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iPad - Page 4
The latest iPad Air is on sale for its best price ever — save $99
Extend your range when you combine WiFi with fast LTE data.
Save on a refurbished fifth-gen iPad this weekend
A new-to-you tablet at a great price.
Need a new tablet? Save on a refurbished iPad Pro.
You don't have to pay a fortune for a new-to-you iPad.
Refurbished Apple products on sale this weekend: iPads, MacBook Pros, more
Grab a (not) new Apple device for a reduced price.
The iPad Pro just hit its lowest price ever thanks to Prime Day
Save $100 on the 128GB model.
By Miller Kern
Get an iPad Mini at Walmart for less than Amazon's lowest price ever
Giving Prime Day a run for its money.
By Dylan Haas
Apple's new iPad Pros just hit record-low prices at Walmart
Save up to $100 on Tim Cook's most powerful tablets yet.
Enter to win an Apple prize package worth nearly $6,000
You'll get the chance to win a new iMac, MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and more.
Next year's iPad Pro might support wireless charging
A new iPad mini and entry-level iPad are also reportedly on the way.
Apple’s new 12.9-inch iPad Pro is great but not worth the upgrade
You might be better off with a new MacBook.
Apple's new iPad Pro is already delayed, so get last year's model while it's on sale
Save up to $102 at Walmart, depending on your preferred finish.
Apple's new iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K are now available to order
You won't actually get the products until late May, though.
When Apple's new iPad Pro and iMac will launch, according to reports
Apple's new devices will be available soon.
Apple's iPads and Macs might be in short supply this year
It might be hard to get them in the second half of 2021.
How to stop apps from tracking your data in iOS 14.5
Take control over who collects your data.
Apple's 2021 iPad Pro packs its M1 chip, 5G, and mini-LEDs into a familiar design
New guts, same great design.
Siri may have just leaked the date of Apple's next event
The first major Apple event of the year is (likely) upon us.


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Lockout dries up soft-drink supplyPUBLISHED: 03 Jan 2012 00:01:06 | UPDATED: 03 Jan 2012 02:35:58PUBLISHED: 03 Jan 2012 PRINT EDITION: 03 Jan 2012
A lockout of workers at a Schweppes plant in Melbourne is entering its fourth week and, with the mercury tipping more than 40 degrees, the impact is being felt by Victoria’s soft-drink consumers.
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In this week’s episode of Market Talk, Oliver Hall, managing director at Allmanhall, and Toby Magness, sales director at Ambach, join us to assess the industry landscape.
The catering equipment sector is well aware of the logistics issues facing the industry at the moment, with delays, shortages and cost increases all having an impact on the availability of product.
Mr Hall reveals how this is all playing out on the food side of the market and details the challenges arising from a scarcity of HGV drivers to deliver ingredients to restaurants.
He also outlines which food items are most likely to be affected by price fluctuations in the second half of the year and what it could mean for future menu trends.
Meanwhile, Mr Magness shares Ambach’s views on what the project landscape looks like as hotels and restaurants restart high-end kitchen schemes that were paused during the lockdown.
The premium cooking equipment supplier’s factory in Italy has seen business ramp up in recent months and he explains how it plans to ensure that orders are fulfilled throughout the summer even as it prepares for its normal annual closure for the holiday season in Southern Europe.
For previous episodes please click HERE.
You can also listen to the episode as a podcast on a selection of major platforms as below:


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Swedish mobile network giant Ericsson has filed three lawsuits in Europe against Chinese rival ZTE for patent infringement, a spokesman said Saturday.
“For the UK and Italy it’s patents on mobile phones. In Germany, it’s bothphones and infrastructure,” Fredrik Hallstan told AFP, adding that the firm
had tried “for several years” to get them to sign licence agreements.
“We’ve signed licence agreements with 90 companies and in order to get the market to work in a fair way, we think it’s right that everyone who uses
patents signs and pays for licence agreements,” Hallstan added.
ZTE and another Chinese firm, Huawei, have in recent years zoomed to being one of the world’s top mobile phone manufacturers, eating into the market
share of leading Western companies.
Ericsson, headquartered in Stockholm, has some 17,848 employees in Sweden and 90,000 worldwide.
It is the market leader in mobile network equipment ahead of Finnish-German giant Nokia Siemens, French-based telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent and China’s Huawei.


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Four cameras, solar charging capability, star link satellite connectivity and a skin that changes colour depending on the temperature/weather are among the specs that will be included in the new Tesla smartphone as explained by
Silicone Valley technology experts.
Other reports leaked online on technology blogs indicate that the Tesla smartphone will provide capability to make direct phone calls to Mars, which means that if such rumours turn out to be true, this phone is being built to be future proof- to stay reliable until a time when we have humans travelling to and from Mars.
Such capabilities would be useful too for astronauts as they’d have an advantage of clear and direct communications with their families and friends here on earth while they float around in space and even beyond.
Other features are classified at the moment and neither Elon Musk nor his employees at Tesla were willing to speak about the smart phone project.
With Elon Musk staying secretive and tight lipped about the smart phone project, this has only increased speculation online, with tech bloggers predicting a launch date of the first model in February 2022.
What the Tesla phone will cost is still unknown but what experts are predicting is that the Tesla smartphone will end the dominance of Apple’s iPhone so much that some experts have branded it the “iPhone Killer.”
At the moment, it’s all speculation but we will wait and see what Elon Musk’s next move is but whatever it is, it will be very interesting.
Bonus Content: Learn To Draw by Visiting the YouTube Channel above. Completely Free Drawing Lessons


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YouTube Premium, the popular subscription service offered by YouTube, has introduced a new lock screen feature for Android users. This innovative addition aims to enhance user convenience and provide easy access to content while keeping devices secure.
Improved Accessibility with Lock Screen Feature
The new lock screen feature from YouTube Premium allows Android users to access YouTube content without having to unlock their devices fully. By enabling this feature, users can conveniently browse, search, and watch videos directly from the lock screen. This streamlines the user experience, saving valuable time and effort.
Seamless Integration with Android Devices
YouTube Premium’s lock screen feature seamlessly integrates with Android devices, optimizing the user interface and making navigation effortless. Once activated, the lock screen displays a simplified YouTube player, enabling users to control playback, adjust volume, and interact with video recommendations with ease. This functionality eliminates the need to unlock the device and open the YouTube app separately, making it more convenient for users to consume their favorite content.
Enhanced Privacy and Security
While the lock screen feature provides quick access to YouTube content, it does not compromise the privacy and security of Android devices. Users can rest assured that their devices remain protected, as this feature restricts access to other sensitive information and applications. The lock screen feature acts as a convenient gateway solely dedicated to accessing YouTube, ensuring a safe and private user experience.
Customizable Options for Personalized Experience
YouTube Premium offers customizable options for users to personalize their lock screen experience. Users can choose from different themes, including light and dark modes, to suit their preferences and enhance visual comfort. Additionally, users can customize the lock screen interface by selecting their preferred video categories or channels to display recommendations tailored to their interests.
Enabling the Lock Screen Feature
To enable the lock screen feature on YouTube Premium, Android users need to follow a few simple steps. First, they must ensure they have the latest version of the YouTube app installed on their device. Then, within the YouTube app settings, they can navigate to the “Lock screen” option and activate it. Once enabled, users can easily access YouTube content directly from their lock screen and enjoy a seamless browsing experience.
YouTube Premium’s introduction of the lock screen feature for Android users brings added convenience, ease of access, and customization options, concludes NIXsolutions. By integrating seamlessly with Android devices, this feature provides a streamlined user experience without compromising privacy and security. Android users can now enjoy their favorite YouTube content directly from the lock screen, saving time and effort while staying engaged with the platform’s vast video library.


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The accused was told to stay out of the Parkway and Arthurs Quay Shopping Centres
A woman accused of multiple theft offences has been ordered to stay out of the city centre and two shopping centres.
Margaret Casey, 26, who has an address at Cathedral Place was brought before Limerick District Court after she was charged in connection with offences which occurred earlier this month.
During a contested bail application, Judge Marian O’Leary was told it will be alleged Ms Casey – a mother of two – stole an iPhone X from a woman’s handbag at the Eason store at Parkway Shopping Centre on September 2. She is also accused of stealing schoolbooks worth €30 from the same store on the same date.
Ms Casey is further charged with theft relating to the taking of books and stationery items worth €39.33 from O’Mahony’s, O’Connell Street on September 4 and the theft of a wallet from a locker at a restricted staff area at Arthurs Quay Shopping Centre a number of hours later.
Sergeant Michelle Leahy said it will be alleged the defendant was identified as a suspect from CCTV and that she made some admissions when arrested and questioned.
During the hearing, concerns were expressed by gardai that Ms Casey would commit further crimes if released on bail.
Solicitor Darach McCarthy said his client is the sole carer of her two children and that she was concerned for their wellbeing.
He said Ms Casey “enjoys the presumption of innocence” and was willing to “adhere by the strictest of bail conditions if released.
Noting the defendant suffers from certain mental health issues and given the age of her children, Judge O’Leary said she was willing to grant bail subject to a number of conditions including the lodging of a €1,000 cash bond by an independent surerty.
If bail is taken up, Ms Casey must live at her home address and obey a nightly curfew.
She must also sign on three times a week and provide gardai with her mobile phone number. She was also ordered to stay out of O’Connell Street, Arthurs Quay Shopping Centre and the Parkway Shopping centre as a condition of her bail.
Directions are to be sought from the DPP.


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WillowTree’s Growth Fueled by Pandemic
By Terry Troy
WillowTree a mobile app developer and digital product agency, is expanding its presence in Columbus, creating 50 new jobs. Hiring for software engineers, designers and project managers will begin in the second quarter.
Currently employing 108 full-time staff at its office, the expansion increases the company’s Columbus-based workforce by over 50%. It will help meet heightened demand in the digital product space fueled by COVID-19.
Since its acquisition of the Columbus-based digital agency Dynamit in 2019, WillowTree has continued to grow in other established markets, and scaling its Columbus office will help the company manage increased customer volume.
“Competition for recruiting in the technology industry is at an all-time high, and we are confident that we will find world-class talent in the Columbus Region to help fill a variety of hyper specialized roles,” said Tobias Dengel, WillowTree’s CEO. “Scaling our workforce here is an integral part of our strategy to meet the current surge in demand for digital products.”
Founded in 2008 as a pioneering mobile app development company, WillowTree has grown into a full-service digital product consultancy partnering with the world’s leading brands to design and build digital flagship products crucial to their core business. The company is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, and its clients include brands such as HBO, Johnson & Johnson and National Geographic.
“More and more, forward-thinking companies like WillowTree look to Columbus as a hub for innovation and growth in the tech industry,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, mayor of the City of Columbus. “We are thrilled with WillowTree’s investment in our Region’s talent pool, and we look forward to seeing them continue to thrive here.”
Technology operations in the Columbus Region are deep and diverse, spanning industries such as retail, finance and headquarter operations. Anchored by The Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in the U.S., the Columbus Region’s colleges and universities supply a steady pipeline of young talent, especially in high-demand fields such as engineering and computer science. Columbus is in Franklin County, which is home to an estimated 1,310,300 residents.
“Businesses large and small have sought to digitize their operations over the past year, expanding the need for WillowTree’s services,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “Along with our partners, JobsOhio looks forward to working closely with WillowTree as it adds 50 new jobs to meet growing demand for its successful app development operations in the Columbus Region.”
Goosehead Grows in Columbus, Too
Goosehead Insurance Inc., an independent personal lines insurance agency with nationwide reach, has announced plans to expand to Columbus as well, creating 100 new jobs. Hiring for sales positions and account managers will begin later this year.
Texas-based Goosehead plans to open a new national sales center in Columbus. The new national sales center in Columbus will accommodate the company’s recent business growth in its
personal lines of insurance and will focus on securing and servicing customers through Goosehead’s advanced proprietary technology platform.
“Scaling our sales workforce in Central Ohio will help accommodate the significant growth we’re experiencing at Goosehead,” said Michael Colby, Goosehead president and COO. “We considered markets with a proven ability to attract new talent and also retain existing talent generated through higher education, and the Columbus Region’s strong insurance workforce and proximity to more than 50 higher education institutions meant it fit the profile in all of these categories.”
Founded in 2003, Goosehead represents over 140 insurance companies that underwrite primarily personal lines. Its agents leverage proprietary technology to help consumers quickly and easily shop the market, finding them the right coverage at the best price. The company is based in Westlake, Texas, and its operations include a network of nine corporate sales offices and over 1,468 operating and contracted franchise locations.
“Goosehead joins a strong class of innovative insurance companies in the Columbus Region leading the massive technological transformations in the industry,” said Andrew J. Ginther, city of Columbus Mayor. “Goosehead’s young workforce and strong focus on developing early career talent will be an asset to our business community, particularly the next generation of insurance industry talent that we’re nurturing here in Columbus.”


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- Subscribe NowNewsletters & Alerts
NYC's new cigarette regulations likely to include electronic cigarettes
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- Staff New York Business Journal
Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have given up on forcing New York merchants to hide tobacco products in their stores, but according to a report by the New York Daily News, the City Council appears prepared to hand the mayor a victory by expanding cigarette restrictions to e-cigarettes.
Previously, it wasn’t clear how e-cigarettes would be handled under the city’s new rules, since they generally do not contain tobacco, instead delivering nicotine to the puffer by way of a vaporizing mechanism. Now, the Daily News reported, if the City Council raises the legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 21, as expected, the measure will include e-cigarettes in that restriction.
That would make New York City the biggest municipality to raise the cigarette purchase age to 21, and this new change could affect the efforts of the e-cigarette industry, which the New York Times reported now accounts for about $1.7 billion in annual sales.
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Publisher SNEG has gone back into the past with the re-release of more classic Dungeons & Dragons titles. DragonStrike, Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace, Fantasy Empires, DeathKeep, and the Silver Box Classics bundle are now on Steam and GOG.com.
Those looking to play some old-school D&D RPGs will soon have another place to pick them up. Publisher SNEG is bringing the Gold Box collections to Steam later this month.
Action RPG Blade of Darkness is getting a re-release. RPGamers can try out a demo before its launch this October.


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Dan Crow: I'm a Briton who has worked at Apple and Google, and now I'm in a UK-based startup - where the Autonomy takeover is seen as great news.
Analysing who you email and how often and quickly you respond gives important clues to your customer relationships - the 'social graph' for companies
Tech Weekly visits Dublin to check out the local startup scene. The city has a thriving tech community and is home to many international tech companies. But will this continue as the Irish economy receives an €85bn bailout?
From a standing start in 2003 the company is focusing on conferences and trying to cope with the explosion in data demand
We talk to Sean O'Sullivan, chief executive of nine-strong Rococo
Range of private financing options delay prospect of going public, says Jeremy Allaire
In this week's Guardian technology podcast, Stephen Fry - known for his love of Apple gadgets - gives his take on Microsoft's new smartphone and the wider mobile phone world


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First screenshots and story details of Shin Megami Tensei: Deep Strange Journey
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in 3DS, News | 5 Comments
Famitsu has published their online preview of the recently announced Shin Megami Tensei: Deep Strange Journey, along with the first screenshots of the upcoming 3DS game.
As you probably know by now, this will be a remake of the SMT: Strange Journey game for DS, but with new features such as an easier playability, a new character and new story endings.
Thanks to Famitsu and Gematsu we also got the first story details for SMT: Deep Strange Journey. A strange land with the name of “Schwarzwelt” has suddenly appeared in the Antarctic and the protagonist, along with a Strike Team, must investigate it. Monsters from the Shin Megami Tensei series appear and the player must make a series of choices in order to decide the future of mankind.
Shin Megami Tensei: Deep Strange Journey will launch this fall for 3DS in Japan.
Warner Bros. suggests we’ll be able to play LEGO City Undercover on Switch without downloading the game
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in News, Switch | 27 Comments
LEGO City Undercover’s packaging appeared online yesterday, which stated that players would need up to 13GB of storage for the “game download” on Switch. This suggested that the whole title is not included on the physical cartridge itself. But today, LEGO City Undercover publisher Warner Bros. has provided Eurogamer with a statement about the situation.
According to a company spokesperson, “players who purchase LEGO City Undercover on Nintendo Switch at retail do not need to download the game to play”.
If this is true, then we still don’t know why the label says it is required to download up to 13GB of data. It’s possible that some of the game can be played without the additional download, but we can’t say for sure just yet. We’ll keep you informed if we hear anything else about the situation.
Super Arcade Football could release on Switch
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in News, Switch eShop | 1 Comment
Super Arcade Football is a soccer game with a retro vibe created by OutOfTheBit. It is is available on Steam Early Access, but today the developers of the game have confirmed, through the official Twitter account, that they are interested in porting Super Arcade Football to Switch.
This is not an official confirmation of Super Arcade Football’s release on the new platform, but it’s nice to hear that OutOFTheBit is considering it.
— SuperArcadeFootball (@SuperArcadeFtbl) March 23, 2017
Australia will be getting their own Fire Emblem Echoes Limited Edition
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in 3DS, News | 0 comments
On May 19th Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will be available worldwide, but for Australia the day will be the 20th of May and they will have their own special Limited Edition as well.
This Fire Emblem Echoes Limited Edition is actually closer to the American release, since there won’t be any amiibo. The Australian release will feature the game, an artbook, the same metal pixel pin badges of Alm, Celica, and Marth, a reversible title sheet and the “Sounds of Echoes” soundratck selection CD.
The official Nintendo Australia site has detailed that the Limited Edition will be sold exclusively via EB Games Australia and New Zealand for SRP AU$99.95
First Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology screenshots
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in 3DS, Screenshots | 5 Comments
Famitsu has uploaded to their website the first Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology screenshots. Check them out below:
By the way, Famitsu confirms a Perfect Edition for Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (10,584 yen) and stereoscopic 3D is not included.
Blaster Master Zero update 1.1 now live, adds Pro Controller support
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in News, Switch eShop | 6 Comments
Blaster Master Zero was reportedly going to receive an update on March 16. Well, it’s already tomorrow in Japan and version 1.1 is now live.
The only relevant note about this update is that it adds support for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. To receive this patch you just need to launch the game while being connected to the Internet. And of course, you can check which version of Blaster Master Zero are you playing by looking below the game title in the title screen.
Monster Hunter XX will let you keep stats and abilities while changing the appearance of a set
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in 3DS, News | 5 Comments
During the last Capcom TV broadcast the company revealed that Monster Hunter XX will be the first game that will let the player change the appearance of a set while keeping the stats and abilities from another set. This is a recurring feature that can be found in a lot of MMORPGs but it was never possible in a Monster Hunter game. However, this new system will only be available after geting a G-rank.
Furthermore, Capcom has announced that item management will improve in Monster Hunter XX through a Laboratory Expansion system with item box expansions and additional item set options. In order to unlock the expansion contents we’ll have to progress through the main story mode.
SEGA is teasing Project Sonic 2017 for SXSW with new artwork
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in News, Switch | 46 Comments
The official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account has just posted a new image that shows a couple of giant Eggman robots from the Project Sonic 2017 debut trailer that we all watched back in July.
This means that we’ll be able to learn more things about this Sonic project at SXSW Gaming, which will take place 2 days from now in Austin, Texas.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) March 13, 2017
More: Project Sonic 2017
New off-screen Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Battle mode footage
GameSpot has published two new off-screen videos showing the revamped Battle mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which will come to Switch on April 28.
Check out the Coin Runners and Shine Thief variants of the new Battle mode:
More: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Indies reassert that Switch is easy to develop for
Posted on 3 years ago by Fernando in News, Switch | 9 Comments
Gamasutra wrote recently a piece asking 9 indie studios how’s it like to develop for Switch. Yacht Club Games, VBlank Entertainment, Game Atelier and Frozenbyte, among others, all agree that Switch has been an enourmous improvement compared to the Wii U days in terms of ease to work with. Many of them even put it on par with Sony’s PlayStation 4, while others think they are still not there, but are catching up.
Brian Provinciano, of VBlank Entertainment, said that “the tools and hardware are much better than they were for the Wii U, so devs from the previous generation should look forward to digging into the Switch”. Additionally, David Bellanco, of Game Atelier agreed in that “Nintendo did a very good job making it easier to develop on the Switch”. He also declared that “it’s very straightforward, I push play on my visual studio, it runs on the device and I can debug very easily.”
Check out the whole article on Gamasutra, as it is an interesting read.


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Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus, founder of Zyanga, acquired Joby Aviation.
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March 1, 2021 1 min read
Reid Hoffman , co-founder of LinkedIn , and Mark Pincus, founder of Zyanga, agreed last week to buy the Joby Aviation company, which develops flying electric taxis.
Image: Joby Aviation
Joby asserts that his electric plane takes off and lands vertically silently so as not to generate noise in cities and that it can transport its passengers at 350 kilometers per hour.
The aviation company expects flight certification by 2023.


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The 19th China Ice Cream and Frozen Food Industry Expo Reception Service Work
The 19th China Ice Cream Show will be opened on October 13-15 in Meijiang, Tianjin. The biggest highlight of this year's show is the cooperation between the North and South Ice Show, a collection of Chinese ice cream cold food products with the highest level of finished products, mechanical raw material suppliers, high-end international ice cream brands to the meeting, the scale of the exhibition expanded to 35,000 square meters. The exhibition will also attract the attention of professional customers from all over the world. There will be from the United States, Germany, Russia, Germany, Pakistan, Greece, the Kyrgyz Republic, Bangladesh, Italy, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Spain, Japan, India, Iran, and Kazakhstan. Visitors from many countries including Stan, Uzbekistan, Philippines, New Zealand, Malaysia, Sudan, Iraq, Vietnam, Israel, Latvia and Ireland attended the conference. The conference has become a world-class ice cream industry communication and trade expo.
In order to better serve exhibitors and customers around the world, we continued to maintain the exquisite service concept of China (Tianjin) Ice Cream Show. On the basis of previous service projects, we added WeChat invitations and promotional articles to each exhibitor to compile new Chinese ice cream. Industry procurement guides, opening up VIPs in foreign pavilions and foreign trade negotiation areas and booth navigation services. It provides brand-new services such as free accommodation, international luncheon, free on-site translation and investment consultation professional consultation for all foreign conferences. The WeChat pre-registration system is also fully launched, and all pre-registered customer conferences will provide souvenirs. The conference will also carry out the WeChat prize-winning questionnaire voting activities, focusing on a series of themes such as the exhibition series, new product development, booth decoration and construction, etc. to perform live audience award voting.
With the help of the authority of the China Baked Sugar Products Association Ice Cream Frozen Food Professional Committee, the Association’s nearly 200 ice cream cold food major companies will all be able to negotiate purchases and participate in the committee’s annual council meeting held during the same period.
For the upcoming tens of thousands of customers at home and abroad, the conference will be welcomed with new and orderly and meticulous professional services, laying a beautiful background for representing the most authoritative level of industry exchange trade platform in China.


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WHERE TO WATCH
Uber Chief Product Officer Talks App Developments, CEO, Safety, and More
September 27, 2019
Manik Gupta, Uber's chief product officer, discusses with Cheddar's Hope King changes to the company's app, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and becoming an operating system for everyday life.
Barabara Corcoran Partners With AT&T on New Small Business Digital Series
Sep 4, 2019
Uber's Wild Ride: NYT Reporter Digs Into Ride-Hail Giant's 'Whiplash' History
In his new book, *Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber*, New York Times reporter Mike Isaac charts the tribulations of the notorious ride-hail giant amid the world's reckoning with Silicon Valley and its promise to disrupt.
Jul 6, 2020
Uber Buys Postmates in $2.65 Billion All-Stock Deal
Uber finally got its food delivery company, acquiring Postmates in a $2.65 billion all-stock deal, the ride-hailing giant has confirmed.
Sep 25, 2019
A Talk With Uber's Chief Product Officer On App Redesign
A new look for Uber's app. Uber unveiled the re-design with added safety features and encouragements to use alternate modes of public transportation. Our very own Hope King sat down with Manik Gupta, Uber's Chief Product Officer for more on the ride hailing company's app re-design. Take a look.


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Chemicals toxic to coral reefs led Hawaii to ban sunscreen
The island state of Hawaii has introduced an unprecedented measure to save its colourful marine ecosystem. On 1 May, local authorities passed a bill that bans the use of particular sunscreen lotions containing chemicals harmful to coral reefs.
The new legislation reflects a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology in 2015 suggesting that chemicals called oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are often used in cosmetics, contribute to coral bleaching when washed off in the ocean.
According to the author of the research, Craig Downs, 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen ends up in coral reefs each year.
“Lots of things kill coral reefs but we know oxybenzone prevents them from coming back,” Downs said, stating that the ban could be effective.
“This is the first real chance that local reefs have to recover,” he said.
However, the legislation has also found its critics who call it just a “feel-good measure”. Their main criticism is that there are other threats equally harmful to coral, such as global warming and coastal development. The American Chemistry Council claims that sun exposure to humans is also a danger.
As the new rules will go into effect on 1 January 2021, holidaymakers will have to look for reef-friendly sunscreen lotions.
We passed SB2571 which bans the sale of sunscreen with oxybenzone and octinoxate which harms our coral reefs. Hawaii is the first state in the nation to pass a measure of this magnitude. The world was watching. We delivered. Preserve and protect our ocean environment! pic.twitter.com/fiPSuiarBI
— Will Espero (@WillEspero) April 28, 2018
Edgewell Personal Care, Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen lotions producer, are reportedly ready to accept the new regulations and are already making products free of the two chemicals. The company “will continue to ensure we comply with all relevant regulations concerning oxybenzone and octinoxate”.
Hawaii is not the only location that has been taking the sunscreen issue seriously. Authorities in the Virgin Islands, South Florida and destinations in Mexico have already been encouraging tourists to use sunscreens made with biodegradable chemicals.


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Smart Procurement World Indaba 2022 : Meet Oxalys’ team and solutions
SA’s largest procurement & inbound supply chain Indaba is back live and in person!
This year marks the 16th annual Smart Procurement World Indaba. The event takes place from 12 to 15 September 2022 at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand. It will be held under the theme “Glocalised Procurement – Think Global, Act Local”.
Meet team and solutions at Oxalys booth
As a key player in digital procurement in South Africa, Oxalys will showcase its digital Procurement solutions during the 2-day exhibition.
Come join us at our exhibition booth and take advantage of this opportunity to book a 1-on-1 meeting for a more in-depth conversation about your procurement challenges and project.
Exclusive keynote : 2022 South Africa Procurement Survey findings presentation
For this event, Anne-Emmanuelle Grene, Head of Oxalys South Africa, will host an exclusive presentation of the 2022 South Africa Procurement survey findings on the 13th of September at 13:00.


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So many things wrong with the world are expressed in this Wall Street Journal article, on so many levels, that Francesca hardly knows where to start:
I’ve spent months asking people in the fashion industry why large sizes are so rare. Designer Elie Tahari explained last year that it’s expensive to offer bigger sizes, which require more fabric, as well as special patterns and a separate “fit” model, a model whose standard proportions are used to fit the clothes.
Mr. Tadashi, however, says large women are willing to pay extra for designer duds. His queen-size dresses retail for roughly $350 to $800, about 10% to 15% more than his standard sizes.
Perhaps more important, fashion-industry people are often fixated on their own ideals of beauty. Many designers just don’t want to see their clothes on big people — and many stores are complicit, displaying tiny sizes and keeping larger ones in back. Paige Adams-Geller, a former fit model for many high-end jeans manufacturers, told me in March that she urged designers to consider how their clothes would look on a woman who wore, for instance, a size 10.
“And the designer would say, ‘Well, I don’t want someone who is that size,’ ” she said, ” ‘They shouldn’t be wearing my brand.’ ” Ms. Adams-Geller turned that into a profitable business, Paige Premium Denim, selling jeans for up to size 28 — or “4X.” “I’m like, there’s a lot of people out there that size with money to spend,” she said.
Let’s see. We have the fact that designers don’t want women like us wearing their clothes. But we knew that. It is bigoted and disgusting, but we knew about it.
We have the fact that large women often pay extra for their clothes, even though the proportions of the fit model, etc are often arbitrary; who decided that one body shape is normal and another is not? But we knew that.
We have the fact (later in the article) that “shoes and handbags” are the only items easy to fit to larger women. But boy, did we know that!
There is the implication (later in the article) that plus-size models actually do things like eat and smile during photo shoot breaks, making Francesca worry even more about the emotional and physical state of “normal” models.
There is the good news that some designers are seeing the $$$$ opportunities and making clothes for NORMAL PEOPLE LIKE US.
Francesca is grateful that the reporter, Christina Binkley, did not show any overt anti-fat sentiment in her writing. In general the article is respectful of the needs of women, and recognizes that MOST women are not being served by the fashion industry.
But it will be a much better world when even generally respectful people do not report that “gathers called ruching, darts and shutter pleats coyly masking all manner of flaws.”
Francesca knows it is a utopic dream, but would it not be wonderful if belly rolls, lumps, etc were considered simply “body shapes” and not “flaws”?
(Hat tip: Thanks to our friend Nancy for sending us the link.)


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Kenya’s government will move toward repealing its digital services tax (DST) following talks with businesses, President William Ruto said at a business conference in the country
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DST, as the name suggests, only applies to services which are provided through digital channels. It is imposed on owners of the platforms that charge a commission on the sellers and usually are non-residents such as Google, Netflix, Meta, Twitter and Microsoft, Airbnb, Trip Advisor, and Booking.com.
DST does not apply to residents or local companies because they are subject to income tax and corporate tax.
DST also does not apply to those selling on digital channels such as merchandise sellers and digital taxi-hailing drivers because they are required to file income tax.
What reforms have been made to the international tax system by OECD countries?
In 2015, OECD/G20 began a discussion on a unified approach. In 2020, they made a proposal under a two-pillar approach.
Pillar One targets big companies and the most profitable especially multinationals with global sales above EUR 20 billion euros (Sh2.7 trillion).
The tax is to be computed globally by the parent entity and then distributed based on market consumption. This means the company will deduct 10 percent of their profits.
Out of the balance of the profits, 25 percent will be redistributed in every country where the company sells its services.
The taxpayers are not required to file corporate tax since they don’t have a permanent establishment. This makes DST equivalent to corporate tax.
However, they are required to account for the 16 percent VAT rate passed to consumers. Some of these taxpayers are also subject to withholding tax at the rate of 20 percent especially those providing services like software to companies, which has seen their collections above what is collected DST.


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LAS VEGAS — More than 5,200 attendees converged here last week for the annual Virtuoso Travel Week, where they learned about several new initiatives the consortium is undertaking, including a lead-generation program in the form of a consumer hotel-booking tool on Virtuoso.com.
When the tool rolls out in November, consumers will be able to visit Virtuoso.com and book a hotel at the consortium's preferred rate, with amenities. But the booking will immediately go to a Virtuoso travel adviser who is part of a hotel specialist program Virtuoso is creating.
David Kolner, Virtuoso's senior vice president of global member partnerships, said the consortium does not view it as a self-booking tool for consumers.
"We really think of this as adviser-assisted booking and really like a great way to get an adviser," he said. "We're really not letting the consumer book the travel themselves. The travel is always fulfilled by a Virtuoso adviser, and it always comes with the full service of a Virtuoso adviser."
Consumers will have access to Virtuoso's 1,100 preferred hotel rates, amenities and availability on the consortium's website, where any bookings they make will go to a Virtuoso agent via Sabre (Virtuoso will emulate the agency's pseudo-city code, create a passenger name record and send it to an agent).
Once a booking is made, the consumer will not have the ability to modify or cancel it, CEO Matthew Upchurch said. Instead, they will be matched with an agent which will be made clear to the traveler via marketing on the website.
If they have already worked with a Virtuoso adviser, the system will recognize their email address and send the booking to that agent. In order to get bookings and, potentially, new clients via the consumer booking tool, agents will have to first be eligible for Virtuoso's core leads program. In addition, they must sign up for the hotel specialist program, according to Kolner.
The core lead-generation program is complimentary but does have several requirements: an online training course, a completed agent profile on Virtuoso.com, a signed contract detailing their service level commitment and an agreement to share lead data with Virtuoso for conversion tracking purposes.
The hotel specialist program, Kolner said, will come at a cost of $250 per year, and will also likely have a per-lead fee. Those fees are not designed to cover operational costs, he said, but more to ensure agents have a stake in the program. The money will be used to improve services.
Consumer bookings that come through Virtuoso.com will be distributed evenly among the advisers in the hotel specialist program, according to Kolner.
Virtuoso does not have plans to aggressively market the new consumer booking tool because, Kolner said, the consortium feels that the 100,000 or so unique views per month that its website gets are sufficient traffic. Kolner emphasized that Virtuoso itself is not selling travel but is helping agents garner more bookings and, hopefully, clients.
"The travel is always fulfilled by a Virtuoso adviser, and it always comes with the full service of a Virtuoso adviser," he said.
The consortium also announced it is giving members access to significantly more hotel properties through a newly inked partnership with ABC Global Services. These properties will not be available to consumers via Virtuoso.com.
Kolner said the partnership is intended to fill gaps in existing hotel inventory by enabling members to access and book ABC's 40,000 properties.
"We're really thinking of this as an agency service," he said. "It's a distinction we use at Virtuoso to help members optimize their profitability or service to clients."
Kolner said commissions on properties agents book with ABC could potentially be over 10%. While he declined to release exact commission amounts, he did say, "We actually believe we have the highest commission paid to Virtuoso members as compared to any other consortia's contract" with ABC.
The properties will be bookable by agents via a rate code on their GDS.
Marketing is also on the minds of Virtuoso, as the consortium announced all 11,400 member agents will be offered free, personalized versions of Virtuoso.com that will be "a carbon copy of Virtuoso.com" and its resources, Kolner said, but with only one agent's name, logo and contact information.
He said agents who opt in to the service should look to leverage the site through local marketing by sharing pages on social media and sending product pages to clients.
Virtuoso's 2016 sales are up 5.5% year-over-year, Kolner announced. Membership is also expanding via both traditional agencies and newer models, such as Lola, an agency that speaks with customers solely through a chat app and assists agents by using artificial intelligence.
Virtuoso Travel Week spanned three properties this year: the Bellagio, the Vdara and, new this year, the Aria.


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When the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) action-adventure video game was released in 1997, it caught gamers ‘ imaginations around the globe. Since then, it has spawned more than 10 stand-alone games and several expansion packs, racking up over 280 million unit revenues and counting.
HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THIS HIT THE SHELVES
Unfortunately this exciting and vibrant’ drive it as you stole it’-themed game lately hit the headlines again. This was due to an update in Grand Theft Auto V that provides players access to Los Santos ‘ Diamond Casino and Resort virtual slots, roulette, poker, roulette and horse racing.
This led in 55 nations that, according to Reddit user SlapshotTommy, have apparently banned the new GTA casino:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
United Arab Emirates
GTA’S DIAMOND CASINO OFFERS REAL CASINO GAMES
They can visit the Diamond Casino and buy casino chips with real money to play virtual casino games as long as players are 18 years of age or older (GTA has an 18 PEGI age rating). Although their chips or winnings can not be converted back into cash and withdrawn, they can be used to buy in-game items from weapons to car equipment and all in between.
As of 2019, the GTA conversion rate for GTA $500,000 is roughly $7, and the greater the deposits, the greater the discount players are provided. GTA has restricted the amount of chips players can purchase each hour to play as a safeguard at Diamond Casino.
Even though it sounds easy enough, the issue is that GTA’s new real-money casino facility has fallen in love with gambling regulators around the globe who think it is online gambling, an activity that is illegal in the above-mentioned nations.
PLAYERS IN BANNED COUNTRIES CAN’T BUY CHIPS
Players based in these countries have reported that although they may enter and walk around the Diamond Casino and Resort, they can not buy chips for use at the tables. This is due to Rockstar Games, the leading US-based video game publisher owning Grand Theft Auto, facilitating a’ regional limitation.’
As the game software automatically picks up each player’s location, they will not be allowed to finish their transaction to purchase chips and play Diamond Casino games if they find that they live in a region where online gambling is limited.
GAMER RESPONSE TO GTA ‘S NEW CASINO GAMES MIXED
They have been blended in terms of player reactions to Grand Theft Auto’s true money’ gambling’ aspect. For example, some gamers have reported that they disagree with incorporating a gambling element into what is primarily a video game.
Other gamers feel that the GTA casino facility could open the door to vulnerable and/or problematic gamblers, particularly as let’s be frank, adolescents are going to play the game despite their age rating, a demographic prone to gambling problems.
Then there are those players who welcome the move, stating it adds a fresh and interesting dimension to GTA and opens up a whole new universe of possibilities for the video game that has undergone numerous incarnations, scenes and situations since its release.
Some players support the move, but don’t agree with how players can make deposits to buy casino chips from the game. They would rather see casino chips awarded through in-game accomplishments alone, with actual cash transactions left out of it.
GTA HAS PERMITTED IN-GAME TOP-UPS SINCE 2013
GTA has enabled players to upgrade their in-game wallets with true cash since the game introduced its’ online mode’ add-on in 2013. It’s probably not been until now, though, that the virtual money scheme in-game has raised eyebrows around the globe.
That said, although GTA is not widely associated with sports, gambling on sports is not new (GTA is obviously not a video game with elements such as some first-person shooter (FPS), online multiplayer battle arena (MOBA), royal battle, fighting or real-time strategy games).
As of 2019, Esports, a sort of contest in which professional gamers play chosen multiplayer video games competitively for economic gain (often in real-time in front of millions of viewers worldwide) is worth more than $1 billion worldwide.
This represents a significant 27 per cent increase over the past year as a consequence of increasing prize pools, media rights sales, sponsorship deals and advertising partnerships, which was ascribed to skyrocketing sports profits.
ESPORTS BETTING EXPECTED TO REACH $8 BILLION IN 2019
To add to this, sports betting has reached mammoth proportions, with $8 billion expected to be wagered this year on this virtual pastime. This figure is anticipated to double in the coming years as the popularity of sports rises and thus becomes much more common around the globe, attracting more betting fans.
One of the reasons why esports betting took off the way it is because it provides a variety of bets to keep gamblers interested. These bets fall into categories that include totals, moneyline, handicap lines, and prop bets.
Total bets, for example, may include complete rounds, complete maps played, complete points or complete kills, while prop bets may include lines such as whether the game will go over 30 minutes, how many kills a specific player will create, whether the game will be paused for more than 5 minutes, or which team will draw first blood and much more.
The transition to the sports arena is unlikely to be made by GTA, of course. But what is noteworthy is how this latest casino game debacle has’ constructed a bridge’ between video games and casino games, whether deliberately or not.


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J.C. Penney has made some executive changes to help turn around its troubled business.
Mike Robbins, executive vice president of private brands and supply chain, has been named executive vice president, chief stores and supply chain officer, effective Jan. 21. In his new customer-focused role, he will be responsible for all stores, supply chain and sourcing operations. He will continue to oversee product design and development until a new chief merchant has been identified. Tony Hurst was previously senior vice president, stores. He is leaving, effective Jan. 20, to pursue another opportunity.
In addition, Truett Horne, currently an associate principal at McKinsey & Co., will join J.C. Penney in the new post of chief transformation officer, reporting to Jill Soltau, chief executive officer. Horne will have primary responsibility for the development and implementation of the company’s strategic and transformational initiatives.
“These executive changes reflect the strength and depth of each leader’s responsibilities, and their enormous potential to drive change aligned with our customer’s needs and expectations,” said Soltau. “By appointing and recruiting the right leaders who have the expertise and fortitude to accelerate a turnaround strategy, our senior executive team will play an instrumental role in energizing teams, connecting with our customers and positioning J.C. Penney for profitable growth.”
The company also said it is seeking to fill several key senior management posts such as chief merchant, chief customer officer, senior vice president of planning and allocation, principal accounting officer, and chief financial officer. Andrew Drexler, senior vice president, chief accounting officer and controller, will leave the company effective March 31 to pursue another opportunity.
Last week, Penney’s reported that comparable store sales for the holiday season, defined by the nine-week period ending Jan. 5, 2019, declined 3.5 percent on a shifted basis reflecting 52 weeks in 2018 versus 53 weeks in 2017. On an unshifted basis, comparable sales decreased 5.4 percent.
While holiday proved to be a good sales season for most retailers, J.C. Penney’s own weak results underscore how urgent it is for Soltau, who became ceo last October, to set in motion new turnaround strategies.
As reported, the Dallas-based J.C. Penney said it will close more stores this year, including three this spring that have been designated so far, as part of an ongoing evaluation of its store portfolio occurring over the next few months. The retailer operates more than 860 stores and jcp.com.
In the third quarter of 2018, the company had a net loss of $151 million, compared to a net loss of $125 million in the 2017 quarter. The adjusted net loss was $164 million, compared to an adjusted net loss of $108 million in the year-ago quarter. Comparable sales declined 5.4 percent in the third quarter.


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Google's massive video site is revamping its mobile app and says it will support 360-degree, three-dimensional video this year, opening the door to legit virtual-reality experiences.
You need a Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge or Note 4 to experience Gear VR, and it runs different apps than Google Cardboard -- but it's still ahead of the competition.
As it starts to show off its Vive virtual reality system, HTC believes making a good first impression is key.
The company could become the next contender in the increasingly crowded realm of VR, at an event scheduled for next week, says a report.
Known internally as "Moneypenny," the assistant would actually let you ask real people for help with different tasks, including ordering products and services.
A truck loaded with stations for demoing the advanced VR headsets makes its first stop of a global tour at San Diego Comic-Con.
Scenes inspired by the highly-anticipated video game movie were released through Google's Cardboard virtual reality headset at the annual San Diego Comic-Con.
Commentary: Goggled into another world, it's hard to find ways to navigate. The best tool might be on our wrist.
The media powerhouse sees an opportunity in bringing its Infinity franchise into the world of virtual and augmented reality.
Check out the highlights and big trends at this year's E3, from Fallout 4 to Halo 5, as well as Star Fox and a surprise Jim Henson muppet.


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“The most important number to keep in mind here is 12 million. A lot of numbers are getting thrown around in this debate, but 12 million is the one to watch because that is the number of Americans seeking small-dollar loans each year."
Around 12 million Americans seek payday loans every year. The majority of borrowers are single, white women with children. Most have a full-time job, a statistically significant proportion have more than one full-time job and the average annual income of a payday borrower tends to range between $25,000 and $40,000 per year (per household). All borrowers have active checking accounts — these are not products for the unbanked — and on average, the amount sought is a shade less than $400 ($387). The sum in question is almost always dedicated to paying off a bill.
Short-term borrowers are not exactly who people tend to think they are, and as it turns out, they aren’t that different from the vast mainstream of American consumers. Recent data from the Federal Reserve Board indicates that 47 percent of Americans would have significant difficulty paying an unexpected $400 bill, and as Neal Gabler’s recent article in The Atlantic demonstrates, an awful lot of those 47 percent are people who would appear from the outside to be members of the prosperous middle class.
And this is the fundamental problem with the latest round of short-term lending rules by the CFPB: They fundamentally lose sight of those 12 million consumers, according to the CBA.
“Do these new rules provide any reasonable alternative for those 12 million consumers as they are written? In our opinion, they do not. Banks remains frozen out of this market and, in fact, are now less able to participate than ever," one CBA member told PYMNTS.
And the CBA is not alone in the position; Pew Charitable Trusts sort of agrees.
“The CFPB is missing a big opportunity to encourage safer and more affordable loan options,” Pew’s short-term loans project director, Nick Bourke, told PYMNTS last week when the rules dropped. “The new proposal lets 400 percent APR loans flourish but locks out lower-cost loans from banks.”
On the lockout point, the CBA and Pew agree, though they go on to disagree about what they think would be a reasonable accommodation.
Pew would like to see a set of very rigorous guidelines for bank small-dollar lenders built around a 5 percent cap. That means that borrowers could not be charged more than 5 percent of their paycheck for a loan repayment period of no more than six months.
The CBA thinks that plan is likely unworkable because it shares a rather central defect with the CFPB’s regulations: It would require underwriting standards that essentially don’t make sense.
“The problem with plans that force lenders to take a long, evaluative look at small-dollar borrowers is that it essentially forces banks to treat a $300 dollar loan like a $300,000 mortgage. It just doesn’t make sense."
“These plans will all require manual underwriting for short-term loans, which would make small-dollar products cost-prohibitive for banks."
And more importantly, the CBA argues, there has already been a completely workable bank-based alternative to small-dollar loans in the form of deposit advance products that the CFPB has essentially ruled out with its new regulations.
While the CPPB and others have tended to group deposit advance products with payday loans as essentially the same product under two names, the CBA contends that they are demonstrably different. Deposit advance products are taken from banks with which clients have an established relationship, as opposed to third-party lenders that they essentially meet on the day they take out the loan. Bank-based products also don’t require third-party access to consumers' bank accounts, almost never end in an escalating string of overdraft fees and account closures and already come “out of the box” with internal controls limiting how much and how often customers can borrow.
And though controls make sense and banks have an immense incentive to offer them, the goal after all is not to lose money in lending but to actually get paid back. What the CFPB is proposing would simply make the products both too expensive for banks to create and too limited for consumers to want to use.
Of particular concern are the mandatory requirements that consumers can only take short-term loans out six times a year and be in debt for no more than 90 days. This requirement might seem a little peculiar given that most short-term lending clients use the loans to pay bills. It is not clear what happens under these rules to the consumer that has three bad things happen in the same year or a customer who needs to be in debt for 120 days?
Which means the question comes down to those 12 million consumers and what happens if 65 to 85 percent of short-term lenders go out of business.
Banks can’t pick up that slack, according to the CBA, as they've been given no guidance from the CFPB as to how they might offer a cost-effective, useful product. But they’ve been given lots of guidance by the FDIC and the OCC that deposit advance products were no longer allowed, unless banks were willing to underwrite small-dollar loans with the same strictness they underwrote mortgages. Banks demurred and have been sitting on the sidelines since 2013.
And on the sidelines it looks like they will stay, unless the CBA can prevail upon the CFPB to liberalize those new payday lending rules some.
If it doesn’t, well, 12 million consumers looking to pay bills are going to go somewhere. Whether where they go is sanely and sensibly regulated or run outside the reach of the CFPB’s rules, offshore or on a tribal land, remains to be seen.


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The Commerce and Industry Ministry is working on implementing the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) on April 1, with officials giving the draft a final go-through, but a decision on its duration is yet to be taken, a source close to the development said.
“As decided earlier, there would be no big bang announcement on incentives as export sops are not compatible with WTO rules. The policy, however, will have a vision statement for future growth and various facilitating provisions in areas such as automation, IT enablement, trade facilitation, cost reduction, support for MSMEs, promotion of e-commerce, R&D, and district export hubs,” the source said.
‘Focus on policy’
Earlier this week, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also indicated that the new FTP could be announced soon and said officers were now focussed on it. “I have instructed my officials to start concentrating on the FTP as we are now free from the parliamentary (budget process),” he said in a post-budget interaction.
The new FTP, which was initially scheduled to be announced in 2020, has been postponed several times for various time durations, mainly to tide over the uncertainties created by the Covid-19 pandemic. The government had been extending the previous FTP (2015–20) on a piecemeal basis. The last extension was on October 1, 2022, until March 31, 2023.
While FTPs are usually for a five-year period, it is not yet certain whether the new policy will be for a full five-year period or of a different duration given the fact that it could not be executed on schedule in April 2020. The general elections scheduled in 2024 may also have some bearing on the duration of the new FTP, another source said.
“We are not sure whether the government will finally come up with a new FTP on April 1 as the uncertainty in the global economy is continuing. “Given the fact that there are elections next year, it might be more logical to come up with a new policy after the process is over and the new government is sworn in,” a Delhi-based exporter told businessline.
India’s goods exports, at the moment, are going through a difficult period due to a slowdown in global demand. High global inflation, rising interest rates, and key economies moving towards recession have all contributed in making the future uncertain.
After reaching an all-time high of $422 billion in goods exports in 2022–23, the country’s exports started slowing down in July 2022. It declined in October 2022, for the first time in the on-going fiscal year, falling 16.6 per cent (year-on-year) to $29.78 billion. It rose marginally by 0.6 per cent to $32 billion in November 2022 before declining again in December 2022 by 12.2 per cent (year-on-year) to $34.48 billion.


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Kids go wild for fun new retailer
ROCKHAMPTON'S Ella Schalch and Rachael Bartlett are taking a walk on the wild side.
The assistant managers of Rockhampton's Australian Geographic officially opened the doors to the new Stockland store last week.
"I'm so excited," said Ella.
"It's been a long time coming."
The store offers a multitude of products from telescopes, to stuffed dinosaurs and weather stations, and has so far been welcomed by shoppers.
"Everyone is coming in here to have a look," Ella said.
"We sell a bit of everything for everyone."
Shopper Kerry Dansie said she thought the store was a good addition to the Rockhampton retail market.
"I've got a lot of grandchildren and one is really passionate about dinosaurs, so this is great," she said.
"It's good to have something educational."
Ella said the store would offer free entertainment for the school holidays, with games, balloons and competitions on offer.
The store is the 13th for the company in Queensland.


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The Jakarta administration says that it has issued a gubernatorial decree restricting the issuance of mall construction permits in the city until 2012.
“At the moment, Jakarta has too many malls and shopping centers. They create traffic congestion. So now, we are holding back [from issuing permits],” head of the City Spatial Planning Agency Wiriyatmoko said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.
He said that the current administration was not responsible for the establishment of new malls and shopping centers in the city, as they had obtained building permits from the previous administration and had only begun construction recently.
“The Gandaria City mall in Kebayoran, for example. That mall got its permit in 1996 but because of the crisis, it was built in 2009,” he said.
Jakarta is home to 564 shopping centers, consisting of 132 malls and 432 traditional markets and supermarkets.


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Meadow Fresh and Y&R are having some fun with the launch of a Greek yoghurt by asking: ‘is it good enough for Gwyneth?’.
Marketing, advertising & media intelligence
The incumbent Shine, FCB and Y&R are understood to be vying against each other for the Goodman Fielder portfolio, which includes Meadow Fresh, Vogel's, Puhoi Valley, Freya's and a number of other brands.
A teacher who taught in a war zone, an environmental activist who put her body in harm's way and an unlikely speaker of Te Reo come together in a heartwarming spot that serves to showcase that being a New Zealander has less to do with the way we look and far more to do with who we are.
Back in 2011, Vogel's received plaudits for a pun-laden outdoor campaign that cheekily tapped into the hype around the Rugby World Cup, even though it wasn't a sponsor. And it's trying something similar during the Cricket World Cup.
Bread with "no nasties" wins Goodman Fielder the October 2014 Ad Impact Award from Colmar Brunton, while a slap of paint with a clap of the hands gain Clemenger BBDO a nod, and a quick save for Sealord gets Ogilvy & Mather an honourable mention.
Goodman Fielder has picked up August’s Colmar Brunton Ad Impact Award for its spot featuring a baker attempting to evade a horde of villagers desperate to get their hands on a freshly baked loaf of Freya’s new low carb bread. PLUS: Reactive appointed Goodman Fielder's digital agency.
Listen: Airbnb user design experience manager Jenny Arden on design building trust, design-thinking and designer-founders
After a competitive pitch, it's thought Shine has won the Goodman Fielder dairy business, which means it has said goodbye to Fonterra.
Since the closure of Publicis Mojo at the end of last year, Goodman Fielder has been working with Joy, the agency set up by ex-Mojo chair and chief executive Graeme Wills. And, according to Goodman Fielder's PR and communications manager Ra Fletcher, it continues to do so. But it also appears to be looking at its agency options.
Babyboomers are often portrayed as greedy, BMW-driving, house-hogging, tax avoiding luddites. But they also use the internet, have Facebook pages and watch YouTube. So why should they miss out on all the viral marketing fun? As no one was really catering to them specifically in this area, Publicis Mojo Auckland, Goodman Fielder Australia's Lawson's bread and The Down Low Concept have tried to fill the gap with a light-hearted look at that particular life-stage, with self-help tips delivered by one of the statesmen of Australian comedy Trevor Marmalade.
New Zealand likes Vogel's. And puns. And, when it comes to the rules around RWC advertising, loopholes. So it was no surprise to hear actual humans—not just marcomms insiders—commenting on how much they liked the combination of these three things in Publicis Mojo's recent work for the Goodman Fielder bread brand. In our eyes, it was one of the best outdoor campaigns of the year, so, as a tribute to impressive punmanship and supreme confidence, here's the lot of them, including a post-victory billboard that oozes smugness.
Australasian food giant Goodman Fielder is apparently cutting staff from its New Zealand operations.


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California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a landmark bill aimed at banning the use of Red Dye No. 3 and other potentially harmful food additives in consumer products. This move makes the state the first in the country to prohibit the use of ingredients found in many popular candies, beverages, and other food items, as reported by CNN.
The state has become the first in the United States to ban the use of ingredients contained in many popular candies, beverages, and other food items, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental organization that co-authored the law along with Consumer Reports.
Assembly Bill 418, known as the "California Food Safety Law," introduced by Assembly members Jesse Gabriel and Buffy Wicks in February, bans the manufacture, sale, and distribution of food products containing Red Dye No. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, or propylparaben in California.
Potassium bromate is added to bakery products to help dough rise and strengthen it. In some beverages, brominated vegetable oil emulsifies citrus flavorings, preventing them from separating. Propylparabens are used for antimicrobial preservation of food products.
According to the Eat Well Guide directory prepared by the Environmental Working Group, Red Dye No. 3 is used as an ingredient in nearly 3,000 products, including candies like Skittles, Nerds, and Trolli Gummi, protein shakes, quick-cook rice and potatoes, and boxed cake mixes.
Governor Newsom pointed out the availability of Skittles in the European Union as "a clear example that the food industry can maintain a product line while complying with various health laws."
This step by Newsom brings the United States closer to food production conditions similar to those in the European Union, where these chemical substances are banned due to scientific studies demonstrating significant health risks, including an increased risk of cancer, behavioral problems in children, harm to the reproductive system, and damage to the immune system.
"The signing of this bill is a positive step forward for these four food additives until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews and establishes updated national safety levels for these additives," said California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The reevaluation of the safety of food ingredients, as stated by an FDA representative, "as new relevant data become available, is an important aspect of the FDA's program on chemical substances in food products and a key part of our mission to ensure the safety of food products." According to him, "the FDA has a continuous program to analyze the impact of new data on food chemicals. Based on an analysis of new data, the FDA is working on proposing changes to our regulations to revoke the approval of the use of brominated vegetable oil as a food ingredient."
A representative of the Food and Drug Administration noted that regulatory agencies around the world have different legal authorities and regulatory programs, and approval of a particular substance in different jurisdictions may vary.
"There are, for example, color additives that are allowed for use in Europe and other countries but are not allowed in the United States," he noted.
The food safety law will not take effect until 2027, according to Newsom, "providing ample time for brands to reformulate their recipes to avoid the use of these harmful chemical substances. California residents will still be able to access their favorite foods and enjoy them with greater confidence in their safety."
The National Confectioners Association, a trade organization based in Washington, D.C., noted that "Newsom's approval of this bill will undermine consumer trust and create confusion about food safety." The association operates independently of the Food and Drug Administration and has called on the FDA to express its opinion on this matter.
Currently, these chemical substances can be used in food products in the United States due to a loophole in the FDA's Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act called the "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) rule, which allows manufacturers to use ingredients in the form and quantity that the FDA has previously recognized as safe.
Given the scale of California's economy, as stated in the Consumer Reports press release, "this innovative law could impact food products across the country, not just in California, so all Americans are likely to benefit from the ban, making it unlikely that manufacturers will produce two versions of their product—one for sale in California and another for the rest of the country."
In the meantime, if you want to avoid consuming Red Dye No. 3, check the ingredient list for FD&C Red #3, and for medications, look for the dye in the "inactive ingredients" section.


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Be careful where you put your card. The ATM manufacturer NCR has recently issued an alert to banks, warning them that there’s been a rise in the use of “deep insert skimmers,” which hide inside cash machines and are virtually impossible to spot.
Insert card skimmers themselves aren’t new. But they are hard to detect, because criminals place them behind the card slot of an ATM, meaning they’re almost always hidden from view when you use the machine. What is new, however, is that their use is apparently becoming more widespread, as Krebs on Security reports.
NCR has apparently been informed of the use of deep insert skimmers in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Turkey, the UK and the US. In a warning to banks, the company admitted that its skimming protections systems can’t help, either—because the skimmers are placed away from where NCR’s detectors and jammers are usually positioned.
There may be a way to spot if an insert skimmer is being used, though. An NCR spokesperson told Krebs that the company believes tiny pinhole cameras are used along with many of the skimmers to record PIN details. If you somehow manage to spot something that looks like a tiny camera, it’s definitely best to not use the ATM.
NCR is apparently testing new ways to detect these kinds of skimmers. In the meantime, the advice, as ever, remains the same: If anything ever looks suspicious at an ATM, don’t use it. It’s just a shame that spotting the problem is becoming virtually impossible.


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Following the recent issue surrounding the deletion of George Orwell works (1984, Animal Farm) from users’ Kindle readers, anti-DRM activists Defective By Design has targeted the device with a new petition. The text of the petition reads…
We believe in a way of life based on the free exchange of ideas, in which books have and will continue to play a central role. Devices like Amazon’s are trying to determine how people will interact with books, but Amazon’s use of DRM to control and monitor users and their books constitutes a clear threat to the free exchange of ideas.
That is why we readers, authors, publishers, and librarians demand that Amazon remove all DRM, including any ability to control or access the user’s library, from the Kindle.
Amazon’s assurances that it will refrain from the worst abuses of this power do not address the problem. Amazon should not have this power in the first place. Until they give it up they will be tempted to use it, or they could be forced to by governments or narrow private interests. Whatever Amazon’s reasons for imposing this control may be, they are not as important as the public’s freedom to use books without interference or supervision.
The petition already has a few recognizable signatures listed on the right-hand side of the message. To sign the petition, visit it at defectivebydesign.org/amazon1984
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The large film producer Lionsgate Entertainment has announced that they are working with Apple in an effort to allow customers who purchase select DVDs and Blu-ray titles to download a free digital copy through iTunes as well.
The first movies to include free digital copies are the DVDs and Blu-ray discs of “Rambo” and “The Eye”. Rambo will be available later this month while The Eye is slated for a June or July release. More releases are to come, said the company, but there was no word yet on what they might be.
“Our consumers are always looking for new viewing options in terms of the motion pictures they buy, and we are always searching for new ways to deliver content in formats that reflect consumer preference across the entire home entertainment spectrum, from packaged media to digital storage to VOD,” Lionsgate president and COO Steve Beeks said.
To receive the digital download, consumers must simply insert the DVD or BD into their computers and enter a provided code into iTunes where it will copy to the users library. You can only copy the movie to one library, but it can be re-copied over and over in case you accidentally delete it.
Result for: s library
Didiom has announced the launch of a mobile application that will allow users to purchase and download over 1 million MP3 songs.
The free application will also allow music fans to remotely access their home iTunes library from over 200 movile devices including BlackBerrys and phones with Windows Mobile operating systems.
Along with the launch Didiom has also announced they have signed licensing deals with CD Baby, which is the largest retailer for independent music, Naxos, the world’s leading producer of classical music, Saavn, the world’s largest digital distributor of South Asian content and other indie projects such as Phonofile, Bonzai Music, Soul Seduction, eClassical, Xpressbeats, Reggae Country, MisRolas, EmuBands, Armenian Music Center, Quarterlife Records and Resonant Vibes.
“We’ve developed a simple and fun way to mobilize music and to discover new music from around the world while on the go,” said Ran Assaf, Didiom’s founder and CEO. “More and more music fans are tired of wasting valuable time sideloading music from their computer to their phone or iPod. We provide them with a new type of experience that lets them not only stream music from their computer to their handset over the air, but also to discover, bid for and share music in new and exciting ways.”
Most songs are $0.89 USD for single tracks and most albums are $9.99 USD.


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Yokohama Rubber Co. officially completed its $1.17 billion acquisition of Alliance Tire Group on July 1. Toru Kobayashi, former assistant to YRC president Hikomitsu Noji, has been appointed Alliance Tire Group chairman.
The acquisition will help Yokohama expand its commercial tire business and give the tiremaker access to ag and forestry tire manufacturing – two tire segments the tiremaker does not currently manufacture. The purchase of ATG will also increase Yokohama’s product offerings, the tiremaker said.
Yokohama said it will include ATG in its consolidated accounts from the third quarter of fiscal year 2016 (ending December 31, 2016) and the expected impact on the full-year consolidated financial statements will be announced soon.
The Japanese tiremaker first announced its plans to acquire ATG on March 25, 2016, after reaching an agreement with the global investment firm KKR and other concerned parties to purchase all of the shares of Alliance Tire Group.
In May, Yokohama received approval from the Competition Commission of India to acquire ATG – a relevant approval as both companies do business in India.


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According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple’s flagship 2021 iPhones will come in the
If users are using Android phones or iPhones, chances are there that the majority of
Jio Platforms and Google Thursday unveiled the JioPhone Next, an affordable Android smartphone. The American
Since the launch of the OnePlus One in 2014, OnePlus has achieved a lot over
The new Studio Buds is Beats’ second pair of true wireless headphones after Powerbeats Pro.
It has become possible to buy coffee and take a train with the iPhone, but
On Wednesday, Huawei launched its self-developed operating system across a slew of devices, including smartphones.
WhatsApp initially threatened to cancel the core functions of users who refused to accept its


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HCMC – Vietnam’s digital economy may take the lead in Southeast Asia with average growth of 31% a year and
HCMC – Vietnam’s digital economy saw the gross merchandise value (GMV) reaching US$23 billion last year, with e-commerce making up over 60%.
The 2023 report “Sustainable development of e-commerce – the driving force for the digital economy” said that 2022’s GMV increased 28% over the previous year and is expected to grow 31% at US$49 billion by 2025.
Vietnam’s digital economy will continue to maintain a growth rate of 19% in GMV during the 2025-2030 period.
Around 60 million Vietnamese people have purchased goods through e-commerce platforms, with each person spending an average of US$260-US$285 on online shopping.
Roughly 55% of businesses participating in a survey of the Vietnam E-commerce Association believe that information technology infrastructure and e-commerce play a crucial role in their production and business activities.
Many enterprises are investing in automation, cloud technology, artificial intelligence and infrastructure connectivity.
At the digital transformation forum held on March 21, experts said that the development of e-commerce required various factors, including sustainable business development, sustainable infrastructure development, high-quality human resources, and technology application in improving customer’s experience.
However, digital transformation is still facing problems related to the legal framework, human resources, and digital infrastructure.


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Inside Larry Ellison's futuristic indoor farming company, whose massive, Tesla solar-powered Hawaii greenhouses are the first step toward an ambitious goal of feeding the world
Ellison's company, known as Sensei Ag, says its mission is to feed the world by making produce more nutrient-rich, accessible, and sustainable.
Indoor farming is revolutionizing the way produce is grown. Tisha Livingston is helping to take it to a global level.
As cofounder and president of 80 Acres and CEO of Infinite Acres, Tisha Livingson is using technology to make a difference in agriculture.
"Covid-19 been a boost to our business, it's boosted our number of farms, requests from customers also increased, we were in the right place at the right time."
A new indoor agriculture company called Local Roots makes indoor farms that grow crops under LED lights and without soil. SpaceX is one of its first customers.
A Parisian startup called Cycloponics is growing greens and mushrooms underground. Take a look inside "the cave."
A new Jeff Bezos-backed warehouse farm will grow enough produce to feed over 180,000 people per year
Vertical farming startup Plenty — which has raised $260 million to date — is opening a 100,000-square-foot farm in the greater Seattle, Washington area.
This indoor vertical farm uses NASA tech
Israel startup FluxIoT has invented a robot that uses military-grade sensors to monitor plants as they grow.
Since Panasonic launched its first vegetable farm in Singapore in 2014, it has expanded the small facility to over 12,400 square feet.


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Chateau Grand Traverse is upping its exports to China by shipping about 660 cases of its Traverse Bay Winery Cherry Wine, an increase from the 60 to 240 cases the winery now distributes in a given shipment to the largest country in the world.
“(The distributor) has expressed to me that, in all like likelihood, they will order another container (holding 660 cases) this summer and another this fall,” says Eddie O’Keefe III, president of Chateau Grand Traverse. “If all goes well, they said it could be as much as a container a month in 2015, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. That’s like counting your winnings before you leave the table.”
While exporting can be a time-consuming process, O’Keefe only sees the benefits. “It’s good for our winery, it’s good for the local farmers, and it’s good for the economy. And if we find success in other markets, generally, it’s a good inroad for others to follow — hopefully, this will help the Michigan wine industry in general.”
O’Keefe says his winery has also tested other products in the Chinese market, although the cherry wine is the first to truly take off. “We’ve sent our Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and our red wine blend, Silhouette, but those are in direct competition with the world over there. We’re competing against wineries in Germany, California, everyone. But with the cherry one, I don’t know if there’s even another one in that market.”
He says one of the main challenges has been a shortage of cherries combined with the industry’s marketing order, which puts a cap on the harvest in order to maintain pricing and supply. In 2012, 97 percent of Michigan’s tart cherry crop was destroyed by an early warm-up and then a late frost during the spring.
“It’s going to be a challenge to maintain a quality and consistent cherry wine product when we have seen multiple years of cherry crop reductions. If we can resolve this supply problem, we will likely be able to grow the market considerably over the next few years,” O’Keefe says.
Outside of China, Chateau Grand Traverse products are available in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.


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BOSTON — Like all great dramas, an investigation of complex and murky supply chains across Asia offers no clear rights or wrongs. Yes, some high-tech workers are treated unfairly. And yes, most companies are trying to do something about the problem.
Moreover, almost nobody would buy a $1,000 iPhone or other mobile device, so big brands have an incentive to drive manufacturing costs lower. Suppliers have an incentive to make that possible. And the workers themselves have an incentive to, well, work.
So what do you think of these complicated issues?
Take our poll:
Editor's note: On Thursday Nov. 19, GlobalPost's Passport section will host a conference call with co-author Jonathan Adams to discuss the Silicon Sweatshops series. Normally these calls are only open to Passport members, but this call will be open to the first 100 people to email email@example.com. It will occur at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. If you are selected, we will send you instructions on how to participate.


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This $99 replacement charger works with almost any Windows laptop, all smartphones, and may save you precious weight and space while traveling.
You think you know what the hardware infrastructure of the future is? Amazon may have some surprises for you.
Execs will be happy to use this lightweight business notebook despite the tradeoffs.
A great (albeit expensive) machine for execs on the go, this high-end of the ThinkPad family transforms into different configurations.
Chip and system makers take modern machine-learning concepts and apply them to supercomputers.
Pixel isn't perfect, but more than holds its own in the smartphone world. It's the purest Android experience you can get today.
Despite a few quibbles, Apple's latest large smartphone is the best I've ever used.
Many people are concerned that a few giant companies—Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.—have so much information about all of us that they need some sort of government oversight. This was the subject of the concluding panel at the recent Techonomy 2016 conference.
IoT promises to be more than just what we see today; new examples appeared at Techonomy as the debate over the devices continued.
The standard AI discussions at Techonomy were bolstered by fascinating direct computer-memory-to-brain connection talks and video demonstrations.
It's possible that unease with technology has people so alarmed it had an impact on the election, among many other things.
The Facebook CEO talked AI, curing disease, the need for Internet everywhere, and much more at the conference.
The Year Ahead 2017 conference had some thought-provoking demos on things previous unseen before.
Remembering the former Editor-in-chief of PC Magazine.
The CEOs at the Bloomberg conference this year were very interested in talking tech as well as economics.
The annual list of what CIOs and IT need to focus upon covers intelligence, digital, and mesh each in turn.


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Roku has launched a new one-stop shop for live broadcasting, which will make it easier for users to find live TV programs.
Roku has announced the launch of a new service dedicated to Live TV fans called Live TV Zone, which will host Roku’s own Live TV Channel Guide, providing access to more than 200 free live linear television channels.
These channels span a broad range of genres, including news, sports, kids and family, lifestyle, Spanish language entertainment, and more, in an easy-to-navigate, on-screen guide experience.
In addition, the new Live TV Zone offers a series of third-party apps such as YouTube TV, Hulu, fuboTV, Philo, and Sling. However, it will also provide users with a list of their recently watched items, entertainment programming, sports, and local and national news coverage.
To access the Live TV Zone, users can head to their Live TV tab from the left-hand navigation menu.
Recently, Roku has been focusing on expanding its live TV features. In last year’s Roku OS 10.5 update, the company expanded voice command support adding a new mobile menu and easier access to its live TV guide.
Last fall, the platform also doubled the number of free-to-stream live channels after adding a further 200 more free channels to its Live TV on The Roku Channel.
Last year, the company surveyed 2,852 US adults and found that 61% of users without traditional pay-TV still watch live news at least multiple times a week. The decision to create a Live TV Zone – which will essentially give users direct access to live entertainment in just a few clicks – was made in light of the findings of the streaming survey.
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Elliotts Builders Merchant, the south’s leading independent supplier of building materials to the trade and public, is now offering more than just building materials at its’ Southampton branch by launching the Brick Yard Cafe.
“We hope to make the lives of Southampton builders easier by offering to feed them for the day ahead while we process their order and load their vehicles”, says Richard Sheath, Southampton Branch Manager.
The Brick Yard Cafe, open Monday – Friday from 7am – 2pm, is based opposite the entrance to the Elliotts Southampton branch at Millbank Wharf in Northam. It forms part of a newly constructed landscaping display that showcases a variety of products available to buy from the branch, along with outdoor seating for cafe customers.
Family-run catering company, Charbills, will be managing the Brick Yard Cafe and offering a range of hot food favourites, as well as regular specials. The cafe will be showcasing some of the best of local produce.
Sheath continues “We’re proud of the high-quality food on offer and all produce in the cafe is sourced from local farmers in Hampshire and Dorset”.
Customers who spend £20 (exc. VAT) or more in branch will get a free food voucher to redeem at the Brick Yard Cafe.
To find out more, visit www.elliotts.uk


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GE Capital Bank will lease 25,000 square-feet in a building already occupied by GE Capital Retail Bank to establish a call center in Merriam, Kansas, creating 150 jobs in northeast Johnson County.
The Kansas Department of Commerce said the call center, at 9510 W. 67th St near Interstate 35, will provide a variety of customer service functions to future GE Capital Bank individual account holders. The Merriam operation will initially begin with two employee shifts.
"We're very pleased to be coming to Merriam where we intend to build a world-class customer call center to support our planned consumer deposit-taking business", said Tim Carfi, CEO of GE Capital Bank. "Johnson County has the talent pool, the business environment, and the types of local communities we were looking for to give this initiative the best chance for success."
Department of Commerce officials said details about whether any incentive package was awarded are not immediately available because contract negotiations have not been concluded.
"I'm excited that GE Capital Bank has decided to establish a significant presence in Merriam," said Kansas Commerce Secretary Pat George. "These jobs will provide a great economic boost to the community and bolster the Johnson County's financial service sector industry."


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Just two weeks left, and you can get your hands on the newest Xbox model.
Microsoft’s Xbox One S, which was announced at E3 this year, will finally be available to purchase from August 2, Major Nelson announced on his blog today. To begin with, the 2TB SKU, which retails for $399, will be the only configuration that will be offered, though Microsoft will also be offering variants with 1TB of on board storage and 500GB of on board storage for $349 and $299 respectively.
The Xbox One S features a whole range of improvements over the existing model- it features an improved controller with better wireless range and better grips, it is 40% smaller than the existing Xbox One, and it comes with an integrated power supply, ports and buttons have been shuffled around on the system to make them more accessible, and the system supports the 4K, UHD, and HDR standards for Blu Ray playback, making it the only console to do so. That said, however, it does lack a native port for Kinect, although an adaptor will be made available.
In spite of Microsoft having announced the Xbox One Scorpio for release in Holiday 2017, pre-orders for the Xbox One S have apparently been brisk, and we should not be surprised to see the Xbox One’s sales performance pick up a bit as a result of the launch of the new system. Sony, on their part, are also apparently preparing a PS4 Slim, as well as a Scorpio-esque upgrade, the PS4 Neo, for release soon.


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Global 500 rank: 147
2008 loss ($ millions): 7,321
The $12.7 billion acquisition of Houston-based Lyondell Chemical by Dutch company Basell was the beginning of the end for the newly formed chemical maker. The 2007 union created one of the biggest plastic makers in the world, but it burdened the company with debt that it could not handle amid the downturn.
For LyondellBasell, a weakening economy meant a decline in demand for products that go into the making of goods like auto parts and construction supplies. On top of that, it faced serious volatility in the prices of raw materials. High costs first led to bigger expenses in production. But once prices dropped, the company's inventory was devalued, making borrowing increasingly more difficult. The company ended up seeking bankruptcy protection in April.
NEXT: Flextronics International


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ZTE Axon 10s Pro Coming Soon, Packed With Snapdragon 865
At the end of last year, ZTE announced that the ZTE Axon 10s Pro will be equipped with the Snapdragon 865 processor. Thus, it will support 5G SA/NSA, 5G network multi-path concurrency, and Wi-Fi 6 technology. Also, the manufacturer said, most likely, the phone will be available early this year. As for now, ZTE executive has said on Weibo that this phone will be the world’s thinnest 5G flagship handset in 2020 and is expected to be available soon. Undoubtedly, the manufacturer follows the schedule and the phone is in works. Perhaps, it’s in the final test stage.
ZTE executive Lu Qianhao said that the ZTE Axon 10s Pro will use the sixth-generation flexible OLED curved screen. At the same time, the handset will be equipped with the Snapdragon 865 processor and an X55 modem. In other words, it will support dual-mode 5G and Wi-Fi 6. We also know this device will come with the LPDDR5 memory and UFS3.0 flash storage. The system is upgraded to MiFavor 10. There will be a full-scene AI engine Z-Booster 2.0, and support for dark mode.
As for the thickness, our protagonist will have a 7.9mm thin body due to the multi-curved flexible glass used on the front. Also, its weight will be 175g, but the battery capacity will be increased by 10%.
Prior to this, Xu Feng, president of ZTE’s terminal business unit, revealed that in 2020, ZTE will release nearly 10 5G smartphones worldwide and launch more than 15 5G terminal products.


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Barbados-based Pine Hill Dairy has prepared two containers to ship products to Trinidad and Tobago.
This comes exactly one month after it was reported the Barbadian company was experiencing difficulty getting its products into Trinidad.
“A bright day for Pine Hill Dairy!” said Richard Cozier, CEO and managing director of Banks Holdings Ltd, which operates Pine Hill Dairy, the Barbados press reported.
Two containers of two per cent one-litre ultra-pasteurised TGA milk and whole one-litre ultra-pasteurised milk were prepared for shipment. The milk products should be on store shelves in T&T in about one week, the Barbados Advocate reported. The value of the products in the two containers was given as US$56,000, Cozier said.
Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association president Dominic Hadeed yesterday welcomed news of the shipments, saying local producers welcomed competition.
He said, in a phone interview, that local manufacturers exported a number of products to other Caribbean territories and had no problems with exporters from other islands introducing their goods to this country.
The TTMA was instrumental in helping the Barbadian manufacturer resolve import/export issues with local authorities to allow its goods to be brought to Trinidad and Tobago, he added.
The business group has also established a help desk to facilitate importers from Jamaica, Hadeed added.
On June 21, Banks Holdings’ Cozier had said in Barbados that BHL had run into a roadblock in accessing the Trinidad market, as the local authorities indicated that several BHL brands had what was described as non-compliant labelling.