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Rumors are flying about Microsoft's plans to reveal its newest operating system (OS) —Windows 9 — at its annual Build conference in April. The speculation comes just in advance of ticket sales for Build 2014, which runs April 2 through 4 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
For a while now, we have been hearing about Project Threshold, Microsoft's rapid update development of its OS. The expectation now is that Threshold will be renamed Windows 9, rather than a further Windows 8.x update.
What will Windows 9 offer that's new and exciting enough to get the user-base upgrading again? For CIOs and content creators, will it be just another fragmented headache? And can Microsoft address the demands of an increasingly frustrated partner base that continues to see sales shrink?
Building the Next Windows
It doesn't seem like it, thanks to the continued hardware launches, rolling hype and effective relaunch with Windows 8.1. But Windows 8 has been officially available for some 16 months and playable in various betas/previews for more than two years.
At its upcoming Build conference, Microsoft is likely to keep the rapid-fire tempo going with an official unveiling of what we have known to date as Threshold. The project will be renamed Windows 9, according to well-placed rumors, with a launch slated for April 2015 — in time for Windows' 30th anniversary.
There is a chance the preview of Windows 9 could be available for the launch of the Surface 3 and Surface Mini tablets. Changing the name of the OS could help Microsoft move past the mixed reaction to Windows 8 and provide a clean platform for a relaunch.
Developers and content creators will be keen to see if Windows 9 expands the opportunities to push their apps and information to users in an easier or evolved manner beyond increasingly confused Marketplaces and app/site/stream hybrids.
Registration for Build 2014 begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. PST. Despite the cost — tickets are $2,095, the same price as last year — the event is likely to sell out within a day.
Is Windows Digging Out or Into Trouble?
Windows 8 was revealed at Build 2011, wowing the world with its appearance on ARM-based tablets and desktops. Since then, things have spiralled downhill as hardware sales declined and OS adoption failed to match expectations. Microsoft took several retrograde steps with Windows 8.1, reintroducing a start button and allowing the OS to boot to Windows desktop.
But with smartphones and tablets increasingly more relevant to users and integrated with the Internet of Things — and Windows upgrades proving a pain to CIOs — what could change significantly in Windows 9? The OS development team has a thin line to tread on evolving the OS, answering the needs of an IT world that largely remains happy with Windows 7. (Mainstream Microsoft support for Windows 7 ends just a year from now, with extended support running to 2020.) Changes could include:
- Better integration -- or at least more "common elements" -- with the Xbox One, Windows Phone and desktop operating systems.
- Further refinement of the tiled interface, with more information displayed or options for the customization of tiles.
- Allowing apps to move between tiles and the desktop could solve much of the confusion among users who can have one Windows 8 tiled app and another, same-but-different app on a desktop.
Given the slow take-off of Windows 8, there are many, many questions that Microsoft will face from partners, business and press before we see Windows 9:
- Will Windows 9 be a free update, following Apple's lead with Mavericks? Given its appearance rather quickly after Windows 8, neither businesses nor individual users are likely to jump at another paid upgrade.
- Will Microsoft continue its dual-fork ARM and x86 OS versions? Threshold was supposed to simplify the issues between them, but will Microsoft get ambitious and attempt deeper integration?
- Will Windows 9 updates by matched by a Windows Phone 9 update?
- Will the new CEO be hired on the basis that this is a done deal or will the new leader have the power to change Microsoft's future direction starting with Windows?
Before we get to that point, there's the small matter of a Windows 8.1 update which will likely be released during Build, offering stability updates and minor refinements to the current OS. However, any glamor features will likely be held back for Windows 9, so Microsoft can attempt to get the hype train moving again. Follow the road to Build on Twitter: The hashtag is #bldwin and the Twitter handle is @bldwin. The event will follow the equally hectic SharePoint Conference 2014 in Las Vegas.
Title image by Orla (Shutterstock).


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The Secret Haven: Exploring the Underground Private CC Shop In the vast world of the internet, there exist hidden corners where illegal activities thrive, and one such secret haven is the underground private CC shop. CC, short for credit card, has become a commodity traded on the dark web, allowing criminals to exploit unsuspecting individuals and financial institutions. This article delves into the clandestine world of these underground shops, shedding light on their operations and the risks they pose. The underground private CC shop is an illicit online marketplace where stolen credit card information is bought and sold. These shops are often accessible only through encrypted networks, requiring special software to navigate.
Operating in the shadows, they offer a wide range of stolen credit card details, including card numbers, expiration dates, CVV codes, and even cardholder identities. One of the most alarming aspects of these underground shops is the sophistication of their operations. Cybercriminals employ advanced hacking techniques to breach databases and obtain credit card information. They often target vulnerable systems and unaware individuals, exploiting security loopholes for financial gain. Once the stolen data is obtained, it is promptly uploaded to the CC shop, where it is made available for purchase by interested buyers. The buyers of stolen credit card information can use it for various fraudulent activities, such as making unauthorized purchases, identity theft, or funding illegal operations. The underground private CC shop provides a convenient platform for these transactions, allowing criminals to acquire credit card details without the risk of detection.
Law enforcement agencies around the world have been actively combating Yalelodge this underground economy. They employ various tactics, including undercover operations, to infiltrate these networks and bring down the criminals involved. However, the nature of the dark web makes it challenging to completely eradicate these activities, as new shops and marketplaces often emerge to replace those that have been shut down. It is essential for individuals and organizations to remain vigilant in protecting their financial information. Implementing strong security measures, such as regularly updating software, using secure payment gateways, and monitoring credit card activity, can help mitigate the risk of falling victim to these underground CC shops. In conclusion, the existence of underground private CC shops highlights the ongoing battle between cybercriminals and law enforcement agencies.

domain: news


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Palm Pre 2 (GSM)
Info Photos News Forum 20 Reviews
hide detailed ratings
Minor step up from Pre Plus
What has changed since the Pre Plus:
Processor up to 1GHz
Camera up to 5MP
OS up to 2.0
Battery cover is Touchstone ready out of the box.
Everything else has not changed, and that is what is disappointing. Almost like Palm is taking a page out of Apple's iPhone playbook, minor hardware tweaks and a new version of the OS = a whole new model.
I had the phone a week and returned it, I just couldn't justify paying $500.00 for a minor update.


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5 Times Celebrities Stunned in Red Dresses at the 2016 Golden Globes
The color red has swept the Golden Globes red carpet for two years in a row (remember when our Fashion News Director Eric Wilson famously made that call?). Well, for the third time, shades of the fiery shade have prevailed once again.
At the 2016 Golden Globes, Jennifer Lawrence matched the red carpet in a red-hot cut-out Dior Haute Couture column with a diamond Chopard bib necklace, while Emmy Rossum aimed for modern minimalism in a crimson-red strapless Armani Prive gown that she glammed up with diamonds and metallics.
Natalie Dormer also matched the red carpet in her Victorian-inspired off-shoulder J. Mendel design, but it was Olivia Wilde and Zendaya who struck bold in darker hues—Wilde sparkled in a wine sequin-embellished Michael Kors Collection halter gown, while Zendaya was utterly romantic in a rose brocade Marchesa gown with tiered ruffles.


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CII starts online masterclasses in Kashmir
Srinagar: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Thursday started online masterclasses on Media Marketing for students of Kashmir.
According to a statement, Ashwani Bakshi, a business leader and Media Marketing Expert, was the Guest speaker. “Bakshi focused on the challenges and opportunities in the field of media and advertising, and in building brand value of the businesses. The session was followed by question and answer session with the academics and the students,” reads the statement.
“Dr Parvez Mir, Head Entrepreneurship Development cell, Islamic University of Science and Technology, felicitated the session along with Dr M A Parry from Business School. Students at the end of the session wished for further such sessions with the business leaders and Dr Parvez invited. Bakshi to the University for a Seminar Post Pandemic, to which Bakshi responded positively,” it said.
Parvez while applauding CII’s efforts said, we feel it is very important to strengthen the gap between academia and corporate, by enhancing the frequency of such sessions at regular intervals,” it added.


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Former Duane Reade CEO John Lederer joins board of Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Walgreens Boots Alliance on Wednesday declared a regular quaterly dividend of 33.75 cents per share.
99 Cents Only Stores is opening nine new stores in California between April 9 and April 11.
Kroger promoted QFC VP merchandising Marlene Stewart to president of Dillons.
Kroger is moving ahead with its strategic plan for 2015 by closing and rebranding some of its Harris Teeter stores in Tennessee.
Walmart is looking to increase its support of community hunger programs with a new Fight Hunger. Spark Change. Campaign this spring.
Cub Foods to provide custom-designed shopping carts for people with disabilities in all 76 stores in Minnesota.
Meijer plans to reposition its drive-thru pharmacy to the front of the store in four Dayton, Ohio remodels.
Walgreens and M&M's Brand on Thursday partnered with NBC for a three-hour "Red Nose Day" comedy special to help children in need.
Walmart plans to improve the customer experience, invest in its grocery business, and put pressure on suppliers to drive down prices.
Rite Aid's March results spurred a 3% lift in its share price Thursday morning.
Sam's Club on Thursday sweetened the pot for its Plus and Business Plus members with an offering of five generic prescriptions without charge in most states.
Walgreens is teaming up with Shedd Aquarium to provide on-demand access to medicines for animals.
Dollar General is thinking digital this spring with a new way to appeal to coupon-clipping customers.
Meijer pharmacy plans to open a full-service retail pharmacy on the campus of the Spectrum Health Medical Center.
Kroger has boosted its headquarter head count by 50%, according to a Cincinnati.com report.
Target Canada announced that it will complete its liquidation efforts and close the last of its Canadian retail stores to the public on April 12.
Arkansas native and Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon has taken a firm stance against a “religious freedom” measure passed by the Arkansas House on Tuesday.
CVS Health has entered into two new clinical affiliations, bringing the total number of health system and healthcare provider affiliations for CVS Health and MinuteClinic to more than 50.
MakerBot is coming to an even wider mass market arena as the 3-D printer rolls out at more than 300 Sam's Club locations in the United States.
Walgreens cashiers are no longer required to tell departing customers "Be well," according to a recent report in The Chicago Tribune.
Walgreens' mobile shoppers spend six times more than shoppers who only shop in-store.
Fred's Super Dollar is amassing an all-star team of executives from diverse retail backgrounds.
NACDS leadership was on hand as the White House introduced the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network.
With average ratings of 67%, supermarket chains earned the highest level of trust in the 2015 Temkin Trust Ratings.


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Russia’s Largest Bank Plans to Launch HCE; Continues to Pursue Embedded Chips in Parallel
Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, said it plans to launch NFC-mobile payments with host-card emulation this fall, the first major bank to disclose plans for an HCE launch.
A representative of the bank told NFC Times it plans to launch HCE first with a Visa payWave application and would likely follow with MasterCard PayPass.
If the bank makes good on the plans, it could boost HCE technology, which, while gaining the endorsement of both Visa and MasterCard Worldwide and enjoying growing interest among financial institutions globally, still lacks maturity and hasn’t yet been rolled out commercially.
Sberbank earlier this year failed to launch a planned NFC mobile-payments service on embedded chips in partnership with Samsung and Visa in time for the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
But the bank told NFC Times it hasn’t abandoned the plans to launch on embedded chips, which the representative, Mircea Mihaescu, managing director of Sberbank Digital Ventures, considers as more secure than HCE. The bank would probably launch first with MasterCard PayPass on embedded chips, he said, despite having worked with Visa payWave in the past for the aborted Sochi launch. He said the target is also in the fall for launch of the embedded payments service.
Sberbank did not have details firmed up on either launch, however, including phone models.
The bank will be using U.S.-based vendor Sequent Software for both projects, the HCE-based service using a “digital issuance” system Sequent recently announced.
Sberbank is also an investor in Sequent, its venture capital arm having contributed the lion’s share of Sequent’s $12 million series B funding round announced last summer. But Mihaescu insisted the bank’s planned commercial launch of HCE-based mobile payments in the fall is not a pilot or demonstration of the technology.
“We are done with trials,” he said. “I’ve had four to five commercial pilots. The value will come from actual commercial deployment.”
Among Topics Covered:
- Plans by Russia’s Sberbank to launch host-card emulation commercially and customer take-up target
- Views on security and maturity of HCE compared with secure elements
- Why Sberbank continues to plan to use embedded secure elements in addition to HCE
- Reasons, according to the bank, behind the abortive attempt to launch mobile payments on embedded chips with Samsung and Visa in time for the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
- Sequent’s “digital issuance” offer and relationship with Sberbank
- Sberbank’s possible use of Samsung Galaxy S5, which will not pack an embedded chip for units shipped to Russia
- Another Russian bank planning to launch PayPass on embedded secure chips
- Contactless point-of-sale terminals deployed by Sberbank
Among companies and organizations mentioned:
This is premium content from NFC Times.


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Pharmaceutical ingredients and generic drug firm Aceto Corp. reported third-quarter net earnings rose 39.9 percent to $5.4 million as revenue edged up 3 percent to $121.4 million.
The Port Washington-based firm’s health sciences sales were up 10.5 percent, helped by the launch of two generic drugs by its Rising Pharmaceuticals operations.
Aceto has launched six generic drugs this year.[dmc-related-post-wp numitems=”3″ title=”Also read”]
“Our product pipeline remains strong and we are well positioned for continued growth in this business,” CEO Albert Eilender said.
Operating income rose to $7.6 million from $6.2 million a year ago, as gross profit increased 14 percent to $22.2 million from $19.4 million a year ago.
More breaking news
- Thousands delayed in Mexico as tech trouble hits United
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- Islanders to hold memorial service for Al Arbour
- LBi Software expanding, adding jobs
- Priciest home sales in Cold Spring Harbor
- Counting the days
- Yellen suggests rate hike is coming but offers no timetable
- LaGuardia travelers fear turbulence en route to new airport
- Judge: NY ex-Assembly speaker can remain free during appeal
- Taxing situation


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Adventure Game Observation Launches On PS4, Epic Games Store This May
Observation, the sci-fi thriller game developed by No Code and to be published by Devolver Digital, is going to be released in around two months on PlayStation 4 and PC.
It's been announced that the game will be released on May 21st on PlayStation 4 and the Epic Games Store exclusively. The game was originally supposed to be released on Steam, but the game's page has now been removed.
Observation is going to feature some very interesting narrative methods, as players will not be controlling any human character, but the AI of a space station.
Observation is a sci-fi thriller uncovering what happened to Dr. Emma Fisher, and the crew of her mission, through the lens of the station’s artificial intelligence S.A.M. Players assume the role of S.A.M. by operating the station’s control systems, cameras, and tools to assist Emma in discovering what is happening to the station, the vanished crew, and S.A.M. himself.
Observation launches on May 21st on PlayStation 4 and the Epic Games Stores in all regions.


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It takes more than one click to build a warehouse the size of what Windsor officials say Amazon has in mind --1.5 million square feet -- but they're hoping the retail rebel moves forward.
"I think it's gonna happen," Windsor Mayor Donald Trinks said. "We're pretty close. They've done a lot of due diligence in Windsor."
He said the distribution center would bring 300 new jobs to Windsor.
Last week, he said, development company officials invited people who live near the site at Day Hill and Prospect Hill roads to air their concerns about truck traffic.
"They've already been receptive to that. about staggering driving and trying to go on offpeak hours," Trinks said.
"I think it's gonna be an awesome relationship," Trinks said, joking, "For people who live here it'll take a day off shipping."


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The minister for rural affairs has highlighted the importance of rural shops to their communities and underlined the government’s commitment to offering a “helping hand”.
Speaking at the launch of the ACS Rural Shop Report 2018 yesterday, Lord Gardiner of Kimble said: “The industrial strategy understands the importance of small businesses in the countryside. Rural shops are at the heart of their local communities and we understand their challenges.”
He pointed to the government’s record of extending rural business rate relief; reforming the way rates are calculated and reducing the frequency of revaluations from five to three years; achieving the target of 95% broadband coverage in 2017; and providing extra funding for the post office network.
Lord Gardiner also stressed the importance of ‘rural proofing’ and maintaining the sustainability of all village hubs. “If we don’t use the village shop we run the risk of losing it,” he added.
Ruth George MP, chair of the APPG on small shops, called on banks to “look at their rural proofing” in light of branch closures and the reduction in ATM interchange fees.
The ACS Rural Shop report revealed the extent to which rural c-stores are investing in vital community services such as free-to-use ATMs and post offices.
Rural shop owners invested more than £315m in their businesses last year, with 44% now offering free-to-use cash machines, 32% accommodating a post office, and 29% providing parcel services, the report found.


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Apple Music celebrates new Arcade Fire album release with exclusive concert performance
If you're like me, you've been anxiously awaiting the release of Arcade Fire's new album, Everything Now, for months. Now that it's here, there are myriad options for listening to the diverse 13-track dance-rock opus.
Apple Music wants to get in on the fun, and is offering an exclusive film of the band's recent Brooklyn concert, aptly titled Everything Now Live. Most of the tracks are from the new album, and if you've never seen Arcade Fire perform live, this is nearly as good — and it's very, very good.
Of course, new Apple Music users get three months of free listening to enjoy this and millions of other albums, playlists and, increasingly, video content like Planet of the Apps.
Millions of songs in your pocket.
Apple's music streaming service boasts over 70 million songs, live radio stations anchored by renowned personalities, and thousands of curated playlists spanning every genre you can imagine.
Get more iMore in your inbox!
Our news, reviews, opinions, and easy to follow guides can turn any iPhone owner into an Apple aficionado
Daniel Bader is a Senior Editor at iMore, offering his Canadian analysis on Apple and its awesome products. In addition to writing and producing, Daniel regularly appears on Canadian networks CBC and CTV as a technology analyst.


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Last week, we wrote about Forbes, one of the top business magazines, minting its entire 30 under 30 class on the Ethereum blockchain. Now it appears the publication is wading further into Web3 waters, debuting ForbesWeb3, an X account, and a wallet from which it has already bought three non-fungible tokens.
According to an X post, ForbesWeb3 will be an experience and community hub for Web3 entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers. Forbes added that it’s putting together a network of Web3 doers, offering them the chance to write the next chapter in the publication’s legacy.
In style, Forbes may have already purchased its first NFTs: Nakamigos #10482 (male with a backwards white cap), Trademark #4324 from Jack Butcher’s latest collection, and “Glitch Cube Studies four” by KnownOrigin.
The purchases come from an Ethereum wallet with the Ethereum Name Service domain “web3forbes.eth,” an address that interacted with (and transferred ETH to) the wallet that minted the 30 under 30 collection. The account is verified by OpenSea and has the official Forbes Web3 logo and other Forbes photos with a description of “Celebrating artists and having fun along the way.”
In addition, Forbes recently announced its partnership with Galxe, a platform building Web3 communities, for a series of gamified campaigns. By participating in the campaigns, users can amass points and climb a leaderboard, with prizes for certain finishers like subscriptions to the publication.
Forbes Has Been Busy in Web3
While it may come as a surprise that a big name, mainstream media publication is entering Web3, Forbes has been covering the space for 10 years. And in the past couple, it has increased its activity, especially through metaverse activations and NFT collections. Here are three stories involving it and Web3, all from the past two years.
First, two weeks ago, Forbes revealed that it had minted its entire 2024 30 under 30 class on the Ethereum blockchain. The 600 NFTs were minted solely for educational purposes, but it represented a large step in immortalizing a ranking class — something the blockchain is uniquely suited for.
Next, about a year ago, the publication hosted an event in The Sandbox metaverse. The goal for the event was to bring together Forbes subscribers from all around the world, something difficult for in-person events. At the event, there were games, quests, a virtual yacht, and wearables.
Lastly, two years ago, Forbes released an NFT collection of “Virtual Billionaires” on the FTX marketplace. The collection consisted of 100 fictional billionaires that came complete with “portfolios” and a way to track their net worth. There was even a leaderboard that showed the billionaires’ portfolios changing in real-time.
Forbes has been one of the few mainstream media publications to cover Web3 in a positive light, so perhaps it is no surprise that the company is entering the space in a more significant way. The move is an exciting one, adding to the bull run vibes entering crypto, which bodes well for 2024.


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FoxSports.com Sets 'Course' With Animated Web Series
FoxSports.com has signed an agreement with Skadaddle Media to run its first animated webisode series set to debut March 1 on MSN.
The series, "Of Course," highlights the interaction between four close -- yet wacky -- friends on the golf course. FoxSports.com signed on to run about 18 5-minute Webisodes biweekly through the end of the year, with 30- to 60-second vignettes airing between.
The show is based on "guys talking about what guys talk about around a sports theme," and yeah -- it may include that golf shot, but more often than not the topics provide an "escape to their normal everyday lives," says Ed Bunnell, senior vice president of content and programming at FOXSports.com. "Sports, in general, provide an escape mechanism for most males. It's a way to get away from the mundane pieces of their life. Of Course does that in a very entertaining way."
Bunnell has been looking for an animated series to run on FoxSports.com similar to "Of Course," but until now he didn't have much luck. This one's different, he says, because people who watch the webisodes will identify with at least one of the four characters. The Web series is the brainchild of execs at Skadaddle Media, a social engagement marketing studio. The self-produced golf-themed animated Web series is the first of many the company plans to produce.
An "Of Course" Facebook Fan page that went live less than three weeks ago now supports nearly 1,600 fans without much content to prove the concept, according to Todd Lieman, founder and co-president of Skadaddle Media. "All we have to show them is the trailer and the promise of what's coming," he says. "Things that happen in the shows will become trivia contests on Facebook and the Web site."
Golf brands will integrate into the webisodes, too. The brands aren't the biggest, but for those starting to grow, the series Of Course will provide a solid starting point.
Initially, the "Of Course" story lines come from experiences that four friends, including Skadaddle founders Leiman and Jon Wank, have on the golf course -- but the webisode will incorporate story lines submitted by fans of the show. The grand prize for the best storyline hasn't been announced, but the first place winner will likely receive a stay and play at Eagle Fall Golf Course in Palm Springs, Calif., where the webisodes are shot.
Skadaddle's agreement with Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, which owns the Eagle Fall Golf Course in Palm Springs, Calif., allows the group to record episodes on the course one week at a time. The foursome play golf on camera wearing microphones to get the authentic dialog and action that is turned into the animated webisodes.
One story line will likely come from Lieman's friend, who at one time had several kids under age four. Bender, a character in the webisodes, needs to take back his life, so at some point during the season, he will play a hole stark naked. "We're trying to convince John, who plays Bender, to really become a character actor," Lieman laughs.
Recording and filming the golf games authenticate responses from golfers when bumping into others on the course or interaction between players. So far, about 10 webisodes have been shot. Lieman says other Weibsode topics are in the works.
Developed in the same vein as Jenny McCarthy's "In The Motherhood" Web series, "Of Course" offers brands advertising, sponsorship, and promotional opportunities, both online and offline. As more brands become involved with the series, Skadaddle Media will modify dialogue, story arcs, and character actions to incorporate brands directly into the series, similar to the traditional product placement in theatrical films and cable and TV series.


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What side is your car’s fuel tank on? On the left or right side? When you arrive at the petrol station there is always a moment when you have to think where the fuel filler cap is before positioning your vehicle. Yet, there is a very simple way to know which side the fuel filler cap is on without having to leave your seat.
rezulteo starts 2020 by looking back on news from the tyre world that marked 2019. Winter and summer tyres, tests and comparisons, legislation, car manufacturers and tyre retailers, sustainable mobility, innovation. We are looking back on the best tyre news of the year.
At the beginning of 2019, Michelin unveiled a puncture-proof tyre called Uptis (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System), a prototype that was developed thanks to the French tyre manufacturer’s involvement in Research and Development. Michelin has received three awards for its innovation which promotes driver safety, savings and sustainable mobility.
Tyre manufacturer Michelin launched the Agilis Crossclimate last year. The French manufacturer continues to develop its tyre range for light duty vehicles by announcing the upcoming launch of the new Agilis 3 summer tyre.
A vehicle connectivity event organised by the 5GAA (Automotive Association), of which Pirelli is a member, was the opportunity for the brand to demonstrate how to use its services enhanced by the 5G. Pirelli demonstrated the Cyber Tyre, an intelligent tyre connected to the 5G network that transmits information on road conditions to the driver and to other vehicles nearby on the road.


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Despite a greater percentage increase in Cypriot exports compared to imports, the island’s trade deficit increased in 2021 by 349 million euros compared to 2020, reaching €5.24 billion, with the European Union being the main source of goods to Cyprus with €5.51 billion of total imports.
According to the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat), the trade deficit amounted to €5.2445 billion for the period January-December 2021, compared to €4.8955 billion in the corresponding period of 2020.
In particular, total imports of goods (from EU member-states and third countries) for 2021 came to €8.5312 billion, compared to €7.6421 billion for 2020, an increase of 11.6%.
Total exports of goods in 2021 added up to €3.2867 billion compared to €2.7466 billion in 2020, an increase of 19.7%.
The EU was the main source of goods supplied to Cyprus, accounting for €5.5196 billion of total imports, while imports from other European countries reached €659 million. Imports from the rest of the world totaled €2.3526 billion.
Exports to the EU amounted to €874.8 million, while exports to other European countries stood at €411.4 million. Exports to the rest of the world were just over €2 billion.


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April 24, 2018
Marriott launches home-rental program
Marriott introduced the program with 212 London-area homes, which are accessible through both the TributePortfolioHomes.com website and through a link on Marriott's home page.Read more
While hotel industry leaders were expecting corporate contract rates for 2013 to increase by a national average of 7% to 9%, corporate travel managers were planning for increases of 3% to 5% instead.
Well into the corporate rate negotiation season, which begins in September and ends in December, hotel executives are reporting they are seeing year-over-year increases in rates thus far. That rate growth, however, is decreasing on a year-over-year basis particularly because of economic uncertainty coming from the business sector, some executives said during third-quarter earnings calls.
Before the corporate rate negotiation season began in September, rate expectations from hotel executives and corporate travel managers greatly differed, according to a preliminary outlook conducted in August by Bjorn Hanson, divisional dean at the New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality. While hotel industry leaders were expecting corporate contract rates for 2013 to increase by a national average of 7% to 9%, corporate travel managers were planning for increases of 3% to 5% instead, Hanson said in a release. His preliminary estimate was that the result of negotiations for next year would call for a 5% to 6.5% increase in rates.
“One response of buyers to higher rates is to reallocate the portfolio of contract rate hotels to include more upscale, select-service and limited-service hotels in place of luxury and upper-upscale hotels, for example,” Hanson said in the report.
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Mumbai: The initial public offering (IPO) of D-Mart parent Avenue Supermarts to raise up to Rs1,870 crore ($280.32 million) was fully subscribed on the first day of the offer, exchange data showed on Wednesday.
The supermarket operator is selling shares in a range of Rs295-299 a share in an offer that closes on Friday.
Its IPO is the country’s biggest since PNB Housing Finance Ltd raised Rs3,000 crore in an initial share sale in October.
The supermarket operator operates 118 stores across 45 cities under the “D’Mart” brand.
Separately, the IPO of Music Broadcast Ltd, the operator of FM radio channel Radio City, was subscribed 27 times as of 1025 GMT on the final day of bidding.


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Huawei’s sub-brand, Honor released a poster of their upcoming phone the Honor V9 a few days ago. The launch is scheduled for February 21 and will take place in Beijing. The company has released a new image via its official Weibo account mentioning that a new device called the Honor 8 Youth Edition will also be launched in China on February 21.
The Honor 8 Youth Edition is a toned-down variant of the popular Honor 8 released last year. It has the same attractive glass and metal design as the Honor 8 but skips on a number of features.
The Honor 8 Youth Edition is expected to launch with a 5.2-inch 1080p display, a Huawei Kirin 655 processor, and 3GB of RAM. Instead of dual rear cameras, the phone gets a single 12MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture. Up front is an 8MP front-facing camera for selfies. The device will come with a 3000mAh battery and will launch with EMUI 5.0 out of the box. It will be available in black, white, gold, and blue.
The Honor 8 Youth Edition poster has the picture of Chinese-born Canadian singer, Wu Yifan on it. This means he’ll be serving as spokesperson for the phone when it launches.
The Honor 8 Youth Edition is the same as the Honor 8 Lite spotted in Finland earlier this month and also the same device as the Nova Lite and the Huawei P8 Lite (2017) released in January. It is possible that Huawei is releasing the device under different names in different regions. The Honor 8 Lite is priced at 269 Euros in Finland which is roughly ¥1990. However, it should sell for less when it is released in China.


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What is in this article?:
McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza and KFC are evolving elements of their service to defend market share.
Pizza Hut: Building on-the-go options
The country’s largest pizza chain, Pizza Hut, announced Jan. 14 the opening of a company-owned restaurant in Pawtucket, R.I., and a franchised location in York, Neb., that includes a fast-casual-like “bar” to offer pizza by the slice.
The Nebraska location is a larger prototype, seating 80 people and offering a made-to-order salad bar and sautéed pastas, while the Rhode Island restaurant is what spokesman Doug Terfehr called “Del-Co Plus,” meaning the by-the-slice feature is an add-on to a prototype mostly configured for delivery and carryout. The latter unit still has seating for about 30 people.
While fast-casual competitors are looking to take market share in pizza’s lunch daypart with faster service times, Terfehr said Pizza Hut’s initiatives are less a response to those brands than to the demands of Pizza Hut customers.
“We pay attention to our consumer trends, one of which is them seeking a quick on-the-go option, and one of our solutions for that is pizza by the slice,” Terfehr said.
Lombardi of WD Partners remarked that Pizza Hut “absolutely needed” to test its new service styles, lest it get caught flat-footed like some of the quick-service burger chains have.
“That whole fast-casual pizza segment is looking exactly like ‘better burger’ looked five years ago,” he said. “There are an amazing number of brands opening up in a short time period. Pizza Hut would be remiss not to look into it.”
Plano, Texas-based Pizza Hut has more than 7,750 domestic locations.


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Crowd-funding projects are quickly emerging as the way to get things done in the tech business, and the idea is even jumping into other fields as well. But it hasn’t exactly caught on just yet in the automotive industry. A few months ago we reported on a crowd-funding campaign to revive the Castle Three Motor Company to build a retro trike roadster similar to the Morgan 3 Wheeler, and various outfits have attempted to harness the public’s contributions to jump-start electric vehicle development. But while those projects haven’t gotten very far (as of yet), Spyker very well could.
For those unfamiliar, Spyker is a Dutch sports car manufacturer that has taken on some rather ambitious projects. It’s produced successive versions of the C8 over the years, but canceled plans for the Zagato-designed C12, has repeatedly postponed plans for a high-end SUV, got in over its head with its own Formula One team and ultimately had to divest itself from the sinking ship that was Saab. But now it’s trying to get back on track with the B6 Venator.
Expected to be half as expensive as the $300k+ C8 Aileron, the new B6 was unveiled in concept form at last year’s Geneva Motor Show and as a Spyder roadster concept at Pebble Beach just months later. Production is scheduled to gear up later this year, with the first US deliveries to follow next year. While the C8 often arrives in collections as an owner’s seventh or eighth car, the B6 will more likely be a buyer’s third or fourth.
Spyker says it’s amassing orders, but in order to actually start production, it needs capital. That’s why it’s turning to a rather unconventional way of financing the project. Rather than simply taking deposits to get started, Spyker is selling bonds. Each of the 100 bonds will be priced at £100,000 ($167,000 at today’s rates) and be redeemable for one Spyker B6 Venator, which itself will be priced at £125,000 – a quarter more than what the bonds are being sold for. Alternatively, investors will have the option to cash out the bond after three or four years, or turn it into stock if Spyker issues an IPO.
Related GallerySpyker B6 Venator Concept
News Source: CNN Money
Category: Coupe, Performance, Earnings/Financials, Spyker, Luxury
Tags: bond, crowdfunding, spyker, spyker b6, spyker b6 venator
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Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham recently spoke out saying he believed Western third-parties would get behind the 3DS after being put off by the lack of success on DS and now, from the other side of the world, Japanese giant Sega has confirmed its intentions to support 3DS fully.
Speaking to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Sega's CCO Naoya Tsurumi pledged the company's backing for the new machine, due to be unveiled at E3 in just three weeks.
I believe 3D will become a big wave. The Nintendo 3DS is a landmark hardware. We'd like to invest heavily in it.
Undoubtedly this opens up the way for plenty of Sonic titles, but Sega will certainly be investing in new IP for the upcoming machine, hopefully paving the path for some titles as original as the DS's Project Rub series.
If Sega has any titles to show off at E3 in June, you can read all about them here at Nintendo Life as we'll be bringing you all the news from the showfloor during the conference.


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HARRISBURG, Pa. — June is Dairy Month, and to celebrate, the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association announced Thursday that it's holding a new "Dairy Smiles" contest.
To enter, everyone age 18 and older is encouraged to share and post their favorite dairy or PA Farm Show milkshake photos on social media with the hashtag #DairySmiles.
Submissions will be accepted starting Monday, June 15, and will last through the end of the month.
The Grand Prize is a “Milkshake Pop Up Party” for 50 people within a 40-mile radius of Harrisburg, the PA Dairymen's association said.
The winner must host the party by August 30, 2020 at the discretion of the PA Dairymen’s availability.
“We are thrilled to spread extra sunshine and milkshake fun during these challenging times by sharing our delicious and famous PA Dairymen’s milkshakes with folks," said Dave Smith, executive director of the PA Dairymen's Association. "We are looking forward to seeing all of the creative and entertaining dairy photos from our fans to celebrate Summer, Dairy Month, and our state’s world-class industry.
“Imagine a world where you get rewarded for eating delicious dairy foods that produce #DairySmiles. Now you can by simply posting a photo of yourself, your business, family or friends enjoying your favorite dairy products or one of our popular PA Dairymen’s milkshakes. Since ‘Farm Show in June’ was cancelled due to COVID-19, everyone has been asking where they can get one of our signature milkshakes. So, in addition to neighborhood and farm market events, we are giving one lucky fan a chance to win a special ‘Milkshake Pop Up Party.'"
Winners will be chosen at random and announced on or about July 10.
Other prizes include: the delivery of delicious Penn State Creamery ice cream and a PA Dairymen’s Prize Pack featuring t-shirts, signature cups and more.
For a chance to be featured on PA Dairymen’s Association social media AND to win one-of-a-kind prizes and experiences, or to learn more about the contest, visit www.PADairymens.com.


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She further spoke about GST input credits as to how hotels be allowed to charge IGST, which will enable seamless availability of credit across India. "Tour operators to be enabled a special presumptive GST rate of 1.8 per cent with full GST setoffs, travel agents to be allowed the option of exploring the reseller model for charging," she said expressing concerns on various other matters and seeking an immediate action.
Adding to which Jay Bhatia, VP, TAAI further said that tourist transporters should also be allowed the provision for availing GST setoffs on the interstate tourist transport taxes, taxes on parking fees and taxes on fuel which is their biggest input costs. “GST on travel and tourism related services must be given a tax holiday for atleast two years, so as to increase the business and bypass the competition, due to the pandemic concerns, where business has dropped to nearly zero, ” he said.
Talking about the Tax collected at source (TCS) Bettaiah Lokesh, HSG, TAAI commented on some points like ease of doing business, displace business from Indian travel companies to companies out of India, removing the safety net from Indian travellers and further explained other points as well with their cons and pros. He added that under the points mentioned, and due to the waste of time in ensuring compliances, loss in business due to inflated pricing due to GST and TCS, deviation of business from TAAI members to online companies and other travel agents overseas, we the association once again appeal to abolish TCS.
The TAAI office bearers unanimously in the letter addressed to Sitharaman, said that despite the same, if there is still a gap in the tax coverage, they would be happy to discuss a way forward with the Ministry. "This will also help us mutually develop a process, which can lead to resolving multiple queries on this topic. We as an association, seek the Ministry’s immediate attention and action on GST rationalisations and TCS to be withdrawn," the association said.


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Minneapolis-based Sonepar subsidiary Viking Electric has announced two recent hires: Robert Hoke as the company’s new eMobility Specialist and Jen Pytleski as a new Enterprise Account Executive.
Hoke is expected to manage Viking Electric’s electric vehicle charging strategy in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Chicago, Viking said. He started his career in financial services before focusing on the vehicle electrification space for the past 15 years. Hoke most recently worked for an EV manufacturer to enhance vehicle servicing, national EV charging and EV coverage strategy.
“Robert’s passion for Electric Vehicles and quality customer care will serve us well as we continue to grow our company’s energy-related services,” said Viking Electric VP of Sales Brett Wilson. “We welcome his extensive EV experience and leadership which will accelerate Viking Electric as the go-to electrical supply chain partner that prioritizes our customers’ evolving EV supply equipment needs.”
In her new role, Pytleski is expected to use her market knowledge and customer relationships to “drive profitable growth and increased market share” in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, Viking said. She started her career 17 years ago as a lighting designer. Most recently, she worked as a lighting specialist in Viking Electric’s Twin Cities lighting team.
“Jen’s record of excellence and customer-centric mindset will serve us well as we continue to grow our company’s market share in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin,” Wilson said. “We will rely on her experience and leadership to position Viking Electric as an indispensable electrical supply chain partner central to our customers’ success.”
Sonepar USA ranks No. 2 on MDM’s 2022 list of Top Electrical, Data & Security Distributors.


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Looks like are things are set to get more confusing as May 3 comes closer, where Samsung will supposedly unveil the Galaxy S3 (or whatever the next Galaxy flagship will be named). A Samsung device going by the model number GT-I9800 just recently got Wi-Fi certification. Now, all rumors and information available about the Galaxy S3 put its model number as I9300, so is the GT-I9800 a variant of the S3, or could it be the S3 itself?
The difference in numbers between I9300 and I9800 is pretty big here, which would suggest against the I9800 being a variant of the S3. It could turn out to be the Galaxy S3 for some markets with a few hardware differences, but with Samsung having kept info about their next Galaxy flagship under wraps really well, nothing is certain at this point.
Stay tuned for more information as more and more info should come out in the days leading to May 3, when Samsung will be announcing officially announcing the next Galaxy device in London, hopefully the Galaxy S3.


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A new scheme for people, to grow their own flowers and give them to charity, is being launched by the Flower Patch Project IOW entitled ‘Sow, Grow, Give’.
The idea has come from Rebecca Savage, the Isle of Wight Care Home Friends’ co-ordinator who, last year, started the ‘Flower Bouquet Blessing’ scheme in which flowers were delivered to care homes.
Rebecca said: “We were able to give 50 care home residents, who were without family and friends at Easter, a flower card or bouquet.
“In order to help sustain this giving of flowers and, maybe, expand it to give to others, for instance, with mental health issues, I have now launched ‘The Flower Patch Project IOW’.
“The idea is people grow flowers in a patch in their garden, or a window box, and then give the flowers to support charities such as ours with our slogan ‘Sow, Grow, Give’.
“Over the course of last year, despite the lockdown restrictions, we distributed around 260 bouquets/arrangements, with a reach of 600 care home residents.
“We had a fabulous response and people were so grateful. One care home manager said: ‘You may not know what a difference a bouquet makes to those living with dementia. The presence of plants and flowers can have a healing effect, stimulate reminiscing, provide peace and quiet to help ease stress, anxiety, agitation and pain. A flower can make a lot of difference.’
“It just goes to show the power of flowers.”


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Articles by Bryan Pon
Women Are Paying More for M-Pesa: A Gender Analysis of Mobile Money Fees in Kenya
The cost of using financial services is a key barrier to their adoption and use in low- and middle-income countries — and when it comes to mobile money transactions via M-Pesa in Kenya, those costs are greater for women, according to a recent study. Bryan Pon at Caribou Data shares details about the study's findings, and explains how understanding these gender differences could illuminate some of the obstacles women face when using digital financial services – and help inform policy or system design approaches that could address these challenges.
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications
‘Back in the U.S.S.D.’: Most Smartphone Owners—Especially Women—Don’t Use Apps for Financial Services
The global transition from basic mobile phones to smartphones has impacted nearly every sector, including financial services. Bryan Pon from Caribou Data considers whether this shift will help or hinder access to mobile money and digital finance for women in emerging markets — a group already less likely to be using these services. He shares the findings of a comprehensive study on how payment system design could impact gender bias in digital finance, and discusses the ongoing popularity — and under-recognized advantages — of old-fashioned USSD codes in mobile money.
- Finance, Technology, Telecommunications, Transportation
- data, financial inclusion, fintech
NexThough Monday – Facebook.org’s Budding ‘Walled Garden’: What it could mean for Internet consumers, developers in emerging markets
If Facebook.org becomes a significant part of the mobile Internet landscape in emerging markets, the model that it establishes may become the de facto standard. Yet Facebook remains firmly in control of regulating participation – and thus innovation – writes Bryan Pon, Research Director for Caribou Digital.


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Blue Dart optimistic about economic recovery as shipments growth returns to normalcy
Nirbhay Kumar August 25, 2020
Counting on the comeback of demand in sectors like e-commerce and consumer electronics, leading express logistics player Blue Dart remains optimistic about economic recovery. While it views the recent GST collection numbers, e-way bills generated and Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) as signs of recovery, the DHL group firm has recorded higher growth in shipments of essential items like pharma, medical equipment and computer accessories.
Ketan Kulkarni, Head of Business Development and CMO at Blue Dart said that the automotive sector has also seen stronger recovery compared to the April-June period. "Like most companies or rather every company, there has been stress in revenue and profit as reflected in Q1 results. But we are very optimistic about the future. And we are seeing a lot of green shoots in the economy. If you see the GST collections, they are improving. The e-way bill numbers are improving. The PMI Index is coming back slowly," Kulkarni noted.
Hit hard by coronavirus-induced lockdown, Blue Dart Express Ltd had reported a net loss of Rs 127.94 crore in the April-June quarter against the profit of Rs 4.59 crore in the same period last year. Its total revenue from operations during the first quarter stood at Rs 414 crore. After seeing dislocations of its ground infrastructure during the lockdown with trucks halted mid-way or stuck at docking stations, the company is seeing complete returning of normalcy. Parcel delivery time and cargo movement time have now reached pre-lockdown level. "That has now eased to a great extent. We are back to the transit time we always had," the Blue Dart executive said.
The logistics major has come up with attractive pricing offers to attract new businesses especially in the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. It is also tweaking its business to align it with the government's Vocal for Local and Make in India initiatives. "We are working very closely with the MSME sector. We understand they are greatly stressed. So, we recently introduced Fight Covid-19 pricing, especially for the MSME sector. We are very enthused about government's campaigns of Make in India, Vocal about Local, and we are rejigging our business to support those initiatives," said Kulkarni.
The company seems unfazed by the competition coming from start-up logistics players and hopes to maintain its client base with better product and service offerings. "We were the first to introduce B757 freighters in the market. We were the first to introduce aircraft for cargo in India. After that, there have been 3-4 attempts to bring freighter aircraft over the years but even after that we are the only people standing," noted the Blue Dart marketing chief.


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Chobani is the United States' top Greek yogurt brand and it prides itself on adding no GMO ingredients to its yogurt. However, it is likely that the company is relying on milk from cows eating a diet full of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
GMO Inside, a national, non-GMO coalition led by Green America, is calling on Chobani to cease marketing its products as "real" and "natural" until the company switches to verified non-GMO milk sources.
"Demand for non-GMO foods is growing every day, but for even the most careful consumer it can be very difficult to know which products are affected by GMOs," said GMO Inside Campaign Director Elizabeth O'Connell, "Chobani has an opportunity to be a leader amongst meat and dairy companies
by listening to its customers and ensuring its cows are given non-GMO food."
GMO Inside is asking Chobani consumers to sign a petition to Chobani requesting the company use milk from cows that have not been fed GMOs (GMOInside.org/TakeAction). Consumers can also take action on Facebook by visiting facebook.com/GMOInside.
The company, which is known to be monitoring its Facebook page for discussion this topic, is extremely sensitive to consumer feedback about GMOs.
Animals, like humans, are deeply impacted by the quality of their diets. A recent study showed that pigs fed an entirely GMO diet suffered from severe stomach inflammation when compared to pigs given non-GMO feed. Additionally, while the dairy industry has claimed that genetically modified particles are broken down in the digestive tracts of the animals that eat them, these GM particles have shown up in the organs and milk of animals fed GMOs, the same milk and meat that humans then eat.
Greek yogurt, popular today for its high protein content, is likely made with milk from cows fed GMOs, unless otherwise specified. It's impossible for consumers to know which meat and dairy products are derived from GMO-fed livestock, unless the product has gone through the Non-GMO Project's certification for non-GMO feed, recently approved by the USDA as a credible label. Even more than regular yogurt, Greek yogurt requires a large amount of GMO milk since it is strained more than regular yogurt. (It takes roughly four ounces of milk to make one ounce of Greek yogurt.)


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Microsoft had hoped to get to 1 billion within two to three years of the operating system’s 2015 release.
Windows 10 has found its way onto 600 million active devices, says CEO Satya Nadella.
Nadella made the comment at the company’s annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, according to GeekWire. Microsoft wasn’t immediately available to confirm the comment.
The company has high hopes for the broad adoption of Windows 10, which helped usher in Microsoft’s transition from purely a software company to one relying more on services. Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s vice president of operating systems, said he’d hoped to see 1 billion devices within two to three years of the 2015 launch of Windows 10.


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September 19, 2017, 8am PDT
On the final day of the legislative session, the California Legislature approved a budget bill that directs $1.5 billion in carbon auction revenues. A prior post described a bill that would have quadrupled state EV rebates: but it died.
September 13, 2017, 7am PDT
Electric vehicles (EVs) have a bright future in the world's most populous nation and largest auto market, unlike those powered by oil. That was a ministry chief's message at an auto forum on Saturday.
August 29, 2017, 9am PDT
Battery electric vehicles (without gas tanks) are eligible for a $2,500 California rebate, on top of the federal $7,500 tax credit. A bill before the state Senate would quadruple it.
August 3, 2017, 6am PDT
David Yager, an oil industry consultant, writes that recent reports predicting electric vehicles will eventually outsell those with internal combustion engines are vastly exaggerated, notwithstanding national bans on future sales of such cars.
July 17, 2017, 6am PDT
A new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that due to a plunge in battery prices and improvement in battery technology, electric vehicles will be cost-competitive with gasoline vehicles in eight years. By 2040, they will outsell them.
July 6, 2017, 12pm PDT
In a major announcement that could shake-up the auto industry, Volvo Cars declared it will initiate a gradual divorce from autos solely powered by internal combustion in two years. The Chinese-owned company wants to reduce its environmental impact.
July 6, 2017, 8am PDT
California legislators hoping to entice motorists to purchase electric vehicles with more generous rebates or other perks are missing the real obstacle for many consumers, according to a new study on electric vehicle charging.
April 14, 2017, 1pm PDT
Fuel cell electric vehicles are gaining a following in California, but nowhere else in the U.S. for the simple reason that almost all hydrogen fueling stations are located in the Golden State. Sales, or leases, are expected to jump this year.
March 8, 2017, 10am PST
The U.S. EPA has signaled that it will withdraw an earlier decision to maintain the 54.5 miles per gallon target. Should that happen, a major casualty will be electric vehicles, according to one prominent EV advocate interviewed on NPR.
January 24, 2017, 6am PST
Gasoline consumption in the U.S. peaked in 2007, but began climbing in late 2014 with the decline in gas prices. Last year almost set a new record, but increases in gas prices, fuel efficiency and more EVs could reverse the direction—but when?
January 10, 2017, 1pm PST
Last year set two notable vehicle records. First, the most cars ever sold, at 17.54 million. Second, light trucks accounted for almost 61 percent of all sales. Sales of more fuel efficient car fell, though electric vehicle sales increased.
July 11, 2016, 7am PDT
Gas prices are down and sales are up, and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, the largest source of the state's emissions, are up, even though overall they dipped. In addition to increased driving, sales of EVs and hybrids dropped.
February 17, 2016, 12pm PST
Campaigners for the Sierra Club's electric vehicle initiative make the case that New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs to offer a state rebate of $2,000 to $4,000 to make EVs more attractive to car buyers now that he's phasing out coal power.
January 24, 2016, 7am PST
Until this past summer, the Atlanta metro region was ranked second in electric car use in the United States. The generous state tax credit of $5,000 made electric vehicles (EVs) particularly attractive. But what happens when the credit is withdrawn?
January 7, 2016, 12pm PST
Several key factors, not the least of which was cheap gas, combined to make 2015 a record year for new passenger vehicle sales, smashing the 2009 record of 10.4 million sales and edging-out the prior record of 17.40 million sales in 2000.
November 25, 2015, 11am PST
The answer to the question posed by the New York Times is surprising. Hint: Don't blame the customer if the sales force isn't trying to sell them on vehicles that never need to go to a service station to purchase fuel.
The New York Times - Science
June 18, 2015, 1pm PDT
Honda announced that low gas prices contributed to low demand for the Civic Natural Gas, the only compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered car for sale, the Civic Hybrid, and their first plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle, the Accord.
May 19, 2015, 11am PDT
California's economy is not only the "least carbon-intensive" in the United States, it's the second lowest in the world when measured per economic output, according to a new study that evaluates economics and environment.
December 27, 2014, 9am PST
Having posted two environmental pluses from low oil prices, we look at a negative—the effect on sales of EVs would seem to be one of the more evident downsides. How will alternative-fueled vehicles compete in the marketplace when gas costs $2.30?
May 27, 2014, 6am PDT
It may seem odd that the continent of high gas taxes and strong environmental ethos would not take to electric vehicles. Focusing on the news that Renault will delay the release of a new EV, AutoblogGreen explores the poor sales of EVs in Europe.


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Now that the dust is beginning to settle after two years of significant economic disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic, Irish SMEs are now in a position to plan for growth with more certainty. Business owners now feel more confident about pursuing a range of growth plans, including Mergers and Acquisitions activity. New figures show that Ireland experienced record M&A transactions over the past 12 months, and this trend looks set to continue.
According to Experian, there were 628 M&A transactions in Ireland in 2021, an increase of almost 27% on the 495 deals recorded during 2020 – already a surprise record figure given the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. The total value of Irish M&A transactions hit a significant €96bn, nearly twice the figure of €31bn recorded in 2020.
Coming into 2022, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that M&A is firmly on the agenda for Irish businesses. Covid offered many entrepreneurs an opportunity to reflect on a turbulent time, with many deciding it’s time to exit their business while others concluded that now is the time to refocus, innovate and grow.
Recent research by Bibby Financial Service shows that 35% of Irish SMEs are actively considering M&A, MBO or MBI activity in 2022, with Munster (41%) and Leinster (37%) leading the trend. We are also noticing a new trend as to how these transactions are funded.
The impending exit of Ulster Bank and KBC from Ireland, coupled with the fact that Irish business owners now want to engage closely with their financial partners, Irish SMEs are looking for a hybrid mix of funding to fuel their M&A activity. Once restricted by a lack of options for funding growth, business owners can now look to fund growth through a variety of financial solutions.
Our research shows that just over one fifth (21%) of Irish SMEs plan to use invoice finance to funds M&A transactions over the next few months, with 35% in Munster and 17% in Leinster looking to use the finance solution to fund this activity. Just under a third of Irish SMEs are looking to fund these transactions with business loans.
This shows that there’s an increasing requirement for more collaboration across traditional banks, independent financial providers and fintechs to ensure we are learning from each other and, more importantly, are able to offer businesses a wider spectrum of funding options. Having greater awareness of and access to the entire spectrum of funding options would enable SMEs to address any short- and long-term challenges.
What holds many business owners back is that they don’t want to have to take out a loan to finance a restructuring transaction. As a result, many are now opting to use Invoice Finance as a way of partly financing these deals or even on a standalone basis, as it offers businesses access to money outstanding from their unpaid invoices, helping them to obtain income they have already earned but not yet received.
So, if, for example, you have €300,000 currently owed to you by your clients, Invoice Finance will give you 90% of the invoice’s value within 24 hours. The remaining balance will then be paid to you minus an agreed fee when the customer has paid their bill. This means that, unlike a loan or overdraft, Invoice Finance does not involve ongoing monthly repayments.
As a result, Invoice Finance is an ideal fit to release the required cash and help fund M&A activity. A confidential Invoice Finance facility can be used towards the initial contribution and continue to provide essential working capital to allow businesses trade-on successfully without any cash flow concerns.
So, if you’re actively considering your options for your business, Invoice Finance can help. In addition, we're working together with permanent tsb, to offer Irish businesses tailored funding solutions for more complex business deals. Get in touch with our funding specialists today to discuss your business or clients needs.


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Samsung Galaxy A23, Galaxy A04 receive One UI 5.0 update based on Android 13: the report
Samsung Galaxy A23 and Galaxy A04s get the latest Android 13 features in the US and Panama, respectively.
In the United States and Panama, the Samsung Galaxy A23 and Galaxy A04 will receive the Android 13-based One UI 5.0 upgrade. Both handsets have received an upgrade that includes new features like more customization, enhanced performance, and more. The One UI 5.0 upgrade also includes the November 2022 security patch for Galaxy A23 and Galaxy A04 firmware versions A236U1UEU1BVL1 and A047MUBU1BVK5, respectively. Both phones came with Android 12 pre-installed, and this is their first significant Android OS upgrade.
According to a SamMobile report, the One UI 5.0 update is initially rolling out to carrier unlocked Samsung Galaxy A23 5G units in the US. The update is available for almost all carrier networks including AT&T, Cricket, Comcast, Bluegrass Cellular, Cellular South, C-Spire, and US Cellular. The stable Android 13 update for the Samsung Galaxy A23 reportedly comes with firmware version A236U1UEU1BVL1 and the November 2022 security patch.
On the other hand, the Android 13-based Samsung One UI 5.0 update on the A04s is currently rolling out in Panama and is expected to come to more countries soon. The new software update for the Samsung Galaxy A04s also comes with the November 2022 security patch, with firmware version A047MUBU1BVK5. The phone is also listed in Samsung’s quarterly update schedule and will therefore get the next security patch in Q1 2023.
Users can download the update by heading to the Settings app on their Galaxy A23 or Galaxy A04s handset and then clicking Software update> Download and install.
The Samsung Galaxy A23 5G was launched in August this year with Android 12-based One UI 4.1 on board. The smartphone comes with a 50-megapixel quad rear camera setup and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. On the other hand, the dual-SIM Samsung Galaxy A04s debuted in September featuring Android 12 with One UI Core 4.1 on top.
Meanwhile, Samsung has reportedly been spotted testing the next major OS update One UI 5.1 on all three models of the Galaxy S22 series – Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra. However, the next OS update is likely to arrive first on the upcoming Galaxy S23 series.


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Montgomery County technology firms visit Bangalore on a business mission.
Posted November 14th, 2007 by Sahil Nagpal, India Business Bangalore
A delegation of senior executives from Montgomery County-based advanced technology firms visited Bangalore on Wednesday, on a business mission to explore opportunities for joint ventures and partnerships with dynamic India-based advanced technology companies.
Pradeep Ganguly, Director of the Department of Economic Development [of Montgomery County, Maryland], who is leading the delegation of 20 members, said that the main objective of the delegation was to inform Indian companies involved with biotech and information technology about the vast opportunities in Montgomery County and help them establish their contacts in North America.
“The main mission behind our coming here is that India is going places. India is one of the most powerful nations of the world now. It is one of the largest economies, probably one of the (few) largest economies in the world,” Ganguly said, adding that they were also planning to collaborate with some of the Indian companies.
“There are companies based in India that are now looking to conquer the world. We are here to reach them,” he added.
Farook Sait, Attorney at Law, said that India with its rich human resource could avail the great opportunities in Montgomery [County].
“The growth of IT sector and biotech sector in India exceeds among other nations outside the western world, and so it is natural for us to come over here and do business and to encourage people to come over there, ” Sait added.
The US is India’s largest trading partner and the bilateral trade in 2006 was 32 billion dollars.
The principal US exports to India include diagnostic or lab reagents, aircraft and parts, advanced machinery, cotton, fertilizers, ferrous waste or scrap metal, and computer hardware.
Sol Graham, CEO of Quality Biological Inc, said that he is visiting India for the first time to learn more about the Indian biotechnology firms and to interact with representatives of some of the leading biotech firms like Biocon.
India exports textiles, ready-made garments, Internet-enabled services, agricultural and related products, gems and jewellery, leather products, and chemicals to the US.
However, the rapidly growing Indian software sector is boosting service exports with business process outsourcing (BPO) revenues touching nine billion dollars in 2006-2007.
The US is India’s largest investment partner, with a 13 percent share, and the direct investment from the US is estimated at more than 9 billion dollars 2006.
Heinan Landa, President of Optical Networks, said that he was in the `Garden City’ to strengthen his relationship with his company’s partner, Zenith Communication in Mumbai, and planned to have more such collaborations with Indian companies.


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We recently wrote about the intensifying wars between the food delivery companies in Singapore as new entrant AirAsia entered the market last month, enticing delivery riders with a very compelling argument - Make up to S$2,800 a month with just 10 deliveries daily! This is started a domino effect within the industry with competitors such as Deliveroo, FoodPanda and Grab upping the ante to lure new and current riders to work on their platform.
Read more here:
Deliveroo, who is mulling and working towards an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, has come out with an incentive for their current fleet of riders with a very sizable payout depending on the amount of orders done, to be benchmarked against their peers within the same market.
A Singaporean Deliveroo food delivery rider who has completed the most deliveries here is on track to receive a S$18,500 bonus.
Thank you bonus
The one-time bonanza for this particular food delivery rider is part of a Thank You Fund initiative to redistribute money worldwide.
The bonus is to recognise the best workers should the company get listed on the London Stock Exchange, which is expected to be completed at the end March 2021.
More than 21,500 orders completed
The Singaporean, Jude Chan, 33, has completed more than 21,500 orders in his three years with Deliveroo.
This makes him the most prolific Deliveroo personnel in Singapore who averages 30 to 40 orders a day.
Chan is among the hundreds of riders globally in line for a one-time payment of S$18,500.
Chan told The New Paper he will be giving some of the money to charity and investing the rest of it.
How to deliver more
He added that his trick to doing more is to brisk walk to collect food to complete orders faster.
The motorcycling enthusiast is also familiar with the roads in town and the Central Business District and does not rely on a map to get around.
He said: “I first started riding as a way to keep fit while earning more money, but working at Deliveroo has really brought my love of riding my motorcycle to life! Their flexible working nature means that I can ride on my own time with a peace of mind."
About Deliveroo Thank You Fund bonus
Some 36,000 Deliveroo riders around the world can receive a one-time payment reward should the company be listed publicly.
The exact amount varies according to each delivery personnel's output.
Eligible riders in Singapore stand to be paid S$18,500, S$1,850 or S$925.
The performance of riders are ranked in relation to other riders.
At the base, riders will receive S$370 if they have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders.
Deliveroo's founder and chief executive Will Shu said: "Riders are at the heart of our business, and we want to reward their efforts that have helped Deliveroo become what it is today."
"Their commitment to great service has enabled us to grow and offer the best food delivery experience in the world."
"Over the last year, riders have helped us do so much more than just deliver great food, having supported businesses and enabled vulnerable people or those self-isolating to stay safe indoors throughout a global pandemic."
"We're pleased to be able to say thank you."


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Please Call Me matter back in court for review
Vodacom insists it doesn’t have all the financial records required to determine the full amount generated via the Please Call Me product.
How to beat the four top business networking and connectivity challenges
Trying to manage everything themselves is an overhead that businesses in this digital era shouldn’t have to worry about, says Brett Orwin, EHOD Network and Collaboration at Nexio.
Vodacom allows customers to buy lunch and pay later
To qualify for Voucher Advance, customers need to have been active on the Vodacom network for at least six months.
Spectrum policy flaws ‘will alienate millions of South Africans’
The spectrum policy is impaired by fundamental failures, which will rob millions of South Africans of crucial digital services, says the Free Market Foundation.
Ethiopia sets new date for telecoms licences bids
The deadline has now been shifted from 5 March 2021 to 26 April 2021, as the country opens up its telecommunications industry to private investment.
Vodacom, AUDA-NEPAD to roll out digital tech for COVID-19 vaccinations
Digital infrastructure to manage vaccinations across 55 countries.
Digital transformation at centre of new Vodacom brand positioning
This new positioning, the telecoms company says, builds further momentum to connect people to a more sustainable digital society.
Local device manufacturers get a bite of govt comms tender
Device manufacturers serving SA’s mobile carriers are set to score a big chunk of the newly-issued multibillion-rand government communications tender.
SA’s big telcos take #DataMustFall trend further
Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Cell C drop their data prices, saying this will drive digital transformation in response to the consequences of COVID-19.
SA’s top operators share govt’s lucrative telecoms tender
The companies will each make two mobile bundles available to the various public services, as well as provide gadgets.
Vodacom commits R87m to vaccine storage, transportation
The telco will also deploy a state-of-the-art COVID-19 vaccine management platform across the African Union member states.


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The current situation is painful for many bitcoin (BTC) and altcoin investors. The panic in the market means that there is little confidence. For example, we recently saw a huge influx of BTC to exchanges, which is an indication that the selling pressure is indeed high. In fact, things are going so bad that this could be the worst quarter since Q1 2018, and thus the worst quarter since 2014.
The list of Skew, a data provider, shows how bitcoin fell 49.89% in value in the first quarter of 2018. Since then, bitcoin has been doing somewhat well, with only a sharp drop of 42.54% in Q4 2018. Since then we have seen three quarters in which the bitcoin price rose by more than 100% and with the occasional drop of up to 20%.
Now, however, the picture is different. At the time Skew published his tweet, BTC was down 45.91%. At the time of writing, however, bitcoin is already down 49.72% compared to April 1. In short, only if bitcoin manages to recover a little before the end of this month will this quarter not go down in the books as the worst quarter since 2014.
Of course, it is still hopeful that bitcoin has experienced such corrections more often. In total, bitcoin has declined in value by more than 40% in four quarters since 2014 (including the current decline). With which figures we will close this quarter is still a week away. Let’s hope the bears cheer too early now.
Yesterday’s 12% dip was further accelerated by the large influx of bitcoins on exchanges. You can read more about this in this article.
The negative move in general appears to be the result of China’s efforts to crack down on Bitcoin. Miners are getting hit by it and OTC trade in China is now also banned. Will the Chinese bear succeed in getting Bitcoin to the ground?


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AT&T has announced two new smartphones with some attractive features. One is LG Thrill 4G smartphone with 3D capabilities and the other is HTC HD7S which seems to be the AT&T version of T-Mobile’s HTC HD7. Though AT&T has not revealed anything about pricing, the operator has already released the detailed features of the two smartphones.
Key Features: LG Thrill 4G
- Features 4.3-inch stereoscopic 3D display. This is the first smartphone in the US to feature a glasses-free 3D display.
- Runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo) OS. Users can download apps and games from Android Market.
- Comes equipped with two 5-megapixel stereoscopic cameras capable of capturing 1080p 2D video and 720p 3D video.
- Supports AT&T’s 4G network which is the fastest mobile broadband network in the US.
- Powered by dual-core 1GHz processor.
- Features HDMI out, supports DLAN streaming.
- Users can download 3D content from “LG 3D Space” which is an online store for 3D videos, games and images.
Key Features: HTC HD7S
- Comes with a 4..3-inchs WVGA super LCD display. This is the first HTC HD7 smartphone in the country featuring a high resolution super LCD display for excellent viewing experience.
- Runs on the latest version of Windows Phone platform facilitating the users to enjoy some new features.
- Users are allowed to download applications from Windows Marketplace which boasts of more than 10,000 applications.
- Features a highly powerful 1GHz processor.
- 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash.
- Comes pre-loaded with U-verse Mobile application by which users can download and enjoy various television shows. But for that one must subscribe and pay $9.99 per month.
I already mentioned that the pricing of the two smartphones is yet to be revealed by AT&T. LG Thrill 4G will be available in the coming months, while the HTC HD7S is expected to be available in the AT&T stores in the coming weeks.


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Since the time Apple suspended the 15-inch MacBook Pro for another 16-inch model with slimmer bezels a year ago, the normal supposition has been that a 14-inch MacBook Pro will in the long run supplant the 13-inch model.
There have been a ton of bits of gossip about a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, and many anticipated that it should show up in the spring when the 13-inch was expected for an update.
Be that as it may, the 2020 MacBook Pro is presently marked down, and it highlighted no bigger screen nor any plan changes to talk about. One Twitter leaker says to anticipate that the 14-inch should show up one year from now.
Mac wound up staying with a similar size presentation when it invigorated the 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Magic Keyboard and quicker processor choices prior this month, yet a 14-inch model may even now be on the table, with the secretly run Twitter account “L0vetodream” today alluding to a 2021 release. No further details were given.
New MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad releasing in 2021
A similar Twitter account precisely uncovered a few insights concerning the new iPhone SE before any other person, including that the gadget would dispatch in the second seven day stretch of April and come in three stockpiling limits.
Moreover, the record precisely guaranteed that new iPad Pro models would dispatch in the third seven day stretch of March.
Given that the 13-inch MacBook Pro is commonly just refreshed once every year, a 2021 discharge would barely be an astonishment now, yet it is imperative that Apple clearly still has a 14-inch model on its guide.
Macintosh investigator Ming-Chi Kuo has recently said that Apple intends to discharge at any rate six Mini-LED items before the finish of 2021, including both 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
All together, these gossipy tidbits could recommend that a 14-inch MacBook Pro with Mini-LED backdrop illumination will be discharged eventually one year from now.
The ‘new’ 13-inch MacBook Pro needs a large portion of the developments that the 16-inch presented, as improved speakers and amplifiers or the more slender bezels around the presentation.
It truly appears as though Apple organized expelling the butterfly console from the setup over all else. Outside of the console change, the 13-inch MacBook Pro offered minimal in excess of a spec knock, and you just get new-age CPUs on the $1799 and higher designs.
In this way, a greater overhaul as a 14-inch structure factor (which shouldn’t be greater truly than the 13-inch because of the contracting bezels) could without much of a stretch supersede the 13-inch when it is accessible. It just appears as though that the progress is presumably still a year away.


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AU Optronics (AUO) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) have received LCD TV panel orders from Sony, according to the Taiwan-edition of the Chinese-language Apple Daily News.
More here at DigiTimes.
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SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Renault Samsung Motors Corp., the Korean unit of French automaker Renault S.A., said Friday it will implement a voluntary retirement program in an effort to tackle a decline in production volume and sales.
The automaker said it has offered to provide up to 36 months’ salary to workers who apply for the program by Sept. 27.
“The exact scale of workforce restructuring hasn’t been set,” a Renault Samsung spokesman said. “We’ve asked the labor union for cooperation but was rejected.”
Last month, the company told the union it will be difficult to maintain the current workforce as the output volume of Nissan Motor Co.’s Rogue SUV is expected to fall sharply next year from this year’s 60,000 units.
Renault Samsung had produced about 100,000 Rogue SUVs at its plant in Busan, 450 kilometers south of Seoul, for exports on a manufacturing contract with Nissan Motor Co., which forms a strategic alliance with Renault.
But this year, the Japanese carmaker decided to cut its output allocation to the Busan plant to 60,000 from 100,000 due to production losses caused by the union’s strikes.
In the second half, the units per hour (UPH) production at the Busan plant are expected to decline to 45-50 from the existing 60 on decreased Rogue volumes, meaning 20 percent, or 400, of the plant’s 1,800 assembly-line workers have to be laid off, according to the company.
The automaker has been also suffering a decline in sales. From January to August, Renault Samsung’s sales plunged 39 percent to 114,705 autos from 157,313 in the year-ago period.


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Jim Malanca Steps Downs as Mark George Assumes Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Westside Produce Company; Steve Patricio and Garrett Patricio Comment
FIREBAUGH, CA - Forty years—that is the mark of not only a cherished industry leader, but someone who holds a true passion for fresh produce. After a four-decade tenure with Westside Produce Company, Jim Malanca announced he will be stepping down from his role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Taking over Malanca’s duties is Mark George, who previously held the Sales Manager title.
“I got my first sales job by walking into a melon packing shed in Bakersfield and expressing interest,” commented Malanca. “Six months later, they hired me. I was still in college, but that was the beginning of my career in the melon industry.”
Following this introduction to the industry, Malanca met Jess Telles, Owner of TRI Produce, at a convention in 1980.
“He hired me on the spot, and I went to work for the largest melon grower-packer-shipper in the world,” added Malanca. “Steve Patricio took over at TRI in 1987, and he named me Sales Manager. In 1993, Steve and Mr. Telles formed Westside Produce, and they made me a part Owner. Steve is the real reason I became a partner at Westside Produce, and I appreciate what he has done for this company and for me.”
Malanca was born and raised in Firebaugh, California, and graduated with a degree in Ag Business from California State University, Fresno, a press release explained.
“Over the past four decades, Jim has made significant contributions to the melon industry, to the growth of Westside Produce, and to the success of the TRI brand,” said Steve Patricio, Founder. “We will miss Jim’s voice on the desk, but his hard work, dedication, and commitment have laid a solid foundation for Westside Produce moving forward. We are grateful for his support and leadership.”
Malanca also commented on his ongoing commitment to the company.
“What I’ll miss most about being on the sales desk is the role I played in helping our growers, retail buyers, and foodservice customers,” he said. “The people I’ve worked with throughout the years have become more than customers, they are friends. After 42 years of selling melons, I’m stepping down from day-to-day sales, but my interest in the industry and helping Westside Produce and our growers will never end. I’ll just be able to play more golf.”
Westside Produce continues to be one of the largest grower-packer-shippers of cantaloupe and Honeydew melons in California and Arizona, the release went on to note.
“We welcome Mark to the executive leadership team at Westside Produce,” commented Garrett Patricio, President of Westside Produce, on George’s recent appointment. “He has our full support as we begin this new chapter.”
Congratulations to both Jim Malanca and Mark George on their next steps!


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How much salary hike your employer is planning in 2023? Crucial report drops key revelations
The rise in salaries in India in 2023 is expected to be slightly lower than the last year, Ernst & Young's 'Future of Pay' survey revealed. While the actual average rise in the salaries of Indian employees was noted at 10.4 per cent, the E&Y's projection pegs the average increase in salaries at 10.2 per cent in 2023 across all job groups.
The e-commerce sector employees are likely to take home the biggest pay-raise in 2023. This comes after a spree of layoffs by some of the world's biggest e-commerce players in the past few months, leaving thousands of their employees operating from India without jobs. The e-commerce employees in India are expected to have the highest salary growth at 12.5 per cent.
After the members of the workforce employed by the e-commerce companies, the professional services are expected to give their employees an average salary increase of 11.9 per cent. The IT sector (Information Technology) employees are pegged to take home an average salary increase of 10.8 per cent in 2023.
Variable payout 2023: What to expect?
The average variable payout as a proportion of total compensation was 15.6 per cent in 2022. In 2021, amid COVID-19 pandemic, it was just 14 per cent. Banks and financial institutions had the highest overall variable pay-out percentage of 25.5 per cent. The emphasis on performance-based incentives was more in the financial sector. The telecommunications sector had a lesser variable pay-out percentage of 13.7 per cent, a little less than other sectors.
Jobs of present: What is in demand in 2023?
The jobs in the emerging sectors of the future that continue to evolve the current world around us are pegged to remain in demand in 2023. The sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Cloud computing skills are likely to remain in higher demand.
Sectors such as e-commerce, renewable energy, digital services, telecommunications, educational services, retail and logistics and financial technology will remain the most promising emerging job sectors in India in 2023. All these sectors have varying degrees of promising forecasts for growth in 2023.


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JOHANNESBURG -- South African media conglomerate NPSN, +0.00% Ltd. agreed to buy Internet auction house TRAD PLC for £946 million ($1.91 billion) in a move to fast-track growth in Central and Eastern Europe.
Tradus shares rose 12%, or 195 pence, to 1,815 pence in a broadly rising London market. In Johannesburg, Naspers stock fell 10%, or 18.50 rand, to 163.50 rand ($23.61), partly on concerns that it might be paying too much.
The Cape Town-based company -- which owns pay-television, Internet and print-media assets, primarily in South Africa -- said it will offer 1,800 pence for each Tradus share, a 19% premium to the midmarket closing price Nov. 6, the day before Tradus confirmed it received an approach that could lead to an offer.
"We think it's a reasonable, fair price if you look at the prospects going forward. It's normal to pay a premium of 15% to 30% in these kinds of deals," Naspers Chief Financial Officer told Reuters. Tradus directors have unanimously agreed to recommend the offer and vote in favor of the takeover at a shareholder meeting.
Naspers is betting on Tradus's growth prospects as a relatively small company in the fast-expanding world of online auctions in emerging markets. Tradus, formerly known as QXL Ricardo PLC, is London-based but active primarily in Central and Eastern Europe. It provides online consumer trading, bringing buyers and sellers together on its Web site -- like its more famous competitor, EBAY, -0.57%
The company has been growing quickly. In the fiscal year ended March 30, Tradus's net profit rose sharply to £6.81 million from £1.9 million the previous year. Its No. 1 market is Poland, where most of its more than 400 employees are based.
Online auctions are a new business for Naspers, and, importantly, a new source of revenue -- transactions vs. advertising -- which would bring diversity to the company's cash flow.
The South African company began investing in the Internet sector in 1997
—.Angelo Franchini contributed to this article.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at email@example.com


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(CBS DETROIT) - What started out as a family-owned liquidation store in Louisiana, has now hit the streets of Southwest Detroit with some of the sweetest deals you can find on your favorite products for $10 or less.
On Friday, owners Tony Rifai and Mohamed Algahaim held a grand opening for their new Black Friday-like liquidation store, Family Deals 3, located at 3800 Vernor Highway,
"We have been working on this since January. We put everything together and here we are just trying to save people a couple of dollars," Rifai says.
There, customers flooded inside, searched through thousands of items and came out with some finds they will never forget.
"I got Apple Air Pods Pro, Beats, a speaker, and an Apple Pencil all for $10 dollars each or less," one shopper told CBS News Detroit. It's a package deal valued at more than $1,000 if bought at any large retailer.
Nonetheless, the man behind the very first Family Deals franchise, Aysar Mohammed of Baton Rouge, says what separates this bin-based store from similar-looking locals is their product.
"What makes us different is we are getting crates of items from large retailers, especially Target, that are brand new, not reused or returns from Amazon," Mohammed says.
For Rifai, he says he's been in-around Detroit his entire life.
"Born and raised here in Detroit, Hutzel Hospital and grew up around here," Rifai says.
But when the idea of opening up Family Deals with a few familiar faces, Rifai described it like buying a bike for $10 from one of his bins, it's a no-brainer.
"Me, my brother-in-law, my next-door neighbor, it was a bunch of us that put it together and we made this happen. t's been a long trip, but we made it happen. "We put everything together and here we are just trying to save people a couple of dollars. Family Deals."
for more features.


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Last year, Nokia filed a legal suit against the iPhone maker. This obviously comes as an update to the already long list of patent suits filed by Nokia accusing Apple of intellectual property violation.
The heavier side?
What began even before Apple’s iPhone was launched has been growing in number and now stands at 46. This time, the International Trade Commission (ITC) has been approached by Nokia over seven infringed mobile patents that include multi tasking, data synchronization, use of Bluetooth, positioning and calling quality. Nokia’s previous grievances to ITC indicated the violation of the Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, according to which infringed technology could not be exported. Over the years, both Nokia and Apple have indulged in mud-slinging by suing and counter-suing each other over alleged intellectual property infringements.
Nokia’s recent association with Microsoft has added more weight to this tussle between the two biggies.
Image Courtesy: bgr.com
Published Date: Mar 30, 2011 03:49 pm | Updated Date: Mar 30, 2011 03:49 pm


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AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to millions of articles from top publications available through your library.
PLANO - An "edutainment" toy chain is making a play for the pint-sized market with plans to open its first Southwestern stores in the Metroplex.
Noodle Kidoodle Inc. (Nasdaq: NKID) plans to open two $600,000 Noodle Kidoodle stores in Plano and Dallas by the spring, said Kenneth Betuker, chief financial officer of the Farmingdale, N.Y.-based chain.
The 13,000-square-foot Plano store and 8,000-square-foot North Dallas store will be the first of up to five toy shops in the market, he said. From there, Noodle Kidoodle hopes to expand into other Texas hot spots like Austin, Houston and San Antonio.
"Dallas is a phenomenal market," Betuker said. "There's a fairly high concentration of well-educated, affluent …


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Grasshopper, a digital bank offering free, high-yield business checking accounts, has partnered with Capchase, a provider of non-dilutive financing solutions for SaaS companies, to offer
Articles from the WHF Market Insights Newsletter
Puzzle, an AI-powered accounting software solution, has secured $30 million in funding in a round led by S32 and XYZ Capital, with contributions from more
Silverflow’s Innovative Cloud-Based Payments Processing Platform Raises €15 Million Investment led by Global Paytech Ventures
Silverflow, a cutting-edge, cloud-based payment processing company, has secured €15 million from Global Paytech Ventures, Picus Capital, Coatue, Crane Venture Partners, Inkef, and angel investors.
YouLend, the leading global embedded financing platform, and Plaid, a data network that enables consumers to connect their bank accounts to more than 8,000 apps
Advent International, a private equity firm that manages three private equity investment programs focused on established and developing markets worldwide, is set to acquire UK-based
Refine Intelligence, an anti-money laundering (AML) fintech, has secured $13 million in seed funding in a round led by Glilot Capital Partners and Fin Capital.
ADP, one of the leading payroll technology providers providing human capital management (HCM) solutions, and Convera, a leading international B2B payments fintech, have announced a
Defacto Provides Short-Term Loans to SMEs. It Just Raised $10.8 million With This 20-Slide Pitch Deck.
Defacto, a Paris-based fintech that offers small and medium-sized businesses short-term loans by connecting them to third-party marketplaces and e-commerce platforms through its APIs, has


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DRL China Media Launch
The rise of drones has drastically altered many aspects of our lives, whether it is in entertainment, photography, delivery services or sports. Wait… did you say sports? Yes, professional drone racing is an exciting new sport soaring in popularity! Drone Racing League (DRL), the professional league for elite pilots, recently announced its entrance into the China market. Riviera produced the grand Media Launch, inviting VIP guests to The Mixing Room in the Mercedes-Benz Arena for an evening of celebration. At the launch, DRL unveiled the venue and dates of the 2020 China Race and introduced Moda, the first-ever Chinese drone pilot to the attendees. From Guangdong, Moda earned his spot by dominating the Allianz DRL China Invitational. Another exciting highlight was a speech from DRL’s CEO and founder, Nick Horbaczewski, who spoke about the promising future and growth of drone racing in the region. Collaborating with DRL for the second time, Riviera Events was pleased to source the venue and provide the entertainment, event production and management.


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The makers of Red Dead Redemption II are staffing up to work on Xbox Two and PS5 games, but is it GTA 6?Minecraft Earth AR mobile game revealed for 10th anniversary
It’s no secret that many big-name developers will already be working on games for the new consoles that will replace the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. One rumour even claims that some high-profile studios have had development kits for almost a year now.
However, despite a few hints, nobody has officially announced a next gen game, which won’t happen until Sony and Microsoft reveal the consoles for the first time – which may not be until next year.
In the meantime though developers have got to get on with things and looking at Rockstar’s careers website it seems many of their studios are currently staffing up, with website GearNuke the first to notice a number of roles related to facial animation and motion capture being advertised in New York and Toronto.
There’s also multiple roles being advertised in Karnataka, India and these specifically talk about ‘next-generation games’ and ‘systems’ – including a lead programmer role and real-time VFX artist.
The obvious guess with anything Rockstar related is that this may be a hint that Grand Theft Auto VI is finally underway, but the only official comment Rockstar has ever given about the sequel is that they’d rather not release it while Donald Trump is still president.
What’s more likely to be Rockstar’s first next gen release though is a new version of Red Dead Redemption II.
Just as GTA V was ported to the new consoles, the same is likely to happen with Rockstar’s latest game – especially since Red Dead Online is set to be an ongoing concern.
Whether they have plans for anything else is a mystery but recent news suggests that you should probably give up hoping for Agent…