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Ikea probes Vadodara-based mug maker Shaily Engineering

The Ikea compliance team last week visited Vadodara-based Shaily Engineering, the company that had supplied the mugs, as part of the investigation, a source said. Ikea was prompted to recall the mugs after tests found excessive level of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a substance that is used as plasticisers.




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Ikea not to pass on duty hike impact on imported furniture to customers

In the Union Budget 2020 announced on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced to increase customs duty on imported furniture from the present 20 per cent to 25 per cent. The move was aimed to protect the interest of the MSME segment. Ikea opened its first store in the country in Hyderabad in August 2018.




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Swedish IKEA store finds 50,000 forgotten face masks, gives them to local hospital

Johan Andersson, the store's logistics boss whose team found them, had just read that hospitals were suffering from a shortage of masks amid the coronavirus outbreak so he rang up Sahlgrenska University Hospital - Sweden's biggest - in Gothenburg and asked if they were interested.




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IKEA says visitors returning fast to reopened shopping centres in China and Germany

A majority of IKEA stores are or have been temporarily closed in recent months. A few stores in Germany and Israel, as well as the one in Wuhan, the city in China where the coronavirus was first discovered, reopened this week.




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Take Note: Shaheen Pasha On Teaching Journalism In Prisons

Penn State assistant teaching professor Shaheen Pasha is an advocate for more journalism courses to be taught in prison. She talked with WPSU about a reporting class she taught to both prisoners and journalism students in Massachusetts, the benefits of learning about our mass incarceration system from the people who are living it and her plan to create a program here in central Pennsylvania. TRANSCRIPT: Min Xian: Welcome to Take Note on WPSU. I'm Min Xian. Shaheen Pasha is an assistant teaching professor at Penn State's College of Communications and advocates for more journalism courses to be taught in prison. Previously, she was an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she launched a social justice journalism course focused on mass incarceration at the Hampshire County Jail bringing together prisoners and UMass journalism students. Pasha was a 2018 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard. She's also a veteran journalist who has covered legal issues,




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Take Note: Author Of 'Anti/Vax' On What We Can Learn From Past Vaccine Controversies

Bernice Hausman is chair of the Department of Humanities in the Penn State College of Medicine. She’s recognized for her research on vaccines and breastfeeding, including why both can be controversial in the United States. She has written several books, most recently "Anti/Vax: Reframing the Vaccination Controversy," which was published last year. WPSU's Anne Danahy spoke with Hausman about what we can learn from past vaccine controversies about the COVID-19 epidemic.




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WPSU's Story Corps Vietnam: Brent and David Pasquinelli

As a part of WPSU’s radio, TV and web project “The Vietnam War: Telling the Pennsylvania Story,” we’re bringing you oral history interviews with Vietnam veterans. David Pasquinelli talked with his father, Brent Pasquinelli, about his military service in Vietnam. The WPSU-TV documentary “A Time to Heal” on the Vietnam War experience from a Pennsylvania perspective premieres Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. The documentary “The Vietnam War” by Ken Burns premieres Sunday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. Save Save




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North Carolina Reports 350 New Coronavirus Cases

Authorities in North Carolina are reporting 350 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of cases to 6,500. Numbers released Sunday by the state health department show laboratory-confirmed cases increased from 6,140 cases to 6,493. The death toll increased from 164 to 172. Modeling released Friday by the University of Washington suggests that North Carolina may have reached its peak in coronavirus cases in the last few days, and that social distancing could be relaxed as soon as May 11 if sufficient testing is conducted, large gatherings are limited and other provisions remain in effect. Other models are less optimistic.




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North Carolina Coastal Town Lifts Visitor Restrictions

A coastal town in North Carolina is lifting restrictions it imposed on visitors because of the coronavirus outbreak. WITN-TV reports the town of Beaufort in Carteret County has ended its police checkpoint near U.S. Highway 70. Mayor Rett Newton says the move is the first step toward taking the waterfront town back to normal. The town declared a state of emergency on March 17 because of the threat posed by the coronavirus and enacted restrictions that were to remain in effect through April 29. On April 9, the city established checkpoints that limited access to full-time county residents, people sheltering in place and essential workers.




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Gov. Cooper Signs Order To Begin Phase 1 of Reopening Friday

On Tuesday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 138 that implements phase one of easing restrictions. The order takes effect Friday, May 8th at 5pm. The governor said the modification to the statewide stay at home order will allow some businesses to reopen. “Retail stores will now be allowed to increase to 50% capacity as long as they can implement social distancing and frequent cleaning,” said Cooper. “The order allows people to leave home to visit any business that is open and it encourages parks and trails to reopen.” However, businesses like salons, barbers, theaters, gyms, and bars will remain closed for phase one. The governor said church services can resume as long as they are held outdoors and social distancing measures are practiced. “COVID-19 is still a serious threat to our state, and Phase 1 is designed to be a limited easing of restrictions that can boost parts of our economy while keeping important safety rules in place,” said Cooper.




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Perspective: Six Feet, A Mask, And Clean Hands

If you’re like me, you probably having a hard time changing the idea of social distancing into a habit. That’s not easy. Old habits die hard. Why don’t we wear a mask in public, wash our hands more often…or stay at least six feet apart? We each have our own reasons. Sometimes we just forget. I do. And some people just don’t understand the consequences if someone else is exposed to their cough; their hands or something they touched with the virus on it. Other people resist the whole idea of being told what to do. They think that social distancing imposes on their freedom. Or worse, they just can’t be bothered, no matter who they expose to the virus, even their loved ones. So here’s a thought -- Six Feet is Not That Far Away. Where I live in Princeton, Illinois, right off Interstate-80’s Exit 56, a group of us are asking “What does social distancing mean to us? We’re hoping that artists of all kinds will share their interpretations of that message in photographs, videos and music about




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Walmart gains from corp tax slash in India

FM Nirmala Sitharaman had announced about a 10% cut in corporate income tax in September 2019 to boost the economy.




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Budweiser to invest more in e-commerce as virus hits offline demand

The company, which has a portfolio of more than 50 beer brands including Stella Artois, Corona and Harbin, reported quarterly revenue of $956 million, down from $1.6 billion last year.




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Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh may levy COVID cess on liquor

Assam finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We had an informal discussion with these states and we may increase the tax on liquor. Tomorrow we are having a cabinet meeting in Assam and a decision in this regard will be taken.”




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To avoid overcrowding, Delhi govt launches e-token system for liquor purchase

According to an official statement, the government released a web link - www.qtoken.in - where people will be designated specific time for purchasing liquor after they fill personal details. The e-tokens will be sent on the mobile phones of the registered persons, it said.




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Madras High Court orders for TASMAC shops closure as TN crosses 6,000 Covid-19 positive cases

The High Court passed the interim order on Friday as a result of the blatant violation of the conditions that the court had prescribed under which liquor shops could function. These conditions included adhering to social distancing norms while also deploying additional staff to manage the crowd.




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Delhi: Liquor hunt shifts online, site crashes

Thousands of people standing outside the vends across the city said they had been trying to access the website since Thursday but decided come out and queue up for their turn when the online link didn't open. Delhi government officials confirmed the website crashed due to heavy rush and the glitch was being fixed.




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Assam hikes liquor prices by 25 per cent

Assam cabinet held its meeting on Friday through video conferencing. Assam Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the 25 per cent hike will add Rs 1000 crore to the government's kitty.




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Bata asked to pay Rs 10,000 for charging Rs 2 for carry bag

The commission said that the bag which was made available by Bata in Rs 2 to the consumer had the company’s logo and accessories printed on it.




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'Come As You Are': Priyanka Chopra signs deal with Crocs

The actor will endorse 2020 collections of the casual footwear brand.




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Aspiration keeps premium footwear brands afloat despite slowdown

Industry players say premium and luxury buying sees an uptick in two cases — purchase for occasions by the aspirational millennial and by a growing cohort of marathon runners.




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Adidas closes China stores over virus outbreak

The outbreak that has infected over 24,000 people and killed nearly 500 in mainland China has forced many stores and factories to close and airlines to cancel flights.




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Nike temporarily closes European headquarters due to coronavirus case

Dutch news agency ANP, citing an internal email, reported overnight that the office in Hilversum would be disinfected. The employee was staying home in isolation for 14 days, it said.




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Women's fashion brand W enters footwear category

"The newly launched footwear range is available in 90 stores. We plan to further expand and make it accessible at more stores in the coming seasons," said Somdeb Basu, head of foot apparel and accessories at W.




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Adidas shifts German, US smart factories to Asia

The production of high-tech running shoes at its so-called speedfactories in Germany's Ansbach and in the US city of Atlanta "will be discontinued by April 2020 at the latest", Adidas said in a statement.




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Small towns purchase more sportswear via e-platforms

Sportswear makers say sales in tier II and III towns have grown exponentially in the last few years and contribute a sizable percentage of their revenue now.




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Coronavirus slams Adidas, Puma sales in China

"Our business activity in Greater China has been around 85 percent below the prior year level since Chinese New Year on January 25," Adidas said in a statement.




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Puma launches collection made from waste plastic bottles

“The Puma and First Mile programme has diverted about 40 tonnes of plastic waste from landfills and oceans, just for the products made for 2020. This roughly translates into 1,980,286 plastic bottles being reused,” said Stefan Seidel, head of corporate sustainability for Puma, in a press statement




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Vatika leases 50K sq ft to Decathlon in Gurugram retail project

Vatika has leased this space to French firm Decathlon, which is into retailing of sports goods, at its project 'Shopper's Village INXT' in New Gurugram, Haryana.




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Puma India elevates India MD Abhishek Ganguly to General Manager- SE Asia and India

In a letter to the brand’s business partners, Bjorn Gulden, global CEO of Puma SE, announced Ganguly’s elevation in the company adding that that he will continue to work out of Puma’s India head office in Bengaluru.




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Puma ropes in actress Kareena Kapoor Khan as brand ambassador

Khan will be the face for Puma’s soon-to-be launched collection of low-intensity training apparel collection targeted at workouts such as yoga, barre, and pilates. The new line will be launched in April and retailed both online and offline.




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Adidas warns of big coronavirus hit to China sales

China accounted for 20% of Adidas sales in 2018. It sells its products from about 12,000 stores in China, most franchises plus fewer than 500 of its own stores. Almost a fifth of its shoes and apparel are produced in the country.




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Adidas launches “FasterThan” campaign to celebrate women in sports

With this campaign, the brand aims to highlight the inspirational stories of real women, influencers and athletes from different age groups and fields through the medium of a film, said the company.




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Adidas apologises after backlash over refusing to pay rent amid coronavirus scare

"We would like to wholeheartedly apologise. We have paid our landlords the rent for April." Adidas, which made a net profit of nearly two billion euros ($2.2 billion) in 2019, has been hard hit by a slump in Chinese sales and store closures around the world.




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Adidas says worse to come as profits and sales plunge

Adidas said 60% of its business was currently at a standstill, with more than 70% of its stores closed worldwide and all big sporting events - including the Tokyo Olympics and Euro soccer tournament - postponed or cancelled.




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Brune & Bareskin signs Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh as brand ambassador

​​​​Voganow Fashion owned Brune & Bareskin sells leather jackets, footwear, bags and accessories for men on online platforms such as Myntra, Jabong and Snapdeal.




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Panerai CEO sees India as key market for luxury watches

While early movers like Rolex, Omega and Tag Heuer entered India in early noughties, a clutch of global luxury watches like Panerai are now placing bets on the Indian market, keeping in mind a longer investment horizon. In a bid to create a deeper connect with the Indian consumers, Panerai launched two MS Dhoni special edition watches on Wednesday.




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Traditional watches to get a sporty twist as athleisure trend picks up in 2020

The growth of healthy lifestyle has added impetus to the athleisure trend.




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Vasant Nangia is CEO of Chumbak

​Chumbak founder Vivek Prabhakar will continue as head of marketing and digital, and co-founder Shubhra Chaddha will continue to head product and design.




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Sulco (Medida de Corte), aural passages

One of the roles of sound art is to transform spaces by changing how we perceive them. Miguel Carvalhais and Pedro Tudela have mastered this approach in recent years, constructing installations made in classic or adventurous places whose sound, in




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Dodge the Arrow - The Broadcast

INTRO – The typical view of the path to musical success sends the enterprising young musician into one of our country’s media centers… New York or L.A. For the members of Asheville’s The Broadcast, they’re taking a road less traveled in an effort to establish a musical career. George Olsen spoke with the band’s lead singer Caitlin Krisko and has this. I’ve long jokingly said that I’m still deciding what it is I want to be when I grow up. At 50+, the joke is getting old… as am I, for that matter. Still, there’s some truth behind the joke, which may be why I’ve always had a deep respect for anyone who determines what it is they want to be and pursue it doggedly with no doubt, no regrets. Among those now with my deep respect… Caitlin Krisko and her band mates in the band The Broadcast. “And being in NYC we realized financially speaking we couldn’t afford to do that. We couldn’t afford to pay our rent and be on the road 150 days a year without spraining our back trying to get people to




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Virus impact: Offline retailers running out of handsets as distributors hoard

Industry watchers say wholesalers are holding back stocks of popular phone models in anticipation of a price rise by the month-end as production in China slows; brands as yet unaware of complaints.




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China-made phones off speed dial as supply chains disrupted amid coronavirus outbreak

“There are supply issues for several brands. There is no clarity when the situation will normalise,” said Nilesh Gupta, director at Vijay Sales, a leading electronics retailer in Mumbai and New Delhi. “If it doesn’t get corrected fast, we may move into a stock-out situation from next month.”




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This new feature could make 'Super Smash Bros' the game of the year

There's no better game to play with friends than "Super Smash Bros." And it's about to get even better.




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GameStop Has A Brilliant Plan To Avoid Becoming The Next Blockbuster

Many people assume that the videogame seller will go the route of book, music, and video stores, reports Joshua Brustein at Bloomberg Businessweek.




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Reliance Entertainment names Amit Khanduja as new CEO of Reliance Games

Reliance Entertainment, an arm of the Anil Ambani-headed Reliance Group, on Thursday named Amit Khanduja as the new CEO of Reliance Games, effective June 1.




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Now mobile games based on ACK and Tinkle characters

ACK has roped in game developer Nazara Games to develop mobile games based on ACK and Tinkle characters, and the games would be launched in the next six months, said Mohan.




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JBL ropes in Ranveer Singh as global brand ambassador

As part of the deal, Singh will also participate in a series of marketing initiatives to strengthen JBL's dominance in the country.




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Free Download from Tommy Castro

Free download of Got a Lot from the CD Method to my Madness by Tommy Castro , currently featured on The Sound. Find out more about the artist here .




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Rotomac boss was among top 100 key invites to UP summit

Barely a week before he was taken into CBI custody on charges of defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore, Rotomac chairman Vikram Kothari was among the top 100 key invitees to the mega UP investor summit.