988, the Detroit-based automaker then called General Motors Corp. won in U.S. appeals court over a recall related to brakes that could intermittently lock on its so-called X-Car, sold under Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Buick model names. GM also avoided a recall in the 1990s of full-size pickups that had fuel tanks positioned in a way that they could catch fire in a rear-impact crash.
Also in the 1990s, the then-independent Chrysler Corp. defeated NHTSA’s attempt to recall about 91,000 Cirrus and Dodge Stratus cars from model year 1995 because of concerns about the strength of seat-belt anchors. With Roberts as its lawyer, Chrysler won a 1998 appeal, getting the recall thrown out on a finding NHTSA hadn’t given complete notice of the defects.
Chrysler has until June 18 to formally respond to NHTSA’s letter. If it stands by its refusal to recall the SUVs, the agency can schedule a hearing, invite public comment through a notice in the Federal Register, and publish a press release on its findings.
The automaker is optimistic that consumers will read the company’s research and agree that the vehicles in question are safe, Reid Bigland, Chrysler’s sales chief, told reporters Thursday.
"Our vehicles are safe and if they make an informed decision, I don’t think they’re going to have any concerns at all," Bigland said.
Discussions with NHTSA are continuing, he said.
"We’ve articulated our position in a tremendous amount of detail why we consider them to be safe," Bigland said. "And that’s it. We’re not looking, I’m certainly not looking, to get into a public tit-for-tat on this issue."
Administrator David Strickland has the agency’s final say on whether to require a recall. Karen Aldana, a spokeswoman for NHTSA, declined to comment, referring to Strickland’s statement June 4 that he “hopes that Chrysler will reconsider its position and take action to protect its customers and the driving public.”
After that, if the company still disagrees, it can take the matter to U.S. appeals court.
Counting engineering, manufacturing and installation, a recall of 2.7 million vehicles would cost Chrysler at least $500 million, according to Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Even if the company loses, the delay during the regulatory and legal processes would reduce the number of affected vehicles on the road and thereby reduce the recall’s cost. The oldest of the affected Jeeps are already 20 years old.
"If they can drag it out a year, a significant amount of their exposure is gone," Kam, the former NHTSA attorney, said.
The downside for Chrysler in continuing the fight is that it would be in public, revolving around NHTSA’s letter that includes images of burned-out and burning Jeeps and recalls the Pinto-Bobcat deaths as a "well-publicized, terrible tragedy."
“I’m not sure this ends well for Chrysler,” said David Kelly, an acting NHTSA administrator under President George W. Bush who is now a transportation safety consultant. “Witness that by the number of times this process has gone all the way through. The manufacturers know that and that’s why they don’t go down this road with the agency.”


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Sprint’s leased devices
Sprint’s (S) device leasing has helped it to regain its financial position. The take rates of Sprint’s leasing plans have continued to surpass its installment plans in the last few quarters.
As a result, due to the financial benefits of leasing, Sprint’s lease revenues are expected to continue to rise going forward.
In fiscal 4Q16, the take rate of Sprint’s leasing plans reached ~42%. As we can see in the chart above, leased devices in the carrier’s property and plant and equipment businesses net it ~$4.2 billion at the end of fiscal 4Q16. During fiscal 4Q15, this figure was ~$3.6 billion.
Sprint’s handset leasing benefits
During Sprint’s recent fiscal 4Q16 earnings conference call, its management said, “We are a leasing company and as you are aware we launched a program called iPhone Forever and in and out the different parts of the year we’ve launched a product called Galaxy Forever and therefore we are going to get several millions of phones back.”
Management continued, “What we do is we refurbish those devices and then we put them back in the market. We put some into our prepaid brand, we put some others in the auction market.”
As a result, Sprint anticipates generating ongoing additional revenue as it relates to used device sales.

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Owners of certain BMW models were contacted earlier this year as part of the Takata airbag recall and asked to provide their details to a dealership in order to have the repair work carried out.
No simple opt-out function is provided at the sign-up page - users are required to either phone BMW New Zealand or email their privacy department and ask to be excluded from advertising emails.
The policy said information would be passed on to dealers, but only if they complied with BMW New Zealand's policy.
A spokesperson for BMW New Zealand said "Auckland BMW and the BMW Group NZ prioritises the security of customer personal data and unreservedly apologises for any issue arising from this matter".
Do you have a news tip? Email email@example.com
They said the automatic process used to add the addresses to their database has now been changed and "a review of relevant procedures and processes has been initiated.
"Compliance training programs will be reviewed for both dealership and corporate staff."
Auckland City BMW Managing Director Ian Gibson told 1 NEWS "we take these matters very seriously and it is certainly not our intention to send out spam emails.
"We have stopped all marketing communications to customers whilst we review our data base processes."
A spokesperson for the Department of Internal Affairs, which is responsible for regulating the Unsolicited Messages Act, said while the practice did not appear to directly breach the Act, they were critical.
"[Users] have been directed to the platform because of a recall issue, which BMW are obliged to facilitate," the spokesperson said.
"Directing users to a platform which is necessary for product recall that then subscribes the user to receive further commercial electronic messages is not considered best business practice.
"It does not appear that the Act has been breached in this instance, however this does question the intentions of BMW to choose such a process and whether the wording of the Act and whether consent in particular, is appropriately defined to consider this type of activity."
A spokesperson for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner said "this isn't best privacy practice and I can see a lot of areas where BMW could improve ... allowing people to opt-in is better privacy practice than making them opt out".
Of the 35,000 vehicles that still need to be repaired as part of the compulsory airbag recall, almost 17,000 of those are in the Auckland region.
In July this year, optometrist and eyewear retailer Bailey Nelson also apologised for spamming customers after a number of people were signed up to its email marketing list without consent.
The practice is illegal in New Zealand under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act and carries a maximum fine of $500,000 for an organisation.


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Japanese car giant Toyota has launched a compact sedan called Yaris at the Auto Expo in New Delhi to take on the successful Honda City in the competitive mid-sized premium segment in Asia’s third biggest car market.
The maker of the popular Innova Crysta and Fortuner will introduce the new car in India in April this year and it will also compete against models like Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Hyundai Verna.
While the Yaris is a global product, this new sedan version is mainly sold in ASEAN and developing markets.
Toyota is betting big on the car’s interior space, safety qualifications and styling to turn it into a volumes churner in the country.
The made-in-India new Yaris will be powered by the 108 hp, 1.5 litre dual VVT-i petrol engine with the option of a 6-speed manual or 7-speed CVT-based automatic gearbox.
Although Japanese automaker has not ruled out a diesel engine for the future, it will most likely first bring a hybrid powertrain to the Indian market.
Interestingly, dimensionally, the Yaris is a bit shorter than the Honda City as the latter has the longer wheelbase. But like its sibling, the Etios, the new sedan is wider, and that will mean a wider cabin too.
On safety front, the car will come with a class-leading seven airbags, including a knee bag, disc brakes on all four wheels (currently the only one in its class), get ESP, traction control and even a tyre pressure monitoring system. It is no surprise therefore that a similarly specified car has been awarded a five-star rating by NCAP for ASEAN countries.
Undoubtedly, Toyota would price the Yaris competitively to take on rival Honda City in India and the tag could be between Rs 9 lakh and Rs 14 lakh range.
“We are delighted to mark Toyota’s entry in the B-high segment in India with the Yaris. We have developed our new sedan without compromise to embody the Indian car buyers’ overarching desires for a premium and high-performance vehicle,” Takatomo Suzuki, chief engineer at Toyota Motor Corporation, said.
N Raja, deputy managing director, sales & service at Toyota Kirloskar Motor said bookings for the new sedan will start from April onwards.
“Yaris is built on the Toyota philosophy of QDR offering 12 first in segment features like power driver seat, 7 SRS airbags, roof mounted air vents, TPMS, front parking sensors, all wheel disc brakes,” he said.
Raja said Yaris commands attention and connects emotionally with globalized young aspirational buyers with its cutting edge exterior design and state of the art interior design.


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Ljubomir to bits
Wines, beer, spirits, books, knives, tableware… These are some of the ingredients that make up the universe of Ljubomir Stanisic and that, since August 14th, can be purchased in the new online store of the Yugoslavia-born chef.
Following the motto “Ljubomir to bits”, the store aims to bring together, under the same virtual roof, all the products developed by Ljubomir over the years – from the first “Papa Quilómetros”, the book launched in 2011, to wine Bicho do Mato, produced in partnership with Dirk Niepoort and launched for the first time precisely in the online store (with a launch promotion included). The store will also serve as a home for products that will be created in the future, like the customized Bragard chef jacket, with an illustration by artist Hugo Makarov, which will be available soon.
The idea to create this store had been maturing for some time, mainly due to the need to give a response to the many requests of people who were interested in buying the products but had difficulty in traveling to the different points of sale of each product. With the closure of the restaurants for two months, due to the pandemic, two doors (literally) closed and this new window opened: the team ended up having the time and availability to finally put the idea into practice.
With the store, a new logo and visual identity for the chef was also created, signed by designer Vasco Branco – responsible, for example, for the label of aguardente Boca do Inferno.
For now, there are four categories that visitors can consult: “Kitchen”, “Books”, “Drinks” and “Tableware”, with products developed by the chef in partnership with names like Delta Q, Loja do Sal, Bragard, ICEL, Telmo Roque, Leya, Esfera dos Livros, Niepoort, Real Companhia Velha, Azores Wine Company, Covela, Zimbro – Licores Serrano, Cerveja Letra, Vista Alegre, Bordallo Pinheiro and Eurico Rebelo, available for national and international shipment.
Like the chef, the store will likely be full of new ideias soon: t-shirts, aprons, notebooks, wallets and leather cases for knives are some of the projects in the “oven”, which should be ready to consume within a few months.


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Blackface: Fashion insiders don blackface for Milan's 'Halloweek' party sparking discussion of racism in fashion
theGRIO REPORT - Blackface in fashion is in the news again, as photos have surfaced of leading fashion designers and others in the field wearing blackface for Milan's annual 'Halloweek' party...
Blackface in fashion is in the news again, as photos have surfaced of leaders in the field wearing blackface for Milan’s annual “Halloweek” party. Held on October 26 in Italy’s style capital, this year’s theme was “Disco Africa.” While some expressed the concept by donning animal prints studded with sequins, others, such as designer Alessandro Dell’Acqua it is alleged, took the occasion to paint their white skin black.
The result was international outrage among fashion fans after images from the event hit social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter. These photos show many revelers painted varying shades of brown — some with chains about their necks — and others with large afro wigs that give the appearance of mocking Africa rather than celebrating it.
The party participant who is believed to be celebrated Italian designer Alessandro Dell’Acqua is seen dressed in traditional blackface so dramatic, he appears to be channeling ’20s movie star Al Jolson. Jolson won acclaim for smearing his skin with the coal black makeup of traditional minstrelsy for the 1927 hit film The Jazz Singer, in which he impersonated an African-American for great personal gain.
Blackface in fashion: A cautionary lesson
Claire Sulmers of The Fashion Bomb explains why referencing minstrel shows is so offensive in her post about the party.
“Blackface is antiquated, has been deemed controversial across the board, and is racially insensitive,” she writes. “It is steeped in a negative history, pointing back to a time in American history when blacks were considered 3/5th of a human being–unfit to represent themselves, so white actors took the lead (at first), painting their skin brown and propagating some of the most pernicious and dehumanizing stereotypes of black people at the time (minstrel shows characterized blacks as lazy, superstitious, and buffoonish).”
Blogger Natasha Ndlovu captured much of the ire directed at leaders in the fashion industry — particularly those in Europe — who continue to employ blackface. Whether it is in photo spreads, clothing designs, advertisements — or costumes — for her there is no excuse for this ongoing trend.
Blackface trend tied to plight of black models?
Ndlovu also mentioned how this insensitivity ties into her struggles as a black model, who many believe are underutilized because of racism.
“Things like this really PISS me off because as a black person and a black model,” Ndlovu writes, “I struggle to find work and be valued in an industry that only cares about the color of my skin when they want to chuck a bright-neon bathing suit on me because, as the saying goes, ‘it goes well with your skin tone.'”
The style blogger also stated that, while many of the offensive photos have been removed from the social media accounts of party attendants, the damage is already done.
“People took photos down, but it does not change the fact that they were put up there in the first place, with no thought whatsoever,” Ndlovu concludes, noting in her post that these “grown men” should know by now that blackface used in any aspect of fashion is wrong.
Racism in fashion accusations are ongoing
In the fashion industry, it appears that every few months there is a cultural appropriation of blackface as a styling tool, despite its being spawned during one of the most racist periods of American history. In addition, there are regular instances of designers and advertisers employing the “look,” or referencing other elements of racially insensitive imagery, with little awareness of how these choices will impact consumers.
Just this year Numéro magazine caused a controversy by painting a white model a deep shade of brown in an ethnic-inspired spread titled “African Queen.” This spurred outrage over the choice of the image creators to forgo using a black model for a shoot, who would have so obviously matched the job.
In recent weeks black fashion industry icons such as Bethann Hardison and Andre Leon Talley have spoken out about racism in fashion and how it continues to impact black models and other professionals in the field of African decent.
This latest incident for many is a further indication that fashion leaders still need to evolve in their perspectives on race, coming to an understanding of how a lack of awareness negatively impacts people of color and the perception of the industry.
TheGrio has reached out to Alessandro Dell’Acqua for comment on the images that many outlets are stating depict him wearing blackface. This article will be updated if his representatives release a statement.
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb.


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Third-party apps have been sharing users’sensitive personal data – such as health and fitness statistics and ovulation times – with Facebook regardless of whether the user has an account with the social media site.
Facebook did not solicit the data from the 11 apps (including Realtor.com, BetterMe: Weight Loss Workouts, Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker, Breethe, and Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor) identified by a report in the Wall Street Journal and said not only does it delete any such information it discovers but it would take action against the apps, if they continue to send data its way.
“For these specific apps, we will reach out to them and notify them that the data they’re sharing can be perceived as sensitive by their users so they should stop sending it,” Facebook said in a statement. “Again, should they refuse to comply, we may take further action where warranted.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Facebook access to the information “represents an invasion of privacy and breach of consumer trust,” noting that the “practice, which in some cases clearly violates Facebook's own business terms, is an outrageous abuse of privacy.”
New Yorkers should have confidence “that their personal information is safe, and we must hold internet companies - no matter how big - responsible for upholding the law and protecting the information of smartphone users,” Cuomo said in a statement. “I am directing the New York Department of State, in partnership with the Department of Financial Services and other state agencies, to immediately investigate this invasion of consumer privacy and I also call on relevant federal regulators to step up and help us put an end to this practice and protect the rights of consumers."


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Hansruedi Juestrich acquires Similasan AG
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. Similasan last week announced the acquisition of its Swiss-based parent company, Similasan AG, by Hansruedi Juestrich, owner of Nahrin AG, an international manufacturer and distributor of natural food products, food supplements and cosmetics.
“In the U.S., Similasan products are highly appreciated by consumers, and the brand has gained tremendous acceptance among our retail partners in the last decade,” stated Similasan chairman Michel Juestrich, son of Hansruedi. “We intend to continue building on past success and growing our brand via continued consumer marketing support and product launches.”
The new ownership plans no immediate changes to the U.S. business structure or brand strategy, the company stated.
“We are pleased to work with new ownership that understands our brand and our current go-to-market strategies,” stated Similasan’s U.S. vice president of sales, Dan Quail. “We continue to see a bright future for the Similasan group of companies both here and abroad.”
Natrol creates mini-show to introduce its health-focused products for the holidays
CHATSWORTH, Calif. If the holidays stress you out, then you maybe at risk weight gain as well as unhealthy mind. Natrol is trying to combat this with showcases of its products that can combat this problem of staying healthy over the holidays.
Natrol has created “The Balancing Act,” a four-minute segment produced by Five Star Productions and features Natrol products like: Carb Intercept, 5-HTP, Melatonin Time Release and My Favorite Multiple Original Multivitamin.
The segment, which aired on the Healthy Living Channel—on Comcast, Time Warner and Dish Network—on Thursday, Oct. 11, has been posted on Natrol’s web site, www.Natrol.com, as well as on Five Star’s website.
McNeil running ads on product withdrawal
FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. As part of its voluntary recall of several nonprescription products marketed toward infant use, McNeil Consumer Healthcare is today running an advertisement in several consumer daily newspapers.
“The cough-and-cold season is here, and we have important information to share about infants’ and children’s cough-and-cold medicines,” the ad starts, noting that while the medicines are generally recognized as safe and effective when used as directed, “we have become aware of rare instances of misuse leading to accidental overdose, especially in children under the age of 2.”
“This voluntary action by McNeil Consumer Healthcare is based on the company’s long-standing commitment to the appropriate use of medications by parents and physicians,” stated Ashley McEvoy, president of McNeil Consumer Healthcare early Thursday morning. “McNeil Consumer Healthcare is committed to providing parents with safe and effective over-the-counter medications that treat their child’s cough-and-cold symptoms. In addition to taking this voluntary action, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, along with our industry partners, supports the Consumer Healthcare Products Association recommendations that were recently submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. These recommendations include label changes to OTC cough-and-cold medicines advising ‘do not use’ in children under 2 years of age. Our voluntary action in removing [these] products from the market is consistent with these recommendations.”


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Packaged Facts: Pet drug sales to reach $6.7 billion in 2011
NEW YORK — While sales figures for pharmaceuticals are frequently reported on, drugs for people’s four-legged friends also are a money maker.
According to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, retail sales of pet medications — including sales through retail stores, online retailers and veterinarians — will reach $6.7 billion this year.
A new report from the firm, "Pet Medications in the U.S.," mass market channels are the least involved in pet medications among retailers. But online pharmacies, including those of Target and Walmart, have expanded their product range. Currently, according to the firm’s May-June 2011 Pet Owner Survey, 71% of prescription-only heartworm medications and 40% of nonprescription flea and tick spot-ons continue to be sold through veterinarians, which for many years "have been in the catbird seat" in pet medication sales.
"The underpinnings of the U.S. pet industry remain strong, and the outlook is especially favorable for all things pet-related," Packaged Facts publisher David Sprinkle said.
In some ways, trends driving pet medications seem to mirror the ones driving human medications. "Taking into account market drivers including the aging pet population, pet obesity and the heavy involvement of major pharmaceuticals companies, pet medications sales should return to their pre-recession rates of growth over the next few years, with annual percentage gains projected at 10% by 2015."
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Analysis: High-end consumers are clipping coupons in search of a shopping ROI
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shoppers are just as promotion-driven as they have been since economists first coined the term the "new normal" economy — and that’s not likely to change, according to a new "The Why? Behind the Buy" report released Wednesday by Acosta Sales.
Acosta has dubbed the new normal shopper "Shopper Inc.," given today’s inclination toward taking an extremely prepared and educated approach to the grocery trip. As many as 72% are making a list for their routine shopping trip, with 54% buying more items on sale, and 33% going online or using apps to save money all in an effort to realize a return on investment, or ROI.
Acosta advises retailers and manufacturers to not only expect conservative spending behavior to continue, but also to develop strategies for consumers at either end of the spectrum. "There are two economies, one for under $50K and one for more than $50K," the report read. "Understand the increasing divide between low-to-middle income households and higher-income households, and what it may mean for your brand."
Approximately 10% of households generated less than $45,000 in annual income or utilizing food stamps, and one-third matched their primary shopping trip to their paycheck. Due to increased gas prices, they are consolidating trips, buying more items on sale, buying more store brands, switching to less expensive brands, buying fewer groceries overall, as well as doing without specific products.
Households earning more than $100,000 in annual income are not necessarily looking to spend less, but they are pre-planning more to be smarter shoppers. They are more likely to clip coupons and decide which brand/product to buy based on the circular and what’s on sale. In store, they are more likely to compare the price-per-oz. part of the tag and look at the package when making their decisions. They also are more likely to try new products and to buy healthier products even if they are more expensive, according to Acosta.
Traditional store circulars remain among the most popular promotional items for shoppers, with 85% reporting that store circulars influence them and nearly 50% said they clip coupons from the circulars. And while traditional sales tactics continue to be more widely used than digital offerings at the grocery counter, digital is increasing in influence, with 33% of shoppers going online to save money via online coupons, retailer and brand websites, and email subscriptions.
Acosta conducts "The Why? Behind the Buy" survey two times per year. The respondents are more than 1,000 shoppers, randomly selected across all generational, economic and ethnic groups across the United States. The current survey was fielded in July 2011. To access the full report, visit Acosta.com/why (a free registration is required).
Coupons may offer discounts, but they're also a form of advertising for companies. Whether you clip coupons from the Sunday circulars or print them from Printapons, you'll see ads for hundreds of products in the process
NRF calls for sales tax fairness for brick-and-mortar, online retailers
WASHINGTON — Internet retailers have an unfair advantage over Main Street merchants when it comes to sales tax, and legislation may be the solution to help level the playing field, according to the National Retail Federation.
In written testimony submitted to a House Judiciary Committee hearing on sales tax fairness legislation, NRF SVP government relations David French said a "sales tax collection discrimination" exists between brick-and-mortar and remote retailers due to a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, which declared that retailers are required to collect sales tax from out-of-state customers only if they have a physical presence, such as a store, warehouse or office in the customer’s state.
The committee is scheduled to examine constitutional limitations on states’ ability to require out-of-state sellers to collect tax on sales made to their residents, NRF said.
“Sales tax fairness requires all sellers, whether brick and mortar or remote, to collect sales taxes, but only after the states have simplified their collection requirements,” French said. “NRF urges the committee to enact sales tax collection reform that will level the playing field between brick and mortar and remote sellers by granting states the authority to collect sales taxes from all sellers regardless of their distribution method.”
French also added that cash-strapped states are losing an estimated $24 billion each year to untaxed online purchases.
In related news, Amazon VP global public policy Paul Misener also submitted testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on the matter, saying that "Congress — and only Congress — may, should, and feasibly can authorize the states to require out-of-state sellers to collect the sales tax already owed."
"Congress should authorize the states to require collection, with the great objects of protecting states’ rights, addressing the states’ needs, and leveling the playing field for all sellers," Misener told the committee. "States’ rights should be protected. States need the freedom to make their own revenue policy choices. Fairness among sellers should be created and maintained. Sellers should compete on a level playing field. Congress should not exempt too many sellers from collection, for these sellers will obtain a lasting un-level playing field versus Main Street and other retailers. Congress should rectify the current imbalance and avoid a future imbalance."
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Kia unveiled its fourth-generation Sorento in 2020 as a 2021 model. As such, the current SUV is still very fresh in our minds, and now there's a slightly fresher version packing an electric punch. The plug-in hybrid variant has arrived, combining a modest electric range with three-row seating for the family.
We say a slightly fresher version because a keen eye will spot a visual difference both inside and out for 2022. Kia's new logo splashes across the grille and on the steering wheel, but everything else is familiar territory. Being a plug-in hybrid you'll also get an extra access door on the passenger side for the charging port, feeding juice to a 13.8 kWh battery. It powers a single electric motor paired with Kia's turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, delivering a combined 261 horsepower (195 kilowatts). All-wheel drive with a center locking differential is standard.
save over $3,400 on average off MSRP* on a new Kia Sorento
For around-town trips, Kia is targeting a 32-mile all-electric range for the Sorento. Similarly, a combined 79 MPGe rating is targeted, and with the entire powertrain working together, the SUV has an estimated total range of 460 miles. It's important to note that these figures are manufacturer estimates, not EPA ratings. That process is still ongoing, but provided everything checks out, Kia says the Sorento PHEV will have the most pure-electric range of any three-row SUV currently available.
Gallery: 2022 Kia Sorento PHEV
Kia says it also has the most passenger room and second-row legroom of any plug-in hybrid SUV. And it's not sparsely equipped either, as all PHEV models will be high-end SX or SX Prestige models. That means a boatload of standard equipment, not the least of which being arguably the best set of driver-assist and safety systems in the business. Driver and front-seat passenger have a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch center touchscreen display at their disposal, and all passengers ride on standard Syntex synthetic leather seats.
Kia isn't ready to share pricing for the new Sorento PHEV. That will come closer to its on-sale date, which is coming in the third quarter of 2021.


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App-based ambulance service Dial4242 to launch wheelchair taxis
App-based ambulance service Dial4242 announced the addition of two new services - wheelchair taxi service and ambulances for pets.
For wheelchair-friendly vehicles, the company has partnered with Ezy Mov and users can now book vehicles via the Dial4242 app.
The services can be used for hospital transfers and medical appointments in addition to local and outstation leisure trips, airport transfers, and personal needs.
Pet owners in Mumbai can now get instant access to pet ambulances via Dial4242, which are equipped to handle emergency medical situations and can also be used by pet owners to take their pets for routine appointments.
The Dial4242 network currently has over 250 ambulances, which include basic, ICU, paediatric, and ambulances for transportation of the deceased under its network.
Under the new service categories, Dial4242 will have 15 pet ambulances and 15 wheelchair vehicles, and are available in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai.


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When Edward Enninful announced his British Vogue departure earlier this year, one big question lingered: Who will his successor be? After a Fashion Week of rampant whispers, Chioma Nnadi announced today that she will be taking the magazine’s helm as head of editorial content — rather than editor-in-chief — starting on October 9. The appointment makes her the first Black woman to edit the publication, and in her Instagram post this morning, the London native said she’s “excited to be coming home.”
“Is there pressure? Yeah, there’s definitely pressure — it’s Vogue,” Nnadi told The Guardian, adding, “When I started out, there was one other Black person working in the building, and we both went to the same college. It wasn’t the same place it is now. Obviously matters of diversity and inclusion should always be on the agenda, but it feels like more of an open conversation now, and that feels to me like progress.”
In 2010, Nnadi started at Vogue as a fashion news writer, working her way up the masthead over the next decade and becoming editor of vogue.com in September 2020. “Chioma is beloved among her colleagues at Vogue, and is an editor and writer with an impeccable reputation — both here and in the fashion industry at large,” Anna Wintour said in a statement about her appointment. Enninful added that he is “thrilled” for her to be joining British Vogue.
Enninful’s exit from the publication in March came as a shock. His six-year run was a successful one marked by impactful covers — his May 2023 issue, for example, featured 19 disabled talents including model Aaron Rose Philip and activist Sinéad Burke — and recurring appearances by Rihanna and Beyoncé. As the publication’s first Black editor, he prioritized Black stories. “I remember in 2017 there was the popular notion that, oh, you know, ‘Black models don’t sell covers.’ I just knew the magazine needed to reflect the world that I was seeing, a world that was diverse in every sense,” he told the Cut last year. But whereas Enninful began his career in styling, Nnadi has always worked in editorial — it will be interesting to see how the magazine’s perspective shifts. Nnadi told The Guardian that British Vogue will have an emphasis on “digital storytelling” with “interactive” elements under her leadership.


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For the first time in the United States, FDA has given the green light to cultivated meat. Berkeley, Calif.-based Upside Foods has received the agency’s go-ahead for its lab-grown chicken.
FDA evaluated the information submitted by the firm as part of a pre-market consultation for their food made from cultured chicken cells and has no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion, according to a November 16 statement from the agency.
While this is a major milestone for cultivated meat, before this food can enter the market, the facility in which it is made also needs to meet applicable USDA and FDA requirements. In addition to FDA’s requirements, which includes facility registration for the cell culture portion, the manufacturing establishment needs a grant of inspection from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for the harvest and post-harvest portions, and the product itself requires a USDA mark of inspection.
Oversight and regulation of animal cell culture technology is conducted collaboratively between FDA and USDA. Under a March 2019 agreement, both agencies agreed to a joint regulatory framework wherein FDA oversees cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation. A transition from the FDA to USDA-FSIS oversight will take place during the cell harvest stage. USDA-FSIS will oversee the post-harvest processing and labeling of human food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry. This closely coordinated regulatory approach will ensure that cell-cultured products derived from the cell lines of livestock and poultry meet federal regulations and are accurately labeled.
Advancements in cell culture technology are enabling food developers to use animal cells obtained from livestock, poultry, and seafood in the production of food, with these products expected to be ready for the U.S. market in the near future, FDA says, adding that the agency’s goal is to support innovation in food technologies while maintaining the safety of the foods available to U.S. consumers.


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The LaFerrari is already on the streets, and that means people are now trying to sell them 'used' at a huge markup. This one in Germany is listed at 2.38 million Euros, or about $3.24 million USD. Is it for real?
SEMCO GmbH in Munich claims to be selling the car. It's listed with 200km on the clock, which is easy to believe. It's also listed with a combined economy of 11L/100km (about 21MPG), which is hard to believe.
CarScoops points out that you can buy a LaFerrari from the factory for about $1.77 million, though that's easier said than done. According to its commemorative plate, this is car number one of 499, which does not actually designate it as the first LaFerrari.
With cars like a LaFerrari, particularly the first one ever made, it's common that a company would make its owners sign an agreement not to sell their cars immediately after buying them. That way the cars are bought by real owners and not speculators. And it's also reasonably common for sites to claim to sell too-good-to-be-true exotica, like the Internet's most exotic car dealer. With that in mind, do you think this 950 horsepower hybrid is for real?
You can see the whole listing and more pictures right here on SEMCO's page.


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New Delhi: Ford India plans to launch a small car, but wants the government to firm up the definition of small cars.
“Small cars will definitely be a priority for us,” Arvind Mathew, president and managing director of Ford India, told Mint. “But we’re looking for stability of policy,” he said.
The launch will give Ford a foothold in the largest segment of India’s one-million-a-year car market. Three out of every four cars sold in the country are small cars, a segment currently dominated by its largest car-maker Maruti Udyog Ltd, which has 50% of the market.
Mathew said he may need until 2010 to introduce the car as the government’s definition will determine what he can bring to the customer. In the last budget, the government cut excise tax by 8% for small cars, which it defined as vehicles that are less than four metres in length and additionally with an engine capacity that doesn’t exceed 1.2 litres in petrol and 1.5 litres in diesel. The budget announcement led to a fall in the prices of models such as Maruti’s WagonR and Hyundai’s Santro by as much as Rs 15,000, and prompted rivals such as General Motors and Honda Motor Co. to firm up plans to make small cars.
However, the government in January released its 10-year blueprint for the automotive industry, redefining small as less than 3.8m long, potentially derailing the investment plans of carmakers who have developed models to specifically avail of the tax breaks announced in the previous budget.
In Ford India’s case, if the definition of four metres and the engine sizes prevails, then the company will need to engineer the petrol engine, but has diesel engines that meet the specifications. If, however, the length is reduced 3.8m, it will have to develop a new base and chassis.
Small cars “are driven by cost and have to be on razor-thin margins”, said Mathew, adding that the company was “looking at 80-85% localization’’.
Mathew said he would look for additional funding to make small cars which would compete with brands such as Hyundai’s Santro and Maruti’s Swift. He declined to say how much funding would be required. He plans to roll them out of his existing factory at Chennai which can make up to one lakh cars.
“Compact cars are a must (for a company) to make a dent in the Indian market,” says Ashvin Chotai, Asian automotive principal for consultancy firm Global Insight. “Over 50% demand is driven by first-time buyers who prefer smaller models.”
Ford Motor Corp., headquartered in Dearborn, suffered a loss of $12.7 billion in 2006—the worst in its history. With the company not expecting its North American operations to be profitable till 2009, it is focusing on emerging markets such as China, India and Thailand to expand operations, something that its rivals in the US, such as General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, too are doing.
The government’s vacillation on the definition of a small car has left most global carmakers operating in India unhappy. General Motors and Hyundai have led the protest against the change in rules in the January automotive plan.
“We’ve made sizeable investments on product development after the finance minister specified the length and engine capacities (in last year’s budget),” said P. Balendran, vice-president at GM India. “It’ll (the change in definition) benefit select manufacturers,” he wrote in a letter to an automotive lobby group, reacting to this amendment to the plan which was first released in September last year.
General Motors is investing Rs1,360 crore in Pune to build a factory that will make the Spark small car. It claims that it had to delay the launch of its Aveo-UVA car so that it could conform to the specifications listed in the budget. Rival Honda Siel Cars India has shortlisted Rajasthan to build a factory to make a yet-unnamed small car.
Ford doesn’t sell any small cars in India, nor does it sell larger sedans. Mathew says that is another segment he plans to target because rivals have grown that class of cars, and a booming economy, growing at 9% per year will stoke demand for more expensive cars.
Ford, which entered the Indian market in 1995, trails rivals such as Honda and Hyundai. In the only segment it operates in, that of the mid-sized sedan, it has moved to the No2. slot after Honda on the back of its new Fiesta model.
Mathew said that as the company expands into models in a different segment “something’s gotta give” and he would “rationalize some of the existing car” models.


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Today during its Nintendo Spotlight presentation, Nintendo announced that Monolith Soft's upcoming Switch RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2, will be released during the 2017 holiday season. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was first announced back in January during Nintendo's official unveiling of its Switch console.
Though it's not a direct follow-up to the original Xenoblade Chronicles game, originally released for Wii in 2012, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will present a world that bears the same sense of scale as its predecessor, encompassing its massive environments, enemies, and the number of quests that dot the world. One of the biggest changes for the series is the involvement of character designer Masatsugu Saito, whose influence has imparted the game with a new, anime-like aesthetic.
To catch up on everything that was announced during the Nintendo Spotlight presentation, you can check out this roundup of all the major announcements. For more, check out our E3 2017 hub.
from GameSpot News http://ift.tt/2rWWATV


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This article is more than 1 year old
Qualcomm: WiMax isn't magic
But it's creeping up
3GSM Qualcomm rarely needs an invitation to comment on the WiMax bandwagon, and when we met Senior VP Jeff Belk Wednesday, it so happened he had a presentation ready.
His timeline slide compares the maturity of UMTS and CDMA EV-DO to 802.11, .16 and .20, and what do you know? UMTS and EV-DO are here and work, and WiMax is somewhere in the smoke and mirrors phase. Belk joked that he used to use a similar slide for comparing GSM and CDMA, only that used to have "issue press release" as the first entry.
"WiMax is being presented as a Magic Wand solution," he said, "but it isn't". While the technology holds great promise for reducing backhaul costs, he said, as a voice/data replacement carriers aren't convinced.
"WiFi and WiMax will be complementary," he said, warning carriers not to be caught in the middle.
"You can never discount Intel," he said, noting that the Santa Clara giant has struggled to gain much traction with its own 3G offerings.
With 3G speeds ratcheting ever higher, thanks to upgrades like HSDPA, 3G offers better capabilities, said Belk.
WiMax is far from smoke and mirrors, however. British chip company PicoChip which produces powerful, programmable microprocessors for base stations allowing them to be upgraded to run different air interface protocols, has notched up its tenth win for WiMax.
"WiMax is real," VP of marketing Rupert Baines says "In large parts of the world where there's no copper, it's very attractive. That's a market of 1.7 billion people." ®
Make-or-break year for WiMAX
Global 3G boost for Qualcomm
WiMAX turns the screw on 3G
WiMAX delay shakes investor confidence
HELLO...I'M ON A PLANE...YES...A PLANE!!
Motorola damns WiMAX with faint praise


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Swedish company Sivers IMA announced that the company is developing a SiGe transceiver for applications in the 57 to 71 GHz frequency range. The RFIC, which will be packaged in a 7x7 mm embedded wafer-level ball grid array, will be sampled to key customers during Q1 of 2017. The RFIC was designed in SiGe to keep cost low, making it attractive for use in point-to-point links.
Anders Storm, CEO of Sivers IMA, said, “We are proud to announce that we are the first in the world to include coverage of the new FCC V-Band frequencies, 64 to 71 GHz, which was recently made available in the United States. Having the full transceiver in SiGe for V-band, provides a fundamental platform, including the relevant building blocks, for our ongoing development of the WiGig RFIC, that will be released to the market in 2017.”
Formed in 1951, Sivers IMA is a publicly traded company developing and manufacturing advanced millimeter wave products. The firm’s headquarters and manufacturing are based in Stockholm, with an R&D and sales facility in Gothenburg.


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Last month, StyleSeat, the online platform for independent beauty stylists launched in 2011, added former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to its board.
It’s the latest in a continuing trend of beauty companies built on the “Uber for” model.
First, in 2011, came StyleSeat and Vensette. In 2014, BeGlammed, GlamSquad and Ruuby entered the market. The list also includes former companies like BeautyBooked, which was purchased by StyleSeat, and the now-defunct Beautified. Together, they’ve attracted much attention in the form of millions of dollars of investor funding and plenty of media stunts. And consumers have taken to using apps to book at-home appointments with makeup artists, hair stylists and even masseuses and airbrush-tanning technicians.
But salons aren’t doomed, despite clients’ shifting habits. Instead, like brick-and-mortar retailers amid the rise of e-commerce, they’ll be forced to change: Physical stores are increasingly doubling as fulfillment centers for online purchases and are being updated with in-store tech, like mobile checkout; salons are beginning to launch online appointment booking, as well as apps to facilitate client-stylist communication. Evolving is necessary for survival in the digital age.
The case for traditional salons
The field may be crowded, but on-demand services haven’t yet usurped the need for a physical salon and the interpersonal connection of a client-stylist relationship, said Venetia Archer, CEO of U.K.-based beauty concierge Ruuby. She said on-demand services are a complement to regular salon treatments.
Arsen Gurgov, a celebrity hair stylist and founder of a namesake salon based in New York City, works with the type of clients who likely can afford regular blowouts and have room in their New York homes to host a stylist. Even so, he said his clients haven’t altered their booking habits.
Nationwide hair removal chain European Wax Center contends that companies offering on-demand services haven’t made a dent in the beauty industry outside of hair care. “We have not been affected by the popularity of these new services,” said Christina Davis, vp of brand relations. She said the company has remained competitive by starting to allow customers to book appointments online or through its app.
At-home beauty service Priv, founded in 2014, adopted flexible scheduling this year as an answer to traditional salons’ services. The company started off as an on-demand service for those in need of same-day styling. Now, the app allows clients to schedule a blowout, a child’s haircut or a facial up to 30 days in advance.
“With Uber leading the on-demand space when we launched, we originally believed the client’s behavior would need to be immediately satisfied, like booking a manicure within 30 minutes. Some of our clients continue to book same-day services within the hour, but we now also have clients who are planning out their monthly beauty and wellness routines,” said COO Courtney Jerden. Convenience is still the key selling point, but the focus has shifted from providing on-demand services to accommodating those who plan ahead.
The future of at-home services
GlamSquad CEO Amy Shecter agrees that “convenience is critical,” both for her company’s current consumers and its future relevance. She attributes part of GlamSquad’s success — it’s the leader in the space, with $25 million in VC funding — to the rise of app culture.
“Since our launch in 2014, consumer needs have become increasingly more reliant on apps and technology-driven services. The younger population is a very different consumer; they experience life through technology and expediency,” she said. “The model of traditional salons feels outdated.”
StyleSeat tailors its services to salon professionals, rather than consumers. Stylists pay $35 per month to maintain a personal website, access tools for managing their own appointments and payments, and get access to the company’s suite of professional insights, like where clients have booked in the past. The platform also allows stylists to request credit card information to secure a booking, a safeguard against the 17 percent of salon appointments that go unattended.
“When we started the company, 80 percent of stylists were [salon] employees. Today, it’s only 30 percent,” said founder Melody McCloskey. More are choosing to remain self-employed. As McCloskey sees it, the future of the on-demand beauty market is professionals that are better connected with clients, not client’s inviting professionals into their homes.
Company founders and clients alike agree the salon environment is difficult to replicate out of context, but sometimes, convenience trumps luxury. As Shecter said, “[At-home services] are simply providing consumers with another way to experience beauty.”


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Online drug black markets are a mature industry now, according to Carnegie Mellon researchers. By S Grzybowski Cited by 23 Police focus is mainly on the illicitdrug trade in substances such as heroin and cocaine and the high- volume dealers with connections to organised crime. The. King legacy current black market stock On the left side of the bus, a Black Sep 17, 2021 Once illegal brands are taking over the legal cannabis market. HIV drugs are big business and not just to the companies that manufacture them and the pharmacies that sell them. During graduate school, Lacy Mason got insulin from elderly friends who had extra. When a friend's mother died and left behind a stockpile. Counterfeit prescription medications laced with powerful synthetic opioid drugs are appearing on the black market, leading to multiple.
See the latest special promotions in our Shoppers Drug Mart Flyer online. Get great deals on pharmacy, food, home, beauty products & more. 8 hours ago That number has recently been growing: The governors of New Mexico and Virginia signed their legalization laws just this year. Montana's. By C Gu Cited by darknet dream market 2 Abstract. Repugnant transactions are sometimes banned, but legal bans sometimes give rise to active black markets that are difficult if not impossible to. 2 days ago Authorities find 9 million amphetamine-type Captagon pills in Beirut, the latest incident in a series of fake fruit drug busts. By B Goldman 1998 Cited by 25 The final report confirms the widely held view that the desirability of licit opioid analgesics such as morphine and oxycodone varies inversely with the. Globalization hit organized crime over the last decade and now is integral to its most profitable business -- the international narcotics traffic.
By B Goldman 1998 Cited by 25 The final report confirms the widely held view that the desirability of licit opioid analgesics such as morphine and oxycodone varies inversely with the. See the latest special promotions in our Shoppers Drug Mart Flyer online. Get great deals on pharmacy, food, home, beauty products & more. 3 days ago Covid-19 hit Latin America hard. Many people expected it to hurt drug traffickers, too. They were already under pressure, thanks to the. It was the first of many gambles Ivana would take with black market darknet dream market reddit drugs, drugs that she said allowed her to physically transition into the. 14 people have been sentenced or indicted in a Miami case detailing a 78 million black market operation in high-priced prescription drugs. Globalization hit organized crime over the last decade and now is integral to its most profitable business -- the international narcotics traffic.
By K darknet dream market link Srivastava 2021 Counterfeit medicines and vaccines have always threatened public health, but the pandemic has brought a global surge in black market sales. The drugs seized included anticancer and antiviral treatments, narcotics, painkillers, erectile dysfunction medications and doping substances. Reacting to the fact that the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogs largely made and smuggled into the black market drugs. by labs in Chinais responsible. OPINION: A new report by RAND commissioned by Juniper Networks has some eyebrow-raising conclusions about the black market for hacks. By GL Fite 1967 A wealthy banker once explained his success by having followed the adage, "To get rich, follow the money." Money in drug-making has its followers. The black market is an underground economy that is not government-regulated. It is estimated to be worth around black market drugs trillion dollars.
Counterfeit prescription medications laced with powerful synthetic opioid drugs are appearing on the black black market drugs market, leading to multiple. Prescription drugs designed to treat addiction are being traded alongside heroin and painkillers in cities across the black market drugs. Health-care. Hard statistics about drug trafficking in the United States including the most trafficked drugs and how and where drugs enter the black market drugs. By DA Forgione 2001 Cited by 29 The diversion of legitimate controlled substances to the black market is a major cause of medical emergencies, fatalities, and drug-related dependencies. Drugs worth more than black market drugs million were confiscated on the N1 black market drugs near Leeu-Gamka, Western Cape police said. The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs.
This is where you get their official guidelines for buyers as well as Vendors, instead of reading articles by third-parties this is the best piece to read if you wish to ensure you follow all the rules and regulations and avoid getting your account banned. Guidance for indoor gatherings has also been updated, a confirmation email will be sent to your account. After all that's what the 13 American soldiers did that Joe Biden killed. VBV checker This method of non vbv cheking is only suitable for Visa non vbv cards. Credit cards are often sold in batches of 100 at prices as low as $17. Anything you can discover through your Internet browser using any black market drugs of the main search engines is what you get access to. After selecting the quantity of ketamine, the bot first asks for an address, which can (and should) be encrypted using the vendor’s PGP key, and then gives the vendor’s payment details (for transfer of Bitcoin or Monero). For our analysis of dark markets, our data was provided by Chainalysis [ 40], which is a blockchain analytics company. French law enforcement agents raided several homes across the country and found hundreds of weapon stashes, which included assault rifles and machine guns. This blog is an excerpt from the Chainalysis 2020 Crypto Crime Report. Finally, we may see more darknet markets accept, or perhaps even mandate the usage of privacy coins like Monero. All the dark web links 2020 that are mentioned here are free from phishing.
“To provide a starting point the researchers selected the 50 most valuable UK brands and searched areas of the Dark Web called ‘Market Places’ for information about each brand. Most users rely on various public Wikis, where the community manually adds links to websites with descriptions that might be worth your time.”
In order to fully deliver on those activities, all partners need to learn from the lessons of the past, in particular by setting up a new type of governance which avoids overlaps or lack of coordination. All active links are PGP verified before making it to our website, so you can be at peace with security. Sensity’s researchers found more than 100,000 images have been generated and darknet credit card market shared in public Telegram channels up to July 2020 (meaning the total number of generated images, including those. Up until a couple of years ago, they had something like eight different authorities that were involved in the design of regulations over the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Dutch police and the EU police agency Europol were also involved in smashing the network. LEA attempts to reduce the volume of the goods that reach buyers. Polkadot Relay Chain (or Rococo Relay Chain on Kusama) designed specifically so that a parachain can connect to the main control center of the network. Retail investors and institutional investment firms also face numerous financial and investment challenges related to the same issue. We would never take your Best Place To Buy An Essay Reddit money if we feel that we cannot do your work. So if you can’t find what you need on your favorite darknet market site, try searching for it on Kilos and you might get lucky.


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Kia EV9 electric SUV concept previewed in first official images
Kia's second dedicated EV will debut soon in concept form – here's our first look.
The first official images of the Kia Concept EV9 electric SUV have been released, ahead of its full reveal and public debut at next week's Los Angeles motor show.
As its name suggests, the Concept EV9 serves as a preview of Kia's second standalone all-electric vehicle – following the mid-size EV6, due in Australia next year – set to be a large SUV sized similarly to a Hyundai Palisade or not-for-Australia Kia Telluride, and twinned with the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 7.
Previewed in a set of official rendered sketches, the Concept EV9 stays true to teaser images released earlier this year, with an upright, boxy shape designed to maximise space and provide a "capable stylistic stance" – though the stylised nature of the images means specific styling details are hard to discern.
Inside, a "stunning [and] interactive" high-resolution display stretches across much of the dashboard, with the driver faced by a yoke-shaped steering wheel, similar to everything from airplanes and Formula One cars, to the latest Tesla Model S and Toyota BZ4X electric cars.
The rest of the cabin has been "honed to give the driver and passengers a light, flexible and adaptive interior space", Kia says.
No details of the Concept EV9's powertrain have been confirmed, though it's safe to expect it will ride on the largest interpretation yet of the Hyundai group's E-GMP modular battery platform, shared with its Hyundai Ioniq 7 twin.
Reports suggest over 480km of range, dual-motor all-wheel drive and 100kWh battery will headline the Ioniq 7's spec sheet – numbers the production EV9 will likely mirror, upon its international launch slated for 2022 or 2023.
The Kia Concept EV9 will be unveiled in full at the 2021 Los Angeles motor show on 18 November, at 6:15am AEDT. Stay tuned to Drive for the full reveal.


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PROVIDING variety is now an essential part of running a successful pub.
The days when a pub simply had to open its doors and customers would walk in have long gone.
At the Shepherd’s Boy, in Huddersfield Road in Dewsbury, real ales and ciders are proving to be a successful attraction. Being included in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and winning CAMRA’s Heavy Woollen Cider Pub of the Year award has brought customers from far and wide.
“We also have a good basis of loyal locals,” said landlady Katie Green, who took over the Shepherd’s Boy in August last year.
“It’s all about offering products that people want.”
Katie, 23, is aware of the traditional role of a pub as providing a focal point to local life, but ready to adapt to changing tastes and times.
Originally from Sheffield, Katie started working part-time in a pub while taking a degree in music at Huddersfield University.
And there is plenty of variety at the Shepherd’s Boy this weekend with its beer and cider festival, which opened yesterday and runs until Monday.
“The beers are on a local theme,” said Katie, “we’ll have over 20 all from within 30 miles. There will also be a large number of real ciders and perrys.”
Tomorrow afternoon there will be a demonstration of apple pressing by Dave Kendall-Smith, of ’Udders Orchard. Visitors can take their own apples and go home with a carton of apple juice.
And at 5pm there will be a guided tasting, sampling a number of ciders and perrys from the festival range. Tickets for the tasting cost £7, including food pairings for some of the samples.
Contact the Shepherd’s Boy on 01924 454116.


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Airbnb, Uber et al: what tantalising travel tech share bonanza awaits?
Sally White takes a look at what IPOs are likely in this highly competitive environment and other disruptive forces at play in 2017
The rumour mill has gone into overdrive. The sight of record levels of money flowing into travel tech investment so far this year has got markets wild for IPOs. Unlike the long run of private funding, IPOs would let us all in on the success at the likes of Uber, Airbnb et al. So far these new travel giants have opted against stock market quotes, unlike their tech peers in other sectors such as Twilio and Nutranix.
Private travel tech start-ups pulled in $1.4bn of funding in the first quarter of 2017. The largest share went to early-stage funding rounds. Most went to companies in the US, followed by India and China. At the moment CB Insights Innovation is forecasting an increase in overall funding to travel tech companies that will beat 2016’s records. IPO’s, by contrast, have been in short supply for months and even years as their founders could get money without the hassle of stock market listings.
All very tantalising! Especially as these travel stars’ successes are always in the news – Airbnb has raised a total of $4.4bn privately, way ahead of anyone else even in Asia. Germany’s GoEuro has pulled in$146m. Sooner or later, however, the major funds which have been able to buy private stakes in the star tech companies will want to take some profits, and force IPOs as result.
An IPO for Uber could be massive for both the company and Wall Street. It’s currently valued at $68bn after a total of nine rounds of funding worth $12.9bn since its launch. And thanks to Uber’s structure—a unique combination of transportation company, mobile internet company, and real world engineering—the company has been touted as one of the best future IPOs, says broker Zacks Wall Street report.
Airbnb’s last valuation clocked in at $31bn—it’s worth only about $9bn less than Marriott—thanks to its latest billion-dollar round of equity funding, making it the second most valuable US start-up behind Uber. This, as well as being a recognised name in the hotel industry and the sharing economy, is helping create a buzz, Zacks notes.
“However, this new round of funding, in addition to a separate deal where investors are planning to buy $200m in stock from Airbnb employees, could be seen as a move to relieve some of the pressure of filing for an IPO. Airbnb is adding significantly to its amount of available cash, allowing it to spend enough and continue its global expansion without going public,” the broker adds.
Airbnb is also reportedly watching fellow tech unicorn Spotify to see which IPO route the music streaming giant will take. According to The Wall Street Journal, Airbnb may want to mimic Spotify’s unconventional initial public offering.
Investors’ enthusiasm is not blind, and comment on Wall Street is that Airbnb needs to keep an eye on the increasing competition
Airbnb is being given a tentative valuation of $31bn – pretty impressive. Though, investors’ enthusiasm is not blind, and comment on Wall Street is that Airbnb needs to keep an eye on the increasing competition. Companies like Roomorama, Expedia’s HomeAway, and TripAdvisor’s Housetrip, all have a dedicated following of their own, and are beginning to eat into Airbnb’s market share.
Yet, as the analysts are saying, despite rival companies and regulatory issues, Airbnb has the potential to be one of the hottest upcoming IPOs.
For Uber, too, there are cautious comments. Companies like Lyft, Southeast Asia-based Grab, India’s Ola, and especially China’s Didi Chuxing have all started to eat into its market. Didi, say analysts at Zacks, is arguably Uber’s biggest threat overseas. (It conceded defeat last August, selling its UberChina operations to Didi.) Even Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is becoming a threat to Uber, with plans to make its self-driving cars unit a stand-alone business and maybe an IPO.
Despite the many controversies buzzing around Uber, investors, says Zacks “are eagerly awaiting an Uber IPO. Many have believed, or hoped, the company would go public for a few years.” However, founder Travis Kalanick wants “to make sure [an IPO] happens as late as possible,” according to an interview he gave to CNBC last year.
Meanwhile, Wall Street is also eyeing some new disruptors to try to keep ahead in the investment game. There is Zee.Aero, a small, all-electric plane that can take off and land vertically funded by Google co-founder Larry Page. And there is Hyperloop, next-gen transit using vacuum tubes, which will run between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, far has been funded in the Middle East. Or Nexar which uses smartphones to create an AI-backed dashcam network to predict and prevent accidents – it reads road conditions in real-time, and can streamline insurance claims processes using 3D re-creation.
These may sound weird, but not so long ago so did Uber, Airbnb, et all………


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The Government has announced that the selling of children's shoes has been deemed essential retail
A POPULAR Limerick shoe shop has welcomed the government’s announcement that children’s shoes will be designated as “essential retail.”
Manager of Young Gleeson Shoes on William Street, Dervla Gleeson, expressed her delight at the announcement, which was confirmed in the Dail by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
“We’ve been hoping this would happen for a long time. I’ve been bombarded with phone calls for the last couple of weeks with parents begging for shoes for their kids.”
Dervla didn’t wait one moment longer and she is already open for parents to book appointments, which will be commencing from next week, Tuesday April 6.
“The phone has been ringing non-stop all morning and even since yesterday, which is great! Our customers are so happy, it’s like they’ve won the lotto when we call them back,” she told the Leader.
Dervla explained that the need for kid’s shoes is absolutely essential and is glad the government has finally acted on it. “To me, kid’s shoes are essential. It’s not easy to buy footwear online. All shoes fit differently. Kids’ feet are so sensitive and it’s so important that their feet are fit into the right shoes.”
Young Gleeson Shoes will follow all guidelines which includes mandatory face masks and hand sanitizer. They will also operate on an appointment-basis only so Dervla recommends that parents call or text them if they need an appointment.
All children will have to wear socks during a fitting as well due to regulations, even during the summer.
Dervla also recommends browsing their website beforehand so parents and child can get an idea on what they would like before they come in.
Guidelines aside, Dervla is extremely excited to open for business. “We’re just delighted to be able to give a fitting service again.”
To book an appointment call 061 467 796 or visit younggleesonshoes.com.


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Pair Of Back Bay Parking Spaces Sold For $560,000 At Auction
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's exclusive Back Bay real estate: two rare tandem parking spaces behind a building on Commonwealth Avenue.
There's lined asphalt and an alley view, and it sold at auction for $560,000.
"It's like a diamond that comes to auction that you've never seen before, it's a gem," realtor Ken Tutunjian told WBZ-TV.
With too many cars and too few parking spaces in the wealthy Boston neighborhood, these spaces were highly coveted and the subject of a bidding war that started at $42,000. The spaces were sold at auction by the Internal Revenue Service, which is using the proceeds to pay delinquent taxes from the previous owner.
"I came in with a strategy to jump out of the box right away and start bidding. I was totally outbid," said Betsy James, who was willing to go as high as $130,000.
James said the convenience right outside her building would have made the purchase worth it, but she couldn't match the price that came in. "I was looking at the faces around me, and people were astounded," she said.
The sale-price record for a single parking spot in Boston is $300,000 but this could be a new record for tandem spaces.
Back Bay resident Mike Adams, who owns a space in a garage, says hunting for parking is a frustrating exercise in Boston. "Parking in the city is tough. When friends visit, we have to find them a space in a garage and the timing has to be right," he said.
But Adams said no level of hassle makes more than a half million dollars for parking worth it. "That's outrageous," he said.
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ChannelAdvisor Corporation (NYSE:ECOM), a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions that enable retailers and manufacturers to increase global sales, today announced that Executive Chairman Scot Wingo will host the Amazon & Me Workshop at the 2015 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition (IRCE), taking place June 2-5 at McCormick Place West in Chicago. The daylong […]
Expert Session Will Examine Content-Focused Alternatives to Retail Price Wars, Discuss the Role of Consumer Demand Signals
Olapic, the visual marketing and commerce platform announced a strategic partnership and integration with Listrak, an omnichannel digital marketing retail platform specifically tailored for retailers.
The new m.Equippers.com mobile commerce site carries rich features and functionality over to the small screen, yet does not use screen scraping as the primary methodology for the build.
Many companies today are searching for ways to convert video to sales. Visit Booth 2129 and you will immediately see the value of a professional Video Shopping Experience.
The Limited is has launched Reserve Online, Ready In-Store to allow customers to shop TheLimited.com and place preferred items on hold for purchase and pick-up at their local store.
As part of the new partnership, Magento will provide Razorfish in Greater China with market development tools and resources to build Magento Enterprise Edition storefronts for retailers seeking to swiftly capture consumer sales and capitalize on the massive market opportunity.
Broadleaf Commerce, the open-source software provider for building customized commerce solutions, has announced they will be exhibiting alongside partners Globant, Dunn Solutions, and Credera at the 2015 Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE).
Global beauty retailer Sephora has launched its first and only Chinese online flagship store on a marketplace used by consumers in China. Here’s why Sephora says joining this marketplace will significantly help in its ecommerce and overall retail strategy for China.
Bonobos has made a leadership change to expand its rapid multichannel growth. See what high-end accessories company this person came from and what it will mean for Bonobos.
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Ahmed Al-Hujairi, CEO of Worksmart, the organising company of Bahrain’s National Pavilion at GITEX said, “45 companies are expected to participate this year, an increase of nearly 50% from the previous year. This will contribute to keeping abreast of global developments in the ICT sector.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the Electricity and Water Authority will be able to access data from the Abu Dhabi Business Centre via the Abu Dhabi e-Government platform, to inquire about all data concerning economic licenses.
In addition, the RTA has also announced an agreement with the German VOLOCOPTER Company; a specialist in the manufacturing of autonomous aerial vehicles, to launch the first vehicle capable of carrying two passengers.
Immensa’s state-of-the-art facility houses over eight 3D printing systems and offers over 30 materials for production. It is equipped to build and manufacture production quality parts, components and one-off prototypes for customers across a variety of industries using a wide range of advanced technologies.
The upgraded app serves as a one-stop-shop for all ADNOC Distribution’s services and allows customers to explore and stay-up-to date with ADNOC Distribution’s latest facilities and information.
The agreement involves Omantel building an onsite, leading-edge voice and data network to support the Mall of Oman, which is currently under construction in the Sultanate.
The 360 virtual tours, captured in high-definition photographs and videos, offer visitors the opportunity to experience the unique value propositions of each hotel before making an informed decision – be it for booking hotel stays, restaurants or spa treatments.
Social media platform Twitter briefly suspended the account of Al-Jazeera Arabic over the weekend, amid a wider diplomatic dispute between …
This is the first time that the country has remanded someone for violating a ban on support for Qatar, that Bahrain first introduced after it joined Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt in severing ties with Doha.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has teamed up with Daimler AG, the world’s biggest luxury-car maker, as an investor in a $500 million-fundraising bid by Dubai-based ride-hailing company, Careem.
It aims to revolutionise customer experience by enabling them do their financial and non-financial transactions in fast, smart and secure way.
The agreement will see Amadeus provide the company with its business intelligence technologies and access to global travel content through the Amadeus system, for the benefit of Musafir.com’s customers across the GCC region.
The new service, called Smart UAE Wallet, has been launched in cooperation with Emirates Airline, and is expected to reduce departure clearance time to between 9 and 12 seconds per passenger.
With over 70% of registrations being completed within the first 12 hours as the Haj season approaches each year, the e-service needs to be able to handle extreme spikes of traffic.


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SINGAPORE: Singapore's economy expanded 6.1 percent on-quarter in October-December owing to a surge in manufacturing, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Thursday, revising its previous estimation of a contraction and lifting overall growth in 2013 to 4.1 percent.
The MTI had last month estimated a 2.7 percent contraction in the fourth quarter based on preliminary data from October and November, but a ramp up in production and exports in December prompted the upward revision.
On a year-on-year basis, the Singapore economy grew by 5.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2013, easing slightly from the 5.8 per cent growth in the preceding quarter.
Robust fourth quarter performance boosted annual GDP growth in 2013 to 4.1 percent, better than the government's earlier revised forecast for 3.5-4.0 percent expansion.
The better-than-expected outcome was due to strong growth in the manufacturing sector.
The star performer in the fourth quarter, the manufacturing sector grew by 7 per cent on a year-on-year basis, extending the 5.3 per cent growth seen in the previous quarter.
Growth was supported by improvements in the electronics cluster and continued expansion of the transport engineering cluster.
Growth was also seen in the wholesale and retail trade sector.
It expanded by 7.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, extending the 6.3 per cent growth in the previous quarter.
The finance and insurance sector grew by a robust 9.7 per cent, following the 10 per cent growth in the previous quarter.
Looking ahead, the MTI said the Singapore economy is expected to post modest growth in 2014 with externally-oriented sectors such as manufacturing and wholesale trade likely to continue to recover and provide support to growth,together with the recovery in global demand.
However, it cautioned that tight labour conditions could weigh on growth in some labour-intensive domestically-oriented sectors.
The MTI maintained its forecast for the economy to expand 2.0-4.0 percent this year against the backdrop of a sustained but slow recovery in the US and the eurozone, and a projected moderation in China's growth.
It expects key ASEAN economies to remain resilient despite recent pressures on their financial markets and currencies.
Ow Foong Pheng, Permanent Secretary for MTI, said: "Countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have taken concrete steps to strengthen their fiscal positions, such as through subsidy rationalisation. Second, improvements in the advanced economies should help to support the exports of ASEAN economies."
While Singapore's total trade declined by about half a percent to S$980 billion in 2013, economists are positive on the outlook for Singapore's exports.
Edward Lee, Regional Head of Research at StanChart, said: "If you look at the last couple of years, it is domestic activity boosting overall GDP headline growth. So this year the profile is a bit different, not just for Singapore. In fact across the region, how we are seeing is - external profile, external contribution to growth will be higher this year."
He expects to see a slowdown for domestic activity across the region. - AFP/CNA/sf/de
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A look back to the last three shows by Jean-Paul Gaultier before his final ready-to-wear collection which will take place next week on the 2... More A look back to the last three shows by Jean-Paul Gaultier before his final ready-to-wear collection which will take place next week on the 27th September!
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New Mexico governor reaches out to Nike during Arizona tiff
SANTA FE - New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has reached out to Nike to “explore whether there’s a potential fit” after the governor in neighboring Arizona pulled funding amid a flap about an American flag-themed shoe.
Lujan Grisham spokesman Tripp Stelnicki said Tuesday the Democratic governor contacted Nike because she wants the jobs in New Mexico that would go to a planned $185 million factory in Goodyear, Arizona.
It’s not clear whether the move by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey would derail Nike’s plans for the Arizona factor.
The Wall Street Journal reported Nike pulled the colonial-era American flag shoe after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained.
Stelnicki says New Mexico in recent months has attracted employers like Netflix and NBC Universal. He says Nike would find a friendly business climate in the state.


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So I read an interesting article on one of my favorite wp7 sites, wpcentral today. The article was about a summary of a statement made by Microsoft, stating that wp7 is their only mobile gaming platform(Wp7 is microsoft’s only solution to portable gaming.). That statement actually worried me, due to the latest problems Microsoft’s been having with its app’s.
Wp7 Marketplace spam
Wp7 marketplace spam again?
The spam problem already seemed bad from before, but now that Microsoft has made it clear that this is their direction platform wise, the spam problem, combined with another problem I’ve been seeing and considering as of late, is the quality of the app’s. I’ve seen a few articles about the quality of the app’s, but IMO if Microsoft is going to use wp7 as its solution to mobile gaming, it needs to step up. These are the people who gave us gears of war, halo, etc. So why aren’t we seeing any good exclusive titles besides the harvest(i didn’t see it for IOS or Android.)? Right now all I am seeing is ports, which to be fair, Android did start out similarly. Hopefully we’ll get some better titles after the developers conference for gamer’s in London, Seattle, And Tokyo coming soon.(Developers Conference) But as far as the wp7 gaming situation is concerned right now, I’m still pretty worried since I haven’t heard of any great exclusive titles yet.
Btw all of this was typed with my LG quantum, except this sentence.


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TAIPEI, Taiwan - May 29, 2012 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced its AMD A-Series APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) are winners of the 2012 Best Choice of Computex TAIPEI award, the second consecutive win for the product family. The award is given by the Taipei Computer Association, a driving force behind the annual event and the leading technology organization in the country. Extensive reviews are conducted by a panel of esteemed government officials, academics, research analysts, editors-in-chief of key media outlets and industry experts to select winning products based on outstanding design and cutting-edge technology in nine product categories.
The second generation AMD A-Series APU combines the company's latest multi-core x86 CPU core architecture and award-winning AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics to provide an increase in performance of up to 29 percent on productivity applications (as compared with the first generation AMD A-Series APUs), an increase of graphics performance up to 56 percent, and deliver up to 12 hours of battery life.1 Its unique features enable improvements in the areas that matter most to consumers today, including entertainment, gaming and mobility, through a growing ecosystem of APU-accelerated applications.
"We are honored to receive this prestigious award from the Taipei Computer Association for the second consecutive year," said Chris Cloran, corporate vice president, AMD Client Products. "The overwhelming market reception and industry accolades for the AMD A-Series APUs demonstrate that AMD is uniquely meeting the needs of our customers and a new generation of PC buyers."
AMD and other award recipients' products will be displayed at the Best Choice Award Pavilion by Taipei Computer Association at the upcoming 2012 Computex exhibition. In addition, AMD's product showcase will be located at Booth #L0607 in the TWTC Nangang exhibition hall.
For developers interested in learning more about APUs and heterogeneous computing, AMD will be hosting the second annual AMD Fusion Developer Summit (AFDS) from June 11-14 in Bellevue, Washington. Summit participants will be able to engage in interactive sessions and hands-on labs to deepen their knowledge of APU programmability, and gain a better understanding of how software applications can take full advantage of their parallel processing power.
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Enterprise Florida leads trade mission to Chile
- Staff Jacksonville Business Journal
Enterprise Florida and Gov. Rick Scott will lead a trade mission to Santiago, Chile in May.
The trade mission will take place May 19-23. The participation cost as a delegate is $650 or $900 as a gold key participant, which includes pre-screened, one-on-one meetings with Chilean businesses, according to a news release.
Leading sectors for Florida exports to Chile include construction; food processing and packaging equipment; telecommunications; water resource equipment; financial services; and security systems and safety equipment.
Chile ranks sixth among Florida’s top products export destinations, with over $3.9 billion in exports in 2011. In addition, Florida exports to Chile increased at a rate of 24.3 percent through October 2012, according to a news release.
In the Jacksonville/Tampa Customs District, Chile ranked the fifth largest trading partner in 2012, according to a WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
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Mainland Europe’s traditionally small dealer groups are growing bigger through acquisitions, but are still eclipsed by UK-based groups, which continue to expand despite Brexit concerns, research shows.
The UK dealer groups’ ability to post profits even in a period of weakness prompted in part by Brexit concerns has attracted outside investment, most recently from Swedish firm Anders Hedin Invest, which in January bought an 11.6 percent stake in Pendragon, the UK’s largest dealer group and Europe’s third largest, according to data from analyst firm ICDP.
Non-British companies are targeting UK dealer groups because of the sector’s longtime strength and because of the weakness of the pound, which has been depressed by the UK’s failure to agree with the European Union on the country’s exit from the bloc, ICDP Senior Researcher Peter Bailey said.
U.S. company Penske is now Europe’s second-largest dealer group largely because of its UK investment. In addition, South Africa’s Super Group increased its UK footprint last year after buying 18 dealer sites, which mainly sell Ford models.
The share of UK car sales captured by the country’s top 50 dealer groups rose to 42 percent last year from 27 percent in 2008, ICDP figures show. Between 2017 and 2018,196 dealers changed hands in the UK, it said.


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Scotland’s farming community are facing a “significant impact” from Australian imports of beef and lamb due to the UK Government’s post-Brexit trade deal with the country, according to the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS).
Speaking in front of the Lords’ International Agreements Committee, NFUS political affairs manager Beatrice Morrice expressed her disappointment in the safeguarding of Scottish farmers interests in the deal, alongside her counterpart in England.
Morrice described the safeguards of the deal as “very short-term” and not in line with those promised to the sector prior to the agreement made by those in Westminster, adding: “After 15 years, there is no recourse at all, and that could impact significantly on the farming sector in Scotland.”
The Scottish Government has long demanded more parliamentary scrutiny over the deal, due to concerns over a lack of tariff rate quotas and enforceable safeguards, which could see Australian producers flood Scotland’s market with specific prime cuts to its beef and lamb.
Shadow International Trade Secretary Drew Hendry said: “This is a damning statement from the NFUS political affairs manager, and one that echoes what the SNP has been saying from the outset.
“Beyond the rhetoric thrown at us from the UK Government, this deal with Australia opens up Scotland’s market to cheaper imports of goods which, in turn, leads to lower animal welfare standards.
“This results in Scotland’s farmers, crofters and food producers being undercut and undermined by a Tory government who simply do not care for their welfare or livelihoods.”
The UK Government's own economic analysis suggests that UK GDP will increase by 0.08% as a result of this deal, while Brexit would lead to a 4.9% contraction in GDP.
The trade deal with Australia is expected to unlock £10.4bn of additional trade, increasing wages across the UK, while eliminating tariffs on 100% of UK exports, making it cheaper to sell products like cars, Scotch whisky and UK fashion down under.
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Naomi Campbell: I wouldn’t exist without gay men
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has said that she “wouldn’t exist” without gay men.
The model made the comments to GLAAD, ahead of her role on TV show Empire.
She said: “When I got on the red carpet [at the GLAAD awards] people said ‘Why are you here?’
“I said ‘Why shouldn’t I be here?’ If it wasn’t for gay men I wouldn’t exist’.
“Hair, make-up, designer, photographer, stylist, manicure, hair-dresser, I mean, I just wouldn’t exist.
“I owe my life to gay men. And it’s just what I’ve grown up with. It’s my family.
Naomi Campbell added: “And along with GLAAD, I encourage even more diversity in the fashion world, that includes welcoming trans models to the runways.
“Much love Lea T and also to Carmen Carrera. She’s in the fashion magazines W, Italian Vogue and also just to note the recent Barney’s campaign.
“The truth is LGBT culture and fashion go hand in hand. They flourish in light of making bold and brave statements.”


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Today, Mitsubishi announced that it will be unveiling a new vehicle, called Concept G4, at the Bangkok International Motor Show at the end of the month.
Read This Article
Mitsubishi had a rough year in the American automotive market, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
Mitsubishi Motors in conjunction with its Mitsubishi Electric sister company has created a prototype for an EV motor that measures just half the size of the one currently used in the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
The 2014 Mitsubishi i-MiEV is now solidly the most affordable EV sold in the U.S. But would you want one?


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Sony prep Killzone 2 servers ahead of release
Word on the street this morning has it that Sony are readying the PlayStation Network for the inevitable onslaught that will follow Killzone 2's long awaited release in Europe and the US this Friday.
PS3Attitude report that Killzone 2's servers should be up and running later today, well ahead of the game's full global release at the end of the week.
Inevitably, Sony and Guerrilla's technical types are expecting a large influx of players, so it seems they're hoping to get all the hatches battened-down before the big kick-off.
We loved Killzone 2, and we urge you to check it out.
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