text:
As you may have heard here (and here and here), in October 2022, the United States issued sweeping measures aimed at the semiconductor industry in China. The new regulations restrict the export of semiconductors and related technology, manufacturing equipment, software, and even U.S.-person support, to China. The regulations are part of a high-stakes chess match between the United States and China, as they compete for technological and economic dominance. One important result of this struggle is that the global semiconductor industry is being squeezed by the regulatory and geopolitical pressure exerted by both sides.
Now, as 2022 comes to a close, the United States is calling on its allies to impose similar export restrictions on China. This move is a strong expansion of the efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced semiconductors and related know-how. In our view, it is also a throwback to the old Truman Doctrine concept of containment. The Biden administration made it clear that the United States wants its allies to align with aggressive U.S. export controls on China.
More than two months after the release of the October 2022 regulations, discussions with U.S. allies on the issue are still continuing. The first two countries to come on board appear to be Japan and the Netherlands. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said discussions with Japan and the Netherlands have taken place, without providing further details. Bloomberg reported that Japan and the Netherlands have reportedly agreed to join U.S. efforts to impose similar export restrictions. According to the report, both countries will join in banning “machines capable of making 14-nanometer or more advanced chips to China.”
Both Japan and the Netherlands are important players in the development of semiconductor technology and manufacturing. The U.S. government has been working hard to convince those particular allies to align, because they both have leading roles in cutting edge technologies. The Netherlands is a hub of chip manufacture and design, and the country also creates some of the most advanced chip production machines in the world. Japan is home to numerous chip designers and manufacturers as well as suppliers of chip manufacturing equipment.
We are still waiting for any official statements from the Netherlands and Japan outlining any specific measures they will adopt. However, the reported response by Japan and the Netherlands to what is clearly a concerted U.S. diplomatic effort may indicate that other countries will continue to be pushed to choose sides in this semiconductor cold war. On the other side, China is imposing its own export controls, “unreliable entity list,” and foreign direct investment restrictions. Additionally, on December 12, China’s Commerce Minister announced that the country had filed a trade dispute with the World Trade Organization to challenge the new U.S. export restrictions.
We will continue to follow the geopolitical developments and report here on how they impact global trade and, as in this case, specific industries.


text:
The general rule in patent law is that each country has its own patent system. If you want damages for sales in the United States, you need a U.S. patent. If you want damages for sales in New Zealand, you need to get a New Zealand patent, and so on. A case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court threatens to disrupt this system by allowing worldwide damages for infringement of U.S. patents. Together with the R Street Institute, EFF has filed an amicus brief [PDF] in the case explaining that extraterritorial damages are inconsistent with the Patent Act and would hurt U.S. innovation.
The case, called WesternGeco LLC v. ION Geophysical Corp., involves damages for overseas patent infringement. Literally. WesternGeco owns a patent that covers a method of conducting marine seismic surveys. ION exported components that, when combined, were used to infringe the patent. Under Section 271(f) of the Patent Act, exporting components of a patented invention for assembly abroad is considered infringement. Accordingly, WesternGeco received damages for the sales of the components. The question in the case is whether WesternGeco should also receive lost profits for the use of the invention overseas (even though that use is not itself infringement under U.S. law).
Our amicus brief explains that Section 271(f) was enacted to close a loophole relating to certain exports but was not intended to expand patent remedies to regulate international use. If that was the only issue, however, the case might not have much impact. Section 271(f) cases are fairly rare. But a much bigger question is lurking in the background. The Solicitor General argued that overseas damages should be available in all patent cases if domestic infringement can be seen as a cause of overseas sales or uses. Thanks to today’s global supply chains, this could radically expand the scope of U.S. patent law and inflate damage awards.
On this broader question, we explain that making extraterritorial damages available in all patent cases would harm U.S. innovation:
[C]onsider how such a regime might impact two hypothetical companies. Two companies, a domestic one A and a foreign one B, design and test semiconductor chips and contract with a foreign manufacturer to produce their designs. A patent owner claims that both companies’ testing processes infringe a patent, and demands damages for the manufactured chips on the theory that those chips’ manufacture and sale are proximately and factually caused by the infringing testing. If the Solicitor General’s damages theory is accepted, Company A could be liable for a reasonable royalty on its worldwide sales. In contrast, Company B would likely only be liable for royalties on its U.S. sales. This would effectively punish Company A for conducting research and development in the United States.
Discouraging research and development in the U.S. is exactly the opposite of what the patent system is supposed to do.
Worldwide damages would also undermine other nations’ sovereignty. Not all patent systems are the same. For example, some countries (like New Zealand) have comprehensively rejected software patents. If another country imposes patent damages for software sales in New Zealand, that would undermine New Zealand’s considered democratic choice. The same reasoning would apply if another country imposed damages for U.S. sales that wouldn’t be infringing under U.S. law. We hope the Supreme Court correctly interprets the Patent Act and rejects worldwide damages.

domain: news


text:
Customers return to Balsam Bagels after it was shut down by Health Department
[anvplayer video=”5167939″ station=”998131″]
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Balsam Bagels on 288 Winton Road is back open on Thursday. The Monroe County Health Department suddenly closed the business last week when it discovered a rodent infestation.
The owner of Balsam Bagels said the Health Department gave him permission to reopen after changes were made. Some customers might be hesitant to return but others told us they were happy to hear the shop is back open.
“I was excited. I worked in the food industry, I know mistakes happen,” said Dan Huntington. “I’m happy to support them and glad they’re back open.”
Balsam Bagels said in a Facebook post that a pest control specialist helped the store to implement “intense prevention measures.”
Here is the full Facebook post:
To all of our customers, we would like you to know…
After revisiting the store and reviewing the changes made, the Monroe County Health Department greenlighted us for reopening. We will be open starting Thursday, March 16th at 7 a.m.
We would like to reassure our customers and the community, that the entire facility is clean and sanitized.
We’ve introduced new daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning products into our schedule to maintain our facility in its current [clean] state. A certified pest control specialist implemented intense prevention measures and will continue to regularly monitor the space and eliminate issues swiftly, should they arise.
We apologize again to our loyal customers and community- we know we let you down, and we thank you for your patience as we look forward to getting back to business.


text:
Developer’s iFly Res Passenger Services System was deployed remotely during the pandemic
Start-up airline EGO Airways partners with IBS Software for res and distribution
Italian start-up airline EGO Airways has partnered with IBS Software to manage its reservations and distribution operations.
The partnership has been agreed as consumer demand for flights grows, IBS said.
EGO Airways is described as a modern hybrid airline. It began operations earlier this year deploying IBS Software’s cloud-based iFly Res Passenger Services System (PSS).
Developed remotely during the pandemic, this has given it modern ecommerce capabilities along with traditional requirements such as integration with long-haul partners.
IBS said by developing its own direct channel distribution, complemented by GDS based distribution as well as enabling integration with partners, EGO Airways will be able to promote and differentiate their products to customers across multiple channels.
Alessandro Cuciuc, distribution manager at EGO Airways, said: “As a brand new airline with big aspirations, it is critical that we build reservation and distribution capabilities that are tailored to our very specific needs.
“We were looking for a partner with the vision and expertise to help us develop a state-of-the-art ecommerce platform, but also in-depth knowledge of traditional technology requirements to support our partner network.
“We couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with IBS Software. From the beginning they impressed us with their deep understanding of our challenge and their commitment to developing innovative technology to best serve our business and our customers.”
Marco Contento, vice president aviation business services at IBS Software, added: “EGO Airways is a new, highly progressive and ambitious airline and we are thrilled to be partnering with them to power their reservation and operations technology from the very start of their journey .
“It is critical that EGO Airways’ business model is underpinned by innovative digital technology that will adapt to changing consumer behaviour and deliver a first-class customer experience. We’re looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with an exciting new airline.”
iFly Res claims to be the first natively compliant Iata New Distribution Capability (NDC) PSS product in the industry.


text:
STOMP it anytime, anywhere.
Download the new STOMP app today.
Mar 6, 2017
They might be labelled as "100 per cent natural ingredients" but two weight loss products sold in Singapore have now been found to contain a banned substance.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) released a statement Monday (Mar 6) warning the public to avoid buying or consuming the products labelled as 'Anyang Herbal Blue' and 'Anyang Herbal Red'.
Both products were marketed as weight loss products but were found to contain "very high levels" of sibutramine, a banned substance, after they were tested by HSA.
Sibutramine was previously available as a prescription-only weight loss drug but has been withdrawn from Singapore since 2010, due to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, said the HSA.
'Anyang Herbal Red' was found to contain undeclared potent Western medicines: diclofenac (a painkiller) and phenolphthalein (a laxative).
Although it was touted to have "no side effects", one woman in her late 20s who consumed 'Anyang Herbal Blue' complained of several ailments including heart palpitations, nausea, trembling of hands and legs, sweating and insomnia.
Based on dosage instructions labelled on 'Anyang Herbal Blue' and 'Anyang Herbal Red', a consumer could end up taking as much as eight times the maximum allowable amount of sibutramine per day.
These dangerously high levels of sibutramine would predispose consumers to serious adverse effects, the statement read.
According to HSA, one seller (Jessie Cosmetics) had sold the weight loss products on a social media platform as well as directly to friends.
The seller is currently assisting HSA's investigation.
HSA has also directed the immediate cessation of the sale of both products after the undeclared potent ingredients were found.
The authorities are warning sellers to stop the sale of 'Anyang Herbal Blue' and 'Anyang Herbal Red' immediately and that it is illegal to sell and supply complementary health products (such as health supplements, traditional medicines) containing undeclared potent western medicines or banned substances.
Anyone who supplies illegal health products is liable to prosecution and if convicted, may be imprisoned for up to 3 years, fined up to $100,000 or both.
Members of the public are encouraged to visit www.healthdangers.sg to learn more about the dangers of buying illegal health products from dubious sources.


text:
Key highlights from IWSR's latest Covid-19 Market Impact Snapshot report
IWSR assesses whether the hard seltzer category has morphed into a lifestyle movement, and if so, what implications does this have for brand owners competing in this space?
Is Diageo’s acquisition of Aviation Gin a sign that M&A activity within the drinks industry is back on track?
With the onset of Covid-19, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) inevitably took a back seat as companies focused on operational activities.
Despite the current unpredictability and the economic uncertainty of the ongoing pandemic, the beverage alcohol industry is showing real pockets of resilience
IWSR assesses the impact of Covid-19 on six key macro trends driving and shaping the global beverage alcohol industry
In July 2020, the first non-alcoholic bar opened in Japan. IWSR looks at what is driving the segment in the world’s 4th largest non-alcoholic beer market
Younger LDA consumers are increasingly being drawn to beverage alcohol products that embody converging trends around wellbeing, provenance and environmental awareness
As ecommerce develops into a critical channel for alcohol sales, IWSR looks at what legislative repercussions there might be in markets such as the EU, US and India
The one-, three- and five-year plans that brand owners put together in the autumn of 2019 will now seem mostly irrelevant in our new world. How are brand owners reassessing their channel distribution?
Global alcohol consumption grew last year, however, new IWSR research forecasts that Covid-19 will push 2019 volume gains back by 5 years
- Irish Whiskey
- Mixed Drinks
- US Whiskey


text:
Blog Pick of the Week: Obama's Re-Election and Consumer Spending
The 2012 election for the President of the United States is over and Barack Obama will be in office for 4 more years. Typically, consumer spending slows leading up to elections based on economic uncertainty.
Now that the election is over, I saw this article on "How Obama's Re-election Could Boost The Retail Industry".
Since 55% of the females voters were for Obama, their confidence is strong and they are responsible for much of the retail purchasing. I know someone this week that purchased a digital camera and an iPad which is a large discretionary purchase for a non-holiday period.
Another area of concern is that retailers will be impacted by 'Obamacare' which will increase expenses for retailers for benefits for their full-time workers. Costs will have to either be passed on to the consumer or perhaps the workforce will become more part-timers instead of full-timers.
This certainly demonstrates how politics and the economic climate can impact procurement and sourcing professionals. Increases in retail have a ripple effect through many industries such as logistics and manufacturing. The increased volume of business impacts the purchasing activities at all those organizations.
What do you expect based on the recent election? Do you see any impact to your procurement team or purchasing practices?


text:
French battery startup Verkor has announced that it raised $118 million (€100 million) in a recent financing round co-led by EQT Ventures and Renault Group, with participation from the French government and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region. Other investors in the round included Schneider Electric, Arkema, Tokai COBEX, and EIT InnoEnergy.
The funding will be used to further scale the company and to set the construction of the Verkor Innovation Centre (VIC) in motion. The VIC will be located in Grenoble, France, and according to the company will become a pilot line for battery cell manufacturing and include testing facilities, module prototyping, and an R&D center, as well as provide training opportunities for engineers and technicians.
Verkor is also planning to be one of a new wave of battery Gigafactories that are being planned across Europe. As demand for electric vehicles increases, so does the need for batteries. Currently, the majority of battery production takes place in Asia, which isn’t in the long term interests of governments in North America and Europe that want to create jobs in this sector, and from an environmental standpoint it is better to manufacture electric vehicles and batteries in as close proximity as possible.
This approach is supported by the French government, which is a key partnership for the funding round. In a statement, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the French Minister of Industry said: “With the automotive industry facing unprecedented challenges, the investments we make today will turn into tomorrow’s jobs. We are supporting Verkor’s growth through CORAM, the French orientation committee for automotive and mobility research, which is financed by the French future investment programme, the PIA. Our goal is to accelerate the development of innovative digital processes for battery cell manufacturing, which will be implemented in the future Gigafactory.”
In April, Verkor joined an appeal to EU lawmakers to set an end date of 2035 for the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles. There were 27 companies in total which made their voices heard via this action, including major players like Uber, IKEA Retail, Volvo, and Vattenfall. It shows that despite being launched just a year ago, Verkor is serious about its mission and potential.
Verkor is planning to have its pilot line for battery production in place by 2022, with the innovation gleaned from this process going into the construction of its first battery Gigafactory in 2024.
Image courtesy Verkor
Don't want to miss a cleantech story? Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.


text:
Entries in 'support' (77)
Bethesda’s smash hit RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is to introduce Kinect compatibility on Xbox 360 later this month.
There is a sad truth to the seemingly inevitable demise of GAME Group – it’s potentially good news for other video game retailers, in the short term at least.
Sony sees Vita as a five-to-ten year platform and is bullish on its potential for success, the console giant’s SVP of brand marketing has said.
Gears of War and Infinity Blade developer Epic Games has publically stated that it does not support America’s Stop Online Piracy Act in its current form.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has reiterated its uncategorical support for America’s controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
Nintendo engineers are working hard to upgrade Wii U so that it can simultaneously support two tablet controllers, sister site Develop understands.
Having previously downplayed the significance of 3D visuals in the games market, Microsoft has announced further first-party support for the tech.
The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA) has announced its support for MCV Pacific's launch in Australia and New Zealand welcoming the focus on local trade news and information.
Microsoft has for the first time said that it envisages a time when every firth party game produced for Xbox 360 will incorporate some level of Kinect functionality.
Crysis 2 will push the console visual envelope when its released next month, but one thing it won't do is add weight to the growing motion control movement.
The PS3 version of Portal 2 will not include PlayStation Move support, developer Valve has confirmed.
"Complete" PlayStation Move support has been guaranteed for the PS3 version of Portal 2.
The UK has a heritage in developing video games that we can be very proud of.
It's an argument often trotted out whenever anyone attacks the pre-owned market – "You don't see Toyota demanding a cut from the sale of a second hand Corolla."
Microsoft has warned Call of Duty fans to ensure that they download the correct version of new Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC First Strike.
LoveFilm has applauded publishers’ efforts to encourage new sales with the rise of second user charges.
Any game can sell well on Wii, as long as it’s supported well by publishers, Nintendo has told MCV.
Ambitious cloud-computing based video games service OnLive will roll out an official wi-fi beta version of its service in September.
Sony has confirmed at the IFA trade show that a patch to introduce 3D Blu-ray movie playback on PS3 will be released some time next month.
Xbox 360 platform holder Microsoft has finally admitted that many countries will not enjoy voice recognition support for Kinect when the device arrives in Europe in November.


text:
A year before Google's futuristic-looking, computerized eyeglasses are expected to hit the market, they have been banned -- again.
A Caesars Palace casino spokesman today told Computerworld that people wearing the Google Glass technology won't be allowed in the casino.
"Gaming regulations prohibit the use of computers or recording devices by persons who are gambling," said Gary Thompson, a spokesman for Caesars, in an email. "Therefore, individuals wearing Google Glass would not be allowed to gamble. If they attempted to do so, would be subject to arrest under various state gaming regulations."
Some gamblers have long tried to use computers and recording devices to gain an unfair advantage at the gaming tables.
"There have been numerous incidents around the country in which people have used computers or cameras secreted elsewhere to keep track of cards in blackjack games," Thompson said. "When they were caught, they went to jail."
Google said every new technology generates new questions, legal and otherwise.
"It's early and we are thinking very carefully about how we design Glass. New technology always raises new issues," said a Google spokesman.
"Our Glass Explorer program, which reaches people from all walks of life, will ensure that our users become active participants in shaping the future of this technology," the spokesman added. The Glass Explorer program is an early adoper program that lets developers and others use the technology, for a price.
Caesars isn't the first business to say "no thanks" to Glass.
Seattle's 5 Points Cafe and Bar in March announced a no Google Glass policy.
In a blog post, the cafe said: "If you're one of the few who are planning on going out and spending your savings on Google Glasses -- what will for sure be a new fad for the fanny-pack wearing, never removing your bluetooth headset-wearing crowd -- plan on removing them before you enter The 5 Point. The 5 Point is officially a No Google Glass zone."
Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group, said he's not surprised that the Glass bans are starting so early.
"People see Google Glass as either an invasion of personal privacy, or even a threat to their commercial businesses," he said. "Google Glass is already prompting more thought and discussion about what's private and what isn't. While people are already routinely recorded while going about their business in public places and businesses, they've been mostly oblivious."
All of this is hitting well before Glass is ready to ship.
Late last month, Eric Schmidt, Google's executive chairman, said Glass' general availability is still about a year away.
Meanwhile, about 8,000 Glass Explorers are expecting to begin testing the technology soon.
Google I/O, the company's annual developer conference, is set to open next week in San Francisco. Developers and members of the press are eager to see what Google executives have to say about the project, as well as to see prototypes of it.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin, or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed . Her e-mail address is firstname.lastname@example.org.
Read more about emerging technologies in Computerworld's Emerging Technologies Topic Center.


text:
UK subscribers to TV and film services like Netflix and Amazon Prime will be able to access their UK library when on holiday within the EU from Sunday 1 April.
The EU's new rules on digital portability means online content providers, like Sky Go, Netflix and Amazon Prime, must allow subscribers access to the content library from their home country. Previously, subscriptions were blocked, or subscribers could only access the content library from the country they were travelling in - not much use if you don't speak the local language.
Music streaming services, like Spotify, and eBook providers, like Amazon are also included in the rules. Users don't need to do anything to access their libraries when on holiday, as providers should already have recorded a 'home country' based on where the subscription was taken out.
The rules only extend to paid subscription services, and the BBC has confirmed that the BBC iPlayer won't be available to UK travellers in the EU. Other music, TV and media services offered for free aren't bound by the new rules.
UK subscribers will only benefit from the new rules up until Brexit. It's been confirmed that after March 2019 the portability rules will no longer apply to UK subscribers.
EU rules introduced last year also mean UK holidaymakers don't need to worry about inflated roaming charges when streaming their favourite TV show while abroad.
Since last June, bundled minutes, texts and, crucially data can be used in the EU for no extra charge. Nor can mobile phone network providers charge you more for using out of bundle minutes, texts or data than you would be charged in the UK.


text:
Apple used its Wallet app to push deals to Apple Card holders before, but this is the first time the company has offered exclusive deals that includes one of its own services as a perk.
- Exclusive deals for Apple Card holders appear in the Wallet app
- Apple previously offered similar deals through Wallet
- But it’s never used one of its own services as a perk
Exclusive monthly Apple Card offers in the Wallet app
One of the exclusive offerings awards customers who would use their Apple Card to pay for any order from Panera bread with free access to Apple News+ and unlimited coffee.
“Access hundreds of publications with an offer from Apple News+ and unlimited coffee with an offer from Panera,” reads the message. A user can touch the link labeled “Learn More” which takes them to the new Apple Card Offers mini-page on the Apple website, found at offers.applecard.apple, which provides additional information about the available perks.
These are two different offers, both ending on August 31.
Looks like Apple is planning some sort of “Offers” feature for the Apple Card. I just saw a free News+ offer (sponsored by Panera Bread) in my Wallet app on iOS 15 on two devices. Link to sign up is broken and the message is now gone: https://t.co/zb8EVfTYBY
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) August 5, 2021
This was first spotted by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Twitter.
The fine print of the current promotion reveals that an Apple Card holder user must buy a MyPanera+ Coffee subscription with Apple Pay through a special link to get the first four months of service for free. Alternatively, the cardholder might opt for four months of the Apple News+ service for free.
These promotional offers are limited to US customers because Apple Card is currently unavailable in other countries. Apple is also to be possibly moving into the “buy now, pay later” market via a partnership with Affirm.
The exclusive offer appears as a promotional card within the Wallet app, right below the Apple Card balance and weekly activity.
Not all Apple Card holders see this message in their Wallet app, but those who do are invited to “enjoy exclusive offers this month.” The wording implies that the Wallet app will regularly update these offers with new promotions aimed at Apple Card holders.
Although the Wallet app previously offered various promotions to Apple Card holders, this is the first time Apple has offered its own service (Apple News+) as one of the perks in Wallet.
Apple has been accused before of spamming users’ inboxes with unsanctioned promotional offers. It’s gotten worse in recent years as Apple has increasingly used its notification system to shove its offers down customers’ throats when they least expect them.
Pushing promotional offers via the Wallet app may look particularly bad in light of Apple’s legal troubles with governments over unfair competition and prioritizing its own offerings.


text:
ICICI Bank RLLR loan interest rate ..
Following the RBI repo rate hike, ICICI Bank said on its website that the ICICI External Benchmark Lending Rate (I-EBLR) linked to the RBI policy repo rate will come into effect from May 4, 2022 at 8.10 per cent per annum. ICICI Bank has hiked this rate by 40 basis points in line with RBI.
Also Read: Interest rate up to a maximum of 20 years .. The same goes for credit card and auto loans
Bank of Baroda loan interest rate …
From May 5, 2022, the repo-linked Baroda Lending Rate (BRLLR) will be 6.90 per cent on retail loans, the BOB said. Bank of Baroda also raised the rate by 40 basis points. It looks like more banks will be making these announcements soon. A 40 basis point repo rate hike will increase costs for existing borrowers and new borrowers. External benchmark rate means that home loans linked to the repo rate will have the effect of raising the latest rates on all other loans.
Also Read: Rising interest rates .. Declining gold, like today’s prices ..!
To find comprehensive information on more than 20 areas, you can subscribe to Economic Times Prime for exclusive Economic Times articles.


text:
Membership of the Government’s new Litter Strategy Advisory group has been announced by resources minister Rory Stewart in a written Parliamentary answer.
Those involved include the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Local Government Association, Keep Britain Tidy, McDonalds and Bradford University (full list below). The Hubbub group, which has trialled interactive ways of engaging with people not to litter (pictured), has also been recruited.
Stewart was asked by Conservative MP John Stevenson whether the Tobacco Manufacturers Association, Wine and Spirits Association, Scottish Whisky Association, British Food and Drinks Federation and British Soft Drinks Association had been asked to join the group.
The minister’s reply indicated they had not, but he said that input on developing a strategy would go beyond the advisory group.
“We will seek the views of, among others, representatives from local government, campaign groups and independent experts, as well as voices from the packaging and fast-food industries.
”As part of this process, we will also establish a number of working groups on specific issues such as roadside litter, data and monitoring and enforcement,” he wrote.
In December, when the move was announced, Defra said: ”We will seek to work with local government and relevant stakeholders to develop a National Litter Strategy, which clarifies the contributions that different sectors can make to tackling litter and to set the context for ongoing anti-litter activity.”
Meanwhile, the BBC has reported that Instagram has ordered the owner of a British anti-litter app to change its name. Littergram invites people to share pictures of rubbish and report the location to their council.
Lawyers for the US photo-sharing giant said the name was “not acceptable”.
Members of the strategy group:
Local Government Association, London Councils, Highways England and Connect Plus, Industry Council for Research on Packaging and the Environment, Foodservice Packaging Association, Packaging and Films, Association, British Retail Consortium, Wrigley, McDonalds, Keep Britain Tidy, Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, Hubbub, Clean Up Britain, Marine Conversation Society, Clean-up UK, CIWM and Bradford University.


text:
James Bond comes to Stirling
OK that headline grabbed your attention. The truth is that Deril, security guard at the Thistle shopping centre has got himself a plum job for the week- acting as a James Bond lookalike to publicise the new Bond movie, Spectre, while guarding the Aston Martin used in the movie.
“Is this the original car from Spectre?”
“ Oh no,” replied Deril. “This model was in Skyfall and they used 20 Aston Martins making the film.
(At £165,0000 each…)
Well, the car chase I remember best is the one set in Scotland and I especially liked being able to spot the locations like Glencoe. Here's a clip from the movie.


text:
After a turbulent first year leading United Technologies Corp., Chief Executive Greg Hayes on Wednesday laid out a two-year, $1.5 billion cost-cutting plan in the hope of reversing a stock slide that has slashed the company's market value by about a fifth.
As part of the plan which will go through 2018, the company is taking aim at "high-cost" locations with an eye to consolidate manufacturing facilities, Mr. Hayes said.
"In a slow growth environment, we focus on doing what we do best. We focus on doing more with less," Mr. Hayes said at a meeting of investors.
The move comes after a bruising first year at the helm for Mr. Hayes, who took over after the abrupt retirement of former CEO Louis Chenevert about a year ago. Mr. Hayes quickly started to overhaul the Hartford-based conglomerate's portfolio and management, blowing up some of the bureaucracy Mr. Chenevert put in place and selling off the company's Sikorsky helicopter unit to Lockheed Martin Corp., for $9 billion.
Even so, the company has endured multiple stumbles--like misreading demand for aerospace spare parts and gumming up the transition to a new distribution center for new engine parts. United Technologies cut its profit targets this summer in its airplane-systems business and at Otis, where sales fell far more sharply than expected in Europe.
Shares have fallen by more than 18% over the past year. Sales in the first nine months of the year declined 2.6% to $41.8 billion while profit dropped 8.8% to $4.3 billion. The stock decline has fueled speculation that the company could be targeted by activist investors, but the company has said that it hasn't been approached by activists and is taking the steps those investors would likely want.
Key among those measures is Mr. Hayes' huge push to repurchase its own shares. The company's current plan is to buy back $16 billion of its stock through 2017, with some $10 billion of that coming by the end of this year.
The buyback, and a frank explanation of how the company missed its old targets, has helped to stop the rout, analysts who cover United Technologies said this week.
The company's projections for next year aren't rosy: Otis will face a drop of up to $250 million in operating profit as the company cuts prices to try to claw back market share, and Pratt & Whitney will face heavy pressure on its profits as it boosts engine production and manufacturing costs to get its new family of geared turbofan jet engines out to customers.
For 2016, United Technologies is forecasting earnings per share, excluding certain charges, of $6.30 to $6.60, while analysts had forecast $6.57 a share in earnings. The company forecast sales of $56 billion to $58 billion, while analysts were forecasting $58.6 billion.
The company has already had to fix problems at a New Hampshire distribution facility, designed especially for the ramp-up of engine production, where delays cost the company $500 million in sales in the third quarter. Those issues have been resolved, Pratt & Whitney officials said, and the company expects to produce 200 of its newest commercial engines next year.
Also Thursday, the company said Brian Rogers, chairman of T. Rowe Price Group Inc., and Fredric Reynolds, former chief financial officer of CBS Corp., would join the board of directors in January, raising the number of board members to 13.
Chelsey Dulaney contributed to this article.
Write to Ted Mann at firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
Sorare has announced a new partnership with the French Football Federation (FFF), which will allow the blockchain-based fantasy soccer game to distribute more cards featuring the FFF’s players. This collaboration will provide Sorare with access to the federation’s 14,000 licensed players, which will enable the platform to develop and expand its offerings and bring in more customers.
“This development is part of Sorare’s roadmap to build an inclusive ecosystem uniting tens of millions of sports fans, and support its mission to bring these fans closer to the players, teams and leagues they love,” a Sorare spokesperson told CoinDesk. “It does not impact the structure of Sorare’s core game or competition, or its cards.”
Sorare, which allows users to trade digital cards of soccer players, has already expanded its reach to over 130 countries worldwide. The blockchain-based platform has captured the imagination of not only soccer fans, but also collectors who are interested in owning unique digital assets tied to their favorite players. Sorare’s partnership with the FFF is in line with its goal to continue to innovate and expand the industry.


text:
On September 24, 2013, Tofflon held a seminar themed “integration with global technology to provide service for pharmaceutical industry” in shanghai. The high number of over 500 specialists and visitors from 180 pharmaceutical companies were present in the seminar. It has impressed participants greatly. In 2013, it witnessed Tofflon’s 20th anniversary. It not only invited senior experts from SFDA to communicate with participants, but also experts from Italy and Sweden to share their sophisticated understanding of the technologies in pharmaceutical industry.
At the beginning of the seminar, Tofflon Chairman Mr.Anthony Zheng delivered opening speech and shared the latest trend in pharmaceutical industry worldwide. He said that nowadays pharmaceutical industry has been specialized worldwide accordingly ,such as ,United States is famous for its validation management and software engineering ,Italy is more specialized in mechanical design , Germany is well-known in mechanic control system ,Sweden is more in environment control system ,and Japan is specialized in environment conservation technologies ……Fortunately, Tofflon has already integrated the best resources in with world to provide service for the pharmaceutical industry and . All the customers were impressed and received positive feedback. One of the customers said: “Tofflon has already been far ahead of its competitors in China in integration of technology and resources. The seminar is very informative and valuable for me. It teaches me a great deal.”
After the seminar, all participants were invited to take factory tours in Tofflon headquarters and its several subsidiaries. It has demonstrated the whole picture of Tofflon manufacturing process, the quality control system ,company value and its corporation culture……etc. Especially, Tofflon has demonstrated the whole freeze drying system line and new products in workshop. It has fully illustrated Tofflon R&D and innovative capabilities. All customer witnessed and experienced Tofflon how to become the top brand of pharmaceutical machine manufacturer in China and how to expand its global markets with 20 years’hard work and persistence on the way.
As the proverb says: God rewards the diligent. In the seminar ,Tofflon have impressed customers by its image: advanced ,systematic ,reliable from the concept to vivid machine demonstration in workshop. It showcased Tofflon’s persistent commitment to provide its service to pharmaceutical industry.


text:
CARTUCCE HP CANON EPSON LEXMARK OLIVETTI - INSERISCI L'INCHIOSTRO E RISPARMI FINO AL 90% - CON I KIT PROFESSIONALI PRODUCERS
Nike Trainers Names
John Bessant, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Exeter, will present a master class at these events. Professor Bessant is an expert in technology and innovation management with over 25 years of experience in advising national governments and international bodies including the United Nations, The World Bank and The Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development (OECD).
Devon County Council leader John Hart said: "We want to provide the best possible climate in Devon for businesses to grow and boost our economy. This initiative is encouraging firms to look Nike Running Shoes Men 2017
The "Innovation Fitness" tool provides an easy to use questionnaire to evaluate a company's capabilities. With the help of a trained assessor, this is used as a guideline to offer a range of practical advice to improve innovation within an organisation.
case studies from local companies, and a full range of support organisations on hand, I believe these will be really useful and valuable events for a wide range of local businesses."
Businesses in Devon have the opportunity to receive free support and expertise on how to grow.
Devon County Council has teamed up with Nike Trainers Names the University of Exeter to offer business advice that will ensure they are able to develop new ideas, products, efficiencies and to identify new markets.
Sean Fielding, Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer at the University of Exeter, said: "It's great to see public and private sector coming together: with the support of Devon County Council, the University and Devon businesses are putting their heads together to create new innovative business ideas and help grow the economy. The University's Innovation Centre and Business School are already working hard to support innovation and thanks to the Business Spark events a much wider group of businesses will now be able to access their expertise.".
The Exeter DailyInnovative support offered to Devon businesses
what elements of your business you can fine tune to encourage innovation. With Nike Trainers Women 2018
at their business and explore how they can build and adapt. It's being led by people with considerable expertise and knowledge, so businesses will be able to access the best possible advice and support. This is a unique opportunity to hear first hand, in a very accessible way, Nike Running Shoes Women
Nike Trainers Names
Nike Shoes For Women Black And Blue


text:
Facebook social media news
Since 2019 has kicked off in earnest, anyone that follows tech news will have seen Facebook popping up in their newsfeed very regularly. It's been a busy month for the company, with them making a number of announcements about changes and new products coming throughout 2019. Below are a few of those announcements that caught our attention - and may be useful to know as a small business owner doing any sort of social media campaign or Facebook marketing.
Whatsapp, Instagram & Facebook Messenger to work together
A few clickbait style headings earlier this week announced that Facebook was "merging" Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. While there is some truth to that statement, the changes aren't quite as comprehensive as a full merger. In a nutshell, the plan is to make the underlying structure of the messenging parts of those apps work together. So for example if you have Facebook Messenger and your friend has Whatsapp, you'd still be able to message them directly. More importantly, that messaging is all going to have end-to-end encryption (starting with Facebook Messenger). So you can rest a bit easier knowing your messaging is safe from prying eyes.
Whether this is a sign of a bigger merger to come in the future will be interesting to see, but given Instagram's popularity, it seems unlikely that the platforms will be merged into some form of 'super' Facebook app.
Pages & Groups may be closed before they full violate policy
With all the recent 'fake news' and click baiting that has been coming through the Facebook platform, they've decided to tighten up their protocols by adding a 'Page Quality' tab. This tab will basically tell you as a page owner if your content is being removed or demoted because it is false, partially false, or has a false headline. The idea behind it is to eliminate more misleading content from the platform. In addition to this, the site is going to start banning Pages which are being used to share content that has originally been pulled from the site. For example, if you have two pages and one page is banned or has a post removed, this new policy means you really shouldn't then go and share that same content on the other page. They are calling these 'proactive removals'.
"Scam" button may be on the way
After seeing a few celebrities faces being used by scam posts on Facebook, the company has responded by announcing they will be aiming to launch a scam reporting button to posts - initially in the UK. Again, this whole roll-out of announcements certainly seems to be targeted at improving the trustworthiness of posts on the site.
Run your petitions through Facebook
In an attempt to be seen as more of a platform for social good, Facebook has announced a new feature called "Community Actions". If you have a cause for good, you'll be able to create that cause in Community Actions, tag relevant authorities & government bodies, and the public will be able to one click "Support" that cause, as well as run discussions etc within it. Like alot of things these days, the company will be testing the service in the USA and we'll be curious to see how well they are able to moderate the Community Actions that are posted. Will this just become another feature used negatively by the internet?
SUMMARY: How does this all affect your business?
Like most changes in the online space these days, the changes that Facebook are looking to bring quality to their product. Trustworthiness and reliability are the main focus, so if you continue to create genuine, original and truthful content, then you won't need to worry too much about the changes impacting your page.


text:
China social credit offence travel bans
Occurred: March 2019
The Chinese government banned millions of people from travelling in 2018 for 'social credit' misdeeds, including unpaid taxes and fines, according to the AP.
China's National Public Credit Information Center annual report said would-be air travelers were blocked from buying tickets 17.5 million times; others were barred 5.5 million times from buying train tickets.
Beijing had announced in March 2018 it would introduce the travel ban two months later. Per Reuters, people would be put on the restricted lists if they had committed acts like spreading false information about terrorism, causing trouble on flights, using expired tickets or smoking on trains.
The Social Credit System is based on the principle of 'once untrustworthy, always restricted'.
Published: March 2023


text:
A group of businessmen from both sides of the border have clubbed together to buy the former Quinn Group's manufacturing operations from the receivers for around €500m (£412m).
The three businessmen have created a firm called Quinn Business Retention Company to buy the businesses of Aventas Manufacturing Group.
The men say they have backing from overseas finance houses, as well as the "moral" support of Sean Quinn.
Aventas, based in Derrylin, Co Fermanagh, is the owner of the former Quinn Group's glass, plastic, packaging and radiator manufacturers.
The two other businessmen leading the charge are Ernie Fisher, a former managing director of Fisher Engineering, and John (Bosco) O'Hagan, owner and managing director of the Specialist Joinery Group.


text:
Digital Business Strategy: How Evernote Monetized $10 million in Revenue
Evernote has gone old-fashioned, creating a sister company called Evernote Market that sells physical goods like office supplies, new technology hardware, and technology accessories.
The amount of free stuff on the Internet is staggering. Before its invention, hardly anyone could have predicted so much information and so many services would be available for free. From newspaper content to language translations services, the Internet has tended to repel money, much to the dismay of digital business owners. Since last fall, however, the company behind the popular note-taking app Evernote has taken in $10 million in revenue, now averaging about $1 million per month in sales. So how are they doing it?
Evernote has gone old-fashioned, creating a sister company called Evernote Market that sells physical goods like office supplies, new technology hardware, and technology accessories. This has meant extending its brand to products like Moleskin, Post-It Notes, scanners, wallets, and socks. Now the company is at work on creating its own line of products like iPad stands made of Wisconsin walnut wood.
"We declared a ceasefire between pen and digital," CEO Phil Libin said then. "You're still going to have physical products. Your sense of touch isn't going away. People still want nice-feeling, beautiful things."
Besides creating a new revenue stream for the company, Evernote Market tends to funnel individuals toward the digital product, the original Evernote app, which includes subscription level services that customers are required to pay for. So there you have it. Your digital business might benefit from having a presence in the world of physical things.
In his Big Think interview, business consultant Marshall Goldsmith explains how to manage your global digital business. That means thinking on a global scale, understanding how technology impacts the business, and creating alliances with other companies.
Read more at Fast Company
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Upstreamism advocate Rishi Manchanda calls us to understand health not as a "personal responsibility" but a "common good."
- Upstreamism tasks health care professionals to combat unhealthy social and cultural influences that exist outside — or upstream — of medical facilities.
- Patients from low-income neighborhoods are most at risk of negative health impacts.
- Thankfully, health care professionals are not alone. Upstreamism is increasingly part of our cultural consciousness.
The Bajau people's nomadic lifestyle has given them remarkable adaptions, enabling them to stay underwater for unbelievable periods of time. Their lifestyle, however, is quickly disappearing.
- The Bajau people travel in small flotillas throughout the Phillipines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, hunting fish underwater for food.
- Over the years, practicing this lifestyle has given the Bajau unique adaptations to swimming underwater. Many find it straightforward to dive up to 13 minutes 200 feet below the surface of the ocean.
- Unfortunately, many disparate factors are erasing the traditional Bajau way of life.
We explore the history of blood types and how they are classified to find out what makes the Rh-null type important to science and dangerous for those who live with it.
- Fewer than 50 people worldwide have 'golden blood' — or Rh-null.
- Blood is considered Rh-null if it lacks all of the 61 possible antigens in the Rh system.
- It's also very dangerous to live with this blood type, as so few people have it.
An innovation may lead to lifelike evolving machines.
- Scientists at Cornell University devise a material with 3 key traits of life.
- The goal for the researchers is not to create life but lifelike machines.
- The researchers were able to program metabolism into the material's DNA.
SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by The Big Think, Inc. All rights reserved.


text:
San Francisco-based augmented reality company Mursion has secured $8 million in Series A funding, according to company database Crunchbase, topping the city’s recent funding headlines. The cash infusion was announced March 26 and led by New Markets Venture Partners.
According to its Crunchbase profile, "Mursion is the virtual reality environment where professionals practice and master the complex interpersonal skills necessary to be effective in high-stress professions. Used by a wide range of innovative organizations in healthcare, education, hospitality, finance and other corporate sectors, Mursion delivers customized virtual reality simulations that recreate the most demanding interpersonal challenges that professionals confront on the job every day."
The five-year-old company has raised two previous funding rounds, including a $4.5 million round in 2018.
The round brings total funding raised by San Francisco companies in software over the past month to $1.4 billion. The local software industry has produced 724 funding rounds over the past year, raking in a total of $19 billion in venture funding.
In other local funding news, natural language processing company Askdata announced a $150,000 seed funding round on March 18, financed by Y Combinator.
According to Crunchbase, "Askdata removes any boundaries between users and data. With AskData, users ask questions in natural language and find answers across all their data. The Askdata platform is based on the Human2SQL, the biggest repository of natural language and SQL statements in the world."
The company also raised a $108,066 pre-seed round in 2015.
Meanwhile, food delivery company Eatgeek raised $150,000 in seed funding, announced on March 18. The round was also financed by Y Combinator.
From the company's Crunchbase profile, "Eatgeek offers an easy way to book restaurants, caterers, food trucks and chefs to cater any occasion. Customers receive cash-back on all orders and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Eatgeek is a tool to plan birthdays, dinners, corporate events and other special occasions."
Eatgeek last raised seed funding in 2018.
Also of note, digital banking company Point raised $150,000 in seed funding, announced on March 18 and also financed by Y Combinator.
From Crunchbase, "Point is a digital bank for the new generation that offers a debit card with travel and dining rewards without hidden fees. It rewards 2x points and cash back for every dollar spent on traveling or dining with built in budgeting tools to track spending habits."
The company previously raised $450,000 in pre-seed funding earlier this year.
Rounding out the city's recent top local funding events, blockchain company Quantstamp raised corporate round funding, announced on March 6 and financed by Nomura.
From Crunchbase, "Quantstamp is the leader in smart contract security"
The company previously raised $120,000 in seed funding in 2018.
This story was created automatically using local investment data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


text:
Leading Cork Cannabis de-criminalisation activist Martin Condon sent every TD and the President of Ireland 'Cannabis Joints' last week to mark National Legalise Cannabis Day, along with a letter outlining "Ten reasons why Cannabis prohibition needs to end in Ireland."
Last Friday Martin, who has previously planted cannabis plants around Cork city in an act of protest, sent out the letters to Micheal D. Higgins and others containing 'cannabis joints and jellies' to make a point about the prohibition of the drug in Ireland.
Martin told CorkBeo that alongside the Cannabis Activist Alliance of Ireland he sent out "200 'cannabis' joints, one to every TD and then forty to select media, councillors, senators, and even the president." He also sent a tricolour 'cannabis' joint to Mary Lou.
"I hope the message in the letters highlighting the dangers of cannabis prohibition might sink in and those who support the prohibition model begin to see the problems which it creates and how regulation is a much greater way to achieve harm reduction," the passionate activist said.
Cork TD Mick Barry said that whilst he has not yet received Martin's "present" yet (after a busy few days at the COP26 conference), he does "believe that the law unnecessarily criminalises a large number of ordinary people from all walks of life who use cannabis and who pose no threat whatsoever to society."
"I believe these laws need to change and I would like to commend Martin for the work he is doing to highlight these issues," the TD continued.
The letter send to politicians and certain media outlets read, "November fifth was first christened "National Legalise Cannabis Day" by MEP Luke Ming Flanagan in 2001."
"The aim of the campaign back then was to highlight the need to end cannabis prohibition and the benefits that legalising this plant would bring.
Recipient of the letters and joints were informed, "as you are now in possession of this cannabis joint you should contact Gardai to come and remove it or feel free to consume it if you wish."
However the President and others were also warned, "as this product was sourced from an unregulated market, you as a consumer have very little protection. There is no guarantee that this joint contains any cannabis. If it does contain cannabis you as a consumer have no idea as to the potency of the cannabis. This makes dosing incredibly difficult and could put you at risk."
"If you would like to enjoy cannabis safely then you will need to source your cannabis from a legal regulated market which helps to protect consumers," the letter advised.
"Now on the 20th anniversary of this action campaigners have yet again engaged in this campaign of civil disobedience in the hope that the government would end its inhumane prohibition."
The letter also references the case of Cork woman Alicia Maher, who "had to leave her home in Cork and move to Spain to access this plant to treat her chronic pain," as well as the case of Vera Twomey who, "had to fight tooth and nail to get the access she has for her daughter Ava, who might not be here if it wasn't for the medicine made from this plant."
A few of the arguments made as to why cannabis prohibition should end in the letter are:
- "The criminalisation of a person for using cannabis violates that person's human rights!"
- "Ending cannabis prohibition allows for the introduction of regulations such a quality control and product information (potency) on packaging which enables harm reduction."
- "Ending cannabis prohibition allows for minors to be protected with the introduction of age limits at the point of purchase."
- "Ending cannabis prohibition will open up access to cannabis for patients and researchers."


text:
As many readers of this newsletter will be aware, ACAPMA was (and remains) staunchly opposed to the expanded biofuels laws that were introduced by the NSW Government during 2016.
ACAPMA’s opposition is premised in the fact that the new laws are environmentally and economically unjustified and are likely to increase the costs of selling fuel in NSW – costs that will ultimately be borne by NSW motorists in the form of higher average fuel prices.
Further these laws come in the face of 5 years of declining biofuels sales under the previous mandate and appear to be largely motivated by the NSW Government’s desire to reward a significant political donor.
Under normal circumstance, the balances and checks afforded by a Parliament provide protection from poor lawmaking by encouraging critical assessment by the opposition party. But in this particular case, it appears that NSW Labour has also been a beneficiary of significant donations from the State’s monopoly ethanol producer.
“In fact, and somewhat ironically, the only political force to challenge these ridiculous and unjustified laws is the NSW Greens casting real doubt on government claims about the environmental benefits of biofuels”, said ACAPMA CEO Mark McKenzie.
Regardless of the dubious circumstances surrounding the development of these new laws, they have been passed by the NSW parliament and formally took effect on 1 January 2017.
“Consequently, our industry must now comply with the new laws until common sense prevails and they are repealed by a future NSW Government”, said Mark.
Over the last 2 months, affected fuel retailers received an email from NSW Fair Trading notifying them of their obligations under the new biofuels laws.
Fuel retailers that have become liable under the new laws for the first time have been automatically exempted from compliance with the new laws for the March 2017 quarter but are still required to report fuel sales volumes.
Under the new laws, all fuel sellers operating sites that sell more than 3.6ML of petrol (all grades) and diesel are classified as Volume Fuel Sellers. These Volume Fuel Sellers are required to make ‘all reasonable efforts’ to sell ensure that:
- 6% of all petrol sold is ethanol (i.e. sold as a maximum 10% blend with petrol)
- 2% of all diesel sold is biodiesel (i.e. typically sold as a 5% blend with biodiesel).
“From 1 April 2017, all liable fuel retailers are somehow expected to cajole a minimum of 60% of their petrol customers to sell E10”, said Mark.
“The absurdity of this target is obvious when you consider that the state-wide consumption of E10 is just 25%, despite the previous biofuels mandate having been in operation for 7 years”, Mark continued.
When it comes to biodiesel, the target is even more preposterous as it is not currently possible to purchase biodiesel in NSW.
Perhaps more importantly, there appear to be strong and substantial grounds for challenging the NSW biofuels laws on the basis that a fuel retailer cannot be held legally responsible for the individual purchase decisions of their customers.
The NSW Government has tried to get around this inherent legal weakness in their legislation by introducing a legal requirement for affected fuel retailers to make “all reasonable efforts” to meet the biofuels targets.
“The definition of ‘all reasonable efforts’ has been the subject of intense debate between the fuel industry and the NSW Government over the past 8 months – and the situation still remains largely unclear”, said Mark.
To provide some clarity on this issue, the NSW Government issued a Biofuels Exemption Framework which sets out some grounds for affected retailers to secure an exemption from compliance.
These Exemption Guidelines can be downloaded at: http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/biz_res/ftweb/pdfs/Businesses/Biofuels_industry/Biofuels_mandate_exemption_framework.pdf
Affected fuel retailers are encouraged to examine these exemption guidelines closely and consider whether there are grounds for applying for an exemption from the new laws.
Businesses that believe there are grounds for exemption are encouraged to submit an exemption application as soon as possible.
“Any fuel retailer who is confused about the new laws, or whether there are any likely grounds for exemption, is strongly encouraged to contact me directly”, said Mark.
There have also been some suggestions that the NSW Government believes it is ‘reasonable’ to force fuel retailers to ensure that there are a similar number of nozzles for E10 as for other grades of petrol on the forecourt of each liable site.
“ACAPMA considers this latter interpretation to be wholly unreasonable in the face of limited demand, bordering on a material restraint of trade, said Mark.
ACAPMA is therefore interested in hearing from any business who believes that their exemption application has been unreasonably refused or any business that has been directed by any NSW Government official to increase the number of E10 nozzles on their forecourt.
“This information will be used to compile a portfolio of evidence for use in a public campaign to expose the industry and consumer detriment arising from these ridiculous laws”, said Mark.
Further information can be obtained by contacting ACAPMA on 1300 160 270 or by emailing Mark McKenzie directly at firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
Good news, everyone! If you're decided to go with Sling TV as your streaming service of choice, there's approximately a 99 percent chance that'll it work on whatever hardware it is you have on hand.
Be it a phone, a tablet, computer, smart TV, or dedicated set-top box, Sling TV supports a whole slew of hardware.
Here's what all you can use with Sling TV:
- Amazon Fire TV (boxes and full displays)
- Amazon Fire tablets
- Android phones and tablets (Android 4.4 and up)
- Android TV, including smart TVs from Sharp, Sony and LeEco
- Apple TV (fourth generation and up)
- ChannelMaster DVR+
- Google Chrome browser
- iPhone and iPad (iOS 9 and up, iPhone 4.0 and up)
- LG TV with webOS 3.5 and up
- Roku (and Roku-powered TVs from Hisense and TCL)
- Samsung smart TVs
- Windows 10 devices
- Vizio Smart TVs
- Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X
- Xfinity X1
Pretty simple, folks.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
There's a new official trailer for Apple TV+'s 'Visible: Out on Television'
Apple has shared an official trailer for "Visible: Out on Television" on YouTube.
Apple signs multi-year Apple TV+ deal with Seinfeld's Julia Louis-Dreyfous
Apple has signed a multi-year deal with Julia Louise-Dreyfus, formerly of Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld.
The first three episodes of 'Truth Be Told' are now live on Apple TV+
A month after Apple TV+ went live, "Truth Be Told" is now available to stream. The first three episodes are online now, with a new episode arriving every week.
Streaming videos that help keep MLK's dream alive
Today — Monday, Jan. 20, 2020 — is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a holiday that commemorates the birthday of the famous Civil Rights Leader. While many of us enjoy having the day off, this can also be one of those holidays where the focus can be on learning about the person being honored, and their life's work. This is especially important for kids. There are a lot of ways that people...


text:
For the last week we have been working on a service design project to increase environmental awareness with regards to transport and mobility. Whilst scouting around to see what other people have been up to, i came across this post on GOOD/magazine.
“New York City’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, recently announced a massive plan to dramatically increase the city’s level of sustainability by 2030. Here is an idea that might help the Big Apple reach its goal. It’s free for the taking.
Each year, the New York subway system uses 1.8-billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, making it the city’s single largest consumer of electricity. What if the subway’s MetroCard machines offered the option of paying a small premium to purchase the rider’s share of electricity from non-polluting wind power instead of traditional hydroelectric, nuclear, and fossil fuel sources?
How it might work:
For its residential customers, ConEdison—the city’s only electricity company—charges an additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour to use wind energy. The average subway ride uses 1.2 kilowatt-hours of power (based on 1.5 billion 2006 rides), which means the wind power surcharge would amount to 3 extra cents a ride—a 1.5 percent increase from the normal $2 charge.
What it means:
With a 1.5 percent surcharge, a seven-day unlimited pass would
cost $24.36 (up from $24), and a 30-day unlimited pass would cost $77.14 (up from $76). Say the surcharge was 5 percent—those prices would only increase to $25.20 and $79.80. A 5-percent per ride surcharge with a slim 10-percent participant rate could inject as much as $15 million into the wind-power market annually”
To me this sounds like an absolutly amazing idea, the increase in the cost of the tickets is tiny, but i guess the biggest challenge is convincing people of NYC and inspiring them that this is a good idea, and good decision to make! All which are issues we have been facing this week when doing research for our project!


text:
Davis was asked about reported spikes in generic prices
, most notably between 2012 to 2014, spiked that Tong cited in his allegations against the industry.
Throughout 2013 and 2014, soaring generic prices
sparked consternation at drugstores and among state and federal lawmakers.
They said that Drug Pricing Policy 2015 is being implemented and uniform generic prices
for new registration are being fixed under the policy.
Despite this, the trend toward deflating generic prices
appears to have accelerated as companies have more aggressively undercut each other's prices.
(38) FTC analysis of the launch of an authorized generic to compete with the first-to-file generic concluded that competition between the two tended to drive generic prices
down even beyond the 180-day exclusivity period and substantially impacted the revenues of the first-to-file generic.
If enacted, generic prices
will plummet to levels so low you won't even worry about what percentage your insurance company pays.
(1) Mylan received a 180-day exclusivity period under the Hatch-Waxman Act (162) (although Mylan's sales at relatively high generic prices
are irrelevant to whether Warner Chilcott substantially reduced the number of sales and profits that Mylan would have made absent the product hops);
Walgreens and Valeant also entered into a separate agreement under which Valeant will distribute more than 30 branded products--where generics are available--in the dermatology, ophthalmology, gastrointestinal and neurology/other therapeutic areas through Walgreens at generic prices
. The discounts, which will be available beginning the second half of 2016, are expected to range from 5% to 95%.
In looking at rising generic prices
, Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) focused on generic approval times, noting that generic manufacturers estimated that it took on average 48 months for a generic to get approval in 2014, up from 30 months in 2011.
Although spikes in generic drug prices have been in the news in recent months, generic prices
rose just 6.2 percent during that period.
For these drugs after generic entry, high and increasing brand prices partly offset low and decreasing generic prices
. Sales volume appears to increase substantially following generic entry, consistent with the usual assumptions regarding the negative relationship between prices and quantity demanded.


text:
This story ran in the Friday, Nov. 16, 2020 issue of my weekly newsletter.
PTC has agreed to acquire ServiceMax in an all-cash deal valued at $1.46 billion. The deal combines PTC’s earlier efforts in digital manufacturing with software that can dispense service technicians to solve problems that get detected. So if a predictive maintenance algorithm detects a problem in a piece of manufacturing equipment, it can use ServiceMax’s software to send a technician to solve the issue and ensure the manufacturing job gets done.
Likewise, if the maker of a piece of equipment notes a bunch of service calls associated with a particular machine or multiple machines from the same batch, they can use ServiceMax data to ID the problem. Jim Heppleman, CEO of PTC, noted that this acquisition helps the company’s “closed-loop [product lifecycle management] strategy.”
There are very real reasons that this deal makes sense. PTC, which started out as CAD software for manufacturers, has spent the last decade making acquisitions to transform itself into a source of cloud-based tools for digital transformation. It has purchased ThingWorx, Kepware, and Vuforia as part of a cluster of acquisitions to digitize manufacturing and use augmented reality to share digital factory information with workers.
It has also bought a variety of other companies, including one in the service industry — Servigistics — back in 2012. As acquirers go, PTC’s corporate development team is “pretty dialed in,” according to Rick Bullotta, the co-founder of ThingWorx, which PTC bought back in 2013.
PTC has been a partner of ServiceMax’s since 2015. It has also danced with an acquisition of the company before. Last year, it contributed money to a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) designed to acquire ServiceMax and take it public. That deal was scuttled in December 2021. Prior to that, in 2019, ServiceMax had been sold to SilverLake by GE Digital (remember GE Digital?) for an undisclosed sum. GE had acquired ServiceMax in 2016 for $915 million as part of a big bet on digital transformation.
So ServiceMax was shuffled around for a number of years before ending up with this deal. And to be sure, PTC isn’t a bad place for it to land. PTC has a clear vision for the IoT and has been executing on it for the past decade. It may have been a little early on technologies like ThingWorx and Vuforia, but it is still seeing considerable revenue growth as it moves deeper into digital manufacturing.
That said, PTC may struggle to integrate ServiceMax, which is built on the Salesforce.com platform. But PTC is very experienced with such integrations, given its history. And with ServiceMax, it also expands into new lines of business as ServiceMax customers run a large gamut outside of manufacturing. PTC has said that it expects the deal to be accretive in 2023.
PTC will fund the purchase in two stages, paying $808 million at closing in January 2023 and $650 million in October 2023. The transaction will be funded with cash on hand, borrowings under PTC’s existing credit facility, and a new $500 million committed term loan.


text:
Lahore, October 15, 2018 (PPI-OT): Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA) has called for joint ventures with Saudi Arabia in petro-chemical projects to make the local chemical sector a self-reliant industry. Mr. Iqbal Kidwai, General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of PCMA, in a press statement issued here today observed that in response to a recent visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi investors had expressed interest to expand their investment in Pakistan. He said that Saudi investment as well as its collaborative experience with world’s multinational players of the Petro-chemical sector could be very useful for promoting petro-chemical industry in Pakistan.
Mr. Iqbal Kidwai said that chemical industry forms the fabric of the modern world; it converts basic raw materials into more than 70,000 different products, not only for industry, but also for all the consumer goods. He highlighted vast potentials possessed by Pakistan in sector of chemical manufacturing and processing. He told that PCMA vision is to transform Chemical Industry of Pakistan from an import oriented to an export oriented Industry.
He lamented that due to absence of a Naphtha Petro-chem Cracker Complex in the country, down-stream industry of Pakistan was dependent on imports. Pakistan’s chemical imports constitute around 17% of the total import bill, he said and pointed out that Pakistan was spending over USD 5-6 billion every year on import of chemicals with an average increase up to 5-8% in the coming years.
He said that despite enormous potential, the sector could not be tapped to its maximum due to some major constraints that include; high investment, dependence on expensive imports, lack of industrial infrastructure and technology, lack of financial resources, energy shortages and weak trade policies all are the obstacles that ultimately result in the sluggish growth of chemical industry. Iqbal Kidwai said that the given constraints could be overcome through a tripartite collaboration of Saudi, Chinese and Pakistani investors by sharing each other’s technology, knowledge and investment in the field of chemical industry He also urged government to facilitate local investors in terms of soft loans and foreign investors in terms of obtaining land and machinery for production of value-added chemicals in Pakistan.
For more information, contact:
Pakistan Chemical Manufacturers Association (PCMA)
407-Eden Heights, Jail Road, Gulberg, Lahore, Pakistan


text:
East Dunbartonshire retail units to reach new heights
Caledonian Property Investments Ltd lodged the planning application via agent GVA Barr.
The mezzanine floors will bring an additional 4,328sq m to the retail units, adjacent to the B&Q store.
Councillor Billy Hendry, chair of East Dunbartonshire Council’s planning board, said: “The original planning permission for the additional units was granted in 2013 and since then there have been several units occupied by new retailers such as Next.
“I am delighted that the Board has approved the removal of the conditions to allow mezzanine floors to be added, giving more flexibility to any future development plans.”


text:
HGi Media Systems has announced the launch of fisssh!, a new meta search engine. fisssh! aggregates search results for queries across different types of search -- web, news, blogs, videos, podcasts, info, jobs, social and shopping. It then presents the results in a more "editorial" format.
What's New for 2015?
You spoke, we listened! ClickZ Live New York (Mar 30-Apr 1) is back with a brand new streamlined agenda. Don't miss the latest digital marketing tips, tricks and tools that will make you re-think your strategy and revolutionize your marketing campaigns. Super Saver Rates are available now. Register today!


text:
The Commission has decided to take the Netherlands to the Court of Justice because of a regulation on the addition of nutrients to food. The regulation contains a general prohibition on the addition of certain nutrients (e.g. vitamins A and D and folic acid) to food, except for certain specific products. The only possibility for economic operators to obtain a derogation from this prohibition is via an advance authorisation procedure for individual products. Several economic operators have submitted complaints to the Commission concerning the difficulty, even impossibility, of obtaining such an authorisation.
The Commission has noted that, as part of the authorisation procedure, the Netherlands authorities require the economic operator do demonstrate not only that the nutrient is not a danger to health, but also that there is a nutritional need for the addition of some nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin D and folic acid.
The Commission believes that the current requirements of the authorisation procedure are disproportionate to the cited aim of health protection.
In the Commission's opinion, they are incompatible with Article 28 of the Treaty, since a Member State cannot refuse to admit on its territory a food product lawfully manufactured and/or marketed in another Member State unless it can prove that the product is a danger to human health. The Commission therefore believes that these requirements constitute an unjustified barrier to the free movement of goods.


text:
Taylor Scott International News
Authentic Spanish products on offer at the Global Village Lily B. Libo-on / 4 February 2014 The Spain Pavilion, now in its third year at the Global Village, features charging bulls, camels, falcons, horses and lions in taxidermy for curious visitors and shoppers. An intriguing sight of ‘toros’ (bulls) charging to gorge out its ‘matador’ (bullfighter) beckons visitors to the Spain Pavilion at the Global Village, the Ultimate Family Entertainment Destination. Bullfighting, known globally as ‘corrida de toros’, has always been a popular source of entertainment in Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Hispanic American countries, but never in the Arab world. Spanish hats in the Spain Pavilion at the Global Village. — KT photo by M. Sajjad The Spain Pavilion, now in its third year at the Global Village, features charging bulls, camels, falcons, horses and lions in taxidermy for curious visitors and shoppers — real animals stuffed by taxidermists to be used as home and garden decors. Veronica, one of the exhibitors at the pavilion, says her company, Toro Toro Coe, has been in the taxidermy business for three years. “We have stuffed exotic and wild animals like puma, jaguar, hyenas, zebras, bears, black Bengali tigers, lions and camels. We sell them for as low as Dh15,000 and as high as Dh135,000, depending on the pose of the animals. Charging bulls, which are based on photos of the actual corrida de toros, are more expensive and command prices over Dh100,000.” She says her company has received orders from Emiratis and Arab families for flying falcons and running camels. “Feline animals like wild cats in taxidermy are more expensive.” ‘Abarcas’, Spain’s traditional shoes from Menorca, is a crowd-puller at the pavilion. Saffron from Lamancha, popularly known as Spain’s red gold and hand-made ‘Damascene’ decorative designs, is another popular product. A Swiss couple, Nico and Alina Brust, say they are glad that they can find the products they bought in Spain on a holiday there. “It is amazing. Right here at the Global Village, we can buy the textile and the decors we need. I love the ‘Mojitos’ and again, this refreshing drink is here at the Global Village,” Alina says. Leila Jandali, an exhibitor at the pavilion, says her company, D & D Toledo, has been practicing the Damascene process of designing decors, which originated in Damascus centuries ago, for 200 years. “An expert worker treats nickel with artificial oxidation in 48 hours, then covers the decor with pure gold, inscribe Arabic writings and make them ready for the market.” Elias Vizcaino, from Relaciones Comerciales, who is the organiser of the Spain Pavilion, says that everything Spain has on offer has been brought to the Global Village. “Most of these products are from Madrid, Andalucia, Cataluna, Costa La Mancha, Toledo, Menorca, Granada and Extremadura. From the amazing animal taxidermy and the country’s best olive oil to preserved foods and saffron to the Damascene decors, hand-made wood products, aluminium and silver souvenir items, textiles, scarves, jewellery, football articles…The list is endless,” he says. Football souvenirs from Barcelona are aplenty — scarves, bags, T-shirts, footballs, key chains and mugs. “People like them. They have come over and again to buy our products every edition since 2011-2012, when we first joined the Global Village. Now, they know Spanish products. They shop for our paprika and Spanish cheese. We have good products at affordable prices. We are also glad that we have made a difference to the lives of the residents and tourists in Dubai through our product offerings,” Vizcaino adds. “Tourists from the Middle East are increasingly coming on holidays to the shores of Spain, as one of the biggest mosques in Europe is in the capital city of Madrid. They come and shop. Yet, here in Global Village, they can buy the same genuine, good quality products without flying to Spain. Everything is here in this pavilion,” he says. Spain, which is the second most visited country in the world with more than 50 million tourists annually, has also opened holiday homes for sale to tourists. At the Global Village, real estate developers are offering beach and high-end properties in Cordova, Granada, Andalucia and other cities of Spain as holiday homes. A dream holiday home is just a visit away! firstname.lastname@example.org Free entry for children on Mondays The Global Village will allow children under the age of 12 to enter for free every Monday during February. The promotion also includes an offer for visitors to redeem Dh10 vouchers for every Dh60 they spend at a selection of popular Global Village’s restaurants. The funfair discount vouchers have been replaced to allow visitors to enjoy the diverse cuisine that is on offer at the Global Village. Participating restaurants will be mentioned on all vouchers. email@example.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading →
The post Authentic Spanish products on offer at the Global Village appeared first on Taylor Scott International.
Taylor Scott International
Taylor Scott International, Taylor Scott


text:
Tim Gosling in Prague -
Drugs, terrorists, hackers and scammers: the forces that blight virtual currency bitcoin are myriad, but one Czech company hopes to take at least a couple out of the equation.
Investors spent early 2014 dumping Emerging European currencies with almost evangelical zeal. Investment company Marlyle exhibits similar levels of enthusiasm in its bid to spread the word on bitcoin. Marlyle announced in late January that it has purchased three bitcoin ATMs from US manufacturer Robocoin Technologies at a cost of around CZK1.5m (€54,450) and hopes that one - destined to take up residence in the Smichov area of Prague in April - will be the first of its kind in Europe.
The machine, which will allow users to access (almost) instant exchange for buying and selling the virtual currency, will be accompanied by human staff. The idea is to "enable digital currency trading to those people who are thinking about it today, but have been discouraged by concerns related to the safety of their investments," said Marlyle CEO and investor Martin Stransky in a press release.
The project was inspired by Stransky's experience in investing in bitcoins, and the potential he sees in solving security concerns, says Denisa Marcekova, who is involved in business development as one of a number of Stransky's "friends" donating their time to the project.
Introduced in 2008 as a global currency outside the control of central banks and separated from the issues affecting financial markets, bitcoin brings its own issues. The volatility of the market - which sees massive and rapid swings in their value - and the ambiguity of regulatory issues are elements that Marlyle's media representative, Tomas Vrbik, admits the company has little control over. However, he insists the company can deal with the security issues, though is still unwilling to discuss the details.
The virtual currency has come in for no little bad press. It is reported to be a domain dominated by drug deals and online gambling. More sinister are assertions that it is also regularly used for money laundering and financing terror groups.
While a very limited number of legitimate businesses around the world accept the currency in payment for goods and services, its use as a financial investment is seen as the major above-board use of bitcoin. The volatility of the market offers ample potential for that strategy. Around a year ago, one bitcoin was valued at around $15; in November, the value had passed the $1,000 mark for the first time. On February 11, the virtual currency was quoted at $645 per coin on Bitstamp's exchange.
Playing that risk is one thing, but online assets can equate to Russian roulette, and bitcoin's image in the Czech Republic has taken a battering recently. In November, hackers emptied 4,000 "wallets" at bitcash.cz. The same month, a Czech-based online bazaar announced BTC5,400 lodged in its system by vendors and buyers had been stolen. The consensus, however, is that the site itself was simply one large scam.
"Our aim is to protect investments from hackers, scams or even just losing your computer [which contains the encrypted certificates]," Marcekova says. Marlyle can't do anything about the volatility, she laughs, but points out that bitcoin investment remains outside the usual market risks. "There's unlikely to be a Lehmans or insider trading."
The plan then is to attract investors by not only dealing with the security issues, but by offering to hold their hand as they try it out. The spirit of bitcoin - which as supporters point out is independent of political or regulatory influence - is clearly also seen as a selling point to young professionals seeking a means of playing an alternative market. Marcekova clearly believes this image - born in the entrepreneurial fires of open source computing - is an additional attraction.
However, the mood is somewhat ad hoc. "We have no research really on number of potential investors into bitcoin," says Vrbik, "but we sense from our personal experiences that there are thousands that would be interested in putting small amounts into such a high risk investment but are put off by the security issues. We want to bring virtual currencies down to earth so they can 'touch it'."
Down to earth
Should that instinct pan out, however, it will present the group with another issue. Right now, regulators have yet to get to grips with virtual currencies, but that will quickly change should bitcoin put on a growth spurt. "Something will happen in the Czech Republic, and we're open to that - although not calling for it - in order to introduce more transparency," points out Vrbik. "Right now, they don't know who should be in charge of it. They don't even know what it is: a currency? A commodity?"
Regulators are clearly uncomfortable with that confusion. As a bastion of e-government, Estonia's view carries some weight, so criticism from the country's central bank on January 31 that virtual currencies could prove to be little more than a "Ponzi scheme" could prove particularly damaging
Despite the company's enthusiasm for the "lack of boundaries" offered by the virtual world, it's a situation that Marlyle is also watching with regard to placing the other two Robocoin machines it has ordered. The mundane detail of bringing bitcoin into the physical world also appears to create borders, with Marcekova suggesting that Slovaks and Germans will next be offered an introduction to the virtual currency.
Jason Corcoran in Moscow - Russian banks are disappearing at the fastest rate ever as the country's deepening recession makes it easier for the central bank to expose money laundering, dodgy lending ... more
bne IntelliNews - The Kremlin supported by national sports authorities has brushed aside "groundless" allegations of a mass doping scam involving Russian athletes after the World Anti-Doping Agency ... more
Jason Corcoran in Moscow - Revelations and mysticism may have been the stock-in-trade of Nikolai Tsvetkov’s management style, but ultimately they didn’t help him to hold on to his ... more


text:
Steel Circus, a futuristic multiplayer hero sports game developed by Iron Mountain Interactive and published by Oasis Games, will begin its Closed Alpha Test via Steam in the next few months.
Oasis Games partners with Indie MEGABOOTH to bring over 75 indie titles from 17 different countries around the world for exhibition at PAX West 2018 held in Seattle.
ChinaJoy 2018 concluded after a bustling four days from August 3rd to August 6th. As a leading game publisher, Oasis Games had an eventful presence at ChinaJoy and participated in various conferences and panels.
On August 2nd，Sony Interactive Entertainment held it’s ChinaJoy 2018 PlayStation press conference, revealing long-awaited details about the Monkey King: Hero is Back game.
Oasis Games was onsite showcasing the PS4 Chinese Version of Shenmue 3 at Weplay with Yu Suzuki making guest appearance.


text:
Apple dropped out of the top five list in China's smartphone market for the third quarter, as local handset vendors saw their shipments surge from the sales of low-priced smartphone models, according to research firm Canalys.
Chinese handset maker ZTE has shown off a new high-end phone. The Z5 has a 5-inch screen, a 13-megapixel camera and a quad-core processor.
Telstra has announced the release of its own branded, 4G-capable Android tablet, simply called the Telstra 4G Tablet.
Nokia has dropped off the list of the top five smartphone vendors in the third quarter, facing stiff competition from Samsung and Apple globally, and from high-growth vendors like Huawei in China, where Nokia was the dominant player as recently as th...
ZTE has launched the first PC-based capacity planning tool for LTE, which will make it easier for operators to optimize the performance of their networks and offer users better performance.
ZTE plans to launch high-end smartphones in the U.S. next year, according to a company spokeswoman, breaking out of its mold as primarily a player in the low-end phone market.
A US House Intelligence Committee is launching an investigation against Chinese telecommunication equipment suppliers Huawei and ZTE to find whether the companies pose a security threat to the country.
Samsung became the biggest smartphone vendor in the world during the third quarter, and Android's market share has surpassed 50 percent for the first time, market research company Gartner said on Tuesday as it reported on phone sales to end-users.
Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android, is likely to ease the fragmentation of the operating system, some device executives said on Thursday.
ZTE, one of China's largest network and phone suppliers, is working on several new tablets, including one built with Nvidia's newest quad-core Tegra 3 processor.
Mobile carrier Cricket announced on Thursday it will start selling the ZTE Score, the first smartphone from Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier ZTE to launch in the U.S.
Mobile operator, China Mobile, and telecommunications equipment supplier, ZTE, have shown off a smartphone operating on a 4G (fourth generation) LTE TDD network.
Mobile phone sales floundered during the second quarter, in the wake of the earthquake in Japan. But smartphone sales continued to grow, as Android extended its lead in the operating system race, according to market research company Gartner.
Apple and Samsung both sold more smartphones than Nokia in the second quarter, although Nokia still sold most phones overall, market researcher Strategy Analytics said Friday.
InterDigital on Tuesday said it has filed complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission and federal court against Nokia, Huawei and ZTE, charging the companies with patent infringement.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Samsung's Galaxy Alpha review: A peek into the Galaxy S6
- 2 Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro hybrid Ultrabook
- 3 Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones
- 4 Apple iPhone 6 Plus: An in depth review
- 5 Medion Akoya P2214T (MD99430) hybrid laptop
Best Deals on GoodGearGuide
Latest News Articles
- Weather.com fixes web application vulnerabilities
- Early version of new POS malware family spotted
- Syrian Electronic Army posts hacking message on several news sites
- Fastest LTE speed will be out of reach for most users
- EU net neutrality discussions to continue into the next year
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
- FTPartnership Manager - MediaNSW
- CCTech Support | IT Services Firm - Ad hoc Projects - Echuca AreaVIC
- FTAccount ExecutiveNSW
- FTProgram Manager - Integration & SolutionsNSW
- FTSEO Content ExecutiveVIC
- CCTech Support | IT Services Firm - Ad hoc Projects - Port Augusta / Whyalla AreaSA
- FTStudio Design ManagerVIC
- FTDigital Account ManagerNSW


text:
GREGGS plans to open more drive-thru kiosks across the UK.
After a successful pilot in Manchester in June – which saw hungry punters grab steak bakes and iced buns without leaving their cars – the rest of Britain will soon enjoy the efficient service.
Greggs CEO Roger Whiteside said customers demand convenience and he’s not sure why they didn’t roll out the initiative “years ago”.
Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle, he said: “Customers are very taken by the idea of not having to leave their cars.
“We wondered if they would be welcoming to do this, and it’s been very positive – I don’t understand why we haven’t done this years ago.
“We are actively looking for more sites but we will be competing against others looking for more sites.
“It’s something that’s become more and more prevalent – you’ve even got coffee shops now involved in drive-thrus.
“The main factor in how customers decide where to shop is convenience, and this is the most convenient – they don’t even have to leave their cars.
“And they are getting just the same as they would in the store – breakfasts, coffees and so on – so it seems to be the most natural thing to do.”
Greggs has 1,806 traditional outlets.
Its first drive-thru opened at a Salford service station, following a similar format to the likes of Costa Coffee, KFC, and McDonald’s.
Roger said there is an “edited selection of the menu” at the lane but the whole range is available.
He said customers “know what they want” so often just order from memory.
The plan is to operate the drive-thrus over peak times – from morning through to the evening rush hour.
The precise locations of the new Greggs kiosks have not yet been revealed, but it is likely they will be in motorway services and shopping centres.
The Sun Online has contacted Greggs for comment.
Meanwhile, a Greggs super-fan has paid tribute to the pastry gods with leggings covered in the store’s logo
And, the high-street chain has unveiled its limited-edition summer menu, which includes a curry bake and a banoffee doughnut.