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99.9% of COVID-19 virus dead in 30 seconds with UV LEDs29-01-2021
The latest research shows that as unit shipments contin […]
The latest research shows that as unit shipments continue to grow, the high-brightness light-emitting diode (HB LED) market is exploding. LEDs have created a niche market for traditional semiconductor processing tool suppliers. Expect HB LED,Led Panel Light,backlight LED and OLED market.
Solid-state lighting (SSL), especially SSL based on light-emitting diodes (LED), is gradually becoming the dominant technology in all lighting applications. The luminous efficacy of SSL has surpassed the previous lighting technology, and there is still a lot of room for improvement, and the price has dropped so that it no longer becomes an obstacle to consumer adoption. The LED technology platform also provides opportunities to go beyond traditional form factors, which reflect the limitations of previous lighting technology; go beyond the traditional functions of providing basic lighting; and achieve energy saving on the basis of improved energy efficiency, including changing at the appropriate time Precisely deliver more suitable light.
The explosive growth of applications is mainly driven by two directions: high-efficiency, large-area production of ultra-small GaN LEDs (micro-LED and nano-LED), and the possibility of merging photovoltaic-grade GaN micro-LEDs with silicon microelectronics. method. GaN LED technology has even spread to the field of display technology, which has been occupied by organic LEDs and liquid crystal displays for decades. In this review, the technological transition from lighting to GaN micro- and nano-devices is discussed, including the latest overview of existing technologies.
Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) represent a field of SSL technology that can create diffuse light sources with thin and flexible direct emitters. This technology can produce new dimensions and lighting design flexibility, which is not available in today's LED or traditional lighting technology.


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Consumer Sentiment, Well Above Breakeven, Highest since Early ‘07
Falling Gas Prices Drive Concern to Lowest Level in over 4 Years; Food Worry Remains High
Willingness to Buy Seen in Plans to Purchase Cars, Electronics, Furniture & Homes
Loudonville, NY – The New York State Index of Consumer Sentiment in November stands at 84.0 up 5.2 points from the last measurement in June 2014, according to the latest poll by the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI). New York’s overall Index of Consumer Sentiment is 4.8 points below the nation’s* Index of 88.8. All three indexes for both the nation and New York are well above their breakeven points at which optimism and pessimism balance.
“It may not feel like ‘happy days are here again’ to many and holiday spending in New York is not poised to set any records, but overall consumer sentiment is up dramatically reaching a number we haven’t seen since early 2007. New Yorkers trail the nation in the present tense but lead when looking to the future driven by stronger downstate optimism,” Dr. Lonnstrom said.
In November, buying plans were up since the June 2014 measurement for cars/trucks, at 13.6% (from 11.8%), consumer electronics, to 44.6% (from 34.1%), furniture, at 23.8% (from 19.7%), and homes, at 6.8% (from 4.3%). Buying plans were down for major home improvements, 15.7% (from 20.9%).
“Buying plans are up in every category from the summer except home improvements. Consumer electronics jumped ten points no doubt due to holiday plans but more significant is home buying approaching seven percent which should signal some rippling across all consumer goods,” Dr. Lonnstrom said.
Forty-one percent of all New Yorkers say that current gasoline prices are having a very serious or somewhat serious impact on their financial condition. Sixty-nine percent of state residents indicate that the amount of money they spend on groceries is having either a very serious or somewhat serious impact on their finances. Thirty-five percent of state residents say that both gasoline and food prices are having either a somewhat or very serious impact on their finances.
“We haven’t seen gas prices this low since the fall of 2010 and consumers are celebrating falling prices with a collective sigh of relief. Unfortunately, after enjoying prices around $2.70 four years ago, New Yorkers saw prices rise quickly to over $4.00 and concern skyrocketed from 40 percent to 72 percent. For now, cheaper gas is a welcome gift at this time of year. But on a note of Scrooge, food prices remain a concern to nearly seven out of ten of all New Yorkers and over eighty percent of low income residents,” Dr. Lonnstrom said.
The SRI Index of Consumer Sentiment was conducted in November 2014 by random telephone calls via both landlines and cellphones to 809 New York State residents over the age of 18. As consumer sentiment is expressed as an index number developed after statistical calculations to a series of questions, “margin of error” does not apply. Buying plans, which are shown as a percentage based on answers to specific questions, do have a margin of error of +/- 3.4 points. For more information or comments, please call Dr. Doug Lonnstrom, SRI’s Founding Director, at 518-783-2362. Survey cross-tabulations and buying plans can be found at www.siena.edu/sri/cci. SRI is an independent, non-partisan research institute. SRI subscribes to the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Code of Professional Ethics and Practices.

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This August get ready to feast on Tiffin Food Court’s latest offerings. There’s one thing we Malaysians can totally agree on and that is we are very passionate about our food. Set to take place at an old military warehouse in Petaling Jaya, the event will go on for up to 8 weeks. If you’re […]
For the first time in Malaysia, Mercedes-Benz set up a lavish stage for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Kuala Lumpur to highlight the deep connection the world class automobile brand has with the fashion industry.
Jonas Blue FTW
Sunway Lagoon is bringing you a fun and energetic experience with the upcoming Sunway Lagoon Aqua Run 2 this 22nd April 2018 (Sunday) at the Surf Beach Entrance, Sunway Lagoon.
French Cultural Exchange for the Win
Hairdryers: How do you reap maximum heat without incurring the damage to your hair?
Catch the five-time Grammy and Emmy award comedian nominee Margaret Cho in Kuala Lumpur this May.


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The world economy could be experiencing a new shift from paper to digital during these days of lockdowns and Coronavirus expansion. According to the managing director of Ripple for Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Navin Gupta, the economy is abruptly changing.
Payments Are Moving From Paper to Digital
The Coronavirus crisis has started many changes all over the world and specifically in the economic field.
According to Mr. Gupta, the global economy is moving from papers to digital. In order to sustain this, Gupta considers that Ripple’s payments data will is showing how lockdowns are placing people and companies in a situation where they have to use electronic payments rather than paper.
During the conversation, Gupta had with Finance Magnates, he explained that the Covid-19 crisis will have a deep impact on the economy. The users that are now starting to use electronic payments may not come back to paper solutions.
On the matter, Gupta commented:
“We are seeing a big shift from paper, or touch-based, or physical, to digital. So if Rachel had the choice, then she would not like to go to a physical store if she can use an app to make the transfer possible.”
In addition to it, Gupta mentioned that there has been a shift in terms of their financial and technological customers and the activities they perform. Their businesses are going up and this is something that is happening due to the Coronavirus crisis.
Users are trying to do everything as possible in order to be able to pay for their goods and services without having to depend on traditional paper payments. Ripple is now providing services to financial companies from all over the world that need to perform fast and cross border payments.
Although Gupta sees this as a positive thing, it is worth mentioning that governments are going to be using this opportunity to increase their tax collection, control individuals, and get more information about citizens, their payments, what they do and where they are.
As Gupta mentioned, this is going to bring technology to the mainstream. This is one of the reasons why the On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service provided by Ripple could experience an increase in terms of funds moved. This service allows users and firms to send funds across borders without having to depend on slow traditional systems. By using XRP, transfers can be done in just a few seconds.


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It brings us great pleasure to find out that we are being featured on Straits Times:
The SG50 celebrations may have ended, but a young Singaporean has already come up with an idea to help the Republic enjoy another 50 golden years.
Last November, Mr Vernon Yim, 22, set up the non-profit SG100 Foundation – with the help of seasoned businessman Dennis Ng – to link young people with local businessmen in the hope that more will be groomed into becoming successful entrepreneurs.
The foundation also hopes to inspire young people to play a more active role in the artistic and social sectors through partnerships with art groups such as the Band of Doodlers and voluntary welfare groups like the Salvation Army.
The SG100 Foundation held its inaugural event at Downtown East yesterday. The Towards SG100 Carnival featured game booths, performances and stalls run by start-ups selling food and merchandise. It drew 2,000 visitors.
CONNECTING LEARNERS AND LEADERS
The foundation will provide a platform for business leaders to provide budding entrepreneurs with the support and mentorship they need.
MR VERNON YIM, who set up the non-profit SG100 Foundation
Mr Yim told The Straits Times during the event that many young people here are keen to start their own businesses although they lack the experience or capital to do so. As a result, plenty of good and innovative ideas go unfulfilled.
“The foundation will provide a platform for business leaders to provide budding entrepreneurs with the support and mentorship they need,” said Mr Yim, a Hwa Chong Institution graduate who now runs SG100 Foundation full-time.
Mr Ng, 52, the co-founder, started education services business Kent Ridge Education. He said: “We want to not just develop young people in maths and science, but also provide them with knowledge and life skills to help them improve the economy of our country.”
The foundation hopes to achieve this through activities such as networking sessions, talks by business leaders, practical business opportunities and funding for viable ideas.
Mr Yim said the foundation will look into ways to fund these ideas, such as by working with industry partners and applying for government funding, and identify good business models and talent.
Mr Ender Jiang, founder of start- up Hiverlab, a virtual reality technology firm which had a stall at the carnival, said: “This event helped us reach out to more people.”
Entrepreneur Chong Soon Seng, 23, believes the foundation can help young people overcome their fear of starting a business. The engineering student and vice-president of Nanyang Technological University’s Entrepreneurship Society said: “We seldom get to interact with businessmen, and this platform will provide us with the chance to meet and learn from them.”


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A Florida-based CBD company is under fire from the federal government for making unsupported medical claims about CBD.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent a joint letter to Rooted Apothecary LLC demanding action within 15 working days.
The company claimed that CBD could be used to treat teething pain and earache in infants, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, among other conditions.
Acting FDA commissioner Ned Sharpless said:
“We are working to protect Americans from companies marketing products with unsubstantiated claims that they prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure a number of diseases or conditions.
“This is especially concerning when companies are peddling unproven CBD products for use in vulnerable populations like infants and children.”
Sharpless said that the FDA had sent ‘numerous’ warning letters to CBD companies about making such claims on non-FDA-approved products.
Examples of unsubstantiated medical claims made by the company include:
“Instead of synthetic chemical[s] that can have safety concerns, this blend uses the best of nature to help calm the inflammation and pain of teething, while also promoting sleepiness for your little one.”
“Increasing evidence suggests that CBD oil is a powerful option for pain . . . anxiety . . . and autism . . . It seems like an attractive and safe option for children.”
“[P]ossible uses for CBD include helping with skin problems such as acne, autism, ADHD, and even cancer. It’s often used in conjunction with traditional treatments to provide extra help.
Children can use high amounts of CBD safely and without any risk.”
The FDA is currently exploring potential regulatory pathways for the many different types of CBD product now available.
Principal deputy commissioner Amy Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D, said:
“We recognize that there is significant public interest in cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds; however, we must work together to fill in the knowledge gaps about the science, safety and quality of many of these products.
“We are committed to advancing our regulation of these products through an approach that, in line with our mission, prioritizes public health, fosters innovation and promotes consumer confidence”
UK-made childhood epilepsy drug Epidiolex is the only FDA-approved CBD medicine available in the US.


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Bia Analytical is a leading UK food authentication testing laboratory. We have developed industry-leading, cutting-edge food adulteration testing methods that can help protect the entire food supply chain against food fraud and offer reassurance that your products have been tested with the best food fraud detection methods possible. Our facilities are housed within the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast, a member of the Russell Group which represents the 24 leading UK research universities.
Lab Testing Service
Our state-of-the-art food laboratories carry out accurate and rapid 3-day lab testing and analysis to minimise the risk of food fraud to your business.
We offer the development of bespoke models to meet individual customer needs in addition to our sector wide models.
Coming Soon - over recent months the team have been developing the technology and equipment to enable our customers to test samples locally, on site.
Building upon their recent launch of paprika and turmeric authenticity tests, Belfast, Northern Ireland based Bia Analytical Ltd. now offers an additional three new tests for garlic, cumin and ginger authenticity. This extends the start-up companies offering to 8 tests and the team are working to extend their product portfolio to twenty-five models by the end of 2021.
The board, fellow investors and staff at Bia Analytical are sad to hear the news that Co Down businessman Denis Lynn has tragically passed away following an accident at his home on the Finnebrogue estate on Sunday evening.
Keep up-to-date with the latest food fraud news and alerts


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Oculu opens a new office in Los Altos California
OCULU, an all-inclusive video technology platform, is excited to announce the opening of its new headquarters in Los Altos, California.
“It’s very exciting to open our headquarters in the heart of technology, the Silcon Valley. It was a natural decision to bring our video technology solutions to this area,” said Oculu President, John Cecil. “We look forward to building relationships with businesses of all sizes in and around the city and extending our customer base globally from the new location.”
The Los Altos office opened in early September under the guidance of Parveen Panwar, Oculu’s newly appointed CEO.
“One of the great things about the Valley is there are so many emerging companies that can benefit by using great video technology,” said Panwar. “Our clients range from high growth start-ups to more established organizations.”
Oculu’s expansion to the Silicon Valley is highlighted by the partnership with Parveen, who is an early pioneer of the video/content audience extension. He and his team of video experts integrated their expertise and knowledge of the video ad serving business with Oculu incorporating a complimentary syndication tool to work with content producers. Since that time, ad serving and content distribution have become a critical component of the services the Oculu platform provides.
Oculu is an all-inclusive video technology platform that focuses on video hosting, streaming, encoding, bandwidth, ad serving and syndication (across all devices) for business and publishers.


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The Kroger Co. plans to open an automated customer fulfillment center in the Denver metropolitan area that will bring nearly 400 new jobs to the area. The new, 300,000-square-foot facility, to be located in Aurora, Colo., is a result of the 4-year-old partnership Cincinnati-based Kroger has with Ocado. It will fill online orders.
“We are thrilled to expand and introduce our innovative Kroger Fulfillment Network to one of the fastest-growing areas in the country and have the opportunity to grow our workforce,” Gabriel Arreaga, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer at Kroger, said in a statement. “Through the incredible partnership and support from the city of Aurora and Adams County, Kroger Delivery can accelerate its commitment to provide exceptional customer service through our state-of-the-art facility and end-to-end cold solutions, including custom-built refrigerated vans, to ensure our delivery customers receive the freshest products directly to their doorstep throughout the Denver region.”
Kroger also reported that its Ocado-automated CFC in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., is now operational, reports Supermarket News. The supermarket giant had announced plans for the 350,000-square-foot facility — serving online grocery customers in Wisconsin, northern Illinois and northwest Indiana — in November 2019.
So far, Kroger has announced 17 Ocado-driven CFCs, with four now operational. They include a CFC in Monroe, Ohio — Kroger's first Ocado facility — that went live in April 2021; 375,000-square-foot CFCs that opened in Groveland, Fla., last June and in Forest Park, Ga., this past February; and a 350,000-square-foot CFC that launched in Dallas this spring.
Other Ocado CFCs reported by Kroger run from 135,000 to 375,000 square feet and include locations in Frederick, Md.; Phoenix; and Romulus, Mich., as well as Charlotte, N.C., the Pacific Northwest; and the Northeast, the latter representing another location where Kroger lacks stores, along with Pennsylvania and Florida (save for a Harris Teeter store in the Jacksonville area). The retailer also has announced plans for two CFCs in Southern California and two more in Florida.
Kroger and Ocado also have announced 10 supporting “spoke” facilities, which serve as last-mile, cross-dock sites to enlarge the service radius of CFCs, reports Supermarket News. Five spokes are now live — in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla.; Lockbourne, Ohio; and in Indianapolis — and another five are planned for Louisville, Ky.; Oklahoma City; and Austin and San Antonio, Texas, and Birmingham, Ala.


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The ongoing semiconductor crisis could last throughout next year and into 2023, Daimler’s CEO has warned.
In a stark address to reporters at the Munich IAA show, Ola Källenius admitted soaring demand could see the industry continue to struggle.
A number of manufacturers have slowed or completely halted production lines as a result of the chip shortage.
Daimler is currently hoping to start making its own semiconductors in a bid to ease the strain in the fourth quarter of the year.
Earlier this year, Bosch also announced plans to start making the chips, but there remains no end in sight for the car building industry.
Källenius, who is also head of Mercedes-Benz, said: ‘Several chip suppliers have been referring to structural problems with demand.
‘This could influence 2022 and (the situation) may be more relaxed in 2023.’
The chips help to control infotainment systems and mains screens as well as power steering and brake sensors.
The current situation has caused enormous lead times on new vehicles as manufacturers suffer setbacks in production while awaiting fresh deliveries of semiconductors.
Last month Toyota announced that it would be slashing production as a result of the crisis.
Jaguar Land Rover also paused production of both the Defender and the Discovery due to the semiconductor shortage.
For more stories from the Munich Motor Show, head over to our live blog.


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If the office hasn’t yet updated from iOS 13, now is a good time, as Apple just released a new update that eliminates a bug that allows an attacker to lock you out of our iPhone and adds support for security keys with the Safari browser.
According to Tech Crunch, a researcher found a bug in AirDrop — Apple’s feature that allows users to share files between iOS devices — that allows anyone to repeatedly send files to all devices within wireless range of an attacker by blocking the display.
An attacker could just keep sending files and get your iPhone stuck in a loop.
The new update, iOS 13.3, fixes the bug by automatically declining AirDrop requests after the user declines three straight requests.
Without the update, users can avoid the attacks by changing their settings to not receive AirDrop requests, turning off Bluetooth or simply moving away from the suspected attacker.
Security keys in Safari
Apple has improved the security of iOS devices once again, this time making devices compatible with NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari.
Some iOS apps have previously supported security keys, but not Safari.
According to Forbes, the iPhone compatible YubiKey 5Ci is the first to feature USB-C and lightning connectors on a single key, making it a good option for your iPhone or iPad.
According to Apple, other features of iOS 13.3 include:
- New Screen Time Features provide more parental controls and communication limits to parents can manage contacts on their child’s devices
- A new feature in Photos that allows you to create a new video clip when trimming a video
- Apple News has a new layout and content from The Wall Street Journal and other publications; and a like/dislike function
- Fixes email issues that prevented downloading new messages in Mail, deleting messages in Gmail accounts and caused incorrect characters and duplicate messages in Exchange accounts


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Online company registration launched
The Ministry of Trade and Industry, Cooperatives and Marketing, through its One Stop Business Facilitation Centre (OBFC), this week launched an online companies registration system.
The project, which is being supported by the New Zealand government, has made Lesotho the first African country to enjoy such a partnership with the island nation.
According to Trade and Industry, Cooperatives and Marketing minister, S’khulumi Ntsoaole, the system would make registering companies easier, quicker and more efficient.
The minister, who was speaking at Tuesday’s launch of the initiative in Maseru, said the system would take Lesotho a step closer to achieving the objectives of Vision 2020. In 2000, Lesotho took a policy decision to formulate a vision to pro- vide a long-term perspective within which national short to mediumterm plans could be formulated by the year 2020.
“By virtue of accessing registry online, it means even someone in London, Beijing and Washington DC, will be afforded the luxury to register with us whilst in the comfort of their own country.
“These people also wish to gather as much information as possible about our business environment before making a decision to invest, and should they fail, they simply transfer their business elsewhere. however, this is a transformational period which reflects the ministry’s commitment to implement new ways of doing business.
“This initiative also seeks to address unemployment issues and other economic setbacks as we build towards Vision2020.”
Mr Ntsoaole added he was extremely excited with the launch of the project, adding the ministry would be opening OBFC offices in all the country’s districts, starting with Leribe, with the aim of offering more information to “walk ins”.
New Zealand’s Deputy high Com- missioner to South Africa/lesotho, Danie Beukman, said his country had contributed M5 million to the project to cover the next five years.
Mr Beukman also said a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) he had earlier signed with Mr Ntsoaole on behalf of their respective countries, guaranteed financial assistance for training and infrastructure development for the online company registration system.
On her part, Deputy Registrar of Companies, Florence Motoa Mokhesi, assured users of the online system of its security.
“The online registration will be available to users 24 hours a day, providing a full suite of online services without any interference from network failure because we are using our own server, and have a sustainable back-up from the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology,” she said.
“Although the search engine allows for anyone to look for a company name and its activities, the system will however, protect the user’s classified information and only allow those authorised to do so, to access certain information.”
Ms Mokhesi further said since the New Zealand technical team was deployed to work with the ministry from February this year, 23 100 companies had since been entered into the new database.
The online registry system, she added, was in line with the new Companies Act, which requires the incorporation of shares and sharing of capital allocation.
“The system further seeks to assist other government ministries generate reminders for their compilation of annual reports, as well as meet the requirements of the Companies Act, which stipulates that firms should incorporate their shares.
“A page will be allocated for the Lesotho Revenue Authority to control tax payments to ensure tax regulations are abided by simultaneously with the registration.
“The LRA will be able to extract the company’s information through an identification number and enforce due tax before it is registered.”
In 1999, New Zealand became the first country in the world to register companies online and to date, has 550 000 companies in its database.
Trade, Industry, Cooperatives and Marketing Minister Sk’hulumi Ntsoale.


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The Water Coolest is a free daily business news and professional advice email newsletter created for weekday warriors that is delivered fresh daily at 6 AM EST. Signup here to receive The Water Coolest every weekday.
Say what you will about the current state of the US, but let’s be honest, it could be much, much worse. Case in point: Venezuela, where inflation hit 80,000% last year, has been rocked by decades of corruption and incompetence.
And the dysfunction seems to be coming to a head …
I love the smell of a coup at daybreak
The economic collapse of the South American dictatorship has led to civil unrest. And, surprise, surprise, angry mobs have taken to the streets. As of this writing opposition leader, Juan Guaido has “assumed” the powers of the presidency.
Unsurprisingly, the current president, Nicolas Maduro doesn’t recognize Guaido or his party. This oughta end well. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Donny Politics has officially recognized Guaido as El Presidente.
You guys, this is a biz newsletter
Beyond the obvious (Venezuela is a total clusterf*ck) there are a slew of economic consequences tied to the turmoil. The rumblings of insurrection alone have sent Venezuela’s dollar bonds up 25% in 2019, despite most of the country’s debt having fallen into default.
And President Trump has threated to place sanctions on the oil-rich country’s exports should Maduro remain in power. This would include heavy crude. US refiners have been quick to lambaste the idea as Venezuelan black gold is essential to keeping refineries online.
The sanctions threaten to hit Gulf and East Coast refiners where it hurts: the bottom line. However, Trump seems poised to pull the trigger should Maduro not turn over the country’s finances to Guaido.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? GOOD, YOU’RE FIRED.
Verizon is paring down the media group formerly known as Oath, as part of a plan to re-focus the division on things like … actually making money.
The company announced on Wednesday that it would be cutting 7% of its employees, or roughly 800 jobs, following a review by new head K. Guru Gowrappan. Note to self: guys with leading initials are not to be f*cked with.
Oath was created in 2017 and consisted of Yahoo, which Verizon acquired for $4.4B in 2017, and AOL which the not-so-savvy media mogul’s scooped up in 2015 for $4.4B. Luckily (… I guess) for the former employer of the “Can you hear me now?” guy, Yahoo’s purchase price fell significantly given its security issues.
Verizon retired the Oath name at the end of last year, following a $4.6B write-off on the patchwork of dot-com-bubble era brands. Going forward Verizon Media Group will focus on three core pillars: increased spending on B2B products, growing its member-centric ecosystem, and increasing video production. We see you, Yahoo Finance.
And those who survive the cuts but fall outside of one of the aforementioned silos may find themselves working with Verizon’s engineers to help build out services that showcase the company’s shiny new 5G network.
Netflix’s less successful cousin (who probably went to “special” classes), Hulu, is changing up its pricing structure.
In fact, Hulu seems to be taking the Robinhood (think: men in tights, not investing app) approach: lowering the subscription cost of its most basic and cheapest package and hiking the price of its most expensive option.
Hulu’s basic plan, which allows users to stream TV shows, will decrease $2 to $5.99 per month. Hulu’s most expensive programming, Hulu+ Live TV (sans ads), will increase $5 to $50.99 per month.
This isn’t Hulu’s first rodeo with price meddling, having lowered the price of its basic service in the past. This notion flies in the face of other streaming services (*cough* Netflix *cough*) who have been raising prices thanks to additional channel options and higher original programming costs.
This decision comes just days after Disney, which owns 60% of Hulu, announced that it lost $580M on Hulu last year.
IN OTHER NEWS
- Puff, puff, pass. US-based cannabis company, Canopy Growth, is trying for a second time to pull off a hostile takeover of Canada’s 5th largest cannabis producer, Aphria. The grower’s management still advises its shareholders not to accept the deal, valued at $1.8B, saying it undervalues the share price. If the bid is accepted the combined company would be one of the largest operations in North America … besides your cousin Steve’s setup in your aunt’s basement, of course.
- Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti announced yesterday that the company is cutting 15% of its workforce. Some 250 employees are going to be vying for the opportunity to write “10 Ways You Know You’ve Been Laid Off By Buzzfeed.” Peretti didn’t say who exactly is getting cut, but that it was the right move for the company. A “right move for the company” doesn’t feed a family of five, Jonah!
- Cleaning up nicely. Procter & Gamble announced strong quarterly sales and a revised (upward) outlook thanks to a resurgence in consumer packaged goods. Beauty products in the US led the way according to CEO Greg Hayes. P&G still plans to implement a price increase across its product.
- Pay to play. Conde Nast is planning to put all of its titles behind a paywall by the end of this year. The New Yorker, Wired, and Vanity Fair owner already requires a subscription to get more than 4 articles for some publications. The media giant will be rolling the same system out to the rest of its catalog: GQ, Vogue, Bon Appetit, and Glamour. Meanwhile, TWC is free every damn day …
Ready to become the most well-informed bro in any room? You can subscribe here.


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August 24, 2016
Conflicting Rulings Muddy Waters on ACH Fraud
June 20, 2011
A federal court in Michigan has found in favor of Experi-Metal and ruled that Comerica Bank must reimburse the Sterling Heights company $560,000 for fraud losses related to a phishing attack. The ruling contradicts a similar one last week in Maine. In the Experi-Metal case, Judge Patrick Duggan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan said that the bank should have done a better job of picking up the fraudulent transactions running from the company’s accounts after its financial controller was duped into opening a malware-laden phishing e-mail. Duggan said “a bank dealing fairly with its customers, under these circumstances, would have detected and/or stopped the fraudulent wire activity earlier.” In the ruling in Maine, the presiding magistrate ruled that Ocean Bank was not responsible for the loss of around $345,000 from a business customer account following a similar cyber-attack. With multiple cases of ACH wire fraud piling up in the US, the rulings leave the critical liability issues open to debate.


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There’s good news for developers who have been waiting to get their hands on the new Kinect for Windows. Microsoft today started accepting pre-orders and promises to ships the units by July. The “v2” sensor is intended for use with the Kinect for Windows SDK (software development kit) 2.0 which the company will release as a public beta in July as well.
The Kinect for Windows v2 sensor can now be pre-ordered through Microsoft’s website for $199. Shipment promise is contingent on supplies lasting so if you’ve been meaning to get one it would be best not to waste any time in pre-ordering a unit.
Microsoft wants to give developers a head start by releasing the sensor early so that they can get to work on applications for the latest technology. However there’s nothing stopping regular customers from getting one for themselves. Just pre-order and wait for it to be dropped outside your door.
Developers will get more precision, responsiveness and intuitive capabilities that they need to develop gesture based and interactive voice applications for the Kinect for Windows v2.
Those who are not able to get a pre-order in time need not worry. Microsoft says that it will have additional sensors available for purchase later this year. The company is also due to launch a standalone Kinect sensor for the Xbox One in the coming months.


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By Neha Saraf
| In developed nations, we consider the smartphone essential for daily life. Many users feel lonely or anxious without smartphones. These mobile devices, along with other digital devices, are the cause of something much more sinister – the exploitation of workers. It is quite difficult to believe that your smartphone, a seemingly innocuous device, is capable of causing vast devastation. However, conflict minerals illustrate how the production of smartphones catalyzes horrific violence and corruption in the Congo.
As the name suggests, conflict minerals are minerals mined under dire conditions, including armed conflict & violations of human rights. The eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the most notorious regions for these conflict minerals, which are comprised of the three Ts – tantalum, tin, and tungsten – and gold. Unfortunately, these minerals make up the vast majority of supplies used by the world. The three Ts are used in the manufacturing of automobiles, sports equipment, and consumer electronics while gold is prominently used in jewelry. As seen below, cell phones utilize all of these conflict minerals.
The Enough Project summarizes the link between cell phone consumerism and worker exploitation in the Congo in the video below.
As seen in the video, armed groups in the Congo profit hugely off of these conflict minerals. They hire local villagers at gunpoint and physically force them to mine for these minerals. Villagers are often raped and beaten into submission, and so these villagers must mine in order to protect themselves and their families. The work conditions are horrendous – miners work in very hazardous locations, use makeshift tools, and wear no protection against the elements. Consequentially, many miners perish from these dangerous conditions. In fact, there are over 5.4 million Congo civil conflict-related deaths. The Congo armies gather 75% of their revenue from the mines and use it to buy more guns, hence the name conflict minerals. Minerals are then smuggled out of the Congo to Asia to be processed and shipped out as cell phones to consumers around the world.
Steps have been taken to tackle this enormous issue of conflict minerals. In 2010, President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection Act into law. Section 1502 of this act requires companies to identify where the minerals in their products originated from. Although this act has reduced Congo militia revenue by 65%, smuggling is still a major concern, with 65% of current trade involving smuggling. In addition, in 2014, Intel committed to a responsible supply chain by going “conflict-free” and producing microprocessors without any conflict minerals.
These actions are just the beginning towards a long fight to free the Congo people of conflict minerals. The senseless brutality of the Congo militias must stop, and as consumers of these products it is our duty to make sure that manufacturers stop using conflict minerals to create the products we desire. Not only is our consumption harming the environment, but also other human beings who deserve to be respected. Click on Raise Hope for Congo to join the fight against conflict minerals, and work towards conflict-free products.
Image 1: Flikr
Image 2: UCLU
Image 3: Interrete
Image 4: Intel


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Renown South Korean consumer electronics maker LG rumoured Nexus handset will be launched at the Google event on the 29th of October, according to a recent report.
India-based news website IBNLive.com has published an article with this confirmation.
It states: “Amit Gujral, head, Mobile Product Planning, LG, on the sidelines of the Optimus Vu launch event, in an interview with IBNLive said, “Google will unveil the LG Nexus on October 29 and the phone will be available in the Indian markets by the end of November.”
“Gujral also shed some light on the technical specifications of the LG Nexus smartphone. He said, the phone will feature a 4.7-inch screen, run Android 4.2 OS, and will be powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor.”, added the title.
The piece also notes that if the speculation surrounding the device comes true, it will have a 1,280 x 768 IPS display, 2GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel camera.
This is with 8 or 16GB of internal storage and no support for a micro SD cards, or a removable battery.
Stay tuned to our site and we’ll bring you all the details of the Google Android event, which is also thought to be the launching platform for a 32GB Nexus 7 and a 3G version.


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The former CEO of chocolate maker Hershey is ready to kiss his Michigan Avenue condo goodbye.
Richard "Rick" Lenny, who was chairman and CEO of the Pennsylvania candy company from 2001 through 2007 and is now chairman at Chicago-based food giant Conagra, and his wife, Susan, put their unit in the art deco tower on the market today, asking $2.85 million.
The Lennys paid just under $2.8 million for the three-bedroom, 16th-floor condominium in April 2014, according to the Cook County recorder of deeds. They’re asking a little over 2 percent more for the condominium than they paid for it nearly five and a half years ago. “They’re smart sellers,” said Emily Sachs Wong, the @properties agent representing the condo for the Lennys, suggesting they understand that prices have grown only modestly in recent years.
Wong said she does not know why her clients are selling.
Rick Lenny, who also has held executive posts at Kraft and Nabisco, has been nonexecutive chairman at Conagra since May 2018 and chairman of market research firm IRI, also based in Chicago, since 2013. The Lennys could not immediately be reached for comment.
The 3,530-square-foot condo was originally laid out with four bedrooms, Wong said, but a previous owner converted one of them into a sitting room that is part of the master suite. The suite is now “a gracious place to be, with lake views and views of Lake Shore Drive,” Wong said.
The condo has a fireplace in the foyer, a full-sized laundry room and three full baths, according to the listing. Built in 1929, the 37-story Palmolive Building at 919 N. Michigan and 159 E. Walton was originally the headquarters of the Colgate-Palmolive consumer products company and later headquarters for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Enterprises. It was converted to condos in the early 2000s.


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- Green Growth
- Your Consultant
10:35 | 10/11/2018
Starbucks Vietnam's customers can conveniently pay for purchases, earn stars, and find nearby stores.
14:00 | 14/12/2012
Citibank and ACE Life Insurance Co. Vietnam launched their co-branded credit card in the country on December 14.
18:47 | 08/11/2012
A memorandum of understanding will be signed on Wednesday between the nation’s two biggest card unions, Smartlink Card Services Joint Stock Company (Smartlink) and Vietnam ...
15:01 | 07/12/2011
HSBC has launched a new Platinum Visa credit card and introduced the reduced varied administration fees for foreign currency transactions made with the bank’s credit ...
20:53 | 24/04/2011
Despite the central bank restricting dollar transaction in the economy, local people still hesitate to use international credit card to use overseas due to high ...
15:39 | 29/03/2011
Vietnam’s bank card market will become vibrant in 2011 with some foreign banks getting involved in the issuance of local ATM cards, with consumers to ...
10:27 | 19/02/2011
Total card transactions made tremendous growth in Vietnam in 2010 against five years ago when the first one was conducted.
22:25 | 11/12/2010
Citibank N.A. Vietnam Friday announced the launch of the Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card targeted at elite and affluent consumers in the country, where the American ...


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The current tomato campaign in Murcia is marked by very low prices, despite production volumes being similar to 2011. Oversupply comes from abroad. "We are facing a very average season; oversupply from the Netherlands and Morocco is making prices plunge," explains Paloma Hernández, of Grupo Paloma. "Unfortunately, this downward trend in prices gets worse every year. The recent agreements between the EU and Morocco will entail further damage to our interests regarding tomatoes."
Nevertheless, unlike in other regions, it appears Murcia has not suffered quality problems due to excess of moisture in the early stages of the campaign. "We have not had problems with spots. The quality is excellent."
With more than 700 hectares of plantations along the coast of Águilas and Mazarrón, Paloma is a family business growing tomatoes with their own seeds, besides other products, like seedless table grapes, stone fruit and pomegranates.
The firm sells all sorts of tomatoes under the brand PALOMA, exporting to all European countries, including Russia and Eastern Europe. The varieties sold include round, pear and on the vine tomatoes, as well as its exclusive cherry variety, called Sugardrop.
Paloma Hernández at her stand in the recent Fruit Attraction 2012
All its products have the GlobalGap quality certification and its two horticultural production plants are BRC and IFS-certified. "Quality and innovation are the two cornerstones of our business," concludes Paloma Hernández.
For more information:
Paloma Hernández MadridPaloma Grupo Hortofrutícola S.A.
Camino Rincones s/n Mazarrón, Murcia. (Spain)
T: +34 9685 email@example.com


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Sony Xperia XZ4 rumor review: super-tall, extremely powerful, three cameras, price and release date
Wait, didn't we just see an Xperia XZ3 get released this past October? Why yes, we did. But Sony insists on sticking to a 6-month refresh schedule for its flagship series, so it will not be all that unusual if the Xperia XZ4 gets announced in February and launches in April, just like the XZ2 last year.
So, what do we know about the Xperia XZ4? Well, we have some juicy leaks, actually. Let's put it all together!
To Compact or not to Compact
While Sony does refresh its flagship XZ line once every 6 months, the Compact series is usually an annual ordeal. Their name says it all — an XZ Compact will have the same hardware and almost all the perks of a regular XZ flagship, but it will be slightly smaller, catering to fans of the smaller phones.
We’ve heard a couple of whispers about the XZ4 Compact here and there, but the latest rumors say that Sony decided not to make a Compact this time around. Perhaps demand was low? Or the rumor could be a hoax, we’ll see.
Design — the tallest Xperia ever
For a couple of years now, smartphone manufacturers have been pushing their screens in the super-wide territory. Well, we call it extra tall, due to the way we hold a handset, but still. While the 16:9 display ratio used to be standard for years, but now we have phones with 18:9 and even 19.5:9 screens.
“Amateurs”, the Xperia XZ4 says. According to rumors and leaks, Sony is planning to equip its latest flagship with a super-long, 21:9 screen. We’ve already seen renders from reputable leakers as well as an alleged real-life photo of the phone (although the latter is not extremely reliable). And it looks like we are about to get a huge chocolate bar of a handset.
And yes, you will notice that, as per the rumors, the Xperia XZ4 is about to get a triple camera module on the back. “Where is the fingerprint sensor?”, you might ask. It seems it might move over to the side of the phone, embedded in the power button, as Sony used to do back with the Xperia Z line. One could speculate that Sony might be investing in facial recognition or under-the-screen fingerprint scanning, but no good leaks or rumors point this way.
Extra features we can spot — the phone comes with courage and no headphone jack, as well as a dedicated shutter button for the camera, which has been a Sony staple for years.
Good news for the Sony fans — it seems that the Xperia XZ4 is going to be a very, very robust computing machine. It’ll come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor — the golden standard for 2019 Android flagships and Qualcomm’s first SoC built on a 7 nm process. The phone will have 6 GB of RAM and either 64 GB or 256 GB of storage.
Now, these will be the specs of most Android flagships that will be coming out this year. So, what makes the Xperia XZ4 special? Well, a test unit was allegedly benchmarked with AnTuTu and it scored an impressive 395000, which is way above anything so far, including tests of the Galaxy S10 or benchmarks made with AnTuTu's own test device. So, Sony may have some insane optimizations going on under the hood of the XZ4.
About those triple cameras
Unfortunately, we’ve got no solid leads on why Sony decided to go with three cameras on the back. We would assume that at least one of these will be with a different lens.
It could be a combination of wide-angle, normal camera, and depth-sensing camera. Or a telephoto, normal, and wide-angle lens, a-la LG V40. The rumor mill is acting mum here, so we will have to wait and see.
Sony Xperia XZ4 price, release date
Again, leaksters haven’t commented on price yet, so we will have to go with educated guessing instead.
As we mentioned earlier, the Xperia XZ2 was announced in late February and launched in early April. If Sony wants the XZ4 to be a true annual refresh, it’ll have to do the same this year around. This means, we expect the Sony Xperia XZ4 to launch in the first week of April.
The Xperia XZ2 launched for $800, keeping up with the trend of recent smartphone price inflations. The XZ3 went even further, with a price tag of $900. We have to believe that this is as high as Sony would go with the Xperia XZ4 and maybe even bring it down a notch, at least to $850. If the company dares to go up to $999, it’ll face stiff competition in the face of Samsung’s super-productive Galaxy Note 9 and Apple’s ever-popular iPhone XS. And, let’s face it, Sony’s flagships don’t really have the sales momentum to battle these two.


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A couple of fun pieces of food news have come out of the Disney World grapevine this weekend!
For the Pizza Lover…
Interesting news from the Disney Parks facebook page:
Now through January 7, you can enjoy Sicilian-style Margherita pizza by the slice at a pick-up podium at Via Napoli. An a la carte single-serving dessert and fountain beverage will also be available.
So, for all of us who’ve been hoping for a counter-service pizza window at Via Napoli, maybe this is a promising start! Sounds like this is another antidote to the “heavy crowds” of the holidays like we saw over [Read more…]


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Kraken is one exchange pushing back against the NY Attorney General's request for information. Jesse Powell, Kraken's Co-founder & CEO also had some harsh words for the AG on Twitter.
Amazon has introduced Blockchain Templates to their suite of infrastructure offerings within AWS. Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric deployments are both supported, and come with some blockchain management and monitoring tools.
Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures went to Washington to lobby the SEC for "safe harbor" treatment of virtual currencies that might otherwise be classified as securities. Several prominent investors from USV and elsewhere have been making public statements with this sentiment for months, but it seems that thus far, they haven't swayed Jay Clayton. This, as Andreessen Horowitz is preparing a new crypto-specific fund.
Beware: MyEtherWallet seem to be the victims of a DNS hack, causing traffic to their website to be intercepted, and funds to be stolen. Redditors reported that the attack affected visitors using Google Public DNS. The MEW account tweeted a warning on Tuesday morning.
WikiLeaks is reporting that Coinbase shut down their online store, referencing violations to their TOS. Wikileaks in turn called for a boycott of the exchange. A bit strange to me that WikiLeaks, who fled to cryptocurrency from Paypal and credit card issuers when they banned donations in 2010, would chose to run their store through a centralized entity rather than taking Bitcoin/Ether directly.
Fortune brings the full Mt Gox fiasco up to date, rehashing the history of the hack through the latest turn of events: Karpeles landing a job as the CTO of London Trust Media, the world's largest VPN service.


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Official Metallica.com footage from METALLICA’s October 12, 2009 concert at MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada — including clips of pre-show tuning-room jam and the actual performance — can be viewed below.
The band’s setlist was as follows:
01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. For Whom The Bell Tolls
04. The Memory Remains
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
08. Sad But True
09. The Unforgiven
10. All Nightmare Long
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Damage, Inc.
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
– – – – – – – –
18. Seek and Destroy
METALLICA has launched an iPhone application that “creates a streaming interface to your LiveMetallica account,” meaning that any live show fans have downloaded from the site will automatically stream to their iPhones once they launch the app, which costs 99 cents. Fans just have to purchase the app at the iPhone store and log onto their account at LiveMetallica.com to access every gig they’ve downloaded, as well as a free stream of the band’s latest concert. More developments and features are also on the way.
METALLICA has added single-song downloads to the LiveMetallica.com web site. Instead of buying only entire concerts, fans can pick whatever individual songs they want from any concert they choose from. Every song that the band has recorded in concert since 2004, covering a span of 269 shows, is available for 99 cents per MP3. Full shows are still $9.95 as MP3 files and $12.95 as higher-quality FLAC files.
LiveMetallica.com was launched in March 2004 and makes downloads available for purchase of every show the band has played since then, often within hours of the gig’s finale.
More than 300,000 downloads have been purchased at the site since its launch.
The “Vault” section of the site offers free downloads of shows recorded before 2004.
More shows will crop up at the site in upcoming weeks, since METALLICA just launched a new North American tour last month. The band has dates booked through mid-December.
Check out the following videos from Winnipeg:


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Trump 'TRUTH Social' launch expected by end of March, sources say
Beta testing for Trump Media & Technology Group's 'TRUTH Social' is underway, a source said
EXCLUSIVE: The servers for former President Donald Trump's TRUTH Social are up and running and will have the platform fully operational by the expected end-of-quarter launch date, FOX Business has learned.
Sources familiar told FOX Business that beta testing for the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) TRUTH Social is also underway, and that the average user in the United States can expect to download the app and create accounts by the end of March.
TRUMP 'TRUTH SOCIAL' DEVELOPING CONTENT MODERATION PRACTICES TO ENSURE 'FAMILY-FRIENDLY' COMMUNITY
TRUTH Social, while not yet public, is available for pre-order in the Apple App Store.
Sources told Fox News that TMTG is not relying on any traditional big tech companies for infrastructure needs, sources said, but rather on its cloud services partnership with Rumble.
A source familiar told FOX Business that Rumble is positioning itself as an alternative to both YouTube and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
TMTG CEO Devin Nunes was the first elected official to use Rumble’s video platform in 2020.
DEVIN NUNES ALL IN ON TRUMP 'TRUTH' SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, SAYS HE IS STILL 'DOING A PUBLIC SERVICE'
Nunes joined TMTG as CEO in December, after retiring from Congress after nearly two decades.
The timeline for a fully operational launch is in line with what former President Trump told Fox News in an exclusive interview in December, when he teased the social media platform would be "in great shape" by the end of the first quarter, in March 2022.
Those involved in the final stages of development told FOX Business last month that TMTG partnered with Hive – a San Francisco-based Series D start-up that provides automated solutions through cloud-based artificial intelligence for understanding images, videos and text content. Hive’s technology provides automated content moderation across video, image, text and audio.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
"We want to be very family-friendly, we want this to be a very safe place, and we are focused on making sure any illegal content is not on the site," Nunes said in an exclusive interview with FOX Business last month.
Meanwhile, in a statement last week, Trump teased the new platform, saying that "TruthSocial will fight back against Big Tech so we can protect our rights to free expression."
TRUMP SAYS NEW MEDIA COMPANY COULD BE UP AND RUNNING BY END OF FIRST QUARTER 2022
Trump Media & Technology Group first launched in October. The company said last month that the partner has agreements for $1 billion in capital from institutional investors.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
TMTG's plan is to become a publicly listed company through a merger with the publicly traded Digital World Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company whose sole purpose is to acquire a private company and take it public.


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(COLUMBUS) - Cummins will extend its typical Christmas shutdown by two days as it adjusts to the continuing automotive slump.
The Columbus-based engine maker told its employees this week that the break, initially scheduled from Christmas Eve to January 5th, also will include December 22nd and 23rd.
Cummins is the sole supplier of diesel engines for Dodge HD pickups.
Have a question or comment about a news story? Send it to firstname.lastname@example.org


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New Poll: What measures would be most effective in cutting the volume of waste plastics?
As you know the European Parliament has banned a range of single-use plastic products
- October 26, 2018 11:30
- Monika Dimitrova
The European Parliament has voted for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastics across the union in a bid to stop pollution of the oceans. MEPs backed a ban on plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks. The proposal also calls for a reduction in single-use plastic for food and drink containers like plastic cups. The measure still has to clear some procedural hurdles, but is expected to go through. The EU hopes it will go into effect across the bloc by 2021.
TheMayor.eu asks you: what measures would be most effective in cutting the volume of waste plastics?
- Improving waste sorting
- No plastic packaging in supermarkets
- Incentives for recycling to feedstocks
- Bottle deposit return scheme
TheMayor.EU stands against fake news and disinformation. If you encounter such texts and materials online, contact us at email@example.com


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The Floating Farms of Bangladesh – BBC News
The Floating Farms of Bangladesh – BBC News I’M not going to. chocolate Umbrella, Cockatoo, music, Pentatonix video. What are the disciplines? What time is it by car Cowabunga Bay? Bangladesh is home to the world’s largest river delta and prone to frequent, devastating flooding.
Farmers here are expanding an ancient technique of building floating farms that simply rise and fall with the swelling waters.
In times of rising sea levels, could this offer a solution to food security problems?
Filmmaker: Paul Myles
Please subscribe HERE http://bit.ly/1rbfUog


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GfK conducted the Consumer Confidence Barometer, on behalf of the European Union, between 1 and 3 August 2020.
The Consumer Confidence Index score in the UK has remained the same in August as the previous month. The index has stayed at 27 in August, with three measures decreasing and two measures increasing in the past month.
The major purchase index - which is based on consumer opinion about whether the timing is right to make large purchases - increased by one point to 25 this month. But, it is still one point below August 2019.
The savings index, which was not included in the overall index score, remained the same as the last year at 21. Despite the increase in the major purchase index, “the economic headwinds are not favourable as we enter the key retailing months at the end of the year,” said GfK’s Joe Staton.
[2 minute read]


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After a strong performance in 2012, Nordstrom Inc. is prepared to spend big to ramp up Rack, enter Canada with both full-line and Rack outlets, accelerate its direct business and mobile operations and build a Manhattan flagship.
Over the next five years, the Seattle-based upscale chain will practically double its capital expenditures to $3.7 billion, compared to the $1.9 billion spent over the last five years.
This year, between $750 million and $790 million for capex has been allocated, principally due to Rack and full-line store growth, the Manhattan store development, and increasing e-commerce fulfillment capacity, versus the $455 million spent in 2012.
Nordstrom intends to double the Rack count to 230 units over the next four years, with 24 openings seen this year and more than 30 seen in
Though bullish on Rack and bringing brick and mortar to Manhattan and Canada, “Our fastest-growing channel is direct. We see substantial outsized growth to continue,” Blake Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Inc., said during a conference call Thursday.
That was just after the retailer unveiled a 20 percent increase in fourth quarter earnings to $284 million from $236 million a year earlier, and a 26 percent increase in earnings per diluted share of $1.40 for the quarter ended Feb. 2 compared to $1.11 for the same quarter last year.
Sales in the quarter were $3.6 billion, a 13.5 percent gain from sales of $3.2 billion in the year-ago period. Same-store sales increased 6.3 percent.
Top-performing categories last quarter were men’s apparel, cosmetics, kids’ apparel, and surprisingly, women’s apparel, which had been soft for several seasons. “We started to see improvement in women’s apparel,” Nordstrom said, adding that Top Shop last year was launched in 14 stores. Nordstrom has also been remerchandising its Savvy areas for the past two months, and completed the process about a week ago. Top Shop is connected to Savvy, and some brands, such as Joie and Marc by Marc Jacobs, were relocated to other parts of the women’s floor.
“It’s a dramatic change in the merchandise offering. The goal is to help attract customers we didn’t have an offering for before,” by keeping it fashion forward, making prices generally more accessible and adding offerings, Nordstrom said.
“We anticipate continued improvement in the women’s business in 2013 and expansion of Top Shop in stores,” Nordstrom said. Nordstrom also enhanced its Fashion Rewards program recently to simplify and juice up the benefits, which also helped women’s sales.
Last year, Nordstrom aggressively increased online merchandise, took a more customized approach to entice shoppers, improved the functionality of its digital platforms including search, navigation and checkout, added 360-degree videos on certain product pages, and provided early access online to the anniversary sale. The online merchandise selection expanded by more than 50 percent and attained virtual parity with the full-line store selection, Nordstrom said. Twenty percent of the company’s online volume came from mobile last year.
“Rack, direct and Canada will make up approximately half of our sales in next five years,” Nordstrom said.
During the conference call, some concerns among analysts about merchandise margins arose. Gross margin was 37.7 percent of sales, or flat against last year. Margins have been affected by the continued growth of Rack where merchandise margins are lower but where bottom-line margins are equal to or above Nordstrom full-line stores. Margins have also been impacted by the Fashion Rewards program, though the program generates increased sales and loyalty.
For the year, earnings per diluted share came to $3.56, up 13.4 percent compared to $3.14 for the year before. Net earnings rose 7.7 percent to $735 million from $683 million earned the year before.
Total sales reached $11.8 billion, a 12.1 percent gain compared to $10.5 billion in 2011. Same-store sales increased 7.3 percent.
Nordstrom forecasts a profit of $3.65 to $3.80 per share, same-store sales rising between 3 percent and 5.5 percent and total sales ahead 4.5 to 6.5 percent ahead.
“What he has done at Vuitton is really exceptional,” said @gameofthrones’ actress Gwendoline Christie on @mrkimjones’ final show for @louisvuitton. “He has rebooted luxury in terms of making it commercial, viable and contemporary. And most importantly artistic. He has never compromised his artistic vision for the sake of commodity.” (📷: @zefashioninsider)
After seeing a demand for men’s wear from its customers, British contemporary women’s wear label @ariesarise has added a men’s wear component and will launch a unisex collection with @mrporterlive. The 20-piece collection includes jackets, denim, logo T-shirts and more with deconstructed ‘90s vibes. Set to launch on January 18, you can shop the pieces on Aries’ website and on mrporter.com. #wwdfashion
“And so spending so much time with a character who thinks like that, inevitability you try and analyze yourself and go back and think about your own demons and dark chapters that you had in your life,” says @thedanielbruhl of his role in TNT’s “The Alienist.” The show, set in the Gilded Age of New York, also stars Dakota Fanning and Luke Evans. Head to WWD.com to read about how 39-year-old Brühl prepared for the role and why he thinks the show is so relevant to today #wwdeye ( 📷: @Eriktanner)
Now that Celine Dion’s collection has topped $10 million in sales, the pop superstar, fashion icon and newly-minted industry player is eyeing growth in Asia. Read the full report by @tiffanyap, link in bio. #wwdnews #celinedion
“My personal philosophy to beauty is paying attention to oneself. I love to be outdoors, lots of fresh air, trying to take care of yourself as best you can. I always notice that comes through,” says Felicity Jones, the global face of @shiseido-owned @cledepeaubeauteus, which launches today. Head to WWD.com to read more about the actress’ love for beauty and how she prepared for her new role in “The Basis of Sex,” playing the young Ruth Bader Ginsburg. #wwdbeauty (📷: @dandoperalski)
Among the familiar faces at @off____white’s show was a surprise figure: Japanese artist @takashipom, pictured here on Wednesday morning. Other show-goers included @jerrylorenzo, who spoke about his upcoming project: a @nike collaboration for back to school, with designs inspired by his childhood on the West Coast. Sitting in the front row were Future, Don Crawley, @miguel and more. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: Stephane Feugere)
According to @laurentsai, former “Terrace House: Aloha State” cast member, she didn’t know she was auditioning for the Japanese version of “Real World.” “I was telling a couple of my friends and someone’s like, ‘That sounds a lot like Terrace House.’ I was like, ’No it can’t be.’” Turns out, it was. But Tsai isn’t just a reality star — she’s an illustrator who has worked with Starbucks Japan and most recently, she’s dipping her toes into the fashion world. Head to WWD.com to read about her time on the show, modeling and her art. #wwdeye (📷: @danieldorsa)
More changes are coming to New York Fashion Week: Beginning with the spring 2019 collection, @alexanderwangny will move his New York show to June from September, adopting a biannual schedule with collections shown in June and December. Additionally, the @cfda is planning for an official summer/winter fashion season taking place as soon as June and December 2018. Read more about the upcoming changes on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @slovekinpics)


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Ha-Lo Industries Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit rose more than tenfold, to $242,000, or 6 cents a share, from a pro forma $21,000, or 1 cent a share, a year earlier. Niles-based Ha-Lo, a distributor of advertising products, said revenues grew to a record $14.4 million from $6.4 million.
Ha-Lo's profit for the year declined to $224,000, or 5 cents a share, from a pro forma $467,000, or 16 cents a share, in 1992. Sales increased to $35.7 million from $23.5 million. The company said its 1993 results included a non-recurring charge of $175,000 related to the write-off of a lease obligation.


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LAS VEGAS--The 2014 Consumer Electronic Show took an interesting turn this year. Typically CES is a glitzy, gadget-centric convention. And in some ways it still is: wearables and connected automobiles garnered significant attention. But this year the convention also became a venue for wireless operators to fuel their competitive juices and launch some new rate plans. Yep, that's right--rate plans.
In case you haven't noticed, the U.S. wireless operators are at war with each other. T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) set the stage for this battle a year ago when it unveiled its "Uncarrier" strategy and promised to revamp the way wireless operators traditionally do business.
If disruption was T-Mobile's goal, and it appears it was, then the company has succeeded. First T-Mobile riled up its competitors with its Simple Choice no contract plans, then it announced Jump, a program that allows customers to upgrade their wireless devices up to two times per year after an initial six-month enrollment period. Then last October it put an end to international data plans and it gave tablet customers 200 MB of free data for life as long as they keep their tablet on the company's network.
But the final straw that appears to be setting the industry in a full-tilt spin is yesterday's announcement by T-Mobile that it will pay up to $650 in early termination fees (ETFs) for customers that want to switch to T-Mobile from AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T), Sprint (NYSE:S) or Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ).
T-Mobile isn't really the first carrier to target ETFs; AT&T announced last week that it was going to offer up to $450 in credit to customers who switch from T-Mobile to AT&T and trade in their smartphones. However, AT&T executives have said this is only a temporary offer while T-Mobile insists its offer is permanent and intended to go after the lucrative family plan customers of AT&T and Verizon. Moreover, numerous carriers have routinely offered to pay EFTs during the past several years as competition has increased--but those offerings have been promotional and not permanent.
Sprint also used CES as a forum to announce its new "Framily Plan," a new calling circle offering launching tomorrow that promises greater savings for everyone in the group as more people join. In addition, Sprint announced "Easy Pay," an equipment installment plan.
In a research note, Jefferies analysts pointed out that Sprint's new plans largely mimic T-Mobile's existing Simple Choice and EIP plans, and are most likely a knee-jerk response to the fact that T-Mobile is taking customers away from Sprint at a rapid rate. At T-Mobile's media event at CES yesterday, T-Mobile CEO John Legere quoted porting ratio stats that seem to indicate that all carriers are taking a hit from T-Mobile. He said that Sprint's porting ratio, or the number of customers who are switching from Sprint to T-Mobile, has been above 2.0 percent ever since T-Mobile announced its new strategy in early 2013. He also said that AT&T's porting ratio is above 2.0 percent and hinted that Verizon's porting ratio may be climbing. He said it was 1.7 percent for the first seven days of 2014.
But Verizon appears to be the only U.S. operator staying on the sidelines of this price war. Sure the company did respond to T-Mobile's Jump with the launch of Edge, a handset upgrade program that lets customers upgrade to a new device every six months if 50 percent of the retail cost of the phone has been paid. Analysts, however, panned Verizon's program because Verizon doesn't take the cost of a device subsidy out of its rate plans. Thus, customers who sign up for Edge effectively pay the cost of the device twice--upfront and in the handset subsidy in the rate plan.
Will Verizon take T-Mobile's bait and start eliminating ETFs? Or International roaming fees? Or revise its rate plans? The operator, which has long touted its LTE coverage and capacity, has recently admitted to experiencing network issues due to higher-than-expected LTE data traffic. The company is in the midst of deploying LTE in its AWS spectrum to help alleviate that stress, but it will take time because Verizon needs to launch more handsets capable of operating on its AWS spectrum first.
For now, it's unlikely that Verizon will enter the price battle. However, if T-Mobile's latest ETF elimination strategy starts to make inroads with Verizon's customers, the operator will surely have to respond. The wireless pricing wars are escalating, but I have a feeling we are in for a long and treacherous battle ahead. --Sue


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"We are incredibly proud to have built the MINI Clubman at Plants Oxford and Swindon over the last 18 years for customers all over the world,” said the factories' CEO, Markus Gruneisl. "With its departure, we look ahead to welcoming members of the new MINI family to our Oxford and Swindon lines, including a new convertible model, which we will start to produce at the end of this year."
Over 1.1 million copies of the Clubman saw the light of day since its introduction, with the assembly split between the Oxford and Swindon facilities. The model was exported to more than 50 countries all over the world, including the United States, where it is still listed for grabs accompanied by a $34,050 MSRP. In the JCW (John Cooper Works) spec, it takes as little as 4.6 seconds to hit 60 mph (97 kph), 2.3 seconds faster than the lesser models that use a 189-horsepower 2.0L four-pot, and has 301-horsepower on tap.
The second generation stayed in production between 2015 and 2024, succeeding the first one that came to life from 2007 to 2014. The first use of the moniker dates back to the 1960s. The original came in two body styles, a two-door sedan, and a two-door estate, measuring a little over three meters long. Assembly took place at the company's factories in England, Portugal, and New Zealand.
Following the demise of the Clubman, the new Countryman will serve as its successor alongside the upcoming Aceman. The latter will be an EV with a 54.2 kWh battery pack, which is identical to the one used in the 2025 Cooper SE JCW. The hatch enjoys 215 hp (218 ps/160 kW) and 243 pound-feet (330 Nm) of torque from its single electric motor. It takes 6.7 seconds to 62 mph (100 kph) and has a 250-mile (402 km) WLTP-rated range. There is no word yet on the Aceman's specs, as MINI is keeping them close to its chest until the grand unveiling later this year.


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If you’re confused about why Gigi Hadid is in Kanye West‘s comment section, calling him “a bully and a joke,” here are all the details you need to know. Kanye West recently held his Yeezy Season 9 fashion show in Paris, which was quite controversial. The rapper included pieces sporting a “White Live Matter” statement, generating immediate backlash on social media.
Fashion editor Gabriella-Karefa Johnson then criticized West and the line in several Instagram posts. The rapper responded by making several posts mocking her and critiquing her fashion choices. Supermodel Gigi Hadid, who’s close to Karefa-Johnson, responded by commenting on the posts.
However, Karefa-Johnson is among many fans and celebrities who criticized West and his choices for the new Yeezy collection on social media. Actor and rapper Jaden Smith and rapper Boosie were among many whose tweets on the issue went viral.
Read on to find out more.
It All Started With Fashion Editor, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson Critiquing Kanye West
West held his Yeezy Season 9 fashion show on October 3rd and allowed a live stream of the event. Several controversial pieces in the new line immediately generated backlash on social media. One of the critics was Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, a contributing editor at Vogue, and she made her displeasure with the line very clear on Instagram.
Karefa-Johnson posted a video of a Black model from the Yeezy show walking the runway in a shirt with a “White Lives Matter” print. West had shown up to the event wearing a shirt with the WLM print. Karefa-Johnson called the design “indefensible behaviour” and wrote in a message she shared to her story where she tried to understand the situation; “I guess I get what he tried to do — he thought it was duchampian. It wasn’t.”
Her initial attempt at rationalizing West’s controversial runway led her to state firmly where she stood on the matter. She wrote, “It’s become quite clear that some people think my previous post containing my working evolving thoughts on Kanye’s show, was some sort of distorted justification for the incredibly irresponsible and dangerous act of sending “W*** Lives Matter” T-shirts down a runway.”
Karefa-Johnson stated that she was not in anyway justifying the rappers runway, adding that, “the tshirts this man conceived, produced, and shared with the world are pure violence. There is no excuse, there is no art here.”
She concluded, “As we all work through the trauma of this moment, especially those of us who suffered in that room, let’s have some grace for one another.”
Kanye West Responded By Attacking Her On Instagram
Shortly after Karefa-Johnson’s posts, West responded by posting photos of her on his Instagram page and criticizing her fashion choices in the captions. One post included a full photo of Karefa-Johnson smiling and wearing a long brown trench coat, a blue handbag, and lace-up boots.” West captioned the post, “This is not a fashion person.”
He also wrote, “You speak on Ye Ima speak on you, ask Trevor Noah,” referencing his conflict with Noah earlier this year. The “Praise God” rapper then posted a cropped section of the same photo, focusing on Karefa-Johnson shoes. He captioned the post, “I KNOOOOOOW ANNA HAAAATES THESE BOOTS.
Gigi Hadid Slammed ‘Bully’ Kanye West For Attacking The Fashion Editor
Hadid quickly came to Karefa-Johnson’s defense in the comment section of West’s posts. The supermodel is close friends with the former Garage Magazine editor and has collaborated with her severally.
She commented, “You have no idea haha…. If there’s actually a point to any of your sh*t. She might be the only person that could save u. As if the ‘honor’ of being invited to your show should keep someone from giving their opinion? Lol. You’re a bully and a joke.”
Hadid later took to her Instagram story to criticize West further and condemn his treatment of Karefa-Johnson. She wrote, “[Karefa-Johnson is] one of the most important voices in our industry. And could school that disgraceful man in more ways than he knows.”
Fans And Celebs Have Also Criticized The ‘White Lives Matter’ Line
Karefa-Johnson was just one of many fans and celebrities who criticized West for the line. It quickly became a viral topic on Twitter and TikTok, with many people expressing disappointment in the “Good Morning” rapper for the “White Lives Matter” design and pieces.
Black Lives Matter
— Jaden (@jaden) October 3, 2022
Actor and rapper Jaden Smith tweeted, “Black Lives Matter” and “True Leaders Lead.” Rapper Boosie tagged West and tweeted, “After all we been through as a race, you put this disrespectful shit on!! U gives no fucks about how blacks have died n suffered to the hands of the white man, n u say Bush don’t like black people.. Really, “N*gga.””
Another viral tweet criticizing West included a photo of a model wearing the WLM shirt. It read, “Kanye west making Black models wear “white lives matter” shirts is a culmination of his anti blackness and his immersion in white supremacy ideologies and methods. Disgusting.”


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Amazon is fighting Walmart for business by making its Prime membership program more affordable for customers on government assistance programs, including food stamps. Walmart has long been known as one of the largest chain of discount department stores in the U.S., but Amazon is also determined now to go after the same low-income customers.
According to Amazon, about 20 percent of the United States’ population are people who obtain government assistance with food stamps. By dropping their Prime membership fee to $5.99 a month, low-income customers get access to unlimited two-day shipping at a membership cost far less than for other customers.
Cashing in on low income customers
Amazon’s new programs such as AmazonFresh are aimed at low-income customers. About 44 million recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as SNAP or food stamps) represent a huge potential customer base for Amazon. The company has expanded its Prime membership program to more than a dozen countries internationally. They also continue to add more perks to their programs to make it easier for low-income customers to shop.
Soon to accept food stamps online
When the food stamp program began back in the 1930’s, they were actual physical coupons that had to be turned in with every purchase. But today recipients are given an electronic debit card. This means that after getting approval from the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, the “food stamps” can easily be used for online purchases.
Soon, Amazon may be able to accept online food stamp grocery purchases, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture two-year pilot program that is planning to launch. But, Walmart is also included in the pilot program.
This should help in those “food deserts” – parts of the country, usually impoverished areas, lacking of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.
This has become a big problem because while food deserts are often short on whole food providers, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, instead, they are heavy on local quickie marts that provide a wealth of processed, sugar, and fat laden foods that are known contributors to our nation’s obesity epidemic. The food desert problem has in fact become such an issue that the USDA has outlined a map of our nation’s food deserts.
Amazon.com Inc.’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc. should help speed along the adoption of online grocery, an area that has been slow to catch on with consumers, experts say.
For more details about AmazonFresh, visit www.amazon.com/AmazonFresh/


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Emerging countries is witnessing a sharp 10% growth
Post millennium year there was a talk that the air-conditioning (A/C) industry around the globe is coming to a rest as sales were estimated to go down and the trends looked extremely grave for the manufacturing companies. However, the growing economies came up as saviors for the sector as developing countries increased their demands for cooling solutions. This trend happened mainly due to the fast growing real estate industries in these regions.
Growth in both residential and commercial real values bought in an upward curve for the air conditioning sector. Major A/C manufacturing companies have started concentrating in emerging countries where the infrastructure is finally got a kick.
The growing interest in air-conditioning products among the middle class (middle-income groups) population around the world is a big encouraging factor. Going by the improving lifestyles and the increase in demands for cooling solutions in both domestic and industrial usage is sure to accelerate the expansion of the air-conditioning industry. All kinds of air-conditioners like portable, spilt, single packaged, chillers and window units are in demand as per the requirements of the customers. All companies are keeping all these types of cooling systems in production through some are produced in limited numbers as per their limited demands.
Segmentations of the Air-Conditioning Industry:
The industry runs in a 3way category which is residential, commercial and industrial. The commercial segment has many sub-segments like hotels, construction and tourism, travel air-conditioning etc. out of these categories the residential niche is noted to be the largest growing category with a CAGR of 10.7% for the years from 2012 to 2018. The spilt air-conditioning variant is witnessed to be the largest in use type of air-conditioning unit as it is present in maximum locations irrespective of commercial or domestic usage.
Global Markets-What are the Market Research Results?
Talking about the global markets, the air-conditioning industry is segmented into four geographic sectors which are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and ROW (Rest of World). Demand wise-the Asian region was the largest part of the globe which had a strong demand for air-conditioners by the year 2012. It held around 35% of the global market demand which is expected to grow even more in the next few years. The Indian transportation air-conditioning markets is a massive potential industry for the air-condition manufacturers as all the modes are planning to go chilled in the upcoming years.
Energy Consumption and Environment Friendly Products:
Though the growth of global air-conditioning industry is taken for granted in the developed countries, its business in the emerging nations is its real savior. Moreover, the demand for more environment friendly units have crept up in the past few years as the awareness with regards to environment has risen up. Similarly, the energy saving models are the buzz in the current industry as the inverter type air-conditioning units are high in demand as they cut-down energy consumption by 30%. The heat pump heaters are also in solid demand as they reduce the CO2 emission by a good 60% as compared to the fossil burning heaters which use oil and gas.


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Three of China's Richest Entrepreneurs Back $1 Billion New-Energy Fund
(Beijing) — Three Chinese billionaires were among 21 global business leaders to launch a $1 billion fund in support of clean-energy development this week, representing a new generation of philanthropy from China's newly wealthy.
Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, and Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi, founders of the Soho real estate empire, contributed to the Breakthrough Energy Ventures Fund, which is led by Microsoft Corp. co-founder and major philanthropist Bill Gates.
Other investors included Michael Bloomberg, founder of financial news and information provider Bloomberg LLP; Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos; LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman; Netflix CEO Reid Hastings; and Masayoshi Son, chairman of Japan's SoftBank Group Corp.
Money from the fund will be used to support "scientific breakthroughs that have the potential to deliver cheap and reliable clean energy to the world," Gates said on his blog, gatesnotes.com.
The fund's formation marks the first major step by the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, which was established by the elite group a year ago during the United Nations' COP21 climate change summit in Paris. It will have a lifetime of 20 years, with a focus on electricity generation and storage, transportation, industrial system use, agriculture and energy-system efficiency, according to a statement from the fund.
Energy is among the sectors that give the worst return on investment, according to a list compiled by information provider CSIMarket.
"When it comes to energy, people say you cannot make money, meet demand and also benefit the environment," Ma said. "But we can, and we will."
Ma, Zhang and Pan are among a group of newly rich Chinese who are trying to use some of their wealth for philanthropy. The three have a combined fortune of $33 billion, according to the Hurun Rich List 2016.
Ma joined the environmental protection organization The Nature Conservancy as the first Chinese board member in 2010. He joined with Pony Ma, founder of technology firm Tencent Holdings Ltd., last year to lead 45 Chinese businessmen to launch The Paradise International Foundation to promote water and air protection.
Also this week, billionaire Chen Tianqiao, founder of online gaming and investment conglomerate Shanda Group, and his wife, Chrissy Luo, launched a $1 billion fund to support the study of neuroscience. They announced that their first donation, $115 million, will go to the California Institute of Technology.
Contact reporter Coco Feng (email@example.com)
- MOST POPULAR


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The News Junkie's 5th Annual Christmas Bike Drive is Friday, December 8th from 11a-3p at Ace Cafe Orlando.
Drop off a new bike and help up collect 104 bikes for deserving kids in our community! The bikes will be donated to Hope Helps, a local charity helping families in our community.
Thanks to Cento Moving for delivering our bikes to Hope Helps!
Can't make it to the broadcast, you can also drop off a bike to Nations Trucks in Sanford for the News Junkie Bike Drive!
Thanks to our sponsors:
Visit them online at acecafeusa.com
Start Driving the Truck You Deserve
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Sales tax revenue
Massachusetts is joining a growing list of states that will be able to tap into a significant new source of revenue.
Recently, it was announced that online giant Amazon.com had reached a deal to begin collecting the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax when customers here buy things through its website.
As with other states that have worked out such deals, it’s seen as providing the so-called “brick-and-mortar” retail businesses in the state with equal footing regarding competition. Since Amazon had not been collecting the state sale’s tax, local businesses across Massachusetts had seen themselves as being at an automatic disadvantage.
“It’s a very big win for Main Street, said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers of Association of Massachusetts. “Small merchants will compete price-wise and service-wise. What they cannot accept is a government-imposed advantage.”
It’s not just the local businesses that come out a winner here. The company, which has an office in Cambridge and acquired Massachusetts-based Kiva Systems Inc., a robotics company, earlier this year, is planning to enlarge its presence in the commonwealth, with a plan to add “... hundreds of high-tech jobs.”
This also means more tax revenue to the state, where the sales tax is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars on an annual basis.
“It’s not going to solve all of our revenue challenges but it certainly will help,” said state Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez. “It will help mitigate the erosion of our sales tax base.
Of course there remain other online companies that still don’t charge sales tax. One of the things that Amazon wants the state’s help with is changing the sales tax issue on a national level.
“Federal legislation is the only way to level the playing field for all sellers, the only way for states to obtain more than a fraction of the sales tax revenue that is already owed, and the only way to fully protect states’ rights,” Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global public policy, said in a statement.
That’s probably still a ways off.
Meanwhile, it’s up to those stores that compete with Amazon to bring their “A game” to the table, because Amazon and online shopping aren’t about to fade away.


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Getting to know cryptocurrency
Koror—Palau While Guam, CNMI and the Republic of the Marshall Islands have embraced cryptocurrency, Palau is cautious about welcoming it with open arms and for good reason. What could be a promising technology has been tainted by a suspicious company which offers to combine online gambling and cryptocurrency, with the island nation as the launching pad for this purported industry. It also claims to have a plan to build a brick-and-mortar casino in Palau. Casino is illegal in Palau. However, there is no law in Palau that deals with online gambling, leaving a loophole that may allow virtual casino operation.
Online publications dedicated to cryptocurrency published several articles regarding the supposed casino project in Palau planned by a certain RA Entertainment Inc. In a white paper published on its website, RA Entertainment discussed a comprehensive plan to build “Palau World, a deluxe casino and hotel resort that will soon open on Ngerekebesang Hamlet.” It is touted as “a massive complex that will rival that of Macau,” the gambling capital in Asia, and will offer Palau visitors of Palau “superior benefits during their stay” via “RAcoin.” The article claimed the casino and hotel would open in late 2018 or early 2019.
Palau officials dismissed the company’s claims as a scam. Finance Minister Elbuchel Sadang said that due to the absence of a regulatory law, Palau is not ready to embrace RAcoin, or any form of cryptocurrency or gambling.
Casino remains illegal in Palau, where voters have twice rejected casino gambling in the country. Sadang said although it might be true that the company has purchased a piece of land in Palau, he doubts that RA Entertainment will build a casino.
Sadang said he is aware that as early as April, RA Entertainment has been building hype about launching such a project in Palau.
In May, RA Entertainment sent a representative to Palau to meet with Sadang and in the following days, the company issued a press release claiming Palau was looking into collaborating with the company involving blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency industry. The press release was accompanied by a photo showing Sadang shaking hands with Yuliya Chashchina, director of International Affairs and a representative of RA Entertainment Inc. in Palau. The press release claimed that Palau was “willing to deliver full support to the RA Entertainment Inc.”
“I have asked RAcoin Entertainment to delete or correct their statement as Palau is not ready to entertain such business without legislation in place,” Sadang said in an email response to an article published online.
Sadang said Palau is still jittery about the cryptocurrency industry and the lack of education about the technology. “We don’t know what it is all about and what benefits it will bring. Plus we don’t have law and enforcement in place for it,” Sadang said.
The RA Entertainment article stated, “Palau reckons that blockchain technology and fintech can greatly contribute to the economic development of the country.”
Sadang, however, did not discount the possibility of embracing cryptocurrency but said the specific proposal from RA Entertainment is not something Palau is keen on supporting.
While Palau government remains generally ambivalent, the House of Delegates is not closing its doors on cryptocurrency. In this month’s session, the House is set to entertain a piece of legislation on cryptocurrency regulation, Speaker Sabino Anastacio said .
The growth of virtual currency market, Anastacio said, prompted lawmakers to consider discussing how Palau would treat cryptocurrency.


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Here's our fashion report card for 2014
The good news is that neither Aishwarya Rai Bachchan nor Mallika Sherawat made it to this list. The bad news is that many formerly well-dressed celebrities did.
The world watched Bollywood's A-list couple Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan as they hosted amfAR's 21st Cinema Against AIDS gala at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.
Yash Raj Films too presented its entire slate of films for international sales and distribution.


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Taxing sugary drinks
Sir – The Irish soft drinks industry welcomes Irish Heart’s statement in these pages that a sugar-sweetened drinks tax would not, by itself, solve the obesity crisis (September 4th). The Irish Beverage Council joins them in calling for a holistic approach to tackle obesity. We will continue to invest in innovation; reducing sugar content while increasing our no-sugar and low-sugar offerings.
The facts are clear. There is less sugar in soft drinks and fewer children are drinking sugar-sweetened drinks daily. A health impact assessment of the tax, commissioned by the Department of Health, found that adults who do not regularly consume sugar-sweetened drinks are just as likely to be overweight, and more likely to be obese, than regular consumers of sugar-sweetened drinks. The same report also found that evidence linking sugar-sweetened drink consumption with weight gain is not conclusive. In Mexico, France, Denmark and Hungary where similar taxes were introduced, obesity rates have increased.
Pursuing a tax on health grounds is a way of looking tough on obesity, without actually tacking obesity.
The idea that a tax should be introduced simply because a lobby group calls for it, despite a lack of supportive evidence, must be challenged.
There is no conclusive evidence that tax reduces obesity. It is simply not fair to increase the cost of everyone’s weekly shop as a first step, in the hope that a range of future “multifaceted interventions” might make it work. – Yours, etc,
Irish Beverage Council,
Baggot Street, Dublin 2.