Are Swedes having less sex? The government wants to know

STOCKHOLM — Worried that Swedes aren't having enough sex, the government wants to analyze the bedroom activities of its citizens in a major new study.

It's been 20 years since the last in-depth study of the sex habits of the Scandinavian welfare state, so Public Health Minister Gabriel Wikstrom says it's high time for another survey.

One of the goals of the investigation, set to be completed in 2019, is to find out whether there's any truth to Swedish tabloid reports that Swedes are having less sex than they used to.

"It's important to investigate whether that is the case and if so, what the reason is," he wrote Friday in an opinion piece in the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.


If stress and other health issues are affecting Swedes' sex lives, he said, "that is also a political problem."

Morgan Eklund, an official in Wikstrom's office, said the minister was referring primarily to a 2013 survey of 3,000 people by the Aftonbladet tabloid, which found that lovemaking is on the wane in Sweden, a country with a reputation of being sexually liberated.


Eklund said the survey was not scientific enough to be used as the basis of government policies "but it points in a direction that can be interesting to follow up."

In a separate article on the government's website, Wikstrom said the Social Democratic-led government needs better information about people's sex habits to guide its policies related to sexual and reproductive health.

"Sex is an area that strongly influences people's health, so we can't just talk about things like, for example, venereal disease, but also things that are positive and lust-filled about sex," Wikstrom said.

The study will be carried out by the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

source: philstar.com

Clinton vows to be president for 'all Americans'

PHILADELPHIA -- Hillary Clinton on Thursday accepted the Democratic Party's White House nomination, casting herself as a tireless champion of the people and rejecting Donald Trump's dark picture of America.

Becoming the first woman to win the nomination of a major political party, Clinton promised to be a president for "all Americans," whether they voted for her or not.

Making a bold play for the political center ground in an election year that has seen the hard right and the hard left become louder and more shrill, Clinton vowed to "be a president for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents."

"For the struggling, the striving and the successful. For those who vote for me and those who don't. For all Americans."

Much of Clinton's address to Democrats gathered in Philadelphia for their party's convention was focused on perhaps her biggest weakness come November -- a tough public image forged over decades of withering political trench warfare.

"Some people just don't know what to make of me," she said with a frankness that is unusual in American politics.

"The truth is, through all of these years of public service, the service part has always come easier to me than the public part."

But addressing her image of putting policy above politics, Clinton was unrepentant.

"It's true," she said. "I sweat the details," be it the amount of lead permissible in drinking water or the cost of prescription drugs.

"It's not just a detail if it's your kid, if it's your family," she said.

Clinton also trained fire on Trump's dystopian view of America.

"He wants to divide us from the rest of the world and from each other," Clinton said, mocking Trump's claim that he alone can "fix" the country.

"He's taken the Republican Party a long way from 'Morning in America' to midnight in America. He wants us to fear the future and fear each other."

Clinton also offered an olive branch to those who backed her rival Bernie Sanders, telling them their voice had been heard, even as isolated voices of dissent echoed around the Philadelphia sports arena.

"I want to thank Bernie Sanders ... And to all of your supporters here and around the country, I want you to know I've heard you," Clinton said.

"Your cause is our cause."

source: interaksyon.com

ONLY 3 DAYS TO GO | You have less than a week to upgrade to Windows 10 for free

MANILA, Philippines — Microsoft highlighted that more than half of qualified PCs in the Philippines are at risk of missing out on the free Windows 10 upgrade offer which will end July 29.

According to web traffic analysis tool StatCounter, 56.4 percent of PCs in the Philippines are still running on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, both of which are eligible for the free Windows 10 upgrade offer.

“Windows 10 is the fastest growing version of Windows in history, and more than 350 million active devices around the world today run on the most personal and productive version of Windows we’ve ever created,” said Karrie Ilagan, Country Manager for Microsoft Philippines. “We strongly encourage eligible PC users to take advantage of the free upgrade to enjoy great new features on Windows 10 that will truly enhance their personal computing experience.”

Since launch, Windows 10 has seen the highest customer satisfaction rate among customers as compared to previous versions of Windows. In addition, there has been incredible customer engagement with more than 135 billion hours of use on Windows 10 since launch. From students to mobile professionals, Windows 10 has created new computing experiences that are more engaging, more natural and more productive.

In addition, the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update will roll out globally on August 2, bringing key breakthrough new features to all Windows 10 PCs, including more security features for the most secure Windows; increased power efficiency, extensions and accessibility with Microsoft Edge; a better gaming experience with Xbox Play Anywhere; and innovations for the modern classroom where education customers can enjoy a range of new features in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Ilagan added, “With Windows 10, our vision was to provide the best and most secure operating system that gets even better over time. The Anniversary Update is just the first step in our commitment to consistently add new features and innovations that people love to Windows 10. Customers who take advantage of the free upgrade today can do so with the full confidence that they will continue to reap the benefits Windows 10 will offer down the road.”

Microsoft is encouraging all qualified PCs to upgrade to Windows 10 immediately, before the free upgrade offer ends on July 29, 2016. After July 29, users who missed the free upgrade offer will have to purchase a new Windows 10 product license to keep their devices up-to-speed with the Anniversary Update.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Bates Motel’ casts Rihanna in Janet Leigh role

SAN DIEGO | The horror television series “Bates Motel” has cast pop star Rihanna in its final season, the show revealed during its panel at the Comic-Con fan convention on Friday.

The 28-year-old diva will play Marion Crane, the role made famous by Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” executives revealed.

The series is set before the events of the 1960 horror thriller, in which motel owner Norman Bates murders Crane in one of movie history’s most memorable moments.

“We wanted to thrust the iconic role into a contemporary spotlight and redefine it in a meaningful and exciting new way,” executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin said in a joint statement released after the Comic-Con announcement.

“We also heard Rihanna was a fan of the show, and we were huge fans of hers, so it was the perfect collision of creativity and fate.”

Rihanna is no newcomer to acting, having starred in 2012 movie “Battleships” and played a lead role in Luc Besson’s upcoming sci-fi fantasy “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.”

But it will be the Grammy-winning Barbadian singer-songwriter’s debut television series role.

“Yes, hello Comic-Con. It’s the girl Ri-Ri and let me tell you what a bad bitch is about to do,” Rihanna said later in a video posted on the “Bates Motel” Twitter account.

“I am about to check into the Bates Motel, very soon, and guess what else? Guess who’s playing Marion? Yes, so all you Comic-Con fans, all you ‘Bates Motel’ fans, stay tuned.”

Producers at the “Bates Motel” panel also confirmed that the fifth season, filming in Vancouver in the fall, would be the show’s last.

It’s Emmy-nominated star Vera Farmiga, who has played Norman’s mother Norma Louise Bates since 2013, revealed how tough she found it to play a dead body.

“I found I would be thrown into a panic if I had to actually hold my breath… I’m actually breathing in all those scenes, but so shallow that it would take me about 40 minutes to get into it,” she said.

source: interaksyon.com

'We are going to win the presidency' - Trump

CLEVELAND -- Donald Trump told the Republican National Convention on Tuesday that he would win the White House in November, saying he was "so proud" to be their nominee for US president.

"This is a movement. But we have to go all the way. I am so proud to be your nominee for president," he told delegates by video link.

The New York billionaire, who has never previously held public office, said it had been "a very special day" to watch his adult children declare New York's delegate count that put him over the top.

"What we did getting the party's nomination, I will never forget it," he said. "With your vote today, this stage of the presidential process has come to a close. Together we have achieved historic results."

Trump will address the convention in person on Thursday when he will formally accept the nomination and promised to outline "how we build a brighter and more hopeful future for all Americans."

"We are going to win the presidency and bring real change and leadership back to Washington," he said to applause. "We will win in November."

He praised his pick for vice president, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, as an "incredible man" who would make "a great vice president."

source: interaksyon.com

Cleveland on security knife edge for Republican convention

CLEVELAND - Cleveland deployed overwhelming security Sunday, bracing for possible violent protests as delegates poured into town for the Republican National Convention that will anoint Donald Trump the party's US presidential nominee.

The killing of three police officers Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana only added to the tensions in Cleveland, where law enforcement agencies have thrown a ring of steel around downtown.

Authorities in the city on the shores of Lake Erie have erected eight-foot-tall (2.5-meter) metal fencing around the Quicken Loans Arena, closed off streets and deployed thousands of armed police officers.

The four-day political jamboree, which kicks off Monday, will see the bombastic billionaire secure the nomination for the Party of Lincoln after a thumping primary victory that confounded the US establishment.

Roads in the Ohio city are lined with concrete barriers and helicopters patrol overhead, as light aircraft, paid for by sponsors, trail anti-Hillary Clinton slogans.

Law enforcement is on edge, braced for protests from demonstrators enraged by Trump's divisive presidential campaign and preparing for the worst after anti-police violence erupted in Louisiana.

At least three officers were shot dead and three others wounded in Baton Rouge, one of America's most racially segregated cities, which has seen days of protests against the treatment of blacks by law enforcement. The motivation for the latest shooting was not immediately clear, however.

Cleveland, a Midwestern city of nearly 400,000, has taken out $50 million in protest insurance, and Ohio's open-carry law, allowing people with proper permits to carry a loaded weapon on the streets, has inflamed fears of violence.

"We have policies in place for mass arrests through our prosecutor's office, our clerk's office and our court system," Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams told a news conference.

Williams said barricades had also been erected downtown to thwart any potential terror attack after a truck bomber killed 84 people in the French city of Nice last Thursday.

"We use blocking vehicles, we use concrete barriers and things like that at positions that we think may be vulnerable to attacks like that which happened in Nice," he said.

Declare war against ISIS

Trump, a New York tycoon who has never held elected office and who opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, vowed in his latest interview to wage war against the so-called Islamic State extremist group, which is also known as ISIS.

"We're going to declare war against ISIS. We have to wipe out ISIS," he told CBS in excerpts aired on the eve of the convention, which will culminate with a Trump speech accepting the nomination on Thursday.

"I am going to have very few troops on the ground. We're going to have unbelievable intelligence, which we need, which, right now, we don't have. We don't have the people over there," said Trump.

US Special Forces are already operating on the ground against IS, backed by US-led air strikes.

Trump made the remarks in his first joint interview with his pick for vice president, Indiana's conservative governor Mike Pence, an evangelical Catholic.

Trump's choice of Pence, announced Friday, has been welcomed by 61 percent of Republicans and conservatives in critical battlegrounds, states likely to decide the November election, according to a CBS News poll.

The survey found that these voters believe Pence brings stability to the ticket and will boost Trump's chances of defeating Clinton. Pence, however, is not well known beyond the party rank and file.

National polls show Trump tied with Clinton, who was branded "extremely careless" by the FBI in handling classified material in a long-running email scandal dating from her time as secretary of state.

Critics and protests

But Trump faces a herculean task to win over legions of critics.

His salty rhetoric and populist message have outraged many conservatives, raising fears he has fanned a racial backlash and prompting a battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

Unusually, the Cleveland convention features no former presidents, few party luminaries and only a smattering of elected officials. Instead it is expected to hand a starring role to Trump's family to make his case.

The first major anti-Trump protest was to kick off at around 4:00 pm (2000 GMT) Sunday, advertised as a "march against racism, Islamophobia, attacks on immigrants and on LGBTQ people and endless war" and was expected to draw 1,000 people or more.

Another "Stop Trump" march has been permitted by the city for noon on Monday, just hours before the convention launch.

The US homeland security secretary, Jeh Johnson, told Congress last week that he was concerned about demonstrations getting out of hand.

US authorities have been on alert since a gunman intent on killing white policemen went on a rampage and shot five Dallas officers dead earlier this month.

US political conventions, quadrennial affairs, are designed to bring a party together, formally select its presidential nominee and catapult the candidate and party towards November's election.

source: interaksyon.com

In circuitous speech, Trump touts VP pick Pence as man to unify party

NEW YORK  - US presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Saturday presented his vice presidential running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, as the man who can unify a fractured Republican party and help him bridge the gap created by the candidate's outsider status.

In a wide-ranging speech in which he touted his own "landslide" victory in the Republican primaries, Trump cast Pence as a perfect complement for the White House: a veteran of government, a man with a Midwestern sensibility and strong Republican credentials as a job creator and budget balancer.

"Indiana Governor Mike Pence was my first choice, I've admired the work he's done, especially in the state of Indiana," Trump said at an event in New York City.

"And one of the reasons is party unity, so many people have said, party unity. Because I'm an outsider," he added in explaining his decision.

Trump and Pence made their debut just two days before the beginning of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where delegates from around the country will convene to officially nominate the pair as their party's ticket for the Nov. 8 election.

Frequently straying from the notes on the lectern, Trump talked about himself and likely Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, often detouring from the purpose of the event: to introduce a little-known politician to the broader public.

"Back to Mike Pence," Trump said, interrupting himself during a lengthy explanation about why evangelical voters support his candidacy. He then read a series of statistics highlighting the job growth in Indiana.

"He looks very good," added the New York real estate mogul, who is known to comment openly on people's appearances.

Trump had a bit of a winding path to settle on Pence, a devout Christian and conservative. He postponed his planned Friday announcement after the deadly attack in Nice, France and saying he had not made his "final, final decision," Trump privately had second thoughts on who to pick in late-night conversations on Thursday, said a Republican source familiar with the situation.

Trump had been annoyed that the element of surprise had been taken away by the leaking of Pence's name, the source added. Trump ended up announcing Pence as his running mate on Twitter on Friday.

Saturday's event in a New York City hotel ballroom had few of the traditional hallmarks of what is arguably one of the most important decisions for a presidential candidate. Before it started, supporters listened to the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want," a tune in regular rotation at Trump events.

There were no "Trump Pence" signs distributed to the crowd or adorning the room. The two appeared together on stage only briefly - each standing out of view while the other one spoke.

On stage, they made scant eye contact and shook hands rather than raising arms together in the classic pose of running mates. Neither offered anecdotal stories about their private time together.

'Come together'

Pence, in sharp contrast to Trump, delivered a prepared speech, discussing the love of his wife and country and his adoration for Ronald Reagan. He gave a full-throated call to fellow Republicans to back Trump.

"Lets come together as a party, as a people, as a movement, to make America great again and that day begins when Donald Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States of America," Pence said.

Trump has struggled to bridge the gap between himself and the establishment and conservative wings of the party. The drastically different styles highlighted Pence's ability to provide a complementing tone to the presidential ticket.

It's unclear when the two will appear together again. Pence heads back to Indiana for a solo event on Saturday night, and the Trump campaign hasn't released a schedule for the convention that would include a joint appearance.

The pair recorded an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" that is scheduled to air on Sunday night.

One of their big challenges will be to brook their policy differences in public. Pence gave a nod to that by saying "strong Republican leadership can bring about real change."

Trump has made renegotiating trade deals a central theme of his campaign, while Pence has spoken in favor of trade agreements. In an appearance on Friday night on Fox News, Pence offered a moderated take on trade, saying he agrees with Trump that deals should be renegotiated.

He also softened his vocal opposition to Trump's call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States.

"I am very supportive of Donald Trump's call to temporarily suspend immigration from countries where terrorist influence and impact represents a threat to the United States," Pence told conservative Fox News commentator Sean Hannity.

Pence added that he supports Trump's call for building a wall along the US border with Mexico. (Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Cleveland)

source: interaksyon.com

Up to 80, including children, killed as truck plows into crowd in French resort city of Nice

NICE, France --Up to 80 people were killed when a truck plowed into a crowd watching a Bastille Day fireworks display in the southern French resort of Nice late Thursday.

French President Francois Hollande, in a televised address, said "several children" were among the dead as he extended the state of emergency in the country for three months, stressing the "terrorist nature" of the attack was "undeniable."

The latest death toll, which had steadily risen since the original estimate of 60, was given by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve who also said 18 of the estimated hundred injured were in a "critical condition."

Nice prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre said the truck drove two kilometers through a large crowd that was watching the fireworks.

The driver had also opened fire on the crowd, local government chief Christian Estrosi told BFM TV, and weapons and grenades were found inside the truck after he was killed.

If confirmed as an act of terror, the incident will be the third major attack on French soil in 18 months -- with several smaller-scale jihadist killings also having taken place.

Identity papers belonging to a 31-year-old French-Tunisian were found inside the truck, a police source said.

"The identification of the truck driver is still underway," said the source. The identity papers indicate the man is a resident of Nice.

The French government denied there was a hostage-taking incident after the attack.

"There is no hostage-taking," interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told AFP, denying dozens of rumors following the incident. "An individual drove a truck into the crowd. He was killed by police."

"Investigations are currently under way to establish if the individual acted alone or if he had accomplices who might have fled," Brandet said.

Anti-terrorism investigators have taken over the probe, prosecutors said.

Sub-prefect Sebastien Humbert described the incident as a clear criminal attack, although the driver was not yet identified. Residents of the Mediterranean city close to the Italian border were advised to stay indoors. There was no sign of any other attack.

"Dear Nicois," local mayor Christian Estrosi tweeted, "The driver of a truck appears to have killed dozens of people. Stay at home for the time being. More news to follow."

The incident comes as France remains badly shaken by November 2015 attacks which killed 130 people at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris and nightspots across the city.

An AFP reporter described seeing a white truck driving at high speed onto the famed Promenade des Anglais as people were leaving.

"We saw people hit and bits of debris flying around," he said.

Terrified pedestrians screamed as they fled the area. "It was absolute chaos," he added.

Regional newspaper Nice Matin quoted its reporter at the scene saying there were many injured people and blood on the street. It published a photograph of a damaged, long-distance delivery truck, which it said was riddled with bullets and images of emergency services treating the injured.

Damien Allemand, the paper's correspondent, was quoted as saying: "People are running. It's panic. He rode up onto the Prom and piled into the crowd ... There are people covered in blood. There must be many injured."

Social media carried images of people lying apparently lifeless in pools of blood.

US President Barack Obama condemned "what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack", although no group had claimed responsibility for the incident.

US government agencies have received constant reports of Islamic State threats to attack France and those threats are regarded as current, a US security official said. However, two US officials said they had no information at this point about whether militants were involved in the Nice incident.

CNN said it has spoken to a witness, identified as an American pilot, who saw the truck ramming the crowd. The witness said the driver mowed people down, accelerating as he hit them. The witness said there was only one person in the truck.

Local mayor Estrosi has warned in the past of the risk of Islamist attacks in the region, following Islamic State bloodshed in Paris and Brussels over the past 18 months.

French President Francois Hollande, who was in the south of France at the time, had hours earlier said a state of emergency put in place after the Paris attacks in November would not be extended when it was due to expire on July 26.

"We can't extend the state of emergency indefinitely, it would make no sense. That would mean we're no longer a republic with the rule of law applied in all circumstances," Hollande told journalists in a traditional Bastille Day interview.

source: interaksyon.com

GOTTA CATCH ‘EM SERVERS | Pokemon Go Australia log-in complaints grow

Growing numbers of Pokemon Go players in Australia, one of three countries where Nintendo Co’s smash-hit mobile game is available, are complaining they’re having trouble logging in, raising concerns the Japanese firm may not be able to roll the game out globally as quickly as planned.

Shares in Nintendo fell nearly 6 percent in Tokyo early on Wednesday after a three-day surge on the successful U.S. launch of the augmented reality game last week added 1.2 trillion yen ($11 billion) to the company’s market value. Based on the 1990s Japanese franchise, the augmented reality game topped Apple Inc’s free app charts.

By 0220 GMT on Wednesday, a total of about 1,300 Pokemon Go users had reported problems accessing the game in Australia over the last two days, according to website aussieoutages.com, which tracks digital service disruptions.

The game has only been released in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and Nintendo has said launches for other countries including Japan – one of the world’s biggest gaming markets – are due soon.

Both Nintendo and Niantic, which developed the game in tandem with Pokemon Co, declined to comment. Nintendo owns a third of Pokemon Co and has an undisclosed stake in Niantic.

Some gamers in Australia have speculated servers were overloaded because players in the United Kingdom, where the game is not yet available domestically, were trying to log on.

“When Pokemon Go servers experience issues, so do I,” a user with the handle @_emilymcc wrote in a post on the aussieoutages.com website.

The reported disruption adds to a flurry of headaches Nintendo is facing with Pokemon Go.

Security researchers raised concerns about the vulnerability of users’ data after finding that Pokemon Go players signing into the game via a Google account on an Apple operating system device unwittingly gave “full access permission” to Google accounts.

Meanwhile cases of armed robberies and injuries involving Pokemon Go players have also been reported.

source: interaksyon.com

Taylor Swift world’s highest paid celebrity: Forbes

NEW YORK | At the tender age of 26, Taylor Swift is the world’s highest-paid celebrity, pulling in a whopping $170 million over the past year, Forbes magazine said Monday.

The pop diva’s take from June 2015 to June 2016 is the highest total of her young career, the magazine said, more than doubling her previous record of $80 million last year.

She out-earned other famous musicians including Adele ($80.5 million), Madonna ($76.5 million), Rihanna ($75 million) and Bruce Springsteen ($60.5 million).

The “Shake It Off” singer also outpaced rival Katy Perry who was last year’s top-earning musician at $135 million, according to Forbes magazine’s annual list of 100 highest-paid celebrities.

Perry dropped to number 63 on this year’s list, earning a mere $41 million.

Swift’s huge earnings were largely thanks to her “1989 World Tour” during which she smashed the Rolling Stone’s North American record, grossing $200 million on the continent en route to a quarter of a billion worldwide, the magazine said.

Coming in at number two on the list this year was the boy band One Direction, ($110 million), followed by author James Patterson ($95 million).

Taylor’s former beau, musician Calvin Harris, also made the cut coming in at number 21 ($63 million).

“The world’s 100 highest-paid celebrities pulled in $5.1 billion pretax over the past 12 months, more than the GDP of Belize, Gambia and Bhutan combined,” Forbes said.

Magazine editor Zack O’Malley Greenberg said live entertainment continues to be a major cash draw.

“From soccer games in Spain to concerts in China, fans are willing to shell out to see big names – and this is driving the celebrity economy to ever greater heights,” he said in a statement.

On the Hollywood front, Jennifer Lawrence was the industry’s highest-paid actress for the second consecutive year, earning $46 million, a slight drop from the $52 million “The Hunger Games” star banked the year before.

Actor Dwayne Johnson wrestled the highest-paid actor spot from “Iron Man’s” Robert Downey Jr., earning $64.5 million, largely thanks to the billion-dollar “Fast and Furious” franchise and the surprising success of 2015′s “San Andreas” movie.

Many athletes also made the list, including Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo ($88 million), tennis man Roger Federer ($68 million), and German race car driver Sebastian Vettel ($41 million)

source: interaksyon.com

US recalls over 500,000 hoverboards over battery fires

Ten companies are recalling about 501,000 hoverboards after numerous reports of the self-balancing scooters’ batteries catching fire, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission said on Wednesday.

There have been at least 99 incidents of the two-wheeled devices’ lithium-ion battery packs overheating, sparking, smoking, catching fire or exploding, the commission said in a statement. The incidents include an unspecified number of burns and property damage.

“We’ve all seen pictures of homes destroyed and families that made it out just in time,” Commission Chairman Elliot Kaye told a news conference.

Consumers were urged to stop using the recalled hoverboards and contact the companies named in the recall for a refund, repair or replacement.

The recall covers hoverboard models from eight importers: Digital Gadgets LLC, Monroe, New Jersey; Hoverboard LLC, Scottsdale, Arizona; Hype Wireless, Edison, New Jersey; Keenford Ltd, Hong Kong; PTX Performance Products USA, Irvine, California; Razor USA LLC, Cerritos, California; Yuka Clothing, of Miami; and Swagway LLC, of South Bend, Indiana.

The recall also affects models from two retailers – Boscov’s of Reading, Pennsylvania, and Overstock.com Inc, of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The models were sold from June 2015 through May for between $350 and $900, the commission statement said. The scooters and batteries were made in China.

The commission also said that China-based e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has acted on its own to require certification from testing agencies for hoverboards listed by third parties on its AliExpress.com and Alibaba.com online sites.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recommended that the self-balancing scooters be carried only in cabin baggage, rather than in the hold, but it remains up to each airline to decide their exact policy.

source: interaksyon.com

Paris vies to overtake London as finance hub post-Brexit

PARIS - British Prime Minister David Cameron once gleefully offered to "roll out the red carpet" for French executives wanting to escape staggering wealth taxes.

Now, with London's red carpet fraying after the Brexit vote to leave the European Union, Paris is stepping in to welcome bankers, investors and businesses who may want to escape the uncertainty hanging over the City's role as a global finance hub.

"In this new environment which is taking shape, we want France to be attractive," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Wednesday.

As competition grows among Europe's capitals to benefit from the financial fallout of Brexit, Valls unveiled a series of measures to boost the allure of Paris.

Notably, he confirmed plans to cut France's corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 33 percent, a move previously announced by President Francois Hollande.

Britain's vote to leave the European Union "created shockwaves, for all European citizens but also, in a very concrete manner, many businesses settled in the United Kingdom," Valls said.

Valls said he wanted to improve the tax and legal framework to "welcome even more companies (and) make Paris the capital of smart finance."

The prime minister announced a tweak to a system allowing foreign employees to benefit from tax reductions, making it applicable for eight years instead of five.

Beyond these fiscal measures, the government also plans to put in place a "single entry point" to facilitate administrative matters for foreign companies seeking to set up shop in France -- where red tape can be a nightmare to navigate.

This service will help companies with questions about real estate, residency permits, schools and other issues.

Valls said France would open "as many international sections as needed in schools" to allow children of foreign employees to be taught in their mother tongue.

The Brexit vote has several European capitals clamoring to take London's spot as a major finance center, such as Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Dublin.

France is traditionally perceived as "anti-business", with its inflexible and hard-to-understand labor code.

According to the World Bank's 2016 "Ease of Doing Business" report, France ranks 27th out of 189 countries, while Britain comes in sixth.

'Supertax'

The Socialist government came into power in 2012 promising as 75 percent "supertax" on top earners -- which sent the rich fleeing -- and became another symbol of France's opposition to big business.

However the measure was slowly watered down and quietly dropped in 2015, as it failed to do much to boost a stagnating economy.

Hollande has since steered his government on a wildly different path to stimulate the economy, with a series of economic and labour reforms that have enraged the left flank of his party, which now accuses him of being too pro-business.

As an indication of how difficult the reforms have been, Valls had to force both sets of reforms through parliament without a vote using a special constitutional measure.

source: interaksyon.com

Galaxy S7 boosts Samsung’s best quarter in over two years

SEOUL — Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is poised to issue guidance for its best quarterly profit in more than two years, propelled by a surge in mobile earnings on the back of robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S7 smartphones.

The South Korean giant will disclose its estimates for second-quarter earnings on Thursday, with analysts predicting a strong mobile division contributed to a 13 percent jump in operating profit from the same period a year earlier.

The average forecast from a Thomson Reuters survey of 16 analysts tips Samsung to report April-June operating profit of 7.8 trillion won ($6.8 billion), the highest since an 8.5 trillion won profit in January-March of 2014.

The mobile division of the world’s top maker of smartphones and memory chips was likely its top earner for the second straight quarter with a 4.3 trillion won profit, according to the survey. Samsung surprised many with better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, and issued guidance for a further pickup in April-June.

“Galaxy S7 sales are better than expected in the first half, and the semiconductor business is also outperforming rivals,” said KTB Asset Management’s Lee Jin-woo. The fund manager estimated the firm’s quarterly operating profit would also stay strong in both the third and fourth quarters at between 7 trillion won and 8 trillion won in each.

Samsung’s smartphone business had been squeezed before the start of this year between Apple Inc, at the high end of the market, and Chinese rivals like Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] in the budget segment. But the Galaxy S7 has provided a catalyst for the earnings rebound, likely putting the mobile business on track to record its first annual profit growth in three years.

Some analysts say Samsung shipped around 16 million Galaxy S7s in April-June, with a higher-priced curved-screen version outselling its flat-screen counterpart and boosting margins. Lackluster sales of offerings from rivals such as Apple and LG Electronics also helped reduced marketing expenses, they said.

“While operating profit margins for the mobile phone business will decline in the third and fourth quarters as the Galaxy S7 effect fades, operating profit will continue to grow on an annual basis,” Korea Investment & Securities said in a report.

As its smartphones thrive, Samsung’s chip business – last year’s key profit driver – probably saw quarterly profit sink to its lowest in nearly two years due to weak demand from makers of other smartphones and personal computers.

But signs of some price recovery for DRAM chips starting last month and Samsung’s dominance in the premium solid-state disc drive market with its 3D NAND chip production technology suggest a pickup in coming months, analysts said.

source: interaksyon.com

How to Reduce Your Credit Card Interest Rate

One of the most depressing things about having credit card debt is the fact that the high interest rate can mean that most of your monthly payment (if you carry a balance) goes to paying interest, rather than reducing your principal. This can mean a long, slow slog as you try to pay off debt.

However, you might not have to keep paying that interest rate. In some cases it’s possible for you to reduce your credit card interest rate… just by asking.

Steps to Reduce Your Credit Card Interest Rate

Is your credit card interest rate 18% or higher? Call the number on the back of your card, tell them you have seen lower rates and chances are that you can get them to lower it. It’s not always that simple, of course, but it’s a start.

Call and ask to speak to someone about your interest rate. In some cases, representatives are allowed to drop your interest rate by as much as 3% in order to retain you as a customer. If the first representative can’t help you, ask for someone who can help you lower your interest rate.

Your best leverage during the is if you have a recent offer in the mail with a low introductory rate of 0%-10%. Many credit card issuers are willing to drop your rate if there is the chance that you will take all of your money elsewhere. They’d rather have you pay some interest than ditch them and pay no interest at all.


If you don’t have a recent offer, check out the best current offers on low interest credit cards and balance transfer credit cards. Anytime you can offer a concrete possibility for switching to someone else, you have a bit of leverage during the phone call.

If you have been paying your minimum payment on time and they consider you a good customer, they will likely be willing to work with you to negotiate a lower rate. If, even after you have mentioned that you will switch your business, and they still refuse to lower your rate, remain polite and make ready to transfer your balance.

Tips for Speaking with Representatives on the Phone

If you want to reduce your credit card interest rate, you will need to make sure that you have it together on the phone. Here are some tips for speaking with credit card companies:

• Be polite: Don’t get rude. Remain polite and calm throughout.
• Ask for what you want: Be straightforward about how you want a rate reduction. Be clear that is what you want, and ask the representative to connect you with someone who has the authority to make it happen.
• Be prepared: You can create a script, or jot down some talking points. Also, be prepared to carry through on your threat to transfer your balance elsewhere.

If you phone your credit card company and get your rate lowered, please leave a comment and let us know what your rate was and what it’s at now!

source: canadianfinanceblog.com

New version of Android crowned ‘Nougat’

SAN FRANCSICO, California — Google’s newest mobile operating system will be called Nougat, continuing a tradition of naming Android software after sweet treats, the tech giant said Thursday.

Google had invited people to send in suggestions at its annual developers conference in May, and revealed the winning Android name at a playful ceremony at its campus in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View.

Nutella was thought to be a favorite, but Nougat won the day.

Google shared the event in a Twitter message tagged #AndroidNougat and containing a looped snippet of video of the undraping of an Android statue standing atop giant nougat and nut bars.

The technology giant has been letting developers work with the new mobile operating system, which is expected to be released later this year.

Alphabet-owned Google’s Android operating software is a computing phenomenon that powers the vast majority of smartphones sold across the world.

There were 1.16 billion smartphones shipped in 2015 that are powered by Android, according to research group Gartner. That accounted for 82 percent of the market, dwarfing the 225.85 million for Apple’s iOS.

Cupcake, the first version of the operating software to carry the name of an enticing desert, was released in 2009.

It was followed by Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop and current-generation Marshmallow.

source: interaksyon.com