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Washington: Just after the release of Windows phone Nokia Lumai 625, American giant Motorola gear up to launch co-created Moto X in August.
The Moto X is the first device Motorola and Google have worked on together since Google acquired Motorola in 2012.
New images of what are believed to be final press shots of the smartphone have leaked, with views of the front, back, and sides of the smartphone.
The smartphone has been making rounds in the last couple of weeks with leaked images, a video demonstrating its ability to be “contextually aware”, as well as rumors of an affordable off-contract price tag. What seem to be the final press images of the Moto X have now appeared.
The images were posted by the very reliable @evleaks. The photos show the Moto X up close and we also get to see the smartphone’s customizable back case and the sides of the smartphone. The new images shows a white and black Moto X, both with a textured back case. This appears to show how the smartphone will be customizable through the use of different color, texture, and designed back cases. We’ve seen images previously showing a smooth back case.
The new images also show a side shot of the Moto X, showing its power button and volume rocker located on the right side, while also giving an idea of how thin the smartphone will be.
The Moto X is expected to feature a 4.7-inch 720p display, including 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, 2GB of RAM, a 10.5-megapixel rear camera, 2.1-megpixel front facing camera.
The device will be running on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, be powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, include Dual 4G LTE radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microSD expansion slot with support for up to 64GB microSD cards, and a removable 2,200 mAh battery. The Moto X is expected to be available on all four major carriers in the U.S. when it launches.
While numerous leaks and rumors painted quite a clear picture of what to expect, nothing is for certain until Motorola makes its official announcement. With Aug. 1 just around the corner, all specs and details will soon be unveiled.


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His designs have been paraded down the red carpet by the likes of Aishwarya Rai and Jennifer Lopez, but soon the work of Michael Cinco will be displayed somewhere for a little longer than one night only.
The Filipino designer, who is based in Dubai, is the subject of an upcoming exhibition at Savannah College of Art and Design's SCAD Museum of Art.
The museum, located in Savannah, US, is giving fans a chance to get a closer look at the couturier's intricate and elaborate work, which has also decorated Hollywood A-listers such as Beyonce, Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
Scroll through the gallery above to see a selection of celebrities wearing Michael Cinco.
The exhibition, which marks Cinco's first solo museum show, will take place between Thursday, October 3 and Sunday, January 5, 2020, and will bring some of the designer's most recognisable work from the UAE to the States.
"They want to exhibit the dresses worn by celebrities," Cinco told The National, adding that his team was busy getting gowns ready for the show. "I never dreamed my clothes would be in a museum, but I'm glad and I'm so lucky."
Among those bound for SCAD is the voluminous, fairytale-worthy number worn by Devdas star Rai to the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, a captivating number that saw the Bollywood actress dubbed a modern-day Cinderella.
Another gown worn by Rai at Cannes a year on, a crystal-encrusted sheath finished with a statement train designed to resemble a butterfly's wings, is also expected to feature among the pieces on display.
"This exhibition ... explores [Cinco's] unique global perspective, evident in his use of French couture techniques alongside traditional Filipino textiles and embroidery methods," a statement from SCAD detailed.
Designers previously showcased by the museum include British punk favourite Vivienne Westwood, Venezuelan-born Carolina Herrera and China's Guo Pei.
Cinco, who founded his eponymous label in Dubai in 2003, after moving to the UAE from the Philippines, has also dressed stars on screen, such as Mila Kunis in 2015's Jupiter Ascending and Kris Aquino in 2018's Crazy Rich Asians.
The SCAD exhibition is not his only showcase taking place this autumn, as the designer has also collaborated with Ballet Philippines on a couture collection to celebrate the dance company's 50th anniversary this September.
Cinco has designed a number of gowns inspired by Swan Lake, as well as a collection of costumes to be worn by dancers during a gala performance of the ballet.

domain: news


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An iconic brand of luxury known for their signature golden pearl will now be carrying the country’s South Sea Pearl in their collection. Opening their store in the premier shopping destination of Rustan’s Silver Vault Makati last September 27, Jewelmer Joaillerie offers the timeless elegance of beautiful jewelry for their upscale clientele.
The partnership with Rustan is solidified by the shared mutual dedication of providing the finer things in life.
Jewelmer EVP and Deputy CEO Jacques Christophe Branellec with Fashion Designer Mia Arcenas-Branellec
Jewelmer EVP and Deputy CEO Jacques Christophe Branellec, Jewelmer brand manager Marion Branellec, and Rustan Commercial Corporations’ Vice President for Store Development and Expansions Michael Huang
Iwase Taeko, Jewelmer EVP and Deputy CEO Jacques Christophe Branellec, and Keiko Kawazu
Jewelmer SVP Abellardo Mondonedo, Jewelmer SVP and creative director Gaelle Branellec, Jewelmer group president and CEO Jacques Branellec, Rustan’s board member Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez, Jewelmer group chairman Manuel Cojuangco, Town and Country Editor-in-Chief Yvette Fernandez, and Rustan Commercial Corporations’ Vice President for Store Development and Expansions Michael Huang
Konomi Fukushima, Keiko Kawazu, Iwase Taeko, and Hiroko Otsuka


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If you were holding off buying a Tesla Model S Plaid until the first reviews came out, that decision will cost you as the company has raised prices ahead of today’s delivery event.
The high-performance model was listed for $119,990 earlier this week, but the price has now been increased to $129,900. That’s a $10,000 jump, which equates to an 8.2% increase.
There’s no explanation for the price increase, but it’s worth noting the vehicle is still cheaper than the Model S Plaid+ which was originally slated to start at $149,990. However, as we reported earlier this week, the Model S Plaid+ was cancelled at the last minute as Elon Musk declared there was “no need” for the variant as the standard Plaid “is just so good.”
As a refresher, the Model S Plaid has a tri-motor all-wheel drive powertrain which enables it to be the “quickest accelerating car in production today.” Tesla claims the 1,020 hp (761 kW / 1034 PS) EV can accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 1.99 seconds, run the quarter mile in 9.23 seconds at 155 mph (250 km/h) and hit a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h). The car also has an estimated range of 390 miles (628 km/h), although the optional 21-inch wheels reduce that distance to approximately 350 miles (563 km).
Tesla will be hosting a delivery event tonight at 7 pm Pacific from their Fremont factory. The company hasn’t said much about the event, but it will be livestreamed and Tesla will presumably use the launch to renew interest in the aging Model S. The latter is important as the car is facing an onslaught of new competitors including the Audi E-Tron GT, Porsche Taycan and Mercedes EQS.
Model S Plaid delivery event at our Fremont factory will be streamed live on June 10, 7pm Pacific pic.twitter.com/V7c77ySFti
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 7, 2021
Article Source and Credit carscoops.com https://www.carscoops.com/2021/06/tesla-jacks-up-price-of-model-s-plaid-ahead-of-first-deliveries-tonight/ Buy Tickets for every event – Sports, Concerts, Festivals and more buytickets.com


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Some of our criminal investigators face the challenge of identifying online pedophiles who hide their crimes and identities behind layers of anonymizing technologies, or drug traffickers who use virtual currencies to obscure their transactions.The IRS may be able to audit a VC exchange the merchant uses, but if the merchant is using a personal VC account or using multiple exchanges the IRS may not be able to track these transactions.Get the latest price charts, statistics and our news feed on your site.Virtual Ticket to Prison. in the digital currency and payment network known as bitcoin. trading in virtual currencies like bitcoin is perfectly.
Bitcoin: the virtual currency built on math, hope, andA leaked document from the FBI shows concern that cyber criminals treat Bitcoin as just another payment option alongside established virtual currencies. With no.
The price of a bitcoin, a virtual currency for use online, fell steeply after the arrest of.
Jamie Redman Jamie Redman is a financial tech journalist living in Florida.Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page.Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. (June 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ).Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI report from April 2012 examined the from.
What is Bitcoin, what is its price in pound sterling and
Virtually Unregulated - KPMGThe FBI currently is the biggest Bitcoin holder that has a known.A website, accepting Bitcoin and other VCs, called predictious.com lists trades such as trying to call who will be elected, whether a celebrity will have a boy or girl child, or who will be the winner of a science competition.A Bitcoin (virtual currency) coin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017.
Bitcoin: The Rise of Virtual Currency: Year In Review 2013: The possibility of a globally recognized virtual or digital currency. when the FBI announced.Many bitcoin and virtual currency. of the SEC and FBI—demonstrate.Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Peercoin, just to name a few, are popular types of virtual currencies,.United States, 389 U.S. 347, 360, 88 S. Ct. 507, 516, 19 L. Ed. 2d 576 (1967).Last week, Betabeat received an email from an anonymous source claiming to have leaked an internal FBI report about the virtual currency Bitcoin.
Law enforcement cracking Bitcoin black markets | tbo.comOn August 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a consumer advisory to warn consumers of the risk of VCs.Wilson, who used to work at the FBI, where he set up a taskforce to investigate the use of virtual currencies,.Alongside this, technologies such as cryptocurrencies are being used to anonymize financial transactions tied to illicit activity.History of Bitcoin: The journey of a virtual currency 0. FBI agents arrested a 29-year-old man named Ross Ulbricht,.
The FBI assesses With high confidence, on reliable Industry and.
Selected 2013/2014 ‘Virtual Currency’ related eventsMcCabe has taken the place of former FBI director James Comey who was let go by President Donald Trump.
Developments in Virtual Currency: Regulation andBitcoin, launched in 2009, was the first decentralized convertible virtual currency and the first cryptocurrency.Chinese regulators have said they will halt exchange trading in the virtual currency.
This Internet growth is characterized by a consumer demand for a decentralized Internet experience that is not limited or dependent on traditional institutions and governments.Recent Key Bitcoin and Virtual Currency Regulatory and Law Enforcement.A division within the Department of Defense is investigating whether the digital currency bitcoin is a possible terrorist threat.Quite a bit of the funding will go towards fighting cyber crime and battling technologies that provide anonymity.


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Vodafone has launched its UK third-generation (3G) services for mobile phones, offering video calls, music downloads and games.
The 3G technology enables users to download data at a faster rate than before, offering better quality sound, pictures and video.
Until now, 3, owned by Hutchison, has been the only UK telecoms firm offering 3G services to mobile phones.
Orange and T-Mobile are set to launch their UK 3G services before Christmas.
However, 3G services will not be available everywhere – with all networks covering just parts of the country, mainly large population centres and key industrial areas.
In areas without 3G coverage, the phones will be using the operators’ network for GPRS phones, also known as 2.5G.
Vodafone is launching its 3G services in 13 countries and is aiming to attract 10 million 3G customers by March 2006.
The success of 3G services is seen as crucial to the company, which has spent Â£14.7bn ($27.3bn) around the world – Â£6bn in the UK – on 3G licences.
Rival 3, which launched its 3G services more than a year ago, says that it has managed to sign up 1.2 million UK subscribers.
Orange is expected to launch its 3G service in December, and claims that its network currently has the UK’s widest coverage of 3G services.
One device fits all
In April this year, Vodafone began selling 3G datacards in the UK that allowed internet connections to laptops at seven times the speed of fixed-line services.
Then in May, the company started its roll out of mobile 3G services by launching operations in Portugal and Germany.
Vodafone chief executive Arun Sarin said the company’s full 3G launch was “the start of a new era in mobile communications”.
“Customers want communication, organisation, entertainment and information on the move and they will increasingly turn to one device to deliver these needs – their mobile phone,” he added.
Vodafone’s 3G phones will enable users to make video calls, send and receive video clips, download full-length music tracks and watch Premiership and UEFA Champion’s League football highlights.
A range of 10 new 3G handsets is being launched – six in the UK – including what Vodafone says is Europe’s first two-mega-pixel camera phone, the Sharp 902.
No overnight success
Vodafone is launching two price packages for its 3G services. The Â£40-a-month package includes 500 minutes of voice calls, 100 text messages and 50 minutes of video calls.
Sending pre-recorded video messages will cost 60p per message, and the package also includes Premiership football highlights, breaking news and film trailers.
The Â£60-a-month bundle includes the same features but includes 1,000 minutes of voice calls.
Vodafone is also offering a pay-as-you-go service.
However, whether people will be prepared to pay more for the 3G services is not certain, experts said.
“The real question is whether it generates a lot more business for Vodafone,” Mark Newman, chief research officer at Informa Telecoms and Media, told BBC Radio Five Live.
“I think it’s questionable whether people are going to spend more money for 3G phones.”
While the 3 network has managed to attract more than a million customers, Mr Newman said this was “not because they’ve been offering more services but because they’re offering cut price phone calls”.
And he said it would take a long time before the mobile phone changed from being an ordinary communications tool into a multi-media centre.
“I think this will happen but it’s going to take 10 to 20 years rather than the overnight success that people were hoping for,” he said.


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‘Handbook For Mortals’ Removed From ‘New York Times’ YA Best-Seller List
The young-adult novel Handbook for Mortals by Lani Sarem has been pulled from New York Times best-seller list after a brief stay at the top. The novel’s removal from the Times’ young adult hardcover list for Sept. 3 came after some investigative work from Book Twitter, the part of Twitter where publishers, authors, readers and journalists discuss the industry and its literature.
YA author Phil Stamper was one of the first to notice that the newcomer to the best-seller list, Handbook for Mortals, knocked out Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give. Thomas’ novel, about a young black girl whose friend is killed by the police, has occupied a spot on the list for 25 weeks. When the top spot was snatched away by a relatively unknown novel, suspicions were sparked throughout Book Twitter.
Stamper pointed out that the placement would mean a book that’s out of stock on Amazon had somehow sold about 5,000 copies in its first week (the number of copies, agreed by authors, a book needs to sell to crack the list). On top of that unlikely statistic, Handbook for Mortals was the debut novel from both its author and its publisher, GeekNation.
After some investigating, it became apparent that Sarem’s novel benefited from “bulk sales,” where hundreds or thousands of copies are ordered by a single buyer.
Communications Director for the Times, Jordan Cohen, issued a statement on the topic. “After investigating the inconsistencies in the most recent reporting cycle, we decided that the sales for Handbook for Mortals did not meet our criteria for inclusion,” Cohen said. “We’ve issued an updated ‘Young Adult Hardcover’ list for September 3, 2017, which does not include that title”.
The novel’s sudden and explosive popularity seems highly suspect. As of Friday afternoon, Handbook for Mortals ranked No. 34,765 on Amazon, but recorded enough sales at independent stores to reach No. 2 on the American Booksellers Association’s young adult list. Dan Cullen, spokesman of the ABA, said that the association was reviewing the book’s rankings.
With the help of Book Twitter’s sleuthing, the New York Times has released a revised list that excluded Handbook for Mortals and brought The Hate U Give back to its rightful place at the top.
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Coffee prices have been rising strongly for many months. Currently, the price of raw coffee has increased by more than 70% compared to the beginning of the year and 50% compared to the same period last year.
Recently, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the information “EL Nino has appeared”, causing many coffee regions around the world to worry about crop failure this year. This made coffee prices in exchanges in London and New York continuously increase. In Vietnam, the price of this item has also escalated over the past months.
In the Central Highlands provinces, last week, coffee prices increased by 3,000-5,000 VND per kg compared to the previous week. Currently, the price of raw coffee in the domestic market has surpassed 67,000 VND per kg, the highest level ever. In Dak Nong, the coffee price is 67,200 VND per kg, while in Lam Dong and Kon Tum, the price is about 64,000-65,000 VND.
Coffee harvest in Kon Tum province.
Data from the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (VICOFA) showed that the price of raw coffee in June increased by more than 70% compared to Jan and 50% compared to the same period last year.
On the world market, Robusta coffee prices delivered in July on the New York floor reached a record 2,728 USD (equivalent to more than 64 million VND) per ton on June 10. It was up by 46% against the beginning of this year and reached the highest level ever. In the past three days, global coffee prices have been down but not significantly.
Mr. Nguyen Van Liem – a local business specializing in purchasing coffee in Lam Dong, said that at this time, coffee in the Central Highlands provinces has not entered the harvest, so the amount of coffee sold to the market is scarce. The inventory from last year is not much.
“The coffee harvest in the 2022-2023 crop will take place from Oct to Dec, but according to surveys of households, this year’s output will decline by 20-50% (depending on households),” Mr. Liem said.
Owning a ha of coffee in Kon Tum, Mrs. Hai said the output this year at her garden may decrease by 20% over the same period due to the prolonged heat causing poor flowering and bearing rates.
“Last year, the output from a ha of my coffee was 23 tons (about 5.5 tons of kernel), now only about 18 tons. Since the cost increased, the profit is not significant,” Mrs. Hai said.
According to VICOFA, the output in crop 2022-2023 is forecast to decrease by 10-15% compared to the previous season, to about 1.47 million tons.
The main cause comes from the decline in coffee as farmers switch to other more effective crops such as durian, avocado, or intercropping. Besides, the impact of weather has caused coffee production to decrease strongly.
The report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also showed that in the first 05 months, coffee exports reached 882,000 tons and more than 02 billion USD. The figure was down 2.2% in volume but up 0.2% in value over the same period in 2022.
On the international market, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts that global coffee exports will decrease by 03 million bags in the 2022-2023 crop, to more than 116 million bags (60 kg bags). Meanwhile, the International Coffee Organization (ICO) kept its forecast at over 167 million bags, which is down only 2.1% from the previous one.
Coffee prices rise to a record high.
Coffee producers and processors said they are struggling with the pressure of increasing input prices. Mr. Nguyen Duc Hung, Founder of Napoli Coffee, said the purchasing power of roasted and ready-made coffee products is decreasing due to the impact of the economic downturn. His business must cut all costs to balance the price of products sold to the market. However, with the current high price of raw materials, businesses are facing many challenges.
“We do not know how to make the input less increase and the output less fluctuate. With this situation, it is unlikely to keep product prices from going up, ” Mr. Hung said.
Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Lam Van Hanh, owner of a roasted coffee factory in Dak Lak, said he is trying to keep prices stable this month. In July, if the price of raw coffee continues to go up at a record high, he will have to discuss with his partners, then decide to produce for orders.
Businesses are worried about crop failure. EL Nino may cause coffee speculation to happen again. Therefore, businesses asked relevant Ministries to have timely solutions for the coffee industry this year.
Vietnam’s coffee area last year reached about 710,000 ha and the output was more than 1.84 million tons. 05 provinces in the Central Highlands accounted for 91.2% of the country’s coffee-growing area./.


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The party was to announce the return of Beau Rivage’s top-selling microbrew pre-Hurricane Katrina.
Biloxi Blonde’s return was thanks to a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Mississippi’s Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co.
“We are very excited to collaborate with an outstanding local company so that we may bring Biloxi Blonde back in the bottle and on tap throughout the resort,” said Ron E. Hall, Beau Rivage executive director of food and beverage. “Hurricane Katrina may have taken our collection of copper-clad brew tanks and the popular beers they produced, but it didn’t stop us from wanting to give our customers what they request … we’ve now come full circle.”
Before Katrina, Biloxi Blonde and six other beers were brewed onsite by Beau Rivage’s Coast Brewing Co., Mississippi’s first microbrewery.
According to the resort, Lazy Magnolia’s interpretation of Biloxi Blonde is nearly indistinguishable from the original.
Biloxi Blonde is a German-style Kolsch beer that features American and European malts for depth of flavor, drinkability and a refreshing finish.
In celebration of the brand’s rebirth, Gulf Coast wood sculptor Marlin Miller carved the Biloxi Blonde beer tap handles out of Katrina oak and etched the beer label artwork into the weathered wood.
The event also featured food by Beau Rivage Executive Chef Joe Friel and members of his culinary team. Guests were treated to a variety of dishes from shrimp cocktail to barbecued ribs.


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Apple Exploring Flexible Batteries Production – Maybe Its for Its iPhone for 2020
It seems like Apple really wants to shake things up. First, we heard that the company is developing its own microLED panels. Next, we heard that a foldable iPhone has been planned for 2020, making it a very ambitious decision if it comes true, even for a giant like Apple.
Now, we’ve come across that Apple is planning major improvements for the coming years when it comes to flexible phone components. A recently discovered patent titled ‘flexible battery structure’ has revealed that Apple is considering a new kind of battery.
Flexible Battery Can Only Mean it Will Be Incorporated in the 2020 Rumored Foldable iPhone
A flexible battery can offer a lot of advantages. Firstly, it will enable Apple to improve the design of its devices. More importantly, a flexible battery will make it easier for Apple to make a foldable iPhone. Just like Samsung, Apple is considering the flexible form factor and it might arrive as early as 2020.
A flexible battery will help Apple to better optimize the space inside its devices. Unlike a fixed rectangular shape, a flexible piece can fit in according to the space available inside a phone. This could even help Apple increase battery life when it comes to an overall capacity.
iPhone X has two batteries soldered onto the same logic board, and it can be believed that foldable phones are the next big thing in the smartphone market, and this makes the idea of flexible batteries worth pursuing.
That being said, there is no confirmation yet that flexible batteries will be mass produced by Apple. However, given the ambitious plans of the company, we have a higher level of confidence that Apple will go through with the patent. If you want to go through the actual patent, you can download PDF file by clicking on the link here.
News Source: Digital Trends


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Plug Power, ACCIONA Energía launch AccionaPlug to address green hydrogen market in Spain and Portugal | Brand & SustainabilityPlug Power, the provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, and ACCIONA Energía announced they have finalized the formation of their 50-50 joint-venture.
Plug Power selects Germany's Port of Duisburg as location of European headquarters | Brand & SustainabilityPlug Power, the provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen market, announced its European headquarters will be located in the Port of Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
BP and Schneider Electric collaborate on low carbon energy solutions to help customers decarbonize | Brand & SustainabilityUnder the terms of the MoU, BP and Schneider Electric intend to combine skills and capabilities to define and scale integrated energy solutions for cities and commercial and industrial customers in hard to abate sectors, such as high emission transportation and heavy industry.
TotalEnergies launches largest solar power plant in France | Brand & SustainabilityTotalEnergies launched its largest photovoltaic solar power plant in France, with a capacity of 55 megawatts (MW). The solar farm, located northeast of Gien (Loiret), comprises 126,000 photovoltaic panels spread over 75 hectares.
TotalEnergies partners with the Government of Suriname to preserve forests | Brand & SustainabilityThis public-private partnership illustrates the alignment between the ambition of TotalEnergies and the Government of Suriname to protect forest ecosystems and biodiversity while benefiting local communities.
Following IKEA’s commitment to inspire and enable people to live a healthier and more sustainable life at home, all non-rechargeable alkaline batteries will be removed from the global home furnishing range by October 2021.
Amazon and Global Optimism have announced that Best Buy, McKinstry, Real Betis, Schneider Electric, and Siemens have joined The Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040.
Nokia President and CEO, Pekka Lundmark has signed a joint UN Statement, UNITED IN THE BUSINESS OF A BETTER WORLD which was presented to the UN Secretary General
Amazon has announced Climate Pledge Friendly, a new program to help make it easy for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products.
Google Cloud and Unilever have announced that they will advance sustainable business practices together using technology to expand the use of data for eco-friendly decision making.
Cargill builds $21m House of Chocolate complex in Belgium to facilitate customer innovation in dynamic chocolate market
In a move to facilitate better product development and enhance the customer collaboration experience, Cargill unveiled its plans for a “House of Chocolate” complex at its Mouscron, Belgium site.
As the European Commission sits down to discuss proposals for a new 2030 emissions target, more than 150 European businesses, investors and business networks are calling on EU leaders to back the ambition set out in the European Green Deal.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the luxury hospitality company, together with Gruppo Statuto, hotel development company, announced that San Domenico Palace in Taormina is under an extensive renovation.
Valoya, the research driven manufacturer of horticultural LED grow lights has expanded its RX-Series line of greenhouse LEDs with two new models - RX500 and RX600.
Jeff Winton Associates partners with UK-based Onyx Health to expand global healthcare communications services
Jeff Winton Associates announced expansion into additional global markets through a new partnership with UK-based marketing communications firm Onyx Health.
A survey of current UK marketing priorities from the Chartered Institute of Marketing reveals that brand reputation remains key in coping with COVID-19.
Amazon has announced the first recipients of investments from The Climate Pledge Fund: CarbonCure Technologies, Pachama, Redwood Materials, Rivian, and Turntide Technologies.
Heineken has announced that it is piloting fully automated dispensers in major retail outlets for customers to purchase high quality & fresh draught beers to enjoy at-home using 100 per cent reusable bottles.
Food and beverage multinational Nestlé is intensifying its actions to make 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.
For the first time in its 13-year history, the renowned Global Innovation Index includes brand value as one of its core indicators.
HP has rolled out the planet’s most comprehensive carbon neutral Managed Print Service offering for HP-branded devices
Global advertising and marketing company, Dentsu Aegis Network, has announced that it has achieved 100 per cent renewable electricity across its worldwide operations where markets allow.
Arcesium LLC, a global financial technology and professional services firm has expanded its footprint into Europe, opening a new office in London.
H&M announced a collaboration with the luxury Italian brand, Giuliva Heritage. Family-owned and known for its flawless tailoring, Giuliva Heritage takes classic menswear silhouettes into the world of womenswear.
Sony Corporation has set a long-term environmental plan “Road to Zero” to achieve a “zero environmental footprint” by 2050 throughout all stages of its product lifecycles and business activities.


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Newsbrief by Todd Haselton on Monday August 02, 2010.
|Sponsored links, if any, appear in green.|
Verizon Wireless has confirmed that Android 2.2 will land on the Motorola DROID. However, a Verizon Wireless spokesperson told Phone Scoop that the update will not include support for the native Android 2.2 WiFi hotspot feature, or support for tethering the device for use as a modem. "The Droid by Motorola doesn't have [the] hardware to support a Mobile Hotspot. With tethering there is no Connection on the PC side that will allow you to tether the device so the answer is that option isn't part of this update," Verizon Wireless spokesperson Brenda Raney told Phone Scoop. Android 2.2 is expected to roll out to the DROID beginning this week.source: Phone Scoop


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India's Current Status
Global Current Status
Until now, Facebook was working hard in fighting false information and also by promoting free WHO ads about Coronavirus treatment.
Now, the company is taking a step forward to help small businesses and startups who are working from home at this crucial time by providing money which can be used to pay their rents etc.
The company will take care of 30,000 small businesses in over 30 countries by investing $100 Million.
“Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities, and many of the people who run these businesses are heavily affected by the crisis — especially as more and more people sensibly stay home,” Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg wrote in a statement. “The longer the crisis goes on, the greater the risk to small businesses and to the livelihoods of their owners and employees.”
Facebook also told employees that they will each receive a $1,000 bonus to support them during the coronavirus pandemic. As CNBC, notes Facebook employees nearly 45,000 full-time workers and several thousand contractors. It’s unclear if contractors will also receive the bonus.


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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and FCCLP (Family Careers and Community Leaders of America) wants everyone attending the Oct. 31 football game to wear pink.
This is the fourth year the FCCLP group was in charge of Pink Out. As in the other three years, the group has shirts with Pink Out on them for sale.
The shirts are $15 and all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.
FCCLA students have also been busy folding small pink ribbons to hand out at the game.


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Our friends to the north in Canada already have a couple of carrier choices for the Galaxy Nexus, and starting January 13th, 3 more carriers will be joining the ranks of Nexus. Rogers, Fido and Telus will all begin selling the Samsung Galaxy Nexus next week. Although pricing has not been announced, Bell and Virgin are currently selling the device for $159 on a 3 year contract and $649 outright.
Now if only we could get the Galaxy Nexus on at least the big 4 carriers here in the US we would be happy. Oh that’s right, it’s apparently coming to Sprint later this year.


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Consumer Codes Site DiscountVouchers.co.uk Offers New Choice of Amazon Gardening Deals
Leading brand furniture and tools on a budget with leading consumer codes and vouchers specialist
Lightwater, Surrey (PRUnderground) July 7th, 2011
Bargain retail codes and vouchers site DiscountVouchers.co.uk has announced new deals for summer to assist people in refurbishing their gardens on a budget. Consumers can this week log on to the site – which offers deals for more than 800 famous stores – and find new codes to save at top online retailer Amazon.co.uk.
DiscountVouchers.co.uk offers savings at hundreds of top stores and this week sees the company offering savings at top etailer Amazon. Shoppers can get online and access new Amazon vouchers for saving on garden furnishings – the deals there this week include up to 30% off patio sets for two and also 20% off loungers, recliners and deckchairs.
UK consumers rely on DiscountVouchers.co.uk to get them savings at all the leading stores, and this week shoppers can access a big choice of new Amazon discount codes. These deals are offering great value on garden tools too in the shape of up to 40% off garden hand tools and also up to 40% off barbecues bought from Amazon.co.uk.
Doug Scott, managing director at DiscountVouchers.co.uk, says, “Summer means getting out into the garden and many people like to take the opportunity to do up their gardens. Thanks to the latest batch of new deals and online vouchers we have available for Amazon this week we can help people save on both new garden furniture and garden tools right now.”
DiscountVouchers.co.uk offers consumers money saving deals at major high street brands and specialist retailers, including stores like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Travelodge, First Choice, lastminute.com and Boden.
For more information visit www.discountvouchers.co.uk/ends.
DiscountVouchers.co.uk features the latest money saving offers from a growing range of retailers, all updated in real time. Designed to help consumers save money with both leading high street brands and specialist retailers, DiscountVouchers.co.uk offers one of the widest choices of discounts available.
Part of ASAP Ventures Ltd, the company behind the award winning Carrentals.co.uk price comparison site, DiscountVouchers.co.uk is committed to offering a growing range of the best savings available online.


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Small enterprises remain one of the most underserved segments of the business market, but the growth of cloud-based services — easier to buy, easier to provision — has helped that change in recent years. Today,
While Denmark and Copenhagen don’t often come up as a destination for European startups, it has a thriving local tech scene that’s home to some of the better startup conferences. After all, who doesn’t want to visit Copenhagen? A highly educated population, great universities,
Non-fungible tokens have been around for two years, but these NFTs, one-of-one digital items on the Ethereum and other blockchains, are suddenly becoming a more popular way to collect visual art, primarily, whether it’s an animated cat or an NBA clip or virtual furniture.
Facebook unveils another experimental app, Atlassian acquires a data visualization startup and Newsela becomes a unicorn. This is your Daily Crunch for February 26, 2021. The big story: Facebook launches rap app The new BARS app was created by NPE Team (Facebook’s internal R&D group),
Astra, the Alameda-based space launch startup that recently announced its intent to go public via a SPAC merger, has secured a contract to deliver six cube satellites to space on behalf of NASA. Astra stands to be paid $7.95 million by the agency for fulfilment of the contract.
Wall Street investors can be fickle beasts. Take Salesforce as an example. The CRM giant announced a $5.82 billion quarter when it reported earnings yesterday. Revenue was up 20% year over year. The company also reported $21.25 billion in total revenue for the just closed FY2021, up 24% YoY.
When I needed a new sofa several months ago, I was pleased to find a buy now, pay later (BNPL) option during the checkout process. I had prepared myself to make a major financial outlay, but the service fees were well worth the convenience of deferring the entire payment. Coincidentally,
If Southern California-based Road Runner Media succeeds, you’ll start seeing a lot more ads while you’re driving. That’s because the startup is placing digital screens on the backs technicians’ vans, delivery vehicles, buses and other commercial vehicles.
Short, snappy, entertaining videos have become an increasingly common way for young people to receive information. Why not learn English through TikTok-like videos too? That was what prompted Angelo Huang to launch Blabla. Originally from Taiwan,
Poshmark, the nine-year-old, Redwood City Ca.-based online marketplace for second-hand clothing, beauty, and home decor products, is set to start trading as a public company on the Nasdaq tomorrow after pricing 6.6 million shares higher than originally planned, according to Bloomberg.
Grab Financial Group said today it has raised more than $300 million in Series A funding, led by South Korean firm Hanhwa Asset Management, with participation from K3 Ventures, GGV Capital, Arbor Ventures and Flourish Ventures. The Financial Times reports that the funding values Grab Financial,
Nothing could be more familiar than the original Star Wars poster, featuring Darth's head looming over our light saber-wielding heroes. But that poster has gone through a lot of mutations in its lifetime, as the movie journeyed across the globe.
在本节中，您将使用Entity Framework Code First来实现模型类上的操作。从而使得这些操作和变更，可以应用到数据库中。
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has reportedly reached a deal to buy American basketball team the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion (£1.2 billion). Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2014/05/30/steve-ballmer-beats-off-oprah-winfrey-for-la-clippers-ownership/
问题： 你用什么来创建和管理产品路标？以你的经验来看，有咩有比较好的资源如网站或书籍可以让我学到丰富的东西？ […]
在今天的 Windows Phone 8.1 Update 和小娜发布会后，微软操作系统部门副总裁 Joe Belfiore 接受了36氪的采访。采访中他直言不讳地承认了 Windows 平台在消费者市场面临的挑战，但同时也为我们描绘了微软眼中未来市场的蓝图。
This may come as a shock, but most of the incoming freshmen college class were born in 1996.They were only 4-year-olds when the world collectively freaked out about Y2K.
AOL CEO Tim Armstrong addressed the latest rumors that Yahoo and AOL might merge while on-stage today at TechCrunch’s Disrupt Europe conference. Specifically, Armstrong said AOL has a board meeting tonight (I guess he’s flying back really soon),
记得那部可以一次拍下整个圆餐桌合照的 Ricoh 360 度相机 Theta...
What proportion of smartphone owners upgrade just to get their hands on the latest, shiny new hardware? According to a new survey of U.S. and Germany consumers, conducted by analyst Gartner, the figure is 60 per cent. Read More


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Macintosh Retail Group has managed a firm turnover growth in the first half of its fiscal year, but several store closures have resulted in a first-half loss in general.
Strong Fashion increase
Macintosh Retail Group managed a 405.4 million euro turnover in the first half of its fiscal year, a 6.8 % increase compared to the year before. Fashion had a particularly excellent turnover increase, up 10.1 % to 286.2 million euro. Living dropped slightly, from 86.5 million euro to 83.9 million euro.
Nevertheless, the company has had to deal with a 31.2 net loss, nearly twice as much as the 17.3 million euro loss it suffered last year. This time around, it was mainly because it has shut down 13 non-core stores in the first half of 2014.
"Shoe" market share on the rise
CEO Frank De Moor has not expressed dissatisfaction at the results. "Over the past few years, we have worked hard to build the new Macintosh cross-channel proposition. Strong shoe formats with appealing offerings and online and brick-and-mortar stores form the heart of this proposition. What we have been able to establish recently is that both online and offline customers are responding well to the changes that were initiated."
Kurt Staelens, who will become the group's CEO on 1 August, sees a positive evolution. "Because of the developments in turnover and earnings we have seen over the past months, I am confident that our Rebalancing for Profitable Growth strategy is based on the right priorities. The recently announced new financing package will help us to continue our strategic course with vigour, allowing us also to fully capitalise on the momentum of rising consumer confidence."


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A company which encourages users to give away excess food has raised £31 million from investors including German takeaway giant Delivery Hero.
Olio, founded in London six years ago by Tessa Clarke and Saasha Celestial-One, has millions of users who collect and hand out unwanted food.
In August 2020, it signed a deal with Tesco which has reportedly saved five million meals from being thrown away.
The startup raised eyebrows in 2018 with a £4.7 million funding round, and its founders claim it has gained traction with big businesses looking to reduce food waste.
Globally, rotting food accounts for up to 10 per cent of carbon emissions.
“Businesses are on a race to net zero, they want to work with us given the enormous environmental impact of food waste,” Clarke said.
Olio’s latest investors include UK firm Octopus Ventures, Sweden’s VNV Global, and DX Ventures, the investing arm of Delivery Hero.
Last month, the Berlin behemoth bought a five per cent stake in Deliveroo for around £400 million.
Clarke said she was “thrilled to be working with Delivery Hero” on Olio’s international expansion.
“At the moment 80 per cent of our activity is in the UK, but there is also 20 per cent overseas,” she added.
Olio plans to focus its overseas growth in 10 markets across Latin America, Northern Europe and Asia.


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- 90% of neighbors on Nextdoor plan to decorate for the holiday season*
- The Cheer Map, sponsored by The Home Depot, is an interactive local guide to find the best holiday lights and decorations around town
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, December 1, 2021 — It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and today Nextdoor’s (NYSE: KIND) annual holiday Cheer Map, sponsored by The Home Depot, is back to add some sparkle to neighborhoods this season. No matter which holiday they celebrate, neighbors can get into the spirit by marking their decorated home on the Cheer Map with a colorful holiday icon that represents their seasonal style. From Christmas lights to menorah displays, find the best and brightest outdoor holiday decorations in nearby neighborhoods.
According to a recent poll on Nextdoor, 90% of neighbors plan to decorate this holiday season. Similar to last year, neighbors jump-started the festivities — 70% put up holiday decorations in November and 21% decked the halls with holiday lights and displays before Thanksgiving.* With the Cheer Map, neighbors can plan the perfect sightseeing route to experience their community’s celebratory spirit.
To help neighborhoods shine even brighter this holiday season, Nextdoor teamed up with The Home Depot to show nearby store locations on the Cheer Map where neighbors can easily find everything they need to make the holidays fun, festive, and low-stress. From beautiful décor including live trees and inflatables to great gift ideas for everyone on your list. For the first time, the companies have also included a holiday how-to guide on the map featuring décor inspiration and gift guides.
A survey of adults in the United States conducted on behalf of Nextdoor and The Home Depot found:
- 83% of those decorating this year plan on keeping their decorations up throughout December, with 42% not taking down their décor immediately after the New Year
- The majority of U.S. adults (54%) don’t mind if neighbors leave their outdoor holiday decorations up past January 1
- Only 17% prefer all white holiday lights over multi-colored holiday lights
- Roughly half (49%) plan to explore their own neighborhood to enjoy holiday lights and décor**
Neighbors in the United States can find the Cheer Map on the Nextdoor app or by visiting nextdoor.com/cheer to locate the best holiday lights and decorations in nearby neighborhoods.
*Figures are from an online survey of 84,988 Nextdoor users in the United States between November 1, 2021 – November 8, 2021.
**Figures are from YouGov Plc on behalf of Nextdoor and The Home Depot. The total sample size was 2,431 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between November 11 – November 15, 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).
Nextdoor is where you connect to the neighborhoods that matter to you so you can belong. Our purpose is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on. Neighbors around the world turn to Nextdoor daily to receive trusted information, give and get help, get things done, and build real-world connections with those nearby — neighbors, businesses, and public services.
We believe connecting with others is a universal human need. That truth, and the reality that neighborhoods are among the most important communities in our lives, have been guiding principles for Nextdoor since the beginning.
Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in more than 285,000 neighborhoods around the world, including the United States (nearly 1 in 3 U.S. households), the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, and Canada, with many more to come.
Nextdoor is based in San Francisco. For additional information and images: nextdoor.com/newsroom.
Nextdoor Media Relations: firstname.lastname@example.org


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Polygon posted a in-depth interview with Vlambeer, the developers of Ridiculous Fishing. We all (probably) know the story by now of how their game was cloned and sold on the app store prior to them launching the official version. Instead of knowing that story, piece by piece, Polygon has told it in its entirety.
Host Carter Dotson speaks Dutch independent game developer Vlambeer. They discuss the Ninja Fishing controversy in-depth, as well as what they feel is the difference between ‘iteration’ and just plain ‘cloning’. As well, there is discussion about their upcoming iOS titles: Ridiculous Fishing and Super Crate Box iOS.
Five and a half years after launch and with well over 60 billion downloads, the US App Store has reached the 1 million apps available for download. While Apple announced 1 million available apps at their last press event, that number was including apps available in all countries in the App Store. At that time […]


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Dubai Statistics Center (DSC) has revealed that Dubai’s real gross domestic product (GDP) reached AED 389 billion in 2017 compared to AED 379 billion in 2016.
According to DSC, the growth was fueled by the performance of strategic sectors that accounted for 72.2% of total growth in 2017. The transportation and storage sector was the biggest contributor to total economic growth at 18.5%, surpassing wholesale and retail trade, traditionally the largest sector in the emirate. The wholesale and retail trade sector’s contribution to growth stood at 8.3%.
Wholesale and Retail Trade
Arif Al Mehairi, Executive Director of the Dubai Statistics Center, stated: “Wholesale [...]
Despite softening slightly in September, growth in the UAE’s non-oil private sector remained sharp and marked the strongest quarter recorded for two years. The latest improvement in business conditions was driven by above-average expansions in both output and new orders. That said, new business from abroad slipped back to contraction, indicating that the recovery was driven by domestic demand. On the price front, output charges fell, whilst input price inflation softened to a four-month low.
The survey, sponsored by Emirates NBD and produced by IHS Markit, contains original data collected from a monthly survey of business conditions in the UAE non-oil private [...]
Business leaders in Dubai are more positive about their expectations of business conditions and business confidence in the third quarter of 2017, according to a new survey conducted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Business Leaders’ Outlook Survey revealed that 39% of respondents expect to see business conditions improve in Q3-2017. Around 43% of surveyed business leaders expected no change in business conditions, while 18% expected conditions to worsen over the same period.
The survey revealed that 45% of business leaders expected business confidence to strengthen in the third quarter of this year, compared to the 37% who predicted no change and 18% [...]
Companies operating in Dubai’s private sector experienced a further improvement in business conditions at the start of the second quarter. This was indicated by the seasonally adjusted Emirates NBD Dubai Economy Tracker Index – a composite indicator designed to give an accurate overview of operating conditions in the non-oil private sector economy – rising from 56.6 to 57.7. Moreover, the headline index signalled the fastest upturn in operating conditions in 26 months.
April data indicated robust performances across all three key sub-sectors monitored by the survey, led by an accelerated upturn in construction (index at 57.9), closely followed by wholesale & retail (57.8) [...]


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Friday Night: A clear sky with an overnight low near 30.
Saturday: Partly sunny and warmer with an afternoon ... More...
Hackanooga 2012: Ignite Chattanooga Hack Days Aims to Build Apps of the Future
Hackanooga 2012, Chattanooga’s first-ever hackathon, kicks off Sept. 14. Presented by U.S. Ignite and Mozilla, and sponsored by EPB, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, the National Science Foundation , CO.LAB, Lamp Post Group and Easy Designs, the 48-hour event will connect experienced web developers to Chattanooga’s unique one-gigabit-per-second Internet speed.
Hailing from across the nation and overseas, 80 hackers will form teams and leverage the power of the Gig to prototype apps that require high bandwidth or use big data. Potential projects have been identified in areas such as education, clean energy, healthcare and public safety.
“We are very excited to work with the Chattanooga community – experimenting, hacking and tinkering on the city's leading-edge gigabit network,” said Ben Moskowitz, Media Program Officer for Mozilla. “We're proud to be part of the effort to create new public benefit applications with transformative potential. The work we do here will hopefully provide roadmaps and building blocks for those future apps.”
In June, Chattanooga teamed up with U.S. Ignite, a federally funded, public-private initiative that promotes the development of apps and services for ultra-fast broadband networks. As part of the initiative, Mozilla and the National Science Foundation are hosting Mozilla Ignite, an open innovation challenge, with the goal of building apps that demonstrate the full potential of next-generation networks.
Ideas generated during Hackanooga could evolve into submissions for the Mozilla Ignite challenge, which offers $485,000 in awards as well as mentorship opportunities to help get apps off the ground.
“That’s one of the main purposes,” said Kelly McCarthy, Hackanooga organizer and Co-owner of Easy Designs. “Our hope is that people will make something that’s truly innovative and submit it to the competition.”
In the past several weeks, Hackanooga has partnered with Chattanooga organizations to come up with some big ideas that the hackers can use as a starting point. Potential projects also were born out of the Gigabit Apps Design Jam, a community-wide brainstorm session that took place in August at CO.LAB.
Some of the suggested apps are Chattanooga-focused, such as the “City Budget Visualizer.” The app would use advanced algorithms to help politicians – and citizens – visualize how particular budget choices affect Chattanooga’s taxes, services and infrastructure over a period of time. If viable, it could have implications far beyond the Gig City.
Other ideas include a system for improved medical self-monitoring, as well as an advanced, multi-media auction site – a new spin on eBay-like forums that would utilize video, sound, 3-D renderings and playable demos.
“Hackanooga further builds Chattanooga’s position as an emerging tech hub,” said J.Ed. Marston of the Chattanooga Chamber. “When combined with Chattanooga’s community-wide gig network, events like Hackanooga provide another compelling reason for talented developers to start taking a serious look at Chattanooga.”
More Business News
Last Update on November 28, 2014 20:00 GMT
HOLIDAY SHOPPING-BLACK FRIDAY
UNDATED (AP) -- A lot of Americans seem willing to head out to the malls, right after Thanksgiving dinner.
The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, says it drew 100,000 customers between 5 p.m. yesterday and 1 a.m. today. A spokesman says traffic slowed down after 2 a.m., but it's been picking up again today. And mall officials are still hoping to top last year's total of 230,000 Thursday-to-Friday visitors.
One shopper at a mall in Aurora, Illinois, this morning said she thinks people are feeling more confident about the economy this year. But Kimberly States said she still plans to spend about the same amount -- or maybe less -- on Christmas gifts compared with last year.
For retailers hoping for strong online sales, it's not the best time for technical issues. But Best Buy's website has been down this morning, with a message that asks customers to "Check back soon."
LONDON (AP) -- Americans celebrating Thanksgiving in Britain may have felt right at home as Black Friday shopping chaos caused some disruption.
The practice of offering bargain basement prices the day after Thanksgiving has spread across the Atlantic, with some retailers opening overnight to lure determined shoppers.
Police were called early Friday morning to help maintain security at some supermarkets and outlets that offered deep discounts starting at midnight.
Fights broke out at some stores and major websites stopped functioning because of too much traffic as shoppers sought online bargains.
Greater Manchester Police said two arrests were made and injuries reported as police closed some stores to prevent more severe problems.
The force tweeted "Keep calm, people!" at one point.
There were problems in many parts of Britain, including Wales and Scotland.
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) -- Demonstrators are looking to grab the attention of post-Thanksgiving shoppers today, to voice their anger over a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in suburban St. Louis.
They've been going to major retailers around the St. Louis area to speak out. And similar protests have been planned at shopping centers around the nation.
In Chicago, about 200 people gathered near the city's Magnificent Mile shopping district. One demonstrator called it "a day of awareness and engagement." Kristiana Colon said, `We want them to think twice before spending that dollar today." She added, "As long as black lives are put second to materialism, there will be no peace."
Early today in the St. Louis suburb of Manchester, about two dozen people chanted, "No justice, no peace, no racist police" after police moved them out of a Wal-Mart.
Other planned events around the country seemed relatively brief and thinly attended. In Brooklyn, New York, a "Hands Up, Don't Shop" protest had been scheduled, but no one materialized.
Security was heightened at the Wal-Mart in Ferguson on Friday morning, with military Humvees, police cars and security guards on patrol. The store was busy, but there were no protesters.
CANDY CENTER FIRE
MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) -- Some orders for chocolates have been halted after fire gutted a candy warehouse and distribution center in northeast Ohio.
Authorities are trying to determine what caused the blaze that began Thursday morning at the Fannie May Fine Chocolates center in Maple Heights, Ohio. Authorities said there were no injuries.
Firefighters from several departments responded, and hazardous materials units stood by because of ammonia in the center.
Fannie May Chocolates is a division of 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. The company says it is assessing the effects of the fire and the contingency plans that will be needed for the holiday season.
The company on Friday posted a message on its website saying Fannie May and its Harry London gourmet chocolates business have temporarily halted orders for most of their candies and confections.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States is appealing a World Trade Organization decision that made it harder for U.S. consumers to know where meat in the grocery store came from.
The WTO in October rejected U.S. rules requiring labels on packaged steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat identifying where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. The WTO said the "country of origin labeling" requirements put Canadian and Mexican livestock at a disadvantage.
On Friday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative appealed the ruling.
U.S. farmers who compete with Mexican and Canadian ranchers welcomed the appeal. National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson on Friday called it "the right thing to do for American family farmers, ranchers and consumers." But meatpackers oppose the labeling requirements, saying they impose costly paperwork.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Sharp falls in energy prices as a result of the dramatic decline being recorded in oil markets has pushed inflation across the 18-country eurozone down to 0.3 percent in the year to November.
Preliminary figures from the European Union's statistics agency, Eurostat, show that the fall in eurozone consumer price inflation from the previous month's 0.4 percent was largely due to a 2.5 percent decline in energy costs.
The drop takes inflation further away from the European Central Bank's target to keep price rises just below 2 percent. It's likely to maintain pressure on policymakers to launch in the coming months a monetary stimulus similar to the one the Federal Reserve recently brought to an end.
Eurostat also said Friday that unemployment was steady in October at 11.5 percent.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The head of the European Union's executive is opting not to sanction France or Italy just yet over their failure to meet targets on their public finances.
Instead, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is giving them until spring to deliver on commitments.
In an interview with eight European papers, published Friday, Juncker says he has "made the choice not to sanction," for the failure of Paris and Rome to meet rules that force the euro member states to observe strict limits on spending.
France and Italy have been accused of being too profligate in their budgetary spending plans at a time when the EU and the 18-country eurozone have been advocating strict austerity as the best way to get their public finances into shape.
BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union is extending economic and travel sanctions to 13 people and five entities it accuses of involvement with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The EU's 28 member countries agreed to the action Friday, the bloc announced in a news release.
The EU said the names of the people, organizations and businesses affected will be made public Saturday.
The decision brings the total number of people subject to an EU-wide travel ban and asset freeze for allegedly undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity to 132, and the number of entities whose assets have been ordered frozen to 28.
Earlier this month, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said more sanctions alone will not end the crisis in eastern Ukraine, and that there is a need to relaunch a dialogue with Russia.
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The Hungarian unit of US conglomerate 3M is looking to increase revenue by 15% in 2011, managing director Mats Lennart Friberg said on Wednesday.
Friberg said 3M Hungária expects to see a revenue level last recorded in 2008.
3M Hungária is looking for cooperation with companies in Hungary, especially on the field of vehicle manufacturing, Friberg said, citing Daimler, BMW and Suzuki as examples.
3M Hungária booked HUF 6.1 billion in sales last year, 2.2% higher than a year before, however, 17% below its figures before the financial crisis.
Operating profit of the unit jumped 35% last year to 15% of sales turnover or to about HUF 900 million. Capital efficiency improved 2-3% from 2009.


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Your Theater holds yard sale this weekend
Your Theatre Inc. will hold a yard sale from 9 a.m.to — p.m. Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine, at 71 Maxfield St., New Bedford.
Some old furniture, accessories and props will be available for purchase. All items are sold "as is" and must be removed at the time of purchase.
At the same time, annual subscriptions to the Your Theatre 2002-03 season will be available for purchase.
Quick facility tours will be available, and applications will be accepted for technical positions, including set construction, backstage crew, lighting crew and costume construction.
For more information, call Your Theatre at (508) 993-0772, or drop by the yard sale and speak with a staff member.
This story appeared on Page B2 of The Standard-Times on August 16, 2002.


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US-based financial inclusion technology company Mercury Financial has closed a $400m warehouse facility.
This is the second warehouse facility structured and closed during 2021, bringing its total funding to $650m.
According to Mercury Financial, the increased capacity will fund growth in its credit card portfolio and support the origination of more near-prime credit card accounts.
Founded in 2013, Mercury Financial aims to expand financial inclusion by providing loans to underserved groups seeking to rebuild their credit. Through the use of proprietary risk assessment and data analytics technologies, Mercury Financial says it has so far helped empower nearly one million customers in the US with better credit.
The transaction follows the company’s reported “record-breaking” third quarter, in which it provided access to more than $300m in credit for new account holders and saw a year-on-year increase of more than 35% in net new account openings.
James Peterson, the company’s chief executive officer, said, “Building better lives for our customers begins with opportunities for better credit, and we are in a stronger position than ever to continue our mission to raise up deserving Americans by serving the near-prime customer base.”
Copyright © 2021 FinTech Global


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Gas Prices Now Below $3 in 14 States
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Gasoline prices have fallen for 60 consecutive days — the longest streak of declines in more than a year — letting American drivers pass on savings at the pump to consumer retailers during the U.S. economy’s all-important holiday season.
A gallon of gasoline now costs $3.25 on average in the U.S., more than 60 cents below the year’s peak in mid-September and about 30 cents cheaper than this time last year, according to data from AAA. In 14 states, average prices are now less than $3 a gallon. GasBuddy, meanwhile, puts the count at 17 states as of the afternoon of Nov. 27.
Cheaper pump prices are welcome news for President Joe Biden, whose re-election campaign is touting “Bidenomics” as the answer for inflation-plagued consumers. The gasoline reprieve may also give retail stores a boost during the critical year-end shopping season by padding pockets with a little more cash. U.S. consumers, whose consumption spending makes up around two-thirds of the U.S. economy, spent a record $9.8 billion online during Black Friday.
Gasoline prices are expected to continue falling following lower prices for crude oil, the biggest component in pump costs.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info:


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We've received several e-mails and comments today from people who couldn't find Fire Emblem: Awakening in stores. Quite a few retailers have yet to receive the new (excellent) strategy-RPG, which came out today for 3DS.
Game Informer says they called a few Best Buys and GameStops and heard that there's a shipping delay on the new Nintendo-published game.
We reached out to Nintendo of America to ask what's up. Here's what they said:
Nintendo makes every effort to make sure its games and systems are available at retail stores nationwide on launch day. Sometimes, because of the variables of shipping, different retailers receive their shipments on different days. Fire Emblem Awakening can be purchased right now from the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS.
In other words, if you really want it now, get ready to get your download on.


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The Netherlands is a home to fast internet
The company announced the good news on its website. Netflix launched its on-demand streaming services in the Netherlands in September 2013 and has now added the Netherlands to their speed rankings. Of course, the Netherlands is internationally renowned for its fast internet. According to research published by Akamai earlier in 2013, it is one of the countries with the fastest internet connections in the world. In their global list of the highest average connection speeds, the Netherlands was ranked sixth.
The Netflix ISP Speed Index confirms these findings. Their report notes: “With a country average of 3.16 Mbps the Netherlands takes a firm lead compared to the other nations in the index. No other country crosses 3 Mbps, but runners up Sweden and Denmark come close with 2.83 Mbps and 2.8 Mbps, respectively.”
The fact that the average internet speed is so high is partly due to continued investment in digital infrastructure and the high density of broadband internet connections in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. According to the latest Akamai report, broadband adoption in the Netherlands is 21.61%. This percentage is much higher than many other European countries. The Amsterdam Area also boasts the best possible digital foundation thanks to the presence of the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), which is the largest data transport hub in the world.


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Lightstone inks deal for new Midtown office, a nonprofit renews its Jamaica lease and Namdar Realty Group picks up an Upper West Side building
Less than a third of the event's usual 30,000 attendees came this year
Mack-Cali Realty Corp. is selling its portfolio of offices and hotels as it pivots to owning apartment buildings
Better.com’s flubbed firings raise the question: With employees increasingly spread across the country, can companies conduct layoffs online in a way that feels human?
A watchdog warns that the city could face fiscal gaps later in the 2020s
A new poll found 36% of registered Democrats say they’d vote for the governor if the primary were held today
A Tribeca condo sells for $49.5M, and the Communication Workers of America sells a downtown commercial lot
Property and Building Corp. bought into the 80,000-square-foot tower in 2009 for $330 million
In a competitive space, the online ordering platform is counting on its loyal customers to try grocery delivery
Alan Kaufman will remain free pending a ruling from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals
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Tonight, in his trademark tracksuit and oversize sunglasses, he will reveal to the technology world - gathered in Los Angeles for the computer games conference E3 - Microsoft's ambitions for the future of computing. The new games include Kinect Star Wars, which re-creates the iconic light-sabre battles from the Star Wars films, and allow you to visit Sesame Street and even a Disney theme park - all without picking up a joystick.
The games will use Kinect, a depth- sensing 3D camera and microphone that track people standing in front of it and lets players take part in relatively basic games by jumping around to control on-screen characters.
But Tsunoda is working on making Kinect even more sophisticated and enabling it to be used on home and office computers, allowing you to ditch mouse and keyboard and realise the sci-fi dream of films such as Minority Report.
"We launched last November, and we've sold 10 million sensors - it's already been an incredible success," says Tsunoda. "What's really exciting is seeing people who've never played a computer game using Kinect. You should be able to jump right in and have a good time."
Experts say Kinect and its competition, the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3, offer a glimpse of computers' future.
"The traditional desktop and laptop computer is going to disappear," says futurologist Jonathan Mitchener. "The key to making technology easy to use is making it go away. With the emergence of systems like Kinect, we are seeing that happen. I really believe that to see the future of computing, you just need to look at games consoles and touchscreen devices like the iPad."
David Rowan, editor of Wired magazine, believes the technology contained in Kinect will impact on every part of our lives.
"Kinect is the first real look at the natural user interface. We are used to graphical interfaces which we control with a mouse and a keyboard.
Kinect makes the human body the mouse.
"It is the start of an era whereby we will interact with everything from our car to our living room in a much more natural way. For instance, your car could recognise you when you open the door, check your diary then set the satnav accordingly. We are going to see technology disappearing to a large extent. When you make a phone call, you don't think about copper cable. The best thing technology can do is get out of the way."
Dozens of firms are working on similar systems, and laptop maker Lenovo recently unveiled a machine with an eye- tracking camera inside that can tell where on a screen a user is looking.
"We will adapt very quickly," says Rowan. "If you show a TV to a child who has played with an iPad, they already think it's broken because they can't swipe their finger across it."
As for Tsunoda, he says Kinect has allowed him to fufil a lifelong dream - to become a Jedi knight.
It's fair to say that he's become slightly obsessed with the game.
"In a game like Star Wars, you have to feel you are there, it's super-critical that everything is accurate," he says. "You can swing your light sabre and it will react perfectly - you can even direct the shots back at the people firing at you, which requires a huge level of accuracy.
"It's great for me, it makes me feel badass - although probably not so good for the people who work for me."
Duel with your own virtual light sabre
"We knew as soon as we heard about Kinect that this was the game we wanted to make," says Craig Derrick, lead designer of Kinect Star Wars at LucasArts.
"It's a full-body experience, and lets you become a Jedi. You get to stand in front of the Kinect and live out that fantasy, you can swing a light sabre, use the Force to move objects and do a lot of acrobatics. It's the most ambitious game we've ever made with Star Wars."
Playing the game is a rather odd experience, and definitely not one for the self-conscious. The level of accuracy is significantly better than in any other Kinect game, and you really do feel as though you are wielding a light sabre during the fight scenes - you can even deflect bullets back onto the characters who shot them. You can also use your outstretched arm to channel the Force, lifting objects and flicking them away. It's great fun but also the best example yet of how we will one day use our computers - although sadly the satisfying Darth Vader "whoosh" may not accompany your latest spreadsheet edits.Reuse content


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Arab Israeli Conflict
Middle East News
Hi Tech News
“Until recently, nobody [in Israel] understood how fashion and technology connected.”
Jerusalem welcomes a new fashion label for religious girls with a stylish bent.
Tashtari specializes in high-end fashion accessories, primarily women’s head coverings which include Sadan’s own line of designs that he launched a couple of years after opening the store in 2003.
Veteran fashion designer Raziela celebrates the 40th anniversary of her label.
By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Skye Green was born out of the need for modest clothing to fit the tastes of mother and daughter alike.
By ELISSA EINHORN
Art meets fashion as the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and Castro once again collaborate for the T-Art Project.
By JESSICA VRAZILEK
A veteran stylist and designer, Shenberger and businessman/ restaurateur Shahar Segal are responsible for the significant buzz among Tel Aviv’s fashion-savvy.
For inspiration for the custom-made new line, Dror said she drew inspiration from Victorian and tribal influences.
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Maya Negri’s new fashion collection is a breath of fresh air.
Be prepared to step out in style in the cold weather.
New jewelry line, Autumn Cannibalism, combines raw materials with decadent metals and jewels, creating contrast and pushing the limits of creative design.
By MIRANDA LEVINGSTON
While “chic,” “elegant” and “vogue” are words not often associated with clothing in a community where modesty is expected, one woman is working alongside her family to change this perception.
By TAMARA UNGAR
The shopping experience at Millos, a high-fashion boutique in Tel Aviv, is rare in the Israeli landscape.
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Steep new tariffs on steel and aluminum ordered by President Donald Trump Thursday stoked fears in Louisiana of a net economic hit from the move, with economists warning of threats to the state's petrochemical, fabrication and booming LNG industries.
Steel and aluminum manufacturers, meanwhile, championed the move as a long-overdue leveling of the playing field. Cheap foreign steel and aluminum have flooded the global market in recent years, devastating the domestic industry, leaders said.
Trump, surrounded by steel and aluminum workers at the White House, declared the industry has been "ravaged" by aggressive foreign producers, and said the "betrayal is now over." The move imposes 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum imports, and are expected to go into effect in 15 days.
His order exempted, at least temporarily, Mexico and Canada, giving the president a bargaining chip for a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He also left some wiggle room in the order, indicating he could exempt or lessen tariffs for other countries, especially military allies.
Despite the exemptions, several Louisiana economists warned the tariffs put the state's economy -- including billions of capital projects in the early engineering and design phases -- at risk.
Nationally, several industry trade groups -- ranging from the automotive and homebuilding industries to retailers -- pushed back against the necessity of the new policy, saying the tariffs will lead to higher costs for businesses and could spark a broader trade war.
"We have a few steel producers that will gain a little bit but that will not offset the losses at all," said James Richardson, an LSU economist. "It's going to be a net negative."
The more immediate impact will be on the industries that use steel and aluminum as materials. Petrochemical projects along the Mississippi River, LNG export facilities in Lake Charles and the offshore oil and gas industry are expected to see higher costs of construction.
Economist Loren Scott said he's worried the higher prices could push some of those planned projects into the red.
"Steel makes up only 3 or so percent of those, but when you have a $10 billion project, that's 300 million bucks," Scott said. "This is not good for us."
Other countries could also be incentivized to fabricate products with steel or aluminum before shipping it over to the U.S., thereby avoiding the tariffs. Ed Bee, who runs the Madisonville-based economic development consulting firm Taimerica, said things like offshore oil platforms and ships could be built elsewhere, meaning Louisiana firms who currently build them could suffer.
Bee, who also teaches international economics at the University of Southern Mississippi, said the tariffs create "a few" jobs in the steelmaking and aluminum-making industry, but pose a "serious risk" to the Louisiana economy.
Louisiana is particularly exposed to the tariffs, two studies out this week found. The Tax Foundation put Louisiana at No. 10 in the U.S. for the amount of money it stands to lose under the new scheme. While that study came before Trump announced Canada and Mexico would be exempted, the think tank warned the state's economy could still lose upwards of $300 million when factoring in the exemptions.
The Brookings Institution said Louisiana has the second-highest exposure to the tariffs. Louisiana's steel and aluminum imports comprised 7.3 percent of the state's total imports last year, according to Brookings, a number that trails only Missouri for the highest share. The U.S. average is 2 percent.
Assuming Mexico and Canada stay away from the tariffs amid NAFTA talks, the U.S. and Louisiana could see an uptick in steel and aluminum from those countries, said Stephen Barnes, an LSU economist. But that only "softens the blow a little bit."
The fear of a trade war has more broadly belied Trump's tariffs in recent weeks. While the rising costs for industries that use steel in construction projects is a near certainty, the likelihood and exact impacts of a trade war were less immediately clear.
"Especially given our unique role at the mouth of the Mississippi, we're facing perhaps greater exposure to the downsides of interfering with international trade," Barnes said. "If we really move down that road toward a trade war, things could get ugly."
Barnes also said several rounds of negotiations between the Trump administration and other countries likely stand between Thursday's announcement and a full-blown trade war.
Paul Gilbert, a principal in Alabama-based Metalplate Galvanizing, which opened up a Jennings plant in 2015, said the talk of trade war and an economic downturn from the tariffs are overblown. He called the tariff debate a "political hotpot" that won't end up having a significant negative effect.
It will probably have a positive effect on his industry, though. Gilbert's plant in Louisiana has been operating at about 40 percent capacity in recent years. While he hasn't looked at the details of Trump's order yet, he anticipates ramping up production and staffing if they shake out in his favor.
"We easily feel we could be within 80 percent capacity within a year or so," he said. "That would almost triple our employment."
Nucor, the North Carolina-based steelmaker that has a facility in Louisiana, said the tariffs will help the U.S. industry finally compete with foreign producers, which have used "unfair" practices to flood the global market. The company has said it plans to build a steel mill at its St. James Parish site. Benteler Shreveport and Noranda Bauxite & Alumina are also expected to benefit.
The Port of New Orleans, however, could be another loser under the tariffs. President and CEO Brandy Christian said last week the port is particularly sensitive to tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. In the 2017 fiscal year, 30 percent of the port's total cargo tonnage came from steel imports.
And exempting Mexico and Canada doesn't help the port, as the two countries don't use the port to ship steel to the U.S., according to a list of the top steel exporting countries provided by the port. Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Vietnam and Russia were the top five steel shippers through the port in 2016, the most recent available data.
"Current exemptions of Mexico and Canada do not help offset potential threats to Louisiana," said World Trade Center of New Orleans CEO Caitlin Cain, citing the countries' negligible steel trading through the port.
Following the 2002 steel tariffs by President George W. Bush, Port NOLA suffered a 46 percent decline in steel imports, Christian said. The Trump administration's tariffs are expected to be steeper than those.
Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson, who last week said disruption of global supply chain relied upon by ports and industry is a concern, called the move to negotiate with Canada and Mexico a "prudent approach."
Still, Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which represents more than 2,200 companies, said the tariffs "could ultimately cost far more American jobs than it would create, and raise costs on consumer products."
"The imposition of tariffs will undoubtedly result in previously uninvolved sectors being retaliated against and create a dangerous race to the bottom, which is a threat to our domestic economy and the entire global trading system," Shapiro added.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers warned the tariffs will drive up the price of steel made in the U.S. -- a cost that it predicts will be passed along to consumers through higher prices on vehicles.
The National Association of Home Builders noted the tariffs would pile on more costs on builders and, ultimately, homebuyers.
The head of the National Retail Federation, whose members include department store chains, grocery stores and other merchants around the world, also raised objections to the tariffs Thursday, calling them a tax on all Americans.
"A tariff is a tax, plain and simple," said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF. "Consumers are just beginning to see more money in their paychecks following tax reform, but those gains will soon be offset by higher prices for products ranging from canned goods to cars to electronics."


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HAPPY 2017! If your New Year’s resolution is to stay more up to date with all that’s happening in the world of cannabis, keep reading! If it’s to lose the 10 pounds you gained over the holidays (okay, fine, 15), keep reading—while on a treadmill!
Understatement of the (new) year: The City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement has not been a friend to the cannabis industry. Absurdly high fees, inexplicably long delays, and what can charitably be called “abundant overregulation” have all been major roadblocks to supporting and growing the economic engine of the cannabis industry. Mayor Ted Wheeler has brought new hope with his announcement that the bureau will change hands, from Commissioner Amanda Fritz to newly elected Commissioner Chloe Eudaly.
As reported in Willamette Week, Wheeler’s spokesperson Michael Cox said on December 30 that “The state has set up a regulatory structure [for cannabis]. They’re making it work. Reinventing it at the local level is redundant and confusing.”
Wheeler has support of commissioners who feel the city overregulated—including Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who told WW, “I hope the program goes away.” Preach it, Danny Boy. So does every cannabis business owner in Multnomah County.
Arcview Market Research has released some statistics on cannabis sales, and they’re jaw-droppers. While the full, 200-page report won’t be out until February, here’s an early look at those numbers.
Cannabis sales grew in North America to $6.7 billion, a 30 percent increase from 2015.
Sales are expected to increase to $20.2 billion by 2021, if the compound annual growth rate of 25 percent stays steady.
Concentrates and edibles are gaining favor with consumers when compared to traditional smoking.
Year-to-date sales in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon climbed 62 percent through September 2016 when compared to September 2015.
Arcview CEO Troy Dayton believes that even with the uncertainty of having President Orangutan in office, along with Attorney General nominee Jeff “I thought the Klan was okay until I learned they smoked pot” Sessions, investor money is streaming into California, Florida, Massachusetts and Nevada. “Twenty-one percent of the total US population now live in legal adult-use markets,” Dayton told Forbes. (Is that a big enough number to make secession a viable option?)
CBD IN THE UK
Meanwhile, the land we fled more than 200 years ago because of a lack of freedoms has determined that CBD is—gasp—a medicine. Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, mercifully known as the MHRA, made an announcement over New Year’s weekend, stating, in a most British manner, “We have come to the opinion that products containing cannabidiol (CBD) used for medical purposes are a medicine,” and “MHRA will now work with individual companies and trade bodies in relation to making sure products containing CBD, used for a medical purpose, which can be classified as medicines, satisfy the legal requirements of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.”
After the MHRA sent out cease-and-desist letters a few months ago to CBD producers and vendors, it didn’t look promising for the recipients. But according to Gerald Heddell, director of inspection and enforcement at MHRA, “The change really came about with us offering an opinion that CBD is in fact a medicine, and that opinion was based on the fact that we noted that people were making some quite stark claims about serious diseases that could be treated with CBD.”
Meanwhile, back in the Colonies, in December the DEA added CBD to the list of Schedule I drugs such as heroin. There has been much discussion since as to what this means exactly for the producers and vendors of CBD products. The DEA says that they only took this action as “an internal accounting mechanism,” as DEA spokesperson Russell Baer explained to Vice News. “The purpose is to drill down and get more accurate information about research that’s being conducted with CBD in particular.”
But as Denver cannabis attorney Robert Hoban told the International Business Times, “This action is beyond the DEA’s authority. The DEA can only carry out the law, they cannot create it. Here, they’re purporting to create an entirely new category called ‘marijuana extracts,’ and by doing so wrest control over all cannabinoids. They want to call all cannabinoids illegal. But they don’t have the authority to do that.”


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Politician and author Ralph Nader is not shocked by recent headlines about unemployment and a shrinking American middle class. In fact, Nader recently visited The Michael Smerconish Program to discuss his new book Unstoppable, when he provided a few choice words about how the current minimum wage is hurting the American people.
“There’s been a declining household income spiral since 1973, which was the highest real wage for 80 percent of American workers,” Nader said. “There’s a big left-right public opinion support – it runs between 70 and 80 percent – to restore the minimum wage to be what it was in 1968, which would be just under $11 an hour. The federal minimum wage now is $7.25… This is a serious drain on consumer demand. It feeds the perpetuation of our recession.”
Nader will be joining Ari Rabin-Havt tomorrow on The Agenda, where he will discuss his favorite politicians and the power of the people. Check out a sneak peek below!
“In the ’60s when [senators] were heavily under the corporate thumb, the rumble from the people back home, the marches, demonstrations, civil rights movements, women’s movements, consumer environment… low and behold, we had corporate senators become some of the greatest champions of consumers and other forms of justice in American history because they’ve got their finger to the wind,” Nader said. “So we’ve got to give them rumble from the people to begin with.”
Ralph Nader, author of the new book Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State, will join Ari Rabin-Havt on The Agenda Thursday, April 24 at 7 am ET to talk about his book, GM, the minimum wage, his favorite politicians, and much more.
For the full interview, tune in to The Agenda on SiriusXM Progress 127, or visit http://www.siriusxm.com/ondemand after the show.


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Nearly 50% of Asia’s population will inhabit urban areas by 2026, putting a massive amount of pressure on its already under-developed infrastructure and supply chains. Undoubtedly, the responsibility of maintaining efficient supply chains not only lies with delivery companies but the entire logistics value chain.
As one of the most dominant economic power houses globally, Asia Pacific receives approximately 70% of the world’s container traffic in its ports, which increases the difficulty in managing these complex supply chains as compared to other parts of the world. However, by capitalising on strong government support and embracing smarter technologies, logistics businesses can further improve transparency and efficiency across their supply chains and boost local economies.
Digitalise to reduce fragmentation
We’ve seen technology grow and transform many industries and supply chain is no different. Legacy supply chain management systems are linear and siloed which doesn’t allow for fluidity of the ever-changing demand.
Supply chains need to be agile enough to change, as well as digitally connected from end-to-end. However, Asia is very fragmented and businesses here need to grapple with complex challenges – such as economic, geographical and infrastructural disparity, cultural diversity, language differences and country-specific regulations.
Amidst these complexities, digital technology can help solve existing inefficiencies and other underlying issues in the logistics sector. In the past, legacy systems relied on third-party providers to support specific channels. This causes gaps in visibility and challenges in service consistency. Digitalisation is a game changer – by standardising procedures, enhancing end-to-end visibility and empowering all logistics partners to facilitate shipments across all countries in the region seamlessly.
Doing nothing is not an option
Recognising the complexities resulting from local logistics industries, governments are also embracing digitalisation in Asia. They see an opportunity to not only catch up with mature markets, but also integrate business-to-business and business-to-government processes.
For instance, Singapore, a maritime powerhouse and one of the world’s top logistics hubs, is upgrading itself with the upcoming Tuas Mega Port, harnessing technologies like drones, driverless vehicles and machine learning (ML) to almost double the city state’s current cargo handling volume by year 2040. India, on the other hand, is finalising its ambitious draft national logistics policy this year, creating a national logistics e-marketplace as a one-stop platform for exporters and importers, as well as a single knowledge and information sharing mechanism for all parties. With more than 20 government agencies, 40 partnering government agencies and 37 export promotion councils, India’s logistics regulatory landscape is extremely complex. Therefore, having a one-stop portal will significantly improve transparency and cost management, and facilitate better shipping from end to end.
Given strong government support for the logistics industry, the clock is ticking for businesses to catch the next ride to digitalisation or risk losing out on the opportunity to expedite first-to-last-mile logistics.
Moving supply chain to the cloud
By tapping on cloud applications that provide real-time delivery tracking, any organisation inside the supply chain eco-system – from parcel couriers to food delivery platforms – can take (back) control of the data collected to identify any frontline issues, manage inventory and quality, and subsequently inform original suppliers about any issues.
One such business is global shipping and logistics conglomerate Transworld Group, who partnered with Oracle to create an integrated cloud-based technology platform that improved operational efficiency across its shipping and logistics businesses, and ultimately greater customer satisfaction.
Moreover, smart technologies are helping logistics companies be more agile in allocating resources and optimising service levels. Vietnamese logistics company Bac Ky Logistics has implemented Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) and Internet of Things (IOT) Fleet Management Cloud solutions to reduce the number of empty containers and free up its staff to focus on higher value-added services such as automating the scheduling of deliveries and improving its supply chain transparency, speed of service and cost optimisation.
In addition, cloud solutions are pivotal in adopting such emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and robotics that are fuelling tighter, more efficient supply chains. Robotics, for instance, have been a mainstay of manufacturing for decades, but with new improvements in Machine Learning and sensing, robots can analyse massive troves of data and learn from historical performance and trends in order to predict outcomes or propose solutions like a faster route for delivery trucks.
Moreover, AI and Machine Learning can further harness the data collected by the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, which remotely locate, manage and control shipping containers and fleets, enabling businesses to instantly access an unprecedented level of real-time information across the modern supply chain.
Dynamic supply chain in a cloud world
There is no doubt that the future of supply chain management is hyper digital. Home to more than eight out of the top 20 global economies by 2050 with its mobile and e-commerce market projected to reach $ 1.6 trillion by 2021, the dynamic Asia Pacific region must move supply chains to the cloud to remain competitive in logistics.
All players across the whole supply chain – from frontline e-retailers to last-mile logistics providers – must capitalise on the cloud to gain easy access to emerging technologies including AI, Machine Learning, IoT and robotics to improve operations efficiencies, automate processes, empower employees, build customer loyalty and even better societies.
[The writer is Oracle's Asia Pacific SaaS Leader, Office of Finance (ERP) & Digital Supply Chain.]


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John Krasinski brought back his web series after a seven-month hiatus to share some much-needed good news, holiday cheer and sexy Santa aka The Rock.
The DIY show has returned ahead of Christmas, with Dwayne Johnson among those stopping by for an appearance as “Dwanta Claus.” Him and Krasinski subsequently announced that FedEx, a sponsor of the show, donated $5 million to the Toys for Tots holiday toy drive. The two of them were also joined by widowed dad Jay Abel, who had asked Johnson for help on Twitter to get the word out about his eBay listings of comic books and other memorabilia in order to raise enough to buy presents for his kids.
“Your story is my favorite of the holiday season. It’s like superdad stuff,” Krasinski said. “Take all of your stuff off of eBay because Dwanta Claus is going to take care of all of that stuff, man,” Johnson told Abel, who was clearly overwhelmed by Dwanta Claus. Johnson revealed that he has covered the costs of Christmas for Abel’s children, getting an Xbox Series X for his son and some dolls for his daughter.
The episode also featured a brief cameo from George Clooney, who provided a weather report. “Looks pretty good,” Clooney said of the weather. It’s a charming little segment, but it’s certainly got nothing on David Lynch’s daily weather reports.
Krasinski first launched the series back in March after lockdowns began on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, with his first guest being his former The Office co-star Steve Carrell. He later had the rest of the cast on in a follow-up episode, and he also reunited the original Hamilton cast for another.
Getting FedEx to donate $5 million to Toys for Tots is amazing, a lot of hurting families this year.