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"There are better ways to negotiate trade deals than by punishing American consumers and businesses with higher costs".
Groups backed by the influential Koch brothers' network announced today they were launching a new multimillion-dollar campaign to oppose tariffs and highlight the benefits of free trade. That left a U.S.
On Tuesday, in fact, Mexico announced retaliatory tariffs on a range of USA products, including pork, cheese, apples, cranberries, whiskey and motorboats.
On Friday, he imposed 25 per cent tariffs on steel imports and 10 per cent on aluminium imports from Mexico.
"We support the position of the Mexican government to impose the equivalent measure on diverse products", Mexico's Business Coordinating Council said of the retaliatory tariffs. Marco Rubio's Florida, and agricultural products from the California district of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader.
Mexico is a huge importer of pork legs and shoulders since they are used in the country's most popular dishes, including tacos and carnitas.
Those tariffs, which aimed to counter damage suffered by the Mexican steel industry from cheap Asian imports, were also seen discouraging triangulation of steel through Mexico into the US under Nafta.
President Xi Jinping's government has started to quantify its commitment to import more US products as trade talks between the two nations progress, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations aren't public.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump was still looking at the possibility of doing individual trade deals with Canada and Mexico in place of NAFTA.
Facebook is killling the trending topics box next week
The Facebook logo is seen at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square. Yesterday, Facebook announced that it will end the trending topics feature.
"The way it was handled by the United States stunned everybody", Martin said.
Mexico announced its response to Trump's move last week with a focus on products from congressional districts that Trump's Republican party is fighting to retain in November. He did not provide further details about his brother's condition.
Martin was among the guests invited to that meeting, and while he said conflicts between G7 partners are hardly unusual, they're rarely as dramatic and headline-grabbing as the one that has erupted over Trump's decision to target long-standing allies with tariffs by citing alleged threats to "national security". Last week Washington said it was moving ahead with the metals tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, ending a two-month exemption.
The administration has said that a final list of goods to be tariffed would be issued next week and that Treasury plans to limit Chinese investment in the United States were also under way.
The trade fights with Mexico and Canada are part of the Trump administration's "America First" economic agenda, which has also put Washington on a collision course with China over trade.
The U.S. side has linked lifting its tariffs to a successful outcome of the NAFTA negotiations.
And shortly after the USA tariffs took effect last week, Europe's top trade commissioner said the European Union also will now consider "rebalancing measures".
Other countries that export pork to Mexico have been allocated a collective tariff-free quota of 350,000 tonnes that will remain in effect until the end of this year.


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Chinese exports increased by 4.3 per cent in December compared to the same month last year, while imports rose by 8.3 per cent. That gave China a total of $4.16tn in combined exports and imports in 2013, a figure that the US will find difficult to match. This leaves no doubt that China, the world’s second-biggest economy, is now the world’s biggest trading nation on an annual basis.
Chinese and US trade values were similar in 2012, slightly larger for China according to their respective national data but slightly bigger for the US according to the World Trade Organisation and the International and Monetary Fund. Read more
Gentrification and commercial developments are breaking up Chinatowns in US and British cities, squeezing Chinese communities out of the vibrant neighbourhoods that grew up around earlier generations of migrants.
The changing demographics of New York City further highlight this pattern, with Asian communities having sprung up in Flushing and Queens, where they were traditionally focused in Lower Manhattan.
The animated maps above show decadal changes in the spread of localised Chinese and Asian communities in London, New York and San Francisco, created using data from the 2001 and 2011 editions of the UK census and the US censuses of 2000 and 2010. Read more
US economic growth has been revised upwards to 2.5 per cent. A pretty impressive rate, given that the UK is currently stagnating at just 0.7 per cent. On the other hand, it looks less impressive when compared to China’s booming 7.6 per cent (even though, for China, that’s a slowdown).
But wait a minute. Economists across the land are howling in pain at this jumble of misinterpretation. These rates aren’t comparable at all – because they’re all measuring different things. Read more
The rupee is tumbling once more – and for those with long memories, this all looks rather familiar.
In 1991 investors deserted India as turbulence descended: prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and what’s now known as the Balance of Payments Crisis gripped the country.
The episode was enough to put a serious dent in the country’s booming economic growth.
What caused it? Read more
New dormitories for Chinese workers may appear to have little to do with the deaths of hundreds of textile workers in Bangladesh. But in today’s globally interconnected economy one may be the fabled butterfly to the other’s subsequent hurricane.
Chinese workers’ demands for better conditions and higher pay have been driving manufacturers to seek cheaper alternatives. That has brought many textile firms to Bangladesh, which is reputed to have the lowest textile industry wages in the world – and they have certainly been increasing much more slowly than those in China. Read more
Chinese exports grew less than expected in November, fueling fears of a further economic slowdown. But exports from western inland Chinese regions have never grown so fast as in 2012, beating export growth rates of the rich industrial coastal regions.
Chinese export growth declined to 2.9 per cent in November from 11.6 per cent in October. On a rolling 12-month sum exports grew at an annual rate of 7.9 per cent in November, a figure well below the more than 30 per cent growth of the late 2010 and early 2011 and marks a 28-month record low. But not all regions in China experienced the same slowdown.

domain: news


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MEG: "It introduces fantastic gameplay concepts that reinstates 'survival' in the survival genre. It's a fresh breath in the stifling post-apocalyptic nightmare."
i hope this game fares well than Amy....man, that was one hyped up horror survival game.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Smartphone Industry's Dirty Secrets (02:24)
Nearly two billion mobile phones are sold annually; Apple, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony, Huawei, and HTC profits are skyrocketing. This film investigates how they are made, relying on child labor in China and dangerous mining practices in Africa.
Low Cost Labor Force (02:45)
Most mobile phones are produced in China and brands spend €2-3 per phone on labor. A Nanchang screen supplier promises idyllic working conditions; filmmaker Martin Boudot applies for a job to gain factory access.
Nanchang Factory Investigation (03:38)
China Labor Watch employee Chiang shows footage from a hidden camera while working at LCE. He had to monitor 6,000 screens daily, while being paid 70 cents an hour. He also reports child workers, a violation of international law.
Child Labor Evidence (03:40)
The LCE factory denies employing children under 16. From a hidden location, Boudot's team films workers leaving after a shift; most are adolescents.
Illegal Labor Practices (02:34)
Xia Xia, 13-years-old, left school to support her family. She cleans 100 screens per hour during 13 hour shifts and earns €160 per month. LCE screens are sold to Huawei but executives refused to be interviewed.
Corporate Response to Child Labor (04:15)
Huawei claims a zero tolerance policy for underage workers. LCE supplies Wiko, a low cost mobile phone headquartered in Marseilles. Boudot's footage shocks an executive and he plans surprise factory visits; Alcatel hasn't responded to interview requests.
Mobile Phone Mineral Resources (02:13)
Hear countries in which materials are mined for smartphone components and learn about tantalum capacitor function. Most tantalum is sourced in the Congo. The poverty in Rubaya shocks Boudot's team.
Tantalum Mine (03:49)
Boudot's team visits a Rubaya extraction site. Despite the mineral's lucrative market price, workers are subjected to dangerous conditions—working 12 hour days for €5.50. While filming, the gallery ceiling begins to collapse; crew and workers scramble out.
Tantalum Mining Injuries (02:30)
Rock slides are a major threat. An Italian surgeon treats workers at Rubaya's NGO hospital; most have broken limbs and chest traumas. Those who die aren't officially counted, and are known as the "phantom dead."
Phantom Dead (02:29)
Retired miner Norbert Guira explains that bodies are left buried under rock slides and work continues around them. Children and pregnant women receive instructions to leave while Boudot's team is filming.
Tantalum Supply Chain (04:32)
Most Rubaya mines supply AVX, which produces tantalum capacitors for Nokia. Nokia claims to source raw materials responsibly. Microsoft is Nokia's parent company, but Bill Gates denies responsibility for mining deaths.
Samsung Labor Rights Violations (02:45)
NGOs criticize the world's biggest phone vendor for poor working conditions; subcontractors are warned before inspections. Lawsuits were filed against the company in Brazil and France. Among the complaints are workers' health and false advertising about ethical practices.
Mobile Phone Congress (03:51)
Boudot's team attends the unveiling of Samsung's Galaxy 5. A representative claims the product improves human lives, but refuses to comment on child labor complaints. Afterwards, Samsung announces new measures combating child labor.
Environmental Pollution (02:27)
Mobile phone magnets are made with neodymium mined in Baotou, China. For each ton produced, 1.75 tons of waste is discharged into an 11 square kilometer lake. The area is radioactive.
Human Health Impacts (02:51)
Neodymium factory owners Baogang Group refuse interviews. Boudot's team finds a town nearly abandoned in the contaminated zone. Residents suffer cancer but can’t afford to leave. Boudot’s team collects a well water sample from a restricted area.
Deadly Water (02:33)
Boudot's team sends a Baotou well sample to France for analysis; it contains high levels of arsenic, lithium, manganese, and uranium—carcinogenic metals. A hidden camera in Baotou's hospital confirms increased cancer rates.
Chinese Public Health Censorship (02:39)
Doctors confirm that Baogang factory pollution is killing Baotou residents but Chinese authorities are not burying the story. Boudot's team has to promise not to report their findings and relinquish a memory card. Sony and LG say they’ll internally investigate the neodymium producer.
Improving Mobile Phone Production (03:39)
Boudot's team interviews Digital Europe about Baogang's pollution; companies continue working with the neodymium producer. Consumer activism reformed sport shoe labor practices in the 1990s; a model that could be repeated today. Dutch company Fairphone offers a fair trade smart phone.
Credits: Underhand Tactics: The Real Price of Your Mobile Phone (00:60)
Credits: Underhand Tactics: The Real Price of Your Mobile Phone
For additional digital leasing and purchase options contact a media consultant at 800-257-5126
(press option 3) or email@example.com.


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Sometimes ordinances can develop discrepancies and inaccuracies over time that go unnoticed as things are added, amended and removed.
That happened in the Warren County zoning ordinance, as personal service businesses, such as barber shops and beauty parlors, are only permitted in village districts.
There are no village districts in Warren County.
The Warren County Planning and Zoning Commission addressed the issue last Tuesday.
According to the ordinance, personal service is "any enterprise conducted for man who primarily offers services to the general public, such as: shoe repair, valet service, watch repair, barber shop, beauty parlor and related activities."
Zoning Officer Aaron Kalkbrenner said that such services would fit appropriately in business and business transitional districts.
Making that addition "clarifies it a little bit better in the district," he said.
There have been some enforcement issues in the past regarding these types of services.
For example, Famous Hair in North Warren "slipped in as a change of use in a strip mall," Kalkbrenner said. He also explained that barber shops have slipped through the regulation because they have been considered retail establishments based on the hair care products that can be purchased at such shops.
"I can't see why you would not allow personal services in a business district or a business transition," said Commission member Paul Pascuzzi in making the motion, which was approved unanimously.
The commission also recommended changing the word "man" in the definition to "person."
The change requires approval by the Warren County Commissioners.


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Bathroom manufacturer Geberit has announced a new strategic partnership with Irish distributor Niko Bathrooms, in a move which Geberit says reinforces its “commitment” to customers in the Republic of Ireland.
Effective of October 15, Niko Bathrooms – which is part of the Uppercross Enterprises Group – is now an authorised distributor of Geberit’s complete portfolio, which includes products from its heritage Twyford brand.
Although Geberit products have been available in the country through other distribution channels before this, the manufacturer says that this new partnership reinforces its “commitment to delivering high functioning bathroom solutions to valued customers across Republic of Ireland.”
Niko Bathrooms has vowed to provide both retailers and specifiers with “seamless accessibility” to Geberit’s products, which will be stocked at its headquarters and warehouse in Louth.
Geberit’s head of sales for Ireland, Pat McAreavey, commented: “One of the key benefits of this partnership is being able to provide retailers and specifiers in Republic of Ireland with easy access to the entire Geberit Select and Twyford product ranges. From concealed cisterns to ceramics and furniture, all Geberit sanitary solutions will be available at their fingertips.”
Alan Maguire, retail sales director at Niko Bathrooms, added: “We are a trusted and reliable distributor within the industry and this partnership with Geberit will elevate the service that we can provide to our customers in Republic of Ireland. And with the added benefit of next-day delivery, our customers will have access to an even wider range of top-tier bathroom products to choose from.”
Earlier this year, Geberit was also named one of the most trusted companies in the world, in a list compiled by Newsweek.


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Construction equipment manufacturer JCB Southeast Asia has introduced a new customer support package, including the launch of JCB LiveLink. This innovative software system enables JCB dealers to support machine owners by monitoring and managing their machines remotely to help maximise machine performance and productivity.
The global manufacturer has also announced the appointment of three new dealers – Mitra JCB in Kalimantan, Persada JCB in Sumatra and T&C JCB in Vietnam – to ensure they continue to deliver global expertise across local regions.
JCB LiveLink uses satellite and cellular technology and is compatible with the vast majority of JCB machines. JCB dealers can access the information via an internet connection as the LiveLink computer is built into JCB’s machines where it collects information from a number of sensors. This information is sent, using mobile communications technology, to JCB’s secure data centre. This machine management information is then displayed to users via the LiveLink website, by email or via mobile phone.
In addition to enabling JCB dealers to view a customer’s fleet and guaranteeing timely servicing, the benefits of this monitoring system include maintenance reporting, critical machine health alerts, real time location data and geo-fencing alerts. This step to advance machine monitoring and security is part of JCB’s effort to ensure owners investments are protected, whilst providing their customers with unrivalled customer support.
“At JCB, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to help customers get the most of their machines and LiveLink telematics is just one way we are improving our customer service support. Another way we are doing this is by delivering global expertise at a local level by expanding our dealers’ network coverage across the region,” said JCB Southeast Asia managing director Tom Cornell.
JCB is the world’s third largest manufacturer of construction equipment. The company has more than 12,500 employees and 22 factories around the world, including 11 in the UK and others in India, China, Brazil and North America. The company makes more than 300 different machines including backhoe loaders, tracked and wheeled excavators, mini and midi excavators, Loadall telescopic handlers, wheeled loading shovels and compaction equipment.


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Benesse Corporation will launch its new SVoD service, Meecha!, in Japan by the end of March.
Specializing in children’s programming, Meecha! will showcase a content offering from (…)
Reed MIDEM revealed further information about the content showcase and international buyers programming for the Digital MIPTV.
The online edition of MIPTV will feature a variety (…)
All3Media International struck a licensing deal with Starzplay, the Starz international streaming service, to bring It’s A Sin to Germany and Italy.
Produced by RED Production (…)
RMVISTAR signed a renewal of its Latin American licensing deal with NBCUniversal International Networks.
The renewal deal covers nine movies in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries collection. Each (…)
Digital Media Rights announced the launch of three digital linear channels on VIZIO SmartCast TVs.
Viewers will be able to watch the golden age of anime on (…)
J2911 Media closed a worldwide deal with the OTT children’s platform Toon Goggles.
The deal features the titles HuevoKids, Las Aventuras del Tio Conejo, A Vista (…)
Series Mania and the Berlinale Co-Production Market entered a partnership to set up a project exchange.
As part of the project exchange, one project pitched at (…)


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There were layoffs at some area firms Tuesday as hundreds of businesses tried for a second consecutive day to cope with the breakdown of their central nervous system.
For thousands of would-be customers, salesmen and home-office personnel, the only word from the Chicago area was an Illinois Bell computer: ``We`re sorry. All circuits are busy now. Please try your call later.``
The breakdown that resulted from Sunday night`s fire at a Hinsdale call-switching station is having a devastating impact on local businesses, since virtually every firm in operation today depends on its phone system for marketing, internal communications and computer operations.
The telemarketing industry was especially hard hit. In Du Page County, where 8 to 10 telemarketing firms are located, more than 2,000 employees usually reach out and touch consumers all over the country each night.
Many of the affected firms had local phone service but were unable to contact customers in other parts of the area-and the nation-because the calls normally would have been routed through the Hinsdale station.
``We`ve asked people to stay home,`` said Gordon Jones for Sears Roebuck & Co., which has a 250-person telemarketing operation in Downers Grove. The mostly part-time employees promote
the use of the Sears credit card and take incoming orders from direct-mail promotions.
To cope with the shutdown of its phone system, the retailing giant is switching some functions to other cities. Company officials said the job shift would not be permanent.
``As soon as Illinois Bell gives us the lines we need, that center will be back in operation,`` Jones said.
Officials at Britcom, the Lombard telemarketing arm of Encylopaedia Britannica Inc., spent most of the day Tuesday trying to reach their 200-person evening shift.
``If I could contact all my telephone marketers, which I can`t, I would tell them not to come in this evening because of the phone problems,`` said Jesse Bishop, vice president of Britcom. The firm sells telemarketing services to outside firms in addition to handling Britannica`s phone solicitations for encyclopedia sales.
The firm is conducting some business through switchboards at its three facilities in downtown Chicago. ``However, that`s limited,`` Bishop said.
``Out here, I can make 200 phone calls at one time.``
Some smaller firms without multiple work sites have been virtually shut down by the phone curtailment.
``We can`t contact our customers, and with rare exceptions they can`t contact us,`` said Joseph Glaser, president of J.F. Glaser Inc., which brokers telemarketing services in Glen Ellyn. ``We`ve gotten three long-distance calls in two days. We usually get 50 to 100 calls a day for our salespeople.``
Glaser said the firm`s eight employees may get the rest of the week off.
``We haven`t curtailed hours yet, but we`re considering it because we`re just sitting around,`` he said.
Many sales personnel who rely on the phones to conduct business found themselves returning to the old days, before touch-tone dialing and a mouthpiece replaced the shoeshine and a smile.
At the district sales office for General Electric`s plastics division in Lisle, for instance, only 6 of 40 people who normally work there were in. The rest, according to receptionist Irene Schaffer, were out making personal visits to customers. Some had gone to northwest Indiana to use the phones.
``This board is usually hopping,`` she said just before noon. ``I`ve got only six calls today, but that`s more than yesterday.``
The personal touch went the other way as well. ``We`re seeing a lot of attorneys drop by to see our claims people,`` said George B. Young, manager of U.S. Fidelity and Guaranty Co. in Lisle.
For many sales representatives, finding a working phone was the first order of business. ``Everyone else has left to find places to use the telephone,`` said Mike Dempsey, central zone sales manager for S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. The firm`s Lisle office, where there are usually 65 salesmen selling floor wax to distributors in 22 states, was empty Tuesday.
``For the most part this is a temporary inconvenience,`` Dempsey said,
``but customers outside of Illinois aren`t so understanding.``
Some businesses coped by shipping salesmen to the offices of firms with whom they have business ties. Van Kampen Merritt, a Xerox subsidiary that sells mutual funds and investment trusts, sent six institutional salespeople to the downtown offices of its accountant, Peat Marwick Main & Co., and another handful to a broker`s office in St. Charles.
``This is definitely a handicap,`` said William R. Rybak, chief financial officer of the firm. ``Our customers are calling in sporadically, but it`s only 5 to 10 percent of what we normally get.``
For many businesses, the breakdown of the phone system meant the breakdown of their computer systems, causing a sharp curtailment in internal operations and possibly a loss of money in the future.


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The pitchman for the "pizza diet" ended his 1,300-mile bike trip yesterday in Times Square fueling his cheesy ride with mozzarella, tomato sauce and crust.
McClellan, 34, claims his diet, which consists of just pizza, can help anyone lose weight as long as they pile fruits, vegetables and lean meats on their slices.
Not really, city health experts say, noting that pizza is filled with high fat, heavily salted sauce and calorie-packed crust.
"You can't eat pizza seven days a week - you gotta have balance," Neyazi said. "Eat salads."
Even passersby who filled up on free slices said too much pizza is a bad idea.
"Americans like junk food," Naidoo said. "That's why America has [so much] childhood obesity."


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Chinese internet search giant Baidu Inc announced on Monday its plan to establish a company to produce intelligent electric vehicles, and auto manufacturer Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will serve as a strategic partner for the new company.
The new company, which will operate as an independent subsidiary of Baidu, will oversee the entire industrial chain, from vehicle design to research and development, as well as manufacturing, sales and service. Baidu will provide intelligent driving capabilities to power the passenger vehicles to be produced by the company, while Geely will contribute its expertise in automobile design and manufacturing.
In addition, Baidu will support the company's rapid growth with its full portfolio of core technologies, including Apollo autonomous driving, DuerOS voice assistant for Apollo and Baidu Maps. The new company aims to reshape intelligent vehicle offerings and bring about a revolution in intelligent transportation.
The two parties will collaborate closely in vehicle manufacturing and will leverage Geely's new sustainable experience architecture or SEA, a world-leading EV manufacturing platform, to jointly develop the next generation of intelligent vehicles.
"We have long believed in the future of intelligent driving and have over the past decade invested heavily in artificial intelligence to build a portfolio of world-class self-driving services. China has become the world's largest market for EVs, and we are seeing EV consumers demanding that next-generation vehicles be more intelligent," said Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Baidu.
Li added as a top Chinese automaker with global reach, Geely has the unique experience and resources to design, produce and market energy-efficient, reliable and safe automobiles on a large scale.
He believed that by combining Baidu's expertise in smart transportation, connected vehicles and autonomous driving with Geely's expertise as a leading automobile and EV manufacturer, the new partnership will pave the way for future passenger vehicles.


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Open Letter To Those Who Support Credit Card Gun Purchase Tracking In New York State
This is a slippery slope. New York lawmakers support a new code that will allow credit card companies to track gun purchases in the state. A vote by the International Organization for Standardization, an international standards body, now allows credit card companies to track customers' gun purchases from firearms dealers. It's similar to how they track your purchases at grocery stores or gas stations. Up to this point, gun purchases never had their own code. In order to make the move to create a new code, credit card companies had to present it to the International Organization for Standardization, according to Gothamist.
Many New York lawmakers and state leadership had expressed their support of the code by sending letters to leadership at the major credit card companies. The pension system in New York City, as well as the Mayor of New York, support the measure also.
Could This New Gun Purchase Credit Card Code Open The Door To Other Monitoring
I'm not a conspiracy theory nut, by any means, but this new code is a bit worrisome when it comes to privacy. Where does it end? Will another group influence credit card companies to vote for a code to identify abortions? Or what about some other political hot button? Are we entering the beginnings of a dystopian society, where every controversial purchase we make can be assigned a code? Will those codes then be shared with political groups, government organizations, law enforcement, or some big brother watchdog?
While gun safety advocates celebrate this decision, there are potentially far-reaching implications. So many people use credit cards to purchase everything, including items that are controversial. This move could potentially open the door for hyper-tracking of these items. Could this move prompt pro-life advocates lobby for the International Organization for Standardization to create a code specifically for abortions or birth control purchases?
When lawmakers of the political party du jour are able to use their influence to create lasting monitoring systems of everyday people's purchases, we start crossing into the potential makings of a dystopian society. I know, it seems far-fetched, but hear me out. It sets precedent. When the next political party is in power it could use its influence to do the same thing for purchases it wants monitored. It brings up so many questions about privacy and government reach (or overreach).
Many people who want to buy guns may use cash to make their purchases now to prevent tracking. If they feel forced to use cash or another currency that can't be tracked they could end up making purchases that are less-than-savory. This new code could potentially drive legal gun owners into underground markets, just to avoid having their privacy invaded.
Just remember, it's a slippery slope.


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Sony's announced that it will be holding the first round of the FIFA Interactive World Cup at a PlayStation Access event in Manchester this week.
Players will get the opportunity to compete from Thursday through Saturday in addition to getting their hands on a bunch of other unreleased PS3 games.
Games outside of FIFA 12 include Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Battlefield 3, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, GoldenEye 007 Reloaded, Batman: Arkham City, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, Starhawk, Tekken Hybrid and Dark Souls.
There'll also be a DJ set from Maximo Park's Luka Wooller on Friday and Saturday night. For more information, hit up the PlayStation Access Facebook page.


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The company said pan-India premium hotel average room rates (ARRs) are expected to be at Rs. 6,000-6,200 in FY2024. While the occupancy is expected to be at 'decadal highs', the RevPAR is expected to remain at a 20-25% discount to the FY2008 peak.
ICRA said consistent improvement in consumer sentiments despite the inflationary environment, stable corporate performance, and domestic air passenger traffic inching above pre-Covid levels augur well for travel and hotel demand.
The company stated the demand recovery has been strong in the last one year, and sustenance of domestic leisure travel, higher bookings from meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), and business travel, along with an increase in foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs), would support demand.
The industry is also likely to benefit from specific events like the G20 summit and the ICC World Cup 2023.
Vinutaa S, vice president and sector head, corporate ratings, ICRA Limited, said gateway cities like Delhi and Mumbai are likely to top the occupancy chart at 75%+ in FY2024.
"Demand is expected to remain healthy across markets, although Bengaluru and Pune are likely to be laggards compared to other key cities. While the G20 summit would support occupancy across cities in FY2024, improved economic activity and business associations stemming from these meetings are likely to translate into incremental demand for hotels over the medium term," she said.
"ICRA expects an improving trend in ARRs as well across markets in FY2024, driven by healthy occupancy. Further, mid-scale hotels have also witnessed traction across cities and are likely to continue reporting healthy ARRs and occupancy in FY2024," she added.
ICRA estimates a 13-15% revenue growth for the Indian hotel industry in FY2024, notwithstanding the potential impact on demand from exogenous shocks, if any.
"Sustenance of a large part of the cost-rationalisation measures undertaken during the Covid period, along with operating leverage benefits, resulted in a sharp expansion in margins. ICRA’s sample set, comprising 12 large hotel companies, reported operating margins of 32% for FY2023, against 20-22% pre-Covid," the company stated.
"While there could be some moderation in margins from these levels with an increase in some cost-heads, including refurbishment/maintenance, the margins are still expected to be higher than the pre-Covid levels over the medium term," it added.
Friday, 01 Dec, 2023
- Surprise Boost: Economy Grows 7.6% in Q2, Beating Estimates
India's economy expanded 7.6% in the September quarter from a year earlier, exceeding expectations as manufacturing posted strong growth and investments gathered pace. Private consumption was tepid while a patchy monsoon dented farm growth, according to government data released on Thursday.JSW, SAIC Ink JV to Run MG Motor Operations in India
The Sajjan Jindal-promoted JSW Group and SAIC Motor announced an India joint venture aimed at expanding the operations of MG Motor, owned by the Chinese company, in the country. JSW will hold a 35% stake in the joint venture, they announced on Thursday.UltraTech to Buy Kesoram’s Cement Unit
Aditya Birla Group’s UltraTech will acquire the cement business of the BK Birla Group’s Kesoram Industries in an all-stock deal at an estimated enterprise value of around ₹7,600 crore, which includes debt.
Read More News on
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
- India's power consumption grows 8.5% to 119.64 billion units in Nov
- IPL media rights value may hit $50 billion in 20 years, league's chairman says
- Empty passenger train derails in Bikaner rail yard affecting rail services
- India shows some reliance on Venezuelan oil after 3-year hiatus as US sanctions ease
- Zydus Lifesciences gets USFDA nod for generic heart failure treatment drug
- PSUs' petrol sales up 7.5%, diesel down 7.5% in November
- Maruti's entry level car sales drop 45% in November, UV sales up 50%
- JSW Energy names Sharad Mahendra as next Joint MD & CEO
- CIL's coal output rises 11.5% to 460 million tonnes during April-November
- Tata Motors total sales down 1.73% at 74,172 units in November


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On May 5, 2019, at the invitation of the Czech Skoda Auto University, teacher He Shawei from the College of Economics and Management led the team of three students named Dong Zhuojia, Sun Maoyuan, Leng Shiyu to travel to Skoda Group in Czech for a three-month internship. The students and representatives from Skoda Auto University conducted bilateral cooperation and exchanges.
On May 6, the representatives of Skoda Group showed the students around the production workshops, as well as the introduction of the plant’s overview, production processes and workers’ schedule. Press shop and assembly shop are two major workshops of Skoda Auto, at where the students witness the molding of cars in different manufacturing processes. The mechanization of the press shop is relatively high. There are only 200 workers in the press shop, mainly responsible for making various metal parts of the car, and pressing steel plates into different shapes, such as car doors and hoods. It takes 24 hours to produce a new car, of which 9 hours for stamping and casting, 11 hours for painting, 3 hours for assembly, and 1 hour for quality inspection.
So far, the students have a basic cognition of the factory and the upcoming internship life they will take. Then the representative of the enterprise gave a brief introduction to the students about the internship positions, job requirements and working hours.
On May 7, Lenka Stejskalová, the Director of International Exchange Office from Skoda Auto University, and David Holman, representative of teachers warmly welcomed the delegation from NUAA and wished the internship a complete success. Ms. Lenka and Mr. He Shawei reviewed the bilateral cooperation agreements with both NUAA and College of Economics and Management. They talked about to continue to deepen cooperation in the future, especially exchange visits of students and teachers, joint application for scientific research projects and other aspects. Mr. David introduced the general situation of the logistics engineering major to the members of exchange team and conducted in-depth communication with them.
The internship in Skoda University officially began on May 13. Before the internship started, the representatives from Skoda Group gave the students from CEM the pre-job training, and the company assigned a tutor for them during the internship. After the training, students of CEM visited the Skoda Auto Museum and had a comprehensive understanding of the history of Skoda Group.
Skoda Auto University was founded in 2000 and is located in Mlada Bolesav, Central Bohemia, Czech Republic, which is also where the Skoda Group headquarters located. The University is owned by Skoda Group and is the first “corporate university” in Czech. Relying on the cooperation agreement between the two sides and the first phase of university brand specialty construction project of Jiangsu Province (industrial engineering project), outstanding industrial engineering undergraduates are selected to go to the Skoda Group for internship every year. CEM selected 3 senior students majored in Industrial Engineering to go to Skoda Group in year 2019, which is the first time for Skoda oversea internship. In the future, Skoda Group and CEM will conduct further deepen cooperation in overseas internships, student exchanges and other exchange activities. With the support of the EU Erasmus+ program and bilateral agreement, Skoda Auto University and CEM of NUAA are conducting extensive and in-depth cooperation in student and teacher exchanges, and joint application for scientific research.


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High energy costs across the continent are massively impacting production of cars, especially EVs
Car makers operating in Europe’s traditional automotive manufacturing hubs, including Germany and the UK, are sounding the alarm over the cost of developing and building both cars and automotive technology locally as they brace themselves for competition from cheaper, more profitable Chinese electric cars.
“We want to invest in technology, batteries, chips but Europe is too slow in this game,” Thomas Schaefer, head of the Volkswagen brand, told Autocar at the recent Munich mobility show.
Schaefer singled out battery plants as an example where the local costs are hampering plans to onshore what will be a key investment as EVs ramp up.
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A roundup of the leading social good platforms. Technology designed specifically to support corporate philanthropy participation has become increasingly popular. Referred to as social good platforms, this proprietary software tracks volunteer hours and workplace giving and allows targeted communication strategies and recognition programs. These platforms help build meaningful connections between corporations, employees and nonprofits. They save time and money and increase revenue by improving engagement.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a term that encompasses ways companies can take responsibility for the social and environmental impacts of their business. It includes sustainability, diversity and inclusion, human rights, ethical business practices, volunteerism, philanthropy, cause-related marketing and activism.
Truth Initiative, the nonprofit organization behind the award-winning national youth tobacco prevention campaign, truth®, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year so it seemed like a good time to catch up with Christy Hartsell, vice president of corporate partnerships and co-marketing.While the youth smoking rate dropped to historic lows – today 5.4 percent (about 1.3 million) of American teens smoke – e-cigarettes may be turning back the clock on progress in the fight against tobacco and addicting a new generation to nicotine, with the Surgeon General declaring the rise in youth vaping an “epidemic” last year.
When people think of cause marketing, they picture companies selling directly to consumers with campaigns that raise money for charities at supermarkets, restaurants and retail stores. CSR isn’t just for B2C companies. B2B companies are discovering that investing in cause marketing can be an effective tool for them in today’s purpose-driven economy.More consumers and employees expect companies to take a leadership role in solving important social issues. There is a trend toward greater alignment between corporate giving and business priorities and strategies, including CSR.Research shows that companies that invest in corporate social responsibility tend to perform better financially. B2B companies are quickly jumping on board. 74% of B2Bs consider purpose to be relevant in business growth
During the month of February, WomenHeart is helping to raise awareness about risk factors, prevalence, and prevention of heart disease in women. We interviewed their team to learn more about their #HappyHeart campaign and partnerships that are helping them to have an even further impact this month and beyond.
For Momentum’s Cause Marketing Glossary goes well beyond providing a single cause marketing definition. Our newly This updated compilation of industry terminology offers professionals at all levels a quick glimpse into the ever-evolving world of cause marketing.
In order to get a better picture into what might happen in corporate philanthropy trends in 2018, what better way to find out then to ask a few of the experts? As an Atlanta-based company, we asked some of our neighboring companies with incredible CSR programs and experience for their foresight into the trends that will evolve this year. We asked each expert to “look into your crystal ball, what will be the biggest corporate philanthropy trend in 2018?”
For Momentum’s Take 5 blog series continues with Christine Riley Miller, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Foundation at Dunkin’ Brands. We ask Christine five questions that will help you learn more about Dunkin’s Joy in Childhood Foundation’s mission to help sick and hungry kids, and Christine.
Rosie Mankes currently serves as ForMomentum’s Director of New Business Development. She is both a lung and breast cancer survivor and we are proud to have her on our team. After her second cancer journey, she decided to become a Certified Life Coach and Motivational Speaker with the goal of helping woman diagnosed with breast cancer work through their day-to-day challenges in order to make it to the operating table, recovery, treatment and beyond. To learn more about her and her services, contact Rosie here.
#GivingTuesday is quickly becoming the Super Bowl of charitable giving. Whether you’re a corporate or nonprofit professional, get your game plan ready to take home a win on Tuesday, November 28. In this free webinar, For Momentum’s coach Rich Maiore will cover the Xs and Os of an unbeatable #GT activation.


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(Pocket-lint) - Samsung Galaxy S II owners who are signed up to Three can now update their phones to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The network provider has made the new operating system available via Samsung Kies.
Samsung had previously announced that the software update would start to roll out to its devices from yesterday, 19 March, and it has remained true to its word. Three is the first network to announce its availability in the UK, however.
Previously, Samsung had released a statement saying that eventual roll-out dates for ICS would be left to individual providers. "The availability of software upgrades in the UK will be dependent upon each network’s own software approvals process," it said.
Other devices will receive Android 4.0 in the coming weeks and months. "Android 4.0 ICS software upgrade for Galaxy Note, Galaxy SII LTE, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 will follow soon," Samsung said on 13 March.
Samsung Kies, for those who don't already have it installed on their PC or Mac, is available from Samsung's own website.
Three hasn't revealed yet whether an over-the-air upgrade option will be available.
Relieved now that ICS has finally arrived? What do you think of it in comparison to Android 3.0? Let us know in the comments below...


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The world of flowers and plants meets the planet of design thanks to Organizzazione Orlandelli's Cabriolet trolley
“Our research and collaboration with C-LED has allowed us to share difficulties, collaborate on solutions and develop a good product,” says Marco Orlandelli, chief executive officer of Orlandelli Organization.
The 2023 Garden Trends Report offer useful data, advice and experiences to better plan the work for the coming year. In the second part the focus is on the accessibility of the gardens and the use of Tik Tok.
Heinz Brothers Greenhouse Garden Center in St. Charles, Illinois, have been in business for more than 30 years. Over the past three years, owner Jay Schrock (center) has been remodeling the garden center in phases using Orlandelli products.


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The Alexander Wang number is the ultimate optical illusion. Kim Kardashian is no stranger to the naked dress. She was an early adopter of the trend, and for years has pushed the boundaries with her barely-there ensembles — whether she's on the red carpet or running errands around Calabasas. Being naked is basically her brand, just ask Kim herself. Despite her constant rotation of revealing outfits, Kim officially one-upped herself, and wore the naked dress to end all naked dresses. On Friday, the reality star took to Instagram to model an early birthday present from fashion designer Alexander Wang: a crystal chainmail dress with her famous curves printed on the front.
Kanye West incensed at Kim Kardashian's naked photo leak
Kim Kardashian poses naked in peonies for photos amid divorce rumors | Daily Mail Online
To promote her brand, Kim Kardashian posed nude and the photo went instantly viral on the Internet. Kim Kardashian's Instagram page is too hot to handle and it's an undeniable fact. The American reality star and entrepreneur has often shared racy photos and videos wearing a bikini or even while posing semi-nude. Although, she has worn nude coloured tights and sat half-naked for the photo.
No, That Naked Picture Is Not Kim Kardashian's Post-Baby Body
If anyone has given Instagram's censorship rules a run for their money, it's Kim Kardashian. The selfie queen is notorious for posting nude pics of herself to the photo-sharing app. Recently, though, Kim has really pulled back on the nude photos. She told The Cut back in that she made the decision, mostly because of her kids and her work in criminal justice.
Kim isn't the only Kardashian who is proud to pose nude; the Kardashians and nudity are more or less synonymous at this point. The sisters have never shied away from baring all and, honestly, that's one of the things we love most about them. If nothing else, the Kardashians will go down in history as crusaders for nakedness and free-ers of nipples.


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Techland has recently announced that the upcoming Dying Light 2 Bloody Ties delayed yet again.
According to the new post on Dying Light 2’s official Twitter account, Techland has decided to delay the release of the story DLC Bloody Ties. This is now the second time the DLC has been delayed to another date. It will now be released on November 10, 2022.
Just like other studios who have decided to delay their games or new content, Techland stated that they decided to move the launch forward to give the team “extra time to polish and squash the bugs”.
The upcoming story DLC Bloody Ties will include a new location called The Carnage Hall, which was an old opera house now turned into a coliseum of death and suffering. Players will find new challenges and quests, new weapon types, new character interactions, and many more.
Dying Light 2 is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.


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This guide highlights the most alarming cybersecurity statistics and trends unfolding right now.
Today, our computers, smartphones, and other internet-connected devices have become indispensable parts of personal lives, as well as our businesses. As a result, cybercriminals are everywhere, and cybersecurity has become super important.
Unfortunately, right now it seems that the bad guys are winning. To illustrate the problem, I’ve compiled this list of the scariest cybersecurity statistics of 2019. The list is current as of July 2019. But given current cybercrime trends, I’m afraid we will look back on this list with nostalgia by the time 2020 rolls in.
Here are the 2019 cybersecurity statistics that scare me right now:
1. Ransomware is everywhere
Hackers infesting our computers with viruses and spyware is bad enough.
Ransomware takes the annoyance factor to another level. In case you are not familiar with the term, ransomware is a type of malware that locks up (encrypts) files on your computer, or the entire system.
To regain access to your stuff, you have to pay a ransom to the hackers. That ransom is typically in the form of cryptocurrencies, although some of these sleazy crooks will accept Visa, Mastercard, or other credit cards!
Ransomware has become a huge business, with an estimated cost of over $11 billion in 2019 alone. And the targets aren’t just kids who downloaded some dubious files from a porn site. Major companies get hit with this stuff, and so have dozens of cities, including Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Augusta, Maine.
Baltimore alone estimates the cost at over $18 million, between the costs of recovering from the attack and potential lost or delayed city income due to everything being shut down.
While I was researching this article news broke about another city that was hit. On June 19th, the Palm Beach Post published a story detailing how the city of Riviera Beach, Florida paid $600,000 in ransom in hopes of getting the city government’s computers back online.
2. Industrial control systems may be the next big ransomware targets
According to Morey Haber and Brian Chappell at BeyondTrust, the systems that control national infrastructures could be the next big target for ransomware.
If little cities like Riviera Beach, Florida (2017 population 34,674) will pay $600,000 to get their computer systems back online, imagine the kind of ransom you might demand after taking control of a portion of the US power grid, or the control systems of a nuclear power plant.
Even scarier is the thought that a hostile power might get control of your country’s critical infrastructure. This is all too possible. For example, there have been numerous reports on how the US power grid is vulnerable to cyber attacks.
The possibilities are truly terrifying.
3. Data breaches will affect virtually everyone
According to the IT Governance Blog, data breaches resulted in the theft of nearly 1.8 billion records in January alone (2019). And the hits just keep on coming.
A company called IdentityForce keeps a running list of major data breaches on it website. At the time of this article (July 2019) this list included 81 major breaches affecting who knows how many billions of records. These breaches affect all types of institutions:
- social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram)
- online games (Fortnite)
- government agencies (US Customs and Border Patrol, Oregon Department of Human Services, and many more)
- hospitals (UConn Health and many others)
- popular apps (WhatsApp and Evernote)
We have no way of knowing how many smaller breaches took place. Nor do we know how many major breaches are currently being covered up by the victims, or haven’t even been discovered yet.
Even more concerning is the fact that companies are ramping up their data collection efforts. From a marketing and advertising perspective, data collection is good for business (but not customer privacy). A recent Bloomberg article highlighted this trend in the hotel industry:
At some properties, hotel brands are already collecting data on what temperature you like your room and how you like your eggs, betting that knowing that stuff can translate into better service. Other kinds of customer data—the annual conferences you attend or the date of your wedding anniversary—are largely untapped marketing opportunities. Some companies are also experimenting with putting voice assistants in their rooms or using facial recognition to streamline check-in.
Private companies in all sectors are collecting more data from their customers. This trend, together with a growing number of data breaches, increases the probability that every one of us will be affected sooner or later.
4. The cost of a data breach keeps on growing
Not only is the quantity of data breaches increasing, so is the average cost. Each year the Ponemon Institute conducts a study titled, “Cost of a Data Breach.” IBM was the sponsor of the 13th annual study, which was conducted last year (2018).
According to that study,
…the global average cost of a data breach is up 6.4 percent over the previous year to $3.86 million. The average cost for each lost or stolen record containing sensitive and confidential information also increased by 4.8 percent year over year to $148.
Let those numbers sink in: $3.86 million for a data breach, along with more breaches, each costing significantly more than the year before.
This is bad news all around – and it’s not getting better.
5. More systems are coming pre-hacked
If you’re a real tech geek, you have probably read about the United States Government’s concerns about 5G telephone systems made by the Chinese company, Huawei.
In a nutshell, the concern is that Huawei equipment has back doors built into it that could allow the Chinese government to spy on anyone who uses the Huawei tech. This seems like a realistic fear since Huawei devices have been found to have spyware pre-installed on them in the past.
And Huawei isn’t the only concern. Last year, Bloomberg reported that Chinese spies managed to get tiny chips installed on servers that ended up in the US Department of Defense, the CIA, and in the onboard networks of US Navy ships. Who knows where else the little buggers ended up. Before that, there were problems with Chinese spy chips embedded in printers destined for US Government facilities.
According to BeyondTrust’s 2019 Security Predictions, it is only a matter of time before corporations become the targets of these kinds of attacks (if they aren’t happening already).
And let’s not forget that the Internet of Things (IoT) trend is just getting started. The billions of tiny, Internet-connected computer systems in, well, virtually everything are going to be prime targets for hacking before or after they are installed. More on this in the next section.
6. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an open door for hackers
One of the hottest trends in technology is the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT). Advocates claim all sorts of benefits can be gained by connecting pretty much everything to the Internet. Whether that is true or not, one thing is certain: many IoT devices are incredibly vulnerable to hacking.
The internet-connected portion of IoT devices is usually low-powered and slow, with few resources available for “secondary” features like cybersecurity. As a result, there have already been numerous IoT cybersecurity disasters. Here are just a few examples:
- Back in 2015, two researchers demonstrated the ability to hack into Jeep Cherokee SUVs and take control of the steering wheel or parking brake, while the vehicle was driving on the highway.
- My Friend Cayla, a toy doll that was so vulnerable to hacking that in 2017 the German Government called it, “an illegal espionage apparatus” and advised parents to destroy it immediately.
- Also in 2017, the FDA discovered that certain heart pacemakers could be hacked to run down the battery or even deliver shocks to the person using the device.
While some progress has been made here, IoT devices are still relatively vulnerable to hack attacks. On June 18, 2019, Avast published a blog post detailing how self-described “white hat” hacker Martin Hron hacked a smart coffeemaker. Not only did he tell it to stop making coffee, but he turned it into a ransomware device and a gateway to spy on all the connected devices on that network.
This video from Avast shows just how easy it can be to hack a smart device and get access to the entire network.
The IoT trend is yet another example of business decisions that conflict with personal privacy. Your ability to “opt out” is also getting more difficult as companies release a growing lineup of “smart” devices.
With billions of the things we use every day being converted into IoT devices, this problem will only grow.
7. More Americans are afraid of hackers than burglars, muggers, or terrorists
According to an October 2018 Gallup poll, Americans spend more time worrying about hackers and identity theft than they do about traditional problems like burglaries, muggings, even terrorist attacks.
More specifically, the poll shows that 71% of Americans frequently or occasionally worry about having their personal or financial information stolen by hackers. The second most common worry for Americans was identity theft (67%) another crime that is primarily perpetrated online these days.
Next, after these cyber-crimes, came the fear of a home being burglarized (40%) while the occupant was not home, with 40% of Americans frequently or occasionally worried about this possibility. Getting mugged, and being a victim of terrorism were even further from people’s minds, with about ¼ of the people surveyed worrying about them.
It is clear that cybersecurity issues are major worries for Americans and probably the citizens of other technologically advanced countries.
8. Cybercriminals could cost the world 2 trillion dollars this year alone
Estimates are that the costs of cybercrime will exceed $2,000,000,000 worldwide in 2019, predicts Juniper Research. It seems that efforts to stop cybercriminals from getting access to our systems are not working well enough.
According to venture capitalist Betsy Atkins, writing for Forbes.com, businesses should expect to focus more on detection of breaches and creating response plans for when breaches occur. This approach makes sense to me, as the Ponemon study cited earlier states that a company typically takes 197 days (more than 6 months) to discover that its systems have been breached.
How much is being spent on cybersecurity this year?
Gartner Forecasts estimates that in 2019 alone, more than $124 Billion will be spent on cybersecurity worldwide. Growing concerns over data privacy are pushing this number higher every year:
Stopping hackers is getting alarmingly expensive.
The key to surviving it is to get better at detecting the breaches and faster at fixing the problems and vulnerabilities.
9. More hackers are seeking to destroy your business
While it seems that most hack attacks aim to steal data from their targets, there is something even nastier going on out there. According to Symantec’s 2019 Internet Security Threat Report, nearly 10% of attacks in 2018 aimed to destroy the data on the infected computers. This number is an increase of approximately 25% over 2017.
This uptrend is marked by the return of a new, more powerful version of Shamoon, malware which targets organizations in the Middle East and erases their data. On June 22, 2019, Christopher C. Krebs, the Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued the following statement about Iranian hack attacks that wipe the data on affected computers:
10. Few businesses are ready for a cyberattack
Despite the seemingly endless stream of news reports on Cyber Attacks against businesses, according to a 2018 survey by Minerva Labs, most IT professionals think their organization is not secure against attacks.
From the perspective of a business owner, this means that you need to plan your company’s response for the near-inevitable day that you get hacked. And it isn’t just the immediate detection and cleanup you have to worry about.
According to this report by Deloitte, there are 14 Cyber Attack Impact Factors that can plague a company long after the IT folks deal with the initial attack. Here are a few of those Impact Factors:
- Attorney fees and litigation
- Public relations problems
- Increased insurance premiums
- Lost contracts
- Loss of intellectual property
- Devaluation of trade name
The long-term costs to a business and its brand image from a cyber attack can truly be devastating. Plan accordingly.
11. Phishing attacks are less frequent but more targeted
The cybercriminals who use phishing attacks (where the attacker pretends to be a trusted entity) have apparently upped their game. According to Ganesh Umpathy at SonicWall, their Capture Labs threat researchers saw a 4.5% drop in attacks from 2017 to 2018. However, he also pointed out that,
As businesses get better at blocking email attacks and ensuring employees can spot and delete suspicious emails, attackers are shifting tactics. New data suggests they’re reducing overall attack volume and launching more highly targeted phishing attacks.
The bad guys appear to be focusing more tightly on high-value targets. The attackers may spend some time studying their target and applying various social engineering techniques to maximize the chance of success against that particular target.
Other techniques used in phishing attacks include:
- Buying compromised user credentials to take over the email accounts of trusted persons and use those accounts to launch their attacks
- Tailoring attacks to evade the built-in security of specific software products, such as Microsoft Office or popular SaaS products.
Remain vigilant against phishing snipers.
12. Microsoft Office documents are popular attack vectors
As we discussed in the last section, phishing attacks are often tailored specifically to defeat the defenses of popular software. This makes Microsoft Office one of the most targeted products of all. And the bad guys are having success here.
According to the Cisco 2018 Annual Cybersecurity Report, files with Microsoft Office file extensions are the most popular way to attack systems via email.
You can download the full 2018 report here.
13. Millennials are too lax about cybersecurity
As the baby boomers retire or pass on, the Millennial generation is becoming the majority. And if current trends continue, this transition means cybersecurity problems are about to get a lot worse.
Several studies including this one, and this one, and this one, indicate that the Millennials are far less interested in protecting their own privacy than preceding generations. They are also less likely to obey company policies related to data security. These characteristics will likely lead to nightmares for cybersecurity experts today and for decades to come.
According to a recent security report,
Millennials are almost twice as likely to go rogue compared to baby boomers, with 81% admitting they have used or accessed something on their work device without IT’s permission versus just 51% of older workers who have done the same.
Hopefully millennials will up their cybersecurity game in the years ahead.
14. Hackers are increasingly targeting public WiFi networks
Many people are aware of the threats associated with using public WiFi, such as in airports, coffee shops, and hotels. But the problem is actually worse than most of us would like to acknowledge.
Hackers are increasingly targeting hotels in pursuit of high-value targets. A recent Bloomberg report describes how hackers check in to hotels to hack other guests and break into hotel networks to steal valuable data:
They’ve even used Wi-Fi to hijack hotels’ internal networks in search of corporate data. Just about all of the industry’s major players have reported breaches, including Hilton Worldwide Holdings, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Hyatt Hotels.
Before they’d checked in to their room, the leader had used his phone’s hotspot to create a new Wi-Fi network, naming it after the hotel. Within minutes, six devices had joined his spoofed network, exposing their internet activity to the hackers.
Mark Orlando, chief technology officer for cybersecurity at Raytheon IIS, advises corporate clients to avoid using personal devices altogether while on the road. That could mean requesting a loaner laptop or buying a burner phone. Even ordinary travelers should use virtual private networks to connect to the internet when outside the U.S., he says.
Exploiting public WiFi to collect data is incredibly simple and cheap, which explains this growing attack vector.
According to the report,
The Pineapple is an invaluable tool for pentesters, but its popularity is also due to the fact that it can be used for more nefarious purposes. Hackers can easily wield the device to collect sensitive personal information from unsuspecting users on public Wi-Fi networks.
The real danger of a Pineapple attack is on public networks—places like your local coffee shop or the airport are all prime places for an attack.
If you must get on public Wi-Fi, your best bet is to get a VPN. VPNs are a secure way of surfing the net by first connecting to a VPN server before venturing onto the World Wide Web. The VPN server encrypts your data before routing it to its destination, essentially creating a protective shell for your data that makes it unintelligible to prying eyes. So even though an attacker may be able to see that your device has connected to their Pineapple, if you’re using a VPN they won’t be able to see the data they are routing.
As I pointed out in the best VPN report, VPNs are becoming mainstream for basic privacy and security. Unfortunately, many people remain oblivious to the inherent dangers of public WiFi, but awareness is growing. If you are a frequent traveler and want to remain connected with your devices, a good VPN is a must-have privacy tool.
Key takeaways and solutions for staying safe in 2019
Short of ditching all electronics and moving to a remote wilderness cabin, cybersecurity risk is an element to be mitigated rather than entirely eliminated.
- Be smart and vigilant. Common sense plays a huge role in staying safe online, where many people fall victim to suspicious links, malicious email attachments, and targeted phishing schemes.
- Keep all your devices up to date with the latest software and security patches. Whether it’s your wireless router, phone, or work computer, security vulnerabilities are regularly being identified and patched.
- Limit vulnerabilities. It’s clear that smart devices are a security risk, which will only get worse as the devices age (and the manufacturer does not keep the firmware updated). Therefore it may be wise to limit the smart devices on your network. And if you don’t mind the hassle, going back to a wired (ethernet) connection will be more secure and also offer better performance.
- Having a good antivirus that respects your privacy may also be a wise choice depending on your OS. In terms of security, an antivirus is no silver bullet, but it can certainly help mitigate risk.
- Use a VPN for more security, which also has the added benefits of masking your IP address and location, in addition to encrypting and securing your traffic.
- Using strong passwords together with a reliable and secure password manager is also important. I like Bitwarden, a free and open source password manager, which also offers secure browser extensions.
- Limit the data you share. Given the growing trend of data breaches and the fact that companies are working hard to collect more of your data (for marketing and ads), the safest solution is to limit the data you share with third parties. Large corporate databases will continue to be hacked.
That’s all for now, stay safe and secure in 2019!
Last updated on July 15, 2019.


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The return of Fortnitemares is not far off, as new content for Fortnite leaks that teases some of the Halloween NPCs coming to the game.
Fortnite players have been busy working on the Marvel-themed battle pass and dodging Epic Games’ drama with Apple for some time, but they are about to become even busier very soon. According to leaks, Fortnitemares is returning to Fortnite, and it is bringing some new NPCs along with it.
According to a post from reputable Fortnite leaker HYPEX, players can expect to fight a version of Midas while wearing their new Wolverine outfits. Midas was all the rage a few seasons back when he was added to the game, with the gold-obsessed character being seen everywhere for a time. This new, NPC version will supposedly have a gold scar, though this could easily be a placeholder that is replaced with a ghastlier mark that fits the Halloween spirit. The version players fight will also have 100 HP and 350 shields.
RELATED: Fortnite Releases New Wolverine Trailer
With Fortnitemares guaranteed to occur during the Marvel season of content, it will be interesting to see if any of the superheroes join in on the fun and dress up for the occasion. While the supervillain Venom should be arriving soon based on leaks, another NPC is confirmed for the event that goes by the name Ghostly Ghost Henchman. While the name is certainly silly, players should feat the enemy due to its ability to wield multiple weapons. The henchman will fire off an AR, pump shotgun, SMG, or pumpkin launcher based on the leaks from HYPEX.
With two new NPCs coming to Fortnitemares, it will be interesting to see what challenges there are to complete in the event. It also would not be too surprising if Fortnite fans found a way to make Midas and the Ghostly Ghost Henchman collide, as players recently made Iron Man fight with Wolverine. Regardless of whether these new NPCs clash or not, Fortnite fans should be excited to know that a new seasonal event is coming to Fortnite and bringing new content with it.
Unfinished NPCs most likely for Fortnitemares, thanks to @intercelluar for bringing this to my attention!
Midas (Maybe another version of him):
– Has a Gold Scar, probably a placeholder
– Has 100 HP & 350 Shields
Ghostly Ghost Henchman
– Has an AR, Pump, SMG or Pumpkin Launcher
— HYPEX 🎃 (@HYPEX) October 2, 2020
Fortnite will not be the only game celebrating the Halloween season, as a few other games will be holding Halloween events of their own. Borderlands 3’s Bloody Harvest will be returning next week, for instance, possibly bringing new content to go with the goulish Rakk-o-Lanterns from last year’s version. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, on the other hand, offers a complex new pumpkin system that allows players to craft new furniture once their seeds grow. Even Call of Duty: Warzone will be getting a horror-themed update later in October. It seems like gamers from every genre will have something to do this Halloween, with spooky new content arriving for multiple different games across the industry.
For players more interested in the current version of Fortnite, however, knowing all the week 6 XP coin locations should prove useful. They will not be around for long, though, as this newest leak confirms that Fortnite is about to get a lot scarier soon.
Fortnite is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
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A lifelong gamer and comics fan who loves writing about everything in nerd culture… and has a small addiction to trophy and achievement hunting.
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Tasty Clean started as a quick way for parents to disinfect suckers, pacifiers or anything else a child might drop on the ground.
Jessica Gore came up with the idea when her son dropped a sucker on the ground while standing in line. The ensuing temper tantrum made her wish there was a magical spray she could use to sterilize the sucker.
“We have fact-based evidence to show that this really works.” Jessica Gore
Thus, the idea of Tasty Clean was born. The spray contains apple cider vinegar and other natural products that are safe, taste good, and kill bacteria. It works in about 30 seconds and kills 99 percent of germs.
“We have fact-based evidence to show that this really works,” Gore said.
The website shows cherry and grape flavors but they have four new flavors in research and development. None of them contain sugar.
“We don’t have a direct competitor at this point,” Gore said. “The benefit to this product is that it tastes really, really good.”
NEW PRODUCTS, FLAVORS
The Dallas startup is branching out to target new markets with new products while also researching new flavors.
Gore presented Tasty Clean at 1 Million Cups at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center recently. She said she made $7,000 in sales in 2016 but is looking to grow in 2017. She recently switched to a new manufacturer who doesn’t have a cap so she’s ready for a wider launch.
“There really isn’t an order that cannot be met at this point,” she said.
Beyond just young parents, Tasty Clean is branching out to sports, orthodontics, camping, and musicians. It could be used to clean mouth guards, retainers, camping dishes, and mouthpieces on instruments.
Tasty Clean may also expand to wipes and portable key chain-size sprays.
Delivering what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth innovation, every day. Get the Dallas Innovates e-newsletter.


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Leading casino software provider, SkillOnNet has inked a supply agreement with UK-based supplier of high-quality, electronic gaming content, Realistic Games, that has seen its game portfolio grow past 1,450 popular titles.
According to the press release…
The recent integration allows players at online casino sites that are powered by the Malta-headquartered provider of flexible online casino platforms, access to popular titles such as Slot It In! and Clockwork Mice. Included in those SkillOnNet-powered casino sites are DrückGlück, the most popular casino site in Germany and PlayOjo, the award-winning fair casino.
Additional integrations to the SON portfolio include Realistic’s creative versions of classic table games such as blackjack and roulette, as well as the supplier’s immersive 3D roulette game, Realistic Roulette.
Casino players worldwide love Realistic’s slots, from Fortune 5 and Black Ice to one of the most recent releases Splashtasic!, the company’s video slots are known for their entertaining gameplay and familiarity.
Industry-leading game providers:
A leader in the iGaming business industry, SkillOnNet provides white label casino and full turnkey services to top brands worldwide. Their games are powered by more than 30 industry-leading game providers such as Yggdrasil, Microgaming, NYX, Play’n GO, NetEnt, 1X2gaming, Scientific Games, Aristocrat and many more. An AI-powered game recommendation engine is also offered by SON to help players find the game best suited for them.
Sales and marketing director for SkillOnNet, Michael Golembo, explained that…
“Realistic Games offer some of the most colourful and vibrant slot games on the market, and their table games take the player experience to a whole new level.
“They are the perfect fit for our already bursting game portfolio, and we believe they will be a big hit with players at online casino brands across our network.”
Adding to that, commercial director for Realistic Games, Robert Lee said…
“SkillOnNet is now undoubtedly one of the biggest independent casino networks and we are thrilled to be able to offer our casino games to players at so many of their top sites including Cozino, AhtiGames and QueenVegas”.
Sweden and Portugal licenses:
Early in September, SkillOnNet announced that it had formally applied for licenses from authorities in Sweden and Portugal in hopes of being legally present in both markets by the beginning of 2019. The Swedish application follows the recent passage of legislation that is set to institute a regulated market in the Scandinavian nation from January 1, 2019.


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Improved offerings, robust digital and omnichannel capabilities and optimized real estate footprints are yielding positive results for some retail chains despite doom-and-gloom headlines about the "retail apocalypse," said Joe McKeska, president of Elkhorn Real Estate Partners, during a recent panel discussion at BMO Capital Markets' 12th annual real estate conference.
While store closures get a lot of attention, the way in which many retailers are transforming their businesses to the benefit of consumers while improving their longer-term strength and stability is the more interesting story, McKeska said during the BMO (Bank of Montreal) conference in Chicago. The event attracted approximately 200 top executives from all sectors of the real estate industry, along with leaders from the BMO Capital Markets group.
A 25-year veteran of the U.S. retailing industry, McKeska lauded retailers' attempts to remake their business models. In particular, he cited changes to distribution and supply chains that have enabled some chains to compete more effectively in multiple channels. Vulnerable chains should not simply give up and cede market share to Amazon, said. McKeska, who formed Elkhorn earlier this year in partnership with Melville, N.Y.-based real estate firm A&G Realty Partners. The joint venture assists retailers and investors as they seek to maximize real estate portfolio performance in alignment with broader business strategies.
"Vulnerable chains need to identify and bolster their strengths, but in order to do that they will certainly need to have a strong plan, as well as the capital and resources to execute effectively," McKeska said. "Fortunately, we already have some good examples of how to approach this type of transformation—Best Buy being a case in point."
The panel discussion involving McKeska entitled "Amazon's Amazing Impact on Real Estate" explored Amazon's disruptive role—not just its effects on books, electronics, apparel and now grocery, but also on consumer expectations and shopping behavior generally.
Most observers think of electronics retail as having been thoroughly disrupted by Amazon, McKeska noted during the discussion, but Best Buy, for one, has adapted well. "By matching the lowest prices on the Internet, ramping up its Geek Squad and other services and optimizing its real estate, Best Buy has avoided the fate of Circuit City and is now holding its own in a very competitive retail channel," McKeska said.
This strategy hinges on leveraging existing strengths—including investing in the best real estate in the portfolio—in ways that provide a competitive advantage, McKeska noted. "Best Buy had enough strength and moxie to reposition itself for the future," he said. "While this approach isn't guaranteed to succeed, and Best Buy did have some inherent opportunities to differentiate its business, it's an example that can serve as a lesson for other chains."
However, launching such strategies does require a clear-eyed assessment of challenges and opportunities, McKeska noted. "Consumer expectations today are that you can order anything at any time, from multiple different channels at no additional cost compared to purchases through traditional retail channels," he said. "From the perspective of retailers, however, it's critical to ask hard questions: At what point does your business model need to be rationalized and reality-based? To what degree are retail companies taking into account the higher costs of operating these alternative platforms?"
The key, if possible, is to develop a differentiated business strategy, including leveraging current infrastructure such as stores and warehouse facilities, to create a competitive advantage against online retailers, McKeska advised. "You have to evaluate your business model almost on a product-by-product basis within each category and retail channel," he said. "How difficult will it be for those goods to move online? Will continuing to sell them through brick-and-mortar stores ultimately be more profitable and efficient? Or, otherwise, how quickly will sales of these products erode as they move online? These questions can no longer be put off."
McKeska was joined on the panel by Tom Furphy, CEO of Consumer Equity Partners, and Jeremy Giles, president, Central Region, for Prologis. Jeremy Metz, director, U.S. REIT Research, for BMO Capital Markets, moderated the discussion.


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China may not be the world’s factory as it once was before 2012, when the government started pushing investors into cleaner, service-type sectors. But it still manufactures more than $2 trillion in goods per year, and on Monday Chinese Premier Li Keqiang moved to stoke factories by saying they would be fully open to foreign investors, according to the country’s official Xinhua News Agency.
Vietnam happens to be on its own push for foreign-invested factories. Since the post-war 1980s, the fellow Communist country has sought foreign investment as a way to grow its economy. Foreign-invested factories contributed to exports worth $155.24 billion in 2017, a giant slice of the $202 billion Vietnamese GDP, according to data from SSI Research in Hanoi. The industrial production index rose 15.2% year-on-year in the first two months of 2018 compared to 2017 based on a manufacturing “rally,” SSI Research adds.
More on Forbes: China Tightens Overseas Investment To Reduce Risks
Foreign investors in China will get "wider access" to telecommunications and new energy vehicles, Li told the National People's Congress in Beijing as quoted by Xinhua. His government will "spread the use of practices developed in existing free trade zones all over the country," the premier said, implying less taxation or other regulations for manufacturers.
But Vietnam will motor right along even as China reaches out for foreign manufacturing capital because the two countries differ enough to avoid competing head-on for a lot of investors. Here's how:
1. Different kinds of factories
Vietnam’s factories specialize in low-value goods such as autos, furniture and garments. Exports are “largely concentrated in low-value added products compared to China,” economic forecasting firm FocusEconomics says in an online commentary. China focuses on high-tech gear such as PCs and smartphones, part of its value of manufactured goods. It also draws largely now from its own entrepreneurs such as consumer electronics giants Huawei and Oppo.
Vietnam has landed $6.5 billion in investments from Samsung Electronics and $1 billion from Intel. But it normally draws from the likes of traditional manufacturers such as Ford Motors and Formosa Steel.
2. Vietnam costs less
Costs are rising in China, so investors seeking locations just to save money will end up in Vietnam. Vietnam’s minimum wage stands at a max of about $175 per month compared to China’s at $325, says Dustin Daugherty, senior associate with the business consultancy Dezan Shira & Associates in Ho Chi Minh City. China also collects a higher corporate income tax.
“Twenty years ago firms invested in China as part of a cost-minimizing strategy for global markets,” says Adam McCarty, chief economist with Mekong Economics in Hanoi. “Now Vietnam and others are replacing China, for that type of FDI.”
3. It’s easier to do business in Vietnam
Some foreign manufacturers want to diversify out of China into Vietnam, says Deborah Elms, executive director of the Asian Trade Centre advocacy group in Singapore. Both are growing fast, but Vietnam has a reputation for making life easier. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show China regulates investment three times more restrictively than Vietnam across nine sectors, including manufacturing. Vietnam ranks No. 68 and China No. 78 on the World Bank's scale for ease of doing business.
Vietnam, being in Indochina, is also a “central logistical location to facilitate trade with its ASEAN neighbors,” Daugherty says. The 10 ASEAN nations cover about 630 million people.
4. China has the bigger consumer market
Investors look to China as a place to sell as well as make things, Elms notes. About one-third of Vietnam’s 92 million people will be middle-class or higher by 2020, the Boston Consulting Group said for this blog. But that figure hardly compares to at least 420 million Chinese who are considered middle-class. “If China makes it more attractive to be in China stay in China, there will be companies that will always look to China,” Elms says. “It's a huge domestic market, attractive to investors, in its own right.”


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Goodys liquidating jack o connell dating
In addition to the Rincon store, other area Goody's locations include Hinesville and Statesboro.
Nationwide, the chain employs about 9,800 workers in 287 stores throughout the Midwestern and Southern states, including about 40 stores in Georgia.
"Being that there are only a couple of clothing stores to choose from, the closing is going to hurt the shopping climate in Effingham County," said Shewanda Mc Carr, assistant manager at Maurices, a juniors and young women's department store in Fort Howard Square.
"We hate to see that loss." Christopher Hodges, store manager at Rue 21 at Fort Howard Square, remained optimistic the center's development company was working hard at recruiting a new business to take the place of Goody's.
Its liquidation is expected to be complete by March.
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This decision will affect a lot of people." Yiatchos said those questions could be answered as early as next week.April 28, 2007 | New Jersey | Posted by Caldor All of this Steinbach posting has put me in a New Jersey mood lately.Of course, there are still baby boomer anthropologists who make ritual obeisances in the direction of Marx, and some even believe that their own globalized, frictioned, assemblaged work can somehow be connected meaningfully back to Marx with enough ingenuity and historical reconstruction.The Rincon location opened in October that year and employs about 30 workers, assistant manager Lori Mc Creery said."This is a good store and has always done well since we opened here more than a year ago," Mc Creery said.
"It's unfortunate for Effingham County shoppers that Goody's will be going out of business, but for the time being we'll expect our sales to increase by bringing in some shoppers who normally would shop there," Hodges said.


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Friday, April 21, 2006
Sony is branching out in the digital imaging field and has introduced a D-SLR camera line dubbed "alpha". They will continue with the Cybershot product line. Not much detail in the press release and the Flash site is in Japanese – more to come as I continue to investigate.
Mike Johnston at The Online Photographer has carried the ball and done further investigation. It seems that Sony has bought out what was left of Konica-Minolta. Hmmmm.....
Sony Japan (Flash)
Posted by David Emerick at 9:53 AM


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Preservation-Minded Chefs Celebrate Heirloom Tomatoes
Think "endangered species," and tomatoes hardly jump to mind. After all, they overflow supermarket bins across the country, year-round. But top chefs have grown to disdain the pallid, indestructible, modern hybrids in the produce aisles.
For the full article, check out the new issue of Wine Spectator, on newsstands November 30, 2001.


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Bakkafrost finance chief resigns
Gunnar Nielsen, chief financial officer of the Faroes’ biggest salmon farmer, Bakkafrost, has handed in his resignation, the company said in a market statement last night.
Bakkafrost has accepted Nielsen’s resignation with regret and is beginning the search for his replacement.
The company has agreed with Nielsen that he will stay on until a new CFO is hired, to ensure a smooth handover.
Nielsen has been with Bakkafrost since late 2014.


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Farm-to-table? Nope: sea-to-table
At a time when farm-to-table is one of the most common adjectives you'll find on restaurant websites, sea-to-table isn't something you see — well, ever. Until now, that is.
The Lafayette location of Whole Foods Market will host a sea-to-table event that celebrates seafood from the Gulf of Mexico through demonstrations by local chefs and a tour of the store's seafood department.
Marc Krampe, executive chef and co-owner of Social Southern Table & Bar, Collin Cormier, executive chef and owner of Pop's Poboys, and Jeremy Conner, executive chef of Humble Fish and co-founder of Pig & Plough Suppers, will lead the cooking demonstrations at the event, which takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 8.
Attendees will have the opportunity to sample the chefs' Gulf seafood creations and enjoy wine pairings with each.
Tickets to the event cost $25 per person with all of the money raised benefiting the Audubon Nature Institute Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries and Louisiana Sea Grant.
Whole Foods staff cuts to hit Lafayette
The grocery store's seafood department tour will include presentations by members of the Audubon G.U.L.F., Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU AgCenter on sustainable practices. Whole Foods team members will also discuss the company's sustainability efforts and ratings system.
This event is just one of many taking place at Louisiana Whole Foods Market locations in October.
Lafayette's store is located at 4247 Ambassador Caffery Blvd. Learn more or purchase tickets to the Lafayette event by visiting bit.ly/LafayetteSeaToTable or by calling 337-314-9653.


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Trade statistics show a 50% increase in bilateral trade between Egypt and the United States in just two years supported by the strong performance of the American and Egyptian economies, US Charge d'Affaires, Thomas Goldberger, said at the general meeting and Iftar of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
(AmCham Egypt) held on Tuesday.
The US Chamber of Commerce, the Egypt-US Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
organized the meeting.
During the visit, members of the American delegation will also meet with other cabinet members, heads of political parties and business leaders, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is to sign an MoU with the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
(AmCham Egypt), on the margins of EGYPS 2019, the Egypt Petroleum Show.
During the conference of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
, Hanan Mohamed, Egypt Today CAIRO - 23 January 2019: The Egyptian Tax Authority represents from 72 percent to 75 percent of the resources of the Egyptian public treasury,Chairman of the Egyptian Tax Authority Abdel Azim Hussein said.
With the aim of promoting tourism and spreading a positive image of Egypt worldwide, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
's (AmCham) Travel and Tourism Committee, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism, hosted 10 American bloggers in Egypt for a one-week trip to roam and explore its hidden gems.
Notably, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
(AmCham) is organising a visit for about 50 American firms, according to a previous announcement byHisham Fahmy, CEO of AmCham, adding that the chamber is organising the planned visit in collaboration with AmCham in Washington DC and the US -Egypt Business Council .
companies to visit Egypt in October: AmCham A delegation of 50 big American companies will be visiting Egypt in October, Head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
(AmCham) Tarek Tawfik told reporters on the sidelines of the Door Knock mission in Washington.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt
(AmCham Egypt) organised a tour and a conference at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in the attendance of the antiquities minister on Thursday morning.
They were joined by senior executives of Mars Wrigley, which is based in Chicago, Illinois, as well as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt


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We recently saw the live NZ unveiling of Royal Enfield’s new pair of 650 Twins, the Interceptor and the Continental GT, at the 2018 Ride Forever New Zealand Motorcycle Show. Now, we have official prices for the various trims for both bikes, ahead of the launch which is expected in February next year.
Both models will be available in three different colourways: Classic, Custom, and Chrome, with matching accessories and gear to suit each bike also available. After months of developing, refining and improving the initial design based on tens of thousands of kilometers of road and track testing on parts, aggregates and motorcycles, the production motorcycles are now rolling off the line and ready to be shipped across International markets in a phased manner as part of the marque’s global expansion programme.
New Zealand’s official pricing for the new Royal Enfield 650 Twins is as follows:
Classic – $10,290 inc GST, Custom – $10,490 inc GST, Chrome – $10,790 inc GST
Classic – $10,590 inc GST, Custom – $10,790 inc GST, Chrome – $10,990 inc GST


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HIGH POINT — New factory orders for residential furniture grew 9% in August compared to the same period last year, and are 6% higher than July 2011, according to Smith Leonard PLLC’s recent survey of manufacturers and distributors.
New orders for the year to date are up 5.5% over last year, the accounting and consulting firm said. “Approximately 56% of the participants have reported increased orders over last year,” wrote Ken Smith, managing partner of Smith Leonard in his monthly column. He added, “We continue to believe that the results for July and August were partially reflective of some price increases.”
According to the survey, August shipments were up 3% compared to the same month last year, and also 3% ahead of 2010 for the year to date. Approximately 60% of the participants reported increases in their year-to-date shipments.
“As has been the case, participation in growth has not been across the board as there are participants that are up very nicely, versus some who continue to show sharp declines, some well into double digits,” Smith said.
He noted, however, that optimism in the market appears to be growing, following an October High Point Market that exceeded expectations. “This market we heard more actual order writing than we have heard in some time,” Smith added in his monthly report.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.


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The 2021 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports has been launched in India. The updated version of the very capable, dual-sport motorcycle is less powerful and costlier than the 2020 model.
2021 Honda Africa Twin - What's new?
There are no major changes in the new Africa Twin. It continues to use the same 1084cc parallel-twin engine. However, for MY2021, Honda has reduced the power and torque output by a small margin. So, instead of 101 PS/105 Nm, the 2021 Africa Twin has 99 PS/103 Nm. Since the motorcycle was already BS6-compliant, we wonder, why did Honda make these changes.
Honda is also saying that the 2021 Africa Twin has been given new colour options. However, that’s not really the case. The company has just swapped the available paint schemes between the two variants. The 2020 Honda Africa Twin with the manual transmission was available in Pearl Glare White colour option whereas the Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) variant could be purchased in the Darkness Black Metallic livery. Now, it is just the opposite - manual transmission in Darkness Black Metallic and DCT in Pearl Glare White.
2021 Honda Africa Twin Price
The 2021 Africa Twin with manual transmission has been priced at INR 15.96 lakh* which makes it INR 61,000 costlier than the 2020 model that retailed at INR 15.35 lakh*. On the other hand, the 2020 DCT variant used to cost INR 16.10 lakh*, Honda is yet to announce the pricing of its 2021 model.
Bookings for the new Africa Twin are now open. Interested customers can make a reservation by visiting a Honda BigWing premium dealership.
Speaking on the occasion and about the bookings, Mr Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., said:
Inheriting the “go anywhere” spirit, Africa Twin is one of the most popular machines among long all-terrain and weekend tourers alike. Africa Twin tribe has been growing successfully in India & introduction of the latest version - The 2021 Africa Twin Adventure Sports will inspire many adventure seekers to explore the new destinations never taken before!”
*Ex-showroom, PAN India