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Mar 17, 2017 11:37 AM EDT
With great features and design, LG G6 has been getting rave reviews from tech experts and users. The phone is boasting an 18:9 Quad HD display, Snapdragon 821, a new dual camera, and Google Assistant that could compete with Apple's Siri.
Droid Report has previously reported that availability of LG G6 and its price. Currently, the phone will be available on the US this April 7 while it is already sold in Korea last March 10 at 899, 800 won or around $795, according to the Korean-based publication The Investor.
The list below will show the LG G6's availability in America, Canada, and Australia retail stores. Also included in the list are the price of the phones.
So far, the list has been updated since March 16. It would include Sprint and the prices for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.
The previous update shows that there are no pricing available for the LG G6. This time, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile announced the pricing and availability details for the phone.
If a customer also happens to order the LG G6 from any of those carriers before April 30, they will receive a free Google Home, according to Android Authority.
If that will happen, these users could have their free speaker. They can purchase this on LG G6's official website.
Verizon: Interested buyers could pre-order the LG G6 from Verizon today. The device will be officially available from the carrier on March 30. It would cost $28 pero month for 24 months or $672 in full. If one is interested, they can purchase it in Verizon's site.
AT&T: Same with Verizon, interested buyers in AT&T could pre-order the LG G6 now with $24 a month for 30 months. Interested buyers could also have an AT&T Next Every Year plan at $30 a month for 24 months.
T-Mobile: On April 7, the LG G6 will be officially launched at T-Mobile. Interested buyers could get this new device for $650 off contract of for $26 down and $26 per month in 24 months.
Sprint: Finally, Sprint has announced that the LG G6 will be available for pre-order. They are going to offer Ice Platinum and Black color options this Friday, March 17 and it will be officially available this April 7 online and in-store. The device would be available for $29.50 per month for 24 months.
US Cellular: It has been confirmed that US Cellular will offer the LG G6. The retailer, however, has not announced any specific availability and price.
Want to know more about LG G6? Tune in here to keep you updated on the availability.
Jul 16, 2017
1. Jul 16, 2017
2. Jul 16, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S9 Might Surface On GeekBench With Snapdragon 845 1.77GHz Quad-core CPU
3. Jul 16, 2017
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Accidentally Reveals Shipment in September
4. Jul 14, 2017
AMD RX Vega Vs. Nvidia GTX1080: Battle Of Best GPUs in 2017
1. Jul 14, 2017
AMD RX Vega News, Update, Release: RX Vega GPU Major Details Leaked Before July 18 Show
2. Jul 14, 2017
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Price, Features, Specification Revealed By Official Image
3. Jul 14, 2017
Nexus 5X & Nexus 6P Is Not Going To Support 'One' Android O Feature
4. Jul 13, 2017
Nokia 2, Nokia 7, Nokia 8 & Nokia 9 Leaks, News: 2017 Nokia Android Lineup's Processors Leaks


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A report by global business data aggregator and analysis firm, Future Market Insights (FMI) says that Malaysian tourism receipts are likely rise from USD 2.85 billion in 2023 to over USD 9.35 billion within a decade, growing at a fast clip of 12.6 pc CAGR.
The report by FMI says that quality accommodation and transport is better which is attracting more and more tourists. This is one of the key reasons for the growth in Malaysia market, while another factor which is driving growth of tourism is the Malaysian government’s unending effort in targeting global elites who are from the high-income group.
In a statement, FMI says that the project of developing 15 projects including Malaysia Eye, International Fashion Street, Sunset Beach, and Cruse Shopping Gallery is creating curiosity among tourists and is therefore leading to a robust development in the growth of Malaysian tourism. Medical tourism is one of the important factors that is boosting the tourism industry in Malaysia, it adds.
Liberalisation of some government-controlled sectors, development of more tourism destinations, and increased involvement of the private sector are some of the key measure that will improve Malaysia tourism performance in the future. The Malaysian government is making its tourism industry more attractive, but more skilled personnel will be required to manage government function in future.
The report says that as per the latest update by Future Market Insights, the Malaysia tourism market is forecast to increase at a prolific CAGR of 12.6 pc between 2023 and 2033. Over the last few decades, tourism industry has become a significant contributor to the GDP of Malaysia, adds the statement.
FMI says that having a rich cultural history, diverse local lifestyle and beautiful natural landmarks, Malaysia has turned into one of the most popular tourist destinations, it says. Today, with the worldwide campaign called ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’ this small country is generating extra revenue through tourism to contribute towards the development of its economy.
However, being one of the hardest hit sectors due to the covid19 pandemic, this industry has only now started to recover, says the FMI report. In response, the National Tourism Policy 2020-2030 was launched by the government to ensure the continuity of the country’s tourism industry while also targeting to make Malaysia one of the top 10 global tourist destinations.
The report goes on to add that this long-term strategy is divided into six main strategic thrusts such as strengthening governance capacity, creating special tourist investment zones to encourage technology oriented tourism investment, practicing sustainable and responsible tourism and embracing smart tourism.
Malaysia revamps medical tourism offer
According to the statement, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, a government agency, is actively working on revamping Malaysia as a medical tourism destination. A positive growth has only been possible by boosting the healthcare quality, focusing on patient experience and ensuring affordable services while following proper protocols.
The statement adds that as good governance requires a balance between development, protection and preservation of the country’s treasures including the environment, culture and heritage, the National Tourism Policy is therefore trying to incorporate elements of the sustainable development goals and enhancing tourism’s role in promoting inclusive development along with responsible consumption practices. This will consequently make Malaysia a more preferred destination amongst an environmentally conscious generation, says FMI.
FMI report adds that Malaysia opened its international borders and lifted all travel restrictions to enter the post pandemic world. Despite the increasing number of travelers, Malaysia continues to struggle due to lack of airline tickets and hotel rooms since a lot of sub sectors of tourism industry had to downsize during nationwide lockdowns. Additionally, a large proportion of people who lost their jobs are believed to have found alternate sources of employment thereby making the industry understaffed. This poses a direct threat to the resurgence of tourism sector.
Regional markets such as South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia are few of the destinations that are chosen as an alternative to Malaysia. Even developing Asian countries are slowly becoming tourist hotspots.
On the demographic details of the tourists visiting Malaysia, the FMI report says that middle-aged travellers are most likely to travel overseas. People between the age group of 25-39 make up the largest percentage of international tourists in Malaysia, it adds.
FMI adds that these travellers belong to the working population who are situated across the globe and have the spending capacity as well as good health to take overseas tours. Tourists from this age group are mostly independent travellers who plan their trip on their own to various new destinations. Additionally, the vast number of beautiful islands makes Malaysia a favorable destination for young couples who also belong to the same age group. The various promotional activities on social media platforms are attracting tourists across this age group and is forecast to display same trend over the forecast period.
The FMI adds that in the last few years there have been rapid technological advancements due to which a large number of people have become quite comfortable with emerging technologies and are well equipped to adapt to change. Consequently, this has led to an increase in the number of independent travellers and is forecast to only increase further.
Tourists enjoy taking holidays, but for many, planning the trip is also a big part of that enjoyment. It usually takes a lot of time and effort to research and make a decision before purchasing travel tickets, accommodations, tours, or any other supplementary services or modes of transportation. However, the existence of online travel agencies has unquestionably both sped up the procedure and offered clients access to more choices, it says.
People who book their vacations online prefer to compare travel on booking portals and hotel websites. Offline, however, arranging a trip is carried out with the aid of a travel company or a tour operator. The ‘Hashtag Generation’, which includes Millennials and Generation Z, is more likely to try new things and seek out new experiences.

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Photographer Lillian Bassman, known for her intimate, ethereal portraits of models in the 1940s through the mid-’60s, died Monday at her home in Manhattan. She was 94.
Widely counted among the greatest female fashion photographers, Bassman got her start under Alexey Brodovitch at Harper’s Bazaar in 1941. She continued working at the magazine and its Junior Bazaar spinoff as an art director and staff photographer through 1965.
“Through Lillian’s lens, a photograph became a sensual work of art, conveying the movement and mystery of the woman of style,” Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazzar, said in a statement this week.
By the 1970s, Bassman became disillusioned with her place in the industry and abandoned fashion photography, famously destroying many of her negatives.
A trash bag full of her surviving work was rediscovered 20 years later, leading to new assignments and solo photo exhibitions. Around that time, she met gallery owner Peter Fetterman.
“Whenever I went to New York, I would first go see Lillian because I would be inspired for my whole trip,” Fetterman said. “There she was at that age, always creating, always re-evaluating, always searching.”
Known for her experimental darkroom techniques, Bassman would often blur and bleach her black-and-white images until they resembled charcoal drawings or paintings. Later in her life, she embraced digital photography and taught herself Photoshop.
Working in a male-dominated industry, she developed a unique vision and style. Her images inspired designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen while paving the way for a generation of female photographers.
Shana Darnell, a photo editor at Turner Broadcasting, remembers when she first discovered Bassman’s work, which bridged the gap between her interests in photography and illustration.
Throughout the ’90s, Darnell was an aspiring fashion photographer. While it was still rare for a woman to be behind the camera, she says she was inspired by Bassman’s self-determination.
“I think the fact that she persevered against the odds gave women photographers more drive to succeed and participate in the industry,” she said. “She lent a perspective to fashion photography that had not been widely seen.”
A retrospective exhibition of Bassman’s photographs, planned before her death, will open March 10 at the Peter Fetterman Gallery in Los Angeles.
“I think she’s one of the most important photographers of elegance,” Fetterman said. “She captured a sophistication that you very rarely see in contemporary photography.”
- Brett Roegiers, CNN


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24 March 2017
The flagship sedan Continental launched in the Middle East is designed and engineered to make every action as easy as possible for both the driver and passengers.
22 March 2017
Available for the 987 chassis Boxster and Cayman, including the S badged variants.
21 March 2017
Only 100 going on sale globally with 10 available in the EMEA region.
20 March 2017
F1 racing legend and Indy 500 champion, Emerson Fittipaldi, unveiled his dream track car, the much-anticipated Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo by Pininfarina, at the Geneva Motor Show.
18 March 2017
Abu Dhabi Racing driver Sheikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qassimi and navigator Khalid Al Kendi secured second place at the end of the Dubai International Baja, Round 2 of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies 2017.
17 March 2017
P3 UK has released details of its OEM style gauge for the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ. These ingenious gauges integrate perfectly into the factory vent aperture to display useful technical information, without ruining the looks of the interior.
15 March 2017
Bespoke McLaren 720S personalised by MSO is unveiled in Geneva just 24 hours after global debut of second-generation Super Series.
14 March 2017
Brabus has worked its magic on the relatively new Mercedes-Benz G 500 4x4². Dubbed the Brabus 550 Adventure, the extreme SUV is on display at the on-going Geneva Motor Show, painted a special Light Slate Gray.
13 March 2017
Collaborative venture between Infiniti and RenaultSport Formula One explores the potential for an innovative new performance model line.
11 March 2017
The 87th iteration of the Geneva International Motor Show, which is running from 9-19 March 2017, showcased a multitude of global debuts from major brands. Subtle makeovers to totally new models and rad concepts are the order of the day; hit the link to see a mega gallery of automotive eye candy!
08 March 2017
Aston Martin has chosen the 2017 Geneva Motor Show to launch AMR - an exciting new brand that brings a new dimension of race inspired dynamism and performance.
08 March 2017
With the Evoke, Wolfrace has managed to pen an alloy that is both convex and concave. This has been achieved through seven sets of polished spokes which protrude from the rim edge before plunging aggressively back into the centre of all wheel, thus creating an inner concave profile.
07 March 2017
Nissan announced the rebirth of its legendary Patrol Super Safari in the Middle East, one of the most coveted off-road vehicles ever sold in the region.
05 March 2017
Exclusive features include a new Mulliner Bottle Cooler, unique 22" wheel design, new veneer concept and a bespoke Mulliner interior colour split with contrast embroidery.
04 March 2017
If you thought Gemballa have been out of the tuning limelight for a while now, blink, and look again. The outlandish Porsche tuner is coming back with the Avalanche!


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rambus and the light bulb
On Monday Rambus issued a number of press releases associated with LED lighting at CES 2013. Rambus acquired LED technology back in December 2009, so activity in the area is not a surprise. What is a surprise though is the announcement of an actual product, a Rambus light bulb. It seems almost corny that a […]
On Monday Rambus issued a number of press releases associated with LED lighting at CES 2013. Rambus acquired LED technology back in December 2009, so activity in the area is not a surprise. What is a surprise though is the announcement of an actual product, a Rambus light bulb. It seems almost corny that a company better known for large legal battles around SDRAM and RDRAM technologies is going to be producing a light bulb. Before exploring this a bit further it must be said that technology development and commercialization is never a linear process.
The “Rambus Introduces Revolutionary LED Light Bulb” entitled Press Release announced the first offering, an A19 60W equivalent light bulb. Within the release emphasis is certainly placed on their MicroLens(TM) light distribution technology. In this particular application it appears the MicroLens(TM) will be incorporated as or in a cylindrical light guide. While there is mention of some other electronic components there is no mention of the actual LED source, suggesting this part of the bulb will be off-the-shelf and is not seen as central to any advantages of their offering. Going back to the December 2009 Press Release announcing acquisition of Global Lighting Technologies this MicroLens(TM) “light distribution technology” was again front and center. Taking a different perspective I think what the two releases say about Rambus is equally interesting.
The opening sentence of the 2009 release reads, in part, “Rambus Inc., one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies …”. The same sentence in Monday’s release reads, in part, “Rambus Inc., the innovative technology solutions company that brings invention to market …” So in the roughly three years between these releases Rambus’ picture of itself has changed from a “technology licensing company” to an “innovative technology solutions company”. The variance is even more evident in the “About Rambus Inc.” paragraph of the two releases.
It might be said that Rambus has gone through a bit of a renaissance the last few years as it diversifies its technology, and IP, portfolio. This has included investments in cryptography, next-generation non-volatile memory and LED lighting. With its introduction of a light bulb one starts to see some sort of almost conglomerate and not simply a licensing company. It might also be said that Monday’s release answers a question I thought about last year. Namely, is it Rambus’ intention to bring an NVM part based on the acquired Unity CMOx technology to market? I think the answer is yes.


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SECRETARY OF STATE A. RALPH MOLLIS' office says the event will include a new “smart start” room. Attorneys and accountants will use the room to speak with businesses and entrepreneurs on patents, trademarks, taxes and other issues.
PROVIDENCE – Businesses will be able to discuss regulations affecting them with the government officials responsible for enforcing the laws and codes at the seventh annual We Mean Business Expo next month.
Attendees at the Sept. 10 event at the Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick in Warwick will include Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee, Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, representatives of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation and other state, federal and local officials.
Last year, Chafee used the event to announce plans for state departments and agencies to accelerate their evaluation of regulations for any adverse effects on small businesses, shrinking the evaluation period from four years to 480 days.
One of the early results of that review has been the identification of 12 rules recommended for elimination of the estimated 1,642 that small businesses in Rhode Island must comply with. Fifty-three more regulations were marked for amendment or cited as redundant.
This year, Mollis’ office says the event, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will include a new “smart start” room. Attorneys and accountants will use the room to speak with businesses and entrepreneurs on patents, trademarks, taxes and other issues.
Workshops will include a presentation by the state fire marshal’s office on the Rhode Island fire code.


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WHITBY, Ont. — The federal Conservatives are committing to provide the auto industry with more than $1 billion over the next decade to help it cope with the elimination of tariffs as a result of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The party says the aid program for developing products would take effect in 2017-18, when an existing subsidy program ends.
The Tories say they would also start to include the infrastructure, land and buildings needed for assembly plants under the current subsidy program.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says a Tory government would also offer non-repayable grants to companies that make firm commitments to build new auto assembly plants.
Under the TPP, a 6.1-per-cent levy on auto imports will be phased out over five years if it is ratified.
Cars would be allowed into Canada without tariffs as long as they have 45 per cent content from the TPP, lower than the 62.5 per cent threshold under NAFTA.


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No music, no street closings - just one big street with loads of bargains.
The third Forest Park Sidewalk Sale will be from Sept. 28 to Sept. 30 and feature bargains galore along Madison Street.
The event will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The tables go out and the merchants go to town, putting out any items they want, said Laurie Kokones, the chamber's executive director.
Weather permitting the event will be outside; if it's raining, well, it'll be inside. Balloons will designate who's in.
This is the last sidewalk sale of the year; it is an event that businesses count on to increase visibility, traffic and sales, Kokones said.
Call the Chamber, which is sponsoring the event, at 708-366-2543 for more information.


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Scientists have documented three species of wasps turning into three new species, an unusual close-up view of rapid evolution in action.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team found that evolutionary changes in one species of fruit fly triggered a cascade of evolutionary changes in three species of wasps that are predators of the fruit fly.
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Macy's coupon - Sign up to get 25% off next order
Kohl's coupon - 30% off sitewide for Rewards members
- Saks Fifth Avenue:
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|William Perez has resigned his position as CEO, citing differences with Nike Chairman Phil Knight.
NIKE PRESIDENT-CEO PHILIP KNIGHT STEPS DOWN
S.C. Johnson Chief William D. Perez Named as Replacement
Mark Parker takes over
Nike brand co-president Mark Parker -- who has been with the company for 26 years and was long considered a potential successor to Mr. Knight, Nike's chairman -- will take over as CEO.
Mr. Perez, who resigned as CEO of S.C. Johnson & Sons last year to take over at Nike, said in a statement that he and Mr. Knight “weren't entirely aligned on some aspects of how to best lead the company's long-term growth. It became obvious to me that the long-term interests of the company would be best served by my resignation.”
'Expectations didn't play out'
In his own statement, Mr. Knight said: “Succession at any company is challenging, and unfortunately the expectations that Bill and I and others had when he joined the company a year ago didn't play out as we had hoped.”
Mr. Knight thanked Mr. Perez for his service, and praised Mr. Parker’s ascension.
“Mark has a proven track record in driving creativity, innovation and growth,” Mr. Knight said. “He's an experienced, talented executive and has played an instrumental role in building our business and making the Nike brand as strong as it is today. Mark is the right person to drive our business forward.”
Quarterly profits up 15%
Nike reported a 15% gain in its latest quarterly profits, leading many to speculate that the problems between Messrs. Knight and Perez were personality driven. The company’s shares have fallen 3% in the past year, mostly on the news that Germany-based competitor Adidas-Salomon would purchase Reebok and become a stronger international player.


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Allen-Edmonds unveils MLB shoes, but not for Brewers
In honor of opening day, Port Washington-based Allen-Edmonds unveiled its new line of Major League Baseball shoes Monday at company stores around the country, and online.
But don't rush out to look for a pair of Milwaukee Brewers-themed shoes. The Brewers didn't make the cut for the new casual shoe line. In fairness, most other teams don't have their own shoes either.
Team-theme shoes are available for the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers and Mets, according to the Allen-Edmonds Web site. UPDATE at 4:20 p.m.: A spokeswoman for the company said they plan to add teams in coming weeks, and eventually offer shoes for all of the teams on the web site.
I wrote about Allen-Edmonds and its new products in this story last fall.
- Two new Ross Dress for Less stores set to open Saturday
- Meijer store in Sussex to open Tuesday
- National Business Furniture grand opening set for June 14
- Men's retailer Richard Bennett Tailors moving to Brookfield Square from Mayfair
- Bon-Ton Stores Inc. planning to sell, lease back three more stores
- Hallmark aiming for another touchdown: Packer Jordy Nelson is 2016 Keepsake ornament
- Wisconsin's first Akira store opens Friday at Brookfield Square
- Downtown Boston Store's new furniture department debuts Thursday
- Meijer partners with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin network
- Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly lands meat contest awards
Retail Business News
All sorts of things are bubbling up — from exotica such as holograms and virtual reality to more-prosaic but potentially more-useful technology — as legacy retailers seek to merge their physical outposts with the online world.
The transformation has chains making major investments, and Menomonee Falls-based Kohl's Corp., one of the Milwaukee area's largest employers, is no exception.


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The death of the iPhone is being foretold and the outlook for the
PC and laptop aren’t much better. Influential security company
CEO Eugene Kaspersky told PC Advisor at InfoSec Tuesday that both
are set to be consigned to history.
The iconic Apple iPhone will either not exist or occupy a very
small niche satisfying the needs of committed Mac fans around five
years from now, predicts Kaspersky.


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Reliance Jio has stopped the tariff protection service which we spotted a few days ago on the company's website. With the help of Jio's tariff protection service, prepaid customers were able to get the previous plans and not the newly launched plans. However, the service is no longer available, meaning every Jio prepaid user will now have to recharge the newly launched prepaid plans itself. For the unaware, Reliance Jio increased prepaid plan prices earlier this month and it's also losing the battle to incumbent telcos by charging the off-net voice calls. Jio allowed its prepaid users who are not on any active plan to avail the old prepaid plans itself via tariff protection service. The new unlimited plans from Reliance Jio with bundled off-net voice minutes start at Rs 129, whereas the same plans from Vodafone Idea and Airtel start at Rs 149.
Jio Removes Tariff Protection Service with Immediate Effect
When it commercially launched LTE-only services back in 2016, Reliance Jio promised that it would provide the best tariff plans in the industry. After announcing the price hike recently, Jio silently allowed its prepaid users who are not on an active plan to avail the old recharge plans itself. For example, Jio's prepaid customers got the Rs 149 plan even after the tariff hike and the plan offered them 1.5GB data per day, unlimited Jio-to-Jio voice calling and 100 SMSes per day for 28 days. Some Jio customers even recharged the Rs 1,699 yearly prepaid plan whose price has now been increased to Rs 2,199 (available at Rs 2,020 for a limited period).
As mentioned above, the tariff protection was available only to Jio's prepaid customers who are not on any active prepaid plan. For example, if you are already on an active prepaid recharge, then you will not be able to avail the tariff protection service.
When we checked for the tariff protection service today on a non-active Jio number, the feature is not available. We have checked for the tariff protection service in a couple of other non-active Jio numbers as well. Even some of TelecomTalk readers also complained about the absence of the service.
Every Jio Prepaid Customer Will Have to Recharge New Plans Only
The removal of tariff protection means every Jio prepaid customer will have to recharge the newly launched plans. The new Jio prepaid plans start at the same Rs 98, but the plans with bundled off-net calling start at Rs 129. On the same note, Reliance Jio is still charging six paise per minute for off-net calls, whereas Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are providing unlimited voice calls without any charges.
Thanks to the six paise IUC, Reliance Jio may start losing subscribers as Airtel and Vodafone Idea will likely gain. Just a few days ago, we reported that Airtel managed to add 12 million customers in October and November months. Airtel's net additions per month over the last few months was just around 1.5 million, but it has seen a rapid rise. For the uninitiated, Jio introduced IUC Top-Up vouchers in October this year.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is yet to reveal the November 2019 subscriber data, but the information regarding Airtel's numbers was provided by a company's official itself. It will be interesting to see how Reliance Jio' subscriber additions would be.


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Apple Is Tracking You Even When Its Own Privacy Settings Say It’s Not
For all of Apple’s talk about how private your iPhone is, the company vacuums up a lot of data about you. iPhones do have a privacy setting that is supposed to turn off that tracking. According to a new report by independent researchers, though, Apple collects extremely detailed information on you with its own apps even when you turn off tracking, an apparent direct contradiction of Apple’s own description of how the privacy protection works.
The iPhone Analytics setting makes an explicit promise. Turn it off, and Apple says that it will “disable the sharing of Device Analytics altogether.” However, Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry, two app developers and security researchers at the software company Mysk, took a look at the data collected by a number of Apple iPhone apps—the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, and Stocks. They found the analytics control and other privacy settings had no obvious effect on Apple’s data collection—the tracking remained the same whether iPhone Analytics was switched on or off.
The App Store appeared to harvest information about every single thing you did in real time, including what you tapped on, which apps you search for, what ads you saw, and how long you looked at a given app and how you found it. The app sent details about you and your device as well, including ID numbers, what kind of phone you’re using, your screen resolution, your keyboard languages, how you’re connected to the internet—notably, the kind of information commonly used for device fingerprinting.
“Opting-out or switching the personalization options off did not reduce the amount of detailed analytics that the app was sending,” Mysk said. “I switched all the possible options off, namely personalized ads, personalized recommendations, and sharing usage data and analytics.”
Apple did not respond to multiple requests for comment. We’ll update the story with any information the company provides.
Gizmodo requested that Mysk examine a few other Apple apps for comparison. The researchers said that the Health and Wallet apps, for example, didn’t transmit any analytics data at all, regardless of whether the iPhone Analytics setting was on or off, whereas Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, the iTunes Store, and Stocks all did. Most of the apps that sent analytics data shared consistent ID numbers, which would allow Apple to track your activity across its services, the researchers found.


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I-41 billboard ad pokes fun at Trump, Clinton
KAUKAUNA - "Moving to Canada?"
If you are, a Kaukauna real estate company promises it can sell your home, according to a digital billboard ad on Interstate 41 between Kaukauna and Wrightstown.
"We're enjoying it," Landro Fox Cities Realty owner Brandon Landro said about the response. "We're having a lot of fun with it."
The ad, which went live late last week, features side-by-side portraits of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton above the company's name and phone number. Landro calls the ad nonpartisan.
"We put both candidates up there, and we're not endorsing one candidate or the other," he said.
Landro said about 95 percent of the reactions to the ad have been positive.
"Ad of the year!!" said Tom Lemerande on the company's Facebook page.
"Tempting..." said, Paula Carlson, another Facebook user. The multi-ad billboard cycles through each ad about every eight seconds.
Landro said he drew the idea from Jeff Cook, of the Charleston, South Carolina-based Jeff Cook Real Estate. The realtor has a similar billboard ad in South Carolina.
Best of all? Landro said the phones have been ringing "a little bit more" in the past few days.
"The hope is that everybody takes it as what it is supposed to be. It's a little bit of a spoof of what's going on out there.
"We're happy with the results we've gotten," he added.
Ethan Safran: 920-996-7267, or email@example.com; on Twitter @EthanSafran


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Ten years of the cost of solar panels is being pushed back. An important marketplace that makes solar energy the fastest-growing energy source in the world – the rapidly declining cost – has hit rock bottom.
Solar module prices have risen by 18% since the beginning of the year after falling by 90% over the past decade. The reversal, caused by four times the cost of polysilicon for raw materials, threatens to delay projects and take solar power as a few governments are finally throwing their weight in an effort to reduce climate change.
“Solar flares have not been so severe for more than a decade,” said Jenny Chase, who leads the solar analyst and BloombergNEF energy research team. “Engineers and governments will have to stop expecting the sun to become too cheap anytime soon.” BNEF slightly lowered its solar construction forecast for this year in a report last week, citing prices of materials including polysilicon as one of the reasons.
“Higher prices affect demand and could delay major projects”, says panel founder Canada Solar Inc. said a profit call on Thursday. In India, about 10 gigawatts of potential projects, equivalent to more than a quarter of the country’s energy, Mint reported, cited unnamed engineers. Major American projects could also be postponed, say analysts at Cowen & Co.
Ten years of the cost of solar panels is being pushed back. Projects that have not yet signed price agreements and purchasing power supplies could be delayed unless the customer is willing to pay for high electricity, according to Xiaojing Sun, an analyst at Wood Mackenzie Ltd.
In the solar power system, time would not be so bad. Renewable energy has finally become a champion in the White House and climate targets have been announced throughout Europe and Asia.
At the center of the problem is polysilicon, a highly refined form of silicon, one of the most widely used materials on Earth commonly found in ocean sand. As the solar industry tries to meet the expected increase in demand for modules, polysilicon manufacturers could not keep up. Prices for refined metalloids touched $ 25.88 a pound, up from $ 6.19 less than last year, according to PVInsights. Polysilicon prices are expected to remain stable until the end of 2022, according to Roth Capital Partners analysts including Philip Shen.
And the problem is not limited to polysilicon. The solar sector is facing “pervasive costly procurement challenges,” said panel manufacturer Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd. in April.
Solar panels are made of heated sand and refined into ultra-conductive polysilicon fibers cut into shiny pieces, stranded into cells, and assembled into roof panels and covered with large fields.
Prices for steel, aluminum, and copper have also risen, as commodity prices Solar-microinverter supplier Enphase Energy Inc., said it expects its delivery volumes to be restricted to the availability of a semiconductor component.
Ten years of the cost of solar panels is being pushed back “Down the polysilicon river, it is very painful,” Canadian Solar Vice President Xiong Haibo said at a conference in China, according to the Solar industrial sector. “Currently, it is not in the lower profitable companies and they are all reducing productivity.”
However, the hiatus in the long-term slope is reduced by the continuous improvement of solar panels, says Nitin Apte, chief executive officer of Vena Energy Pte. The company is not planning a delay this year on its solar projects across Japan, Taiwan, Australia and India.
“I see this as a temporary situation, and few projects can see that that eats away at our risks,” Nitin said in a statement he had in his office in Singapore. “We are not delaying construction. We close orders at the best prices we can find. ”
For a long time, the shortage has encouraged the construction of new polysilicon factories, including the announcement this month of what will be China’s largest facility.
“One would expect that any material with a polysilicon-containing growth factor would continue to be included in the system,” Vena’s Nitin said. “The challenge is to put that skill in time for full growth.”
Source: Bloomberg Green


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BlackBerry 10 is finally on track
RIM CEO Throsten Heins has stated that his company's next-generation operating system, BlackBerry 10, is in the final stages of testing. He also noted that the company would soon be ready to license the operating system to other manufacturers. RIM expects to have smartphones using the operating system on the market by early 2013.
Don't Miss: Today's Best Deals on Amazon.com
RIM is now considering how other companies might be able to use BlackBerry 10 and a range of products. The new operating system could be RIMs last chance to gain market share in the smartphone realm and is built on QNX.


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Over the years, LeBron has had a number of high profile teammates, though arguably none complimented the King as well as Dwyane Wade. Together in Miami, James and Wade led the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances – winning twice.
Dwyane Wade Rooting for LeBron James and the Lakers
Though Wade has now retired, he is living in Los Angeles – where his son goes to high school and shares a court with James’ son. While Wade seems excited about all Los Angeles sports, he specifically mentions James and the Lakers as a team where he “has a dog in the fight”.
Despite James leaving Wade and the Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, there has never been any ill will between the former teammates and James made sure he was in attendance for Wade’s final game last season. The two are members of the infamous Banana Boat Crew and as mentioned above, their sons are close friends and high school basketball teammates.
While the Lakers missed the playoffs last season – in large part due to a plethora of injuries – they re-tooled in a major way this offseason and look to once again be one of the Western Conference’s frontrunners. Led by the addition of Anthony Davis, James finally has his superstar running-mate in Los Angeles and is surrounded by a team that looks to be a much better fit for his skill set. Loaded with shooters and hard-nosed defenders, the Lakers look to be much better equipped to space the floor compared to last season while throwing out lineups that are able to give opposing teams trouble on the defensive end.
LeBron James Gets Nike Building Named After Him
Among James’ many accolades, he can now add the fact that he has a building named after him to the list. Built at the Nike campus in Beaverton, Oregon, LeBron’s namesake building is the brand new Advanced Innovation Building. Home to the minds that continually push the limits of Nike’s sports technology, James’ building also features some state of the art training facilities.
James is currently the highest-earning active player in the sneaker game, eclipsed by only Michael Jordan and his whopping $130 million annual take home for being the namesake of the ultra-successful Jordan brand sect of Nike shoes. James has been with Nike since he signed out of high school and was instantly given his own signature shoe model.
“It’s so surreal,” James told Hypebeast, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time NBA champion. “It’s been an honor to be a part of such a great company for the last 18 years. And to know that a building with my name will reside on campus — it’s truly an honor, and I feel truly special.”
Even as James’ career winds down, he should find himself still in business with the shoe giant for years to come given that his sneakers are still one of the company’s biggest sellers – a trend that doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon.


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Ubisoft Montreal's hugely anticipated new game Watch Dogs is officially less than three months away, and we can confirm it's looking good
Taking a piece of add-on content and turning it into a standalone game is an interesting move for Ubisoft.
New open world action franchise exploits our modern paranoia around privacy, digital voyeurism, and even cyber terrorism
New original IP from Ubisoft Montreal will be on store shelves in time for the holidays and available on next generation consoles.
Latest instalment in Ubisoft Montreal's famed series appears to take to the high seas with a swashbuckling main character.
Post Arcade editor Matt Hartley speaks to Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat about the future of the newly acquired studio, its intellectual property and its employees
Ubisoft has created a mesmerizing villain in Vaas, the scarred, mohawk-wearing evil doer at the centre of Far Cry 3
Got a question for Far Cry 3 level design director Mark Thompson? Join us at noon on Monday to ask him yourself during our live chat.
To help you get ready for the launch of Assassin's Creed III on Tuesday, Post Arcade proudly presents our straightforward(ish) story primer.
It is becoming increasingly clear that provincial governments across Canada are doubling down on the video game sector, and are using tax credits and wage subsidies to lure developers and publishers.
Staffed with chefs and onboard concierge, the 24-day trip stops in L.A., Bora Bora, Thailand, India, London. A deal if you book for two — just $119,000 each
Read this cheat sheet if you are looking to come up with the next ‘Big Idea’ — and remember you only have to solve one
Crunching your own numbers is a better way to determine your magic retirement number than taking some survey’s word for it. Here’s how
Economist says there is wage growth at top and bottom but middle class still lags: 'It is not that we are doing great but that they (Americans) are doing very...
Jamie Golombek explains why the CRA loves written communications if you are protesting your tax treatment


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To highlight "the Mrs. Claus in all of us," the Seattle-based company launched a campaign across CTV, radio, influencer, social and other channels.
Brick-and-mortar retailers like Bloomingdale's, which is known for extravagant in-store holiday programs, are being forced to pivot this year.
Marketers are flocking to interactive virtual experiences, some of which are tailored for Halloween, as research suggests they can drive sales.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on consumer habits, the brand is focusing on comfortable clothing and charitable giving this season.
To give fans a "break" from pandemic-related stresses, the creator of the best temporary slogan will receive an 85-hour stay for two at a luxury hotel.


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The average TV viewing time was up 12%, compared to the months before lockdown in 2020.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority, TV ad exposure for UK viewers went up 15.6% from 16 March to 2 May. This was driven by a 20% jump in TV viewing hours in the weeks that followed the announcement of a lockdown in mid-March in the UK.
The sectors impacted heavily by COVID-19 saw far less exposure to ads. These sectors are hospitality, travel and cinema. Sectors like government/social campaigns, food-related brand building ads saw increased exposure to ads owing to greater corporate responsibility messaging by supermarkets.
Additionally, a hike in exposure for haircare, oral hygiene and household cleaning supplies ads was observed. Another cited study found Britons spending six hours and 25 minutes daily on average watching TV and online video content, in April.
[1 minute read]


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Ørsted ranked the mostsustainable companyin the worldRead more
Source: Ørsted – Love your home
Ørsted ranked the mostsustainable companyin the worldRead more
Source: Ørsted – Love your home
By Brad Plumer
Nov. 12, 2018
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WASHINGTON — Over the next two decades, the world’s energy system will undergo a huge transformation. Wind and solar power are poised to become dominant sources of electricity. China’s once-relentless appetite for coal is set to wane. The amount of oil we use to fuel our cars could peak and decline.
But there’s a catch: The global march toward clean energy still isn’t happening fast enough to avoid dangerous global warming, at least not unless governments put forceful new policy measures in place to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
That’s the conclusion of the International Energy Agency, which on Monday published its annual World Energy Outlook, a 661-page report that forecasts global energy trends to 2040. These projections are especially difficult right now because the world’s energy markets, which usually evolve gradually, are going through a major upheaval.
via Clean Energy Is Surging, but Not Fast Enough to Solve Global Warming – The New York Times
More efforts needed
The global fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) car stock reached 8 000 units in 2017, with the United States and Japan accounting for nearly 90% of the global fleet. Focus on hydrogen is increasing from a variety of countries and companies, with the IEA also strengthening its own analytical capability.
Hydrogen’s potential role in the energy system
Hydrogen can link different energy sectors and energy transmission and distribution networks, and thus increase the operational flexibility of future low-carbon energy systems.
By John Paul MacDuffie
Mr. MacDuffie is director of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Oct. 1, 2018
Elon Musk’s decision to settle fraud charges against him — by paying a $20 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission and agreeing to step down as the chairman of Tesla, the company he co-founded — is the best possible outcome for both investors in Tesla and anyone who cares about the future of electric vehicles.
By giving up the chairmanship for three years, Mr. Musk will have the chance to focus on some of the huge tasks still ahead for the company, particularly raising the financing to meet the company’s looming debts. And the governance measures imposed by the S.E.C. — for new board members, better review of communications and a permanent committee of independent board members to monitor disclosures and conflicts of interest — are exactly what the company needs to prevent another social media-fueled debacle.
His leadership matters well beyond Silicon Valley. Tesla, under Mr. Musk, has been the single most significant force driving the global automotive industry — and the consumers who purchase cars — to take the prospect of a fully electric vehicle future seriously. No other electric vehicle initiative — from Nissan’s Leaf and GM’s Chevrolet Volt and Bolt to the new wave of luxury electric cars being rolled out by German automakers and new companies funded by Chinese billionaires — has achieved the impact on the public’s imagination, brand loyalty or sales success of Tesla. Those initiatives might not even have occurred without the prod of Tesla’s example.
via Opinion | The Future of Electric Cars Is Brighter With Elon Musk in It – The New York Times
“President Trump’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on imports of solar panels and components is the opening salvo of his America First campaign to protect domestic manufacturers from Chinese competition. The stakes are high: Solar is the world’s fastest-growing energy industry, attracting over $160 billion in investment in 2017.
Yet these tariffs will do little to make American manufacturers competitive with dominant Chinese ones. Instead, they might actually discourage domestic investments in innovation, crucial to an American solar manufacturing revival. On top of this, the tariffs will cause collateral damage by slowing down the installation of solar panels in the United States, destroying more jobs than they create, and provoking trade disputes and retaliation.”
via How U.S. Tariffs Will Hurt America’s Solar Industry – The New York Times
“ZEBULON, N.C. — At this century-old farm just outside Durham, symmetrical rows of shining blue solar panels have replaced the soybeans and tobacco that Tommy Vinson and his family used to grow here. It is one of many solar farms that have sprung up around North Carolina, transforming a state long battered by global offshoring into the second-largest generator of solar electricity after California.
“It’s still reaping a very good harvest,” said April Vinson, who is married to Tommy. “It’s just not a traditional kind of farm.”
Across North Carolina, textile factories and tobacco farms have disappeared, giving way to fields of solar panels.”
via Trump’s Solar Tariffs Are Clouding the Industry’s Future – The New York Times
“SHENZHEN, China — There is a powerful reason that automakers worldwide are speeding up their efforts to develop electric vehicles — and that reason is China.
Propelled by vast amounts of government money and visions of dominating next-generation technologies, China has become the world’s biggest supporter of electric cars. That is forcing automakers from Detroit to Yokohama and Seoul to Stuttgart to pick up the pace of transformation or risk being left behind in the world’s largest car market.
Beijing has already called for one out of every five cars sold in China to run on alternative fuel by 2025. Last month, China issued new rules that would require the world’s carmakers to sell more alternative-energy cars here if they wanted to continue selling regular ones. A Chinese official recently said the country would eventually do away with the internal combustion engine in new cars.
“We are seeing ourselves at a crossroads in the development of the automobile industry in this country, with a global scale in mind,” said Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen’s top executive for VW brand sales and marketing, during a visit to Shanghai.China has reshaped industries before — clothing, steel making, even lace — through a potent mix of government support and cheap labor. More recently it has transformed green-energy businesses like solar and wind power.”
David LIndsay: God Bless the Chinese.
Here are the top comments, which I endorsed:
New Hampshire 2 hours ago
I think Scott Pruitt should stand next to that picture of the heavy haze of Pollution in Beijing due to the country’s reliance on power from coal.
It seems like even China is moving in the right direction while the Trump policy is to reverse all of the environmental improvements we’ve made and return us to the good old days of smog, haze and polluted waters.
NC 2 hours ago
China considers the very long term in its economic planning. The US – Republicans in particular- considers only next year’s business profits when making environmental and economic policy.
NYC 2 hours ago
“unfair government support”?
We have that as well, it just is for 19th century coal + 20th cent oil. Welcome to “Make America Last”.
I WISH, our government had the foresight to set incentives for industry and consumers that protect the planet we need to live on.
is a trusted commenter ma 2 hours ago
Let’s see if the Russian Troll Farm attacks this comment like they did the last time we had this topic. Some facts:
1. If electricity is generated by anything but a coal plant, there is a very large benefit to plug-in vehicles (hybrid or pure EV), in terms of CO2 and local pollution.
2. Coal plants, like most thermal plants, burn 24/7, because the system temperature has to be maintained. This means that CO2 is being produced when there is low demand for electricity, at night. EV charging at night means that this “wasted” CO2 production *replaces* the CO2 an ICE car would produce on the morning commute, rather than being *in addition* to it.
3. The net result, in general, when you take all factors into account, is that *even* if electricity is being supplied by coal, switching to plug-in vehicles is a positive step; depending on combinations of efficiencies, in the short term as well as over time.
So, please think critically when the trolls start filling the thread with nonsensical claims that are intended to keep the oil flowing out of Siberia or wherever.
Golden, CO 2 hours ago
If you watch the NOVA program “In Search of the Superbattery,” you will see that improvements in battery electrolytes (plastic in the NOVA program, and now glass) will likely lead to improvements in energy density of lithium batteries by a factor of about 3. When this happens (and I suspect within the next 3 years), range of electric cars will increase from about 200 miles to about 600 miles. This will quickly result in the death of the internal combustion engine as a common energy source for cars. Automobile manufacturers, aware that this is about to happen, are scrambling to adopt electric car technology, so as to not be left behind with this disruptive change. The US government would do well to take notice.
“EPA’s Role in ENERGY STARThe ENERGY STAR program was established by EPA in 1992, under the authority of the Clean Air Act Section 103(g). Learn more about EPA’s statutory authority for ENERGY STAR.EPA ensures unbiased credibilityEPA ensures that ENERGY STAR provides the trusted information critical to an efficient private market—information that American businesses and consumers rely on every day. Industry shares the data that EPA uses to set performance-based definitions of leadership in energy efficiency—a collaboration that would not be possible without the confidence ENERGY STAR business partners place in EPA. Guided by a set of well-tested principles, EPA acts as an impartial arbiter of energy performance to set objective criteria that are central to all aspects of the program.Every ENERGY STAR label is independently certified, whether on a product, a home, a building, or a manufacturing plant. For example, in 2016, EPA oversaw robust third-party certification of ENERGY STAR products, administered by 24 independent certification bodies and more than 600 labs. EPA also requires that a sample of products be tested directly off retailers’ shelves. Last year, more than 1,800 products were tested; 95 percent passed, affirming consumer confidence in the label. Learn more about how EPA ensures ENERGY STAR’s program integrity.EPA provides a single national platform for utilities and local governments,
Nationwide, utilities invested $7.7 billion in energy efficiency programs in 2015.1 With hundreds of disparate utilities scattered around the country, EPA plays a critical unifying role to guide their energy efficiency programs. EPA enables utilities to leverage ENERGY STAR as a common national platform, avoiding the creation of hundreds of independent utility programs across the nation, which could fragment the market and stall innovation. Nearly 700 utilities—serving roughly 85% of American households—partner with ENERGY STAR, providing consistency and uniformity to the private market.Additionally, as of last year, 23 local governments and two states rely on EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® tool as the foundation for their energy benchmarking and transparency policies, creating uniformity for businesses and reducing transaction and implementation costs.”
Source: EPA’s Role in ENERGY STAR | About ENERGY STAR | ENERGY STAR
“How it Works — Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWHs)It’s generally easier to move something than to make something. Putting that principle to use, HPWHs use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly.
To understand the concept of heat pumps, imagine a refrigerator working in reverse. While a refrigerator removes heat from an enclosed box and expels that heat to the surrounding air, a HPWH takes the heat from surrounding air and transfers it to water in an enclosed tank.
During periods of high hot water demand, HPWHs switch to standard electric resistance heat (hence they are often referred to as “hybrid” hot water heaters) automatically. HPWH come with control panels that you to select from different operating modes 1, which include: Efficiency/Economy – Maximizes energy efficiency and savings by only using the heat pump to heat water Auto/Hybrid – The default setting is ideal for daily use, providing energy-efficient water heating with sustained heat Electric/Heater – This high-demand setting is the least energy-efficient, using only the electric element to heat water Vacation & Timer (not available on all models) – Save on your energy when away from home by placing the unit in “sleep” mode until you return. . . . ”
Source: How it Works — Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWHs) | Products | ENERGY STAR
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Guided Therapeutics (OTC:GTHP) said that it inked an exclusive licensing agreement with Shandong Yaohua Medical Instrument Corp., to manufacture its LuViva advanced cervical scan system and related disposables. The deal also gives SMI exclusive distribution rights in China, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
SMI is slated to pay a $1.0 million licensing fee in 5 installments until Oct. 2017. The company will also underwrite the cost of regulatory approval with the Chinese Food and Drug Administration, Guided Therapeutics said. Once SMI wins CFDA approval, the company will pay $1.90 royalty on each disposable sold by directly purchasing a controlled programmable chip that is necessary to operate the unit.


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“Bad” inflation – a demon for investors unprepared for its effect – could be at the doorstep. In recent weeks, inflation readings across the globe have come in. Overall, they’ve been fairly benign. “Formal” global inflation is below 2%, with no signs yet that things are changing.
Are we at the “calm before the storm” moment? Perhaps the risk of undesirable high inflation has been beaten for good?
Individuals’ and businesses’ expectations on this question could provide the deciding factor in the coming years.
Looking at Inflation Across the Globe
The United States
Up first, the United States. At 1.9% year-over-year, consumer inflation in the world’s largest economy is relatively low. If one classifies the inflation rates into three groups, the current inflation rate is in the lowest group (red) but trending towards the yellow signal area.
By any measure, benign.
Let’s shift to the European continent. German inflation is weaker than in the U.S. at 1.3%. The measure weakened recently after peaking at 2.3% in October 2018. As with the picture in the U.S., inflation across Germany is not yet a problem.
Shifting to the U.K., inflation is higher than Germany, but not much higher at 1.8%. The current trend for UK inflation is downwards. Does this suggest a calm before the storm?
Moving to the Euro area as a whole, inflation is at 1.29%. On a color basis, Euro area inflation is in the red area, and has been there since November 2018.
Given the relatively low official inflation rate, it is hard to see policymakers form the European Central Bank making any decision in the near term that would put even more downward pressure on prices. They’ll more than likely be as loose as a freewheeling lady.
Lastly, shifting to Japan. Here’s the look at inflation in Japan. Inflation in Japan is the weakest across the world at just 0.20%.
Interestingly, given the recent bouts with deflation Japan has experienced, an inflation rate of 0.20% doesn’t put the inflation rate in the red, but trending there.
The Calm Before the Storm
With these as the background, are we in the period casually known as the “calm before the storm.” The calm before the storm is the period when weather conditions are quiet and peaceful; the period preceding a period of great volatility and turbulence.
Some analysts would certainly suggest the answer to this question is yes. With inflation low and interest rates even lower, this encourages investment risk-taking and booming labor market conditions. That’s what we generally have across the world right now.
At some point, that risk-taking turns into undesirable risk. But before that happens, a period of strengthening inflation always occurs before the storm.


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Mobile is the Future of Couponing
Posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2016 at 8:19 am
The use of coupons will always be popular. Coupons give people a quick and easy way to save money. Paper coupons are still easy to get a hold of, but aren’t always as convenient as mobile or digital coupons are. Mobile is the future of couponing.
Koupon recently released its most encompassing report to-date. The report is titled “The State of the Coupon Industry”. If you like, you can download and browse through the entire report.
In general, this type of report is intended to give valuable insight to consumers who are new to mobile couponing, as well as for those who are very familiar with how to find and use digital coupons. The report is probably also useful for brands that make coupons for consumers to use. Koupon advises people who are planning their digital couponing efforts to take advantage of the information that is in the report.
Here are some key pieces of information from the report:
* 42% of mobile users have used a mobile coupon
* 39% of customers spend more if they receive a personalized coupon
* 60% of customers would adopt mobile payments if offered coupons
The report also said that mobile coupon usage jumped in 2015. The data showed that the number of consumers in the United States who used a mobile coupon in 2015 grew 18% to 92.6 million people. What kind of mobile coupons did people use the most? According to the report, energy drinks, soda, and juice were the highest redeeming categories for mobile coupons.
Today, you might be getting a lot of paper coupons from the inserts that are placed into your Sunday newspaper. Keep in mind that many newspapers are struggling to survive. In 2014, the Harvard Political Review noted that print readership was declining, newspapers were closing, and journalists were being laid off. These issues continue to happen today.
Mobile coupons may become more reliable, and accessible, than the paper coupons as time goes by. It is much more difficult for thieves to create fraudulent digital coupons than it is to make fake paper ones. Digital coupons allow brands to offer coupons that can only be used by one, specific, individual.
One of the best things about mobile coupons is how they function. All you need is an app on your smartphone, or the ability to open your email on your phone. Most people bring their phones wherever they go. Paper coupons, on the other hand, can easily be forgotten at home.


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Keeping a child entertained in the digital age seems to be more challenging than ever. That’s why it should be no surprise that an increasing number of startups are focused on bridging the gap between play and digital with “smart” toys.
While connected toys are not yet mainstream, their popularity seems to be growing. Unsurprisingly, investors are looking to cash in on the trend.
San Francisco-based Anki and Boulder-based Sphero are the highest profile startups in the burgeoning space. Anki’s mobile app uses artificial intelligence to bring its toy cars to virtual life. The company has raised $157.5 million since its inception in 2010 from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz and JP Morgan Chase & Co., according to Crunchbase data.
Sphero makes app-controlled robots and balls, among other products. And, according to the company, has attracted $124.2 million in investment to-date since it was founded by Ian Bernstein and Adam Wilson after the pair completed Boulder Techstars in 2010.
New York-based littleBits Electronics has raised a total of $62.3 million from investors such as Khosla Ventures, Foundry Group, and DFJ Growth, among others. The company is an open source library of electronic modules that snap together with magnets, and it allows users to learn electronics via prototypes. LittleBits’ toys have been described as “Legos for the iPad generation.”
Even giant toy manufacturers are getting into the smart toy game. Mattel Inc. CEO Margo Georgiadi told analysts in June he wants to turn the company into one “centered on mobile technology and activities,” according to Bloomberg.
Overall, connected toy sales were up 96 percent in the twelve months ending Sept. 30, 2016, while toys in general saw a six percent increase in sales over the same period, according to research firm NPD Group. Sales are particularly strong over the holidays. Last November, NPD analyst Juli Lennett said the toy categories that she expected to provide the most growth in November and December 2016 would be connected toys.
Strong Sales Follow
Most recently, in April, Sphero raised $36 million from Foundry Group, Amazon, and Morgan Stanley, according to CEO Paul Berberian. (Crunchbase puts the round at $23 million, but the firm told Crunchbase News the round was open for longer than what was reported, leading to its increased size.)
So far, Sphero has developed 13 products with 10 out on the market now and three to come later this year. They are sold in more than 20,000 stores (such as Apple, Best Buy, and Target) in more than 80 countries. The company has sold millions of products and its revenue is “well in excess” of $100 million a year, according to Berberian. Sphero has had some profitable years, but for now, it is more focused on growth and innovation than profitability, he said.
“These are high-tech, app-controlled toys that are driven by software,” Berberian said. “They are content rich in terms of play experiences. And they can get updated over the air so the products people buy will only get better over time.”
Currently, Sphero’s products range in price from $99 to $300. But the company’s goal is to make its offerings more affordable (think $29) so they will appeal to the masses and not just a select (privileged) few.
“If we leverage the power of the cloud, machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence) platforms, there’s so much more we can do to bring play experiences to life in a much richer way,” Berberian said. “Our goal is to get them to a lower price point while still pushing the limits of how machines and humans interact.”
A Playful Perspective From Venture Capital
Colin Beirne, managing director of Two Sigma Ventures – the venture capital arm of Two Sigma Investments – has invested in Anki, littleBits, and a young startup called Play Impossible. From Play Impossible, a multi-sport, mobile device-connected ball designed for indoor and outdoor recreational use is expected to launch in the fall.
Beirne’s experiences as a father have helped him in making investments.
“I have a nine-year old son, and he loves numbers and data,” wrote Beirne via email. “… [W]hen he throws a ball, he’d like to know how high or fast it went, or how many revolutions it took.”
Today’s kids are the iPad generation, Beirne points out, with most learning how to use digital tools as toddlers. This creates great opportunity for connected toy makers.
“Machines are going to be a big part of today’s kids’ world, from childhood through to adulthood and old age,” he wrote. “And we believe connected toys are a great way to get that started on the right foot. Parents know this, which is why this category is growing fast.”
As children continue to demand more out of their toys, a number of startups are ready and eager to meet those demands. Who will succeed remains to be seen, but the early players mentioned above no doubt have a leg up on future competition.
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily.


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I have a confession to make. I’m a privacy lawyer who researches the risks of face recognition technology – and I will be buying the new iPhone.
Apple’s next generation smartphone will use face recognition, thanks to infrared and 3D sensors within its front-facing camera. Reports indicate that the face scan and unlock system will be almost instantaneous and require no buttons to be pressed, being always “on” and ready to read your face. Android users can expect similar face unlock features as well.
For the millions of people who will soon depend on face recognition to check their email, send a text, or make a call, it will be quick, easy to use, and, yes, pretty cool. But as we grow accustomed to fast and accurate face recognition, we cannot become complacent to the serious privacy risks it often poses – or think that all its applications are alike.
Face recognition is already used around the world to examine, investigate, and monitor. In China, police use face recognition to identify and publicly shame people for the crime of jaywalking. In Russia, face recognition has been used to identify anti-corruption protesters, exposing them to intimidation or worse.
In the UK, face recognition was used at an annual West Indian cultural festival to identify revelers in real-time. In the United States, more than half of all American adults are in a face recognition database that can be used for criminal investigations, simply because they have a driver’s license.
Governments are not the only users of face recognition. Retailers use the technology in their stores to identify suspected shoplifters. Social media applications increasingly integrate face recognition into their user experience; one application in Russia allows strangers to find out who you are just by taking your photo.
Different uses of face recognition produce different levels of accuracy, too. The iPhone’s face recognition system may reliably ID us, while also rejecting strangers and nosy friends. We cannot assume the same from other systems.
The more variables in the photo taken – camera distance and angle, lighting, facial pose, photo resolution – the lower the accuracy will be. As a consequence, when used for surveillance, face recognition will perform far less accurately, and make more mistakes, than when used to unlock a smartphone.
Law enforcement systems compensate for this by lowering the match threshold—how much two people have to look alike to be considered a “match.” At a recent biometrics industry conference, one company demonstrated its real-time face recognition surveillance solution, advertised as being able to pick a suspect out of a crowd, by scanning the face of everyone walking by its cameras.
The system was designed so that people who looked 50% or more similar to the wanted suspect were flagged as a possible match. This means that a vast number of “possible matches” will be completely innocent people. These are the face recognition systems where a mistake could mean you are investigated, if not arrested and charged, for a crime you didn’t commit.
At the festival in London late last month, the real-time face recognition system reportedly led to 35 misidentifications and only one “correct” match – an innocent person who was not wanted by the police after all. Officials at the New York Police Department have acknowledged at least five misidentifications by their face recognition system.
If the iPhone’s new system makes this many mistakes, or unlocks for anyone who looks 50% or more similar to the owner, no one will consider it to be acceptable security for our personal information. Fortunately, it almost surely won’t. But for many of the systems we are already subjected to – the deployments of face recognition where we had no choice over whether or not to opt-in – mistakes and misidentifications are unavoidable.
As the smartphone of record, it is almost inevitable that the iPhone’s inclusion of this technology will pave the way for consumers to accept face recognition use elsewhere, even if these other systems are inaccurate, privacy invasive, or otherwise problematic. It’s easy to be comfortable with what’s familiar.
Think about all the places you show your face each day. Should retailers, law enforcement officers, or strangers have the ability to capture your photo, turn it into a biometric, and use it to identify, track, or surveil you? Are these uses of face recognition worth the erosion of our privacy and the persistent risks of misidentification?
Even as we choose to explore the conveniences face recognition can offer, we must be vigilant to its risks. I will, like many people in the coming months, opt in to a face scan every time I want to check the weather, draft a tweet, or make a rare actual phone call.
But even as we embrace its conveniences, we should remain suspicious of the many ways face recognition is used today. Face recognition may well be inevitable. Its risks shouldn’t have to be.
- Clare Garvie is an associate with the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law and co-author of The Perpetual Line-Up: Unregulated Police Face Recognition in America


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RAPAPORT… Jewelers of America updated its Conflict Diamonds Self-Assessment Tools — a series of four single-page documents, which provide simple guidance on steps retailers should take to fulfill their responsibilities to the World Diamond Council System of Warranties (SOW.)
The SOW supports the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in ensuring that conflict diamonds do not reach the consumer market. The documents are available to Jewelers of America (JA) members at the organization’s website, www.jewelers.org.
New Media Sheet
The organization developed and added a media fact sheet for its members –should a member be contacted by the media– on the conflict diamond issue.
The guide helps JA members to form responses with facts and figures, discuss the importance of ethics in the trade, and provide possible answers for questions suggesting the use of diamonds from Canada rather than diamonds from Africa. JA believes “one conflict diamond is one too many,” and the organization welcomes films that shed light on a dark period in Africa’s history.
“It’s a story that needs to be told — if we are to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again,” reads one of the sentences on the fact sheet.
“JA has been at the forefront in educating our members about how to meaningfully support all efforts to rid the world of conflict diamonds,” said JA president and CEO Matthew A. Runci.
“When the SOW went into effect in 2003, JA began a regular series of reminders to members about their responsibilities to require suppliers to provide them with the official SOW statement on all diamond and diamond jewelry invoices. Our 2006 update reinforces the message once more.”
“When every retailer in America is requiring the appropriate warranty of every supplier, then we can truly call our industry’s participation a success story,” said Runci.
Business Practice Updates
The four key documents JA members (only) may access under the Responsible Business Practices archive include:
Summary for Members.
Updates members on the key points of KP and SOW, with particular emphasis on retailers’ responsibilities to the system.
Helps retailers quickly assess their adherence to the World Diamond Council’s (WDC) SOW and functions to highlight areas where improvement is needed.
Sample Letter to Suppliers.
Gives members the language with which to communicate to suppliers about their obligation to provide retailers with the official SOW statement.
Sample Statement to Consumers.
Gives members sample language for a Conflict Diamonds Policy Statement to share with consumers who wish to know more about the industry’s voluntary warranty system supporting the Kimberley Process. Includes the official SOW statement.
“JA members asked us to update the Self-Assessment Tools as a complement to the World Diamond Council’s Confidence Pack,” said Peggy Jo Donahue, JA director of public affairs. JA is one of seven associations that advised the World Diamond Council on the creation of the Confidence Pack.
JA also offered advice in the development of WDC’s website, diamondfacts.org.
“Diamondfacts.org contains valuable information concerning the good that diamonds do for development around the world and especially in Africa. It also details efforts to work on remaining problems in the diamond supply chain, and I urge all retailers to visit it this fall – and recommend it to interested customers.
“It’s a vital resource,” Donahue said.


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The recent parade of permit applications from marijuana manufacturing and distribution businesses looking to open in Costa Mesa will continue next week, when the city Planning Commission is scheduled to review four more.
All the requests on Monday’s agenda are for conditional use permits, which are among several approvals required to open a cannabis company in the city.
Here is the latest lineup of applicants:
Tranz LLC, which is looking to do business in a 2,109-square-foot space at 3505 Cadillac Ave., Unit M-102
Potology LLC, which proposes to occupy a 2,620-square-foot space at 3505 Cadillac, Building H
Triiad, which is seeking permission to operate in 2,035 square feet at 3525 Hyland Ave., Suite 265
Expando Products LLC, which is eyeing a 2,818-square-foot tenant space at 3505 Cadillac, Unit N2
Though many applications have sailed through without much objection, commissioners denied three conditional use permit applications this month. The majority of commissioners felt the proposed locations for those facilities — different suites at 3525 Hyland — were not compatible with such uses.


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Construction firms to showcase new technologies at expo
A building and construction extravaganza opens at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Friday, giving attendees a chance to sample the latest industry technologies.
The 17th BuildExpo Africa 2014 will draw participants from 35 countries and will be the largest ever to be held in East Africa.
The event will kick off with a one-day informative business meeting where topics will include opportunities in property, real estate and ongoing projects in the country.
Expogroup Worldwide are the organisers of this year’s event that brings together over 320 exhibitors to showcase products.
Exhibition manager at the Expogroup, Neville Trindade said most participants have been in the industry long enough and are experts in their field.
“Attendees will learn a lot about industry success stories and sample some of the latest technologies in construction,” he said.
The fair will feature other exciting components such as heavy equipment and machinery which will take place at the courtyard and the tickets are already sold out.
“The promptness of the business community towards the fair shows that they now fully understand the importance and opportunities that are presented by the fair as well as the long term business relations it will create,” said Mr Trindade.
He explained that the tickets sold out owing to the growing number of foreign investors targeting the Kenyan market which serves as the East African business hub.
“The fair has grown in stature and influence as foreign and local companies shift focus to be on top of the game,” he said.


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A collection of news and information related to Energy Drinks published by this site and its partners.
Displaying items 1-12 of 44 » View mcall.com items only1 2 3 4 Next >
The floor space of the new Walmart Supercenter (they don't want to call it a mere store) in Whitehall Township has enough room for nearly four full-sized football fields. Luckily, somebody in a blue shirt pointed to a "pharmacy" section that is very...
A popular energy drink made here in Indiana is under scrutiny. The founder and CEO of 5-hour energy is strongly defending his product after claims that it led to 13 deaths in the past four years. In the midst of this controversy, a group of Purdue...
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating Monster Energy over reports that it was connected to five deaths over the past three years, including a 14-year-old girl who died of heart arrhythmia. Investors responded by dumping the company's stock,...
HealthA new report says people are increasingly landing in emergency rooms after overdoing it with energy drinks and other substances. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says there has been a 10-fold increase in emergency room...
If what we imagine is real, then we could surpass the limitations of our physical world; and If we hear an uncorroborated opinion frequently, it could become an unquestioned truism. Those that don’t believe only need to will themselves to accept...
email@example.comSPRINGFIELD, Mo -- They can give you a "pick me up" or help you rehydrate after long day in the sun, but according numerous studies energy drinks and sports drinks are exposing people to possible dental issues. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, New...
The Orange County Register (MCT)SANTA ANA, Calif. -- We’re no longer happy with that simple cup of joe, or even four of them. Led by strong coffee sales and an explosion in the popularity of energy drinks, our addiction to caffeine has intensified. It’s estimated that 90...
Less than a week after the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would investigate the safety of added caffeine in U.S. food and beverage products, Wrigley North America has decided to put its bid to market a caffeinated gum on hold out of...
Reuters(Reuters) - Energy drinks maker Monster Beverage Corp's sales missed analysts' estimates as the industry took a hit from concerns over the health risks of such drinks, sending its shares down 16 percent after the bell. Energy drinks have come under...
San Francisco City Atty. Dennis Herrera has sued Monster Beverage Corp., accusing the company of pitching highly caffeinated drinks to minors as young as 6 years old. The lawsuit, filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, is the latest twist in a...
Monster Beverage Now In Legal War With San Francisco, While Connecticut Nutritionist Keeps Calling for Ban on Energy Drink Sales to KidsA couple of months ago, Monster Beverage threatened to sue a Connecticut nutritionist named Dr. Deborah Kennedy unless she stopped saying high-caffeine energy drinks were dangerous for kids. Then the multi-billion-dollar company, the biggest energy-...
Tags: Litigation, Trials, PepsiCo Inc.
ReutersMonster Beverage Corp. accused San Francisco's city attorny of violating its constitutional rights by demanding that the company change ts drinks, labels and marketing materials, in a lawsuit filed on Monday in California federal court. San Francisco...
Nov 20, 2012 |Column| Allentown Morning Call
Nov 16, 2012 |Column| WXIN-LTV
Oct 24, 2012 |Column| Chicago Tribune
Dec 1, 2011 | Allentown Morning Call
May 24, 2013 |Story| Glendale News Press
May 23, 2013 |Story| KY3-TV
May 15, 2013 |Story| McClatchy-Tribune
May 9, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
May 8, 2013 |Story| Reuters
May 7, 2013 |Story| Los Angeles Times
May 6, 2013 |Story| WTXX-LTV
May 1, 2013 |Story| Reuters
Original site for Energy Drinks topic gallery.


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If the stripes are bordered by a broken white
line, you should not enter the area unless necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so.
The code reads: "If the area is bordered by a broken white
line, you should not enter the area unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so."
She said he was very close to the broken white
lines between lanes one and two when, wearing dark clothing on an unlit section of road, he was struck by the Skoda, which was being driven "at the appropriate speed."
Donald Trump has broken White
House tradition by not hosting a dinner to mark the end of Ramadan.
However, in recent days the broken white
lines emerged, dramatically altering the view.
The polished white rice was then sieved to record the percents of polished white (head) rice recovery, broken white
rice and husk.
BRISTOL Abandoned, broken white
goods deface an otherwise very pretty country lane
The price of Thai 5-percent broken white
rice, a regional benchmark, dropped 9 percent to $381 a metric ton this year, the lowest level since January 2008, as the world's largest exporter sought to sell record reserves built up during a now-ended state-support program.
Just last week, NAB filed an emergency petition for rulemaking asking the FCC to fix its broken white
Add the broken white
chocolate and whisk until melted.
And for the first time ever, we decided to leave out the accent colours and to show a modern collection in shades of black, grey and broken white


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Man 'holds up store and threatens to kill everyone after refusing to pay 22 CENT tax on a can of soda'
- Nashton Shelton, 36, got into an argument in a Chicago grocery store
- Refused to pay 22 cent tax on litre of Pepsi, claiming he was 'tax exempt'
- Police say he then pulled out a submachine gun and help up the store
- Reportedly told people he was going to be 'killing everyone in here'
Nashton Shelton, 36, arrested after allegedly holding up a Chicago grocery store in a row over 22 cent tax
Nobody likes paying tax, but one Chicago man took things too far when he allegedly threatened to shoot a shop full of people after an argument over a 22 cent charge on a can of soda.
Nashton Shelton, 36, got into an argument with shop staff over a $1.79 litre of Pepsi on Saturday, claiming he was 'tax exempt' because he lived in the neighbourhood.
When staff refused to let the charge drop, he allegedly pulled a submachine gun out of his Gucci bag and held up the grocery store.
According to police he told one customer he was going to shoot them 'in the head three times.'
According to DNAinfo Chicago, Shelton added: 'Right now I’m going to smoke your a**. You’re not listening, I’m killing everyone in here.'
Police were called to Madison Grocery and Beauty store at around 1.45pm on Saturday and arrested Shelton.
Police claim he later told officers: 'Man, you know what, I’ll keep it real. I had to put them in their place.'
Shelton is charged with five offences including aggravated assault, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and having an invalid FOID card.
Nashton claimed he was tax exempt, but when staff disagreed he allegedly pulled an Intratec submachine (file picture) and threatened to kill everyone in the store before police arrived
Assistant State’s Attorney Claire Savaglio said the incident was caught on video surveillance.
According to officers the footage shows Shelton walking into the store, pulling the weapon from his bag, then pointing it at random people.
She added that Shelton’s gun had eight live rounds in one magazine, five live rounds in another and one in the chamber.
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2016: The year hosting both the summer Olympics and the UEFA Euro Championship. Big excitement is in the air as vacations to France and Brazil are being planned by sport fans from all over the world, and the commercial machinery is going red hot. So are ticket sales: official, second-hand and pure black market.
Ticket Scams: A Growing Phenomenon
Even though ticket scams are far from being a new phenomenon, they’ve been growing in recent years with the increased use of social media. According to Get Safe Online ticket frauds rose by 55% in 2015 in the UK.
Who’s at the Most Risk?
Sporting events like the Premier League or Rugby World Cup account for over a quarter of reported ticket scams, but concerts and festivals are also at risk.
Get Safe Online also reports that 20-29 years old, usually the most tech-savvy group, are most likely to fall into the trap. This only points to how convincing the scammers can be.
Counterfeit Ticket Scams on the Rise
Social media is one of the main sources for scammers to acquire material for their fraudulent ads. Many people are sharing images of their smiling faces together with a newly acquired ticket. We totally understand that this can be tempting, but it’s also a way for fraudsters to copy the barcodes and create counterfeit tickets.
There are also cases where previously used tickets are being sold anew with just the date manipulated.
Why YOU Need to Take Action
In an attempt to tackle the black market, the Brazilian organizers of the Olympics ’16 will impose large fines on anyone involved in the resale of tickets. As an alternative they are offering an official resale program for the secure trade of unwanted tickets. This means that YOUR site can get into legal trouble by allowing the sale of unauthorized tickets.
An even stronger reason is of course to protect your users. Branding is more important than ever for classifieds sites and marketplaces, and risking a PR-backlash due to false tickets on your site is probably not a risk you want to take.
Scammers however do not only strike in summer, find out what other events you should keep an eye on with our scam awareness calendar.


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Here is when you can expect The Weeknd in Fortnite.
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is coming to Fortnite, joining the likes of Eminem, Ariana Grande, and more. The latest Icon Series collaboration brings another Grammy Award-winning artist into the game to celebrate the new Fortnite Festival game mode. On top of an in-game musical performance, The Weeknd Fortnite skin has officially leaked.
The Weeknd Fortnite skin: Release date and what’s included
The Weeknd’s Fortnite cosmetics arrived, as expected, on December 9. This launch occurred alongside Fortnite’s new Festival game mode, which works similarly to Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
A few options exist for those looking to unlock The Weeknd in Fortnite. One set of cosmetics is available via the Fortnite Item Shop. The complete bundle costs 3,500 V-Bucks, but you can pick and choose singular items if you’d prefer.
Here is a look at The Weeknd’s Fortnite Item Shop offerings:
The Weeknd Bundle – 3,500 V-Bucks
The Weeknd Combat Outfit – 1,800 V-Bucks
XO 6-String Pickaxe/Guitar – 1,000 V-Bucks
Popular Vibe Emote – 500 V-Bucks
XO Keys Keytar (Festival Only) – 1,000 V-Bucks
aXe-O Pickaxe – 500 V-Bucks
Those looking to unlock the red suit style for The Weeknd’s Fortnite skin must subscribe to the “Paid” version of the Festival Pass.
Image Credit: Epic Games
The Weeknd Festival Pass cosmetics
What is Fortnite Festival?
Fortnite Festival is a musical game mode that works similar to Rock Band. Fans caught a sneak peek of it during The Big Bang, particularly during Eminem’s performance.
Here is Epic’s description:
“Fortnite Festival is a new music game where players can play in a band with friends or perform solo on stage with hit music by their favorite artists. Built by Harmonix, the studio behind the iconic music game Rock Band, Festival marks the beginning of music gaming in Fortnite.”
Epic Games press release
The Weeknd kicks off the Fortnite Festival on December 9, and we expect the skin and other cosmetics to be available around this time. Check back here for more updates regarding this collaboration.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Fortnite and esports news!
The post The Weeknd Fortnite skin: Release date and what’s included appeared first on Sport Fortunes.


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After a year and a half of shutdowns that have decimated the incomes of New York City hotel workers, the NYC City Council delivered some welcome news. Councilmember Francisco Moya introduced a bill that requires hotels to provide severance packages to workers hotel management laid off during the pandemic. The Council voted in favor of the bill. Details of the law include:
- Only hotels that completely shut down or laid off 75% of their staff are required to provide severance.
- Hotels that reopen or reinstate at least 25% of laid-off workers are exempt from paying severance, but they must rehire employees by October 11th or reopen by November 1st.
Workers who were laid off are eligible to receive $500 per week for up to 30 weeks for income they were deprived of due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated shutdowns.
“The backbone of NYC’s tourism economy”
Councilmember Moya recognized the role of hotel hospitality staff in keeping the city’s tourism industry alive during recent hard times. In a statement to the press, Moya said the legislation was designed to “protect the livelihoods of these very workers, who are the backbone of NYC’s tourism economy.” He also highlighted the legislation’s aim of “incentivizing the revitalization of NYC’s hotel industry by getting workers back to work.”
The Hotel Trades Council, a union that represents hotel and hospitality workers in New York and Northern New Jersey, strongly backed the bill. The Council estimates that nearly 30,000 hotel workers have faced unemployment due to the shutdowns. While the hotel industry spoke out against the legislation, the Council decided that the workers who keep NYC hotels running deserved not only recognition, but also fair compensation, for keeping the industry alive.


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Does anyone remember the Black Hat BCard hack in 2018? This hack has been documented extensively, most notoriously by [NinjaStyle] in his original blog post revealing the circumstances around discovering the vulnerability. The breach ended up revealing the names, email addresses, phone numbers, and personal details of every single conference attendee – an embarrassing leak from one of the world’s largest cybersecurity conferences.
To recap: The Black Hat conference badges included an embedded NFC tag storing the participant’s contact details presumably for vendors to scan for marketing purposes. After scanning the tag, [NinjaStyle] realized that his name was readily available, but not his email address and other information. Instead, the NFC reader pointed to the BCard app – an application created for reading business cards.
[NinjaStyle] decompiled the APK for the app to search for API endpoints and found that the participants each had a custom URL made using event identification values. After finding data that appeared to correspond to an eventID and badgeID, he sent a request over a web browser and found that his attendee data was returned completely unauthenticated. With this knowledge, it was possible to brute-force the contact details for every Black Hat attendee (the range of valid IDs was between 100000-999999, and there were about 18,000 attendees). Using Burp Suite, the task would take about six hours.
He was able to get ahold of BCard to reveal the vulnerability, which was fixed in less than a day by disabling the leaky API from their legacy system. Even so, legacy APIs in conference apps aren’t an uncommon occurrence – the 2018 RSA Conference (another cybersecurity conference) also suffered from an unprotected app that allowed 114 attendee records to be accessed without permission.
With the widespread publicity of leaked attendee data, event organizers are hopefully getting smarter about the apps that they use, especially if they come from a third-party vendor. [Yashvier Kosaraju] gave a talk at TROOPERS19 about pen testing several large vendors and discovering that Kitapps (Attendify) and Eventmobi both built apps with unauthenticated access to attendee data. It’s hard to say how many apps from previous years are still around, or whether or not the next event app you use will come with authentication – just remember to stay vigilant and to not give too much of your personal data away.


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The Taiwanese smartphone maker, HTC unarguably made headlines a few months ago in the blockchain space, following the launch of its crypto-friendly cheap smartphone dubbed Exodus 1, a product that entices people to use digital currency.
Still, on the dedication to harnessing blockchain and digital currency, HTC has revealed a crypto-focused and secure router, dubbed Exodus 5G Hub, which can compatibly run a Bitcoin node, according to a report today by VentureBeat.
The Exodus 5G Hub reportedly leverages Zion software to ensure a secure and private environment for both encryption and blockchain fans. It is currently planned in 3.5GHz (Australia) and 2.5GHz (U.S. Sprint) versions. It will be available to 5G frequencies, only if the carriers with 5G towers express interest for it.
Also, the Exodus 5G Hub is having the same piece of hardware used by HTC’s previous release, according to the report. It was built with a late 2018 Snapdragon 855 chip. It also features an older X50 5G modem.
HTC’s Exodus 5G Hub Allows Access to Crypto
The Exodus 5G Hub grants users access to HTC’s Zion Vault, which reportedly holds several cryptos, such as Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Monero, including Binance Coin and other ERC-20/ERC-721 tokens.
Additionally, users can be able to execute a full Bitcoin node directly from the router, as per the report. It will equally support end-to-end encrypted email via ProtonMail, and Brave browser for open source web browsing.
Meanwhile, the Exodus 5G Hub is expected to be officially released In the second quarter of this year. The pricing and partners for cellular and crypto services will be announced then, according to HTC.
HTC Builds Binance Custom Smartphone
HTC made headlines in the crypto space via the launch of blockchain smartphones and support for Industry-related services.
Last year, the Taiwan smartphone maker, HTC, together with the leading crypto exchange, Binance, announced a special edition of phone that will support BNB, the native crypto of the exchange, including Binance DEX.
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