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Discussing how Tesla crashes will impact the automaker, with Laruen Fix, The Car Coach, and Craig Irwin, Wedbush Securities.» Read More
WASHINGTON, Feb 25- U.S. electric luxury car Tesla Model S was named by Consumer Reports magazine on Tuesday as its overall top pick for 2014, while Japanese models took just five of the top 10 spots, their worst showing in the 18- year history of the annual rankings.
Some of Tuesday's midday movers:
Discussing the data of Consumer Reports' top auto brands survey, including Ford's poor ranking, with Dave Whiston, Morningstar senior equity analyst.
CNBC's Phil LeBeau speaks with Consumer Reports' managing editor Jon Linkov about its auto top brand survey, and what's the problem with Ford.
WASHINGTON, Feb 25- U.S. electric luxury car Tesla Model S was named by Consumer Reports magazine on Tuesday as its overall top pick for 2014, while Japanese models took five spots in the annual rankings, their worst showing in the 18- year history of the ratings.
Based on survey results from 1.1 million subscribers, The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue ranked Tesla's Model S the top overall pick.
Marcus Lemonis, star of the CNBC series "The Profit," provides a preview of tonight's premiere where he tries to help a struggling car business make a comeback. Also Lemonis explains why he doesn't like Tesla's business model.
Jim Cramer believes that Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor of our generation. Who might follow in his massive footsteps?
With economic data muted and the stock market in rally mode, Jim Cramer thinks these stocks are likely to attract bulls.
Bulls may be dancing in the Street, but bears may have good reasons to stop the party cold.
Feb 24- U.S. solar installer SolarCity Corp delayed reporting its complete fourth quarter results and said it expects to install fewer panels in a seasonally weak first quarter due to cold weather, sending its shares down 6 percent after the bell.
Efraim Levy of S&P Capital is concerned about Tesla's valuation. Trader Josh Brown asks how much the automakers valuation really matters.
*Priceline and Hewlett-Packard both beat expectations. *Groupon shares tumble after forecasting loss.
Why are stocks advancing with such poor US data? Though not all indices are up, the S&P 500 has a good shot at posting three up weeks.
*Priceline and Hewlett-Packard both top expectations. *Groupon tumbles in premarket after forecasting loss. NEW YORK, Feb 21- U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday, indicating that a rally that lifted the S&P 500 close to record levels in the previous session could continue, following some strong results from technology companies.
Stocks drifted higher to close at session highs Thursday, with the S&P nearing its all-time high, as investors seemed to shrug off a mixed bag of economic and earnings reports.
Determining who belongs on CNBC's list of business influencers has led to spirited debates. How about Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos?
Who should make CNBC's Top 25 most influential list? CNBC's Jon Fortt makes the case for Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Phil LeBeau nominates Elon Musk.
DETROIT, Feb 20- Tesla Motors Inc has had "conversations" with Apple Inc, Chief Executive Elon Musk confirmed to Bloomberg TV on Thursday, responding to speculation that the iPhone and iPad maker had shown interest in the electric car company.
NEW YORK, Feb 20- U.S. stocks and the dollar mostly rose on Thursday on data showing that U.S. factory activity accelerated in February at its fastest pace in nearly four years, but economic surveys showing a soft patch in China and parts of Europe dragged on global equity markets.


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But in a move that shows it’s better to be safe than sorry, the organization that looks after 850 US airports is now working with a startup to help drone owners and air traffic controllers communicate should a risk arise.
Airmap already maps drone flights by signing up individuals and manufacturers to share their GPS data on the platform, while helping them navigate safely by offering access to its Web app that shows things like restricted airspace.
Airmap’s now using its drone mapping software to build a ‘Digital Notice and Awareness System’ dashboard specially for use by air traffic controllers, who will be able to get real-time location data about nearby drones and contact the pilot directly if they need to.
Big drone brands including DJI, Yuneec and 3DRobotics are all participating in the exercise by hooking up their apps directly into Airmap’s system.
So far, 80 of the American Association of Airport Executives’ airports have also joined the… pilot pilot.
This announcement comes soon after the Federal Aviation Authority, working with drone makers, made its second rapid set of recommendations for the future of the industry, following December’s efforts around getting owners registered to fly.
In a hat-tilt to those like Amazon that are keen to see commercial urban drone flights take off, the rather catchy ‘Micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems Aviation Rulemaking Committee’ has come up with four new operational categories “defined primarily by level of risk of injury posed, for operations over people.”
The group considers that drones weighing less than 250 grams, most likely to be used by people rather than companies, pose a very small chance of hurting someone should they crash, so they are unlikely to be subject to flight restrictions in urban areas.
Heavier drones will have to withstand significant testing and get certification before they are allowed to fly here.

domain: news


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Singer and actor Rain will hold a fashion show for his fashion brand “Six to Five” in Hong Kong in June, according to J.Tune Creative on April 10.
Working as a designer and model for the brand, Rain will also give a performance himself at the F/W show, which he wants to use as an opportunity to promote the brand, as many Chinese fashion people are expected to attend.
In another effort to promote the brand, J.Tune Creative opened a Six to Five teddy bear museum in Jeju Island on April 3 in cooperation with the Korea Teddy Bear Association. It is set to build a similar museum in the Indonesian resort island of Bali after finalizing a contract, and is working to sign a deal to open another museum in Phuket.
J.Tune said that it will develop other projects using the teddy bear theme for “synergy effects.”
Meanwhile, Rain held an autograph session at the Nowon branch of Lotte Department Store on April 5, and plans to hold the event at other local branches.
Source : KBS


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There is no solid evidence that over-the-counter cough medicines work any better than old-fashioned homeopathic remedies.
Most parents immediately turn to over-the-counter syrup when young ones are suffering from an unrelenting cough. But, is reaching for over-the-counter medicine better than whipping up some chicken noodle soup, gargling salt water, or coming up with another concoction normally dismissed as simply a wives’ tale?
“We’ve never had good evidence that cough suppressants and expectorants help with cough,” said Norman Edelman, MD, senior scientific advisor at the American Lung Association and pulmonologist at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. “But people are desperate to get some relief. They’re so convinced that they should work that they buy them anyway.”
Perhaps we reach for name-brand remedies on store shelves because we’re desperate to quiet the noise or get suppress that lingering tickle. In fact, “coughs are one of the leading reasons for visits to the doctor and trips to the drugstore, where shelf-long displays of nonprescription cough medicines can overwhelm even the most discerning consumer. And Americans spend some $8 billion a year on over-the-counter cough and cold products.”
As Edelman mentioned, convincing findings are lacking regarding the benefits of over-the-counter cough medicine, and doctors have suggested any significant benefit people get from such medicine is probably due primarily to the placebo effect. By believing that dosing themselves will help, it tricks the brain into believing it has. Research has shown, however, that cough syrups do not shorten the duration of a cough.
Edelman believes this placebo effect is evident in other medicines, too, and is not specific to those needed to treat the common cough. Oftentimes, if it comes in a bottle, can be readily purchased from the corner drugstore and claims to do something, people will buy it. Buyers should beware the side effects of certain cough suppressants, though, including drowsiness and issues related to increasing blood pressure or causing one’s heart to race. Edelman adds that these medications should never be given to children younger than four, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says there’s really no reason to dose any child under six years of age.
Typical ingredients found on the labels of these medications include a cough suppressant, an expectorant, and an antihistamine. These are designed to induce mucus to relief chest congestion, suppress allergy inflammation, and keep a cough at bay. Edelman says that drinking hot tea infused with honey may relieve the cough part just as well. He also added patients with chronic conditions such as asthma need o know ahead of time what they’re going to do should they develop a persistent cough.
Dr. Edelman said, “People with asthma should have an action plan established in consultation with their doctor — what to do ‘in case’ a cough develops.” In general, Edelman added, “It’s best to catch it early, when the inflammation just starts because it’s harder to treat when it’s well established. People with a significant underlying health problem should not wait four weeks to see a doctor [and] if every winter you get cold after cold followed by a cough, you should see a doctor right away because it could represent an underlying problem.”


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VA launches acquisition process for new scheduling system
- Staff Washington Business Journal
The Veterans Affairs Department recently got some private sector feedback and ideas during an industry day to brief potential vendors on its upcoming acquisition process for buying a new patient scheduling system, according to Federal Times.
VA Chief Information Officer Stephen Warren told lawmakers he expects to award a contract for the new patient-scheduling system by the end of this fiscal year, with the system in place in fiscal 2015. The effort has been accelerated in wake of the recent scandals involving excessively long wait times for veterans to see medical professionals.
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Payne: Dodge Viper saves best for last
You don’t see a Dodge Viper for the first time. You feel it.
My first time was on Woodward 17 years ago, shortly after my arrival in Michigan to work for The Detroit News. My rib cage started rattling as a first-generation, 488-cubic-inch — 488! — Viper Roadster pulled up alongside me at a stoplight. Ten cylinders pounded the asphalt like jackhammers. I was smitten.
Looking out my right window, all I saw was hood. The Viper’s red front end was so long it seemed to have come out of a Tex Avery cartoon. The exhaust pipes exited under the doors, soaking the non-air-conditioned cabin in heat. All that was missing was nitrous fuel to make my eyes water.
The Viper was the most visceral car on the road. It was a locomotive engine strapped to four wheels, a throwback to raw muscle cars of the 1960s like the legendary 427 Shelby Cobra I worshipped as a kid.
At this year’s Dream Cruise we celebrate the mighty beast’s end. After 25 years, Dodge is retiring the snake.
I joined 200 Viper owners for a trip up memory lane last Saturday to open Dream Cruise week. The parade kicked off at Detroit’s Conner Avenue plant (where the snake has been made since 1995) and finished at M1 Concourse’s Champion Motor Speedway in Pontiac — one of 15 U.S. tracks (and counting) where Dodge’s supercar owns the lap record. That statistic is testament to how far Viper has come in 25 years while still holding true to its roots as the rawest, baddest, fiercest sports car on the planet.
Fittingly, the last Viper is the best of the breed. Where today’s supercars — the Porsche Turbo, Audi R8 and Acura NSX — are digitally tuned, all-wheel drive cyborgs from the future with paddle-shifting, millisecond-quick dual-clutch transmissions and quick-revving, overhead-cam engines, the 2017 Viper ACR is a relic.
It sports a brutish, big-block, push-rod V-10 mill mated to a six-speed manual shifter driving the rear wheels. Yet its brute power, ginormous brakes and extensive aerodynamics — generating 1,300 pounds of downforce at 150 mph — lick all comers on track.
In short, the Viper ACR is a race car. A raw, no compromise weapon.
It was always such. First shown as a concept car at the 1989 Detroit Auto Show, the Viper was an instant sensation. It stole the show. It had to be built. And two years later it rolled off the assembly line as a 1992 model virtually unchanged from the roadster concept. If superheroes were cars, Porsche would be Iron Man — smart, high-tech, well-dressed — and Viper would be the Hulk. Powerful. Simple. Half-naked.
The first gen Viper came topless, sans exterior door handles or air conditioning, with an interior as Spartan as a bachelor’s first apartment. The side exhaust pipes would burn your calves, the heat from the front-mounted engine would soak your shirt, and its bellow would make your ears bleed.
“The Viper is a raw, unique car,” said parade-participant Peter Peia, owner of four Vipers - including an ACR with “Downforce” on the license plate. “Particular people want it. It’s a driver’s car. I’m glad they always made it in a manual.”
As I paraded behind “Downforce” up Woodward in my Viper tester — our stiff suspensions porpoising over every road imperfection — I reflected that Viper’s purity of purpose was surely its undoing: The $60,000 Corvette has made giant strides over seven generations to become a dual-mode track-it-Sunday, drive-it-to-work-Monday sports car that sells 30,000 in a year. Meanwhile, the $90,000 Viper has remained stubbornly one-dimensional. Last year it sold 630 cars.
Sure, the fifth-generation Viper has automatic windows, a coupe roof and air conditioning. But the side pipes still barbecue your legs, manual-shifting effort requires Thor’s forearms, and the V-10 drinks like a fish.
I got 10.8 miles per gallon in my Viper this week, which meant that — at 184 miles on a full tank — I had less range than a Chevy Bolt EV. Without America’s extensive filling-station infrastructure, Vipers would need airborne tanker support like Air Force fighter jets.
It’s worth every gallon. Press the red starter button and the Viper gurgles like a hungry T. Rex. Nail it over 4,000 rpms and the predator really hunts. Get off Detroit’s ox-kart roads to M1’s smooth track and the snake is in its element; its stiff, race car-flat handling chews up corners as fast as the V-10 devours straightaways. At the hands of M1 chief instructor and pro race jockey Aaron Bambach, the Viper lapped M1 in a stupefying 1:08.
Such performance attracts fans from every corner of the world. Like Romanian-born Peia. Or Dodge designer and snake owner Tome Joranowski, whose family gave him a scale-model Viper in his home country of Macedonia when he was 8; thus began a life-long dream to come to the USA and work for Chrysler.
Detroit chief of police and chief motorhead James Craig led the parade up Woodward in a new, black-and-white ACR (“Dodge Law” emblazoned on its hood and doors). He was like a kid in a candy store. Craig once worked for a Los Angeles police department that was gifted a black-and white Lamborghini, but he’ll take the Viper, thank you very much.
“This is a truly iconic Detroit muscle car,” he said at the Conner facility. “But this is also a bittersweet occasion because it marks the closing of the plant.”
Viper will be gone but not forgotten. As the chief led us up Woodward, workers poured from businesses along the route to record the moment on smartphones and cheer us on. We responded with lots of ground-shaking engine brap-brapppa-braps. Viper has inspired a visceral Dodge brand that now includes Scat Packs, Hellcats and a new icon to replace Viper: the insane, 840-horsepower Demon that stole the New York Auto Show this year like the Viper stole Detroit in 1989.
My 20-something motorhead son flew through Detroit from California Monday and I met him at the airport in the Viper just so he could get a taste behind the wheel. And to pass the torch.
When I was growing up in the late 1960s, I was awestruck by the raw, 427-cubic-inch Shelby Cobra. It was obscenely fast. Loud. Visceral. Today my peers collect originals, make Cobra kit replicars, and take them to the Dream Cruise. The Dodge Viper will be that car for a new generation.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at firstname.lastname@example.org or Twitter @HenryEPayne.
2017 Dodge Viper
Front-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-passenger
3,400 pounds (est.)
$95,895 base ($154,885 GTC with ACR aero package
645 horsepower, 600 pound-feet torque
0-60 mph, 3.4 seconds (Car & Driver);
top speed: 177 mph (mftr)
EPA est. 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway/14 mpg combined
Grips like glue; dive planes on a Viper!
Loud, stiff, hot; gulps fuel
Excellent ★★★★Good ★★★Fair ★★Poor ★


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Walmart has revealed plans to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at thousands of its U.S. stores by the end of the decade.
The retail giant intends to establish these charging facilities at a variety of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, according to Vishal Kapadia, Walmart’s Senior Vice President of Energy Transformation.
“With a store or club located within 10 miles of approximately 90% of Americans, we are uniquely positioned to deliver a convenient charging option that will help make EV ownership possible whether people live in rural, suburban or urban areas,” Kapadia said in a statement.
He also mentioned that Walmart currently operates around 1,300 charging stations at over 280 locations nationwide.
In 2022, electric vehicle sales experienced a significant surge, with a two-thirds increase in purchases despite a general decline in the automotive industry. However, the challenge of developing a sufficient number of charging stations to accommodate the growing number of EVs on the roads remains. In response, Tesla announced last month that it would make some of its EV chargers accessible to all-electric vehicles.
Kapadia emphasized, “Our goal is to meet the needs of customers and members where they live and open the road to those driving across the country,” Kapadia said. “Easy access to on-the-go charging is a game-changer for drivers who have been hesitant to purchase an EV for concerns they won’t be able to find a charger in a clean, bright and safe location when needed.”
Biden’s infrastructure bill led to developments such as WarMart’s
The recent announcement is a clear indication of progress in the US transportation market as it gears up for a gradual shift away from traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. According to a report by Cox Automotive, electric vehicles made up 5.8% of the US new vehicle market in 2021, up from 3.2% in the previous year.
To support this transition, a 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill endorsed by President Joe Biden allocated $7.5 billion for the development of a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. Biden has also highlighted private sector initiatives aimed at accelerating the switch to electric vehicles, such as Hertz’s commitment to expanding their electric car rental fleet, and the introduction of Google search tools to help drivers locate EV tax credits.
These actions indicate a growing recognition of the importance of electric vehicles in creating a sustainable and environmentally-friendly future for the transportation industry in the United States.
Tesla’s award-winning streak continues with Kelley Blue Book picks
In a remarkable display of dominance, Tesla has once again secured nearly all of the prestigious luxury brand awards for 2023. For the fourth consecutive year, Tesla has been crowned the Best Overall Luxury Brand, earning the highest average score among all luxury models to claim the title. Furthermore, the automaker has captured the all-new 2023 Best Overall EV Brand award, an accolade determined by evaluating 12 key factors across all car manufacturers with at least one electric vehicle in their lineup.
Tesla continues its winning streak by securing both the Best Value Luxury Brand and Most Refined Luxury Brand awards for the fourth year running. Adding to its impressive list of five 2023 Brand Image Award victories, Tesla has also dethroned Porsche to become the Best Performance Brand for 2023.
The numerous accolades Tesla has earned in 2023 can be attributed to the company’s cutting-edge technological advancements, unrivaled performance capabilities, and the elegant, eye-catching designs of its vehicles.


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There’s a new form of entertainment media emerging, one that is being explored in 3d movies as well as both VFX studios and game developers. For example, Unreal Engine has seen non-game makers begin to experiment with the render engine.
“Because the engine is really accessible to anybody, we’re finding that loads of people are using Unreal in all sorts of different ways,” says Kim Libreri, CTO at Epic Games. “In the movie industry, people are going to be using it for pre-visualisation and a little bit of virtual production here and there, and some companies are really embracing the future of where media is going to go.”
One of those companies is Ninja Theory, whose Hellblade cinematic demo is seen as defining real-time cinematography and raising many questions about the future of real-time production.
“Real-time cinemagraphy is quite analogous to traditional cinematography, where you have actors, actresses and cameras. You film the scene and then end up with different camera angles and shots that you can then edit into a sequence. That’s the way you’d do it in the normal world,” explains Libreri. “The difference is that everything that we were doing on Hellblade was being generated in the virtual world. So through the process of motion capture and performance capture, not just the performance of our actress Mel [Melina Juergens], but the performance of the camera, we were able to digitise the motion of what we call the virtual camera,” Libreri reveals.
The virtual camera is a handheld camera rig minus a camera. Instead of the camera, it has motion capture markers so the director knows where the camera is in space and where it’s pointing. “We can use that as a portal into the virtual world that the actress is basically driving her body motion through,” says Libreri.
For Hellblade, the entire environment and the character of Senua don’t exist in the real world. What Epic and Ninja Theory are doing is taking motion capture data and information from the real world, and using that to puppet the virtual world.
Libreri says he’s been playing with performance capture and digital humans for a long time, ever since his time spent as VFX supervisor on the Matrix trilogy, where, back in 2003, he created a digital Hugo Weaving and Agent Smith for the groundbreaking film franchise.
“I’ve been following this technology a lot, so it was only a matter of time for GPU technology to get to a point where they can do this in real-time,” he says.
A recent Hellblade demo at Siggraph showed a glimpse of what this technology can do: “We showed the world that game engine technology isn’t just about making pretty pictures akin to what you’d see in a modern visual effects movie, but that it gives you a wealth of creative possibilities that enable you to do live performance,” Libreri explains.
Rethink your workflow
“The whole drive behind Hellblade is to find more efficient ways to do the things that we’ve been doing in the past,” says Tameem Antoniades, Ninja Theory’s chief creative director. “As we start new projects, I think our approach to how we build our worlds will change. So we’ll build our characters and our locations first, and then shoot them like we would a film,” he adds.
When working on past games such as Heavenly Sword, Antoniades followed the standard workflow: motion capture was used to shoot the scenes and it would take up to six months to get that data into a finished scene. Up until that point, Antoniades was always unsure if what he had would be good enough.
There are many benefits of real-time cinematography: “With this system, you shoot and it’s there instantly. From there you can still tweak things. So you can still take the facial data and take it to an offline package and tweak it, but the guess work and finger crossing has gone,” says Antoniades.
“The way we shoot has been the same since Heavenly Sword, but what this allows us to do is have the game and the tools catch up with the way a director would want to shoot on set with actors. And so it just makes sense. It’s the last piece of the puzzle as you can actually see what you’re shooting rather than hoping that it will turn out.”
Libreri agrees: “No longer are you constrained. I grew up in the visual effects business, and you would wait weeks or months to be able to see a result, and now it’s totally possible to produce amazing, interesting visuals interactively. It opens up the possibilities of new types of art and reaching audiences with new types of spectacle.”
The system also helps with creating more dynamic scenes: “Good quality live feedback means things like the character’s eyes can move around,” says Libreri. “If you do a normal, traditional MotionBuilder preview you’re going to have a pretty bad idea where the eye line is, you won’t know where she’s looking.”
Libreri explains that in the Hellblade demo, actress Mel is performing against a digital version of herself and there are many times where it’s really important for her to get her eye line correct. “The fact we had a high quality rendition out of the engine that looks like it’s going to look in the game has changed the kind of capture you’re going to get. You’re now confident that when you leave the set or the mocap stage, you’ve nailed it, whereas before it would be pretty easy to do a two-pass take and say we nailed it. And then you would get it in post and keyframe animators would have to animate it.”
Creating cinematics in real-time in Unreal in this way means a director can react to the scene, as a film director would. Antoniades explains: “[In the past] with two characters there in live action, you’d never see both characters at the same time, so you’d be unable to frame the shots. Now, when shooting I am able to frame the shots with both characters, and I can move each character around live to get the best framing I can, and get the environment in the frame as well. I am also able to check things like lighting, this would have been impossible to do in any other way.”
Just the start
According to Libreri and Antoniades, filmmakers will use real-time tools as an advanced form of pre-visualisation, so more quality footage can be created early in the production process to save costs, but there’s so much more on offer.
“By creating a purely digital set, digital performances and storing everything as digital data, you are setting that data free to do with it what you want, and that magic ingredient is to do things like interactive experiences. You’re not just shooting linear scenes, you’re shooting scenes that have multiple outcomes, multiple possibilities,” says Antoniades.
“You can add procedural systems layered over the top of what you’re shooting, so if you’re in an experience like in VR, for example, you can have a person there,” he continues. ”In this case, while they’re talking they’ll look around you, and they’ll follow you and if you make a choice or an action in the room, they’ll react to you and branch off into new performances. This is something that is completely impossible to do with anything other than game technology – I think ultimately it will define a new form of entertainment that hasn’t existed before.”
Who's it for?
Questions are raised about how accessible this new entertainment format will be. Though Hellblade is being produced by a team of 16, the real-time approach of Ninja Theory is an industry facing project using high-end technology. It is a collaboration: face scanning and animation was by 3lateral and Cubic motion, House of Moves provided the mocap rig, and IKinema handled the body motion capture.
However, Unreal Engine is free to download and use, something Libreri encourages: “Download the Unreal Engine and start playing," he urges, adding: “Unreal is not a toy. It’s definitely built for high-end professionals… Crossing the uncanny valley and making an effects-based facial rig is never going to be the domain of simple hobbyists, but those with the hunger to master it can achieve great things.”


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Business launched with $2000 loan and handful of clients
A TOOWOOMBA business has launched a nationally-recognised award for small businesses to celebrate its 10th year in operation.
Harristown's Shoebox Bookkeeping is a fixed-price bookkeeping service tailored to small businesses.
The business is the brainchild of Yvette Coad and Sandie Menzies.
Both women took the home-based business to a network of 29 franchisees across Australia.
Ms Coad, Shoebox Bookkeeping sales and marketing manager, said the awards were a unique way of giving back to the small business community.
"Around 97 per cent of Australia's economy is supported by small business and these awards are not only about recognising the work of these companies but also providing them with support to take their concept or service to the next level," she said.
"Shoebox is a grassroots company - it started with just Sandie and myself and we launched the business with a $2000 credit card loan and a handful of clients.
"So we know first-hand the challenges of growing a business from the ground up, and we are now in a position to share our success with others who are on the same journey."
Entrants will vie for awards in three categories.
The overall winner will be crowned Business of the Year and runners up will receive community business and emerging business awards.
The awards are open to any Toowoomba business that has been operating for at least 12 months, has less than 20 staff and an annual turnover of below $1 million.
Shoebox Bookkeeping's success is owed to its innovative business model, which will be shared as part of a mentoring package for major prize winners led by Ms Coad, Ms Menzies and renowned business coach Tracey Leak.
Ms Leak said major prize winners would receive a tailored business plan geared towards achieving tangible results. Other perks include free bookkeeping and accounting software.
To apply for the awards click here.
Applications close 30 April 2017


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Microsoft Studio Manager Mike Ybarra tells a fan to troll less and game more in regards to the Xbox One’s resolution issue.
It’s no secret by now that Sony’s PlayStation 4 is said to have a technical advantage over Microsoft’s Xbox One when it comes to games’ resolution and frame-rates; but don’t expect the talks to stop anytime soon. Over on Twitter, a fan ribbed Microsoft studio manager Mike Ybarra on when will the Xbox One be able to hit 1080p resolution, to which the exec snapped back to troll less and game more and cites Forza 5 as a game that hits the 60fps (frames-per-second) and 1080p resolution benchmarks.
Forza is 1080p/60. Less troll, more gaming. “@gohardgohome07: @XboxQwik cool when will the xbone be able to hit 1080p”
For reference, Turn 10’s Forza 5 is indeed running at native 1080p resolution and at 60fps — though the same can’t be said for other games on the platform. Last month, Microsoft’s director of product planning Albert Penello said that the 1080p and 60fps differences between the PS4 and the Xbox One are “pretty minor” little things that get way overblown.
In non-technical Xbox One news, a ton of Xbox One info has made its way online, with Microsoft now purported to be looking to track, identify and seek legal action against the NeoGAF forum poster who posted the leaks.
Do you agree with Ybarra that people should just play the game and stop obsessing over technical issues, or is Microsoft to blame for not releasing a stronger console?


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As we told you yesterday Ford was going to deliver its first Ford Escape plug-in hybrid at the Anaheim Convention Centerin California to its partner Southern California Edison. We now have a full official press release with all the details.
The Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid is currently a research vehicle that uses lithium-ion batteries that help it deliver up to 120mpg. The Escape Plug-In Hybrid uses common household current (120 volts) for charging where a full charge requires six to eight hours.
Even when battery power is finished the, the car acts as a standard Ford Escape Hybrid.
Click through for the press release.
* First Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) delivered to Southern California Edison as part of unique partnership to advance commercialization of PHEVs
* Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid with lithium-ion battery achieves up to 120 mpg
* Two industries connected through a common fuel, changing the transportation and energy future
ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 3 – Ford Motor Company”s first demonstration Escape Plug-In Hybrid is ready to roll on California roads. Ford today delivered the first of 20 research PHEVs to Southern California Edison to begin road testing as part of a unique partnership between the automaker and utility.
The Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid, a research vehicle using high voltage, lithium-ion batteries, can deliver up to 120 miles per gallon which would mean far fewer trips to the gas station. The vehicle uses common household current (120 volts) for charging. Full charge of the battery takes six to eight hours. When driven for the first 30 miles following a full charge, the Ford Escape PHEV can achieve up to 120 mpg when driven on surface streets. The vehicle is not range limited by the amount of charge available in the high-voltage lithium-ion battery, because once the charge in the battery has been depleted, the vehicle continues to operate as a fuel efficient, standard Ford Escape Hybrid. The transition is automatic and unnoticeable to the driver.
The delivery comes just five months after Ford and Southern California Edison announced their collaboration to advance the commercialization of plug-ins by exploring the values of new technologies and new business models when the battery is connected to the home and, in time, the electrical grid.
“The electrification of vehicles has sparked significant interest in this country. The delivery of this Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid research vehicle today represents another step in our development and understanding of the technology and its place in the overall energy picture,” said Sue Cischke, senior vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “PHEVs are one element of our blueprint for sustainability that includes actions ranging from refinements in gasoline fueled engines and transmissions, to the development of hydrogen fuel cells.”
“We are united in a common cause,” said Lynda Ziegler, Southern California Edison”s senior vice president, Customer Service. “We bring our expertise in energy production, delivery and management, and combine it with Ford”s expertise in hybrid technology. Together, we are seeking solutions to address the needs of our shared customers and to ultimately help this nation achieve energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “This is not about simply connecting the car to the grid. It”s about integrating vehicles and energy storage technologies into the energy system of the future”.
The two companies are exploring new business models related to the electrification of vehicles that could help lower the cost of PHEVs to make them more affordable to consumers.
“Although the energy infrastructure is in place, significant challenges remain for widespread adoption of PHEVs,” said Cischke. “Cost, durability and reliability issues all need to be addressed before these vehicles can make a significant impact on the global issues of climate change and energy security.”
Ford and SCE will jointly conduct testing of the vehicles, some of which may be evaluated in typical customer settings to model overall home and grid values. The testing will provide valuable data related to the durability, reliability and safety of new battery technology. The cost of advanced lithium ion batteries means the technology is currently not economically feasible for widespread vehicle application.


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The BuzzMedia family just got bigger, glossier, and paper-ier (for now) as the pop culture network that boasts some of the Internet's best time-sucking blogs just announced the acquisition Spin magazine today. Not to be confused with Buzzfeed, BuzzMedia boasts a portfolio of pop culture, entertainment, and music blogs like Go Fug Yourself, Stereogum, Idolator, Just Jared which draw in some 120 million unique visitors monthly, according to Forbes' Jeff Bercovici. And those giant numbers (we can attest the power of the Fug Girls) dwarf Spin's circulation and monthly unique Web visitors. According to Bercovici, the 27-year-old magazine gets around 350,000 and its website draws 1 million monthly visitors. That circulation is down from 530,000 a decade ago, reports The New York Times' Ben Sisario.
Spin's dwindling presence on the music scene, combined with BuzzMedia's ability to make engaging sites, is enough to make you wonder if Spin's days as a print magazine are numbered. "Spin to us is more than a print magazine," Tyler Goldman, BuzzMedia's CEO, told The New York Times. "It’s a great media company for storytelling around music and music culture. People are using multiple platforms to consume more content and context from the brands they believe in, and we see the ability for Spin to bring more storytelling to digital platforms." With the acquisition, BuzzMedia also gets Spin's iPad app, and events business.
No one knows how much BuzzMedia paid for Spin, but The Times notes it was sold for less than $5 million in 2006, a massive loss from the $42 million is sold for in 1997, per Forbes.


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AAPL Stock: There is growing speculation that Apple opposition.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) next huge issue is increased reality. Of course, the tenth day iPhone eight looms massive because the crucial hardware unleash this year, however the new iPhone might otherwise be a part of that Apple AR strategy. a brand new report adds additional fuel to the fireplace, suggesting Apple could have over one,000 engineers presently acting on Associate in Nursing increased reality project in Israel.
The UBS Report on Apple AR Project
UBS analyst Steven Milunovich points out the increasing frequency of Apple corporate executive Tim Cook’s public comments regarding increased reality.
He has repeatedly explicit that AR are a way larger deal than video game, suggesting that Apple isn’t following the trail of Facebook opposition (NASDAQ:FB) and its sense organ Rift VR telephone receiver. whereas suggesting that he believes increased reality may be as huge because the iPhone, Cook additionally points out that he doesn’t see it as a standalone product, however additional as a core technology that’s incorporated into different merchandise.
That suggests the Apple AR focus is on implementing advanced increased reality technology that might be a part of the iPhone eight. There have already been clues that AAPL is up to one thing huge with the new iPhone’s camera. Apple has additionally noninheritable variety of firms acting on technology that might be applicable to increased reality, as well as PrimeSense (3D sensing), RealFace (facial recognition) and Metaio (software-based increased reality solution).


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Noveda Technologies, the leader in web-based real-time energy and water monitoring, has become an Associate Member of the Edison Electric Institute, the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies.
Noveda’s decision to become an associate member was based on its interest in dialogue with the energy community on better ways to manage resources at every user level. EEI provides a broad forum for policy leadership, data management, business intelligence, and a range of energy-related products and services, as well as representing the interests of its members in areas of regulation and legislation.
“We are pleased to be associated with another leading voice in the national energy discussion like EEI,” said CEO Govi Rao. “Along with our recent patent approvals and increasing flexibility in our monitoring applications, joining the EEI will provide us with a strong platform for continuing to meet our customers’ needs.”
EEI’s member companies now represent almost three quarters of the nation’s overall electrical industry. In addition to these provider companies, associate members represent a number of firms which provide goods and services to the electric industry, while not directly involved in generation, transmission or distribution of electricity.
About the Edison Electric Institute
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U.S. Shareholder-Owned Electric Companies. Its members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. EEI has more than 80 international electric companies as Affiliate Members, and more than 240 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members. EEI can be found on the web at www.eei.org.


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Could We All Be Receiving a $4,000 Tax Credit for Travel Soon? Here's What We Know
Receiving that $1,200 stimulus check feels like a lifetime ago. The good news is it looks like another one may becoming our way (hopefully) very soon. Though this stimulus package will be a bit different than the first, seeing as it could potentially include a $4,000 tax credit for travel.
Dubbed the 'Explore America' Tax Credit, the package came into discussion during a routable at the White House. Trump and the travel industry are both onboard with the idea, but what exactly does it include?
Forbes reports, "If approved, the 'Explore America' Tax Credit would dangle up to $4,000 in front of Americans for vacation expenses spent in the U.S. at hotels, theme parks, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses through the end of 2021."
The tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. Nearly 40 percent of the jobs lost in April came from travel businesses. This tax credit is seen as a way to encourage more Americans to travel during the pandemic.
Still, this proposal would have to be approved by Congress. And as of now, neither the House of Representatives or Senate has pushed forward the measure. Only time will tell if we'll receive the tax credit.
For those of you still planning on flying whether you receive the tax credit or not, don't expect to be served in-flight drinks anytime soon. HERE'S why!


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Earlier reports stated that Samsung's PCIe 4.0 SSD would only come in a capacity of up to 1TB, but it turns out those reports are wrong.
Joengdong Choe, Senior Technical Fellow at TechInsights, Inc. outlines the future of 3D flash at FMS 2020.
NEO Semiconductor has plans to enable SLC performance on next-gen QLC through advanced X-NAND architecture.
WD alters the model numbers on its "5400 RPM-Class" drives to reflect that don't actually spin at 5400 RPM.
Powered by Phison’s first-gen PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe controller and Micron’s 96L QLC flash, Sabrent’s Rocket Q4 offers up faster-than-Gen3-performance at lower-than-Gen4-pricing.
Micron is shipping 176 layer replacement gate TLC NAND flash for mobile, enterprise, and client storage.
Powered by a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 bridge controller and a WD Black SN750 NVMe SSD, WD’s Black P50 Game Drive offers up near Thunderbolt 3 performance at more affordable prices.
Adata is now shipping the XPG SX8200 Pro SSD with lower-clocked hardware than the initial release model, without changing its specification sheets or retail listings.


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China’s drive to improve food safety via foreign acquisitions faces growing anti-trust barriers and management failures. FinanceAsia talks to deal-makers about how to make the recipe just right.
Hunger for food security and safety are a recipe for overseas acquisitions in 2017.
The private equity firm’s sale of its China Modern Dairy stake is nicely timed as it raises funds. But for buyer Mengnui the deal poses considerable integration risk.
The Chinese fast-food retailer hopes its unique business model will help secure a valuation premium to its peers when it lists in Hong Kong next month.
Chinese private equity firm breaks lockup by returning to market with a new $806 million deal only two months after its last divestment.
Cofco Meat's private-equity backers are all holding onto their shares, signaling their faith in the company's prospects.
The state-owned food processor plans to float shares of its meat operations after Chinese pork prices hit a record high.
The British conglomerate has sold its China cane sugar business to Nanning Sugar; making it the latest foreign company to bow out in the face of fierce local competition.
Chinese private equity firm sells its stake in the pork producer two years after the company’s IPO.
Universal Robina, the Gokongwei family’s flagship F&B company, is buying the Australian snack business for $461 million.
The Chinese pharmaceutical firm offers $238 million to take Vitaco private, in the latest example of China’s huge interest in clean and green food products.
Two Chinese state-owned enterprises enter the international bond markets on a a busy but constructive day for Asian credit.
Metro's acquisition of Classic Fine Foods will help it capitalise on a growing appetite for gourmet products as interest in retail M&A stays keen.
The Nasdaq-listed search group will embark on a $1b share buyback to assuage investors after $12b was wiped off its market value on disappointing quarterly earnings.
The Henan-based pork producer's shares have dropped below the IPO price just three months after it floated its shares, and a further decline is possible in coming weeks.
After being bruised by its previous Chinese partnership with Sanlu, the New Zealand dairy group seeks a 20% stake in another mainland group.
KKR added a $400 million stake in Fujian Sunner Development to its list of Chinese food deals as safety fears escalate amid scandals.
Chairman and CEO Wan Long tells FinanceAsia how the Chinese pork producer is pushing ahead with its ambitious global reorganisation.
Retail investors showed a healthy appetite for the Indonesian meat processor and dairy operator in what's been a mixed few weeks in Singapore's IPO markets.
China's top pig farmer admits that the oversized 29-bank syndicate on WH Group's first IPO try sealed the deal's failure.


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While digital pioneer Sephora may get most of the brand buzz for its high-tech beauty offerings, other brands are trying to catch up. Olay Skin is expanding its artificial intelligence-driven skincare app, the Olay Skin Advisor, which uses a selfie to diagnose women’s most troublesome skin problems. And Paris-based Make Up For Ever has just opened a New York flagship, complete with a digital lash bar and new interactive make-up lessons.
Olay, owned by Procter & Gamble and still the industry powerhouse, says the global launch of the app simplifies shopping. Based on the insight that as many as one-third of women are overwhelmed by the products they see on shelves and unable to pinpoint what they want, “we saw an opportunity to help women understand their skin better than ever, before they even step foot in the store,” company executives say in its announcement. The Olay Skin Advisor uses a photograph and AI to “deliver a smart skin analysis and personalized product recommendation, taking the mystery out of shopping for skincare products.”
The app has been in beta since late last year and has already collected 1 million visits, and the company says it intends to roll out the new version by mid-March. Its pixel-tagging capabilities are now based on hundreds of thousands of photographs of women, pinpointing the precise areas that hold her back “from looking ten years younger.”
Other beauty brands, including Cover Girl and Benefit, with its Brow Genie, also have AI apps. And fast-growing Ulta has also had success with its Glam Lab app, which lets customers experiment with new products via uploaded selfies. But while apps like Olay’s may let women experiment outside stores, digital delights are becoming increasingly in demand in beauty retail locations, too.
Make Up For Ever just opened its newest store in New York, a global flagship that showcases its new Go Pro Makeup tutorials. The in-person sessions can include up to seven people at a time in lessons like bronzing how-tos, perfecting brows or putting on makeup that looks like no makeup. Taught by live pros, the interactive sessions feature a conveyer belt, delivering new tutorials as they sit in comfy chairs and recharge their devices.


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The Supreme Court docket on Friday granted interim safety from arrest to Amazon Prime Video head Aparna Purohit in reference to FIRs lodged towards her over the net sequence Tandav which is at present streaming on the platform. This comes days after the Allahabad HC refused to offer her an anticipatory bail within the mentioned case. Aparna moved SC difficult the decision by the Allahabad HC.
“Petitioner is cooperating in Lucknow FIR and HC has granted safety. She is able to cooperate within the investigation. It’s submitted that petitioner is @amazon India head and anxious with writing and manufacturing of net sequence. Contemplating the information, we challenge discover and we direct petitioner shall not be arrested in FIR no 14 of 2021 topic to her cooperation,” Justice Ashok Bhushan-led bench remarked.
The bench additionally noticed that the Centre’s laws on social media are mere pointers and that doesn’t have provision for motion towards digital platforms. “Legislation must be framed to place in place a mechanism to regulate OTT platforms as a substitute of mere pointers. The brand new pointers of the federal government on regulating OTT platforms like Netflix & Amazon Prime Video has ‘no enamel’ as there isn’t any provision of prosecution,” the bench mentioned.
On February 25, the Allahabad HC had denied anticipatory bail to Purohit stating that “the applicant had not been vigilant and has acted irresponsibly making her open to legal prosecution in allowing streaming of a film which is towards the elemental rights of nearly all of residents of this nation and subsequently, her basic proper of life and liberty can’t be protected by grant of anticipatory bail to her within the train of discretionary powers of this courtroom.”
Amazon Prime India’s authentic sequence Tandav landed in controversies ever since its launch in January. A number of instances have been registered towards the makers of the present and the platform for hurting sentiments of a selected neighborhood by means of the sequence.
Tandav premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 15. It stars Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kumud Mishra, amongst others.
Catch us for contemporary Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies replace, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood News Today & upcoming movies 2020 and keep up to date with newest hindi films solely on Bollywood Hungama.


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|What's happening at Nintendo & NIWA
- February 8, 2022 - A Nintendo Direct aired on February 9, 2022, focusing on Nintendo Switch games launching during the first half of 2022. In it, new games were announced such as Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario Strikers: Battle League and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, as well as a remake of Live A Live released internationally for the first time. Add-on content was also revealed for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (the Booster Course Pass), available to be paid separately or for free with the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Furthermore, the next wave of Splatoon 3's co-op mode Salmon Run was announced. EarthBound and EarthBound Beginnings was added to Nintendo Switch Online.
- October 8, 2021 - The Nintendo Switch - OLED Model has been released worldwide.
- September 23, 2021 - A Nintendo Direct was broadcast worldwide.
- July 6, 2021 - A new model for the Nintendo Switch featuring an OLED screen as well as other enhancements was announced for release on October 8, 2021.
- June 17, 2021 - Please welcome our first Editor-in-Chief, Toa 95! Congratulations!
- June 15, 2021 - At E3 2021, a Nintendo Direct was hosted, followed by a Nintendo Treehouse: Live session for around three hours. A lot of content was revealed this day. For more information, see E3 2021.
- May 24, 2021 - Our first Editor-in-Chief election is going on!
- May 9, 2021 - Ukikipedia has officially joined NIWA as its twenty-seventh member!


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Vietnam takes measures to attract Muslim tourists
(CPV) - With a large Muslim population, Halal tourism is an attractive market for many countries, including Vietnam. However, to fully exploit the potential of this market, the tourism industry requires upgrading facilities to meet Halal standards.
Super-cruise ship docks at Vung Tau with 2,700 visitors
The cruise ship Celebrity Solstice docked in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau on November 22, carrying 2,700 foreign tourists to start trip to famous destinations in Ho Chi Minh City and the South of Vietnam.
HCM City: Tourism products broaden experiences for tourists
More than 40 typical tourism products in Thu Duc City and districts in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City have been contributing to enriching new tours and increasing experiences for tourists.
HCM City promotes advantages for waterway tourism development
2023 is the year that Ho Chi Minh City promotes the most waterway tourism activities ever. The first river festival and the launch of river tours has brought visitors new and exciting experiences.
Advantages and difficulties in waterway tourism development in HCMC
Waterway tourism products in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) are considered to have many advantages to exploit and promote the city's tourism development. The city’s tourism sector has also invested, built and designed many new waterway routes and tours.
Hanoi introduces 15 night tourism products
The 15 night tourism products will be introduced at the lighting art experience space “Hanoi Night - Touching Point of Emotions,” taking place on November 24 at the Cultural and Arts Center, 22 Hang Buom Street.
Must-visit year-end tourism destinations
(CPV) - The last months of the year with cool, pleasant weather are always an ideal opportunity to plan travel. Taking a break from the noisy city, let's explore the following destinations.
Measures sought to sustainably develop tourist accommodation establishments
An international wokshop discussing measures to promote sustainable development of tourist accommodation establishments was held in Ha Long city, the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh, on November 18.
Vietnam’s tourism potential popularised in France
Vietnam’s tourism potential and opportunities were spotlighted at a seminar held at the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in Paris on November 16.
Vietjet opens direct flight between HCM City and Shanghai (China)
The budget carrier Vietjet Airlines opened a direct flight connecting the two big cities of Vietnam and China on the occasion of the official visit of Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen to Shanghai city, aiming to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the twinned relationship between the two cities.
Two luxury cruise liners bring nearly 3,400 European, US tourists to Ha Long
The Ha Long International Cruise Port is welcoming two luxury cruise liners with nearly 3,400 European and US tourists aboard on November 13-14 , reported the Tourism Department of Quang Ninh province in norther Vietnam.
Luxury cruise ship brings 3,000 tourists to central localities
A Celebrity Cruises ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew on board berthed at Chan May port, the central province of Thua Thien – Hue on November 12.
Hoi An firmly on path to becoming national tourist city
(CPV) - Determining the importance of tourism – the key local economic sector, the Quang Nam provincial Party Committee has issued a Resolution on building and developing Hoi An City according to the orientation of an ecological - cultural - tourism city until 2030, contributing to creating favorable conditions to exploit sustainable tourism development.
Vietnam joins 2023 World Travel Market London
About 10 Vietnamese firms offering aviation, tourism and lodging services participated in the 2023 World Travel Market London (WTM London) which took place from November 6-8.
Jeju Air to launch regular Incheon - Da Lat air route as of December
The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Jeju Air announced on November 3 that it will operate a new air route connecting Incheon of the RoK to Da Lat city, a tourist resort in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, from December 20, with a frequency of seven flights per week.
HCM City’s tourist arrivals top 30 million in 10 months
Ho Chi Minh City welcomed more than 30 million domestic and foreign visitors during January – October, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.
Tourism authority, Traveloka seal public-private cooperation deal
The Vietnam Authority of Tourism (VNAT) and travel platform Traveloka on October 31 inked a memorandum of understanding to enhance their public-private partnership (PPP) in promoting the sustainable growth of the industry in Vietnam.
Hoan Kiem lake space, Old Quarter recognised city-level tourist area
The People’s Committee of Hanoi on October 31 decided to recognise Hoan Kiem lake, its surrounding areas and the Old Quarter as a city-level tourist area.
Tourists to Hanoi rise 34.3% in 10 months
Hanoi strives to welcome 24 million tourists in 2023, including 4 million international tourists. However, the number of international tourist arrivals reached 3.6 million from January to October 2023.
HCM City Tourism Week themed “Green on every journey”
The 3rd HCM City Tourism Week, themed “Green on every journey”, will take place from December 4 to 10, 2023, said the City Department of Tourism in a press conference.
Vietnam greets nearly 10 million international visitors
Vietnam welcomed 1.11 million international tourists in October 2023, marking the 4th consecutive month the tourism sector received over 1 million international tourist arrivals, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
HCM City promotes tourism in Singapore, Laos
Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City has organized many promotional activities to promote famous destinations of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in Laos and Singapore.
Hanoi honoured as Asia's best emerging culinary city
The capital city of Hanoi won the “Asia’s Best Emerging Culinary city 2023” title at the World Culinary Awards 2023 recently.
Vietnamese visitors to Japan surge 16.9%
Since the beginning of the year, Vietnamese visitor arrivals to Japan increased by 16.9% compared to the same period in 2019 and promise to soon reach or exceed the level of the whole year 2019, before COVID-19, said the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in Vietnam.
Vietnam welcomes over 1 million int'l visitors in fourth consecutive month
Vietnam welcomed 1.11 million international tourists in October, making the fourth consecutive month that the country has served more than 1 million foreign visitor, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST).
Introducing Michelin-standard cuisine at Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival
Many restaurants and dining establishments on Michelin’s selected list will be introduced at the 2nd Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival, scheduled to take place from November 3 to 5 in the pedestrian zone of Tran Nhan Tong Street, said the Hanoi Department of Tourism.
Vietnam Airlines opens air route between Da Nang and Don Mueang (Thailand)
The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will operate a flight connecting Da Nang with Don Mueang, the second largest airport of Bangkok (Thailand), from November 29.
Hanoi named world’s Best Golf City Destination 2023
World Golf Awards, the leading authority that recognises and rewards excellence in golf tourism, has named Hanoi “World’s Best Golf City Destination 2023” at its 10th annual Gala Ceremony in Abu Dhabi, the Hanoi Department of Tourism announced on October 25.
Dien Bien Airport expected to reopen in early December
The Vietnam Aviation Administration has just issued a document allowing Dien Bien Airport to resume its operation from December 2.
Tam Dao tops list of new emerging destinations in Vietnam
Online travel platform Agoda on October 24 announced the list of new emerging destinations in Vietnam (Vietnam's New Horizons) which attract increasing attention from both domestic and foreign tourists.


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Lenovo has just teased its upcoming gaming smartphone on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website. This teaser was for the the Legion Pro 2 and highlighted the device’s cooling capabilities.
According to a report, the company’s General Manager Chen Jin stated on his official Weibo account that the smartphone will be packed with top notch features, which will not compromise on any aspect to achieve the ultimate gaming experience. The senior executive also added that the device will be launching, sometime in Spring this year. Unfortunately, finer details regarding this device is still unknown at the moment.
Although, since its a gaming smartphone we can expect high end specifications like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, paired with up to 16GB of RAM. The teaser poster also highlighted cooling as a highlighting feature. So, we can expect some form of active thermal dissipation mechanism as well. Looking at the previous iteration, we can also expect to see at least a 5,000mAh battery pack along with an AMOLED display that supports high refresh rate of 144Hz.


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Grand Theft Auto 5 has been given its own Facebook page by Rockstar.
The GTA 5 Facebook features screenshots, the announcement trailer, game-related articles and links to fellow Rockstar titles.
Followers will receive automatic updates on any future announcements, images and videos.
The Grand Theft Auto 5 Facebook launches a week after a potential March 1, 2013 release date was leaked by GameStop UK.
It also comes ahead of the December issue of Game Informer, which will feature Grand Theft Auto 5 on its cover.
Announced last year, Grand Theft Auto 5 is thought to follow the exploits of lead character Albert De Silva, played by Ned Luke.
It has previously been tipped for an October release, following a leaked developer CV.
Despite the rumours, Rockstar North has remained tight-lipped, promising more details in the coming weeks and months.
Watch the original Grand Theft Auto 5 trailer below:


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The Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T was announced recently at CES 2012, but pricing and availability details weren’t released. What we do know from the official announcement is that it would launch sometime in the coming months on AT&T operating on its 4G LTE network.
However, today, we learned about a specific launch date in March that seems pretty accurate since it came from a Nokia Developers Newsletter. Essentially, the Lumia 900 is slated to launch on March 18th with AT&T, but pricing information is still not available. If this information turns about to be true, I imagine AT&T will officially announce the launch date and pricing information several days before March 18.
In terms of specs, the Lumia 900 features a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display, a single-core 1.4GHz processor, WP7.5, 8MP rear facing camera, 16GB of onboard storage, a front facing camera, and 512MB of RAM.


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Allphones franchisees face uncertainty over sale
Thursday, November 3, 2011/
Mobile phone franchise Allphones is reportedly up for sale, 18 months after it was forced to pay $3 million in damages to franchisees for introducing a “no dickheads” policy.
Allphones, which started with a single store in South Australia 12 years ago, is now a 170-strong chain. Reports suggest the company could be sold for up to $100 million by the end of the year.
The sale is expected to attract the interest of private equity and telco giants Telstra and Singapore Telecommunications.
However, the company has been plagued by controversy over the last few years, namely in relation to the treatment of its franchisees.
In April last year, Allphones was ordered to pay $3 million in damages to 55 franchisees for engaging in unconscionable conduct, including the introduction of a “no dickheads” policy.
The policy, introduced in 2006, was designed to weed out underperforming franchisees and those identified as being disloyal to the company.
Allphones then employed a range of tactics to force undesirable franchisees out of its network, including withholding stock, stopping payments and threatening to terminate dealer agreements.
A total of 55 franchisees shared a $3 million payout after the Federal Court found Allphones and three of its executives – including former chief executive Matthew Donnellan – engaged in a campaign to bully dissenting franchisees to bring them into line.
Peter Kell, acting chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission at the time of the ruling, described the company’s treatment of the franchisees as “systemic and prolonged”.
“I can only imagine how a franchisee – caught on the wrong side of such policies, with their livelihood on the line – must have felt,” Kell said.
The Federal Court found Allphones had engaged in unconscionable conduct since 2004, when it commenced a national expansion plan at the direction of its board and Donnellan.
The franchise system was restructured to give the company control over the stock and income of franchisees.
This structure allowed Allphones to lure potential franchisees by telling them it was a like a “true partnership” in which they shared profit and bargaining power.
But the company negotiated commissions and bonuses with suppliers, without informing franchisees, and altered documents from telco carriers to disguise charges.
While it’s unknown what will become of the Allphone franchisees once the company has been sold, the events of the last few years are still fresh in their minds.
“It was a terrible period of our life and many franchisees lost homes and marriages because of the stress during that time,” one franchisee says.
From the frontlines
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Canva's Melanie Perkins has 10 tips for startups with 'crazy-big dreams' Melanie Perkins Canva co-founder
Why Up's transgender controversy shows there can be no separation between founders and their companies Joan Westenberg StartupSmart columnist
Take a stand: Why being neutral hurts profitability and engagement Steven Maarbani VentureCrowd executive director
The power of passion: Naked Wines' co-founder reflects on what made the startup successful Peta Jecks Naked Wines co-founder
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Diversity and coaching will rid the banking sector of its toxic culture problem Hema Kangeson inSpur founder
Why you should find the right role for the right person — not the other way around Bruce Stronge Outfit founder


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Sabra Dipping Company is voluntarily recalling many of its hummus products due to potential listeria contamination. According to a news report in Fortune.com, the company has identified Listeria monocytogenes bacteria at one of its manufacturing facilities. However, the bacteria have yet to be found in any of the finished products. The hummus products were distributed to retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and have a “Best Before” date through Jan. 23, 2017.
Consumers who are worried about having one of these products in their home can find the date on the lid of each package and are urged to throw out the potentially contaminated products. Sabra products not included in the recall are: Sabra Organic Hummus, Sabra Salsa, Sabra Guacamole, and Sabra Greek Yogurt Dips. This is not the first time the company has had to recall some of its products for potential listeria contamination. In 2015, Sabra recalled 30,000 cases of its hummus products after traces of the bacteria were found. A complete list of the recalled products can be found on Sabra.com or on fda.gov.
Listeria: Statistics and Symptoms
Listeria is an organism that can cause serious or even fatal infections particularly in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 260 fatalities and 1,600 illnesses occur each year due to listeriosis in the United States. Pregnant women are also at risk as listeria infections cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Common symptoms of a listeria infection include high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
What to Do if You’ve Been Affected
If you have become ill as a result of consuming contaminated food, it is important that you get prompt medical attention, treatment and care right away. It is important that the appropriate tests are done to determine whether you have suffered food poisoning. If you still have some of the contaminated food left over at home, isolate it right away so no one else consumes it. However, it is a good idea to preserve it so it can be examined independently at a lab for pathogens.
If you became ill after eating at a restaurant, be sure to save your itemized restaurant bill. Report your illness to your local healthcare agency, which tracks these types of food-borne illnesses and outbreaks. Contact an experienced California food poisoning lawyer who will stay on top of the official investigation and ensure that your legal rights and best interests are protected. Affected victims in such cases can seek compensation for damages such as medical expenses, lost income, hospitalization, pain and suffering and emotional distress.


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VW’s van division, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, has announced plans to reintroduce the Beach model to the California range as interest in camper vans swells. The German company says demand for campers is growing as the coronavirus crisis encourages people to ‘staycation’ in the UK.
The Beach name will be familiar to fans of the California, having been used on earlier generations of VW’s mid-sized camper van. Rivalling the Ford Transit Custom Nugget, the California is among the most popular camper vans on the market, and it’s already available in a choice of two trim levels: Coast and Ocean. The arrival of the new Beach model is, supposedly, down to a surge in demand for camper vans after the coronavirus lockdown.
Although the firm has told us to wait until the end of the month for further details, we do know the new model will come with a price tag of just over £52,000. VW is promising a choice of four-, five-, six- and seven-seat variants, giving extra choice to consumers. It’s hoped those options will appeal to those who need something “more flexible” than the conventional California.
Arriving on sale later this month, the Beach will be available in Camper and Tour variants, complete with a 2-litre, 148 bhp diesel engine and an automatic gearbox. Both versions will arrive in the UK in March 2021, boasting a manual pop-up roof and 17-inch alloy wheels.
The vehicles will also get a DAB radio with phone connectivity and a camping table, while two folding chairs will be included in the price. The Tour version, however, will get five seats as standard, with the option to increase that to six or seven seats, making it the first vehicle in its class to offer seven seats.
Tour models also come with sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle, making entry and exit easier for passengers. Prices start from £52,062.
Alternatively, customers can choose the Camper model, which comes with just four seats, but the option to increase that to five seats remains available. Perhaps more importantly, though, the Camper comes with a pull-out mini kitchen that includes a single gas hob and a pull-out awning.
Although the Camper appears to come with more equipment, it is only marginally more expensive, with prices starting at £52,302.
Both vehicles are based on the latest T6.1 version of the VW Transporter van, which is among the best-known commercial vehicles on the market. Marked out by its Arteon-aping grille, the T6.1 is fitted with a more premium interior than its predecessor, and it comes with VW’s latest-generation touchscreen technology.


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Skype is liberating group calls and screen sharing for all users, which are two powerful additions that should please businesspeople and enterprises everywhere.
Group calls had long been available to Skype Premium customers on Mac, Windows and even Xbox One, but now it’s rolling out to anyone using those systems—free of charge.
Microsoft GM of consumer marketing Phillip Snalune said free group calls will eventually roll out to people using mobile devices and other systems, but for now, it’s just available for Windows, Mac and Xbox One users. It’s a solid start, however, especially when you consider Microsoft was likely feeling pressure from Google Hangouts, which is also free, but doesn’t need to be downloaded like Skype. Of course, Google Hangouts also works on mobile devices, which Skype is still working on.
Skype also made screen sharing free for all group video calls, which is a key for businesses that collaborate remotely. So even as it looks to compete against popular consumer-oriented tools like Google Hangouts, Skype’s focus on appeasing the enterprise shows that Microsoft still knows where its bread is buttered.
Image by Joe Shlabotnik from Flickr via Creative Commons license


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VR Headsets: Price Disparity and other Differences
Virtual Reality: It is the in thing The Virtual Reality market is abuzz and is at an all-time high. Some of the major reasons for this boom are increase in hardware production, easy outreach, and content of various types. VR has had content inputs from amateur film makers to huge production houses like Disney and
McDonalds Happy Meal Boxes that Turn into VR Headsets
The Virtual Reality fever is running high worldwide. Tech giants have put in lot of money into research and development, content development as well as hardware. Latest to join the bandwagon is Fast Food giant McDonalds. McDonalds Sweden, in March, in a press release told that they are soon going to launch a new toy
Companies Investing in Virtual Reality
Back in 2015 Virtual Reality gained a lot of prominence and it became viral in literally no time. One of the factors for this was the big names talking and showing interest in the technology. Facebook announced that it will acquire Oculus in March 2014 and since then VR started becoming headlines. In 2015, New
What is the difference between 360-degree Photos and Videos?
To answer it shortly, there is a huge difference between 360-degree Photos and Videos. In the past year or so, the internet has been flooded with different kinds of Virtual Reality content. Big production houses, as well as amateur YouTubers have given the all interesting 360-degree videos a shot and have created some really good content.
What are 360 degree Videos?
For a long time now, the world of video technology had become almost stagnant. Videos, advertising, and cinema had not moved ahead of the 3D technology in the mainstream. Who are producing are 360-degree Videos? 360-degree videos is a breakthrough technology and with tech giants like YouTube and Facebook already supporting the 360-degree videos, the
Virtual Reality: It is the in thing The Virtual Reality market is abuzz and is at an all-time high. Some of the major reasons for this boom are increase in hardware production, easy outreach, and content of various types. VR has had content inputs from amateur film makers to huge
The Virtual Reality fever is running high worldwide. Tech giants have put in lot of money into research and development, content development as well as hardware. Latest to join the bandwagon is Fast Food giant McDonalds. McDonalds Sweden, in March, in a press release told that they are soon going
Acer has lived up to its reputation of making revolutionary laptops that has features the latest trend of touch computing, as well as gaming, with the Acer Aspire V3-772G. This is one of Acer’s top-of-the line products that aim to be the ultimate high end version that incorporates touch interface,
Acer is indeed stepping up the game without having to take on the high-end consumer market, with the Acer Aspire E1-410. On this laptop, one can see that they can get their hands on one of the most justifiably priced laptops, without having to spend a fortune. But is it
Acer had come up with a new line of gaming laptops that is supposed to the ultimate gaming machine there is, with the Acer Aspire V15 Nitro Black Edition. But is it really the ultimate gaming tool, or is it just a plain old marketing campaign. Better see the facts
Acer is indeed on its continuous campaign to bring out the best and worthy laptops out there, with the Acer Aspire V5-552G. But the questions is, is it really the best buys out there? Or is it even really worthy of getting it? Here are some of the things that
TP Link has surely come a long way, and with its latest technology incorporated in this top-of-the-line router of theirs, its own TP-Link AC3200 Wireless Tri-Band Gigabit Router will surely be a huge hit for people who wanted to experience the best. But is it really the best? Of course,
The world that we live in is fast changing, and almost every day, there seems to be something new about the way we use technology, which is very evident with Acer’s ultrabook line, made real with the Acer Aspire S3-392G. It serves to be the embodiment of a tablet, a
Acer is indeed stepping one step higher in terms of affordability, function, and overall marketability, with the Acer Aspire E1-470. It aims to pack it with a host of standard specs, apps, and features that would be a hit to the average consumer. But is it really a worthy buy?
TP-Link has indeed stepped up one foot ahead of the game with the TP-Link AC1900 Touch P5, as it had just incorporated touch technology into one of its own. Technology is indeed fast changing, and through time, it is being incorporated into our day to day things. And this time,


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Poor iPhone availability has Apple accelerate plans to limit its reliance on China
Apple has reportedly told suppliers to redouble their efforts to reduce its reliance on Chinese manufacturing amid ongoing issues in the country.
Recent COVID-19 lockdowns and employee riots caused Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant to produce far fewer iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro models than usual — to the point of Apple releasing a statement to admit that supply wouldn’t be able to meet the demand for Apple’s best iPhones.
Apple was already working to reduce its reliance on China, but it’s now reported that companies have been told to “plan more actively for assembling Apple products elsewhere in Asia. It’s thought that India and Vietnam are at the top of Apple’s list, with Foxconn potentially being cut out of plans altogether.
Problems at the Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou have put the spotlight firmly on a company that assembles many of Apple’s products. But the Zhengzhou plant is the only one capable of creating iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro handsets. So now WSJ (opens in new tab) reports that Apple is “looking to reduce dependence on Taiwanese assemblers led by Foxconn.”
The report says that Apple is considering using a bigger pool of assemblers, even if they are based in China. Wingtech and Luxshare are two companies expected to benefit. But moving manufacturing is never easy.
“Apple and China have spent decades tying themselves together in a relationship that, until now, has mostly been mutually beneficial,” the report notes. “Change won’t come overnight. Apple still puts out new iPhone models every year, alongside steady updates of its iPads, laptops, and other products.” As the WSJ puts it, Apple “must keep flying the plane while replacing an engine.” That means it needs to find new suppliers and assemblers while still producing products at a rate that fills stores with products.
Right now, that isn’t happening. Buying many Apple products is an exercise in frustration with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max particularly hard to come by.


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The Northtown Plaza in Amherst Losing Tenants–Moving To Depew
The Northtown Plaza is officially struggling in Amherst.
Coming up in April, the Northtown Plaza will be losing two more tenants--two longtime tenants, that is. Riverside Men's Shop and S&E Jewelers will be leaving and moving to Depew on Transit Road.
The new owners are planning to transform it in conjunction with a new Whole Foods supermarket that's being built next door", according to WGRZ.


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From Infamous to Watch Dogs, there are a lot of games due in 2014. Here are the ones Prima wants most.
Missing The Division on that list.
Thief? Cyberpunk 2077? Daylight? The Division? Dragon Age: Inquisition?
Cyberpunk 2077 has a 2015 or later release date. Article seems to be strictly 2014 games based on the first line.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Company is Part of Elite Group Leading Corporate Climate Action Efforts
BRUSSELS, January 23, 2019 /3BL Media/– UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced the company has been highlighted as a global leader for its corporate climate action efforts by CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project).
The yellow school bus is a familiar sight on America’s roads. As Fontana Unified School District students returned from their holiday break, one familiar thing was missing from two of their buses: black exhaust.
These buses are now all-electric and run on batteries. They are not only free of emissions, but much quieter. On a typical school day, the buses travel about 100 miles taking students from home to school and back, as well as on field trips. Electric buses can drive up to 120 miles per charge.
GM will collaborate with three of the nation’s leading electric vehicle charging networks to enable access to the largest collective EV charging network in the U.S.
January 10, 2019 /3BL Media/ - General Motors will collaborate with EVgo, ChargePoint and Greenlots, three of the nation’s leading electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, to enable access to the largest collective electric vehicle charging network in the United States, including more than 31,000 charging ports. GM plans to aggregate dynamic data from each of the EV charging networks so owners of the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV can have a more seamless charging experience with their GM vehicles.
Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good on LinkedIn: Potential for EVs is extraordinary
Editor's note: Follow Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good on LinkedIn, where this article first appeared. LinkedIn members can read, like, share and comment on Good's posts.
The gas-powered car has remained the dominant mode of transportation since it first began fueling motor vehicles in 1886. But the internal combustion engine is finally starting to lose its stranglehold on the market. The disrupter? Electric vehicles (EVs).
Automakers encourage the utility to keep building charging infrastructure and educating the public about EVs at Veloz forum.
Building infrastructure for charging electric vehicles and educating customers about EVs are two key things electric utilities should be doing to help accelerate the adoption of electric cars in California, according to automakers who joined Southern California Edison President Ron Nichols in a recent panel discussion.
Our distribution facilities receive, and thousands of Sysco trucks deliver, a vast assortment of food and nonfood items – including refrigerated and frozen products. That presents a big opportunity to drive environmental efficiency at every step. We’re committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our fleet and operations and expanding the use of renewable and alternative energy sources. We’ve also pledged to divert 90 percent of waste from landfill.
Returns add up for retailers - what's the smartest way to handle them?
Multimedia with summary
E-commerce is not always a one-way street. As online purchases grow, so do returns. Our partnership with Optoro streamlines the returns process to maximize value of returned products, eliminate unnecessary shipping, and reduce waste. Here’s how this strategic alliance is transforming retail reverse logistics.


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This week has brought significant advances in the world of gaming technology. NVIDIA unveiled an updated version of their DLSS3 library with a strong focus on improving ray tracing capabilities. At the same time, AMD has unveiled its long-awaited competitor to DLSS3, which is analogously called FSR3. Both upscaling technologies are scheduled for release in the upcoming fall season, though some initial titles could be available as early as next month. Technology reviewers are closely monitoring the releases of FSR3 and DLSS3.5, aiming for direct comparisons between the two. One of the games that lends itself to such comparisons is Cyberpunk 2077, for which it has been officially confirmed that patches for both DLSS 3.5 and FSR3 will be available in the near future.
AMD has stated that there are currently about a dozen games listed for the upcoming FSR3 compatibility list, with more titles in the works. On the other hand, NVIDIA has made official announcements about DLSS3.5 support for games like Cyberpunk, Portal RTX, and Alan Wake 2, with promises that more games will be supported in the near future. All of these technological advances are on schedule for release in the upcoming fall season.
At the same time, NVIDIA has introduced a freshly developed software development kit (SDK) that conveniently includes support for DLSS 3.5. This discovery was made by “emoose,” the creator of DLSSTweaks, a tool that allows gamers to fine-tune DLSS settings and profiles. It should be emphasized that DLSS 3.5 does not automatically enable the ‘Ray Reconstruction’ feature. Developer integration into a game’s graphics pipeline is required to enable this functionality. For users running Unreal Engine 5, this process is expected to be made easier as NVIDIA offers a 3.5 UE5 plugin. Members of the Reddit community have already discovered a readme file that explains the structure of this plugin.
DLSS 3.5 UE5 plugin components:
- DLSS Super Resolution (DLSS-SR)
- Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing (DLAA)
- Coming soon! – DLSS Ray Reconstruction (DLSS-RR)
Nonetheless, the improved algorithms in DLSS 3.5 have led to some gamers switching libraries, resulting in reported improvements in image quality and a reduction in artifacts in games like The Last of Us and Need for Speed Unbound. However, it is important to acknowledge that simply replacing the DLL does not enable the Ray Reconstruction feature. Developers must consciously integrate this element into their games.


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Jaya Henry, professor of Human Nutrition at Oxford Brookes University, said: "Functional foods play an increasingly important role in nutrition. Europe could end up with a situation where suppliers can't meet the public's needs. You must have controls to prevent any Tom, Dick and Harry from saying 'eat this'. But the regulations should be pragmatic and balance scientific rigour with the need for innovation."
Henry said the regulation required suppliers to explain mechanical links between specific compounds and the claimed benefits, a standard he said was potentially higher than that required for some prescription drugs.
The regulations would also increase the cost of NPD since each product would need a scientific dossier approved by the EFSA.
Health and diet sector lobbyist Christopher Whitehouse said: "Each dossier could cost up to £100,000. It would be a severe blow to small companies."
The law has been passed to the European Council, which is expected to approve and enact it by November. It will also ban product endorsements by individual healthcare professionals.


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Singapore Airlines will cancel 19 flights to the Thai capital later this month due to lower demand.
The move is believed to be due to the current political turmoil in Bangkok.
The cancellations will be in force for more than a month - from January 14 to February 25.
SIA said it has informed affected customers, who will either be given refunds or put on other flights.
Travel agencies are also seeing fewer travellers to Bangkok.
Chan Brothers said there were 20 per cent fewer customers for the route last month, compared with the same period last year.
But it is still seeing bookings in the new year from travellers who are adopting a wait-and-see approach.
Jane Chang, manager of Marketing and Communications at Chan Brothers, said: "We have close to 100 travellers who will be departing for Bangkok during the Chinese New Year week despite the protests and all.
"Enquiries that will come in from our travellers are whether or not it's safe to travel to Bangkok. And what we inform (them) is that we're monitoring the situation as it is, because it's hard to tell what's going to happen during Chinese New Year right now."


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Samsung Galaxy S10 rumored to have three models, biggest may have three cameras
- A new rumor claims the Samsung Galaxy S10 will launch with three different models.
- Each model will reportedly have a different rear camera setup, with the largest to have three camera sensors.
- The Galaxy S10 may launch in the first half of 2019.
It’s time for yet another rumor about the Samsung Galaxy S10, but this one is a bit different than the norm, if true. ETNews (via Ice Universe) reports that Samsung plans to launch three different models of the Galaxy S10 sometime in the first half of 2019, each one with a different rear camera setup.
Read more: This probably isn’t the Galaxy S10
The report claims that the Galaxy S10 is being developed with the internal code name “Beyond.” According to the story, “Beyond 0” will have a 5.8-inch display and a single rear camera sensor, while “Beyond 1” will have the same display size, but include a dual rear camera. Finally, “Beyond 2” is rumored to have a 6.2-inch display, and have a triple rear camera setup. There’s no word on the size of the megapixels that will be included in these phones.
If this article is accurate, this would be the first time in the history of the Galaxy S series that Samsung would launch three different models of this series at the same time. The article also repeats earlier rumors that the Galaxy S10 could have an in-display fingerprint sensor. In addition, it mentions the many rumors that Samsung will release a separate phone with a foldable display sometime in 2019.
If Samsung is indeed working on a phone with a triple rear camera, it will be interesting to see how similar it will be to the three rear cameras already on the HUAWEI P20 Pro, and how different it might be compared to that flagship phone.


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Thailand: Inflation rises to two-year high
June 2, 2011
In May, consumer prices added 0.34% over the previous month, which was well below the 1.38% price jump observed in April. The monthly rise reflected higher prices for food and beverages, which were partially offset by lower prices for transport and communication. As a result of the monthly rise, annual headline inflation rose from 4.0% in April to 4.2% in May, which was virtually in line with market expectations of a 4.3% rise. The reading represented the highest rate since September 2008. The core inflation index, which excludes more volatile categories such as fresh food and fuel, rose 0.46% over the previous month, pushing annual core inflation to 2.5% in May (April: 2.1% year-on-year). At the current level, core inflation remains within the Central Bank's target rate of 0.5% - 3.0%. Meanwhile, the Central Bank expects headline inflation will average 3.9% this year and 3.2% in 2012.
Author: Ricardo Aceves, Senior Economist


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(Reuters) - The European Commission will accuse Apple Inc (AAPL.O) of benefiting from illicit state aid in Ireland, based on preliminary findings of an investigation into tax deals, the Financial Times reported citing people familiar with the matter.
Details of the probe, which may come out later this week, could leave the Cupertino-based company with billions of euros in fines, the FT reported.
The Irish government, in a statement in June, said it was confident that it has not breached state aid rules and will defend its position vigorously.
Apple could not be reached for comment outside regular business hours.
Preliminary investigations by the European Commission into Apple’s tax deals in Ireland claim the company benefited from illicit state aid after striking illegal deals with Irish authorities, the FT reported, citing people involved in the case.
The European Commission, the European Union’s competition authority, is also investigating corporate tax deals in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, as well as Ireland, following revelations about the tax-planning practices of major corporations such as Apple, Google (GOOGL.O) and Starbucks (SBUX.O).
A U.S. Senate committee investigation revealed last year that Apple had cut billions from its tax bill by declaring companies registered in the Irish city of Cork as not tax resident in any country.
Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg all have specially structured corporate tax arrangements, but so do other EU member states. In the majority of member states, the effective corporate tax rate is nearly always lower than the nominal rate, which is usually the result of “sweeteners” in the tax code.
Reporting by Ankush Sharma in Bangalore


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Rainshine acquires significant stake in 3 digital entertainment companies
Rainshine Entertainment, a newly formed media and entertainment (M&E) company, has announced its first three investments as it acquired significant stakes in Culture Machine, Weirdass Comedy and Kinsane Entertainment.
Founded by prolific entrepreneur and tech investor, Neeraj Bhargava, Founder of Zodius Capital,Co-Founder of NYSE-listed WNS and a former McKinsey & Company Partner, Rainshine aims to acquire majority or high minority stakes in digital entertainment companies and work closely with them to build iconic content brands for both Indian and global audiences.
Key highlights of Rainshine Entertainment as it moves forward to be an active developer of digital entertainment talent, content and platforms:
- Established in late 2018 to acquire and grow digital entertainment brandsprimarily in the world’s most attractive market for digital content, India, with the aspiration of building a global business.
- Besides Neeraj Bhargava, who is the Chairman and CEO of Rainshine, Mihir Modi, CFO of Rainshine (former CFO of Zee Entertainment), and Anuraag Srivastava, COO of Rainshine (previously with Zodius Capital and WNS), are the Co-Foundersof the company.
- Arun Sarin, former Global CEO of Vodafone, and Michael Montgomery, ex-CFO of Dreamworks SKG, join the Rainshine Board as Non-Executive Directors
- With the three announced deals, Rainshine will have teams located in Mumbai, Los Angeles, New York, Chennai and Hyderabad
- Rainshine’s primary focus will be creating content across four genres: Drama, Comedy, Music and Kids/ Fantasy
- Short-form, long-form, animation, games, live acts –multiple formats of content are created under the same umbrella
- Several major OTT platforms and consumer brands already benefitting tremendously from Rainshine’s creative and audience development endeavours
Commenting on the creation of Rainshine Entertainment and the three deals, Neeraj Bhargava, Chairman and CEO, Rainshine Entertainment, said, “Rainshine will be a key developer of talent, content and platforms in digital entertainment, an industry ripe for rapid growth and disruption. We are delighted to partner with Sameer Pitalwalla, Vir Das and Kurt Inderbitzin, along with their respective teams at Culture Machine, Weirdass Comedy and Kinsane Entertainment, invest in the businesses and help them build iconic and enviable content brands. We are currently assessing several deals and will add 3-4 acquisitions in the near future to comprehensively address our targeted genres and build a new industry leader.”
Rainshine Entertainment aims to partner with world-class content creators and develop cutting-edge content formats and experiences that enthrall audiences across India and the globe.