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Nicky Hayden succumbed to his bicycling injuries yesterday, here’s to celebrating the life and times of an epic rider and an even better person.
We applaud the Bengaluru police’s effort in the matter. They also went on to share another poster that highlights the relevance of zebra crossings.
The power and torque figures of 750 cc motorcycle are not yet confirmed, however, the parallel-twin engine is expected to churn out around 45hp- 50 hp of power and 60 Nm of torque.
Aprilia will soon expand its scooter portfolio in India with the launch of the SR 125 cc scooter. The scooter is expected to be priced competitively.
The TVS Scooty Zest 110 now features four new matte colours and a few new features.
Bajaj has established the Dominar 400 as a sports tourer, hence an adventure tourer is likely the next addition to the line-up
The 2.0 litre diesel will be sold along side the petrol, and bookings are open from today.
Kawasaki will not locally assemble 300 cc and 650 cc engines in the country.
Kinetic to sell SuperDual 600 cc in India under the MotoRoyale Umbrella. Maybe sub-6lakh adv, CKD.
The one-year training and racing programme will be led by racer & ex-TVS Racing rider Rajini Krishnan and other trainers from Rajini Academy of Competitive Racing.
The Ducati Monster 797 and the Multistrada 950 will join the Ducati India’s lineup next month. The waiting period for the motorcycles is two to six months, depending on the version.
Triumph Tiger Trails has been mapped to take riders through some of the most scenic routes in Himachal Pradesh.
First spied images of the Yamaha Fazer 25 has surfaced the internet. The motorcycle will not get ABS as standard.
An example of this is some reports on social media and other platforms of a BSIII KTM 390 Duke being up for grabs at a price tag of Rs 1.5 lakh.
Tima Kuleshov started off with his motorcycling adventures when he was less than two years old.
Perhaps the most awaited adventure motorcycle of 2015 just got even more exciting, as the CFR1000 becomes the cheapest adventure tourer in the segment.
With the new motorcycle, Royal Enfield will enter the growing 750cc motorcycle segment in India and abroad.
TVS Motor Company has released a teaser of a new scooter that will feature LED tail lamps and is expected to be based on the
Scooty Zest 110
In last 6 years, the demand of automatic scooter has increased at a rapid pace and due to this 35 percent of the domestic two wheeler segment is ruled by automatic scooters.
In an alliance with Guatemala-based company, MASESA, TVS Motor Company has entered the Central American market with the three-wheelers, scooters as well as motorcycles including the Apache range
The new Yamaha Fazer 250 will be the semi-faired version of the FZ25. The motorcycle might get ABS as optional along with AHO (Automatic Headlamp On) unit.
The special edition Elegante is powered by a 150 cc single-cylinder engine that produces 11.4 hp of power and 11.5 Nm of torque.
The order, however, will only be applicable to ‘non self-registering dealers’ – those who can not make online payments of sales tax
The new Honda Hornet 160R is now available with new body colours and also gets minute mechanical updates.
The new design is much more sportier, and the engine has been equipped with Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) technology, which Yamaha say helps provide better grunt at low engine speeds
Aprilia Shiver 900 and Dorsoduro 900 will feature ABS and switchable traction control system as standard. Both the models will be powered by an 896 cc V-twin engine.
After almost a decade of TVS Motor Company filing a request for patent of a hybrid scooter, the company has received it from the Chennai Patent Office


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With Black Friday dominating some of the research reports this week, here’s an overview of the latest studies featured this week.
With Black Friday approaching fast, mobile engagement platform, Leanplum has partnered with retail app platform, Branding Brand, to take a closer look at the impact of mobile on the upcoming shopping event. Based on the responses of 1,000 US holiday shoppers, 65% of them plan to purchase goods on Black Friday using their mobile devices with 35% using dedicated apps.
Black Friday is set to be a busy time for retailers this year, with 54% of Londoners, 47% of shoppers in the North East and 46% of those in the West Midlands looking to make purchases. According to research from PriceSpy, a price and product comparison website, eCommerce seems to be a key trend this year with 40% of respondents in the UK looking to shop online to avoid the crowds.
UK consumers are predicted to spend £2.6 billion on shopping this Black Friday, up 8% from the £2.4 billion spent in 2016. That’s according to new research from VoucherCodes and the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). A whopping 21 million consumers are expected to be spending £1.8 million per minute online and in-store.
Facebook has launched dynamic and lead adverts for automotive brands to improve retargeting and the creation of target audiences. The new formats are available through Facebook and Instagram, but Facebook also plans to add them to its Audience Network shortly.
Facebook is obviously hard at work pushing its engagement strategy and has just launched a Creator app that allows social media influencers to develop more creative intros, outros, and custom emojis for their live broadcasts. The new Live Creative Kit also includes an inbox for comments from both Facebook and subsidiaries Instagram and Messenger.
Mobile marketing measurement company TUNE has partnered with Google in a joint effort to address click injection advertising fraud on Android. Click injection concerns ad fraud where a bot or malware on a mobile device attempts to steal attribution credit and ad dollars for app installs.
Generation Z smartphone owners are more likely to engage with content from brands which they already follow compared to new or unknown brands. That’s according to new research from agency Jaywing and YouGov, which questioned 1,000 UK 16 to 21-year-olds on their social media and brand priorities.
According to new research led by Sandra Matz from the Columbia Business School, modifying adverts to psychological traits based on social media likes is effective in driving purchases and clicks.
Over half of online video creators believe that Instagram will be the next big video platform in the next three years. The vast majority (90%) of online video providers are already present on YouTube and 57% are also distributing their content via Facebook as well as their own websites (51%). Meanwhile, Instagram is projected to see some of the highest growth, increasing from 36% of video content distribution in 2016 to 47% this year.
A whopping 85% of UK businesses plan to make an investment in artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the Internet of Things (IoT) by 2020, according to a survey by Deloitte which forms part of the company’s new Digital Disruption Index. The first edition combines the responses of 51 organisation that share a combined market value of £229bn.
Research by Quartz has found that Android devices continue to send location data to Google regardless of whether a user has disabled the location services for apps and has not even inserted a SIM card. In addition, Quartz noted that location data was being sent even if devices had been reset to their factory settings.
Bildago the app marketing solutions provider, has partnered with Google to become a Premier Partner for Mobile Advertising. The partnership will allow app marketers to tap into UAC, Google’s machine learning tech that can help marketers target audiences based on certain demographics across Google Play and other Google properties.
Mobile app monetization company, Tappx, has just announced that it opened an office in Beijing, China. The company also appointed Bob Wang as China Country Manager. For Tappx, the move expands its global operations – with offices in Spain, India, the UK and China.
Mobile app networking technology PacketZoom announced that it has raised $5 million in a Series A funding round led by Baseline Ventures, and with participation from First Round Capital, Tandem Capital and Arafura Ventures.
App install fraud has now reached levels of 7.8% worldwide, leading to fluctuating media prices due to fraudulent impressions within an ad network. Mobile attribution hasn’t been able to protect advertisers, which is why Curate Mobile, the mobile growth platform, has launched a new feature for mobile advertising clients to tackle the issue of questionable traffic.

domain: news


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The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) have launched CheeseCon.org, providing early details on CheeseCon, formerly called the Cheese Industry Conference. The event is touted as the premier cheese, butter, and whey processing event, and is set for April 4-6, 2023 in Madison, Wis. Hotel bookings at exclusive CheeseCon rates are available now, and attendee registration and exhibitor sign-ups will begin October 12, 2022.
“WCMA is thrilled to partner with the Center for Dairy Research to host the cheese industry’s must-see event of the year, offering fresh ideas for the global dairy processing community,” said WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer. “Whether you’re focused on building your network, learning from the brightest minds in the industry, reconnecting with your peers, or honoring the achievements of industry greats, you’ll find it all at CheeseCon.”
CheeseCon, draws more than 3,000 dairy processing industry leaders, suppliers, and marketers to Madison. In 2023, the popular conference kicks off on Tuesday, April 4 with special networking events, including a new Welcome Reception. On Wednesday, explore CheeseCon’s largest-ever tabletop exhibit floor featuring the dairy industry’s most trusted supplier partners, now with an additional 30 booths.
“For CEOs, marketers, food safety and quality staff, sales teams, and more, CheeseCon is the best place to share information, generate new ideas, and make key connections,” added Judy Keller, WCMA’s Events Director. "CheeseCon.org is a one-stop shop for all the details dairy industry professionals need to plan ahead and maximize their time at this world-class conference.”


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When you talk to the people behind Salt Springs Brewery in Saline, one word continuously comes up in conversation: craftsmanship.
Thirsty customers will get a chance to try that craftsmanship next Friday, July 31, when Salt Springs opens its doors to the public for a grand opening weekend celebration.
Built inside a renovated church at 117 S. Ann Arbor St. in Saline, the restaurant and bar has been undergoing several updates for more than six months in preparation for opening.
"To have this type of building and this type of property in a downtown area is a unique opportunity," said Ron Schofield, one of the owners. "Everybody's excited and we're excited to show off what we've been working on."
The grand opening starts at 6 p.m. next Friday according to a post on the Salt Springs website.
As you walk into the restaurant, you're greeted by large stained glass windows that can change the look and feel of the space depending on how the sun is shining that day.
"It's all come together very nicely. The building provided such a gorgeous backdrop to begin with, it was just a matter of enhancing it," said Mark Zadvinskis, another one of the owners. "Working with these windows and this natural art that's on the walls is something you can't frame."
With indoor seating for 135 guests, the outdoor patio also has room for 75 seats plus standing room. The amount of seating could change as management sees how the space feels once customers start arriving.
"Some of this stuff might be a work in progress that we finish later, but the broad strokes will be complete," Zadvinskis said. "There's going to be little details over time that we'll continue to evolve."
With 10 beers scheduled to be on tap for opening night - an 11th might be ready in time - the bar will serve a variety of craft beers and will also have four wines on tap, bottled wine and sangria.
"I'm kinda wishing he had a bigger tap tower already," Zadvinskis said with a laugh.
Schofield said he thinks customers are going to very happy with the beer once they get a chance to try it.
"They've (the brewers) had to scale the recipes up from what's been 10-gallon batches to seven-barrel batches and it's very, very good," Schofield said. "We're not surprised that we're making good beer, but it's great to see the initial batches coming out so well. That's really a testament to the work of the brewers."
One of the brewers, Ed Brosius, is also a partner/owner in the venture.
Beers will run from $4 to $5.50 per pint and 64 ounce growlers will also be available. But what really sets Salt Springs apart according to Zadvinskis is the 32 ounce crowler system. The in-house canning device will allow customer to take 32 ounce cans of beer home with them for $7 a fill.
"When you're done, you can recycle it, there's nothing you have to bring back," Zadvinskis said. "It's going to be a real efficient way of getting your beer home."
A CO2 system is in place that also preserves the beer so that it will stay fresher longer and allow customers to keep their favorite brews at home for longer periods of time.
"A growler is only going to keep your beer fresh for days, a crowler will keep it fresh for months," Zadvinskis said.
Crowlers will only be available for to-go service.
The roughly 6,200-square-foot space is split over two floors with the upstairs being used as the dining room and the kitchen, bathrooms and storage downstairs. The former Methodist church was built in 1899 and was home to the church until 1990. Recently the building was used as the Stone Arch Arts and Events Center.
Along with the carefully crafted beers, head chef Justin Dalenberg said the menu will reflect a commitment to fresh food.
"They're going to get a taste of the local farms. We buy a lot of our product from people who live around here," Dalenberg said.
The menu will feature plenty of traditional European dishes to complement the European style beers on tap.
Dalenberg said the brioche, ham, Canadian bacon, bacon bratwurst and more will be prepared by the staff. The restaurant will be routinely buying local pigs to turn into the pork products used on the menu. He's also planted 400 pounds of Kennebec potatoes at a family-ownec farm so that he can serve French fries exactly the way he wants to.
"What people can expect here is that they're going to taste craftsmanship," Dalenberg said. "It's going to be a very wholesome experience."
While full plates will be available for order, Dalenberg said he thinks the menu is best purposed for groups looking to try a little bit of a few dishes.
"Our food isn't going to be very dainty or fussy. The idea behind a lot of food is stuff that you can share," Dalenberg said.
Training for the staff has been ongoing for a couple weeks now and the staff will undergo a few soft openings next week that are open to friends, family and investors in the project. Schofield said they've hired more than 30 people for the brewery.
"When we open, we expect to be overwhelmed. We want to make sure that we're giving great service and great food," Schofield said. "The staff has been working to get ready as we've been getting the building ready."
As everything comes together in the final days, Schofield said he's eager to see how the community reacts. So far, it's been positive from those who've been inside, which he said makes the lengthy renovation process worth all the hard work.
"There's a lot of emotions there right now. While we're trying to wrap it up, we're seeing it through the eyes of friends and family that have come here," Schofield said. "It's great to see it come together here in the last few weeks."


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BCC: Interest rates 'must be cut'
Interest rates must come down soon to help stave off imminent recession, says the British Chambers of Commerce in its latest quarterly economic forecast.
Decisions: Mintues from the MPC will help determine the Bank's decision
It gives a stark warning that Britain is heading into two or more quarters of declining output over the next six or nine months, technically 'a recession'.
But a major recession similar to the downturn seen in the early 1990s was unlikely, it said.
The BCC believes recession is now a more serious threat to the economy than inflation and the Bank of England should start cutting interest rates as soon as inflation peaks in two to three months.
It estimates that rates will be reduced to 4.75% by the end of the year and that there will be scope for a further cut next year.
Inflation hit a record 4.4% in July, and Bank of England Governor Mervyn King has warned it could spend the rest of the year around the 5% mark before if falls away through 2009.
David Kern, the BCC's economic adviser, said: 'The longer the Monetary Policy Committee waits before cutting rates, the bigger the danger that the economic situation could deteriorate.
'The level of UK unemployment is likely to increase to nearly 300,000 over the next few years, reaching almost two million.
'The main drivers of the UK slowdown will be a very sharp deceleration in consumer spending growth as households tighten their belts amid soaring bills and falling house prices.'
Minutes of the last MPC meeting, during which the bank held rates steady at 5%, will be published on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, household bills are likely to soar by £2,500 a year as the official rate of inflation reaches 7%, according to research by the Chelsea Building Society.
Families who have already been hit by large increases in food, energy and fuel prices face another 12 months of misery according to a study.
The research suggests the cost of food alone will go up by £734 over the coming year to £6,757 for an average household - a rise of some 12%. It predicts the annual cost of motoring will rise by £574, or around a third, to £2,264. For housing costs, Chelsea predicts an annual increase in rents of 9%, or £672, taking the annual figure to around £7,600.
Once other elements are added to the equation its experts claim total spending will need to rise by £2,546.55 over the next year to allow the average household to maintain the same standard of living they currently enjoy.
Inflation, deflation and the cost of living
- A history of inflation
- Interest rates: The inflation impact
- Deflation: Winners and losers
- 30-second guide: Controlling inflation
- 30-second guide: Deflation
- 30-second guide: Inflation basket
- Calculator: What money used to be worth
- Calculator: Your personal inflation rate
- Table: Price changes over 10 years (click & scroll down)
The study also shows an increase in gas and electricity prices of around £190, taking bills up to £1,089. However, other analysts suggest the real increase will be closer to £1,400.
Chelsea calculates that inflation will hit 6.7% over the coming year while for pensioners, who spend more of their income on food and energy, it could reach 8%.
Customer services director Darren Stevens said: 'The potential increase of inflation to almost 7% will create a real strain for the average man and woman. Fuel hikes, food increases and rental demands are forcing people to find further ways to afford life's essentials.
'Chelsea has also seen some evidence of people who are now dipping into their savings to pay for bills and this looks set to continue. In tough times, it becomes even more important for people to manage their money effectively and adapt their savings habits.'
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View three Items
Off a nook kick each groups are up within the air making an attempt to acquire the header as REAL Salt Lake takes on Sporting Kansas City at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. Real Salt Lake wins the fit in opposition to Sporting Kansas City 2-1.
SANDY — Real Salt Lake and KSL are partnering to stream nearly all RSL, Utah Royals and Real Monarchs games, it was once introduced Tuesday.
The KSL TV app would be the house for 90 games in addition to midweek content material that includes former RSL player-turned broadcast analyst Brian Dunseth and RSL head trainer Mike Petke.
The app is to be had for iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV units (fourth era and above) and Chromecast. RSL’s says wireless upgrades at Rio Tinto Stadium and the brand new Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman will permit lovers to watch replays in the course of the app.
Game will nonetheless be broadcasted over the air on KMYU (2.2 over air, 12 satellite tv for pc or 643 Comcast HD). That deal was renewed previous this 12 months.
“This is all about the fans, who can watch RSL on-the-go wherever they choose,” RSL proprietor Dell Loy Hansen mentioned in a information unencumber.
The KSL TV app will broadcast all however two RSL games with 30 minute pre- and post-game displays. The app will permit reside games to be paused or replayed with the facility to go back to reside motion. Full fit replays and midweek content material may also be to be had on-demand.
“Our users and viewers expect the best,” KSL Vice President Tanya Vea mentioned. “KSL’s delivery of the latest and greatest sports entertainment and information to people’s hands — including those who use free streaming devices and are looking to keep pace with their busy lives — will ensure that they have instant and enhanced access to RSL.”
Under the partnership, single-game tickets shall be offered via KSL Classifieds on KSL.com.
Deseret News, KSL and Deseret Digital Media are all owned via Deseret Management Corporation.


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Sharing experiences, building the Future...
Our encognize team has maintained a high pace of activities throughout the last quarter of 2019, keeping at its heart the sharing of experiences.
Workshops, presentations, luncheon have been conducted with a wide range of participants to the FinTech industry and to the broader Innovation ecosystem, be they startups, financial institutions, regulators or students.
Of course, our encognize team has also continued to focus on ensuring strong business progresses for our portfolio of innovating Tech companies through the identification of new projects, PoC, business partners or investors.
A Regtech Study released by IRTA & Protiviti with encognize contribution
On November 14, 2019, the International RegTech Association (IRTA) and Protiviti have released the findings of a global market study they conducted to investigate the effectiveness of current ‘Know Your Customer’(KYC) processes. The study reveals an urgent need for more effective industry alignment to accelerate the digitizing of KYC processes and greater use of shared platforms. KYC processes involve the identification and verification of customers and help protect financial institutions’ services from being misused for illegal activities.
encognize G.K. was one of the direct contributors to the report preparation and review.
Full Press Release here
Full pdf report downloadable here (English version)
Pushing RegTech / FinTech innovation boundaries further...
Alternative Credit Scoring based on psychometric evaluation (AdviceRobo), 3FA solution through card-embedded fingerprint reader combined with digital wallet (Unikeys), Digital-Identity-as-a-Service based on distributed platform (Pikcio), Financial Industry- specific translation engine (Lingua Custodia) are as many innovative solutions that our encognize GK team was proud to promote between April and September 2019.
Beyond the active search of business partners ready to explore these innovative solutions in Japan, our team has also conducted focused seminar and had the honor to be invited to renowned industry events.
All CEO Message Cryptoknowledge Cybersecurity EdTech Encognize .fastforward Encognize .lab4 203 Encognize .lab4-203 Encognize .synaptik Encognize .wisdomseed Events FinTech French Tech Impact Innovation InsurTech Partnership RegTech VC


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FDA Greenlights Telles’ Biodegradable Mirel Bioplastics
Telles, a joint venture between Metabolix and Archer Daniels Midland, has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its biodegradable Mirel F1005 and F1006 bioplastics to be used in food-contact products such as caps, eating utensils, trays and hot cup lids.
The FDA has also approved Mirel for use in cosmetics, house-wares and medical packaging. Mirel can also be used for freezing, boiling and in microwaves.
Telles’ first commercial-scale plant is located near the ADM wet corn mill in Clinton, Iowa .
“With the Clinton plant now in operation, and this FDA clearance, we now can move forward with brand owners’ requests to use Mirel in their injection molded food packaging applications,” stated Richard Eno, CEO of Metabolix. “These applications, which currently consume billions of pounds of petroleum-based polymers per year, offer considerable opportunity for growth of our biobased, biodegradable polymer, Mirel.”
The market for biodegradable plastics reached 541 million pounds in 2007, and is expected to reach 1.2 billion pounds by 2012 . In March, EL reported that eco-bottlers such as Green Planet Bottling and Keystone Water Company have produced bioplastic water bottles that are made 100 percent from plants, are reusable, recyclable and compostable in 80 days.
The company is also developing technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals and energy from crops such as switchgrass, oilseeds and sugarcane.
Stay Up-to-Date On Environmental Management, Energy & Sustainability News with EL's Free Daily Newsletter
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- Pattern Energy Completes 200 MW Logan’s Gap Wind Facility in Texas
- Marine Corps Upgrading 37 Buildings at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
- Photovoltaic Projects in TN, CT


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Stranded in the UK after the pandemic hit in March 2020, and unable to return to his job in Australia, Jonathan Simpson from Penwortham set up his own clothing label. […]5 months ago New Belladonna’s Boudoir set for Cannon Street
Among the doom and gloom of high street and side street retail store closures a bright new shop opening on Cannon Street. The new Belladonna’s Boudoir studio offers personally made […]8 years ago Cambridge Girl Joins Blog Preston!
Very excited as local journalism student Olivia Pinnock is joining the team here at Blog Preston. I absolutely love Olivia’s blog Cambridge Girl in Preston it’s so cool to have […]12 years ago Most Discussed


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Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, a business region of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), is now offering Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ line of Linear Resonance Actuators (LRAs), vibration motors that provide a tactile (haptic) sensation when a user interacts with a touchscreen.
One of the emerging technologies in the field of touchscreens, haptic feedback has become increasingly popular in consumer products such as smartphones, portable gaming and tablets. According to Gartner Inc.’s March 27, 2013, report, “Competitive Landscape: Touch Controllers Evolve into a System Solution, Worldwide, 2013,” by Adib Carl Ghubril, this market is on track to grow in 2014. The report said, “Gartner forecasts 30 percent growth in 2013 for the touch controller market, a rate that will be maintained through 2014 but will slow again in 2015 and will reach a plateau in 2016.” As touchscreens become more present in the automotive, industrial and medical markets, the growth opportunity for haptic feedback applications also expands.
“Whenever you receive a phone call and your phone vibrates, you’re experiencing basic haptics. Be it through advanced medical simulators, smart cars, or large multi-touch casino game displays, there’s plenty of room for this technology to grow into the industrial markets Avnet serves,” said Alex Iuorio, senior vice president, supplier management and business development for Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas. “Our partnership with Samsung Electro-Mechanics uniquely positions Avnet to help customers take advantage of this cutting-edge technology and create more user-friendly products.”
“Avnet’s global footprint, design chain and supply chain capabilities make it the ideal partner in creating demand for this technology,” said Wesley Roh, executive director of sales and marketing, Americas & European Mobile Sales Group, Samsung Electro-Mechanics. “Their teams are trained to offer the technical support needed to quicken time to market for haptic solutions. Moreover, Avnet’s extensive portfolio of haptic drivers and IP&E value-added services can help customers easily build a complete haptic solution for their products.”
To view Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ haptic motors product line available from Avnet, visit us online.


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Floating Share Widget
The 2017 annual report highlights NRF’s outstanding accomplishments on behalf of the retail industry throughout the year, from advocating for comprehensive tax reform to shifting the retail narrative in the media. New to this year’s annual report is an augmented reality experience inspired by the innovative technology retailers are using to enhance customer engagement.
Brookfield Property Partners plans a retail- and arts-based revitalization for Bleecker Street in Manhattan. The pr… https://t.co/abZxbIYKqG11 hours ago


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UPTOWN — Uptown's Baker & Nosh is set to expand this fall — and it wants to celebrate by giving you free gelato.
Swing by Thursday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to sample gelato flavors from Zarlengo's, a beloved Chicago Heights ice cream company that will be soon be featured at Baker & Nosh, 1303 W. Wilson Ave.
Baker & Nosh opened last year and is set to expand into a space next door, according to Jessica Morales, a spokeswoman for the baker.
As it expands, Baker and Nosh will offer shakes, additional frommage and charcuterie selections and fresh soups and salads.
The fall menu — which debuted last week — includes bacon and chive asiago scones ($4); pumpkin coffee cake ($2.50/slice); sour cherry muffins made with Seedling Farms cherries ($3); and treccia, an Italian brioche bread available in an orange and nutella swirl ($6-12).


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Traditionally, the phone has been the most used method of asking for help in customer service, but the times have changed. In the same way that consumer habits have evolved towards more online shopping, the channels of contact with companies have multiplied.
From the phone we went to email, from email to chat and now what is coming strong is WhatsApp. Although email is still the most used channel by far, the latest Zendesk report shows an exponential increase in the use of WhatsApp as a contact method, un 370%
growing 370% in a single year to become the fifth most used method.
Not only has the instant messaging application gained momentum, but given the option, more than 75% of users
would prefer to resolve their queries via WhatsApp rather than by phone or email. And that's not all, 82%
of consumers will spend more with companies that allow them to find answers online without having to contact anyone..
For companies it is a new way to contact customers quickly and efficiently, but many have to set up to satisfy their customers. Only 18%
say they are very satisfied with the number of channels that companies offer to get in touch with them.


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Midway loses $25.7 million during the first half of 2004; president David Zucker says "The extraordinary annual losses are behind us."
Beleaguered game publisher Midway today released financial figures for the first half of 2004. The company lost $25.7 million over the six-month period ending June 30, losing $10.7 million in the April-June period. Expecting to release only three games in the next six months, Midway predicts overall losses for 2004 to be $20 million--$2 million more than it had previously stated.
The news is not all bad, however. Today's numbers show a marked improvement over last year, when Midway lost $65.3 million during the first half. Furthermore, sales were also up this year, rising $16.6 million to $67.4 million during the first half. And for the quarter, revenues were $47.3 million, up from $5 million the prior year for the same quarter (that's approximately $9 million higher than the company's guidance to analysts provided last April 28). The upside from guidance is primarily due to NBA Ballers, which has experienced strong sales and reorder demand since its introduction into the North American market on April 5. During the second quarter, the company released three well-received games--MLB SlugFest: Loaded, NBA Ballers, and Psi-Ops--which helped support sales during the period.....
News source: GameSpot


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Even Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's personal details were not safe in the recent massive data breach that saw data of more than 500 million Facebook accounts posted online. According to cybersecurity researcher Dave Walker, the data leak also included phone number and other details of the Facebook founder.
Walker said Zuckerberg, as well as Facebook co-founders Chris Hughes and Dustin Moskovitz, were among the 533 million users who had personal data posted on the forum.
"Regarding the #FacebookLeak, of the 533M people in the leak - the irony is that Mark Zuckerberg is regrettably included in the leak as well," Walker tweeted.
However, Facebook dismissed the leaked data as “very old” and likely not a threat to anyone. "This is old data that was previously reported on in 2019. We found and fixed this issue in August 2019," Business Insider reported citing a Facebook spokesperson.
The exposed data includes the personal information of Facebook users from 106 countries. Alon Gal, the chief technology officer of cybercrime intelligence firm Hudson Rock, who first shared the leak, claims that over six million Facebook user’s data in India has allegedly surfaced on the hacker forum for free
“This means that if you have a Facebook account, it is extremely likely the phone number used for the account was leaked,” he adds. It was found that the hacker made available data that included details like phone numbers and other personal data for free.


text: AMOREPACIFIC Corp. held the dedication ceremony for a cosmetic factory in Shanghai, China, on July 22, 2002. The completion of a production base in Shanghai, the trendsetting center of China, will help accelerate the company endeavors to access the Chinese market. The plant will produce the LANEIGE line, a best-selling brand in Korea. Located in Ziatingchui, Shanghai, the plant which is made up of a production block, an administration block and an annex building equipped with a boiler room and waste water treatment facilities -- occupies 3960 square meters on a 16,500-square-meter land lot. The facility is capable of manufacturing 9.9 million units and packaging 11.7 million units annually. AMOREPACIFIC had already established Amore Cosmetics Shanghai Co., Ltd., in Shanghai in November 2000, as the first step to aggressively gain access to the huge markets of mainland China. The plant took one year and two months to complete since the groundbreaking in May 2001 and cost the company a total of five million dollars. The Shanghai plant is a wholly owned company of AMOREPACIFIC. The three residential officials and local workers of the plant are now busy preparing for the launch of sales in September. LANEIGE will be the core brand for the Shanghai company. The establishment of a local plant means more aggressive sales for LANEIGE, which up to now, had been imported and sold mainly in Beijing, through sales agents. The newly produced LANEIGE line will be sold exclusively in premium-grade department stores in metropolitan cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. The company plans to introduce the basically same brand image as the one used in Korea to capture the imagination of Chinese women. With the addition of the Shanghai plant, AMOREPACIFIC now has two production bases in China, with the other one in Shenyang. Amore Cosmetics Shenyang Co., Ltd., which covers the areas of Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin, was established on December 31, 1993; it began production in December 1994 and launched sales in 1995. Establishing this company cost the company a total of 2.5 million dollars. The Shenyang company started out as a joint venture firm, but was later turned into an independent company in 2000. It now employs three residential officials and 230 local workers, and produces two brands, AMORE and MAMONDE, primarily supplying department stores and specialty stores. AMOREPACIFIC seeks to continually strengthen the Shenyang company marketing capabilities to stabilize its growth, and to eventually rank among the top five market share holders in the department store area for the three major cities in Northeastern China. In its effort to access the Chinese market, AMOREPACIFIC has focused on local production and local sales, rather than agency sales. As a result, exports from the Headquarters to the Chinese market have been limited to the LANEIGE line, which has been sold in China through a general sales agent in Beijing. A sales agent contract was signed between the company and the Beijing agent in 1997, requiring the agency to sell only to department stores in principle. (Exports amounted to 830,000 dollars in 2000 and 900,000 dollars in 2001.) AMOREPACIFIC has set 2002 as the first year for its globalization plan to reinvent the company from being Korea No. 1 local brand into being a truly globalized company. To accomplish this, the company plans to promote its best-known brand, LANEIGE, throughout the entire Asian region. Its aggressive investment into and cultivation of sales in the Chinese market is a cornerstone for the effort to attain the long-term vision of becoming a company with a collection of powerful brands.


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(PRWEB UK) 3 July 2014
Double-glazing specialist Malbern Windows is set to launch a new and improved website this week, making it even easier for customers to buy top-quality windows, doors and conservatories at value-for-money prices.
The new Malbern Windows website will be launched on Friday July 4th and has been specifically designed to be as user-friendly as possible. Buying windows, conservatories and doors from Malbern Windows has never been so easy - and with the summer upon us, now could be the perfect time to make those all-important home improvements.
"At Malbern Windows we've always prided ourselves on taking a clear-cut and honest approach, and we feel that our new website fits in perfectly with that ethos," said Wayne Clarke, Managing Director at Malbern Windows. "We're always looking for new ways to make it easier for our customers to find great deals, and we're very confident that our new website will do just that."
Since 1983, Malbern Windows has built up a reputation for quality, choice and value for money, emerging as one of the clear leaders in its field. Over the last three decades, the company has installed nearly a quarter of a million UPVC windows as well as in excess of 5000 bespoke conservatories from original conception to completion.
The firm's highly-skilled team of hardworking fitters work to the highest standards, providing customers with complete peace of mind when they choose Malbern Windows.
What's more, customers who buy from Malbern Windows online can obtain a whole host of great discounts and there are also amazing loyalty deals on offer. With more than 30 years' experience in the field, Malbern Windows is the ideal choice for anyone looking for quality doors, windows or conservatories that'll stand the test of time without costing the earth.
To find out more about Malbern Windows' latest summer offers and unique finance deals, simply pay a visit to the new website at http://www.malbernwindows.co.uk on or after July 4th.


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For the risen sales and fallen tax expenses, profit of Amgen Inc easily beat the expectations with surpassing fourth-quarter results announced on Tuesday.
Thousand Oaks, California-based Amgen, for its older medicines, has been facing the growing competition which led to lower than Wall Street estimates forecast regarding 2019 earnings.
For the fourth quarter, revenue of Amgen came rising by 7 percent to $6.23 billion which surpassed the average analyst estimate of $5.84 billion with a clear margin.
Aimovig is new class of migraine drug by Amgen, which is designed to prevent the migraine headaches rather treating it, which made it first to the market among that class and during the fourth quarter sales of that drug totaled $95 million which came up almost double to the analyst forecasted sales amount of $50 million for the new drug.
Demand for medicines like cholesterol fighter Repatha, osteoporosis treatment Prolia and cancer drug Kyprolis also drove the fourth quarter sales of Amgen higher.
Excluding items, the world’s largest biotechnology company Amgen reported adjusted quarterly earnings of $3.42 per share which topped the analysts’ average expectations of $3.27 per share by 15 cents.
For the full-year of 2019, company has projected adjusted earnings of $13.10 to $14.30 per share while Wall Street analysts’ average forecast was $14.61. Revenue has been forecasted between $21.8 billion and $22.9 billion by the company for full-year against Wall Street’s $22.9 billion.
For an increasing focus on the issue of prescription drug affordability in the United States and growing competition against its legacy products like Enbrel for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Sensipar, a kidney drug,; Amgen has been facing the headwinds, told Chief Financial Officer David Meline, during a conference call.
For 2019 outlook, Amgen has been assuming its global net sales prices to be dropped by 4 percent to 6 percent, which saw decline of 1 percent in 2018, Meline added.


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Didi Chuxing, the ride-sharing firm that leads Uber in China, has denied a report that it plans to go public in the U.S. next year.
Just days after Didi announced a landmark $1 billion investment from Apple, Bloomberg today reported that the firm is eying an IPO in New York within the next 18 months. Bloomberg’s sources claim Didi, which is raising $3 billion more at a $26 billion valuation right now, hasn’t selected an exchange or banks at this point, and that a listing is subject to how it performs against Uber in China.
Didi denied the claim, and added that it has no IPO plans at all, U.S.-based or otherwise.
“We currently have no IPO plan, so there’s no point of talking about location or schedule,” a spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch.
Reliable data for the on-demand ride industry is hard to get hold of, but analysts are united in agreement that Didi is ahead of Uber in China by some margin. The company claims to have 14 million drivers and 300 million active users across its range of services, which include private cars, peer-to-peer rides, chauffeuring, bus services and more. Leaked Uber documents suggest that China accounts for a number of its biggest cities worldwide, but it isn’t clear how many users or daily rides the service has in the country.
There have been rumors of a Didi IPO before. Prior to the merger of China’s two largest Uber rivals — Didi Dache-Kuaidi Dache — which created the company, Didi’s then-CEO spoke publicly of his intent for a public listing with the U.S. a preferred location. However, much has happened since the two rivals merged in a multi-billion dollar consolidation in early 2015, rather than fighting each other, the two companies have taken on Uber, which has raised billions of dollars for its entity in China, which is valued at $7 billion.
There’s certainly a track record of U.S. IPOs from top tech companies in China — Alibaba, one of Didi’s most prominent shareholders, sits on the NYSE — but a dual U.S.-China listing would appear to make more sense for Didi when the time comes.
Didi has played up its homegrown status in China since it represents a clear distinction to Uber and could help curry favor in the regulatory battles that are inevitable with the ride-sharing business. It would seem counter productive for it to then list only in China, given the Chinese government’s efforts to promote local tech companies. Indeed, forging links to Chinese companies is one credible reason put forward for Apple’s investment in Didi, which is certainly out of character for the U.S. company based on previous deals.
Beyond needing to focus on its nationalism, a 2017 listing would see Didi beat Uber to going public — but that might not necessarily be a race worth winning. The market for tech IPOs has slowed down massively in the U.S., with no public listing from tech firms in Q1 2016. With Uber the de facto global leader (and pioneer) of the ride-sharing industry, it remains to be seen whether listing first could have a negative impact on Didi’s IPO.
As The Information’s Amir Efrati pointed out, much of Didi’s value may be derived by its position compared to Uber. Letting the U.S. firm go first might educate the market, set expectations and provide a base for a stronger Didi listing.


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But which game is it?
At its event in Paris, Ubisoft announced that it will publish Beowulf, which is based on the animated movie of the same name to be released in November 2007. The movie stars the voices of Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, and John Malkovich among others, and it's expected that the movie (and game) will follow the storyline told in the classic tale.
There's a little confusion though on exactly which game it is though, because 4HEAD Studios announced early last year that it's working on a next-gen Beowulf title. Beowulf: Viking Warrior was to be published on Xbox 360 and PC, and rumored to be headed to PS3 as well. HEXUS.gaming is reporting that Ubisoft is actually publishing the 4HEAD title, while IGN reports that this is an internally developed title at Ubisoft and not related to the 4HEAD effort. Whatever the case may be, we hope to have the confusion cleared up soon. If they are indeed two separate titles, then 4HEAD will likely be forced to change the name of its game to avoid confusion.
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While their parents received around 27p per tooth, today's children wake up to an average £1.05p, according to savings experts.
That works out at £20 million a year, a 500 per cent rise over 25 years compared to inflation which has risen 125 per cent, says the Children's Mutual.
They calculate that today's youngsters could net a total of £21 from wobbly incisors and molars – a great deal more than the £3.40 their parents received when they lost their teeth.
For roughly one in 12 gaptoothed youngster, losing 20 teeth between the ages of six and 11 could earn them more than £40.
David White, chief executive of the Children's Mutual, said tooth fairy inflation comes close to that of house prices which have leapt by more than 600 percent n the past 25 years.
"The generosity of the tooth fairy has accelerated rapidly and shows no signs of abating," he added.
There is a silver lining for parents, according to Mr White. Tooth bonuses help teach children the value of money
The study found seven in ten children talk about money and savings with their parents, 73 per cent have a piggy bank and 44 per cent of seven-year-olds play shopping games at home.
"Teaching the value of money is often difficult but the tooth fairy is on hand to help," Mr White added.Reuse content


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Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has projected a strong growth for the cruise line industry in 2015.
According to CLIA, 23 million passengers are expected to sail this year, and 61 percent of CLIA-certified agents reported an increase in 2015 bookings when compared to last year. Cruise lines are enticing passengers to set sail with 22 new ocean, river, and specialty ships debuting in 2015, and approximately 1,000 ports of call.
In its State of the Cruise Industry Report, CLIA identified seven points for the outlook of the cruise industry in 2015:
- Travelers Continue to Sail: CLIA reports that 63 percent of cruisers are return cruisers and 69 percent rated cruising as a better value than a land-based vacation.
- Size Isn’t Important: The focus is no longer on the biggest cruise ship in the market, but more on unique design and amenities.
- Specialty Cruises are Rising: Specialty cruises grew by 21 percent annually from 2009 to the 2014 estimates. This includes luxury yachts, elegant ocean liners and river cruises—all of which experienced double digit passenger growth.
- The Caribbean is Still Popular: Though the Caribbean is still the most popular destination for cruisers to sail, the Mediterranean, Asia, and Australia are all on the rise as well. So much so, that in 2015, 52 ships will provide 1,065 Asian sailings.
- Expanding Ports: As more passengers search for global experiences when it comes to sailing, CLIA’s member cruise lines offer 1,000 ports around the globe, many of which are within a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Travel Agents are Important: CLIA reports that 70 percent of cruise travelers use a travel agent to plan and book their cruise vacations—that’s seven out of 10 cruise passengers.
- Cruisers are Demanding More Amenities: Cruise lines are listening to their passengers to meet their needs while on board, providing amenities such as bow-to-stern WiFi and phone connectivity, multigenerational itineraries, themed cruises, and a larger focus on culinary-focused experiences.
For more information, visit cruiseforward.org.


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Continental has announced the launch of Continental International Restaurant Week to be held in New York City at the beginning of May 2007, featuring eight of Zagat Survey’s Top Rated restaurants.“Continental prides itself on service and quality, so it seems like a natural fit to work with Zagat Survey to launch this event,” said Mark Bergsrud, senior VP of marketing and distribution planning for Continental Airlines. “We are equally thrilled that such incredible restaurants agreed to participate and create these special offers to patrons of Continental International Restaurant Week.”
Continental Airlines is rated Top Premium U.S. Airline for comfort, service and overall performance by Zagat Survey.
Each restaurant represents international destinations known for their exquisite cuisine. “This is an exciting way to experience a variety of international cuisines all in one place,” said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey, “These restaurants are a reflection of the unique and diverse dining scene in New York.”


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Posts Tagged ‘ Transtutors ’
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Delhi-based educational-technology firm Transweb Educational Services Pvt. Ltd has raised its Series A round of funding from 500 Startups, a Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator and early-stage VC fund house. The transaction was routed through 500 Startups IV LP, a $200 million seed fund managed...
Early-stage investment firm Peesh Venture Capital (PVC) has announced the first batch of five startup accelerators from the PVC Accelerators programme. Each company selected for the program will receive up to Rs 30,00,000 in funding without having to give up any equity, as per a press statement. PVC...
26 June, 2015 |


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Average household annual income in UK
The office of National statistics regularly release a number of very specific figures regarding UK income and one which proves very interesting is that of the average household annual income in 2006/07. The information shows that the top fifth of the households (by income) in the UK have an income which is 15 times that of the bottom fifth. In real terms this equates to an average of £14,000 a year for the bottom fifth of UK households against nearly £73,000 for the top fifth with a UK average of just over £30,000.
While this information is now one year out of date, as we await the new figures, it perfectly illustrates the massive difference in wealth across the UK. While the credit crunch will have impacted upon the average income of the top fifth households in the UK it will also have impacted upon those at the lower end of the scale, who depend on benefits and sporadic income streams to survive.
The problem for the government is the fact that the cost of living has moved higher at a rate which is faster than the growth in income streams. While those at the "top of the tree" have a cushion against what they earn and what they need, this is not something readily available to those at the lower end of the scale.
JJB founder buys fitness division for £83 million
David Whelan, the founder of JJB sports, has today confirmed the acquisition of the retailer's fitness clubs for £83.4 million. This is the latest in a number of steps being taken to attempt to secure the long-term future of the sport's retail giant which has hit a difficult patch of late. A number of restructuring measures have already been taken whereby a number of senior staff has left the gro...Read More
Will a superfast broadband network really help the UK economy?
Over the last few weeks the financial press has been dominated by the Digital Britain report into the U.K.'s broadband network and the potential for change in the future. The report has brought forward a number of improvements to the sector and the legal obligation for broadband providers to ensure that all of the UK has access to video enabled broadband speeds of no less than 2 Mb. However, does...Read More
Post Office chain under threat
The National Federation of SubPostmasters has today issued a report on the Post Office network with claims that around 3,000 of the current 11,500 post offices could close in the short to medium term. The federation believes that an imposed wage cut will leave many post offices on the verge of collapse and impact upon many local communities up and down the country. This situation in the UK Post...Read More
First The House Builders, Now The Construction Sector
In a move which underlines how deep the UK slowdown is starting to bite it has been announced that Stewart Milne Group, one of Scotland's largest construction companies has pushed through 289 redundancies as activity levels continue to fall. More recently we had the doom and gloom scenario from the house building sector and it looks like the construction sector is next on the list.
Is it really cheaper to shop online?
While the Internet has quickly become one of the main elements of everyday life around the world there are still many people who are not sure about buying products and services online. Even though there are a number of scare stories regarding security issues and fraud there is no doubt that the Internet is here to stay and does, if used correctly, offer a very interesting way to save substantial a...Read More


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Every time I talk to someone about the viability of blockchain, I get challenged to show a real project beyond the obvious bitcoin use case. IBM has been working to build large enterprise projects blockchain and today they offered an irrefutable example that they have dubbed TrustChain, a blockchain that proves the provenance of jewelry by following the supply chain from mine to store.
As you might expect the TrustChain is built on IBM blockchain technology and includes a consortium of companies involved in every step of the supply chain: Asahi Refining, the precious metals refiner; Helzberg Diamonds, a U.S. jewelry retailer; LeachGarner, a precious metals supplier and The Richline Group, a global jewelry manufacturer. It even includes some third-party verification with UL Labs for the skeptical among you.
“What we are announcing and bringing forward has been in the works for some time. It’s the first end-to-end industry capability on blockchain that has its core in trust,” Jason Kelley, the GM of blockchain services at IBM told TechCrunch.
While there are trust mechanisms in place to ensure the authenticity of jewelry, they tend to be more piecemeal and this one is designed to be more comprehensive. One of the primary benefits of using blockchain in this instance is that it’s so much more efficient. Instead shuffling paper, the process becomes much more digital and reduces a lot (although not all) of the manual paper-pushing along the way.
Of course, just because it’s on the blockchain doesn’t mean there won’t be attempts to circumvent the system, but the TrustChain has a mechanism for participants to check the validity of each transaction, each step of the way. “If there is a dispute, instead of calling and following back through the process in a more manual way, you can click on a trusted chain, and you’re able to see what happened immediately. That reduces the number of steps in the process, and speeds up what has been a paper-laden and manual effort,” Kelley explained.
He fully recognizes the hype surrounding blockchain and that it’s the latest shiny tech thing, but he says if you set aside the name, the capability is really what’s important here. “Now we can share this [data] in a permissioned network and we can be sure it’s accurate,” he said.
The notion of the permissioned blockchain is an important one here. It means that you have to be allowed on the blockchain to participate, and everyone on the blockchain has to agree to let any members on. “That’s what exciting with TrustChain. Each point in the supply chain has bought into the consortium,” he said.
He acknowledges that errors could be introduced in any system, whether intentional or not, but he says the beauty of this system is that blockchain is a team sport and many, many eyeballs are acting as a check for each step along the way. If a problem is found, it can be fixed through the same level of consensus.
Kelley says this level of trust is increasingly essential because consumers are demanding transparency in the jewelry they buy. They want to be sure the diamond or precious metal in the jewelry was not mined by exploited labor and in a sustainable way. Research has found consumers are willing to pay more for such proof.
By next year, you could be able to pull out your smart phone, scan a QR code on the diamond you want to by and see a visual of the entire supply chain right on your smartphone. Kelley such an interface is in the works for the consumer side.
The blockchain is clearly still in early days, and it can’t solve every problem, but systems like this could help prove that there are actual viable scalable use cases for it.


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Upwardly Mobile Food Prices Likely
Agriculture officials warn that food prices will likely continue to rise this year.
As costs for food production go up so goes the price at the grocery story. U.S Agriculture Department Chief Economist, Joe Glauber...
“It's not surprising we’ve seen this big increase in fuel oil, in gasoline prices, over the last several months. That means higher hog prices, higher beef prices and that’s where it translates at the retail level.”
Agriculture officials say wheat prices are also going up affecting cereal and bakery products.
Cold temperatures effect the availability of certain vegetables and fruits. International demand effects supply.
Corn prices, too are rising very fast. Much higher than last year, and that’s corn for animal feed, putting pressure on producers to cut production.
Ag Department Outlook Board Chairman, Jerry Bange, says producers cut herd sizes in 2008 along with the big surge in energy prices at that time accounting for the current shortage.
“Cattle inventories in this country are at a very, very, low level- numbers we haven’t seen in recent years. Certainly the producers have not been talking about doing any significant expansion of any sort and were looking at pretty tight supplies”
Those tight supplies mean higher prices. Bange says whole sale prices for beef could be 10 percent higher this year.
The U-S-D-A will release forecast inflation numbers next week.


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Mitsubishi Electric to open second plant in India, make emission-reducing auto parts
NEW DELHI, NNA – Japanese electronics giant Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will build a plant in India to meet growing demand for automotive equipment that can reduce vehicle emissions amid tightening regulations in the country.
Mitsubishi Electric India Pvt. Ltd., the Japanese firm’s wholly owned manufacturing and sales unit, plans to invest about 1.7 billion yen ($15.8 million) in a second plant in the western state of Gujarat. It would start running in October 2021, the Tokyo-based firm said in a statement Monday.
The 20,000-square-meter plant that’s now under construction will produce motor control units for electric power steering, exhaust recirculation valves and giant magnet resistance sensors, according to a company statement. The company’s first plant operates in the northern Indian state of Haryana.
Masato Tsukahara, a company spokesman in Tokyo, told NNA Tuesday the parts will contribute to improving fuel efficiency in vehicles and cutting emissions. He declined to comment on the production capacity of the new factory but said the local arm will gradually boost the capacity depending on demand.
Mitsubishi Electric’s local unit aims to supply the finished parts to Japanese and other carmakers in India, the world’s fourth largest automobile market. Automakers such as Suzuki and Tata produce vehicles in Gujarat.
The Indian vehicle market is facing an unprecedented downturn as tightened auto loans and insurance premium hikes have continued to dampen consumer sentiment. Sales of cars and motorcycles fell the farthest in August since statistics became available in 1997, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, an industry body.
But Mitsubishi Electric “foresees growth in demand for automotive equipment compliant with a new vehicle emission standard (effective from April 2020), the spokesman said. The government intends to make a transition from existing Bharat Stage 4 vehicle emission standards to Bharat Stage 6 next April, equivalent to Euro 6 emission standard.
The company intends to invest further in India in the long term, he added.


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Milk producers supplying Dairy Farmers of Britain received good news for the second month after the dairy announced a milk price increase for July.
The co-op, which was the last of the milk buyers to lift its prices two weeks ago (June 13), increased the price it pays for conventional and organic milk by 0.25p/litre.
Channel Island milk suppliers will see their price rise by 0.50p/litre.
Andrew Cooksey, Dairy Farmers of Britain chief executive, said: “These price rises have been made possible as a result of continuing improvements in our trading position”.
The increases will take effect from July 1.


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The decision makers in Brazilian trade are present at this event. A booth participation at this event would put Texas interests at the center of the U.S.-Brazil trade relationship, building on the successful visit to Texas by Pres. Bolsonaro in March 2019.
To encourage U.S participation, the organizers have reduced the costs of an exclusive booth space to $8,500. And, Americans no longer require a visa to visit Brazil, facilitating travel.
The Brazilian Foreign Trade Association's National Meeting on Foreign Trade, to be held on November, 21-22, 2019.
Interest in this event is building up steam as we have estimated 6,000 visitors and scheduled participation of:
* President of the Republic Jair Bolsonaro
* Vice-President Hamilton Mourao
* Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes
* Minister of Agriculture Tereza Cristina
* Minister of Defense Fernando Azevedo
* Minister of Infrastructure Tarcisio de Freitas
* Secretary of Foreign Trade Lucas Ferraz (a chief negotiator of international trade agreements)
As you know, the globalization of markets was one of the changes that has marked foreign trade. New frontiers emerged and world trade, involving goods, services and investments expanded, initiating new concepts, regulations, and rules, and creating new challenges for business and managers of foreign trade.
The Brazilian Foreign Trade Association promotes its traditional National Meeting on Foreign Trade (ENAEX) to discuss, analyze, and generate proposals for the competitive and sustainable expansion of the sector.
The meeting brings together representatives of the entire business chain of international trade and government through speeches, debates, panels, and roundtables on the principal current themes.
The central theme of ENAEX 2019 is “Productivity and Competitiveness in Foreign Markets.”
For more information visit http://www.enaex.com.br/en/


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Data presented by the TradingPlatform has shown that the global value of the top 100 Fintech is $2.8T and will approach the $3trillion mark soon.
According to the data, Visa and Mastercard lead the pack with a market cap of almost $478 billion and $368 billion respectively. Chinese Ant Financial, or Ant Group, comes in third with a market valuation of 312 billion dollars.
Commenting on the data, Tradingplatform.com’s Edith Reads said. “The Fintech industry has grown from strength to strength. The sector is becoming popular daily. Despite the world’s economic breakdowns, the sector is surging. With little fine-tuning on regulations, Fintech will be exceptional.”
She further added, “The digital payments sector is the key segment of the Fintech industry. It accounts for more than 80% of global Fintech sales. People who adopted the practice of soft cash during COVID-19 are still relying on Fintech. Besides, many people are leveraging blockchain for financial transactions.”
Fintech investments have risen steadily since the last global financial crisis. The sector’s growth was a technical solution to the traditional financial services industry. The world financial crisis exposed these weaknesses and so the need for a robust system.


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Google is set to move into fashion this week with the launch of a website that will enable the public to purchase the look of celebrities through a series of virtual boutiques
User will be able to for create personalised online stores on Boutiques.com, in order to both exhibit their personal style and help others track down the latest items adorning celebs.
By clicking on a link, members of the public will be directed to a retailer from whom they can buy the product.
Big name designers including Oscar de la Renta, Tony Burch and Marches have reportedly already signed up to the venture and Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker has been recruited to create her own online shop.
A number of influential fashion bloggers are also reported to have been paid by Google to set up their own boutiques.
The new website is predicted to launch at a Tech Fuses with High Fashion event, which Google will be holding this Wednesday in New York.


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Volkswagen ordered to pay the largest fine EVER as US judge approves $2.8 billion penalty for false diesel emissions tests
- This is the largest fine ever imposed by the US government on an automaker
- The sentence was ordered Friday, six weeks after Volkswagen pleaded guilty
- They admit that nearly 600,000 diesel cars in the US had a cheating device
- VW is also spending $11billion to buy back cars and offer other compensation
Volkswagen has been ordered to pay a $2.8billion criminal penalty in the United States for cheating on diesel emissions tests - the largest fine ever imposed by the government on an automaker.
Federal Judge Sean Cox in Detroit followed the deal negotiated by VW and the US Justice Department.
'This is a case of deliberate, massive fraud perpetrated by VW management,' said Cox. 'This case also involves a failure of the VW supervisory board, which is government, labor and shareholders.'
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VW will pay a $2.8billion criminal penalty in the US for cheating on diesel emissions tests
The sentence was ordered Friday, six weeks after the German automaker pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
VW admits that nearly 600,000 diesel cars in the US were fitted with defeat device software to switch engines to a cleaner mode when they were being tested for emissions.
VW attorney Jason Weinstein says the criminal fine is an 'appropriate and serious sanction'.
Separately, VW is paying $1.5billion in a civil case brought by the government and spending $11billion to buy back cars and offer other compensation.
Seven employees have also been charged.
VW CEO Matthias Mueller, seen here in March, apologized to Obama last year for the scandal
VW (above) admits that nearly 600,000 diesel cars in the US were fitted with 'defeat devices'
A $4.3billion settlement, a fraction of the $17billion to $34billion penalty that US law allows, was reached in January between Volkswagen and the US Justice Department.
Volkswagen agreed to be overseen by a federal monitor.
In March, US Attorney John Neal said the lower fine was a punishment that fit the crime because the company cooperated with the government.
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller apologized in person to former President Barack Obama last year for the carmaker's emissions scandal.
'I took the opportunity to apologize to him personally for this matter,' said Mueller last April. 'I also expressed my thanks for the constructive cooperation with his authorities and naturally expressed the hope that I can continue to fulfill my responsibilities for 600,000 workers, their families, the suppliers, the dealers.'
Volkswagen has also agreed to civil settlements worth about $17billion for American consumers and dealers who own the company's diesel vehicles.
On Friday, Cox said that consumers and low-level Volkswagen employees will be hurt the most by the actions of higher ranking company officials.
'This corporate greed, this failure of management…has cost VW billions and billions of dollars,' said Cox. 'The individuals who will be hurt the most are the working men and women at VW.'
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- Bodycam shows Miami cop sucker punching black man in restaurant
- Prince William and Kate make Christmas cards with charity
- Belligerent kitten bobcat 'terrorises' Utah conservation officers


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Beyonce took her four-month-old Blue Ivy Carter along for a ride in a chic fur sling as she did a few errands in New York yesterday.
Despite risking the future wrath of animal rights organisation PETA, who recently flour bombed Kim Kardashian for wearing fur, Beyonce kept her little bundle of joy under wraps in the light grey stole. Check out the pics below...........
The pair were joined by Blue Ivy's grandmother Tina Knowles as Beyonce carried out various appointments around the city.
Baby Blue Ivy is building a reputation as one of the fiercest babies in celebrity world, with news recently leaking in-demand designer Christian Louboutin is creating a one-off custom pair of his famous red-soled shoes for the tiny baby girl.


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Customers that walk into Metro Cafe in the heart of Santa Monica, California pay what they can afford for their cup of coffee, whether it’s $1 or $100!
At first glance, it looks like most cafes in LA –– they’ve got their cool and friendly baristas, free WiFi, and a great selection of pastries and coffees that come in any which way you like. But take a look at the menu, and you’ll be surprised to find that there are no prices. No, they’re not trying to hide them from you –– the price is up to you!
With Santa Monica being one of the most expensive areas in California, it’s quite impressive that Metro Cafe has been able to maintain such success.
“Every once in a while I pay just $2 for my latte,” said Ron Kurti, a regular customer. “It’s an endorphin rush getting coffee so cheap. I’ve also given $20. It depends.”
The cafe has been around for almost three years now and decided to abandon prices in October of 2017 as a 30-day experiment to see if customers would pay more than normal, compensating for homeless customers who paid less.


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- Sharp improvement in UK business activity
- Business confidence at a 4-month high
- PMI data suggests economy set to start growing again in July
Image © Adobe Images
The UK economy appears to have reached a nadir in June, according to flash PMI data released on Tuesday that came in well ahead of analyst expectations.
Data showed that the manufacturing sector actually started to expand again but the services sector - which is by far the largest component of the UK economy - is still in contraction mode.
The Markit/CIPS Manufacturing PMI read at 50.1, above the previous month's 40.7 and above consensus forecasts for a reading of 45 to be delivered. The Services PMI read at 47, ahead of forecasts for 40 and a marked improvement on the previous month's reading of 29.
The Composite PMI - which weighs the two to give an assessment of the broader economy - read at 47.6, which is above the consensus forecast for 41 and the previous month's reading of 30. The rise since May (+17.6 points) was the largest for the Composite PMI since the start of the series in January 1998, which highlighted a decisive shift in momentum according to IHS.
The PMI data is the most closely watched survey of the economy as it offers such a timely insight, with a figure under 50 representing contraction and a figure above 50 representing expansion.
Today's data therefore shows that only the manufacturing sector is growing again, but the scene is set for a recovery right across the board in July, particularly as lockdown measures in the UK are eased further.
"June data indicated a vastly improved overall picture across the UK private sector, with the downturn in total business activity continuing to steady after the record rate of decline seen at the height of the lockdown during April. Another drop in service sector activity contrasted with a return to production growth among manufacturing companies in June," said IHS Markit, compilers of the PMI data, in a report detailing the developments.
At the same time, private sector firms also signalled a rebound in business expectations for the year ahead, with confidence reaching a four-month high in June.
According to IHS Markit, survey respondents mainly noted that the easing of restrictions related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had
a favourable impact on economic activity, with business operations gradually resuming in a number of sectors and staff brought back from furlough.
However, there were also widespread reports that underlying demand remained very subdued and cutbacks to client spending had acted as continued drag on overall business activity.
Looking ahead, manufacturers indicated a rise in business optimism to its highest since September 2018. Expectations of higher output in the next 12 months reflected hopes of a sustained recovery in manufacturing operations from the slump in production volumes seen during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
IHS Markit economists forecasting the UK economy to contract by 11.9% this year before expanding by a relatively modest 4.9% in 2021, which is far more cautious than the 15% surge anticipated in 2021 by the Bank of England.
James Smith, Developed Markets Economist at ING Bank says a return to normality is being overstated by those who read a v-shaped (rapid) recovery in today's PMI data.
"PMIs are constructed by asking respondents whether they are seeing conditions improve or deteriorate - and unsurprisingly in June a much greater share of firms reported things getting better. However this improvement comes off a very low (in some cases, zero) base, and it also doesn’t tell us anything about the magnitude of the rebound," says Smith, adding:
"We’d therefore treat these figures with some caution."
However, Nikesh Sawjani, UK Economist at Lloyds Bank makes the argument that the PMI data could be downplaying the scale of improvement, particularly in the services sector.
"It is likely that this is underestimating the overall level of activity in the sector, given that the PMI does not capture trends in retail or the public sector. Arguably, these are the two areas of the broad sector that have benefited the most from the further lowering in restrictions in June. Ultimately, the outlook for the economy remains contingent on the rate at which restrictions are eased. With a further scaling back from July – the near-term improvement in sentiment is likely to continue in the coming months," says Sawjani.


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The latest leaked slides making the rounds in cyberspace provide previously unreported details on AMD's next generation Deccan platform intended for netbooks, tablets, and other low power devices. Deccan is the followup to Brazos and is based on AMD's Krishna and Wichita APUs. Confused by all the condenames? Let's break 'em down.
Up to speed? Let's move on. According to Turkish website Donanimhaber.com , AMD's upcoming 28nm APUs for its Deccan platform will consist of up to four Bobcat cores, offer up to 20 percent better CPU performance, 25 percent better graphics performance, 30 percent higher compute performance, and slide into AMD's upcoming FT2 socket. These chips will sport a lower TDP than AMD's current APUs as well.
The Deccan platform as a whole will support DDR3-1600, up from DDR3-1333 in Brazos, as well as ultra low voltage DDR3 memory. USB 3.0 will also come baked into the new APUs' Yuba FCH (Fusion Controller Hub). Look for the new platform to show up sometime around the end of the second quarter in 2012.
Image Credit: Donanimhaber.com


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Apr 28, 2020
By Christine Ross
The Doug Ford government is willing to remove barriers to help businesses adapt. Associate Minister of Small Business Prabmeet Sarkaria announced a new website where business owners can submit the challenges they’re facing during the pandemic.
The website COVID-19: Tackling the Barriers can be found here
“Through this portal, we want to make clear the hurdles standing in the way of the most effective and efficient response to COVID-19, particularly we are looking for temporary rule or regulation changes that would make it easier to assist our health care system in meeting emergency needs,” said Sarkaria. The province says allowing restaurants to sell wine, beer and spirits is an example of how the rules have been relaxed. Meantime, the Premier says the framework released Monday is just the start of the process and that more details will come this week including clear “sector specific” labour guidelines.
To learn about advertising opportunities with Zoomer Radio use the link below:


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Super Mario Bros animated movie coming holiday 2022
Nintendo revealed when viewers can expect to see the new Super Mario Bros movie during the September 23 Nintendo Direct.
Nintendo revealed more information about its upcoming Super Mario Bros movie during the September 23 Nintendo Direct. Not only did viewers get a look at some of the actors bringing to life the iconic characters, but Nintendo revealed that the Super Mario Bros animated film would be releasing during the holiday season of 2022.
On September 23, 2021, Nintendo announced that the Super Mario Bros animated movie would see a December 21, 2022 theatrical release in North America with dates for other regions announced later on. The movie, which is being created by Illumination, doesn’t have a title yet, but what it does have is a star-studded cast of actors. Nintendo revealed that Chris Pratt would be voicing Mario while Charlie Day voices his brother, Luigi.
「スーパーマリオ」のアニメ映画が2022年ホリデーシーズンに公開決定。— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) September 23, 2021
Nintendo also confirmed what Sebastian Maniscalco accidentally revealed back in August, that he was voicing Foreman Spike, the boss and rival of Mario and Luigi.
It’s certainly an exciting time to be a fan of Nintendo as well as Super Mario Bros. The Nintendo Direct also revealed that a line-up of Nintendo 64 titles is coming to Switch Online, including Super Mario 64.
We’re a little over a year away from the release of the Super Mario Bros animated movie, so there’s plenty more time for more announcements, as well as hopefully a trailer or two. Be sure to stick to Shacknews as we bring you the latest news on what’s happening in the world of Mario.
Sam Chandler posted a new article, Super Mario Bros animated movie coming holiday 2022
Dunkey's reaction to the cast reveal: https://clips.twitch.tv/SingleCautiousFerretCoolStoryBro-vAEM-iQbnvYZN9_v
Pretty close to our own, but still made me laugh all over again.


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Giant Motorsports, Inc. has moved Chicago Cycles to a new 95,000 sq. ft. superstore, located at 3450 Touhy Avenue in Chicago, approximately 1.5 miles from the major north/south interstate I-94.
"We have completed the move into our new state-of-the-art Chicago location and are now fully operational," said Giant Motorsports President Greg Haehn. "With over 800 new and used bikes on the floor, our customers now have an inventory selection that rivals a major motorcycle show.”
Giant Motorsports has two wholly-owned subsidiaries: W.W. Cycles, doing business as Andrews Cycles in Salem, Ohio, and Chicago Cycle, Inc., doing business as Chicago Cycles.
Giant Motorsports believes that its "big-box" business strategy, now fully implemented in the Chicago Cycle superstore, has made the company one of the nation's leading sellers of powersports products, including motorcycles, scooters and all terrain vehicles.
Haehn says the company is attempting to leverage revenue and earnings growth through accretive acquisitions in new regions, through internal growth, and through utilization of rollup and consolidation strategies.
Giant Motorsport revenue for the year ended December 31, 2004, was $79.9 million, up $33.9 million from revenue of $46 million in 2003. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $2.37 million for the year ended 2004, up 153% from $934,000 in 2003.
Copyright 2005 Powersports Business


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Tesco Direct has stepped up as the first retailer to offer Sony's new PSPgo at a price significantly below its confirmed recommended retail price, listing the console at GBP 199.97 on its online site.
Earlier this week, Sony confirmed the RRP for the console in the UK would be GBP 224.99 - a price which most specialist stores, including Play.com and Game, are currently listing the console at.
But the supermarket giant's online store is now the first to significantly undercut that price, offering the discounted console, plus free delivery, to all pre-order customers. Although it's not clear at present if the sub-GBP 200 price point will remain after the system is released. The store also states a release date of October 2 - one day later than the official release day confirmed by Sony.


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First City Monument Bank, FCMB, has taken a bold step to underscore its undiluted support for agriculture and agribusiness in Nigeria.
It has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute, WSBI, which outlines a framework designed to deepen agency banking, financial inclusion and savings culture in the informal and agribusiness sectors.
In addition to other areas of support stated in the terms of the partnership, WSBI will provide technical oversight functions on a regular basis, all geared towards the full implementation of the set objectives and goals mutually agreed upon by both institutions.
In accord with the spirit and letter of the memorandum, FCMB will roll out an integrated savings account called Kampe Account designed to offer financial services to 150,000 unbanked and under-banked farmers across five states. This comes under phase one of the bank’s plan through agricultural agents operating under FCMB’s agency banking proposition.
The first set of states to benefit in the first phase are Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Ogun and Oyo. Through this strategic plan, FCMB aims at reaching at least two million farmers across Nigeria by 2023.
In addition to the financial support to farmers, the bank also plans to deploy its state-of-the art technology and mobile banking solutions to drive the project, especially in the rural and sub-urban farm settlements where most farmers are based. The bank will also organize capacity-building programmes for farmers to boost better understanding of the sector and promote innovative ideas that would make the sector attractive and more profitable. This, the bank hopes, will ultimately facilitate job creation, impact on productivity and boost income.
Managing Director and Chief Executive of FCMB, Mr. Adam Nuru, is supremely confident that the collaboration with WSBI will be fruitful and revolutionize agribusiness.
‘”Partnering with WSBI and harnessing the business model we have developed to drive it, under our Kampe Account, is built on a sustainable approach which ensures farmers can gain better access to finance and other resources needed to help them build successful businesses,” Nuru said.
Hitherto, small scale farmers in the country have been hindered from achieving their optimum productivity by land fragmentation, inadequate farming equipment, broken value chains, poor access to finance and inadequate cash flow, among other limiting factors. They have, over the years, suffered from lack of essential services such as access to good markets to create low economies of scale, challenges in the promotion of agricultural productivity, hurdles in their bid to achieve increased food security to improve rural economy and livelihoods.
But the two institutions. FCMB and WSBI, are optimistic that all the challenges will be surmounted.
“Farmers who benefit from this effort can and should make the best use of the opportunity,”Nuhu enthused. “FCMB will continue to partner with WSBI to create opportunities that would ensure the realization of the personal and business needs of customers.”
On his part, WSBI Managing Director, Chris De Noose, said: “The Kampe Savings Project is yet another example of the innovative ways rural communities can flourish through mobile savings and beyond. Expanding banking access and agricultural services through the provision of mobile services to the farming community, which increasingly includes more women, can help knock out any doubt about the payoff that farming can bring.”
Established in 1924, the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute, WSBI, represents the interests of 6,000 savings and retail banks globally, with total assets of $15 trillion and serves approximately 1.3 billion customers in nearly 80 countries (as of 2016). The institute focuses on international regulatory issues that affect the savings and retail banking industry. It supports the achievement of sustainable, inclusive, balanced growth and job creation, in industrialized and less developed countries.
A member of FCMB Group Plc, First City Monument Bank Limited is one of the leading financial services institutions in Nigeria with subsidiaries that are market leaders in their respective segments. Having successfully transformed to a retail banking and wealth management group, FCMB expects to continue to distinguish itself through innovation and the delivery of exceptional services.


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We are pleased to have been shortlisted for two prestigious Air Charter Association (ACA) Excellence Awards.
ACA is the world’s largest and most respected network for air charter professionals, representing the interests of air charter brokers, charter airlines, airports, business aircraft operators, freight forwarders and consultants.
The awards recognise companies from the industry for excellence in their field.
We have been nominated in both the category of Best Commercial Passenger Charter Operator and of Best Cargo Charter Operator 2023.
Winners are selected through a combination of ACA member voting and deliberations by ACA’s industry adjudication panel.
As we have demonstrated excellence in both the passenger and cargo charter sectors for more than 3 decades, we think we would be deserved winners of either category in this our 35th anniversary year. Please vote for us if you agree.


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Most memorable fashion facts of 2010 (1-5)
2010 has almost come to and end. But we won’t celebrate the new year until we’ve looked back on a fantastic year of fashion. We’ve collected the news on the most memorable collaborations, upcoming models and other fashion facts you must not forget.
We made a top of 40 items and here are the first 5:
1. Year of the bloggers
2010 was the year of the bloggers. They were present at every big fashion show / event and some of them even reached a celebrity status. Mr. Bryanboy got to hang around at Vogue Italia for a day and recently stated he earns 75.000 Euro a year. Bloggers are here to stay!
2. Dolce & Gabbana 25 years
This year Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana celebrated their 25 years of working as fashion desigers. Domenico told The Independent they still remember their first show: ‘Our first show? We did it in a small apartment in Milan. We organized it ourselves, me and Stefano, without PR, with nothing. My sister and brother were on the door.’ 2010 also meant quite some trouble with the treasury for D&G, but their clothes are still selling big time.
3. Lara Stone is all the rage!
Lara Stone became extremely big in 2010. The Dutch model appeared on the most glamorous covers of international fashion magazines and was featured (often topless / naked) in high fashion editorials. French Vogue put her on the cover of their celebration (90 years of Vogue) issue and Karl Lagerfeld shot her for his Pirelli kalender. Lara also got married to David Walliams and stated she would like to have gay sons (?). Plus, during the British Fashion Awards Lara received the Model of the Year Award. We can’t wait to see what Lara has in store for us next year.
4. Givenchy hires uncommon models
In 2010 Givenchy was in the news twice due to it’s uncommon model choices. For it’s fall campaign the fashion brand hired transsexual model Lea T (which was later featured naked in Vogue Paris and will soon appear on Oprah). For fall Givenchy came up with a male albino model. What’s next?
5. R.I.P. Alexander McQueen
On 12 February Alexander McQueen was found dead in his home. The fashion world has been missing him ever since. Fortunately his great label will continue and has already launched two amazing collection since February 2010.


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updated 07:25 pm EDT, Wed July 27, 2011
Lodsys tries to stop Apple intervention in case
Lodsys hoped to reduce resistance to its lawsuit on Wednesday and filed an opposition to Apple's motion to intervene. The 22-page reply, some of which is redacted for public viewing to protect confidential info, maintains that Apple's licensing of Lodsys patents would limit its scope for acting on behalf of others. It goes on to claim that Apple's reason to fight back is "purely economic" at most and that the reduced profits or losses for third-party developers didn't meet the legal threshold for stepping into the case.
The opposition also may have betrayed an attempt to nullify a specific Apple argument as the real reason behind Lodsys' decision to sue bigger game developers like Atari and Rovio. Apple can no longer argue for an intervention due to the "limited resources" of developers that can't fight back, Lodsys says, as the bigger game houses can mount their own defense.
Even some of those in the original complaint, like Illusion Labs, have millions of dollars of revenue, Lodsys insists.
Apple supposedly was also trying to "hide the ball" since it refused to show the full license agreement to Lodsys' attorneys. The license was originally negotiated when Intellectual Ventures had the patents in dispute and might legally bind Apple to keeping the terms secret unless forced, even to the new owner of the patents.
Including in the new opposition, much of the debate in Lodsys' lawsuit has been over whether or not Apple's license and developer terms automatically extend to shield developers from lawsuits for using technology, even when Apple provided that technology. Apple contends that its license inherently protects developers since they're simply using its tool kit. Lodsys believes the license is limited to Apple itself and wants to charge twice, first for Apple's base technology and again for developers that use it.
Apple will have an option to respond and justify its motion, which has already been altered to keep up to date.
Lodsys has to face its own defense in the near future as it faces declaratory judgment attempts against the patents it's using to attack others. If the judgments work in the favor of those firms, it may have to scale back or drop its lawsuits against Android and iOS developers. [via Florian Mueller]


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Kickstart This! Pine
Nintendo Download: Mario Sports Superstars, Has-Been Heroes, New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers, more
The Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time #38: Tomb Raider
Mass Effect: Andromeda, Zero Escape: The Nonary Games, Freedom Planet, more added to PlayStation Store
Microsoft's "Epic 2017" includes Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, Tacoma, Cuphead, and more
The Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time #78: The Secret of Monkey Island
Weekend Pipeline: 3/24/17 – Crazy Sales and Awesome Cons
Xbox Store Today: Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, 88 Heroes, more
Meet Sara Ryder in this new Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer
EA’s EA Play event at E3 2017 will include Star Wars: Battlefront 2, a new Need For Speed, FIFA 18, Madden NFL 18, and more
All Articles: Rock Band VR
New Retail Releases: Mass Effect Andromeda, Mario Sports Superstars, Zero Escape The Nonary Games, More
Venture into new worlds with this week’s new retail releases…
BioWare will help Mass Effect fans explore the unexplored this week thanks to the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Leaving behind the rest of the universe, players will visit the Andromeda galaxy and discover “rich, alien worlds in the search for humanity’s new home.”
Mario and friends will also get to try new things this week in the biggest “Mario Sports” game ever. Coming to the 3DS on Friday, Mario Sports Superstars will include Mario-themed versions of baseball, golf, tennis, horse racing, and soccer. The game will also feature support for a new line of Amiibo Cards that’ll power up your favorite athlete in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Oculus VR owners will be able to become a different kind of superstar this week with the release of Rock Band VR. Harmonix’s latest rhythm game will offer “unprecedented stage presence” in virtual reality and a brand new soundtrack.
But if you’re worried about stage fright and would much prefer to battle giant beasts, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force will release Toukiden 2 for the PS4 and Vita. And if you’d rather explore a more familiar world, Aksys Games will bundle together Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue’s Last Reward for the PS4 and Vita in Zero Escape: The Nonary Games.
You can find even more new releases after the break. (more…)
Harmonix and Oculus announced they’re making Rock Band VR, and they did it in the most adorable way possible with this video. Watch it to see DragonForce attempt to make rock stars out of the staff. They showed some footage of the game as well, where you play guitar from first-person view, and can look around to see the audience cheering for you and watch your virtual band rock out. Some folks will surely say that it looks very similar to Guitar Hero Live.
Rock Band VR is due out for the PC sometime in 2016 after the launch of the Oculus Rift.