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In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration ruled that sunscreen companies were no longer allowed to assert that their products were “waterproof” or “sweatproof” because these claims exaggerated the effectiveness of the sunscreens, misleading consumers.
Instead, companies could make a “water resistance” claim of 40 minutes if their sunscreens passed a standard test that measured the SPF value – a product’s ability to prevent burning -- after the user applied a liberal amount of sunscreen, waited 15 minutes before sun exposure, engaged in 20 minutes of “moderate water activity,” a 20 minute period of rest, then another 20 minutes of water activity without towel-drying. The company would need to repeat the cycle to make a water resistant claim of "80 minutes."
This test doesn’t reflect conditions in the real world. Many people don’t apply enough sunscreen in the first place, nor wait 15 minutes before they go outside. For example, a 2012 Skin Cancer Foundation survey found that almost 80 percent of men did not know the proper amount of sunscreen to apply while 61 percent did not know how long one application remained effective.
Products that offer water resistance could lead consumers further astray. They might imagine that they can trust these products to protect them after swimming or sweating, get burned and raise their risk of skin cancer.
This year 10 products in EWG’s 2015 Guide to Sunscreens claimed to protect "wet skin" from sunburn.
Do they work? We don’t know.
New sunscreen rules in Canada require that sunscreen manufacturers provide data that back up these claims, but U.S. rules don’t demand such evidence.
Next time you’re putting on sunscreen for a day at the beach or pool, keep in mind that the term “water resistance” doesn’t ensure full protection. Always follow the product’s directions by applying plenty of sunscreen, reapplying often and immediately after drying yourself off with a towel. Cover up and take other measures to protect yourself from sunburn.


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Plus-size fashion brand Yours is to open in Ipswich’s new-look Sailmakers Shopping Centre
PUBLISHED: 18:39 10 June 2016 | UPDATED: 18:39 10 June 2016
The retail offering in Ipswich town centre has been given another boost as shopping centre bosses secure a new arrival.
Plus-size fashion brand Yours is to open in the new-look and will bring up to 10 new jobs to the town.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of the news that sandwich giant Subway is currently having a unit refitted there and management at the centre expect to be able to announce further new openings soon.
Yours, which began in nearby Felixstowe in 1994, will be the latest major new arrival in recent months following on from bb’s coffee and muffins, Pandora and Blue Inc.
Sailmakers centre manager Mike Sorhaindo said: “This is another major boost for the centre and for the local economy in Ipswich with more new jobs created here at Sailmakers.
“Yours is a popular and successful brand which will further increase the retail offer at the centre and add to the shopping experience for our customers.
“We’re already seeing positive feedback about the arrival of Yours and we expect to be able to announce further new arrivals in the near future.
“There is considerable interest in places at the centre from prospective tenants and that is a testimony to the £4 million investment made in the shopping centre which is already reaping a reward in terms of jobs and in revitalising the town centre.”
Yours Clothing boss Andrew Killingsworth began with a market stall in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire before opening his first shop in Felixstowe but now his Peterborough-based company is estimated to be worth more than £50 million.
The new store will be the first in Ipswich and a spokesperson said: “Our store staff have a great understanding of plus size fashion and will give customers the best style advice.”
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Ipswich Star. Click the link in the orange box above for details.

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Research by Equifax, as part of National Identity Fraud Prevention Month, found that 58 per cent of consumers believe their risk of fraud has increased in the last year. Over a third of respondents (36 per cent) said identity fraud was the biggest risk, ahead of online or credit card fraud.
According to the research, respondents are now more aware of the fraud risks that come through an increased use of smartphones and social media. However, almost a third of respondents (31 per cent) admitted they do post information on social media while away on holiday.
Neil Munroe, director from Equifax, warns that such behaviour opens up opportunities for fraudsters. He claims people need to be more vigilant about what personal information is shared online, with whom, and how.
He said: “We advise individuals to keep all their passwords to themselves and not even give them to their partners or other family members. We also recommend that individuals check their credit report on a regular basis to ensure that no unauthorised activity has taken place”.
“The sophistication of online frauds and scams increases by the day, so it is vital consumers understand the value of their own information and take precautions to keep ID fraud at bay.”
A recent freedom of information request revealed that, between 1 May 2012 and 30 April 2013, a total of 35,809 crime reports were made to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre.


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Amazon has officially announced its second-generation Paperwhite after the company mistakenly released details earlier today.
Eagle-eyed spotters over at a Croatia-based forum noticed that Amazon had posted an image to its site on Tuesday promoting a new Kindle Paperwhite. That image included a picture of the device, along with a laundry list of improvements customers can expect when the device is expected to be made available later this month.
Although the image was taken down, Amazon on Tuesday announced that the device is real, and all of the details included in that leak are accurate. The new Paperwhite will come with a "new display technology" that will deliver enhanced contrast, along with an updated built-in light and faster processor. The touch sensors will also be improved to make the screen respond more effectively to finger inputs.
In addition, the device comes with support for in-line footnotes and a vocabulary tool. Like its predecessor, the device features built-in Wi-Fi and free 3G and can last for eight weeks on a single charge.
Amazon has kicked off Paperwhite preorders today and will start shipping the device on September 30. The Paperwhite costs $119.
Update 10:30 a.m. PT to include Paperwhite announcement.


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Tyga faces more financial issues over a Canadian-based social media marketing company.
Over the years, Tyga's music career was shadowed by his connection to the Kardashian-Jenner clan and his financial troubles. Although he made a major comeback in his music career after taking over the summer with the Offset-assisted, "Taste," the rapper is still being chased for money that he allegedly owes. Now, a Canadian social media marketing company is going after Tyga for $200K.
Canadian marketing company, Providr. Inc, are chasing down Tyga for $200K, The Blast reports. The company claims they made an agreement with Tyga back in 2015 to use his Facebook page in order to draw in more online user activity for marketing and advertisement purposes. The company wanted to use Tyga's account to create more traction for their clients and to help promote products.
Tyga reportedly landed a $200K cash advance from the company. However, the rapper didn't follow through with his agreement with the company and failed to provide them with full access to his social media profiles. Providr. accused Tyga of breaching their contract and then sued him for the cash advance.
Although Providr won a default judgment of $145,070.94, they need the state of California to recognize the judgment in order to get the money in the U.S.
Unfortunately, this isn't the only money he's being chased after. Earlier this year, promoters in Dubai sued Tyga for $1.4M for allegedly bailing on a party he was booked for.


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We had the chance to interview, Guðlaug Matthildur Jakobsdóttir, Head of the International Office at Reykjavik University. Iceland is API’s newest study abroad location! You can learn more about spending a semester in Reykjavik here. (API) Iceland is a new and novel destination for many Americans… what is it about your country that you [...]
The post Interview with Guðlaug Matthildur Jakobsdóttir-Reykjavik University appeared first on The API Abroad Blog.


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This article is part of our special report Rural development in the reformed CAP.
The European Union should change its negotiation tactics regarding trade agreements with third countries and better defend member states, Greek Minister of Agricultural Development Evangelos Apostolou told EURACTIV Greece in an exclusive interview.
Evangelos Apostolou is a Greek Syriza politician who is currently serving as Minister of Agricultural Development and Food under Alexis Tsipras government.
Apostolou spoke to EURACTIV Greece’s Editor-in-Chief, Sarantis Michalopoulos.
What is the position of the Greek government on the Russian embargo? Do you think that there should be an initiative to solve the issue with Moscow?
The imposition of the Russian embargo on agricultural products from the EU has created huge problems for Greek exports of agricultural products. In 2013, the codes [of products] that Russia has banned accounted for 74% of our total exports of agricultural products to Russia, which was the first worldwide export destination for kiwifruit, fresh peaches, strawberries, cherries, nectarines and bass.
Therefore, any attempt to solve the problem is entirely legitimate and necessary. Although the problem must be addressed at the EU-Russia level, the development of bilateral Greece – Russia relations can contribute towards finding some alternative routes to the Russian market.
Following meetings of the Greek ministry of agriculture leadership with Russian officials, we submitted a draft road map for the development of bilateral relations in agriculture. This will include, among other things, cooperation on issues like promotion of agricultural products, which are not under the exports embargo.
During a meeting of Mr. Kassimis [Secretary General of Greece’s Ministry of Agriculture] with the Director of International Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, on 11 February 2016 in Moscow, cooperation issues were again discussed.
They specifically discussed the implementation of the Roadmap in the areas of knowledge transfer, veterinary and phytosanitary inspection, the wine sector, scientific cooperation between research institutions, joint investments in the agricultural sector, as well as issues of cooperation in the organization of events under the “Greece – Russia 2016” year, and the participation of businesses of the two countries in sectoral trade expositions.
What are your thoughts for agricultural policy after 2020? You have announced the creation of a working group for the future CAP. Has it started its operations?
The group on the CAP has already begun its work. It is monitoring the evolution of CAP in the first year of its implementation and provides us with opinions on the issues that are raised. Our goal with this group is to issue proposals for reform both for options on a national level and EU regulations. Our thoughts for the future CAP are being formed now, but the basic principle is to move forward to a fairer CAP, with a more balanced distribution of aid and enhance both the sustainability and profitability of farmers.
Greek farmers have to spend much of their income on production costs. What are you going to do about it?
Production costs are a result of many factors. Regarding the factors that concern our ministry, we are trying to take action for the benefit of farmers. In this context, we orient Rural Development Program (RDP) toward investments that reduce production costs such as irrigation and energy.
Also via RDP, we promote the actions of producer groups, which on the one hand saves costs due to economies of scale, and on the other hand can enhance the bargaining power of farmers, and thus the added value they could enjoy from the market.
Finally, considerable amounts have been allocated to the training of farmers and agricultural consultancy that can help farmers be aware of the financial management of their farms in order to become more profitable.
There is currently a discussion at EU level about how the crisis in agricultural markets will be addressed. What are Greece’s goals in Brussels, and what are we asking in favor of Greek farmers?
The crisis in agricultural markets is a very important issue. The EU needs to take immediate and appropriate measures to alleviate the European farmers, and consequently of the Greek farmers.
The balance of trade in agricultural products between Russia and our country shows that fruit and vegetables have significantly contributed to the impressive widening of the trade surplus before the embargo. Because of the Russian embargo, however, the sector has been hit hard, and despite the fact that the implementation of the EU emergency measures support for fruit and vegetable producers until June 30 2016 is in the right direction, additional measures for the sector are essential.
In addition, regarding the dairy sector, following the end of quotas, the problem of sustainability and the reduction of production have intensified mainly due to the small size of the farms in our country, the increased costs of production and increased milk imports from countries on competitive terms. Therefore, measures for relief in this area are necessary. The issue of the crisis in agricultural markets has been very high on the EU policy agenda.
The discussion has already started in the last Council of EU Agriculture-Fisheries Ministers on 15 February, which will continue in the next Council on 14 March. Our country has submitted a complete and comprehensive package of proposals, both general, covering all sectors, and special, on the fruit, vegetable and dairy sectors.
We asked for the greatest possible flexibility of the European Commission in approvals of new promotional programs under the new relevant regulation and the adoption of emergency measures to promote an increased budget in the internal market and in third countries. With regard to bilateral economic and trade agreements of the EU with third countries, there should be a differentiation of the negotiation tactics of the EU towards greater balancing of the defence of interests of member states and EU producers who face a competition from lower costs and production standards of third countries.
It is also important to develop a European export credit tool to encourage exports along with the use of financial instruments for granting soft loans.
In addition to these, it is necessary for the fruit and vegetables market to update and increase prices for withdrawal under EU Regulation 543/2011 of the Commission, the increase of the volumes of all product categories under the regulations relating to the implementation of emergency measures to support fruit and vegetable growers and the ability to transfer quantities from one product category to another. It is also necessary to reform the fruit and vegetable entry price system from third countries, and the creation of a safety net for producers’ incomes to address market crises.
What is the strategic goal of the Greek government for agriculture and rural development in the new CAP? According to the latest MoU, Greece should have presented a strategic plan for the primary sector by December 2015.
The main goals of the national agricultural policy are to develop a sustainable production model that will ensure the income of farmers, increase the added value of products and lead to increased competitiveness of Greek agriculture. It also aims at strengthening the internationalisation of our products.
In this context, we expect that we can lay the foundations for the next five years to be a positive transformation period of our countryside, towards sustainable and healthy development.
Some of the measures to improve competitiveness of agriculture are the following:
Creation of competitive farms, individual and/or integrated in collective schemes (cooperatives, corporate), in conjunction with the geomorphological and social-economic conditions in which they operate, the products they produce, and markets they are targeting.
Shift of farmers’ age composition by favoring younger generations and strengthening of active farmers who show increased professionalism in agricultural production.
Promotion of cooperatives and other collective forms to development pillars of the agri-food system and rural areas.
Use of water resources and energy in terms of sustainability, technical efficiency and economic rationality. The promotion of good agricultural practices and their proper implementation in agricultural activities while optimizing the use of EU funds.
Consolidating the playing field in trade of agricultural products and facilitate businesses in commercial activity.
Optimising synergies and the effectiveness of the individual functions of market-oriented exports.
Customs procedures except for the necessary controls to facilitate the operation of enterprises operating in the field of foreign trade.


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Thanks to early adoption of innovative grazing practices combined with advances in cattle breeding and nutrition, U.S. producers have already employed many of the suggested practices that the study suggests employing around the world.
STUDY CONFIRMS US BEEF INDUSTRY IS THE MOST SUSTAINABLE IN THE WORLD
WASHINGTON (April 5, 2021) – A research paper released today confirmed U.S. beef production is the most sustainable production system in the world, a fact long understood by America’s cattle producers, who between the 1960s and 2018, reduced the carbon footprint of the industry by 40 percent while producing 66 percent more beef.
“We already know a growing global population will require and demand high-quality food, which means we need ruminant animals, like beef cattle, to help make more protein with fewer resources,” said NCBA president and Kansas cattleman, Jerry Bohn. “Cattle generate more protein for the human food supply than would exist without them because their unique digestive system allows them to convert human-inedible plants, like grass, into high-quality protein.”
Although the study’s abstract disingenuously advocates for decreased beef consumption, the paper itself repeatedly points out that the advantages of the U.S. cattle and beef production model far outweigh the impacts. The U.S. has been a global leader with the lowest emissions intensity in the world for the past 25 years, producing just 2 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, or 0.5 percent of global GHG emissions.
The study examined livestock lifecycle assessments (LCAs) from across the globe to reach its conclusions and pointed out that there is significant room for improvement of global livestock production practices. While it laid out many opportunities for improvement, it also recognized the work already done by the U.S. cattle industry to become the leader in sustainable beef production. Thanks to early adoption of innovative grazing practices combined with advances in cattle breeding and nutrition, U.S. producers have already employed many of the suggested practices that the study suggests employing around the world.


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Anti-Donald Trump sentiment gives big boost to Canadian tourism
Talk of Trump refugees fleeing to Canada turns into free tourism publicity
Donald Trump may not know it, but he's proving to be a boon for Canadian tourism.
CNN has coined the phenomenon the "Trump bump" — referring to the boost in tourism that Cape Breton, N.S. is hoping for this summer, thanks to anti-Trump sentiment.
It all began with some Americans making noise about moving to Canada if Trump, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, becomes the next president.
It may not translate into actual crowds of Americans relocating up north. But it looks like a lot more may visit thanks to U.S. media jumping on the story and highlighting what Canada has to offer.
Cape Breton, in particular, is basking in the limelight. At the local tourism office, the phone has been ringing off the hook for three weeks.
"We just weren't expecting this, but I say it with a smile," says Mary Tulle, the CEO of Destination Cape Breton.
'Cape Breton if Donald Trump Wins'
Cape Breton's "Trump bump" began with a tongue-in-cheek website created last month by local radio DJ Rob Calabrese.
The site captured the attention of potential American defectors — those outraged with Trump's proposals such as building a wall along the Mexican border and imposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US.
Massive American media coverage soon followed. A CNN TV crew even trekked to Cape Breton last week.
Flood of free publicity
In covering the buzz created by the website, many media outlets noted that the region is a mighty nice place. A followup CNN online article stated, "With its stunning natural beauty, Cape Breton Island ... is a magnet for tourists."
A Fox News TV story included snippets from a Cape Breton tourism video, and the reporter declared the island "gorgeous."
Tulle says all the attention translates into millions of dollars worth of free publicity.
"I am absolutely delighted," says the tourism CEO.
She reports that since the fanfare began in mid-February, more than 470,000 visitors have checked out Destination Cape Breton's web site — a spike of more than 4,000 per cent from the same period last year.
Tulle's tourism office has also been inundated with inquiries, forcing her to hire extra help.
"We had to bring our summer team colleagues back," she says.
It appears to be paying off. Tulle reports that local tourism operators are already seeing a spike in bookings.
Graham Hudson says last week a man from New York called his Cape Breton resort, Keltic Lodge. He booked a cottage for a week in July for about $5,000.
"He had never heard of us, never heard of Cape Breton," says Hudson. But he became intrigued after watching the CNN report.
Newfoundland the new Venice?
Cape Breton isn't the only Canadian destination that could see a tourism "Trump bump."
The popular women's fashion magazine Vogue published an online article last week titled, "For the Trump-Phobic: A Local's Guide to Moving to Canada." It lists several Canadian destinations that Americans may want to call home.
While droves of Americans may never end up emigrating to Canada, the list could inspire their next travel plans.
The article begins with a shout-out to Newfoundland, declaring that it is "one of those rarefied places on earth — like Venice or Iceland — so magical and elemental in its beauty you can't believe it's real."
Montreal is praised for being "exotic" with great festivals, culture and shopping. The article adds that "Vancouver is known for its exceptional physical beauty and outdoor lifestyle."
Teen Vogue got in on the act with a similar article.
Noting that Cape Breton had already gotten a lot of attention, the article suggests Americans take a look at Vancouver Island with its better climate.
"Plus, you've got orcas, wild salmon, and the mountains. In other words: bliss," states the author.
Canada's worth the trip
Tourism expert Gabor Forgacs says the media coverage is helpful because Americans typically don't view Canada as a vacation destination.
"We are perceived by the world as lovely people, awesome quality of life," says Forgacs, but, for Americans, "that image doesn't translate into picking a vacation destination. We're not seen as exciting."
He believes a campaign like Cape Breton's, no matter how humorous, helps raise awareness that Canada is worth visiting — especially when the loonie is much lower than the U.S. dollar.
"We need to educate the Americans about the value proposition we've got," says Forgacs, a professor with the Ted Rogers School of Tourism Management in Toronto.
Based on Cape Breton's success, says Forgacs, if he were in the tourism business, he'd develop a national site, TrumpDodgers.ca.
"I would put money on that. That would be a winner," he says.


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The Commonwealth government has yet to produce modelling on the cost of developing a battery cell manufacturing industry in Australia, but remains committed to its election commitment to produce a national battery strategy.
The manager of the Battery Minerals Team at the Department of Industry, Science, and Resources Nicholas Claydon confirmed that cost modelling has not been undertaken.
“Having that domestic capacity will be able to spur investment in Australia in a potential battery supply chain, because we have that technical ability to do so. We haven’t undertaken modelling on the exact costs associated with doing that, but we know that the industry appreciates the stability of Australia in terms of that investment environment and that technical and resource capacity,” Mr Clayton said.
Mr Claydon was speaking at a public hearing as a part of the Senate’s inquiry into the electric car discount bill on Thursday. When asked about the battery manufacturing capability in Australia, Mr Claydon noted that Australia has the “technical know-how”.
He also referred to the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre’s (FBICRC) precursor cathode material plant established at Curtin University as an example of ongoing government and industry collaboration. This is the first production facility of its kind in Australia.
Mr Claydon also notes that there are currently three lithium hydroxide facilities in development in Australia. The chemical is used in the production of cathodes.
According to an industry report commissioned by the FBICRC in 2021, the establishment of battery cell manufacturing and battery pack assembly in Australia is a medium-term opportunity could be worth $1.4 billion by 2030. The value of battery mineral refining and active materials manufacturing could be worth $1.9 billion by 2030.
Acting general manager for National Reconstruction Fund priorities and supply chains at the Industry department William Tan said that Australia’s current specialisation in the battery value chain is around R&D and critical minerals.
“Australia obviously has considerable expertise in research and development, and we continue to innovate across clean energy products. I think our focus is on innovation and technological improvements, which over time we would expect would help us move further up the value chain,” Mr Tan said.
In his address to the National Press Club on Monday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that “getting on with it” is an important start to competing with other countries with battery manufacturing industry ambitions. He also accused the previous Coalition government of being a barrier to establishing green manufacturing industries.
When asked to confirm that the department currently lacks modelling on the associated costs of developing a battery industry in Australia, a spokesperson reiterated the government’s commitment to an Australian Made Battery Plan.
This includes the establishment of an Australian Made Battery Precinct in partnership with the Queensland government, which would include “$100 million to kickstart Australia’s battery manufacturing industry”. The government will also develop a National Battery Strategy.
“The strategy will consider a range of issues and information sources to inform how governments and industry can build scale and competitiveness along the battery value chain,” the spokesperson said.
“Further, the strategy will consider how to attract and shape investment in an Australian battery industry, and address policy and market barriers to seizing battery manufacturing opportunities for Australia.”
There is also $1 billion that will be dedicated to a value-adding resources fund through the National Reconstruction Fund, which will be administered by an independent board. Legislation on this is expected to be tabled by the end of the year.
Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing was one of the six national manufacturing priorities under the Coalition’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy, which included the $1.3 billion modern manufacturing initiative grants program.
In the Coalition government’s last Low Emissions Technology Statement released in 2021, the “cost of electricity from storage for lithium-ion batteries is expected to decline from $170 per MWh in 2021 to below $100 per MWh over an eight-hour duration as early as 2025”. However, the modelling considered that “the cost of battery cells is mainly driven by overseas developments”.
Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.


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The company, which is building brands specifically for the local market and also introducing American ones, has launched a range of home and kitchen products, a category where it aims to register a fivefold growth this festive season. Among the toppers in the home and kitchen category is Solimo, a private label owned by an Amazon entity globally and made specifically for India. “Solimo is a brand that has been licensed to a seller in India who so urces and procures products and brings them to the market," said Sumit Sahay, director of category management at Amazon India. He declined to name the seller.
Amazon offers cookware, casserole sets and home furnishing such as towels under the Solimo brand, some of which have been launched less than a month ago. Amazon's other private labels in India include the recently-launched Symbol, a menswear fashion brand, Amazon Basics, its global private label, which has over 250 items listed like USB cables, headphones, laptop bags and camera accessories.
In its home market, Amazon has been aggressively expanding its private-label offering to include categories from fashion to baby care and food products, a strategy that experts reckon will replicate in India. “Staples such as wheat flour, sugar, rice are high-volume and highvalue purchases for most customers and if (Amazon) can offer good value there, then private label (in this category) can become very strong,“ said Arvind Singhal, Chairman and MD of Technopak. “We will see a lot of action in the private label space.“
Consumables and fashion have been among the top three categories by volume for Amazon this year.
Rival Flipkart is also working on a private label strategy, which is expected to be launched later this year. Amazon's strategy to scale up on private labels has been in the works for a while. Amazon Basics which is a global private label in the electronic accessories category has been active on the site for 7-8 months now.“The focus on fortifying the private label structure is not limited to the festive season alone,“ said Sahay.


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Alibaba Group announced a new organizational structure for the former Taobao Tmall business. A new Industry Operation and Development Center, Platform Strategy and Operation Center, and User Operation and Development Center will be set up.
On January 6, Alibaba Group’s President of China’s digital business segment, Dai Shan, released an internal letter announcing the new organizational structure of the former Taobao Tmall business. The new structure will “fully focus on user experience and customer value, eliminate inertia and encourage institutional innovation”.
One of the most concerning adjustments is that, on the basis of the dual brand operation of Taobao and Tmall, a new Industry Operation and Development Center, Platform Strategy and Operation Center, and User Operation and Development Center will be set up, respectively, by relevant personnel, reported directly to Dai Shan.
In terms of innovative business, the heads of content ecology such as live streaming and GuangGuang also report directly to Dai Shan, which also reflects the importance Ali attaches to these two businesses.
The establishment of three new centers means that the two core businesses of Ali’s e-commerce, Taobao and Tmall, are fully integrated in the background. After this round of adjustments, the Greater Taobao will form a unified platform mechanism to ensure a simpler and smoother shopping experience for consumers and more certainty for the development and growth of small and medium-sized merchants.
On January 1, Ali China’s digital commerce segment was officially established, with Dai Shan representing Ali Group in charge of the Greater Taobao (including Taobao, Tmall and Ali Mama), B2C retail and other layers of the organization.
Alibaba’s financial report shows that as of September 30, 2021, there are 953 million annual active consumers from the Chinese market in the Alibaba ecosystem. Monthly active users (MAUs) in the Chinese retail market reached 946 million, an increase of 65 million from the same period the previous year.
Analysts believe Alibaba will further consolidate and strengthen consumer mindsets and create greater certainty of growth opportunities for different types of merchants as the Taobao-Tmall business converges, merchant services and consumer experiences are upgraded, and live streaming and content-based businesses are further strengthened.


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La Barba Cigars has announced a name change for the company’s third core-line cigar, pivoting from Primitivo to Ricochet, citing trademark issues with the original name.
The news comes only one day after Cigar Dojo offered an early look at the Primitivo cigar, with an in-depth review before the cigar’s official release.
The name change reflects the unfortunate situation itself, and, apart from the name and updated packaging, nothing else has changed with the cigars. Due to the added time from packaging adjustments, the cigars have been delayed to an estimated launch of Oct. 1st.
Also revealed in a press release sent out by La Barba, the Ricochet is said to be the first in an ongoing series that revolves around wine, inspired from Bellatto’s background as a sommelier.


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After all, according to SamMobile, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra could have up to 1TB of internal storage.
Earlier reports suggested that capacity would be limited to 512GB, but it now appears that the Galaxy S22 Ultra will have 1TB of internal storage, which is appropriate for a handset that is increasingly appearing like a spiritual successor to the now-defunct Galaxy Note series.
The S22 Ultra is said to contain a dedicated slot for the S Pen stylus, as well as outstanding camera capabilities, including the ability to take super-detailed photos with the 108MP camera and 8K 30fps video recording.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has sold a phone with 1TB of storage. The Galaxy S10 Plus was the first Samsung phone to feature 1TB of storage, as well as a microSD card for up to 512GB of additional storage. It’s unlikely that the S22 Ultra will offer expandable storage.
Samsung may bring back the 1TB configuration to compete with Apple’s latest iPhones, which have storage capacities of up to 1TB. This, combined with the stylus storage compartment, AI-assisted camera system, premium chipset, and large battery, could propel the Galaxy S22 Ultra to the top of the 2022 smartphone rankings.
According to prior sources, the 1TB model would likely have 16GB of RAM, and the 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models will all have at least 12GB of RAM.
Samsung is expected to maintain the same pricing as the Galaxy S21 series, which means the S22 Ultra will likely start at $800 and the 1TB S22 Ultra will likely cost around $1,500, given that the Galaxy S21 Ultra with 512GB of storage costs $1,399.
The Galaxy S22 series is expected to debut in February and go on sale the following month.
- Google launches “Continuous Scrolling” feature for desktop search - December 6, 2022
- Google doodle celebrates Finland Independence Day - December 6, 2022
- Google doodle celebrates the 83rd birthday of Kuwaiti actor, singer, playwright, and comedian ‘Abdulhussain Abdulredha’ - December 6, 2022


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Synopsys Inc. and Juniper Networks are forming a new, separate company that will provide an open silicon photonics platform for applications across the electronics industry.
The new company will include integrated lasers, optical amplifiers and a full suite of photonic components for a complete solution to be offered via a process design kit (PDK). The platform will work in such areas as telecom, datacom, lidar, healthcare, high performance computing, artificial intelligence and optical computing.
The name of the new company will be announced later and will be jointly owned by Synopsys and Juniper.
The company will integrate silicon photonics assets from Juniper, which holds more than 200 patents on photonic device design and process integration. This will be combined with Synopsys’ investment into electronic photonic design automation solution that consists of OptoCompiler, OptSim, PrimeSim, Photonic Device Compiler and IC Validator design software products.
To demonstrate the capabilities of the platform, the new company will create 400G and 800G photonics reference designs with integrated lasers with first samples to be available in the summer.
"This revolutionary technology will change the economics of how people are going to build photonic systems," said Rami Rahim, CEO of Juniper Networks. "We have been strong supporters of integrated silicon photonics and we believe the new company will drive development of these systems by using an advanced open platform that will dramatically reduce costs and increase the performance and reliability of designs across multiple use cases."
The companies said adding discrete lasers to silicon photonics has been a challenge due to the cost, which includes the manufacturing as well as the assembly and alignment of those lasers onto the photonic chip.


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A new collaboration between Microsoft and Qualcomm will bring ARM processors to data center servers running the Windows operating system. The agreement is centered on Qualcomm's 10 nanometer Centriq 2400 platform platform server solutions powering Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, but the companies also plan to cooperate on multiple generations of hardware, software and systems.
The announcement could spell trouble for Intel, whose processors have dominated the data center server market for years, where it has been a long-standing Microsoft partner. According to Intel's marketing materials, 98 percent of servers powering the cloud infrastructure run on its chips.
For Internal Use Only, For Now
But all that may be about to change. Microsoft has already developed a version of Windows Server to run on Qualcomm's chips, demonstrating one today that was developed for Microsoft's internal use. Redmond contributed the specifications for the server to the 2017 Open Compute Project U.S. Summit running today and tomorrow in Santa Clara, Calif.
At the moment, the server is only being used internally, and neither company has shed any light on when or if they would be launching hardware based on the design to the public. But Microsoft did say it is committed to the project, which it considers significant for the company.
The server specifications are based on Microsoft's Project Olympus, the company's next-generation, open source hyperscale cloud hardware design. Microsoft contributed the design to the Open Compute Project (OCP) last year. The Open Compute Project is a collaboration between multiple hardware and software vendors dedicated to promoting open source design in hardware and data center infrastructure.
Qualcomm said it has been working with Microsoft on ARM-based server enablement for several years and has an onsite engineering team embedded at Microsoft to collaboratively optimize the version of Windows Server designed for Qualcomm's hardware.
Qualcomm Joins OCP
In addition to its collaboration with Microsoft, Qualcomm also announced that it has formally joined the Open Compute Project Foundation.
Qualcomm said that its specifications pair its recently announced 10nm, 48-core server processor with new interfaces for memory, network and peripherals that will enable suppliers in the Open Compute Project community to access and design ARM-based servers for the most common cloud compute workloads.
The server design fits into a standard 1U server system, offering system vendors the flexibility to create innovative, configurable designs for compute-intensive data center workloads, according to Qualcomm. It can be paired with compute accelerators, multi-host NICs (network interface controllers) and leading-edge storage technologies, such as NVMe, to optimize performance for specific workloads.
"QDT is accelerating innovation in data centers by delivering the world's first 10nm server platform," said Ram Peddibhotla, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Datacenter Technologies Inc., in a statement. "Our collaboration with Microsoft and contribution to the OCP community enables innovations such as Qualcomm Centriq 2400 to be designed in and deployed into the data centers rapidly. In collaborating with Microsoft and other industry leading partners, we are democratizing system design and enabling a broad-based ARM server ecosystem."


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The BJP slammed Manoj Sinha, the lieutenant governor of J&K, for supporting the selling of beer at department stores in Jammu and Kashmir, Kavinder Gupta, a prominent member of the BJP and a former deputy chief minister, said the government must respect the Hindu people's religious beliefs.
Srinagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Manoj Sinha, the lieutenant governor of J&K, for supporting the selling of beer at department stores in Jammu and Kashmir. Kavinder Gupta, a prominent member of the BJP and a former deputy chief minister, said the government must respect the Hindu people’s religious beliefs.
Jammu is regarded as the city of temples; hence Gupta requested a review of the decision. We oppose the sale of alcohol in department stores, including beer.
The Administrative Council (AC), which assembled here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, approved the proposal to allow department stores to sell beer and other “ready to drink” (RTD) beverages in urban areas, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, and Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary, attended the meeting.
Provisions for beer sales
Administrative Council approved the Jammu and Kashmir Liquor License and Sale Rules of 1984 and the Excise Policy of 2023–24 in order to grant License JKEL-2A for the retail sale of beer and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages in department stores in urban areas of Union Territories.
The department store must have been open for at least a year. However, this condition will not be applicable to a new or newly opened department store that is a part of a chain of department shops with annual sales of more than Rs 10 crore.
Additionally, the general stores must be selling a minimum of six of the product categories, including grocery items; frozen foods, confectionery and bakery items, toiletries, cosmetics; household goods, utensils and kitchenware, sports items, electrical and electronic appliances, apparel, and stationery.
The Administrative Council has given its nod to the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation for the retail sale of beer and ready-to-drink beverages in unserved or underserved areas in consultation with the concerned Deputy Commissioner.


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The green packaging market has seen rapid growth in recent years due to advances in technology, heightened interest in circular economy principles, and a cultural interest in more sustainable products. While questions still remain about the lifecycle of these innovations, many are easier to recycle and more biodegradable than their predecessors.
A number of interesting ideas have already made headlines this year and while some are still in the prototype phase, they all have exciting potential for reducing and changing the waste stream. Waste Dive took a look at some of the standouts.
According to Poppits, more than 1 billion toothpaste tubes are sent to landfills every year and they can take hundreds of years to break down. That's why Poppits developed a solution: a toothpaste-filled cellulose pod that can break down inside a person's mouth within five seconds. Inventor Wayne Solan told Co.Exist the product is vegetarian and halal friendly and has even attracted interest from NASA for use on the International Space Station. While a recent Kickstarter campaign missed its mark, the idea of eliminating curled up toothpaste tubes from the trash has a lot of promise.
Edible six-pack rings
Six-pack rings are a common sight in photos of marine life affected by ocean plastic, but one Florida-based beer company has found a way to curb such waste. Working with ad agency We Believers and biodegradables manufacturer Entelequia Inc., Saltwater Brewery will soon begin producing rings made from spent grain rather than plastic. These rings can break down within two to three months, won't harm wildlife, and will give brewers a new use for a material they often paid to dispose of or gave to farmers. Production is planned to start at 400,000 units per month with the hope of influencing larger national companies soon after.
Eggshells can be useful for home composting, but on an industrial scale they’re a challenge. U.K. company Just Egg, which peels 1.5 million eggs per week for use in mayonnaise and other products, teamed up with scientists from Leicester University in 2012 to find a way to divert the shells from the waste stream. Since the shells are made of calcium carbonate — a chalk-like substance — they can be ground into a powder and used as reinforcement filler in plastics. The researchers are also looking into medical uses for the egg membrane. A team from Alabama’s Tuskegee University has been exploring a similar method which uses ultrasound to break the shells into small particles that could be used in food packaging.
Dell has been using mushrooms as part of its move toward more sustainable packaging and Ikea garnered many headlines this spring when it began exploring the material. The product is made by a New York firm called Ecovative using mycelium-fungi — basically mushroom roots — and agricultural waste such as corn husks. Though Ikea hasn’t begun using the material yet, it could make a noticeable dent in the amount of polystyrene foam which is currently used to pack the company’s large boxes of furniture and isn’t accepted for recycling in most municipalities.
Indian company Bakeys has taken biodegradable packaging and products a step further by encouraging users to eat it once they’re done. The company’s cutlery is made primarily from millet flour — which requires less water than rice — along with wheat and rice flours. Bakeys' spoons, forks and chopsticks come in sweet, savory, or plain flavors. If they’re not eaten they will biodegrade within four to five days. The company estimates that 120 billion pieces of disposable cutlery are thrown away in India alone every year with most going to landfills.
A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore have created a material similar to polyethylene film using grapefruit seed extract and chitosan from shrimp shells. The material’s antibacterial and fungicidal properties make it ideal for food packaging. Researchers estimate that it could double the shelf life of items such as bread, which could have big implications for food waste. They also think the film could be used in seafood, meat, and cheese packaging.
Last year, London-based Skipping Rocks Lab debuted a new spherical packaging made from seaweed and and calcium-chlorine membrane called Ooho!. The salty plant has been in the news again this spring because of a jelly-like substance called agar which can be derived from types of marine algae such as red seaweed. A design student from the Iceland Academy created an agar bottle that decomposes once empty and a team of Japanese designers known as AMAM won this year’s Lexus Design Award for their work with the material. They found the potential for creating alternatives to foam packaging or plastic film that could even improve soil quality by increasing water retention properties.


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The Roberts Co., a major industrial fabricator in the Southeast and one of this year's FAB 40 companies (to be published in our June issue), probably wouldn't be the company it is today without Private Equity. Since Main Street Resources purchased the company in 2008, just months before the financial crash, Roberts Co. has benefited from some major personnel investment, including a swath of new senior managers. They're not outsiders, but experienced fabricators. They know the chess game involved when executing a major industrial project. All the right pieces—engineering, fabrication, field erection,and maintenance services—must be moved to the right place at the right time.
According to company sources, the private equity firm gets high-mix, low-volume manufacturing. In Roberts' case, the company is benefiting from major company investments, including a new, 90,000-square-foot fabrication facility that opened late last year. The company prepared for the upswing during the downturn, and Roberts' current growth projections are evidence that the gutsy strategy worked.


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While London restaurants remain shuttered, we’ve rounded up 10 new openings we’re looking forward to this year, from seafood sanctum Manzi’s to the Batman-themed Park Row.
English wine harvest 2019: Back to ‘normal’ but volumes still above average
About a month before the harvest gets underway, English wine producers have expressed relief that predicted volumes are down on last year’s record levels, despite the fact they’re still estimated to be above ‘average’.
Burgundy 2018: biggest white wine harvest ‘ever’
The white wine harvest in Burgundy this year may be the one of the biggest ever recorded, with bumper crops in the Maconnais and Chablis, according to Louis Fabrice Latour.
Thieves strip vineyard bare of grapes
Police are searching for a gang of thieves who broke into a vineyard in southern Germany and ran a professional harvesting machine across its vines, stealing its entire crop.
2018 vintage in Sonoma ‘world-class’, says Christopher Jackson
Vintners across Sonoma County are in awe of the quality of this year’s harvest so far, with Christopher Jackson declaring the vintage ‘world-class’.
First-ever Pinot Grigio DOC harvest closes with 20% yield boost
The first harvest of Pinot Grigio DOC has come to a close, noted for “healthy, high quality grapes” and a 20% increase in yields.
Harvest begins in the Rhône
The 2018 harvest has begun in the Rhône and this year, in a rare turn of events, it was the northern appellations that began first.
Prosecco rosé should become a reality with 2018 harvest
It is widely believed that this year’s harvest will see Prosecco rosé become a reality, as the region plans to lift a ban on blending red and white wines to produce pink fizz.
UK winemakers hold their breath for ‘dream harvest’ as picking commences
As the uncharacteristically long and hot UK summer continues, winemakers are hopeful of a “dream harvest”, according to trade body Wine GB, with producers recording one of the earliest harvests on record with picking starting last week.
Prosecco gearing up for ‘perfect’ harvest
Prosecco producers are gearing up for what the president of the Prosecco DOC Consorzio, Stefano Zanette, has described as the “perfect” harvest in terms of quality.
Hot summer boosts French harvest
The 2018 harvest in France looks set to herald a return to normal after some tough losses last year, with volumes projected to rebound 25% overall.
‘Excellent’ Loire harvest begins
The 2018 harvest in the Loire regions of Anjou, Saumur and Touraine has begun for those varieties used in sparkling production with the main harvest scheduled for next week.


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In case you somehow missed it, Uniqlo opened its first Toronto store last week.
Located in the Eaton Centre, the two-floor, 27,000 sq. ft. space is filled with the basics Uniqlo has made an international reputation on.
- Inside the brand new 27,000 sq. ft., two-floor Uniqlo store in Toronto (PHOTOS)
- Yorkdale Shopping Centre set to unveil its $331 million expansion this fall
- 17 stunning photos of Nordstrom's massive Toronto store
Such a reputation, in fact, that people started lining up as early as 4 am just to be the first ones allowed in. The lineup was long and lasting and had to be divided into three separate lines just to keep it from blocking other shoppers.
If you’re still sitting their reading this and thinking, ‘WTF, what’s the deal with Uniqlo?!’ Just go. Go, and we’ll soon meet you on the side of the converted.
There’s a reason this many adults acted like teenage girls outside of a Bieber concert.
Check out the line that has thankfully (finally) abated:


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FLAG carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) carried 3.1 million passengers on a group level in February, up 28.2 per cent from a year ago, it said in its operating results filed to the bourse on Friday (Mar 15).
Passenger traffic for the group was up 20.4 per cent from a year ago. The growth in passenger traffic was in line with its capacity increase of 20.7 per cent over the same period, added the carrier.
Passenger demand was boosted by the Chinese New Year holiday season across Asia, said the group.
Meanwhile, group passenger load factor stood at 86.3 per cent, with SIA and its low-cost airline arm Scoot posting monthly passenger load factors of 84.5 per cent and 92.6 per cent, respectively.
Stronger e-commerce flows also boosted SIA’s cargo carriage to 432.3 million tonne-km, a year-on-year increase of 12.9 per cent.
This outpaced the capacity expansion of 7.4 per cent from a year before, said the group.
As at end-February, the group’s passenger network covered 121 destinations in 35 countries and territories. SIA served 76 destinations, while Scoot served 67 destinations. Its cargo network comprised 126 destinations in 37 countries and territories.
Separately, in-flight caterer and ground handler Sats announced on Friday its plans to acquire an air cargo handler and border inspection business in Sweden through its wholly owned subsidiary, WFS Sweden, for 94 million Swedish kronor (S$12.2 million).
The group said in a bourse filing that it had entered into a sale-and-purchase agreement with Ola Elfstrom Aktiebolag to acquire Terminal & Transporttjanst i Sigtuna (TT) and APH Logistics (APH).
Both TT and APH are incorporated in Sweden and operate out of the country’s largest airport, Stockholm Arlanda.
TT provides cargo handling and cargo transportation services to airlines, freight forwarders and time-critical medical suppliers.
APH specialises in border inspection services with perishable and cold chain facilities. APH’s services complement the air cargo services provided by TT.
“This move will strengthen the group’s presence in the Stockholm market and our specialised cargo handling capability, as well as add new capacity for growth,” said the group.
The proposed acquisitions will be funded through Sats’ internal resources, and the purchase consideration will be paid in cash.
The book value of the acquisitions, based on unaudited management accounts as at December 2023, is approximately five million Swedish kronor. The net tangible asset value is about 3.9 million Swedish kronor.
The acquisitions are not expected to have any material impact on the company’s net tangible assets per share and consolidated earnings per share for the current financial year, said the group.
Shares of SIA closed at S$6.38 on Friday, down S$0.04 or 0.6 per cent, before the announcement. Sats declined S$0.01 or 0.4 per cent to S$2.55.


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PMM Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jonesinterviewed our November 2013 cover model Quinn Miles in the November 2013 issue of PLUS Model Magazine and it’s a great interview where Quinn talks about how she got started in the modeling industry, her thoughts on the season’s current fashion trends, on what she thinks of the lack of African American models in the fashion industry and more! It’s an awesome, inspirational interview that’s a must-read.
To read Maddy’s interview with Quinn Miles in our November 2013 issue, click here. The interview is on pages 137-142.
Please also make sure to check out the entire November 2013 issue, the We Love Lux Issue. There’s 200+ pages of so many wonderful articles, interviews and editorials that are all about luxury fashion and individual style at any budget.


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The US Department of Homeland Security is concerned that Chinese-made drones and the data they can collect could get into the hands of the Chinese government, according to a DHS alert obtained by CNN.
The alert, which CNN reported was sent out on May 20, 2019, said Chinese-made drones have the ability to share information and data to a server that isn't exclusively controlled by the drone manufacturer.
It's unlikely that live video feeds from Chinese-made drones could be shared with the Chinese government, and audio feeds aren't usually available as many drones don't come with microphones. With that said, some drone software saves snippets of video and images that could be saved on a drone company's servers. Information such as flight and operations data, too, could reveal where, when, who, and why a drone is being used.
As part of a 2017 national-intelligence law, China expects its citizens and companies to support its national-intelligence activities. The alert reportedly suggests that Chinese drone companies could share — or be forced to share — data collected from their drones abroad, including to people in the US.
While the alert didn't single out any specific manufacturers, the Chinese drone manufacturer DJI holds a significant majority of the drone market share in North America — up to 80%, according to an industry analysis from CNN.
In 2017, the US Army issued a ban of DJI drones after alleging that the company shared critical infrastructure and law-enforcement data with the Chinese government.
DJI said in a statement to Business Insider that it has total control over how the data stored in its servers is handled and that its technology has been independently verified by the US government and US businesses. The company also said customers can enable options that would protect their data, as per the DHS's reported recommendations. As for corporate or governmental use of DJI drones, the company said it offers models that don't transfer data to DJI directly or over the internet at all.
DJI's full statement is below:
At DJI, safety is at the core of everything we do, and the security of our technology has been independently verified by the U.S. government and leading U.S. businesses. DJI is leading the industry on this topic and our technology platform has enabled businesses and government agencies to establish best practices for managing their drone data. We give all customers full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted. For government and critical infrastructure customers that require additional assurances, we provide drones that do not transfer data to DJI or via the internet, and our customers can enable all the precautions DHS recommends. Every day, American businesses, first responders, and U.S. government agencies trust DJI drones to help save lives, promote worker safety, and support vital operations, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We are committed to continuously working with our customers and industry and government stakeholders to ensure our technology adheres to all of their requirements.
The DHS alert comes a week after an executive order from President Donald Trump effectively banned the sale of Huawei telecoms equipment in the US.
This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.


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Today is the first day of spring and that means FREE ICE CREAM and FREE ITALIAN ICE!
Dairy Queen is celebrating the first day of spring with its annual Free Cone Day. The fast food chain is giving away a free small cone of vanilla ice cream per customer at participating restaurants nationwide on Monday, March 20, 2017. The offer is available while supplies last at all Dairy Queen and DQ Grill and Chill locations, outside of mall stores
Click here to find the nearest Dairy Queen locations.
“Free cones have become a fan tradition – they love it. The icing on the cake is supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals,” Barry Westrum, executive vice president of Marketing for American Dairy Queen Corporation, said in a statement. “We can’t think of a better way to show our appreciation to fans, kick off the Spring season and support such an amazing cause than with a Free Cone Day.”
No payment is required, but DQ is hoping sweet treat fans will make donations on behalf of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Also, Rita’s Italian Ice is also kicking off the First Day of Spring by giving away free Italian Ice to one and all form 12pm to 9pm. Rita wants you to post your photos in social media and Use #ritasfirstdayofspring when posting cool pics for a chance to win SWEET prizes!
Find your Rita’s here!


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The combination of a low price and dual-SIM capabilities has the possibility to make the Sony Xperia E Dual very popular in certain parts of the world. That is, as long as it's actually a decent phone. So, is it?
Sony brings dual SIM Xperia E to America, offered unlocked for $199
Sony clearly thinks that there’s not enough entry-level Xperia smartphones in the market today, which explains why the Japanese manufacturer recently introduced the Xperia E and Xperia E Dual. Packing marginally better specs than their closest predecessors, the pricing details for the two budget phones have been revealed by Sony Mobile Germany.
Sony Xperia E and E Dual are now official, coming in Q1 2013 with low-end specs
Sony’s Xperia naming frenzy is far from completion and, with enough unused letters of the alphabet to last the company at least one more year, it’s now time to meet the E. Officially meet that is, because the low-ender already got an unofficial introduction back in October.
Sony Xperia E and Xperia E Dual uncovered, coming soon for tech lovers on a budget
We’ve seen a number of high-end Sony phones go on sale lately, the mid-range offering is more than generous too, while the entry-level line is filled with budget-friendly devices. That’s the way things are set to be for the Xperia makers in the near future as well, with unreleased high, but also low-end phones making the rumor rounds.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates roundup – May 5, 2016
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10 best HD Android wallpaper and QHD Android wallpaper collections
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5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week – Android Apps Weekly
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The only thing stopping flexible displays from taking over is that no one is ...


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Chicago, Il – Johan de Nysschen, Executive Vice President, Audi of America, sat down with Lou Ann Hammond, CEO, www.carlist.com
Audi is up to it again! Back in April 2008, I spoke with de Nysschen in Ibiza, Spain. All the big auto names were in the red in March 2008, losing over 18% in one case. Audi only lost .4%. It’s deja vu all over again. While all the big names lost in the double digit’s Audi managed to lose only 5%.
Audi increases residual value
Since de Nysschen has been in power Audi has increased residual value and stand-alone dealerships.
In the last three years, since de Nysschen has come into power, the used car business has grown and helped both the dealers and manufacturers.
de Nysschen made the decision not to have Audi dump demos onto dealers to increase sales.
How will de Nysschen manage in this financial downward cycle?


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By Jenny Peters and Andy J. Gordon
On July 28 and 29, 2018, the inaugural California Pizza Festival will take place at Los Angeles Center Studios. The outdoor event that includes unlimited pizza sampling will showcase different doughs, sauces and toppings from 30 pizzerias from California, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. The mouth-watering event also features world-renowned pizza chefs from Naples, Italy, where pizza began. For two days only, Angelenos will have the chance to try some of the world’s most famous pizza, right in the heart of Los Angeles.


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Gardendale and Hoover police arrested Edward Earl Jones, 30, after he used stolen Regions account numbers to buy $9,000 in Target gift cards.
GARDENDALE, Alabama - A New York man flew to Alabama to use more than four dozen fake Regions credit cards to rack up cash at area Target stores, but authorities foiled his scheme after only $9,000 in purchases and took him into custody in Hoover.
Gardendale police today charged Edward Earl Jones, 30, of Brooklyn. He is en route to the Jefferson County Jail where he will be held on bonds totaling $620,000.
"He had the ability to make over a half million dollars,'' said Gardendale police Det. Chris Clark. "It just got stopped before he could get that far."
Police say Jones launched what could have been a lucrative crime spree on Sunday. He was armed with 39 re-embossed credit cards and debit cards he had made, the account numbers stolen from actual Regions customers from Alabama. The fake credit cards had his name on it in case a store clerk asked for his ID, and looked identical to real credit cards issued from a variety of credit card companies.
Clark said Jones first went to the Target store in Fultondale, where he used one of the cards to buy $3,000 in gift cards in $1,000 increments. From there, Jones went to the Target store at Brookwood Village in Homewood where he bought $6,000 in gift cards, again in $1,000 increments. The two purchases were done in less than an hour.
After the second transaction, Regions Bank's Card Monitoring Group spotted the high-dollar fraudulent charges occurring at Target locations in and around Birmingham. Regions investigators called Clark, who has successfully investigated a number of similar credit card crimes.
They quickly tried to determine where Jones would go next, and they were correct when he showed up at the Target store on U.S. 280 in the Inverness area. Investigators notified the store managers there, who prevented Jones from making a gift card purchase there, Clark said.
But that didn't stop Jones from trying again, police said, and this time they were behind him when he pulled into the parking lot of the Target on Highway 150 in Hoover. Gardendale and Regions by then had enlisted the help of the Hoover Police Department, and Jones was taken into custody during a traffic stop.
Jones was taken back to the Gardendale Police Department for questioning. Clark said they identified more than 40 Regions Bank account holders. The suspect, he said, is not cooperating so detectives don't yet know how he obtained the victims' financial information.
"The losses could have been much worse,'' Clark said. "The investigation revealed that Jones did not plan to stay in Alabama long before flying back to New York. Without the coordinated effort with Regions Bank and the help from Hoover's Police Department, we would still be searching for a suspect that had left the state."
Jones flew into Birmingham Saturday, and had a return ticket to New York booked for Monday.
Jones is charged with trafficking in stolen identities, five counts of identity theft, first- degree theft of property and three counts of fraudulent use of a credit card. Clark has had several other similar high-profile cases, and said this won't be the last.
"This,'' he said, "is the new bank robbery."


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In breaking news, South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for the consideration of a ban on eating dog meat in the country.
“Hasn’t the time come to prudently consider prohibiting dog meat consumption?” Jae-In reportedly told the country’s prime minister during a weekly briefing, according to the presidential spokeswoman.
South Korea’s animal protection law aims to prevent the slaughter of dogs for food but does not outright ban consumption. For years, innocent dogs have been butchered and killed in the name of cuisine and a myth that dog meat increases virility and boosts restorative powers. After the dogs suffer horrific deaths, their body parts are then made into soup known as bosintang.
But dog-eating has declined in recent years, due to rising pet guardianship and mounting pressure from animal activists and younger generations. A majority — 84 percent — of South Koreans surveyed said they wouldn’t consider eating dog meat and 59 percent supported a legislative ban, according to a 2020 Nielsen poll.
President Moon also is a known dog lover whose pets reside at his presidential compound — including one rescued from the dog meat trade.
Although this statement is a step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done. With President Moon calling for a ban on the dog meat industry, now is the time to use our voices on behalf of these helpless animals!
If you haven’t already, sign our petition to finally end this cruel trade for good.


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The SMEV has indicated reaching a possible breakthrough on the vexatious issue of subsidy payments that created a crisis in the EV industry and a log jam with the MHI. SMEV said that post numerous discussions with EV manufacturers, and those who are impacted by MHI’s decisions since the last 18 months, an unusual, but obvious, possibility for a logical solution has emerged and the OEMs have come around to accepting it as the best under the circumstances.
This was confirmed after some OEMs collectively wrote to the newly appointed Honorary Chief Evangelist of SMEV, Sanjay Kaul with a consensus on plausible steps and practical solutions that work for all.
Following this, Sanjay Kaul has written to Minister, MHI Mahendra Nath Pandey proposing these steps in order to find a prompt resolution of this long pending issue. The proposal draws upon the earlier precedent set by MHI as regards 4 OEMs who were accused of overcharging customers. In that case, the MHI ruled that the OEMs must return the overcharged sums to customers.
SMEV has proposed that since in this case, OEMs have passed on subsidies, which subsequently MHI has ruled as unpayable to OEMs, they be allowed to recover these from customers and pass it back to the MHI, annulling the account.
It is to be noted that the department levied a penalty on some OEMs a few months ago for overcharging the customers and then asked them to return the amounts, it is possible that the monies that MHI is demanding from the other set of OEMs for non-compliance, can be similarly recovered by them from the customers and returned to the Department, said the letter.
The letter said, “Since the MHI is suggesting that the subsidies passed on to customers by OEMs now stand canceled, due to technical reasons decided by MHI subsequently, the customers who have taken such subsidies can be asked to return these to OEMs in all fairness.”
OEMs have indicated a willingness to share customer data with the Department so that this may be affected by a public announcement. They are also open to taking out a Public Notice asking such customers to deposit back the excess rebates they had received as subsidies, under the Department’s guidance.
BorgWarner has clinched an agreement with a major North American OEM to supply its bi-directional 800V Onboard Charger (OBC) for the automaker’s premium passenger vehicle battery electric vehicle (BEV...
Uno Minda, a leading tier 1 supplier of proprietary automotive solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), has unveiled an innovative range of side stand sensors and switches that use advanc...
As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow, Honeywell has created innovative solutions to address safety concerns across the spectrum of EV manufacturing and use.


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Steve Wozniak suggests Apple to make Android phones
Apple founder Steve Wozniak has found himself in a bit of a fanboy brouhaha after this week suggesting that Apple should consider make an Android smartphone.
Speaking with WIRED at the Apps World North America conference in San Francisco, Woz said:
“There’s nothing that would keep Apple out of the Android market as a secondary phone market.
We could compete very well. People like the precious looks of stylings and manufacturing that we do in our product compared to the other Android offerings. We could play in two arenas at the same time.” – Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak
This is not the first time Wozniak has looked at Android as a viable platform; he told us nearly 4 years ago that Android will win at the end. He’s also advised that Android does things better than the iPhone.
Obviously this isn’t something that’s going to happen, but it’s fun to think of the potential device. Hardware as polished as Apple’s, paired with a platform as robust as Android sounds like a recipe for great things. While we’re somewhat keen on the idea, die-hard Apple fans are getting their knickers in a twist. Take a look at the comments in WIRED and you’ll see fun banter on all sides of the argument.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comment box below.
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Taylor over at cnet’s Android Atlas has a few reliable sources who have been providing a steady stream of fresh Android intel.Â If you haven’t had a chance to visit
Disney Publishing announced on Monday that there are now four new storytelling apps available for the Android platform. Available in the Google Play Store immediately, the apps include digital storybooks,
Google will back away from the Google TV brand for the connected television experience in favor of ‘Android TV’, reports GigaOm. According to an unnamed executive at an electronics makers


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Gala Interactive have announced the promotion of Alison Digges as Director of Igaming Services. Digges replaces the departing Director of Casino Kasper Trier – Poulson, the interactive role has been designed to integrate Digges senior management roles within the bingo, games and casino divisions of Gala interactive.
Alison Digges joined Gala Interactive as Head of Bingo in February 2012, she previously worked as Director of Operations for GTech G2 Gibraltar, she has also served as Marketing Director of Gibraltar based sports betting operator Victor Chandler
Digges has overseen the launch of new bingo and female targeted product for Gala Interactive, including the launch of female focused sports betting product – Flutter.com.
Digges will oversee upcoming projects and product launches for Gala Interactive, including the expansion of new igaming brands for the Scandinavian igaming markets and the upcoming launch of new mobile focused betting and gaming products.


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Intel is the semiconductor leader with franchises such as the Xeon, Core and Atom processor lines. The chip giant is the market share leader and has been steadfast in its argument that manufacturing is a difference maker for the company. Intel is currently riding the PC and server upgrade cycles.
Articles about Intel
Intel and partners are going to be bringing us PCs that run both Android and Windows 8.1. Meanwhile, AMD and its partner BlueStacks will enable users to run Android and its apps on Windows.
Based on presentations and results thereafter from the last few editions of CES, the immediate takeaway is that Intel has been on the way down while Qualcomm has seen its star rise.
As Intel rebrands its security group, McAfee will finally lose its brand name, an entire decade after its founder John McAfee resigned.
Forget any ideas about brainwashing. The Internet of Things means devices will eventually be smarter than the people building them.
The Atom family of processors has long promised reasonable performance with good battery life for mobile gear. Bay Trail finally fulfills that promise by Intel.
A worldwide effort, led in part by Intel Israel, helped developed a long-life, high performance processor that is now in dozens of devices.
Mindspeed's wireless infrastructure division is scattered across California, the United Kingdom and China.
[UPDATE] In light of government attempts to subvert products and standards, both Linux and FreeBSD add extra entropy/randomness to the output of Intel's and Via's opaque hardware-based random number generators. Smart move.
The processor giant buying Hacker League, a private organization that plans and organizes hackathons. Examples of previous events have not been limited to enterprise customers either.
The tech giant is asking potential suitors for $500 million to purchase OnCue, and hopes to finalize a deal before the end of the year.
Linux is everywhere, except on traditional PCs. But when it comes to total platform domination, you can't beat Linux on supercomputers.
The electronics giant says that it will expand its small contract manufacturing business, giving the firm a revenue boost in the wake of dwindling PC sales.
In order to make up for lost ground, Intel is looking to quadruple its tablet business to 40 million units during the coming year.
Once a niche, high-performance computing has become a key growth area for the tech industry. Intel’s announcements at Supercomputing 13 today---including new details of a completely redesigned Many Integrated Core processor—show just how important technical computing has become.
The chip-making giant is setting up shop (albeit temporarily) in New York City with a handful of pop-up stores, ahead of an expected busy sales December quarter.


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Sigil India Services Private Limited
LAST UPDATED : Oct 21, 2019, 08:16 AM IST
- No Siswan farmhouse, realtors told to pay up Rs 30,000, refund Rs Rs 4.4 lakh
District consumer disputes redressel forum directed Emerging India Housing Corporation Private Limited and its sister company Siswan Paradise Emerging India Private Limited to pay Rs 30,000 as compensation for failing to deliver a cottage farm house for possession for which the complainant had already paid Rs 4.45 lakh.
- SBI proposes to dilute stake in credit card business
The SBI on Wednesday said it is planning to dilute stake in its card business through the initial public offer route. The country's largest lender currently holds 74 per cent stake in SBI Cards & Payment Services Private Limited. Currently, the bank has a consumer base of about 6 million using its SBI Card services for payment of products and services.
- PV output down 13.18% in April-July as major auto companies cut production
Passenger vehicles production in India was down 13.18 per cent in April-July this fiscal with top manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Ford, Toyota and Honda reducing output massively. Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) and Volkswagen India were the only two main manufacturers which saw production grow marginally during the period.
- Passenger vehicle exports up 4% in April-September; Hyundai leads the pack
Passenger vehicle (PV) exports increased by over 4 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal, with Hyundai Motor India leading the segment with dispatches of over 1.03 lakh units to various geographies like Africa and Latin America, as per the latest data by SIAM.
- Nissan commences exports of automatic trims of Datsun Go, Go+ to South Africa
Auto maker Nissan India on Friday said it has commenced exports of automatic trims of Datsun Go and Go+ to South Africa from its plant in Chennai. Since beginning operations in India in 2010, Nissan has exported over 8,80,000 units from its Oragadam-based manufacturing arm -- Renault Nissan Alliance India Pvt Ltd (RNAIPL).
- Engaged with M&M for strategic future co-operation in India: Ford
The US auto major Ford said it is engaged with Mahindra & Mahindra for strategic cooperation to help it achieve "commercial, manufacturing and business efficiencies" in India. Reports have said Ford is all set to transfer some of its key assets, including manufacturing plant in Chennai to a joint venture with M&M as the US auto major struggles to make a mark in India.
- McDonald’s resumes McDelivery in Delhi NCR and select cities
Connaught Plaza Restaurants Private Limited (CPRL), now wholly owned by McDonald’s, has restarted its McDelivery service in Delhi NCR and select cities in North and East India. At present, however, McDelivery will be available at select restaurants only.
- Govt to induct 40 private sector specialists at crucial mid-level of bureaucratic hierarchy
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha said the Centre has decided to appoint 40 private sector specialists at crucial decision-making levels in the bureaucratic hierarchy, adding that no final decision has been taken in the matter. The Deputy Secretary/Director level posts are usually manned by govt servants selected through various Group A services.
- Private transporters' strike against toll plaza in J&K's Samba enters second day
Private bus services along the Jammu-Pathankot highway remained suspended for the second day on Tuesday to protest the newly set up toll plaza at Sarore in Samba district. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) defended its decision to set up the toll plaza and assured the people of hassle free movement of traffic.
- Charusat bags UK project to improve engineering syllabus
The M&V Patel Department of Electrical Engineering of CS Patel Institute of Technology of Changa-based Charotar University of Science and Technology (Charusat) has bagged a collaborative research project from Royal Academy of Engineering, the United Kingdom, under the Newton-Bhabha Fund.
- Auto dealers shut shop as sales slow
The ongoing slowdown in the automobile industry — along with the liquidity crisis in the market — has had a crippling effect on the dealer network. Data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), the apex body of vehicle sellers, shows that the city count of dealership closures in the last 18 months is a staggering 271 with 245 passenger vehicle dealership shutdowns.


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News, analysis and tips on the Google Android operating system, and devices and apps that use it.
Looking for phones? CNET's reviews of the best phones include photos, video, and user reviews.
Enhance your Google Voice experience by using one of these Android apps to make calls over Wi-Fi.
Apple might be offering a new iPad Air to customers, but the company has decided to keep its existing tablet in place for those seeking a cheaper option.
That's your post-rebate price, but it's also one of the best deals to date on a massive solid-state drive.
A Vermont bakery and coffee shop shuts off its Wi-Fi and discovers that people quite like it.
It's no surprise at the IFA show to see another manufacturing power join the smartwatch market. But weren't Netbooks left for dead after consumers moved to tablets instead?
Commentary: Sonos has done a great job of keeping competition at bay over the years, but a new industry initiative promises to crank up the volume on multiroom audio.
A baker's dozen of seriously sweet deals on everything from games to laptops to VPN software, with a couple of freebies thrown in for good measure. Epic!
I'll show you how the big cell phone companies leave their mark on Android by altering the design of Google's mobile operating system.
For the first birthday of Google's streaming-media stick, the exec behind the dirt-cheap dongle discusses its back story, year one, and the path ahead.
Whether it's a problem, or just a preventative measure, it's always a good idea to be aware of what devices are connecting to your home network.


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Miami – (January 29, 2009 ) – While relishing ongoing rave reviews of its new Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Cruises also is celebrating high honors bestowed on its Millennium-class fleet in the prestigious Conde’ Nast Traveler magazineâ€™s annual “Top Cruise Ships in the World” poll.
The eagerly-anticipated poll once again places every Millennium-class ship in Celebrity’s fleet in the top 10 in the large-ship category – double the number of ships in the top 10 among any other major line – retaining Celebrity’s domination of that category.
In the large-ship category, Celebrity Constellation earned the number-two slot â€“ and received top marks among all large ships in itineraries/schedule and food/dining â€“ while sister ship Celebrity Summit ranked number three overall, Celebrity Millennium came in sixth, and Celebrity Infinity netted ninth. Celebrity Solstice entered service several months after the votes were tabulated, but will be eligible for next year’s poll.
“We’re grateful to the well-informed readers of Conde’ Nast Traveler who have repeatedly ranked all of Celebrity’s Millennium-class ships in the top 10 in this prestigious poll,” said Celebrity’s President and CEO Dan Hanrahan. “We’re equally grateful to our extraordinary staff, who so successfully deliver Celebrity’s Star TreatmentSM across the fleet to our valued guests.” Conde’ Nast Traveler subscribers rated a total of 418 ships on a 100-point scale in seven categories: itineraries, shore excursions, crew/service, cabins, food/dining, activities/facilities, and design/layout. Only ships that received a required minimum number of responses were eligible to be included in the rankings.
Celebrity Cruises offers comfortably sophisticated, upscale cruise experiences with highly personalized service, exceptional dining, and extraordinary attention to detail. Celebrity sails in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, California, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Europe, Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, the Pacific Coast, Panama Canal and South America. The line also offers unique cruisetour vacations in Alaska, Australia, Canada, Europe and South America. Noted for four of the top 10 “Top Cruise Ships in the World” in the large-ship category, as voted by the readers of CondÃ© Nast Traveler (February 2009 readers’ poll), Celebrity’s fleet – including the new Celebrity Solstice – will be joined by Celebrity Equinox this year, Celebrity Eclipse in 2010, a fourth Solstice-class ship in 2011, and a fifth in 2012. For more information, call your travel agent, dial 1-800-437-3111.


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Sullivan & Cromwell and Davis Polk & Wardwell have the lead roles on an upcoming Tokyo initial public offering of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp.’s domestic telecommunications business that seeks to raise $21 billion.
The proposed listing of subsidiary SoftBank Corp., slated for Dec. 19 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, will be the largest the world has seen since Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s $25 billion listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.
The billions raised will fund SoftBank’s future investments and help lower the company’s ballooning debt, which, as of the end of September, was about $158 billion.
Sullivan & Cromwell Tokyo partners Keiji Hatano and Izumi Akai are representing SoftBank Corp. on its listing. In 2016, the New York firm advised SoftBank on a $10 billion sale of shares in Alibaba.
Mori Hamada & Matsumoto is advising the issuer on Japanese law, led by Tokyo partner Taro Omoto. The Japanese firm, alongside Morrison & Foerster, previously advised SoftBank Corp. on its $20 billion acquisition of American mobile carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. in 2012.
Davis Polk Tokyo partner Jon Gray is representing a group of underwriters led by Nomura Holdings Inc., Goldman Sachs Japan Co. Ltd., Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. In 2016, the U.S. firm, alongside Slaughter and May, advised U.K. chip designer ARM on its $31 billion sale to SoftBank.
Anderson Mori & Tomotsune is serving as Japanese counsel for the banks.
Japanese entrepreneur Masayoshi Son started SoftBank as a telecom carrier but has transformed the company into a global tech investor over the years. In addition to famously being an early investor in Alibaba, in 2016, Son’s SoftBank established, in cooperation with a Saudi Arabian sovereign fund, a $100 billion Vision Fund for technology investment around the world. Vision Fund portfolio companies include ARM, Indian e-commerce company Flipkart and shared office space provider WeWork Companies Inc.


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Put simply, a regulatory sandbox enables innovators to trial new products, services and business models in a real-world environment without some of the usual rules applying.
They’re used in many sectors and are now becoming increasingly popular in the spectrum world.
According to the ITU’s 2022 Global Connectivity Report, nearly a quarter of countries (47) worldwide have created safe spaces for regulatory experimentation.
In addition, almost a third of countries (62) have identified emerging technologies as a policy priority. They have adopted a forward-looking spectrum strategy or regulations and plans with regard to the Internet of Things.
Our new research note on sandboxes examines how they are being used by countries as diverse as Colombia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the UK and many more. It is now available to Spectrum Research Service subscribers.


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TRENTON, NJ – Never mind the piles of heavy-duty reusable bags piling up in your laundry room or garage because you always forget to bring them with you to go shopping, but New Jersey’s ridiculous plastic bag ban is leading to another problem.
Rampant theft of shopping baskets at grocery stores is on the rise. It’s gotten so bad that some stores are now applying anti-theft devices to their baskets to deter people from stealing them.
According to NJ.com, one Jersey Shore ShopRite store has run out of baskets and isn’t going to buy new ones, because they know they’re going to get stolen again.
Governor Phil Murphy’s plastic bag ban went into effect on May 4th and since then New Jerseyeans have been trying to cope with the ridiculous inconvenience of buying a shopping cart full of plastic-wrapped goods, produce and beverages, but not being able to get a plastic bag to put all of their other plastic wares into.
Instead of worrying about cradling an order full of groceries from the checkout to their car, customers are simply just taking the entire basket with them, most never returning them.
Store owners across the state can’t keep up with ordering new baskets, so many are just not ordering any more of them. The handheld basket might soon become a relic of New Jersey past, just like the plastic bag.
Some New Jersey Walmart stores are now putting anti-theft devices on their baskets.
Uline, a manufacturer of handheld shopping baskets sells baskets in lots of 12 for just under $8 per basket.


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Dropbox presented a completely rebuilt, re-imagined Dropbox for business product today that aims to make it easier for people to switch between their work and personal accounts from one central place.
Droplr has been uploading users’ files to the cloud since 2009 but is only now taking on funding to grow the company and stand up against formidable competition.
File storage company Hightail acquired security company adeptCloud today, continuing its quest to compete with major names in the cloud file-sharing industry.
Y Combinator-backed Kippt released a new product for companies today called Inc, which seeks to improve communications among teams and provide a better alternative to email.
Does this Microsoft patent make my Android smartphone look fat? That’s the question Motorola Mobility is asking today after yet another German court ruled its mobile phones were infringing patents owned by the software giant. The decision by the Mannheim Regional Court bans sales of Motorola phones including the Razr, Razr Maxx and Atrix and awards Microsoft undetermined monetary damages.
Sponsored Post Cloud is all the rage in enterprise … so much so that Juniper predicts mobile cloud revenues alone of $39 billion by 2016. But with new file sharing and application management strategies…
Cloud computing and desktop virtualization are rapidly growing trends in the tech world, and one company has spent a considerable amount of time developing this technology. Nivio, which started as an idea in 2004, announced today it has received $21 million in its first round of venture capital funding.
For most offices, avoiding an avalanche of paper is a daily struggle. Even with so much content available online these days, paper still seems to pile up in offices and clutter workspaces. Doctape, a German based company, is launching a new service to fix that.


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One of the biggest tech giants and pioneer in the smartphone industry, Apple, is in the news again because of new rumors related to the new generation of iPhones.
As 9to5Mac reported, Apple is expected to launch larger iPhone models this year – and they may also arrive in a variety of colors. According to analysts, the unique 6.5 inch OLED iPhone will launch in black, white and a new gold shade – while the rumored 6.1 inch LED iPhone will also debut in grey, white, blue, red and orange variants.
If this report is accurate, Apple will introduce at least four new colors in the 2018 iPhone lineup which is quite unusual for the tech giants. The debut of Apple’s red variant color a couple of months ago was designed to promote Product (RED) which is an organization that campaigns to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa.
However, orange and blue would be totally new in the palette of iPhone colors. While many are certain that Apple was working on a gold variant of the iPhone X, the current rumors say that Apple will launch three new iPhones in the fall – with a completely new “iPhone X Plus” that will feature a 6.5 inch OLEd display and dual SIM support.
Among the other updates, many analysts expect new features, especially in the field of Face ID, as well as camera and specification improvements.


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North Korean authorities recently began purchasing rice from farms and are even pressuring farmers to turn over their surplus production in the name of “patriotic rice contributions.”
According to a Daily NK source in North Korea last Thursday, grain processing facilities across the country are going around to local collective farms and individual farmhouses to purchase grain.
Each farm may offer just its allotted amount, but the processing facilities are demanding to purchase surplus production, too.
In some regions, staff from the processing facilities are even fostering an atmosphere of political agitation, telling farmers that they should voluntarily offer “patriotic rice” to become “patriotic farmers,” or that they should offer their rice at giveaway prices to win praise from the state.
Staff from the processing centers are even entering farmers’ homes to look around for hidden grain.
With the state actively engaged in semi-forced purchases of grain, farmers are rushing to sell their rice in markets.
This is because the state pays only one-third the market price for rice. Farmers naturally find it much more in their financial interest to sell to sellers in local markets.
Another problem is that the state pays not in cash but in kind, providing an equivalent price amount in fertilizer, pesticide, and plastic coverings. This is why farmers try to sell only a bare minimum to the state.
The phenomenon is having a partial impact on market rice prices, too.
As of Dec. 29, the price of rice was KPW 4,500 in Pyongyang, KPW 4,550 in Sinuiju, and KPW 4,200 in Hyesan.
This basically suggests that rice prices are settling in the mid-KPW 4,000 range, having fallen since September.
Market grain prices typically fall after the harvest thanks to the abundance of potatoes, corn, and rice.
There are now more merchants dealing in corn and “long-stored” rice, too, also driving down prices.
However, there is concern that rice prices could skyrocket when supplies fall early next year if the authorities semi-force farmers to sell even their surplus harvest.
North Korean authorities can prevent rice prices from suddenly spiking by purchasing a sufficient amount of rice and selling it at appropriate prices through state food shops. The question is, however, whether state food shops will be able to secure enough rice.
The source said the state’s biggest concern is that rice prices will rise when times are already tough for the people due to the closure of the border. He further claimed that the authorities are squeezing farmers for rice to stop rice prices from suddenly climbing.


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Given their long history of distilling, cooperage and fine food and wine it’s surprising that the French have taken to whisky so late. Not to mention the fact that whisky is now so popular in France that it’s rapidly becoming the country’s national drink (they consume more whisky per capita than the Americans, the Scots or the Irish). While the industry is young, the quality is already very high.
Several producers are now marketing their wares on Australian shores. Noted Whisky writer, Jim Murray, had the privilege of been the first person outside the company to analyse the new product at the official launch commenting, “I told them they were tasting not just a historic malt whisky, but one that deserved the highest praise in its own right.” We endeavour to keep a selection of these Welsh gems.


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New Poll is Looking for the Best Beatles Book of 2020
Beatles Freak Reviews has fired up a new online poll to search for the best book written and released about The Beatles in 2020 with the winning book being featured on the BFR website for all of 2021!
By: MoonGlow PR
Created on November 15, 2020 and running through the end of 2020, the Beatles Freak Reviews poll (hosted by Survey-Maker.com)
To encourage fans and authors to spread the word about their books, Beatles Freak Reviews will feature a picture of the winning book on their homepage for the entirety of 2021 to help promote it! Results will be posted on BeatlesFreakReviews.com in the early part of 2021.
To vote for your favorite Beatles book of 2020, go to: https://www.survey-