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2017 Volvo XC90 recalled for seatbelt fix – UPDATE
Volvo has issued a recall for 58 examples of its 2017 model-year XC90 SUVs over concerns a component for one of the third-row seat belt pre-tensioners could detach in a collision.
The Swedish company reports the right-hand side seatbelt pre-tensioner for the third row of seating may have been produced incorrectly.
Volvo says the seatbelt itself will operate as normal for general use, though a small part of the assembly could detach in a crash.
If the condition occurs, the part could bounce into the passenger area, increasing the risk of injury to occupants.
Affected XC90 SUVs fall within the VIN range 133955 and 143647. Volvo has confirmed there have been no incidents caused by the issue in Australia.
Owners of the recalled units are advised to contact their local Volvo dealer to arrange for the repair of their XC90.


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KENYA’s economic experts and business community have raised concerns over the rapid falling exchange rate of the Kenya shilling, which is currently selling at 106.47 shillings for 1 U.S. dollar.
The economists, who decried the sliding further of the local currency on Tuesday, called for urgent measures to be put in place to contain the rapid escalation of the exchange rate.
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), a trade lobby group, said the banking industry had began to suspect that there was speculation on the currency, which the apex bank may be keen to stop at an early stage.
“The continuous dropping of the value of the Kenyan shillings is a serious matter to the citizens of Kenya given that we do a lot of trade with other countries,” KNCCI Western Kenya chairman Israel Agina told Xinhua.
According to Agina, if nothing is done to address the dropping value of the shilling, the economy of the country is likely to collapse.
Also on Tuesday, the CBK summoned the chief executives of commercial banks for an emergency meeting to discuss the exchange rate as the shilling approaches the all-time low rate of 107 units to the U.S dollar.
As at the opening of markets Monday morning, commercial banks sold the dollar for 105.64 shillings on average while the forex bureaus sold the same for as high as 107 shillings. Bank rates, however, went up in the afternoon as the institutions were selling the dollar at 106.60 shillings, only 0.40 shillings short of the 107 shillings low achieved on October 12, 2011.
In June, the currency, which had this year weakened by nearly 8 percent, had come under pressure from a stronger U.S. dollar, a widening current account deficit and sustained high demand for foreign exchange.
Despite the attempts by the CBK to raise the basic lending rate to tame its rapid weakening, the shilling is still expected to come under renewed pressure in the coming months, according to the experts.
According to a recent research by the Standard Chartered Bank, the rising imports in the face of dwindling exports as well as slow recovery in crude oil prices in the global market, will continue putting the shilling under strain.
“It is saddening that developed countries like Japan, the U.S. among others are selling more and buying less while Kenya, which is a developing country, buys more and sells less,” Agina added.
He also observed that business people in Kenya are likely to hit by the dwindling shilling because the products they import are likely to cost highly.
“We are seeing a scenario where importing raw materials, chemicals, machineries will be much more expensive because of the dwindling shilling, and this is likely to impact negatively on the economy of the country,” said Agina, who is also the chairman of the business community in Western Kenya.
Rose Atieno, a second hand clothes businesswoman based in Kisumu County, said she has stopped importing Ladies and Men’s ware clothes from Turkey and U.S. because of the dwindling value of the shilling.
“Importing clothes is becoming very expensive, and I’m now forced to stop my business for a while until the shilling gains its value,” Atieno said.
“If you look at the exchange rate of the dollar, this does not give any positive results. It is very much demanding and if we are not careful, then our economy is on its way to collapsing,” said Francis Wangara, national secretary general of the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers Union (Kupaw).
“And it will be very unfortunate for the jubilee government to allow the economy crumble in their hands. In history of this country, this is the worse we have seen,”he added.
Wangara warned that if something is not done quickly, then they would even demand the resignation of CBK governor Patrick Njoroge because he has failed to tame this rapid escalation of exchange rate.
The trade unionist urged Njoroge to do something to make sure that “we contain this situation because the cost of living will be unbearable and Kenyans will not sit down and watch when these things are going to impossible areas of management.” Enditem. – ANA

domain: news


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Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, has announced it will be providing in-flight entertainment through iPads pre-loaded with popular films, TV shows, music and games.
The iPads will be provided for free to ScootBiz passengers – the carrier’s business class cabin – and all other passengers will have to rent them for S$22 (US$17.50) per flight.
Eventually, the carrier will roll out onboard wireless internet access that will allow passengers to stream content from an onboard library via their own devices. Wireless internet access will be charged at a pay-per-flight basis for economy passengers while business class fares will include internet access. However, rates for wifi internet access have not yet been revealed.
The carrier has also revealed items that will be available on its menu. While meals are an added extra to basic fares, the carrier offers the FlyBagEat fare package that offers economy passengers 15kg of checked baggage allowance and one meal.
Items on the menu include chicken briyani rice, soya sauce chicken rice and beef lasagne while vegetarians can choose from vegetarian lasagne and cheesy mushroom panini. Snacks, such as cup noodles and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream will also be available.
Passengers who do not choose the FlyBagEat package can buy food items onboard, with hot meals starting at S$10 (US$7) and a ComboMeal, which includes one hot meal, a drink and a snack, costs S$17 (US$13).
For more information, visit www.flyscoot.com


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Currencies in many emerging market nations have been buying less and less for more than a year.
In sometimes turbulent trading, the currencies of Brazil, Russia, Chile, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other nations have fallen sharply, in some cases losing 20 percent of their value or even more.
Joshua Brockwell, of Azzad Asset Management, said emerging market currencies have been hurt by the soaring dollar, falling commodity prices, and worries about slowing global economic growth.
Impact of currency changes
Experts say a weaker currency makes it more expensive to buy imported items, from gasoline to medications, which can be a source of inflation.
But a weaker currency can also help boost exports by making them less expensive and therefore more competitive on global markets. Stronger exports can help economic growth.
That is why critics accused China of seeking an unfair price advantage when Beijing allowed the value of the Renminbi, also known as the Yuan, to decline recently. Chinese officials said the change was driven by market forces.
What hurt emerging market currencies?
Several years ago, emerging market currencies began rising in value when record-low interest rates in the United States gave investors disappointing returns. Investors move their money to the place where they get the best combination of return and risk, and fast-growing developing nations looked like a good bet.
But that changed when the U.S. central bank signaled its intention to raise the key interest rate. Economist Joe Brusuelas of McGladrey LLP said U.S. rates will probably go up about two percent over the next three years. That will give people who invest in the United States better returns than other nations that are still holding interest rates at very low levels in a bid to boost economic growth.
Improving U.S. growth means low interest rates are no longer needed.
Brusuelas said the end of record-low U.S. interest rates mean global financial “tectonic plates” are shifting. “You should expect to see capital flow towards economies where it can get better rates of return, and that's exactly what we are seeing.”
Currency values are also affected by risk, which has risen recently as China’s economic growth slowed. Less growth in the world’s second-largest economy means less demand for crude oil and other commodities that are important exports for many emerging markets.
Brusuelas said that sparked "a crisis of confidence among global investors.” When a lot of worried investors sell a particular currency, the decline in demand for that kind of money drives down its price.
Brockwell said some emerging market currencies have fallen to a level that reflects their current economic fundamentals, while others have dropped even lower.
Brusuelas said many currencies are influenced by the value of the Chinese yuan, which he predicts will fall another three percent, pulling emerging market exchange rates down even further.


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A new study has revealed some alarming information when it comes to young people and the rising popularity of JUUL, a discreet e-cigarette that, as of April 2018, has taken more than half of the e-cigarette market share.
A new Truth Initiative study, published this month in the journal Tobacco Control, reveals that 25 percent of survey respondents ages 15 to 24 recognized a JUUL e-cigarette device — which looks similar to a USB drive — when shown a photo of the product. Out of that group, 25 percent reported they know that using the product is called “JUULing,” which the Truth Initiative says indicates that the product is so well known that it is perceived as its own category.
The most shocking information revealed in the study, however, is that despite the device being so well known, 63 percent of actual JUUL users did not know the product contains nicotine in every puff.
How much nicotine? Each JUULpod contains the approximate equivalent to 1 pack of cigarettes, or 200 puffs. So, if a user goes through one JUULpod a day, that is the nicotine equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
“It is no wonder that JUUL e-cigarettes have rapidly caught on with youth — they look like a sleek USB flash drive, are easily concealed, and come in youth-appealing flavors like mint, mango and crème brulee,” said Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative. “Unfortunately, young people are unaware that JUUL packs a powerful nicotine punch with a single cartridge equal to an entire pack of cigarettes. This escalates the urgency for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation and public education regarding the risks for young people.”
JUUL confirms on its website that all JUULpods contain nicotine and, at this time, they do not offer non-nicotine options. Other ingredients in JUULpods include glycerol, propylene glycol, and benzoic acid, as well as oils, extracts and flavors that are claimed to be natural.
On its website, JUUL acknowledges underage use of its products but says it is “committed to combating” this. The company’s prevention efforts seem to focus mainly on educating retailers and advocating technology that prevents underage people from buying JUUL devices in the first place.
Truth Initiative says while the FDA has announced efforts to “reduce the addictiveness and appeal of combustible tobacco products,” the delay in reviewing the products before they hit the market “deprives the public of critical information needed to make informed choices, contributes to confusion among smokers about the quality and safety of devices and permits the proliferation of products that are highly appealing to youth.”
For now, Truth Initiative and six other public health and medical groups have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a decision by the FDA that allows e-cigarettes to avoid full regulatory compliance until 2022.
An alarming Truth Initiative report in January revealed how much teens are being exposed to smoking just in the streaming and on-demand entertainment they watch. That study found that 79 percent of the shows most popular with people ages 15 to 24 prominently show characters smoking, with the worst offender being Netflix’s popular “Stranger Things,“ in which children make up the majority of the cast.
If you’re worried that your kids are uninformed about e-cigarettes, The American Lung Association recommends giving children and teens a clear, consistent message about the risks of smoking. They suggest you tell them honestly and directly that you do not want them smoking any form of nicotine. Of course, it’s also important to not smoke around your children or allow other people to smoke around them.
Did you know JUUL devices packed so much nicotine?


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For the average enterprise, convergence is still a matter for the local network, with little consideration given to extending it to mobile and remote workers. This has not stopped suppliers from looking...
Apple clears the decks ahead of big launch planned on Monday
Forthcoming 7nm Ryzen CPUs and GPUs will be made by TSMC rather than GlobalFoundries
Next Xbox will come with 12GB GDDR5 memory and pack an AMD Polaris GPU
Higher component costs combined with users opting for quality over price will see average selling prices for devices go up
Kaby Lake and a big boost in memory planned for 15-inch MacBook


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China Coatings Network
News: Based on the introduction of the
consumption tax, Beckers China has officially announced a 4% increase in the price of its sales from April 1, 2015, with existing sales contracts unaffected. Dr. Kober, Global President and Managing Director of Consumer Electronics Coatings of the
Berg Group, explained: "In order to protect the environment, Berger has been working to reduce VOC content in its products over the past few years and has successfully introduced low-volatile organic compound systems or volatile organic compound-free systems such as water-based
in China. Therefore, we greatly appreciate the government departments on volatile organic matter content of more than 42% of the paint to levy a consumption tax, which will further promote the promotion of environmentally friendly products. However, given that most Chinese coating manufacturers do not have the appropriate equipment to use low VOC coatings or
and will continue to use more than 42% of volatile organic compounds, Berger will continue to supply customers and transfer the increased costs to clients.
Beckers Group is the world's leading supplier of industrial coatings for coils, heavy machinery and equipment, trucks, trains and consumer electronics.


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Emotive Disney anniversary ad beats M&M’s as ‘most effective’ Super Bowl spot
While the Kansas City Chiefs fought back to claim a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, it was Disney that was the biggest winner off the playing field according to System1’s ad effectiveness measurement tool.
Only 1% of ads ever ever score 5 stars
System1 has refereed the top 10 gameday commercials, ranking the top-performing adverts on their brand-building potential.
The marketing platform assigned its star rating system to the most powerful commercial voices from the game, with one ad even crossing the high watermark of a coveted 5-star rating – something only 1% of ads ever manage.
Jon Evans, chief customer officer at System1, said: “This year saw a welcome jump in overall scores and a rich 5-Star ad from Disney. The big theme we saw was nostalgia, with homages to classic films and TV doing particularly well. Nostalgia can be great at boosting effectiveness, but it can lead to an over-reliance on celebrities and that’s what we’ve seen in a lot of ads this year. After all, celebrities are no replacement for great characters of your own.”
Drawing on overarching themes of film/TV homages, celebrity endorsement, co-branding, TikTok and meta advertising, here we share the top 10 performers and the lessons to be gleaned from their success...
1. Disney ‘Disney100 Special Look’ (5.3 stars)
Disney proved to be a Super Bowl showstopper with a nostalgia-laden anniversary spot that saw its cherished characters from throughout the years sweep aside today’s celebrities. Running the gamut from 1922’s Steamboat Willie to Avatar, the House of Mouse roared.
2. M&M’s ‘Back for Good’ (4.8 stars)
Falling just shy of five stars was M&M’s, which ditched its ‘spokescandies’ ahead of the Super Bowl only to reinstate the iconic candy ambassadors directly after the Big Game.
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3. T-Mobile ‘New Year, New Neighbor’ (4.7 stars)
Also mining the evergreen nostalgia vein was T-Mobile, which curried favour with audiences by casting its eyes back to classic films and TV shows. Among the throwbacks was John Travolta reprising Summer Nights to sing the praises of the telecoms brand.
4. Amazon ‘Saving Sawyer’ (4.4 stars)
A lonely dog proved to be the unlikely star of Amazon Prime’s shopping pitch, tugging on the sentimentality of viewers by suggesting Sawyer’s family may send their misbehaving pet to the pound only for them to come up with a better plan, taking everyone on an emotional rollercoaster.
5. Jeep ‘Electric Boogie’ (4.3 stars)
Jeep unleashed its animalistic side with a menagerie of meerkats, bears and dolphins who boogie for the cameras to draw attention to a new generation of electric vehicles.
6. Michelob Ultra ‘Ultra Club/New Members Day’ (4.2 stars)
A star-studded lineup including Serena Williams and Emmy Award winner Brian Cox step back in time to the 1980s to revisit golf comedy Caddyshack for a heady mix of nostalgia and pop culture.
7. Paramount+ ‘Stallone Face’ (4.2 stars)
Right behind sits Paramount+, which like Disney mined its enviable back catalog to resurface action hero Sly, who climbs a mountain carved in his honor in a loose allusion to the ‘streaming wars’.
8. The Farmer’s Dog ‘Forever’ (4.2 stars)
Also on 4.2 stars is The Farmer’s Dog, which wins hearts and minds with a good-natured tale of preservative-free dog food.
9. Bud Light ‘Hold’ (4.1 stars)
Bud Light took a different tack for the well-worn beer category, ditching celebrity cameos in favor of a Tik-Tok-inspired ad featuring real-life couple Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry.
10 Popcorners ‘Breaking Good’ (4.1 stars)
The snack brand draws inspiration from Breaking Bad’s Walter and Jesse, who are depicted hanging up their chemical suits to focus on baked snacks.


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As one can’t go to salons during the coronavirus lockdown, actress Yami Gautam has decided to take care of skin by making beauty products at home.
On Thursday, she posted a picture of the scrubs that she made on her own.
“Made some homemade scrubs…#stayhome #staysafe,” Yami captioned the image.
She also trying her hand at cooking. She recently made baked gluten free-bread.
Last year was without a doubt one of the finest years in Yami’s filmy career, as the beautiful actress had two super hits to her name with Uri and Bala.


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Central Garden & Pet to Present at the Oppenheimer 23rd Annual Consumer Conference
WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) (“Central”), a market leader in the Pet and Garden industries, announced today that Niko Lahanas, CFO, will present at the virtual Oppenheimer 23rd Consumer Conference on Wednesday, June 14, at 11:15 am Eastern Time (8:15 am Pacific Time). The live webcast and a replay will be available on the Central IR website: http://ir.central.com.
About Central Garden & Pet
Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) understands that home is central to life and has proudly nurtured happy and healthy homes for over 40 years. With fiscal 2022 net sales of $3.3 billion, Central is on a mission to lead the future of the Pet and Garden industries. The Company’s innovative and trusted products are dedicated to helping lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a leading portfolio of more than 65 high-quality brands including Amdro®, Aqueon®, Cadet®, Farnam®, Ferry-Morse®, Four Paws®, Kaytee®, K&H®, Nylabone® and Pennington®, strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities and a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. Central Garden & Pet is based in Walnut Creek, California and has over 7,000 employees across North America and Europe. Visit www.central.com to learn more.
Investor Relations Contact
VP Investor Relations
Source: Central Garden & Pet Company
Released June 13, 2023


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The stock market’s S&P 500 losses are getting real: Real large. Every American lost, on average, $22,313 apiece from the ongoing coronavirus stock total market correction in just two weeks.
That’s based on the $7.3 trillion in value wiped from the total stock market since the Feb. 19, 2020 high (which includes small and mid-sized companie), says Wilshire Associates. Just based on the S&P 500, the 327.2 million Americans lost $6.67 trillion from the high, or $20,385 each person on average.
That’s not an inconsequential sum. It’s equivalent to roughly a quarter of the median U.S. annual household income, gone, in just two weeks of selling. And the selling can continue. Dividends could drop off, too.
“Where we go from here is anybody’s guess,” said Paul Hickey of Bespoke Investment Group.
Real-time quote and/or trade prices are not sourced from all markets.
Who’s Taking The Biggest S&P 500 Losses?
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall” certainly applies to this market decline. The top stocks with the heaviest weightings in SPY stock are shredding the most market value. That includes the U.S.’ dominant tech-related stocks, the pushed the bull market.
The 18% drop in Microsoft (MSFT) stock, alone, erased $257.2 billion in wealth since the market top. That’s followed by the $212 billion market value destruction at Apple (AAPL) and $173.9 billion subtracted from Amazon (AMZN). Apple is down 15% from the high and Amazon is off 16%.
Microsoft and Apple are still worth more than $1 trillion. But both Amazon and Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL) are now worth less than a trillion. Together, the top five S&P 500 losers are responsible for a trillion in lost market value.
If there’s a poster child of losses it’s Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. Bezos owns nearly 56 million shares of Amazon, or 11.2% of the shares outstanding. With shares down 16% from the high, he personally lost $19.4 billion. Microsoft’s Bill Gates is only down $3.5 billion, as he’s no longer a top-five owner of that stock. And Alphabet founder Sergey Brin is down $12 billion.
Who’s The Biggest Owner Of Falling S&P 500 Stocks?
But given the rise of index investing, it’s also not surprising to see Vanguard taking its lumps, too. Vanguard is the largest mutual fund company, and therefore has the largest positions in the biggest stocks.
Vanguard, for instance, own 8.2% of Microsoft. The value of its 623 million shares in the company has dropped by $21.1 billion the past two weeks alone. Vanguard is also the largest owner of Apple, too, at 7.5%. It’s down nearly $16 billion in that stock.
Looks like being large comes at a cost.
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GoDaddy has confirmed that thousands of web hosting accounts were breached by an unauthorised individual almost seven months ago.
GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain name registrar that manages 77 million domains and provides services to roughly 19 million customers around the world.
The data breach confirmation notice was filed with the State of California Department of Justice and sent out to customers on May 4 via an email, which was signed by Demetrius Comes, CISO & VP of Engineering at GoDaddy.
According to Comes, an unauthorised individual had gained access to login information that its customers used to connect to SSH on their hosting accounts. For those unaware, Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network.
While the breach took place in October 2019, it was only discovered on April 23 when GoDaddy noticed some suspicious activity occurring on a subset of its servers.
Comes said that the unauthorized person has been blocked from their systems and the company has no evidence that any files were added or modified on the compromised accounts.
“This incident is limited in scope to your hosting account. Your main GoDaddy.com customer account and the information stored within your customer account was not accessible by this threat actor,” he added.
Comes told that the company is currently investigating the potential impact of the breach across their environment. Meanwhile, GoDaddy has proactively reset customers’ hosting account login information to help prevent any potential unauthorized access. Also, as a precautionary measure, GoDaddy has recommended its users to conduct an audit of their hosting accounts.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have already taken and will continue to take measures to enhance our security in light of this incident,” Comes added.
To offset the incident, GoDaddy will be offering one year of Website Security Deluxe and Express Malware Removal to its affected customers at no cost.
These services will help them run scans on their website to identify and alert them of any potential security vulnerabilities. Further, if any problem arises with the free service, GoDaddy’s security team would be on hand to help the customers.


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On Sunday 28th October 2012, another exciting edition of the monthly shopping extravaganza, Le Petit Marché (LPM) successfully took place in grand style at the GET Arena, Lagos.
As always the creative team behind the shopping event pulled all necessary stops to deliver another spectacular gathering with loads of vendors stocked with the latest array of items including cakes, sweets, beauty products, jewelry, shoes, bags, sun glasses, art works and so many more, from Nigeria and beyond.
If you missed the event, never mind, BN has got all the photos. For more info on how to book stands at the upcoming October edition, simply send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.org | email@example.com
Photo Credit: Kola Oshalusi for Insigna
Contact: For more info and general enquiries;
- E-mail firstname.lastname@example.org | email@example.com
- Follow them on Twitter @L’EspacebyLPM
- Like their Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Petit-Marche/86445795119


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Warehouse will be third in north-west and will be next-generation facility with staff working alongside robots.
Amazon is to create a further 1,200 new jobs with a warehouse in Bolton as it continues its rapid UK expansion.
The warehouse, which will be the third to open in the north-west, will be one of a new generation of Amazon facilities that will see staff work alongside robots. Stefano Perego, an Amazon director, said the warehouse would take the total number of new permanent jobs the company has created in the north-west of England to more than 3,500 since 2016.
Amazon, which will have 15 of the warehouses – called fulfilment centres – across the UK by the end of this year, employs a workforce of 24,000 across Britain.
Amazon has started recruiting for a range of roles at the fulfilment centre, including operations managers, engineers, human resources staff and IT specialists. Warehouse staff will be responsible for picking, packing and shipping items alongside Amazon’s robots, which slide under a tower of shelves where products are stowed, lift the product and move it through the fulfilment centre.
Perego said the Bolton staff would receive “competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one”. The warehouse will open next year. Fufilment centre staff will start on £7.65 an hour minimum, rising to at least £8.15 over their first two years of employment. The national living wage for over-25s is £7.50 an hour.
However, employment conditions at Amazon warehouses have been the subject of scrutiny in several countries, including the UK. Last year Amazon was accused of creating “intolerable working conditions” at its site in Dunfermline after allegations that workers had been penalised for taking sick days. At the time, Amazon said it offered “great jobs and a positive work environment with opportunities for growth”.
Last year, Amazon announced that it would open fulfilment centres in Daventry, Doncaster, Warrington and Tilbury in 2017, creating more than 3,500 permanent full-time jobs. The Daventry site opened in February, while Doncaster, Warrington and Tilbury began operating recently.
Amazon also has research and development sites in Edinburgh and Cambridge, which are working on voice recognition services, drones, and developing Amazon’s online and mobile shopping services. By the end of the year, the company will have 1,500 UK-based staff working on R&D.


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- News tagged "piracy"
Monday, 13 Aug 2012
Google will be making changes to their search algorithm to penalize pirate sites. After the new measures roll in, pages which have had valid copyright removal notices will fall down relevant search rankings. The move is aimed at making it easier for users to find legitimate sources of content.
Tuesday, 7 Feb 2012
One of the largest Bit Torrent search engines BTJunkie has decided to voluntarily shut down operations permanently, before it draws the wrath of the government and copyright holders. Smart move?
Friday, 20 Jan 2012
SOPA and PIPA were halted after a round of Internet blackouts from popular services such as Wikipedia. To reaffirm their decision to stamp out piracy with the strongest measures, the US Justice Department has shut down Megaupload.
Friday, 23 Dec 2011
After 12 days of putting his new comedy special from the Beacon Theater online with no DRM, American comedian Louis CK announces that the experiment has earned him over US$1 million.
Wednesday, 14 Dec 2011
Megaupload is turning the tables and suing Universal Music Group. The online site, which helps store and transfer files, claims that Universal got Megaupload's content removed from Youtube with no legal basis.
Wednesday, 14 Apr 2010
A report by the U.S. government's internal piracy watchdog says that most piracy estimates are highly exaggerated.


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A bold 10-year effort by Japan to seize the lead in computer technology is fizzling to a close, having failed to meet many of its ambitious goals or to produce technology that Japan's computer industry wanted.
After spending more than $400 million on its widely heralded Fifth Generation computer project, the Japanese Government said this week that it was willing to give away the software developed by the project to anyone who wanted it, even foreigners. Machines That Would Think
That attitude is a sharp contrast to the project's inception, when it spread fear in the United States that the Japanese were going to leapfrog the American computer industry. In response, a group of American companies formed the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, a consortium in Austin, Tex., to cooperate on research. And the Defense Department, in part to meet the Japanese challenge, began a huge long-term program to develop intelligent systems, including tanks that could navigate on their own.
Now, with a debate in the United States about whether the Government should help American companies compete, the Fifth Generation venture is a reminder that even Japan's highly regarded Ministry of International Trade and Industry can make mistakes in predicting which technologies will be important in the future.
The problem for Japan is that the computer industry shifted so rapidly that the technological path the Fifth Generation took -- which seemed a wise choice in 1982 -- turned out to be at odds with the computer industry's direction by 1992.Continue reading the main story
In a sense, Japan's ability to stay the course in pursuit of a long-term payoff -- usually considered one of the country's strongest assets -- turned into a liability. A similar challenge for Japan may now be arising in high-definition television. Japan's HDTV system, which has been in development for two decades, is now coming to market just as some engineers believe that a major shift to digital television technology will make the Japanese analog approach obsolete.
Yet interest in joint government-industry projects continues in Japan. Another computer technology program, called the Real World Computing project, is getting under way. Executives here said that such programs lead to valuable results even if no useful products emerge from the pipeline.
A benefit of the Fifth Generation project, for instance, is that it trained hundreds, perhaps thousands, of engineers in advanced computer science. It is this training, rather than any particular piece of software, that will be the project's legacy, as the engineers proceed to apply their skills at their respective Japanese companies.
"I think the side effect is the main effect," said Toshio Yokoi, general manager of the Japan Electronic Dictionary Research Institute, another project backed by the Japanese Government.
An American executive agreed. "The indirect impact of the Fifth Generation project should not be understated," said Mark Eaton, vice president of strategy and development at the American computer consortium. "As usual with a MITI project, it's the bandwagon effect you look at, as well as the project itself." Mr. Eaton monitored the project in a previous job at the United States Consulate in Osaka. Post-Mortem Conference
The Fifth Generation project, started in 1982, aimed to develop computers with reasoning capabilities, rather than the ability to merely perform calculations. Computers imbued with such "artificial intelligence" could be used to diagnose diseases, analyze lawsuits and understand language. With the project drawing to a close, a big conference is under way here this week to assess its results.
The Fifth Generation effort did not yield the breakthroughs to make machines truly intelligent, something that probably could never have realistically been expected anyway. Yet the project did succeed in developing prototype computers that can perform some reasoning functions at high speeds, in part by employing up to 1,000 processors in parallel. The project also developed basic software to control and program such computers. Experts here said that some of these achievements were technically impressive. No Market Appeal
But these days, few people want specialized computers for artificial intelligence, preferring powerful general-purpose machines like those made by Sun Microsystems Inc., a fast-growing Silicon Valley company that did not exist when the Fifth Generation Project was conceived. And a host of scrappy American companies have sprung up to sell massively parallel computers with tens of thousands of processors, far more than the Fifth Generation machines.
The lack of commercial interest in its technology helps account for the announcement by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry this week that it would give the Fifth Generation software to anyone, without charge.
While the ministry said it was making the unusual offer as a donation to world science, some computer scientists read the move as evidence that the project had been transformed from a strategic weapon.
"If it had really caught on, the Japanese companies would not have let it go," said Edward Feigenbaum, a professor of computer science at Stanford University who was the co-author of a 1983 book on the Fifth Generation project. While the project developed some interesting computer designs and software, he said, even in Japan "no one is using the technology."
Most industry executives and computer scientists on both sides of the Pacific agree that the United States still retains the world leadership in computer design and software. And today, most American computer scientists and executives have long since stopped paying attention to the Fifth Generation project.
The failure of the Fifth Generation project to produce much of commercial value also reflects the fact that Japanese computer companies have come a long way on their own and no longer need to rely on the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
One research manager at a Japanese company, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, said his company had developed one of the specialized computers, known as parallel-inference machines, for the Fifth Generation project but had no interest in turning it into a commercial product. Instead, the company has developed its own, more general-purpose parallel computer, which it is now selling.
The Fifth Generation project did provide a stimulus for the formation of the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, which in turn inspired the formation of other consortiums, so that it is now not unusual for American companies to cooperate in basic research.
In his opening speech at the conference here, Kazuhiro Fuchi, the director of the Fifth Generation project, made an impassioned defense of his program.
"Ten years ago we faced criticism of being too reckless," in setting too many ambitious goals, he said, adding, "Now we see criticism from inside and outside the country because we have failed to achieve such grand goals."
Outsiders, he said, initially exaggerated the aims of the project, with the result that the program now seems to have fallen short of its goals.
Some American computer scientists say privately that some of their colleagues did perhaps overstate the scope and threat of the Fifth Generation project. Why? In order to coax more support from the United States Government for computer science research.Continue reading the main story


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SHEFFIELD, Ohio -- Comics Are Go will hold a free gallery event Saturday evening of more than a dozen pieces of original comic book art from such fan favorites as John Buscema, Bill Sienkiewicz and others.
The event is 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the shop at 5188 Detroit Road in Sheffield Village.
Comic fans will be interested in seeing the raw work of the creators before it is inked, colored and turned into a comic page. Buscema was one of the workhorses at Marvel Comics in the 1960s and 1970s, lending his vibrant style to almost every title including "The Avengers," "Fantastic Four," "Conan" and dozens more.
Sienkiewicz raised eyebrows with his unique style on Marvel Comics like "The New Mutants," where he introduced the stylized character Legion, (now a television show). His version of Daredevil girlfriend/villain Elektra in "Elektra:Assassin" took everyone by surprise.
In addition to the work of Buscema and Sienkiewicz, the pop-up gallery will feature the work of younger artists like Joelle Jones and Skottie Young as well as artwork from local creators.
Owner Eric Anderson said some of the art is for display only, but a most pieces will be available for purchase.
For more information, please contact Comics Are Go at 440-695-8401 or email@example.com.


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on grocery bill
From legendary actors to fashion designers, take a look at the most notable deaths of 2014.
Take a look at images of the protests surrounding Brown's death.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who has served in this position since February 2013, was forced out by President Barack Obama on Monday. Take a look at other faces in Obama's Cabinet.
A Minnesota beef distributor has enacted a nationwide recall of 1,200 pounds of its ground beef products for possible E. coli contamination. Here are other notable food recalls that made headlines.
Buying food for Thanksgiving dinner? Check out ways you can maximize your grocery store dollar.
President Barack Obama announced an executive action Thursday that implements major changes to the country's immigration policies. Click on to find out more about the changes.
Internet pranks can be downright dangerous. Just ask our biggest celebrities, some of whom have "died" several times in fake online reports.
We often hear the names Angelina Jolie and Madonna when it comes to celebrity adoptions, but several other stars have adopted children, too. In honor of National Adoption Day on Saturday, here's a look at some of them.
With the twerking aficionado formerly known as Hannah Montana celebrating her 22nd birthday on Nov. 23, join us for a look back at Miley Cyrus' career so far.
We take a look at some well-known public figures who were cheerleaders.
With Dennis Haskins, better known as Mr. Belding, everybody's favorite TV principal, turning 64 on Tuesday, what better time to check in with him and his "Saved by the Bell" co-stars?
Courtesy of BaconBros.com
For some musically inclined celebrities, playing music goes way beyond merely being a hobby.
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A California newspaper slams General Motors in a scorching editorial urging consumers to take a break before purchasing a new vehicle from the automaker.
This stems from GM’s decision a week ago when it flip-flopped and said it would no longer support President Donald Trump’s efforts to prevent California from setting its own emissions rules. .
With that, GM pulled out of the pre-emption litigation between California, the Trump administration, and other non-government groups.
GM CEO Mary Barra cited GM’s alignment of EV targets with President-elect Joe Biden’s endorsement of electric vehicles as a reason to withdraw from the litigation.
Biden praised GM for the move. But not everyone buys GM’s change of mind.
In a Sunday Sacramento Bee op-ed titled “GM sided with Trump against California. Remember this when buying a new car,” GM is described as a Benedict Arnold, the US military officer who defected from the British side during the War of Independence.
“Like rats from a doomed ship, some of President Donald Trump’s prominent supporters have started to abandon him now that it is clear he cannot reverse Joe Biden’s presidential victory in 2020. Among the greatest and most venerable evacuees: General Motors Corp., “the editorial began.
The editorial said GM had been Trump’s “pocket dog” a year earlier when the president sought to reduce the Obama administration’s fuel consumption requirements from an average of 55 mpg to 40 mpg d ‘by 2026.
Meanwhile, the California Air Resources Board had an agreement with five automakers – BMW, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and Volvo – to adopt an average fuel consumption standard of 51 mpg by 2026. But Trump challenged that agreement and has got GM support. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, along with Toyota Motor Corp., have also supported the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent California from setting its own fuel efficiency rules or its own zero-emission requirements.
“Now that Biden has triumphed, GM wants to get back to the right side of politics – and history,” the editorial said. “If Trump hadn’t lost the election, however, there is no doubt that GM would still help and encourage his attack on California, climate action and the future of the planet.
“California consumers should remember this when deciding which brand of car to buy. If you weren’t driving a car with a 2020 Trump sticker on the bumper, why would you buy a Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, or GMC? “
A GM spokeswoman declined to comment on the editorial other than to highlight a letter Barra sent to environmental executives last week.
In it, Barra wrote: “We believe the ambitious electrification goals of the President-elect, California and General Motors are aligned to tackle climate change by dramatically reducing emissions from automobiles. We are confident that the Biden Administration, California, and US auto industry, which supports 10.3 million jobs, can collaboratively find the path that will deliver an all-electric future. “
Barra said that to “better foster the necessary dialogue,” GM was immediately withdrawing from the pre-emption litigation and asked other automakers to join it.
“Given this shared enthusiasm and the President-elect’s call to bring the country together, we believe that there is now a way to reach agreement on a national standard and complementary policies to accelerate the electrification of the electricity sector. light transport, ”said Barra. .
Biden had met Barra, UAW President Rory Gamble and other business and union leaders earlier this month as part of his transition. He said GM’s choice to work with California is central to its Build Back Better plan, and innovation and manufacturing issues were discussed at the meeting.
In a tweet following GM news, Ford CEO Jim Farley hailed GM’s decision to withdraw support for the Trump administration’s attempt to block California’s right to set its own air standards pure.
Likewise, John Cangany, a Ford spokesperson said, “We urge all automakers to follow Ford’s lead in standing with California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The fight against climate change requires the mobilization of all stakeholders. We believe our framework agreement is the best way forward for customers, the environment and the short and long term health of the automotive industry. “
GM has laid out an ambitious plan to eventually offer an all-electric range in what it calls its future zero-emissions, zero-accident, and zero-congestion business model. Barra has told Wall Street he is increasing the number of electric vehicles he will bring to market. GM will offer 30 new electric vehicles by 2025, up from its previous target of offering 20 by 2023.
In September, California said all new passenger cars sold in the state were to be fully electric by 2035 and that no new internal combustion engine vehicles would be allowed to be sold there.
After:GM abandons Trump in bid to ban California from fixing emissions
After:GM and UAW meet with Biden and Harris on COVID-19 and the economy


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Local auction event buzzing with active bidders
NINE properties went to auction on Tuesday night at an event hosted by Ray White Julie Mahoney’s office at Townsville’s Ville Resort and Casino.
The auction attracted 27 registered bidders who turned up to offer their best prices, with five of the nine properties marketed by Ray White’s Julie Mahoney and Mark Pritchard selling for between $440,000 and $1.5 million.
A bid for success under the hammer
Transformed pre-war timber cottage named House of The Year
Ms Mahoney said the event was a huge success with two properties snapped up prior to auction and three selling under the hammer.
“The room was to capacity,” Ms Mahoney said.
“We had a lot of active bidders and the most registrations I have seen in years.
“The homes we had up for auction ranged from character homes to new builds.”
A two-storey property on Castle Hill at 30 Stirling Drive, sold under the hammer for $1.5 million.
The designer house at 16 Taylor St in Belgian Gardens also sold under the hammer for $775,000 and 150 Eyre St in North Ward sold at auction for $568,000.
Another two properties at 30 Stanton Terrace in North Ward and 9a Estate St in West End, sold prior to auction, with the remaining four properties passed in.
Ms Mahoney said the property at 79 Hammett St in Currajong which was marketed by Mark Pritchard was passed-in at auction but received a lot of interest.
“That property in particular had very competitive bidding,” Ms Mahoney said.
“It was a fantastic night.”


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In anticipation of the premiere of The Angry Birds Movie on May 20, Rovio has tapped McDonald’s to support the film in 119 global markets and approximately 33,000 restaurants.
Rovio and Sony Pictures have teamed up with multiple partners for a promotional campaign in anticipation of The Angry Birds Movie premiere May 20.
McDonald’s has partnered with HarperCollins Children’s Books to launch Happy Meal Books focused on Valentine’s Day-themed storylines.
Feld Entertainment is bringing its Monster Jam brand to Happy Meals at more than 14,000 McDonald's locations across North America.
McDonald's is making fans happy in France and Monaco with a new advertising campaign featuring the Smiley brand that will also be used in a capsule at Colette.
McDonald's is promoting Zodiak Kids’ children’s series “LoliRock” in France this month with a new Happy Meal offering.
Hasbro is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Monopoly brand this year with new products, as well as a number of entertainment activations and events.
McDonald's USA is bringing back its Happy Meal Books program in partnership with HarperCollins Children's Books.
Animation series “YooHoo & Friends,” is continuing to increase its brand presence across the globe.
Sanrio is kicking off a year of festivities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of pop icon Hello Kitty.
©2016 UBM. All rights reserved. A UBM Company.


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The slowing U.S. market for heavy trucks is taking an even deeper bite out of Kenworth Truck, the Seattle Times reported Sunday, March 25. More than 140 workers at the Paccar-owned truck maker’s plant in Renton, Wash., will be laid off early next month, on top of about 340 layoffs earlier this year, and the plant also will shut down for at least two weeks, a union representative told the newspaper.
The plant’s “build rate” will drop from 30 trucks a day to 18, according to Bernie Philips, business agent for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Machinists are the largest single group of workers at the plant.
Paccar treasurer Robin Easton told the Times the layoffs and “shutdown days” are part of broader cutbacks at its Kenworth and Peterbilt divisions. Paccar-owned plants in Ohio, Texas and Tennessee also will be affected, he told the Times. Easton declined to specify how many workers would be laid off, locally or nationally.
But Philips told the Times about 140 of his members would be laid off as of April 3, out of more than 360 at the plant. Other union workers at the plant — such as Teamsters, painters and sheet-metal workers — also will lose their jobs, as will salaried workers. The cuts are needed “to balance production levels with lower industry demand,” Easton told the Times.
Paccar and other truck makers posted record sales last year, as trucking companies rushed to buy ahead of tighter federal engine-emissions rules that took effect this year. As a consequence, truck sales this year are expected to be far lower: Paccar’s estimate for the entire U.S. and Canadian market is 200,000 to 230,000 heavy trucks, versus an estimated 320,000 last year.
In January, Paccar eliminated one shift each at the Kenworth plant in Renton and its Peterbilt plant outside Nashville, Tenn., laying off about 1,000 workers in total. Paccar expects truck demand to pick up in the second half of this year; if it does, Easton told the Times, the laid-off workers are eligible to be called back.


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Amazon.com Inc has mounted a legitimate test against its accomplice Future Group’s $3.4 billion retail resources deal in the Supreme Court, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, denoting the US company’s most recent exertion to obstruct the arrangement.
Amazon, secured lawful questions with Future, asserts the Indian firm disregarded agreements by consenting to offer its retail resources for Reliance Industries a year ago. Future denies any bad behavior.
Delhi high court this week managed a hit to the US firm by repudiating a past court choice that successfully obstructed the arrangement, and Amazon has recorded an allure against it in the top court in the capital city, the three sources said.
Amazon and Future didn’t quickly react to a solicitation for input.
The legitimate battle about Future’s resources has entangled two of the world’s most extravagant men – Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani. The ultimate result is seen forming India’s pandemic-hit shopping area and will decide whether Amazon can scratch the predominance of market pioneer Reliance.
In the New Delhi court, Amazon had contended that an October choice by a mediator who had required the Future-Reliance arrangement to be postponed is enforceable. While a Delhi court judge controlled in support of Amazon as of late, successfully obstructing the arrangement, that choice was toppled by a two-judge seat on Monday.
Amazon will contend in its Supreme Court challenge that the discretion request is legitimate, one of the sources said.
The contest bases on Future’s choice in August to sell its retail, discount and some different organizations to Reliance for $3.38 billion, including obligation.
Amazon contends that a different 2019 arrangement it had with a Future unit had provisions saying the Indian gathering couldn’t offer its retail resources for anybody on a “limited people” list, including Reliance.
Future, India’s second-biggest retailer with more than 1,700 stores, has said it will be pushed towards liquidation if the arrangement fails to work out.


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Newfangled spacesuit unveiled in New York
It's not everyday that we hear a "new" spacesuit has been designed and created, but that's just what we're hearing now. Two inventors, Nikolay Moiseev from Moscow and Ted Southern of Brooklyn are about to unveil a new spacesuit design they've come up with in their venture, Final Frontier Design. The pair outed their new design in New York City on Friday at the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center. They'd previously won a $100,000 NASA challenge to design a spacesuit glove -- one which boasts unprecedented dexterity and flexibility at the knuckles, and they've taken that design and spun it into an entire suit. The pressurized suit was shown off with the wearer able to play with a Rubik's cube, and the suit has been designed to withstand extremely high levels of pressure, as well. While the designers don't yet have an investor, they're hoping to attract them -- such as private companies such as Virgin Galactic, who are launching space tourism ventures as we speak.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.


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Synergy Grill Technology has launched a special ‘partnership initiative’ to support industry sales professionals who have suffered redundancy.
The scheme allows those that have lost their jobs to start earning in a self-employed capacity by introducing operators to Synergy’s flagship cooking appliances.
For every Synergy contract they secure, the company will pay out a ‘finder’s fee’, which it says could work out as much as £792 per grill.
There are no overheads involved as partners are not expected to buy the equipment upfront to sell on – they simply introduce the customer and get paid on results.
There is no notice period or specific sales targets, and interested parties can use the scheme as little or as often as they like until they gain new employment.
The initiative is designed to work alongside the company’s new ‘Synergy Contract’ scheme, which allows operators to pay for their grill on a monthly basis and includes free installation and removal of their old grill.
Justin Cadbury, chairman and CEO of Synergy Grill, explained how the new programme was conceived: “Over the past few weeks, we have been saddened to see so many friends in the industry and highly experienced, passionate and knowledgeable catering equipment experts being made redundant through no fault of their own.
“Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on our industry, and we must all look at ways to recover and help those affected – hence why we have developed the Synergy Grill Partnership Initiative.
“Over this period, many people have re-evaluated both their short and medium term ambitions, so to now have the opportunity to be part of a team that focuses on new British technology which delivers huge customer benefits and environmental advantages may well be the perfect timing.”
Synergy has created partner packs that contain everything that a potential partner will need in order to promote the deal including leaflets, flyers, spec sheets, contact information, price lists and savings calculator.
Although the company has a loyal base of customers that regard its grills as central to their cooking operations, Mr Cadbury said the scheme could potentially help it gain exposure to those that aren’t familiar with the product.
“We do continually get told by frustrated operators that they have never heard of us, or did not realise the like no other benefits, that a Synergy grill can bring. Therefore, this initiative will not only hopefully help out those in need, but will also give Synergy Grill Technology a wider ambassadors on the ground.”


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Tata, Honda, Kia and Citroen will launch new midsize SUVs this year as the segment will become more competitive
In the midsize SUV segment, we will witness the arrival of as many as five new models this year from brands such as Tata, Honda, Kia and Citroen. Here we have covered all of them:
1. Citroen C3 Aircross:
Later this month, Citroen will host the global premiere of the C3 Aircross and it will go on sale later this year in India. It will likely be offered in five- and seven-seater guises and will be powered by a 1.2L turbocharged petrol engine with manual and automatic transmission choices. It will be a more upmarket version of the C3 compact hatchback with an improved cabin. It will sit on the same CMP platform as the C3.
2. Honda Midsize SUV:
The five-seater will be revealed by the middle of this calendar year before going on sale around July or August 2023. The Honda midsize SUV will take on Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and the likes and will be underpinned by the same architecture as the fifth-generation City. It will draw design inspiration from the global crop of Honda SUVs including CR-V and WR-V.
The interior is expected to be more upmarket than the City. However, as for the performance, only the 1.5L four-cylinder NA petrol engine capable of 121 PS will likely be offered first. The 1.5L strong hybrid petrol mill could join the lineup later. The 1.0L turbo petrol unit available in the global markets could be sold in the near future.
3. Kia Seltos Facelift:
By the middle of this year, Kia India is expected to introduce the facelifted version of the Seltos with a host of revisions inside and out. The Seltos is currently the second best-selling midsize SUV in the country but the competition has really gotten tight due to the arrival of new models such as the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. It will use the new 1.5L turbo petrol engine delivering 160 PS maximum power.
4. Tata Harrier And Safari Facelifts:
The facelifted Tata Harrier and Safari will likely be launched in September and October respectively. The revised exterior is heavily influenced by the Harrier EV but the interior may not gain big updates as both midsize SUVs received new features just a while ago. An all-new 1.5L turbo petrol engine will be made available.


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Top 10 national-level economic development zones in China
A child takes part in an art exhibition using virtual reality devices at an art museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo by Long Wei/For China Daily]
China's national-level economic and technological development zones actively promoted innovation amid COVID-19 pandemic, and played an important role in stabilizing foreign trade and investment, according to a working assessment from the Ministry of Commerce.
The 217 zones generated 11 trillion yuan of regional GDP in 2020, up 5.6 percent year-on-year, accounting for 11 percent of the country's gross volume.
The research and development expenses of companies above designated size accounted for 1.4 percent of their revenues in 2020, with technological innovation further deepened.
The import and export volume increased 9.2 percent from a year earlier to 7 trillion yuan, accounting for 21.7 percent of China's total.
The actual use of foreign investment and reinvestment by foreign enterprises jumped 4.8 percent to $57.4 billion.
Besides, the zones contributed 17.6 percent to the local fiscal revenues in 2020, and participated in the cross-border economic cooperation.
Moreover, the zones continued to enhance ecological environment protection, with industrial consumption and pollution emission falling below the country's average.
Let's see the top 10 national economic and technological development zones in China in 2020.
No 1 Suzhou Industrial Park
No 2 Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone
No 3 Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area
No 4 Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area
No 5 Kunshan Economic and Technological Development Zone
No 6 Jiangning Development Zone
No 7 Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Zone
No 8 Yantai Economic and Technological Development Area
No 9 Hangzhou Economic Development Area
No 10 Hefei Economic and Technological Development Area


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iPhoneForums.Net News Team
- Jun 18, 2010
- Reaction score
9to5 Mac reports today that according to a story today in the Korea Herald, the iPhone 8’s OLED display, which is being manufactured by Samsung, will have facial recognition capabilities that can measure in “millionths of a second.”
The Korea Herald report about the new iPhone 8 OLED facial recognition system says that the system is so effective that it can “deeply sense a user’s face in the millionths of a second.”
Looking at the advent of facial recognition systems on mobile phones in general, The Wall Street Journal writes that systems such as, presumably, the new iPhone 8 system, are so sophisticated that they are able to work not just in low light but in darkness.
“Depth-sensing technology, generally called ‘structured light,” sprays thousands of tiny infrared dots across a person’s face or any other target.
By reading distortions in this field of dots, the camera gathers superaccurate depth information. Since the phone’s camera can see infrared but humans can’t, such a system could allow the phone to unlock in complete darkness.”
Meanwhile, Qualcomm says that its own facial recognition technology will enable the next generation of Android phones to equal, or even beat, the iPhone 8’s facial recognition technology. Good to know that the iPhone 8 tech is already deemed to be so good that other companies are scrambling to try and beat it.
Sources: Asian report says iPhone 8 face recognition system will work in ‘millionths of a second’
Why Your Face Will Soon Be the Key to All Your Devices


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Copyright © 2015
MacNN Reader \"ber\" has provided us with an additional gallery with pictures from the Apple SoHo opening. ber notes: \"My comments were about how helpful the management [in SoHo] was -- especially today with so much new stuff being announced this week and old promo literature that doesn\'t reflect the new products.\"
Zettabyte Solutions can no longer sell its SuperDrive-equipped eMac computer, due to unspecified legal impositions, presumably from Apple. Zettabyte would modify Apple eMac computers to include a CD/DVD writer -- a configuration Apple has yet to offer in any stock eMac configuration. Zettabyte maintains that it will honor warranties on the several dozen units sold in the past 12 days. \"Zettabyte is a solutions provider and was trying to fill a need in the Macintosh community. We will continue, to the best of our ability, to furnish solutions wherever there is a need. \"
Apple faces an uphill struggle with its new \".Mac\" Internet-based services suite, a c|net article suggests. Instead of aiming to make a profit, Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller said the $100/year premium will allow Apple to offer a continually-improving and reliable service: \"We couldn\'t invest even more into it without making it into a sustainable business model.\" When asked if Apple would consider a $10 monthly fee for unsure users, CEO Steve Jobs said \"we might.\"
Deals Roundup: Macs4all has the Sonnet Crescendo PCI G4 800MHz upgrade card for $390; also offered from Macs4all is the CreMax SOHO RAID SR30001394A/USB 2.0 to IDE Hardware RAID 1 Mirrioing solution, priced at $400.
Macworld has released their \"Best of Show Awards\", representing the most exciting hardware and software products announced at Macworld New York.
Apple has posted Bluetooth Technology Preview 2.1, a new version of its Mac OS X driver software to locate and connect to wireless Bluetooth-enabled devices within range of your computer. The technology will be integrated into the Jaguar revision Mac OS. (Requires a Bluetooth adapter.)
A New York nightclub has substituted the two standard turntables found at a typical DJ station with two Apple iPod digital music players. The club, called Apt, encourages patrons to be the DJs. A stack of print-outs at the Manhattan club of all 3,000 songs are available to help DJs prepare their set list. As reported previously, the Remote Lounge \"digital entertainment\" club recently hosted \"Lapdance,\" a showcasing of DJs who use PowerBook G4s.
Celview 3.0.1 is a minor update to the 5250/3270 terminal emulator for Mac OS 9/X that offers file transfer enhancements, keyboard support for new Mac laptops, and bug fixes. Celview ($200) is the first terminal emulation tool for Mac OS X, used to interface with mainframe or AS/400 computers.
AutoMask 4.6 from Human Software is a Photoshop plug-in that offers \'multiple-masking\' of any RGB/CMYK photo or layer, making it possible to mask \"the most difficult silhouettes.\" AutoMask offers unlimited zooming and works with user-definable color ranges. The latest revision is offered as a filter, making it compatible with applications that support Photoshop 4 to 7 plug-ins.
Full MacNN coverage of Macworld New York includes: [new] Apple SoHo Tour [new] First Take: New iPod Apple Store SoHo Photo Gallery Day 2 show floor photo gallery Day 1: Applications Review Photos from Apple\'s booth at the Expo: I, II, III. Keynote Photo Galley Expo Keynote Coverage Live Keynote Coverage Notes 3Q Conference Call Earning details
DAMSEL (Digital Audio Miracles Selective Equipment Liaison) is a $750 pro audio utility designed specifically for transferring audio files from a RADAR Hard Drive to the user\'s DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). It produces a bit-for-bit accurate copy of the original source material without \"any of the inherent problems associated with conventional digital audio transfers.\" DAMSEL currently allows transfer of Radar II and Radar 24 files into SDII, Broadcast Wave and AIFF file types. Bi-directionality (conversion back to Radar files) is currently in testing and is expected to be released by August as a free upgrade.
Mark/Space has released The Missing Sync 3.0, a $30 collection of USB drivers and software for syncing Palm-OS based handhelds. It adds OS X support for HotSync and Memory Stick mounting and support for the Sony CLI… handheld, as well as integration with iTunes and iPhoto import/export, a new English/Japanese installer, and mass storage memory stick driver for OS X and Classic. Online upgrades are $15.
eAuthorize 3.0 is a plug-in for FileMaker Pro that processes credit cards and electronic checks from within a FileMaker database solution. eAuthorize has already \"done all the work,\" so very little user configuration is necessary. The $250 package has received praise from Apple\'s Todd Harper: \"eAuthorize is easy to set up and configure, and flexible enough to build a custom solution without the constraints of other authorization products on the market.\"
As noted yesterday, some users have started a petition for the return of free iTools email accounts, the inclusion of .Mac services with every new Mac and a 50 percent price cut. Meanwhile, another group of users has started a petition favoring the current .Mac set up, to show support for Apple.
Coda\'s Music\'s MakeMusic! today announced the release of Finale 2003 for the Mac. New features in the major revision include: a new music sheet scanning technology, better TAB notation features, a Rhythm Section Generator for automatic composition and a \'Rhyming Dictionary.\' Yesterday we reported that Finale 2003 would not ship for Mac OS X.
A note on Apple\'s Final Cut Pro 3 Web site indicates that QuickTime 6.0 has not been qualified for use with the video editing suite. Apple advises users to continue using QuickTime 5.x until further resolution.
A Washington Post article that recaps the Apple announcements from Macworld New York also offers interesting perspective from Adobe. Adobe\'s Kevin Burr comments that the company opted-out of the New York trade show because it attracts less Adobe customers. Adobe will reportedly continue to attend the annual Macworld San Francisco expo: \"The West Coast show has traditionally been more successful for us, since we\'re able to reach more Adobe Macintosh customers,\" Burr said. Interestingly, Adobe recently launched a $3.25 million branding initiative with the tagline \"Tools for the New Work,\" seen on New York billboards.
As the megahertz gap widens between Intel-based PCs and the latest PowerPC Macs, some analysts are urging Apple to reconsider its microprocessor strategy. When asked if Apple would seek an alternative to Motorola\'s PowerPC, namely chips from Intel, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company first had to finish the transition to Mac OS X: \"Then we\'ll have options, and we like to have options,\" he said.
Digi 002 is a FireWire-based integrated control surface for use with the Pro Tools LE music production suite. The sub-$2500 \"finger-friendly\" device is an efficient solution to edit, process, mix and master projects. The Digi 002 can also be used as an 8x4x2 digital mixer complete with EQ, dynamics, delay, and reverb with snapshots.
ATI today announced its new Radeon 9000 Pro and Radeon 9700 graphics cards, which are due later this summer and early fall, respectively. The company claims the new cards will offer \"twice the graphics power and performance than any other chip on the market.\" The Radeon 9000 Pro Mac Edition will offer 64MB of DDR memory and dual-digital display (both ADC and DVI-I) and a new quad-pipeline 3D architecture. The Radeon 9700 will offer 128MB of DDR RAM and eight parallel rendering pipelines and floating-point color precision. Pricing was not available.
Sonny Software\'s Bookends 7.2 is described as a \"major\" release to the full-featured bibliography/reference and information management system. Version 7.2 adds brings an instantly updating database, improved handling of attachments, and improved support for keyboard shortcuts, handling of two-byte fonts, modification of Groups, and bibliography formatting as well as other enhancements. A 50-reference limited trial of the $100 application ($70 for students) is available online. Special competitive upgrade pricing is available to EndNote users. [Classic, OSX]
appMac today releaesd sMailing 4.0, an update to its personalized email software that offers an improved interface, optimized performance (up to 400% when sending messages with attachments), and real-time database display. The $60 application works under OS X and Classic. [Classic, OSX]
Apple has quietly revamped its CRT iMac product line, adding more memory to the base configurations and dropping the CD-RW Combo drive model, which was priced at $1000. The product line offers three configurations with the same 600MHz G3 processor, 40GB drive, CD-ROM drive, and 56K internal modem, but with 128MB ($800), 256MB ($875), and 512MB ($1025) of RAM, according to a MacNN reader. (Apple yesterday added a CD-RW Combo drive model to its eMac product line.)
Apple yesterday said it would sell Apple products in three high-profile designer furniture stores in the Netherlands, beginning September 1, contrary to a c|net report from last week which said that Apple had plans to open a retail outlet in Amsterdam. The Macworld UK report quotes the General Manager for Apple in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Benelux) as saying that the \"Apple stores are a US concept and \'will not come to Europe\'.\"
Jonas Salling has posted a beta of his application for synchronizing your Sony Ericsson mobile phone with Entourage and other applications. MobileSync 0.9b will expire on August 1st, and requires Mac OS X 10.1.5, a Bluetooth adapter, and a Bluetooth enabled Sony Ericsson phone (or another IrMC 1.1 compatible handheld device). Jobs yesterday demoed iSync, a new forthcoming \"landmark\" application from Apple with similar functionality.
MacSpeech today announced an OS X version of iListen, its flagship speech recognition product that works on both Mac OS X and Classic, as well as a new dictation-only product for Mac OS X called iDictate. Both products feature TalkAnywhere technology, which allows the user to dictate into virtually any Mac application.
Now AAPL Stock: 94.99 ( -0.02 )
Sonos now works with Apple Music
Wireless music system manufacturer Sonos has announced that its systems worldwide will gain compatibility for streaming the paid Apple Music subscription service starting today, February 10. "Music fans worldwide will have access to Apple Music features like For You, New, Radio, and My Music, and will also be able to stream the entire Apple Music catalog through Sonos smart speakers tuned for great sound in every room of their homes," the company said in an email to journalists. Apple Music's streaming service costs $10 per month, with a free three-month trial. http://bit.ly/1Wdi2Ko
Apple want ads hint at future Watch faces
An Apple job listing for a dedicated clock face team may suggest future fashion-brand partnerships, possibly in time for the updated watchOS updates that are likely to be revealed at this spring's Worldwide Developer Conference. Since the introduction of watchOS 2, there has only been four new watch faces, but three of them were left over from the first release, with only one truly new one -- the co-branded Herm√©s face exclusive to that edition. There is a rumored March 15 event, but if that takes place it will likely focus on new band options as regards the Apple Watch. http://apple.co/1O1TbTI
Microsoft may end Office Support Professional prog
Microsoft appears to be either ending or seriously revamping its "Accredited Support Professional Program" for training on Microsoft Office for Mac and iOS it has offered at MacTech conferences since 2013. The program is not on offer at the upcoming MacTech tour, which begins on March 16 in San Francisco and includes a number of other cities. Microsoft has released a statement that it is "evaluating options for 2016, but don't have anything to share at this time." http://bit.ly/1KDz3MQ
Office for Mac v15.18 released
Microsoft has issued an update for the Mac version of its productivity suite, Office 2016. The v15.18 update offers improvements for all of the included apps, such as bringing full screen support to Outlook and allowing Word to save PDF files to flash drives. In addition, a new selection pane has been added to PowerPoint and Excel for keeping track of objects, and shapes can now be added to OneNote notebook pages. The update is free for all users, but requires a Mac running OS X 10.10 or later and a valid Microsoft Office 365 subscription. http://bit.ly/1Q7pAzW
Apple to open new south Florida mall store
According to real estate trade papers in south Florida, Apple has signed a lease for a new retail space in Miami, at the forthcoming Brickell City Centre (yes, the UK spelling is used) open-air mall, which is set to open later this year. The center will feature a five-story shopping area, condominiums, a hotel and office buildings, along with a "climate ribbon" in the shopping area to keep visitors cool, eschewing traditional air conditioning. The exact location of the Apple Store within the plan is not yet clear, but the destination already boasts 75 confirmed stores. http://bit.ly/1Q7n7Wd
Filemaker provides free custom app guide
FileMaker announced today the release of the first in a three-part series of free how-to guides that will lead teams through the process of building a custom app using the FileMaker Platform. FileMaker's new how-to guides provide a step-by-step process that starts with a planning cycle covering goals, requirements, functionality and usability, and run all the way through identifying user scenarios, defining requirements, addressing integration, providing security, and deployment of the final product. http://bit.ly/1o08wQh
OCZ Trion 150 SSD shifts to 15nm TLC NAND
SSD manufacturer OCZ has updated its entry-level 2.5-inch Trion 100 SSD. The new Trion 150 has similar performance to the now replaced model, and now utilizes 15nm TLC NAND. Sequential read speeds top out at 550MB/S, with 4KB random write speeds running from 25K IOPS in the 120GB model, to 64K IOPS in the 960GB version of the drive. Endurance is limited to 30TB in the 120GB, and peaks at 240TB in the 960GB version. Retail prices vary between $46 for 120GB, to $270 for the 960GB version. http://bit.ly/1nVmlyL


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Last year was not one of the best for sales of chocolate, with
political instability in the Middle East, a weak global economy,
lower tourist numbers in the Far East as a result of SARS and the
hottest European summer in decades all...
A large proportion of Russian sugar processors have experienced
recession over the last year - so says a survey of leading industry
figures. However, the abolition of import taxes on imported raw
sugar might make things easier in...
Millions of dollars in investment poured into a new technology may
pay off for US food manufacturer Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings.
Targeting the low-fat market, the company said that it has
developed a revolutionary "slow...
Haribo Dunhills, part of Europe's leading confectionery group,
German-based Haribo, is aiming to boost countline sales of bagged
confectionery in the UK with the launch of four new lines which for
the start of the new year.
With the failure of WTO talks in Cancun last year, pressure has
intensified on Europe's heavily subsidied sugar regime - trading at
three times the world price- to change. While critics want to see a
fairer regime with Europe...
With demand outstripping global wheat stocks, currently at a 30
year low, wheat prices are in for a volatile ride in 2004.
Strategies to minimise the impact of price rises for food
processors could be rooted in risk management and...
Speciality ingredients continue to deliver improved results for
wheat-based ingredients supplier MGP Ingredients with the company
this week raising its estimated revenue for the year on the back of
higher than expected sales.
Dutch group Kiremko, a manufacturer and installer of machinery
required for the processing of potatoes into French fries, chips
and other speciality snack products has developed, in co-operation
with ACEco, a new device that it claims...
Buying entry into the nascent European trehalose sweetener market
last year from British Sugar, US company Cargill will welcome
claims from scientists this week that the ingredient could ease
Despite recent publicity that suggested Atkin's was modifying its
advice to recommend less meat, low-carb diets seem to be more
popular than ever with one in three Americans watching their


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Robson Square ice rink opens for family skating
A holiday tradition is renewed with the opening of the Robson Square ice rink for another season of outdoor skating.
“Skating at the Robson Square ice rink has become a treasured family ritual for thousands of British Columbians, providing a fun and affordable winter activity,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Citizens’ Services and Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “I encourage everyone to get their skates, gloves and tuques, and enjoy this great outdoor activity in the heart of downtown Vancouver.”
The Robson Square ice rink has become a favourite destination for families during the holiday season, and through February it attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year.
“Lacing up skates and hitting the ice is a tradition across B.C., and I’m so glad we are doing the same in downtown Vancouver once again at the Robson Square rink,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA for Vancouver-West End. “I look forward to joining the many friends, families and visitors who enjoy this favourite winter tradition every year.”
Sponsored by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) with the support of the B.C. government, the 2022-23 season runs from Dec. 1, 2022, until Feb. 28, 2023.
“The Robson Square ice rink has become an integral part of the winter season in downtown Vancouver, and we’re proud to be this year’s sponsor,” said Trenesa Danuser, chief communications officer, HBC. “The downtown Hudson’s Bay store at Georgia and Granville has also been a vital part of the local holiday season for more than 100 years; a tradition we celebrate at all our Lower Mainland HBC stores to this day. We appreciate this opportunity to do our part in making the season bright for the thousands of people who will visit Robson Square this year.”
The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) is a key long-time supporter of the Robson Square ice rink.
“Downtown Vancouver is a place where everyone feels welcome, and we’re proud that the Robson Square ice rink can be a gathering place for all this holiday season,” said Jane Talbot, interim president and CEO, DVBIA. “We’re always pleased to partner with a facility that contributes to a fun and inclusive environment for those who live, work and play in the downtown core.”
From Dec. 13-24, the rink hosts a 12 Days of Christmas celebration, which includes live musical entertainment. There will also be entertainment on New Year’s Eve.
- The ice rink is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. on weekdays and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, through to the end of February 2023, weather permitting.
- Entrance to the rink is free for all ages. Skating is free when you bring your own skates, and skate rentals are $5 and include a helmet.
- The Province will offer free skate rentals on Family Day, Feb. 20, 2023.
- Hot chocolate and snacks are available for sale at the ice rink’s concession stand.
- The Robson Square ice rink is Vancouver’s only outdoor public skating rink and originally opened in 1982. It was closed in 1991 and then renovated and reopened in 2009, ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
- Designed by Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson, Robson Square originally opened in two phases in 1978 and 1979.
For more about the Robson Square ice rink, the entertainment schedule for December, holiday hours, updates and contact information, visit: www.robsonsquare.com


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New Games For Nintendo Switch Announced: Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee!
Are these new Pokemon games complete game changers?
The Pokémon Company just stealth-announced some incredible Pokémon-flavoured news... two new Pokémon games are coming to Nintendo Switch: Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee!
And that's not all, either! Free-to-start Pokémon Quest is out TODAY, too - also on Nintendo Switch.
"With Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, Pokémon is inviting fans on a new journey by taking them back to a familiar setting," says the press release. "Inspired by Pokémon Yellow, which was originally released in Japan on Nintendo’s Game Boy in 1998, these two new titles feature many of the intuitive gameplay functions offered to players in the hugely popular Pokémon Go and are designed for players taking their first steps into the Pokémon video game world.
"Trainers will embark on an epic adventure set in the iconic Kanto region joined by their trusty Pikachu in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Eevee in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! They feature brand new gameplay to make the most of the unique capabilities of Nintendo Switch, such as throwing Poké Balls to catch Pokémon by swinging Joy-Con controllers, as well as the opportunity for family and friends to battle and explore together in a new two-player mode."
As for the new action role-playing game, Pokemon Quest? "This new Pokémon title lets players explore the island of Tumblecube with their team of cute, cube-shaped characters known as Pokéxel," said Shigeru Ohmori, director at Game Freak. "Players will be able to personalize their Pokémon and develop a strong bond with their Pokémon friends while battling their way through the adventure. With the simple touch-screen controls, Pokémon Quest is a game that Pokémon fans of all ages can pick up and play."
To play it, download it now from the Nintendo eShop. While it's free right now, don't forget that the game is only free-to-start. It'll also be available on smart devices next month.
While we're on the topic of all things Pokémon, we hope you've caught up with the secret hidden in the latest Pokemon Go update. And if you're new to the game - or still building your Pokédex - don't forget about this cheeky hack to grab more super rare Pokemon, too.
- By Vikki Blake @_vixx


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With its first expansion pack for Galactic Civilizations III, which was released mid way through last year, Stardock adds a mercenary bazaar, new factions, new ships, and more
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Lens Cover
Microsoft Q4 FY2016 results: cloud up, Surface up, phone down
Insider build 14393.3 for PC and Mobile released to Fast ring
Expanding mobile photography with Aukey's wide-angle lenses
Microsoft isn't saying how many phones it sold last quarter
Xbox Live users up 33%, but Xbox hardware revenue down 33%
Huawei's MateBook goes toe-to-toe with Surface
Unsure about purchasing the latest expansion pack for Civilization V for $30? Well you can now download the Gods & Kings DLC demo via Steam to give it a try before you buy.
Turn 10 Studios today announced that the Porsche Expansion Pack for Forza Motorsport 4 has been released. The expansion pack gives players the chance to race one of 30 different Porsche cars.


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Google and LG aren’t due to reveal the new Nexus 5 until the end of October.
But that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill serving up a string of juicy morsels in recent weeks, with details about specs and pricing suggesting there won’t be much new info when the smartphone does finally get the official nod.
Want the inside line on Google’s forthcoming flagship? Then read on.
1 MEMS camera tech
Google is reportedly plotting a new MEMS camera for the Nexus 5, putting it right up against the likes of Nokia’s Lumia 1020, Sony’s Xperia Z1 and the iPhone 5s.
So, what’s the deal?
Well, a MEMS camera uses special tech to shoot in super fast bursts, allowing focusing to happen after a shot has been taken.
That gives users the option to have different focal points for the same pic - a real win on a smartphone.
A reference to such tech, which currently powers the ace Lytro camera, has been found on documents discussing the Nexus 5.
But before you get too excited, there’s no mention of it in a recently leaked manual. So it’s by no means set in stone.
2 A beefed-up screen
The display on the Nexus 5 is set to jump up a few notches, moving to 4.95-inches compared to the 4.7-inches on the Nexus 4.
That’s pretty much standard in the age of the phablet.
The resolution is also set to make a much-needed jump, from 1280x768 to 1920x1080.
However, there’s no tittle tattle as yet about what to expect in terms of ppi.
3 4G is go
The biggest differentiator between the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 is set to be 4G.
The old-school handset didn’t have LTE smarts, whereas the new effort looks nailed-on to work with next-gen networks.
How do we know for sure? We don’t. But endless references in that aforementioned leaked manual leave us in little doubt.
4G will mean the Nexus 5 can kick it with the very best smartphones on the market, something that the Nexus 4, for all its brilliance, was unable to do.
4 Snapdragon smarts
Google has plumped for the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor that’s currently ensuring rival Android handsets work at lightning pace.
That means that multitasking and flicking through the phone’s apps will be sharp and every bit as good as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G2.
All that remains to be seen is whether Google opts for the same benchmarking tricks as its competitors, who’ve been boosting speeds in order to gain an edge.
5 Low price
Rumours suggest that Google will once again be looking to keep the upfront cost of the Nexus 5 low, emulating the Nexus 4.
Word is a sub-£300 price tag for a SIM free device is being discussed.
That would doubtless stoke demand, which means Google and LG will have to do better with this phone than their last effort.
The Nexus 4 was sold out for months and accusations flew about who was to blame.


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New iPads, Apple Pay and iOS 8.1 (among other things) are coming soon to Apple-land. A report claims anonymous-messaging app Whisper is not so anonymous after all. These stories, and more, in today’s Morning Social Media Newsfeed.
HBO will offer a web-only subscription next year. Apple is set to announce new iPads today. These stories, and more, in today’s Morning Social Media Newsfeed.
New data released from PEW indicates that tablets and e-readers might not be as popular as you think they are.
Kate Middleton in Labor (The Daily Beast)
Kate and William like to do things their way, and the birth of their first child is proving, so far, to be no exception. With no fanfare, no sirens and no police outriders, a dark Range Rover and a shiny new Audi nosed their way calmly through the traffic-free streets of London shortly after dawn this morning, covering the one-and-a-half miles from Kensington Palace to the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s hospital in a couple of minutes.
Google Apps for Business users can now edit Microsoft Office files using Quickoffice on iPhone and Android, the company announced today.
Apple is no longer alone in the tablet business. Faced with competition, the company is tapping into iPad-love for its new marketing effort which aims to attract new customers.
iPad owners are passionate about their devices and Apple wants to get that message across to potential owners. To do so, the company has introduced a new page on its website titled, “Why you’ll love an iPad.”
Apple boasts on the page: “When iPad was introduced, there was nothing quite like it. And there still isn’t. Today millions of people are using iPad and iPad mini to do just about anything you can imagine. Here are a few reasons why they’re loving every minute of it.”
The page highlights all of the features of the device and points to a study by J.D. Power and Associates, in which Apple ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Tablets.” (Via Apple Insider).
Need inspiration? Check your purse. Pinterest has updated its mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android to include some of the discovery features that were recently released on the web. Here’s what’s new in version 2.3 for iOS and version 1.4 for Android.
Video editing on YouTube makes its way to the tablet with the release of the YouTube Capture app for iPad and iPad mini. Announced today, the tool lets YouTube users record, edit, and share videos straight from their tablet devices.
Today Perion, the developer of desktop email client IncrediMail, has launched a new application for iPad users that turns traditional emailing on its head, reimagining the experience for tablet.
Alternative newspapers including LA Weekly and the Village Voice are reclaiming their role as the go-to sources for recommended local events, restaurants, and bars. Parent company Voice Media Group has launched a redesigned mobile app for these and 9 other markets that can go head-to-head with Yelp.


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President Joe Biden is ordering a review of U.S.–Cuba policies, looking into ways to help the Cuban people, but they will also make sure that money sent to Cuba does not end up in the regime’s hands. This comes as the United States is also actively pursuing measures to hold the Cuban regime accountable for violence, repression, and human rights violations. Several U.S. lawmakers urged the Biden administration on Tuesday to take immediate actions to support the Cuban people, including getting them internet access and imposing sanctions on perpetrators of human rights violations.
Ben & Jerry’s is getting the cold shoulder from some grocery stores in the United States after the ice cream brand announced Monday they would stop doing business with a licensee in Israel that sells ice cream in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Israeli politicians aren’t happy. Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the company there would be “serious consequences, legal and otherwise.” He went on to accuse the ice cream brand and the parent company Unilever of taking a quote “clearly anti-Israel step.”
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became the second billionaire this month to take a tour in outer space. But back on earth, Bezos got blasted for his post-flight remarks. Bezos said, “I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this.” Senator Elizabeth Warren accused Bezos of not paying any taxes, tweeting out, “Jeff Bezos forgot to thank all the hardworking Americans who actually paid taxes to keep this country running while he and Amazon paid nothing.” Representative Earl Blumenauer used the occasion to introduce a bill to tax space tourism.
Tune into Deep Dive as we explore these topics and more.


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“State inspectors who recently sought to seize and destroy products from rogue dairy farmer Michael Hartmann found that much of the raw milk and other products had gone missing, according to court filings.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture claims Hartmann is in contempt of court, because a judge found last month that Hartmann’s products were produced under unsanitary conditions and ordered them destroyed.
Raw milk produced by Hartmann was blamed by the state for causing eight cases of E. coli O157:H7 in May, and seven instances in July and August of other bugs that can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain. Unpasteurized milk isn’t heat-treated to kill pathogens, and its sale is limited by state law.
In a statement through a spokesman, Hartmann said he denies “either knowingly or intentionally violating any court order and relied upon the advice of counsel and ongoing conversations with the court concerning practical compliance with the orders.”
Hartmann said he will respond to the state’s allegations in court.
The state last spring “embargoed” and essentially impounded hundreds of containers of dairy products and other food produced at Hartmann’s Gibbon farm. After finding unsanitary conditions in Hartmann’s barn, the state also ordered Hartmann to stop production, though Hartmann continued anyway.
The state sought the destruction of the embargoed food, but Hartmann fought back in court, saying his goods should be returned. While the court case dragged on, the condemned food remained on Hartmann’s property, which the state allows if it doesn’t have enough storage capacity…..”