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The report estimates that this year’s summer vacation spending will near the US$200 billion mark for the first time in the Index’s decade-plus-long history, amounting to $194 billion in 2022. The projection represents a 26-per-cent increase over last year when Americans slowly began making their return to travel. The figure also marks a staggering 229-per-cent increase above the unprecedented 2020 season and 91% increase compared to pre-pandemic spending in 2019.
Americans’ average anticipated spend on vacations this summer is $2,644 – the third time the figure has topped $2,000 since the travel insurance and assistance company began tracking vacation habits in 2010. Following an upward trend, the 2022 average vacation spend is a 25-per- cent increase over 2021, a 40-per-cent increase from 2020 and 30-per-cent increase from pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
The increase in spending is likely involved by a rising travel costs with US vacation spending along vacation with a 40-year high, vacation with pent-up desire and an abundance of banked travel days and healthy budgets to help travelers justify the elevated expense.
Americans’ summer vacation costs higher than other countries’
In a separate survey household conducted by Allianz Partners, the travel and assistance company found that US travelers also lead in planned household travel spending over 10 other European countries. Americans’ planned summer vacation costs are 24-81 per cent higher than those hailing from Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain, respectively.
“Our survey shows that Americans will spend a record amount this year in order to enjoy the summer vacations they need and deserve,” said Daniel Durazo, Director of External Communications at Allianz Partners USA. “With cancellation facing increased costs this summer season, adding travel insurance to your vacation checklist can help put your mind at ease when it comes to protecting your investment from unexpected, covered, interruptions, delays or medical emergencies.”
The Vacation Confidence Index has been conducted each summer since 2010 by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Partners USA. A vacation is defined as a leisure trip of at least one week to a place that is 100 miles or more from home.


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A National Labor Relations Committee (NLRB) official has recommended workers at Amazon’s Bessemer warehouse in Alabama to hold new elections because Amazon violated U.S. labor laws, New York Times reported. This is still only a preliminary solution, but it gives hope that workers will still be able to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
Last April, workers were at the fulfillment center voted against union association with a margin greater than two to one. However, after the vote, RWDSU allegedly that Amazon won because it “interfered” with the rights of its employees to “vote in free and fair elections; a right protected under section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act”.
RWDSU has filed a total of 23 complaints, including one complaint that Amazon set up a ballot box in the employee parking lot “without the approval” of the NLRB’s regional director. It was observed that the box was placed under the sight of Amazon’s security cameras, creating an “impression of surveillance”.
An NLRB official sided with the union, saying Amazon had violated U.S. labor laws. “Throughout the NLRB debate, we heard compelling evidence of how Amazon tried to illegally hinder and intimidate workers seeking to exercise their right to union,” union president Stuart Appelbaum said in a statement. “We support the recommendation of the hearing officer that the NLRB annul the election results and direct new elections.”
Amazon, however, said it would challenge the decision and take steps to ensure an initial vote is held. “Our employees had the opportunity to be heard at a time of noise when all kinds of votes affected the national debate, and at the end of the day, they voted overwhelmingly for a direct link to their managers,” an Amazon spokesman said. the statement said. “Their voice should be heard above all else, and we plan to file an appeal to ensure that.”
The decision has no legal force yet until a complete decision is made by the acting regional director of the NLRB, which could take up to a month. During this time, the parties will be able to submit exceptions.
Since Bessemer’s vote, Amazon’s situation has attracted the attention of the Teamsters union, which has created a special division that will focus on organizing Amazon’s delivery drivers. Amazon has been criticized for working conditions drivers and warehouse workers, along with efforts to destroy the unions that were exposed to the ua New York Times report earlier this year.
All products recommended by Engadget have been selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories involve partnerships. If you purchase something through one of these links, we can earn a commission for affiliates.

domain: news


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Targeting contaminated produce remains a challenge: ANALYSIS
One person has died from eating contaminated romaine lettuce.
The outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria, better known as E. coli, that's affected romaine lettuce for two months has killed one person and sickened more than 120 people over 25 states.
Why is it taking so long to find the source of the outbreak and prevent more people from getting sick? It's because outbreaks connected to produce are particularly hard to trace.
It's now believed that the affected produce originated in Yuma, Arizona, where about 90 percent of the winter lettuce in the U.S. is grown. But pinpointing the farm or farms, the equipment that was used to harvest the crops or perhaps a water supply responsible for the contamination remains difficult. The Centers for Disease Control are continuing to investigate.
Romaine is processed multiple ways for consumption -- it's packaged, chopped or eaten whole. The contamination could be tied to one variety or multiple varieties. Again, it's very difficult to narrow it down.
Lettuce typically has such a short shelf life that by the time a person afflicted with E. coli can report it, tracing it back to a supply is challenging. What made that person sick probably isn't still at a supermarket or a warehouse where it could be collected and tested.
"Due to the 21-day shelf life we can't be certain that all of the product from this region is out of the supply chain," Peter Cassell, a Food and Drug Administrator spokesman, told ABC News.
Further complicating matters is that romaine lettuce often is mixed with other greens in prepacked salads, which could be contaminated at several stages of that processing. And lettuce is eaten by so many people in so many different ways, it's hard for those who get sick to say with certainty which meal from which day caused their illness.
The agricultural region around Yuma is huge, about 225,000 acres, with several farms and processing plants. There aren't formal regulations for how produce is processed, making it even harder to target a bad batch -- there are no batch numbers or bar codes.
What safety rules exist for events such as this outbreak? The Food Safety Modernization Act, passed in 2011, was designed as a preventative measure to reduce outbreaks from foodborne illnesses. Its goal is to standardize safety measures around the handling of produce and to monitor those protocols, because unlike outbreaks that come from beef, E.Coli 0157:H in foods that are eaten raw won't be killed by cooking them.
Unfortunately, required compliance with the regulations just began in January of this year and won't fully be in effect until mid-2019.
Chantel Strachan, MD, is a second-year medical resident from the University of Connecticut working with the ABC News Medical Unit.
ABC News Live
24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


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Help Galaxy Note 9 Will Have This Futuristic Feature
01 August, 2018, 06:38 | Author: Leah Owens
The Note 9 with 128GB internal storage is priced at IDR 13.5 million which roughly translates to Rs 64,300.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 price has been leaked in Indonesia and is already available for pre-booking. Samsung hasn't confirmed as yet when this tablet is going to be launched but a new report claims that the company will officially unveil the device on August 1st. In the European market, Samsung will take pre-orders till August 23 and buyers will start receiving the device from August 24. However, the 512GB variant is expected to skip the copper colour option. We've seen renders of the Galaxy Note 9, we know about its probable specs, and we've even seen a few hands-on videos in the past few weeks.
In addition to the release date, the poster also showcases a collection of preorder gifts that customers will be able to choose from when they purchase a Galaxy Note 9. Yup this battery, when combined with the latest Qualcomm or Exynos processor, could mean some seriously long battery life. Also, its phone business faced a decline of KRW 1.39 trillion (roughly Rs. 8,500 crores) in operating income during the second quarter - majorly due to stagnated growth in the premium smartphone market.
As far as specifications are concerned the smartphone features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with the resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels and 18:5 aspect ratio.
Although the back side of the case is pictured, the camera cutout is peeking over the edge of the phone, suggesting the camera setup will stay horizontal as in the Galaxy Note8, but the fingerprint scanner is moving below the snappers and the heart rate monitor.
When pushed for her own feelings about Trump, Kim not only remained mum, but claimed she has nothing negative to say at all . What in the f-k". "But she's anorexic here [gestures to waist], her arms are like pin thin, they're like my pinky".
General Manager Jeff Luhnow said they did their due diligence and spoke to many people who know Osuna. I haven't really paid attention to (Osuna's case), for obvious reasons - it wasn't really in my life.
A USA official having knowledge of the latest intelligence assessment on Pyongyang told Fox News , "It's business is as usual". As noted above, North Korea appears to be building more long-range ballistic missiles even as it dismantles the Sohae station.
With Harper and other free agents coming off the books next year, this team's payroll could plummet to $140 million or beyond. There's also this from the Washington Post's Jorge Castillo, who said ownership is making the call on this one.
And in the seventh round I was thinking maybe they should pull him [Chisora] out, that he was taking too much punishment. He's a champ, he's experienced - I got a win on a big show but he is more experienced than me.
The Kentucky senator was one of the few Republicans considered possible swing votes on Kavanaugh's confirmation. Manchin was one of three Democrats who voted to confirm Trump's first Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch .
Manafort had been under federal investigation since 2014 over suspicion of illegal lobbying and financial improprieties. District Court after a motions hearing in Alexandria , Virginia , U.S., May 4, 2018.
New Orleans Police say evidence suggests gang violence in the Saturday night shooting of 10 people at a strip mall. In the 2800 block of Louisiana Avenue , crime tape was in place at a house and officers stood on the front porch.
Apple earnings beat expectations as it sells pricier iPhones
With a market capitalization of more than $900 billion, Apple is tickling at the title of world's first trillion-dollar company. The company said it expects fiscal fourth quarter revenue to be between $60bn and $62bn, against analyst estimates of $59.5bn.
Grace Mugabe's diplomatic immunity ruling set aside
The DA's James Selfe says the ruling is a victory for the rule of law and victims of violence against women. EWN reporter Barry Bateman says the court has not yet given the reasons for overturning the decision.
Van Driver Splashes Pedestrians For Fun, Loses His Job
The driver was caught on the dashcam of a vehicle in front as they veered across the roads to drive through the puddles. On Twitter , Ottawa police officer Mark Gatien thanked the company for taking "quick and decisive" action on the issue.


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The third part of the great hit CD project will be the most expensive game in history of Polish computer industry.
Manufacturers of computer games have become accustomed us that the creation of new works are able to spend more than the budget are the biggest Polish movies. However, the establishment of a Polish record in this area is gearing up CD Projekt. How betrays Adam Kicinski, President of Warsaw, the cost of production and the subsequent marketing of the third part of The Witcher will exceed 100 million zł.
- Directly on the production of the game plan to spend at least 45 million zł. We also expect that the marketing budget is the third part of The Witcher around $ 25 million - says the head of CD Projekt.
This is a total of more than 110 million zł. No other game, which was produced and financed by the Polish company, did not cost so much.
Adam Kicinski emphasizes that while 40 million zł, which goes into production, I immediately fall in the cost of CD Projekt Red, the $ 25 million will be settled otherwise. The assumption is that the first lining them came distributors Witcher 3, and then collect them from the revenues of each copy sold. Global publisher of games is because CD Projekt.
- Marketing expenditure incurred by our distributors will not be our costs, but will be deducted from revenues due to us from the sale of the game - says Adam Kicinski.
Emphasizes that The Witcher 3 will be to bring the greatest profits in history. The President does not want to comment on the potential sale. It is still too early. The more that the developer has not chosen distributors. The first will be announced early in the third quarter. Its release is scheduled for 2014 years and it has to appear on the PC and the new consoles: Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
Where is that The Witcher 3 will be possible to play on PC and PS4 is known for a few months, it's only an hour ago, the company officially confirmed that the game will come out on the new Xbox. It happened during the Microsoft conference, during which CD Projekt Red had a few minutes to show the world her new baby. It was presented so. gameplay of the game, which is a short video showing how the game will look like (see above).
In line with the strategy of CD Projekt Red after the release of The Witcher 3 company can release a one or two smaller games. Their production has to deal with a studio in Krakow, which will officially launch in July. The team of 20 people.
PS: Article translated thanks to Google, so expect some weird sentences :)


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The Topps Company, Inc., a leading creator of confectionery, sports cards and entertainment products, today announced the promotion of Michael Brandstaedter to Chief Executive Officer.
In the new position, Brandstaedter will retain the title of President and focus on advancing the evolution of Topps’ iconic consumer products portfolio.
Topps was acquired by Michael Eisner’s The Tornante Company and private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners in October 2007. In confirming the promotion, Andy Redman, President and COO of Tornante and Chairman of Topps, said, “Mike’s continued success can be attributed to his deep knowledge of our brands, focused leadership and unmatched passion for the company’s products, customers and employees. He’s led Topps’ expansion in confectionery, brought new licenses to sports and entertainment and enabled rapid digital evolution. I couldn’t be more confident in our decision to appoint Mike to drive the next stage of expansion for Topps.”
Michael Eisner added, “This is the perfect time for Mike to become Topps’ Chief Executive Officer. He’s a strong leader at a time when Topps is in a strong position. Mike is unique in his ability to translate vision and strategy into world-class execution, bringing together the teams and creative innovation for continued growth.”
“Mike has proven himself to be an intelligent, driven and accomplished leader at Topps,” said Madison Dearborn Partners Managing Director, Jim Perry. “His appointment to Chief Executive Officer is well deserved and he is the right choice to deliver enhanced value to our investors.”
Brandstaedter joined the company in 2009 as General Manager of the Global Confectionery business. He most recently served as Topps’ President and COO where he has been instrumental in strengthening partnerships with premier properties such as Major League Baseball and Star Wars, as well as overseeing the development of global soccer and new partnerships including UEFA Champions League. Brandstaedter also has been integral in fueling significant growth with the recent creation of the Topps Digital Apps business, which has helped redefine trading cards and collecting in the digital space.
“I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to work across such a diverse and dynamic set of categories with a team that is committed to pushing the boundaries through constant innovation,” said Brandstaedter. “I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last several years and even more energized by the continuous pursuit of future growth prospects.”
Prior to joining Topps, Brandstaedter worked for over a decade in marketing roles at Nabisco and Kraft Foods, leading various businesses in the snacks and confections categories, including LifeSavers Candy, Planters Nuts and Oreo Cookies. A native of New York, Brandstaedter earned a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Source: The Topps Company, Inc.
Upon FoodBev Media’s return from Vitafoods 2022 – which took place from 10-12 May in Geneva, Switzerland – the team reflects on the event’s aim to bring together international nutraceutical suppliers and experts from across the globe.
Following a strategic review last year, Mondelēz International is planning to sell its developed chewing gum business, which includes brands Trident and Dentyne. This is in addition to offloading its Halls cough drop brand, as the food giant focuses on generating 90% of revenue in its chocolates and biscuits businesses, including baked snacks.
Givaudan has unveiled NaNino+, a patent-pending combination of plant-based ingredients and natural flavorings that can replace nitrite in processed meat. Designed with natural ingredients, it provides a lasting multi-sensorial food experience with a good taste, color and freshness.


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The Japanese economy, No. 3 worldwide, looks weaker than it did last fall when Abe agreed to the tax hike. A quarterly survey last week showed that Japanese businesses fear that consumers will respond to the higher sales tax by pulling back on spending. That's what happened the last time Japan raised its sales tax in 1997. Citi forecasts that Japan's economy will grow just 0.9 percent this year, down from 1.5 percent in 2013.
Still, the government and the Bank of Japan may try to soften the blow. Abe has promised 5 trillion yen ($48 billion) in fresh stimulus for the economy — more if the tax hike inflicts more economic damage than the government expects. The Bank of Japan could also intervene with Fed-style bond purchases if the economy needs further help.
"BOJ will have to act," says William Lee, global economist at Citi Investment Research. "The question is when."
China, the world's fastest-growing major economy, is slowing. Part of the deceleration from the sizzling double-digit increases of recent years is deliberate. Chinese policymakers want to create a sturdier economy, more dependent on consumer spending and less on exports and investments in infrastructure and real estate. And they're willing to accept slower growth to get there.
But now they fear that the economy is slowing too much and won't meet their 7.5 percent growth target. So Prime Minister Li Kequiang last week announced a mini-stimulus program: It will give small businesses bigger tax breaks, expand railroads and replace shantytowns with permanent housing.
But IHS' Behravesh says the stimulus will merely postpone a reckoning. China's investment boom, during which it built an overabundance of factories and houses, was financed with enormous debt, much of which is unlikely to be repaid. Over the next five years, Behravesh expects China's economic growth to slow significantly — to below 5 percent a year as the nation reforms its financial system.
A sputtering Chinese economy would hurt other countries that supply it with raw materials and do businesses with its companies.
"The Chinese story is one that's casting a big black cloud over the rest of Asia," Behravesh says.
AP Business Writer Pan Pylas contributed to this report from London.


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The technology industry is always changing, evolving and innovating, as they are revolutionizing our lives and impacting the market. Our lives are so interconnected with technology that it is difficult to determine whether we are controlling it or if it’s the other way around. New generation of users are routinely using latest technology from an early age, this relationship between human and digital technology will become even closer, making both of them indivisible in the future. These are five trends that may deeply influence IT community and consumers in 2011.
Commercialization of Personal Information
Data mining won’t go away this time around. There are simply too many things at stake. Even so, companies that want to use personal information of online users should pay for it. Privacy problems that are generated by sites like Facebook, may still be present in 2011, but with the possibility of generating economic benefit for users. Companies will use this model because it allows a beneficial transaction between companies and potential customers. Consumer advocacy organizations believed that the idea was positive, allowing users to have larger control on the use of their personal information.
2011 will be the year where we will see a significant growth of video on demand. There could be a change of attitude in video consumers, following the arrival of HD technology. Users who watch videos on the web, may no longer content with short videos, instead they’ll seek to watch TV shows or movies online. In that sense, major companies like Apple, Google and Amazon are at the forefront with their services and products, which allow video contents to be used on portable devices.
Smartphones will have stronger role in 2011 and high-speed internet connectivity via cellphones will still become a major trend. More people will be attracted to mobile devices and households will begin to get rid of cables for wireless. The introduction of 4G mobile networks, a significant improvement over 3G, may cause some users to abandon common wired connections like DSL to connect their devices at home through wireless technology. But in 2010, it is likely that the percentage will still be small because the existing infrastructure may not meet the needs of advanced users who like to play online or stream video constantly. It is expected that by 2016, nearly half of households in developed countries adopt 4G mobile broadband as their main Internet connection.
The technology will be greener in 2011. High energy prices, economic crisis and the U.S. government support on green innovation, will bring an avalanche of creativity in the “green” industry. Green technology gives consumers a solution to their energy inefficiency despite the economic crisis and the declining resources. There will be more choices in the market because the conditions imply that for the first time, “green” products can be lucrative.
There are over 400,000 mobile apps available today on multiple systems. Applications on smartphone are changing the industry and are creating a new model of technology usage. One of the main benefits of mobile apps is the ability to transform a device into something that is more than its original design. A smartphone can become a portable game console, a thriller novel, a teen magazine and many others. Better versatility in a small handheld device is something that consumers will find practical and useful.
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2002 tough, but MEMS still a solid business opportunity.
However, according to Marlene Bourne, a Senior Analyst with In-Stat/MDR, "A number of governments, who believe that this technology of the future cannot be ignored, are well on their way to creating the infrastructure necessary to ensure that they won't be left behind. Future regional competitiveness may very well be a direct result of the significant level of spending that is taking place right now in China, India, Mexico, Taiwan and other countries."
Despite the mixed news, MEMS remain a solid business opportunity for both customers and suppliers. As such, revenues are forecast to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.9% to $8.3 billion in 2007, with unit shipments growing at a CAGR of 26.1%, from 1.0 billion units in 2002 to 3.3 billion units in 2007.
The funding in this market for the first six months of 2003 was just $52.2 million, on track to be the lowest level since 1998. Also, nearly two-dozen companies have gone out of business including at least four fabs. To add to the strain already being felt in the fab sector, only 11% of companies supplying MEMS devices are currently outsourcing their fabrication needs.
According to the report, some fairly radical shifts in market shares will occur over the course of the next five years. Radio frequency (RF) MEMS will see the biggest gains (in terms of unit shipments), with optical MEMS gaining the most, on a revenue basis. As for end-use markets, industrial will gain the most, from a unit shipment standpoint, while communications will see its share of the market jump, based on revenues.
To purchase the report, "Got MEMS? 2003 Industry Overview and Forecast," or for more information, visit www.instat.com/catalog/Scata logue.asp?ID=47.
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Analysts see a record year in store for Canada as light-vehicle deliveries reach an all-time September high of 148,353, erasing a 13-year-old benchmark.
Redesigned Corolla helps Toyota to September Record.
Thanks to record light-truck sales, Canadian dealers delivered 148,353 new light vehicles to buyers in September, surpassing by 3.7% the month’s prior all-time high of 143,087 set in 2000.
Although September sales were up just 5,445 units compared with year-ago, having just 23 selling days this year vs. 25 in 2012 yielded a robust 12.8% increase in the average daily selling rate to 6,450 from 5,716.
The September benchmark also represented a 9.7% increase from 5,881 units daily in August, although fewer selling days kept September’s tally from matching the prior month’s 158,781.
Analysts saw the record September performance as evidence total vehicle sales in Canada likely would reach a new high for the year, possibly ending just short of 1.8 million units.
September’s record performance was due to renewed buyer interest in light trucks, sales of which hit 82,687, the fourth consecutive September record, besting prior-year’s 78,333 by 14.7% in daily rate.
Although buyers took home cars at a rate 10.5% higher than year-ago and 11.0% above that of August, the 65,666 units sold in September were well below the record 86,273 delivered in September 1986.
again led the industry with September LV sales of 25,205 units, a gain of 17.3% on year-ago, thanks in part to light-truck deliveries buoyed by the highest F-150 sales count ever for the month.
credited strong sales of the Dodge Dart, Dodge and Chrysler minivans and Ram trucks for driving its September performance to a 13-year high of 19,720 deliveries that surpassed prior-year’s selling rate, on volume of 19,394, by 10.5%.
Third-placeposted a 5.9% year-over-year gain average daily sales, but its 18,270 units failed to top the 18,756 LVs sold in September last year, in large part due to lackluster car sales.
Fourth-placeCanada said its sales reached an all-time September high of 17,268 units, crediting record deliveries of Toyota cars and trucks and Lexus luxury models.


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Unsurprisingly, the U.S. leads as the world’s largest trading nation. In 2011, the export of goods and services out of the country amounted to over $2.1 trillion. However, a quick look into the market reveals that the rest of the world is catching up at a steadily increasing pace and contributing to the cargo shipping industry, which is responsible for most of the products the average person is likely to encounter in a day.
In particular, developing countries, resource scarcity, the scars of colonialism, and the fresh wounds of neo-colonialism all play a greater role in the international trading game. In 2008, developing countries accounted for the largest share of sea-borne trade, responsible for 60% of the goods loaded and 56% of goods unloaded in the world. International freight shipping supported an estimated 9.7 million jobs in the U.S. in 2011, and the increase of involvement in international trading could similarly generate jobs and healthy economies in countries devastated by war and lack of commerce.
In fact, the correlation between growing global trade and reduced poverty is a proven fact — since trade drives growth, and there has been a vast increase in world trade in the last several decades, it follows that in the last 15 years, as a direct result of economic growth, 500 million people world wide were lifted above the poverty line.
Take Asia for example. About 40 years ago, it was the poorest continent in the world and was twice as poor as Africa is today. Now, it boasts the world’s fastest growing economy. This can be largely attributed to increased participation in international trade — almost half of Asia- based companies plan to export 60% of their output in the next five years.
Not only are jobs created by international shipping companies, but by the resulting manufacturing, production, and business opportunities. The more countries that participate in global trade and shipping, the higher the competition which is actually good news for input costs and financing. A domino effect, jump-started by changes in laws around tariffs and the break down of trade barriers, can be integral to the benefit of developing countries, which are finally getting the chance to make their own choices about their financial future.
To find out more, consult a global trade directory for the companies that are making the world a smaller, better place.


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Wärtsilä is set to deliver the world’s first hybrid retrofit installation for a short-sea vessel owned by Hagland Shipping, following an agreement inked in December 2018.
Europe’s multimodal operator Samskip has announced that it will lead an ambitious initiative to develop autonomous, zero-emissions containerships that also aims to operate at a profit.
Greece’s shortsea shipowners went to Brussels this month and called on Euro MPs to throw their weight behind Europe’s shortsea shipping sector as it faces challenges posed by the new regulatory environment.
Indonesia's transportation ministry announced that four new short sea shipping ports would open no later than January 2015, adding that the Indonesian government would seek to create incentives in order to reduce shipping costs, local reports said.
DNV GL has developed the “ReVolt” concept, an unmanned short-sea vessel powered by a 3,000 kWh battery, as a solution to crew fatalities aboard ship.
Few would argue with the virtues of moving more freight off congested and polluted road networks and on to environmentally friendly shortsea shipping routes


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Google will lower prices on cloud services as the search giant takes on Amazon, IBM and Microsoft in the fast-growing market of internet services.» Read More
Art Cashin of UBS talks about what he'll be watching as the stock market closes ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Hedge fund managers are riding their best stock ideas as long as possible and but overall returns continue to lag.
Signs of rapidly worsening Chinese demand for IT giants IBM and Cisco Systems are starting to spook Hewlett-Packard investors.
The "Fast Money" traders share their final trades of the day.
U.S. technology companies may face new challenges selling their goods and services in China as fallout from the U.S. spying scandal takes a toll.
IBM will announce that Watson supercomputer will be available in a form more than twice as powerful via the Internet.
The stock market could pull back as much as 5 percent if the Fed starts to taper in December, JPMorgan's Thomas Lee told CNBC. But he said to buy any dips.
U.S. stocks climbed on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average extending its record rise, as Wall Street looked to earnings reports this week from retailers including Wal-Mart Stores and Macy's to get a read on consumer spending.
As the market pushes to new highs, technical strategists are suddenly sounding a lot more bearish.
Some of the names on the move ahead of the open.
U.S. stocks closed mainly down, with Wall Street pausing after a two-session rise.
Facebook, Netflix and Tesla topped retail stock buyers' purchase lists last month, according to TD Ameritrade.
Take a look at some of Monday's midday movers:
Indian tax authorities have asked IBM's Indian unit to pay 53.57 billion rupees ($866.20 million) in outstanding income tax on fiscal 2009 revenue.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway posted a 29% jump in third-quarter profit, but operating results fell short of analyst forecasts.
From social media madness to the rocky rollout of Obamacare, our traders had you covered in a big week of "Fast Money."
William Lowe, former IBM executive credited with helping to bring personal computers to the masses has died in Illinois.
Who's to blame for the disastrous Obamacare rollout? Here's a checklist for legal red flags the Obama administration should be looking for.
President Barack Obama has been bumped off the top spot of Forbes' ranking of the world's most powerful people.
Though stocks closed at highs Tuesday, some pros questioned whether the gains are healthy, especially considering IBM's buyback news was a catalyst.


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Pets at Home reveal loyalty scheme drove repeat orders which led to annual sales growth
Britain's biggest dog and cat food chain, Pets at Home, said a record number of customers signing up to its loyalty scheme was behind repeat orders driving a 2.4 per cent rise in underlying annual sales growth.
The retailer, which also makes pet accessories such as jumpers and frilly harnesses (pictured) also operates the largest network of vets and grooming salons.
Chief executive Nick Wood, who floated the business in March, said: ‘I believe the potential of our retail and services businesses will enable us to deliver our strategy and achieve long-term returns.’
Rewards: Pets at Home, said a record number of customers signing up to its loyalty scheme was behind repeat orders driving a 2.4 per cent rise in underlying annual sales growth
The headline pre-tax profit figure fell to £22.5million for the year to March, from £26.5million after one-off charges. These included £9.4million to pay advisers to bring the firm to the stock market.
Total sales grew 11.2 per cent to £665.4million.
Shares were down 3.25p to 213.75p.
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Better Tech, Not More Food, Will Keep the World's Poor Fed
The World Food Programme is using technology to create a world in which is doesn't, well, have to give away quite so much food.
By Issie Lapowsky
Smartphone Growth Is Slowing. That's Great News for Apple
For the first time, worldwide smartphone shipments grew by less than 10 percent. Apple has no reason to panic.
By Davey Alba
Twitter's Latest Startup Buy Hints at Its Plans for India
On Tuesday, Twitter announced that it has acquired Bangalore-based startup ZipDial, a mobile marketing platform.
By Davey Alba
A Hackathon Where 2G-Era Tech Is King
Teams of developers from Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, AccuWeather, Huffington Post, and others gathered in a San Jose conference room this week to learn how to make their apps work for most people around the world -- places where 2G networks and single-core phones with 320 x 480 displays are the norm.
By Mat Honan
The Real Reason It Doesn't Matter That Amazon Is Losing Money
Of all the largest U.S. retailers, only Amazon can claim to be a truly global company.
By Marcus Wohlsen
CEO Tim Cook Hints at Apple's Future Growth in Q1 Earnings Call
Investors may have cringed at Apple’s revenue numbers in its Q1 2013 earnings call, but CEO Tim Cook took pains to point out that there is still a lot of room for growth when it comes to Apple product sales and profits.
By Christina Bonnington


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NEW DELHI: Software major Infosys
has sought the Union government's approval to set up an IT special economic zone
(SEZ) in West Bengal
The company's application will be considered by the inter-ministerial body, Board of Approval (BoA), headed by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia, in its meeting on August 12.
Infosys has proposed to set up IT/ITeS SEZ over an area of 20.14 hectares in South 24 Parganas
, the boards' meeting agenda said.
"Development Commissioner of Falta Special Economic Zone has recommended grant of in-principle approval subject to state government clearance which has been sought for from the applicant," it said.
Two more players - Devbhumi Realtors and Phoenix Living paces - have also sought approval from the BoA to set up It/ITeS zones in Telangana.
Further, Chhindwara Plus Developers has approached the government for setting up of a multi product SEZ in Madhya Pradesh, over an area of 1,320.06 hectares.
SEZs are exports hubs which contribute about 16 per cent to the country's total outbound shipments.
The commerce ministry is taking steps to revive investors interest in these zones. It has asked the Finance Ministry to extend sops like rollback or reduction in the minimum alternate tax.
The 19-member BoA deals
with SEZ related matters.
Exports from special economic zones (SEZs) logged a marginal growth of 0.77 per cent to Rs 4.67 lakh crore in 2015-16.
The exports from such 204 zones were Rs 4.63 lakh crore in 2014-15.
Highest number of SEZs are operational in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telengana and Maharashtra.


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Latest product news
Most of us are aware there are certain areas of the home that can be big ticket items when it comes to adding value to a property but some might be surprised to know that it is the garden which shows the second highest return on investment ahead of a kitchen and bathroom according to research by peer-to-peer platform Zopa.
The 4-star Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel and Spa situated in the vibrant Capital City of Wales, Cardiff, has undergone an extensive refurbishment, transforming its bedrooms and public spaces.
Mobile phones and tablets are the most in-demand items for burglars according to new claims analysis carried out by Direct Line Home Insurance and Direct Validation Services.
Kia has unveiled a major package of advancements to the entire European-designed, European-engineered and European-made cee’d family.
With the Rugby World Cup well under way, Brits across the country are pulling on their rugby shirts to support their team in style.
Celebrities have long partnered with beauty brands to drive product purchasing, but it seems today’s beauty consumer is more interested in what the girl or boy next door is using.
BMW’s compact Sports Activity Vehicle, the X1, has been a huge success since...
Check in, work out and stay trim on your trip with these super fit hotels...
Researchers have found that drinking the equivalent of a double espresso...
Exchange rates can have a big impact on the global property market. Whether...
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are the most advanced iPhones ever, adding...


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Clearcover raises $200 million
Clearcover announced it has closed $200 million in Series D funding, led by Eldridge, with participation from existing investors American Family Ventures, Cox Enterprises, OMERS Ventures, as well as several other new investors. Clearcover has raised $329 million in total funding to date.
Founded in 2016, Clearcover is now available in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. In 2020, the company wrote ~$21M in premiums alongside a combined ratio of ~146%.
Speaking with several former employees, the company morale took a hit when Nakatsuji said in an all-hands meeting something along the lines of “we’re not a family, we’re a sports team, and if you don’t perform you’re out.” These employees also shared frequent pivots by leadership and issues with the company’s tech capabilities. When it comes to sales, the majority is driven by comparison sites and independent agents.
“The car insurance experience is becoming increasingly digital and customers want streamlined, customizable options when choosing a carrier. In an industry ripe for transformation, we see ourselves as innovators in digital car insurance experiences while providing our customers more value for less money. This new capital will allow us to continue our growth across the country, providing better insurance to more customers.” – Kyle Nakatsuji, cofounder and CEO of Clearcover.
“Clearcover’s technology-first platform offers customers a fast, affordable alternative to legacy auto insurance. As the industry continues to evolve from analogue to digital, Clearcover is well positioned to scale while delivering a competitive product and better experience to consumers across the US.” – Todd Boehly, Chairman and CEO of Eldridge.


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Toshiba beefs up e-waste recycling in Singapore ahead of 2021 regulations
SINGAPORE, NNA – Toshiba Corp. is reinforcing e-waste recycling in Singapore in preparation for the government’s push for the establishment of a recycling scheme for electronics and home appliances in 2021.
Toshiba Data Dynamics Pte. Ltd., its group arm, is spearheading the collection and recycling of electronic products in Singapore, dealing annually in some 13,000 tons from nearly 200 firms, Dannis Leow, general manager of the Electronic Imaging Business Unit, told NNA in an interview last month.
The local unit, a distributor of Toshiba brand communication and information technology products in the city-state, participated in 2017 in a voluntary e-waste management program under a campaign by the National Environment Agency, the authority responsible for ensuring a clean and green environment.
Meanwhile, it has teamed up with Metech Recycling Pte. Ltd., a local waste management firm, in the processes for recycling items like multifunctional copy machines, personal computers and smartphones.
Metech is selling rare metals extracted from e-waste to specialty firms, CEO Benedict Lim said in an interview with NNA along with Toshiba senior officials, including Leow.
Toshiba Data Dynamics is aiming to increase its clients to 50 percent of the total from the current 30 percent as soon as possible ahead of the implementation of mandatory e-waste management regulations in 12 product categories, such as white goods, ICT equipment, batteries and solar panels, to enter into force in 2021, Leow said.
Several local and foreign firms have so far joined the government’s voluntary program, according to the agency known as NEA.
Leow echoed Metech’s Lim that unlicensed businesses solely sort and abandon e-waste while utilizing only a fraction of it for reuse, as the country has yet to draw up substantial laws and regulations on e-waste management.
Southeast Asia’s richest economy generates about 60,000 tons of electrical and electronic waste per year, according to the NEA. The e-waste amount per person in the country stood at about 18 kilograms, one of the highest levels in Asia along with Hong Kong at 19 kg, according to a 2017 report by United Nations University.
Manufacturers in the dozen designated categories of products will be responsible for producing, selling, collecting and recycling them under the planned regulations.


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US President Donald Trump was unable to achieve his main goal in the trade war with China вЂ” the growth of industrial production writes The Wall Street Journal.
The tariffs helped narrow the US trade deficit with China in 2019, but the US trade deficit reached a record $84 billion that year. American importers switched to cheaper goods from Vietnam, Mexico, and other countries.
The deficit in the balance of trade with China has already returned to the level at which it was at the beginning of Trump's presidency. Industrial production in the US peaked in December 2018, after which the increase has stopped. Still, Trump advisers say the tariffs were able to force China to buy more American goods, which would help rebuild the US manufacturing base.
Experts polled by Bloomberg previously said China is winning the trade war. The country's GDP increased by 3.2 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. The US economy contracted 32.9 percent on an annualized basis. Analysts also point out that it is a matter of time before Chinese tech companies reach the top spots in the world. Attempts by the White House to prevent this have not yet yielded results.
The trade war between the United States and China began in late 2017 with the imposition of duties on some Chinese goods. In January this year, the countries entered into the first phase of the deal. It provided for increased purchases of American goods by China, mainly agricultural. However, its full execution and preparation of the second phase were disrupted due to a sharp decline in global demand amid the crisis. The US has also blamed China for the spread of the coronavirus.


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TPG, Optus Still Installing Dodgy Huawei Gear
Days after it was revealed that Meriton is installing questionable Huawei routers into their apartments and rental accommodation it’s been revealed that both TPG and Optus are using Huawei equipment to connect business and homes to networks a move that some analysts and Government department officials claim could lead to the Chinese Communist Party getting access to Australian network users information.
Banned as a supplier to Government in Australia and with carriers such as Vodafone, Telstra and Optus banned from using Huawei equipment to build out their 5G networks in Australia the Chinese Company has moved to use reseller and solution providers.
These organisations include home operator, LBNCo and network and fibre solution provider Opticomm who partner with FueNet in the supply of routers for Meriton apartments as well as Optus and TPG who are installing Huawei gear into homes and businesses who are signing up for so called “Fast Fibre” network connections.
Huawei has also moved to expand their distribution partners to expand the use of their questionable routers in Australia.
Recently the Chinese Company who is also banned in the USA signed up Australian distributor Exeed to sell enterprise product for use in businesses in Australia the Company is also planning to launch new Wi-Fi 6 devices.
Huawei Australia channel chief Geoff Wright claimed Exeed complements Huawei’s current Australian distie, Synnex, there was no mention of the fact that Huawei is banned in Australia from selling network gear because of security risks.
“Both organisations have different strengths and focuses and can both add value to our channel partners in different ways,” he told CRN.
“Australia is a growing market for our storage and networking products.” Wright added. “We see Exeed as being an important part of our growth in 2020, which will be driven by a number of areas, including our ‘star products’ the Dorado v6 flash storage product range and Wi-Fi 6.”
Wright added that Huawei will shortly launch 13 new Wi-Fi 6 devices.
“We see this as supercharging sales,” he said. “Leveraging technology leadership in 5G has allowed Huawei to deliver greater speed, lower latency and a greater number of connections into our Wi-Fi 6 products.”
In Australia Huawei has moved to expand sales of their network products via resellers and solution providers who are given higher margins due in part to the stench associated with selling Huawei branded gear because sales of their questionable smartphones have slumped.
Banned in the USA and from getting access to Google Android apps Huawei is facing added pressure building smartphone sales in 2020 as rising handset inventory levels in their #1 channel China, are being compounded by the coronavirus outbreak, according to DigiTimes.
Sales of Huawei’s smartphones are expected to experience steep drops as the outbreak hits their business activities and cripples their sales channels worldwide.
Global sales of Huawei’s smartphone have slowed down since the second half of 2019 after losing Google’s GMS (Google Mobile Services) support as a result of a US trade ban, the sources told DigiTimes.
Data from Strategy Analytics showed that Huawei shipped 56 million smartphones worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2019, sliding 7% from a year earlier. Its global market share also dropped to 15% from 16% during the same period.
Sales performance of other brands including Oppo, Xiaomia and Vivo could also be affected in the first quarter, the sources commented.
Apple shipped about 72 million iPhone devices in the fourth quarter of 2019, driven by strong sales of the iPhone 11 models. The US vendor is expected to maintain shipments of 55-60 million units in the first quarter of 2020, the sources estimated.
Samsung is likely to face the best in the first quarter, leveraging its production base in Vietnam, strong sales of its A-series line-up and the release of new flagship and foldable models, said the sources.


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So far there are no official confirmations for the Call of Duty 2020, only rumors and speculations are popping up online. One of the rumors says that the next title will be Black Ops Cold War.
This rumor has now been backed up with a new revelation. Dorito’s published an advertising campaign a little too early or accidentally. In which you can see the Black Ops Cold War logo.
We also learn that the next title will be released on October 5. Because the advertising campaign with a 2x XP event starts on October 5th. Screenshots of it have now been published on Twitter, since Dorito’s website has now been taken offline (Redirect was activated).
If there is any truth to this rumor, Activision and Treyarch will soon be reacting to it, perhaps with the official unveiling.
We will keep you up to date!
Black Ops Cold War – Logo revealed


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Hands to the pump
THE cost of filling up a Honda Civic's 50-litre tank varies hugely around the world. Where some countries subsidise, others tax heavily. Pity Turkish drivers, who fork out $93.83, according to Gerhard Metschies in Foreign Policy magazine. Re-nationalised oil companies and heavy subsidies keep Venezuelan motorists happy, though those in Turkmenistan fare even better, paying only $1.06 a tank. Despite protests over rising prices, filling up in America is relatively cheap at $31.06. Indeed, this may explain the country's enormous daily petrol consumption, which in 2003 was more than the next 20 biggest consumers combined. Although consumption will have increased in some countries since then, particularly in China, it is nonetheless easy to see why George Bush has introduced a plan to cut petrol consumption by 20% in the next ten years.


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XAG Labs has received a lot of positive feedback after releasing the 1.0 version of the smart client. On this basis, the smart client has accumulated many new features and will be released in the next version. According to the call from the community, the storage function of USDT will be highlighted. USDT will be added to the wallet as the first currency to open the storage feature. Later, the cross-chain feature will be opened in the short term. In the future, it will also support the functions of receiving, storing, sending, and exchanging various assets such as XRP, ETH, and BTC.
XAG Labs will also cooperate with various business nodes to carry out airdrops to users participating in storage activities. The new version of the wallet and airdrop details will be announced within a week (before February 25, 2022).
Kawada Hidetoshi, CEO of XAG Labs said:
In the next few months, the first version of the WTAA protocol, a new generation of liquidity smart contract engine, and a mysterious project with new explosive features will also be launched. It can be said that the times have given the XAG public chain a historical mission, and XAG is developing at an unprecedented speed, which is very exciting.


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PepsiCo's New Pepsi True Highlights Trend Toward Use Of Stevia In Mid-Calorie Offerings
LOS ANGELES, October 8, 2014
(Off The Menu)
– PepsiCo’s recent announcement that it was launching a new mid-calorie beverage highlights a shift in how beverage companies are creating products aimed to bridge the gap between regular and diet soda drinkers.
The new drink, Pepsi True, uses a mix of sugar and stevia and contains 30% less sugar than a regular Pepsi, but with no artificial sweeteners or high-fructose corn syrup. It's also the first cola under the flagship Pepsi brand since Pepsi Next back in 2011. Unlike Pepsi Next, however, Pepsi True uses no artificial sweeteners and it will be among the first colas in the U.S. to use stevia as its primary sweetener.
Pepsi True is being launched at a time when Coca-Cola is also gradually releasing its own stevia-sweetened cola. Coca-Cola Life began to roll out in the U.S. at Fresh Market stores in the south in late August, after launching in Argentina, Chile, the U.K. and Mexico.
Will the use of stevia and the move away from artificial sweeteners boost the sales of popularity of mid-calorie beverages? Many analysts say it’s too soon to tell. But many agree that the approach is worth trying given the sales drop-off across the U.S. carbonated soft drink industry.
Over the last nine years, industry sales in the U.S. have steadily declined amid increased concerns about health and wellness, as well as research linking soda to obesity and health problems. Diet soft drinks have been particularly affected. According to industry newsletter Beverage Digest, U.S. volumes last year for Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi fell nearly 7% from 2012, compared to a 4% drop in U.S. soda volumes overall.
The U.S. soda industry needs to find something to counter falling bottom lines, and it looks like the use of stevia is its next attempt.
Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence. Email him here or follow him on Twitter here.
Related News: this box contains exclusive content that is accessible only to Industry Intelligence subscribers. Click a link to learn more.
- Red Bull introduces new Red Bull Purple Edition Sugarfree and Red Bull Lime Edition Sugarfree, both launching in January; Red Bull Summer Edition Grapefruit Twist to launch as a limited-time offer on May 1, 2017
- PepsiCo Goes All In With Renewed Focus On Health
- Pulse Beverage secures placement of its Natural Cabana lemonade and limeade in 340 Wal-Mart stores in Alaska, Washington state, Oregon, California, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and West Texas
- Talking Rain's Sparkling Ice brand announces Spanish-label retail expansion into all 7-Eleven store locations in Mexico
- Talking Rain's Sparkling Ice brand announces offering of new grape raspberry flavor, currently available in Kroger stores and available at other US retailers beginning in January


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tech2 News StaffAug 22, 2016 14:30:14 IST
Google has finally decided to kill Google Chrome Apps packaged with Google Chrome. According to the company only 1 percent of the users across Windows, Mac and Linux were actively using Chrome apps. Most of the hosted apps have been implemented as web apps. The company will start by removing the apps and related support from the Chrome Web Store over the next two years to phase it out in 2018. The apps will be available exclusively for Google Chrome OS.
Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, VP Product Management for Google, took to Chromium blog to announce the decision. He further added "As the capabilities of the web continue to grow, we're excited to see what developers build next. Alongside other browser vendors, we remain committed to investment in the web and enabling users and developers to benefit from its openness and reach."
Removal of Google Chrome apps won't make any difference to the user experience of Google Chrome users. Most of the apps either provided a better experience as native apps for the respective platform, or they had more robust web platform. Google Chrome apps sometimes lacked the functionality or the functionality was not added to the apps as frequently as the web counterparts.
Google introduced Chrome Apps with the introduction of Google Chrome Web Store in December 2010. Later the company introduced a newer version of Chrome Apps in September 2013 which were labelled as "For you desktop". This latest crop of Google Chrome apps included offline access, keyboard shortcuts. These apps deviated from any dependence on Chrome browser running separately from the Chrome. The helped spur a lot of games running as native apps giving game developers a curated store to distribute their games targeting audience across all three platforms. Most of these games were not hardcore games requiring serious hardware. Instead, they ran fine on any average machine.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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General Mills Can't Crush Calif. Granola Bar Class Actions
Law360, Los Angeles (March 26, 2014, 4:14 PM EDT) -- A California federal judge refused Wednesday to dismiss three proposed class actions accusing General Mills Inc. of deceptively marketing its Nature Valley snacks as all-natural when they actually contain genetically modified organisms, though he trimmed some claims from two of them.
U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick decided that plaintiffs had plausibly alleged deceptive and misleading representations in their respective complaints because the term "100% Natural," prominently displayed on the packaging for the products at issue, might lead consumers to think they contain only natural ingredients.
Consumers claim the food giant deceptively touts the granola bars as "100 percent natural" while...
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The tech startup OSOM Products has offered a peek into its upcoming OSOM OV1with initial images coming in December. More details have come in from the creation of engineers who created the Essential phone.
OSOM has not created much about its product and more details are expected as the launch date nears. The OSOM OV1 is in the initial stages of development. The tentative date of launch was initially set in mid-year, but it has now been pegged for the 4th quarter.
The chipset is behind the delay in the launch. The company said that the initial paly was to use an 8 Gen 1 from Snapdragon for the OSOM OV1. This chip is in use in the OnePlus 10 Pro and the Galaxy S22.
But it appears a new chipset could be in line with the OSOM OV1. It is likely to be an advanced Snapdragon version. This is assuming that Qualcomm, the makers of Snapdragon, will follow identical product cycles as in the recent past. Qualcomm announced the launch of the 888 Plus in June 2021. It was installed in the phone in the last few months in sets that include the Xiaomi Mix 4.
Initial Details Released By The Makers Of OSOM OV1
From details released by the company, it is known that the OSOM OV1 could have a couple of rear cameras of 12 and 48 MP. There is also a 16MP camera at the front, all with image sensors from Sony.
Several new Android releases come with 3-4 rear cameras, though the OSOM OV1 will not sport sticker cameras, the company said. Such cameras mostly exist merely for purposes of advertising. The company has not released additional details of the secondary 12MP camera.
The design is a combination of stainless steel and titanium frames. It will be paired will a zirconium back panel. The glass is expected to be Gorilla Glass Victus from Corning. The size of OSOM OV1 is expected to be larger than Essential’s PH-1 as it has a bigger battery and more antennas.
The software is expected to be either Android 12L or 12. the battery is expected to be an ‘all-day’ one. It will have two physical SIM card slots and has avoided the e-SIM route.


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Visa will make signatures optional for chipped credit cards
Starting in April of this year, you won't have to sign for EMV transactions.
New UK Visa card lets you spend Bitcoin like normal money
Is it as good as it says it is? We'll have to find out.
Visa swaps payment cards for NFC gloves at the Winter Olympics
It's trotting out smart apparel for PyeongChang guests.
Uber’s new credit card could be a tough sell (updated)
Meet the Uber Visa card.
PlayStation credit card gives extra money back for gaming purchases
The more you're invested in Sony's universe, the more bonuses you get.
Automated English visa test struggles to understand English
Computer says no.
Shopify goes after Square with a new mobile credit card reader
New Shopify merchants can get one for free.
Afghan girls robotics team will compete in the US after all
Homeland Security reversed their visa denial after Trump intervened.
Visa dreams of turning your entire home into a cash register
And your hand into a credit card.


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Unveiled last October, the $120,000 Tesla Model S P85D can park itself — and, with the push of one crazy little button, shoot from 0 to 60 mph in just over three seconds. At least that's what we were told.
Just experience 1G acceleration in new Tesla Model S P85D. 0-60 in 3.2 sec.
— Andy Fixmer (@AndyFixmer) October 10, 2014
Now we have proof. The drag racing site DragTimes produced and posted a video on Sunday showing unsuspecting passengers reacting to the twin-engine P85D's ability to hit 60 mph and higher in just a few seconds. Passengers curse, look sick, freak out and sometimes pay the price for not paying attention. One young passenger lost control of her smartphone when the car took off and it went flying into the back seat.
The driver in the video, Brooks (he didn't want to give his full name), told Mashable that he owns the Tesla and drove family and friends.
He provided a picture (above) of the "Insane" button, which appears on the Tesla's huge dashboard screen. And he vouched for the safety of the mode, even though the passengers' reactions in the video make it look like the car is almost out of control. First of all, you do have to put your foot on the gas and push all the way down. The difference with Insane Mode is that it applies the full horsepower of the electric car's two motors (691 horsepower) all at once.
"It's very safe, the car has all-wheel drive and is very stable the entire time. We've even done 0-60 in 3.3 seconds in the rain with no tire spin at all," Brooks wrote in an email.
To put the P85D's performance in perspective, average sports cars can go from 0 to 60 mph in just under 6 seconds. Some Formula One race cars have been recorded accomplishing the same feat in 1.6 seconds, according to Zeroto60Times.
The new P85D, which is available now, is still impressing on the race track, too. According to DragTimes, it recently beat a Hemi V8-powered Dodge Challenger Hellcat and was named the world's fastest production electric car.
The whole thing does make one curious: Is there an "Insane Button" in any of Musk's SpaceX crafts?


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For weeks Facebook has been making headlines for all the incorrect causes, however the social media massive is also the least of your worries.
On Thursday, Facebook printed that as much as 87 million other folks can have been uncovered in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal — tens of thousands and thousands greater than in the past concept.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg, who will testify prior to Congress subsequent week, admitted he made a “huge mistake” in taking into account Facebook’s accountability, pronouncing it isn’t sufficient for the social community to imagine app builders once they say they practice the regulations.
A tool developer — who didn’t need to be known — instructed News.com.au the social media massive must be the least of our worries, pronouncing Android apps to be had on Google Play are steadily “saturated by spyware.”
“Google has given apps a wide open ‘side-door’ to collect personal info to all apps if users simply download and accept the listed permissions,” he stated. “Of course, if you notice, the permissions are actually hard to find and Google downplays what they can do.”
He pointed to third-party keyboards for instance.
“Third-party keyboards not only have access to all dangerous permissions, but they also have access to all keystrokes — including account names and passwords,” he stated.
We’ve already noticed proof of this blowing up in contemporary months.
In December, the fashionable digital keyboard app AI.kind leaked the private knowledge of over 31 million consumers online.
Security researchers at the Kromtech Security Center stated the server wasn’t password-protected, permitting any individual to get right of entry to the corporate’s large database.
The app mentioned that any textual content entered on its keyboard remains “encrypted and private.”
But researchers discovered customers will have to permit “Full Access” to all of their knowledge saved on the iPhone, together with all keyboard knowledge.
This supposed the app would theoretically have get right of entry to to all your safe usernames and passwords.
“If you look at all the top Android keyboards and look at their requested permissions, it is alarming,” the developer stated. “They often can run at start-up, prevent the device from sleeping, and have access to an extensive amount of a user’s personal data.”
“They can send encrypted data anywhere in the world without scrutiny.”
A ZDNet investigation into AI.kind discovered the corporate saved whole data on the tool’s IMSI and IMEI quantity, the tool’s make and fashion, its display screen solution, and the tool’s explicit Android model.
It additionally incorporated the consumer’s telephone quantity, the identify of their cell phone supplier, and in some circumstances their IP cope with and web supplier.
As the app developer stated, third-party keyboards can get right of entry to the absolute best stage of Android permissions, together with private knowledge like passwords and bank card numbers.
According to ZDNet, one desk contained greater than eight.6 million entries of textual content that have been entered the use of the keyboard, which incorporated telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and corresponding passwords, and internet seek phrases.
It discovered that — for apps that contained a paid and loose model, the latter was once extra regarding; a loose model can be much more likely to gather knowledge than the paid, which the corporate would use to monetize with promoting.
“Other keyboards have also been found to have been collecting unsettling data, while none have been removed from Google Play,” he stated.
Both the loose and paid variations of AI.kind are nonetheless to be had on Google Play.
“What is most disturbing to me is that Google apparently blindly ignores this problem, and has built in this open ‘side door’ to facilitate their won apps that collect lots of data on us. If they shut this down, they would shut down their own intrusive apps.”
‘Trading privacy for profits’
Cybersecurity professional Professor Nigel Phair, from the University of Canberra in Australia, shared a number of of those issues.
He stated it’s unusually tough to sign off of a Google provider, and is the reason how they may be able to retailer your knowledge consecutively over a few years.
“What concerns me most is that we’re not making informed decisions,” he instructed News.com.au. “We get free email, free apps, free directions … but people aren’t consciously making informed consent. It’s not just Google. Apple do the same thing.”
But he stated Android customers had been in particular in peril. “If you go into the Facebook app on your Android device and look at the permissions, it’s broader than that of Apple devices, and can include text messages and phone calls. Android is a completely uncurated, open-sourced platform.”
This explains why Android telephones had been the topic of Facebook’s contemporary phone-scraping scandal.
So how is it that apps logging your keyboard entries and different knowledge haven’t been close down but?
Phair stressed out that it comes right down to the open permissions specified by the phrases and stipulations — which, let’s face it, only a few other folks learn. The sheer impracticality of doing so could be the apps’ technique.
“There’s nothing illegal about collecting data,” stated Phair. “Take Facebook. By signing up, you’re basically agreeing to the terms and conditions, which are basically ‘we can do whatever we want with your data.’ That’s the get-out-of-jail-free card. If you’re going to use our servers, we’re going to collect and sell your data to third-party affiliates.”
In a up to date interview, Facebook leader govt Mark Zuckerberg stated Facebook’s present issues had been partially as a result of the corporate was once so inquisitive about connecting other folks all through its first decade and that it didn’t pay sufficient consideration to attainable penalties round privacy.
Last week, technical advisor and internet developer Dylan Curran posted a thread on Google and Facebook’s knowledge storing that temporarily went viral.
Curran posted footage of the private knowledge amassed by way of Google (which customers are in a position to obtain). The record was once five.five gigabytes — the identical of about 3 million Word paperwork.
He stated it incorporated “every email I’ve ever sent, that’s been sent to me, including the ones I deleted or were categorized as spam.”
“Every image I’ve ever searched for and saved, every location I’ve searched for or clicked on, every news article I’ve ever searched for or read, and EVERY SINGLE Google search I’ve made since 2009.”
He discovered Google was once storing his location each time he became on his telephone, his seek historical past (although he deleted this), each app and extension he used, his YouTube historical past, calendar, hangout periods and the song he listened to.


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There is complaint filed by Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission, to promote to obtain and to cease the imports of tablets and smartphones and also ceases to import of Apples’s mobile electronic devices. One good legal action deserves another. Apple claims that Samsung galaxy copied the technologies of iphone and ipads. Samsung claimed that Apple violated five patents also related to smart phones and tablets. Moreover the last week, Samsung filed a patent infringement suit against Apple in the London High Court.
In the three countries the Samsung countered by filing patent infringement suit against Apple, alleging that Apple had infringed its technology and patents rather than the design and look of the device.
The litigation between these two big companies bring their future in jeopardy as its better known to the world that the Samsung was the main supplier of Apple in concerns of the key components like LCD panels and flash memory.
Before having the stage of any loss to the both the companies, they are in move to settle down all the disputes between them. Right now they are just employing some trickery to see who ends up the bigger piece of pie.
Report by Vibhanshu Vaibhav


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Enhanced Athlete, a fitness company based in Cheyenne, Wyoming was called out and had a lawsuit filed against them by Nutrition Distribution. They claimed that Enhanced Athlete had been using false advertisements in order to get more sales. They believe they are the leader in the distribution of fitness and health products, and that their competitors have been falsely advertising these products and that they deserve a settlement. This claim is just one of 70 lawsuits that Nutrition distribution has filed against their competitors for false advertising, along with several other cease and desist orders.
Enhanced athlete has has claimed that Nutrition Distribution is just in the business of shaking down lawsuits in order to settle this matter with their competitors, so they coerce them so these companies do not have to face the legal fees of defending themselves against Nutrition Distribution’s claims against them. They argue that Nutrition Distribution has never been able to prove against any of the companies that they have targeted that their claims are true. Also they stated that there has been no proven correlation between these alleged false advertisement claims and Nutrition Distribution’s loss in sales.
Nutrition Distribution tried the court for a preliminary injunction with the claims against Enhanced Athlete for falsely advertising it’s bodybuilding and fitness products. The court denied their request and agreed with Enhanced Athlete’s stance that they couldn’t prove any connection between the advertising and loss of sales for Nutrition Distribution. The court also saying that these claims were no more than speculation and can’t be proven by the plaintiff. Enhanced Athlete’s Attorney Michael Adams of Rutan & Tucker, LLP says that his client is just the latest in a long line of false claims by the the plaintiff, Nutrition Distribution in which they did not win because they couldn’t even establish a casual connection. Scott Cavell, CEO of Enhanced Athlete added that his company would not be the next victim of Nutrition Distribution’s shakedown scheme. He says that they will continue to attempt these shakedowns if other companies continue to pay them nuisance settlements, but assured that his company will not fall in line.
As Enhanced Athlete puts this behind them and continues to flourish in the bodybuilding and fitness industry, they will keep doing what they have been, and continue expanding. As will their sister companies Enhanced Coaching and Enhanced Gear. Enhanced Gear is their site for apparel and other products dealing with their company. Enhanced Coaching is also a site that has the options of doing one on one training for bodybuilding and fitness routines. Enhanced Athlete, along with it’s sister sites plan to continue to put out a quality product as they always have.
Many of you have been asking me how I use Enhanced Athletes HydroGene (Swell and Swole) so I decided to make a quick video. I cover the main body areas where I personally use it and where it's helped me. HydroGene is for topical use only and is not intended for any other use besides this. I have taken it upon myself to experiment and relay my findings. This is not medical or any other type of advice, this is simply how I choose to use HydroGene. For more info visit Enhancedathlete.com or click the link in bio, For more videos go to AnabolicTV.com. #enhancedathlete #pioneeringhumanevolution #pioneeringhumanperformance #siteenhancement #freedom #drtonyhuge #tonyhuge


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Around the time that dedicated collectors started pitching tents outside sneakers stores, winding so far down the block that police sometimes felt it necessary to shut the whole thing down, sneakers stopped being something we just put on our feet. In the last few decades, and especially the last five years, sneakers have become something else entirely: sought-after commodities that bring immediate returns to a buyer. They’re lottery tickets—and, as in actual lotteries, people have discovered ways to work the system to their favor. “Bots”—computer programs that can work their way to e-commerce checkouts faster than any human—are the most popular hack.
They’re also a great source of frustration for retailers, who prefer to sell sneakers to customers who won’t immediately flip them to the highest bidder—your local shoe store, after all, doesn’t get a dime of that increased resale price. Recently, though, retailers have been taking stronger measures to combat the phenomenon. The situation came to a head this month when the drop of several hyped shoes, like the Fear of God x Nike, the “Not for Resale” Jordan, and the Nike SB x Concepts “Purple Lobster,” coincided with the growing anger at the non-humans snapping them up. That’s how someone ended up paying $10,000 for sneaker that almost certainly won’t fetch that price on the aftermarket.
When online skate shop Berrics Canteen set up its release for the Purple Lobster last week, manager Anthony Reyes wanted to make sure the shoe would end with someone who actually wanted it. So he set a trap that only a bot would be stupid enough to fall for: a $10,000 product page for the shoe that was only meant to direct people to a lottery. No human would drop $10,000 on a shoe, Reyes reasoned, but a bot charged with only buying its target as quickly as possible wouldn’t be deterred. (We know these programs aren’t that bright—programmers can stop bots with CAPTCHAs, making them read curvy letters or picking out pictures with stop signs in them.) “I figured that in the off chance someone's card did go through, I'd give them a scare,” Reyes said. “In the product page's description it clearly said, ‘This is a placeholder. Enter the raffle below. (If your bot buys this, all QS sales are final.)’”


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Volvo‘s new S60 is an absolutely wonderful car, and our review (coming soon) will reflect that. We’re not the only ones either, as praise for the car has been unanimous. While there’s often a disconnect between what auto journalists like and what consumers actually buy.
We’re glad to see that the S60 has gone from selling a mere 6 units this time last year to selling 1042, an increase of 17,267 percent. Yes, the S60 still lags far behind most of the big players, but it’s a promising start for a car that deserves all that the marketplace has to offer. You can see the full sales breakdown at Timothy Cain’s wonderful blog, Good Car Bad Car.


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Tasty E-Cigs Popular, Scientifically Uncertain
Juan Uranga smoked menthol cigarettes for 15 years. Five months ago, the Doral resident started vaping.
“Now that I switched to this, I just can’t stop smoking it, he said while shopping at the Vapor Shark smoke shop in South Florida, where he buys his ‘go to’ e-juice – a tobacco-free liquid that serves as a replacement for nicotine. His favorite flavor: custard.
“It’s really helped with the cigarettes,” he said. “I don’t even smoke any more cigarettes.”
Uranga is part of a surge in Floridians opting for flavored, tobacco-free liquid that’s inserted into something resembling a ball point pen. Batteries and a few clicks of a button, and heat coils turn the liquid into smoke.
Little more than a decade since they started being sold in the United States, ‘vaping’ has become a popular alternative to tobacco cigarettes – a known carcinogen.
But it’s also rising in popularity more quickly than existing health policy or the science on the long-term health effects of vaping. Right now, the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing whether or not to regulate e-cigarettes. And researchers from Miami and Tampa are launching new studies to better understand how e-cigarettes affect the body.
Sadallah Kahuk and his cousin own Euphoric Smoke shop in Hollywood, in a neighborhood with at least a dozen smoke shops. While their store specializes in hookah sales, a tribute to their roots in the Palestinian territories, sales shot through the roof once they introduced the flavored e-cigarettes.
“It’s popular because there are millions of flavors,” he said. “You can go from a cereal to a desert to caramel to bacon.”
Kahuk said smokers like that the ingredients for vaping feel less harsh than what is in traditional cigarettes, and that they can choose the level of nicotine in their solution and how much smoke the e-cigarette produces. He said he thinks it’s healthier than tobacco cigarettes.
“I mean it is better than cigarettes, just because of the different chemicals that go into cigarettes opposed to what’s in a vapor,” he said. “You have glycerin, vegetable oil, flavoring and the nicotine.”
But that feeling that electronic cigarettes are safer than tobacco isn’t a sure thing, said Dr. Mathias Salathe, a pharmacology professor at the University of Miami.
“It is completed unregulated at the present time, so (while) inhaling these vapors are considered safe by the general public ...in fact, our preliminary data suggests they are not.”
The Florida Department of Health awarded Salathe’s research team a $2 million grant to follow e-cigarette users for 5 years. His earlier research, on animals, found that vaping causes many of the same problems as traditional cigarettes, like inflammation, which can lead to cancer.
Salate’s new electronic cigarette study will be one of the first to use human subjects. Over the next five years, the UM researchers will interview patients from local smoking cessation clinics, conduct routine checkups and monitor their health.
“The research here is really to find out whether there is a safety issue with e-cigarettes,” he said. “Or should we just leave it alone because it is safe?”
At the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Dr. Thomas Brandon is trying to see if electronic cigarettes really are effective at helping people quit tobacco. He said unlike traditional nicotine replacements like gum or patches, smokers find e-cigarettes comforting.
“They have the theoretical advantage of being more similar to cigarettes in how you use them. You know, the fact that they look like cigarettes, you bring them to your mouth like a cigarette, they produce something that looks like smoke. Smokers often find [it] calming just watching the smoke rise,” said Brandon, whose work is being conducted as part of Moffitt’s Tobacco Research & Intervention Program.
Salathe, the UM Professor, said these studies could provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with data needed to better understand e-cigarettes.
“They cannot regulate something without the science, so the science is interesting for public health policy,” Salathe said.
The research also is coming at a time when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that the number of middle and high school students trying electronic cigarettes has tripled in the past two years.
Salathe said teens have always been drawn to cigarettes, but the perception that vaping is healthier makes it even more tempting
“Cigarettes [are] bad in the ad campaigns…Well, e-cigarettes are (advertised as) not being bad for you,” he said. “And so you remove the danger and the cool factor comes in.”
It doesn’t hurt that it’s less expensive than tobacco cigarettes. Uranga, the ex- tobacco smoker from Doral, said vaping has saved him money.
“I was wasting about $50, $60 a month, now, here, I’m wasting maybe $20, $30,” he said of basic kits that cost about $20. The liquid vials cost as little as $5 each.
There’s the social factor, too.
Back in Hollywood, one block away from Kahuk’s Euphoric Smoke shop, Kosta Kokavessis and his friends are trying new e-cigarette flavors at a shop called Carbon Glass. Kokavessis, 20, never smoked tobacco, until he was hired at Carbon Glass.
“It’s just fun, like smoking and doing smoke tricks and stuff,” he said.
Kokavessis and his friends said they can’t worry if vaping is dangerous to their health. Unlike decades of research – and millions of deaths - that proved cigarettes lead to cancer, the information about e-cigarettes just doesn’t exist.
Until there is, they say, they’ll keep their fingers crossed that it’s going to be ok.
“It’s fun though,” he said.
Miami Herald intern Jennifer Luna contributed to this report. Ebony Joseph is an intern reporter at WLRNin Miami. WLRN is a part of Health News Florida, which receives support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In only a few days, Mississippians won’t have to travel very far to enjoy scratch-off lottery games.
It’s been a long time in the works, but starting Monday, people in the Magnolia State will get to buy lottery tickets locally.
“I usually go right across the state line into Memphis to buy them,” Mississippi resident Tiffany Allison said.
Mississippi was one of six states without a lottery, but lawmakers met in 2018 and authorized the games of chance to help generate money for highways.
It’s also generating excitement.
“They have been waiting so long for us to have it here, so they don’t have to go over to Memphis,” said Rebecca Cooley, manager of a Southaven store that will sell scratch-off tickets beginning Monday.
She told WREG there is so much anticipation surrounding the launch that she will open the doors to her corner store early.
“The lottery goes live at 5,” Cooley said. “I normally open at 5:30, but I’m going to be prepared for my customers.”


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Updated: Sep 19, 2019
Just north of Toronto, a new neighbourhood in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre rises. Welcome to Mobilio, situated at the epicentre of connectivity, convenience and innovation, and only steps away from the subway.
Mobilio is an extension of your home, routine and lifestyle surrounded by worId-class restaurants, one-of-a-kind retail experiences, and a genuinely welcoming community.
1st Phase of a 400-acres master planned community.
Located in the heart of the brand new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.
Steps to the Brand New Subway station that will connect you to Downtown Toronto.
5 minutes to YORK UNIVERSITY
15 minutes to Yorkdale Mall
43 minutes to Union Station
Easy Access to HWY 7/ 400/ 407
Nearby parks include Belairway Park and Joey Panetta Park
High-quality Employment Opportunity & Employers: KPMG, PWC, VIVA, TTC, Miller Thomson, GFL, BUCA, TD, BMO, MARC ANTHONY TRUE PROFESSIONAL, Pumpernickels
Multi-Billion Dollar re-development of a brand new downtown that will include new office towers, hotels, entertainment district, convention centres and much much more.
Incredible opportunity to invest in an emerging downtown before it is developed.
Reasons to invest in Mobilio Condos
Mobilio Condos offers a wonderful opportunity to invest in a budding downtown Vaughan before it is developed. A multi-billion dollar re-development of a new town centre is planned and will include brand new office high-rise buildings, hotels, convention centres, entertainment district, etc.
A 7-minute Subway ride can now get students and faculty to the York University Campus – which is an upgrade from a 40-minute bus ride, thanks to the Finch West Subway Extension to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. This concept of convenience has now ignited a fresh wave of home buying interest in the area. Close to 60% of the ridership of the Finch West Subway extension is actually using the Campus-centric stations. Since both students and educational professionals are no longer restricted to either student housing or Toronto’s rental market, they now consider Vaughan and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre as the first option for convenience-centric housing.


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12th May 2015
Trans woman denied access to Primark changing room 10
12:43 PM — Joni Bendall has spoken out about the abuse she faces in her home town of Ipswich.
11th February 2015
ASDA pulls only lesbian magazine from shelves 16
5:49 PM — Supermarket ASDA has pulled lesbian magazine Diva from its shelves.
7th March 2014
Labour Shadow Equalities Minister criticises New Look for ‘indirectly discriminatory’ discount policy 3
5:53 PM — Labour Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities Gloria De Piero has criticised a policy at retail giant New Look, which excludes gay employees from using a staff discount which is available to their straight counterparts.
7th November 2013
UK: Ebay apologises to lesbian couple after banning pro-gay Christmas T-shirts 10
1:59 PM — Ebay has apologised to a lesbian couple from Yorkshire after it banned the sale of Christmas T-shirts featuring innocuous rainbow scarves because they were listed as items of “gay interest”.
19th March 2013
London: Trans woman told to use New Look changing facilities ‘out of hours’ 22
6:33 PM — New Look has responded to claims that a trans woman was prevented from using the changing rooms at one of their London stores, then advised she should arrange to shop at the store "out of hours" in future.
27th February 2013
Complaints over Harvey Nichols ‘lesbian kiss’ ads dismissed by Advertising Standards Authority 5
4:32 PM — An ad campaign by Harvey Nichols which featured women kissing mirror images of themselves has escaped censure by the ASA after it received complaints that "lesbian kisses" should not be on display around children.
29th January 2013
Ireland: Gay couple kicked out of SPAR store by security guard for kissing 41
6:31 PM — A security guard in a store in Dublin allegedly called two gay customers "faggots" after they kissed.


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The Las Vegas Paiute Indian Tribe is moving ahead with plans to build one of the largest medical marijuana facilities in Nevada.
The plans include at least two dispensaries and three huge greenhouses needed to grow the marijuana.
Once built, their facilities, which will include greenhouses larger than a couple of football fields. They will be bigger than any medical marijuana facility in Nevada, Arizona or Colorado.
Calling it an economic development plan, the Paiute plan to open two medical marijuana dispensaries. One will be near their existing Las Vegas smoke shop on Main Street.
The other, on the Paiute Snow Mountain campus in the northwest. There will also be the three 28,000 square foot greenhouses to grow the weed, a 10,000 square foot warehouse and kitchen to formulate it, and a stylish dispensary to sell it.
The tribe which has fewer than 100 members voted to move full-speed ahead.
“As you guys may or may not know, a few years ago, this would have been chuckled at,” said Benny Tso, tribal chairman. “I was shocked and surprised that the tribe overwhelmingly accepted and wanted to go forward with this venture.”
The Paiute are mixing business with tradition.
They partnered with a company called Ultra Health who’s also in discussions with at least 20 other tribes in three different states who’re considering using their sovereign nation status to get into the medical marijuana business. They think Nevada is the hottest market in the country.
“This facility is a large facility. It is as large as anything you’ll see in quality in Colorado, Arizona or New Mexico. This is a much larger facility, but again with your 43 million visitors here ultimately this may be one of the largest cannibus markets in the U.S.,” said Duke Rodriguez, Ultra Health.
Rodriguez and the Paiutes aren’t worried about there being too many dispensaries here.
“Based upon the experience we have in Arizona and New Mexico, right now, you’re able to sell just about all the medical grade cannabis you can grow, there’s not been an overabundance.”
The Paiutes’ medical marijuana facilities will take between six and nine months to build, at a cost of roughly $5 million.
This is extra competition for all the other dispensaries, but the CEO of Ultra Health says he thinks there will be sufficient demand for every grower in the state.


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Fantasy Strike team says Sony still complicates having cross-play.
Some time ago, Microsoft and Nintendo decided to open the doors of cross-play on their consoles, realizing the dream of many people to play with their friends, regardless of the video game. Sony entered this party a little grudgingly, due to controversies related to Fortnite. It seemed that everything had been resolved, but the developers of the fighting game Fantasy Strike revealed that the company is still making life difficult for everyone when it comes to releasing cross-play.
Sirlin Games, the company behind the Fantasy Strike game, had released the game in Early Access on the PC some time ago, but finally took the title to PS4 and Nintendo Switch, in addition to reaching its final version on the computer. One of the elements promised and implemented was cross-play, but with limitations.
(Source: Sirlin Games / Disclosure)
“Fantasy Strike relies on cross-play as far as possible, limited only by Sony restrictions,” revealed the studio. This means that PC players will be able to play with those who are playing on the PS4 or Switch, but if you are only on the consoles, you cannot face your friends in the video game too. Basically, who has PS4 plays against who has the same video game or PC and who has Switch fights with those who are also on the Nintendo console or on the computer.
The division is done automatically by the game, but it is still a nuisance.
Sony creates the same problem as Fortnite
Sony’s limitation creates a problem already known to Epic Games battle royale fans. That’s because Fantasy Strike created its own login scheme called FantasyTag, which helps to maintain the player’s identity on all platforms where cross-play was released. This allows you to take the number of wins and losses, in addition to offering universal XP and progression regardless of the platform you are on.
The problem starts when FantasyTags created on PS4 can only be used on the Sony console, while those created on PC and Switch can be used on these other platforms without problems. According to the developers of Fantasy Strike, Sony does not allow account information from another platform to be used on the PS4, and vice versa.
This was circumvented in Fortnite by pressure from thousands of players, but it seems that Sony doesn’t care much for small companies, as is the case with Sirlin Games, when they try to cross-play their titles.
Fantasy Strike is now available on PC, Switch and PS4.


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SportGroup Holding agreed to purchase AstroTurf and SYNLawn, along with their associated manufacturing facilities. By adding AstroTurf and SYNlawn to its existing portfolio of companies and brands, which includes Polytan, APT, Melos, Rekortan, Laykold and Poligras, SportGroup is building one of the largest and highest quality outdoor sports surfacing companies in the world.
SportGroup, founded in 1969, is a global leader in artificial turf systems and running tracks, with a €340 million annual turnover (2015) and around 1,000 employees. The company maintains production plants in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region and operates in more than 70 countries. It has manufactured and installed more than 7,000 fields and 16,000 tracks. It is a supplier of both fields and tracks to the Olympic Games, including Rio (2016).
“AstroTurf is the missing puzzle piece that enables us to cater to North American athletic turf clients,” said Frank Dittrich, CEO of SportGroup. “SYNLawn will make SportGroup one of the strongest players in the landscape turf market. These brands add tremendous value to SportGroup and its future as one of the global leaders in outdoor sports surfacing.”
The purchase provides SportGroup direct access to North American athletic turf customers through AstroTurf.
“We are eager to join SportGroup. Together we are poised to continue our unprecedented growth,” said Heard Smith, Chief Operating Officer of AstroTurf and SYNlawn. “The union of these brands ushers in the next era of sophisticated sports surfacing for today’s highly trained athletes.”
AstroTurf and SYNlawn products will continue to be manufactured in the United States in fully vertically integrated, advanced manufacturing facilities. In addition, all employees will remain with the organization.


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Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) has pulled a batch of powdered infant formula from more than 3,000 stores after a newborn boy in Missouri died shortly after taking the Enfamil formula.
The world’s largest retailer said preliminary tests indicate the baby died from a rare bacterial infection and it is pulling the batch of formula as a precautionary measure.
The government has not ordered a recall of the 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn powder with the lot number ZP1K7G and manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition said its records show the lot tested negative for the bacteria before it was shipped.
A Wal-Mart spokesperson said the company pulled the lot out of caution while authorities investigate Sunday’s death of 10-day-old Avery Cornett. Depending on the outcome, the product could end up back on shelves, though customers of that specific batch might be allowed to return them to Wal-Mart stores for a refund or exchange.
Samples of the formula have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for testing, according to the associated press, citing a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The Missouri health department advises parents to follow World Health Organization guidelines for safely preparing powered infant formula, including washing hands with soap and water, thoroughly sterilizing all feeding equipment in hot, soapy water and preparing enough formula for just one feeding at a time.