Apple acknowledged that users might have concerns about using facial recognition to verify purchases via Apple Pay or to access their device.
However, the company claimed that while there was a one-in-50,000 chance that TouchID could be unlocked by a random stranger, the odds rose to one-in-one-million with FaceID.
Nevertheless, one expert said users might still be concerned the handset had no fingerprint sensor as an alternative.
Other features announced about iPhone X included:
its 5.8in screen has 458 pixels per inch, making it Apple’s most detailed phone display to date. To mark this it has been branded “super retina”
the lack of a home button is dealt with by requiring users to swipe up to access its apps, and to press a side button to summon its virtual assistant Siri
portrait mode – in which the camera blurs a photo’s background – and a relighting tool can be used on pictures taken by both the front and rear cameras
Former model Hope Hicks has been named White House Communications Director for President Donald Trump.
The 28-year-old was the interim White House Communications Director and now she will serve in the role on a permanent basis.
The longtime Trump aide is the fourth person to fill the position, replacing Anthony Scaramucci, who was fired in July after just 10 days on the job.
Hope Hicks has served as President Donald Trump’s strategic communications director and campaign press secretary. She was one of the first staffers to join Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. The former Ralph Lauren model worked as a publicist for Ivanka Trump’s fashion label.
Her permanent appointment comes after a summer of staff shake-ups at the White House.
North Korea has launched a fiery attack on the US, threatening with the “greatest pain” it has ever suffered, following new sanctions imposed by the UN.
Its ambassador to the UN accused Washington of opting for “political, economic and military confrontation”.
President Donald Trump said the move was nothing compared to what would have to happen to deal with North Korea.
The UN sanctions are an attempt to starve the country of fuel and income for its weapons programs.
The new measures restrict oil imports and ban textile exports, and were approved after North Korea’s sixth and largest nuclear test earlier this month.
North Korea’s ambassador to the UN Han Tae Song said he “categorically rejected” what he called an “illegal resolution”.
“The forthcoming measures by DPRK [the Democratic Republic of Korea] will make the US suffer the greatest pain it has ever experienced in its history,” he told a UN conference in Geneva.
“Instead of making [the] right choice with rational analysis… the Washington regime finally opted for political, economic and military confrontation, obsessed with the wild dream of reversing the DPRK’s development of nuclear force – which has already reached the completion phase.”
The UN resolution was only passed unanimously after North Korea’s allies Russia and China agreed to softer sanctions than those proposed by the US.
The initial text included a total ban on oil imports, a measure seen by some analysts as potentially destabilizing for the North Korean regime.
The new sanctions agreed by the UN include:
Limits on imports of crude oil and oil products. China, North Korea’s main economic ally, supplies most of the country’s crude oil.
A ban on exports of textiles, which is Pyongyang’s second-biggest export worth more than $700 million a year.
A ban on new visas for North Korean overseas workers, which the US estimates would eventually cut off $500 million of tax revenue per year.
A proposed asset freeze and a travel ban on Kim Jong-un were dropped.
Reacting on September 13, President Donald Trump said: “We think it’s just another very small step, not a big deal.”
“I don’t know if it has any impact, but certainly it was nice to get a 15 to nothing vote. But those sanctions are nothing compared to what ultimately will have to happen,” the president added, without giving details.
The US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told the Security Council after the vote: “We don’t take pleasure in further strengthening sanctions today. We are not looking for war.”
“The North Korean regime has not yet passed the point of no return,” she added.
“If North Korea continues its dangerous path, we will continue with further pressure. The choice is theirs.”
The September 11 resolution against North Korea was the ninth one unanimously adopted by the UN since 2006.
The storm was downgraded as it moved north towards Atlanta, with maximum sustained winds of 35mph later recorded, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a statement.
The NHC statement said that while heavy rain was expected to continue across south-eastern states, all storm surge and tropical storm warnings had been discontinued.
Media reports link at least four deaths to the storm in Florida. Last week it killed at least 37 people in Caribbean islands.
Meanwhile, White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert has announced that it will be some time before residents in the Florida Keys are able to return to their homes.
“I would expect that the Keys are not fit for re-entry for regular citizenry for weeks,” he said.
Speaking as he went on an aerial tour of the Keys, Florida Governor Rick Scott said: “Power lines are down throughout the state. We’ve got roads that are impassable, so everybody’s got to be patient as we work through this.”
The Keys are cut off from the mainland, as the 42 bridges that link them are being assessed for damage. According to reports, 10,000 people decided to ride out the storm.
We invest most of our energy and time on the design and lighting of the interior of our homes, and because of that, we neglect to care for our outdoors. Even if we care for the plants and flowers in our garden often, garden lighting seems to be the last option when it comes to designing our homes.
Perhaps, we just don’t know the importance of an outdoor lighting. Or, maybe, we think more of the cost and labor, and less of the practical and aesthetic benefits that outdoor lights give to our homes.
Just a gist, outdoor lighting brings beauty to our exteriors by highlighting garden focal points such as our marvelous collection of different types of plants, or in creating a particular mood or ambiance for various styles of landscape designs. Aside from that, outdoor lights have safety and practical purposes. For example, they are used to light our frequently used pathways, grill area, and outdoor dining table.
Sounds good, isn’t it?
If you have now a change of heart and eager to bring the focus this time in lighting your outdoor areas, here are some modern lighting ideas that you can utilize to your advantage.
Bollard Lights
Bollards are great modern lights to cast a particular mood to your pathways and driveways. This type of lighting will give your guests a clear direction of where to walk. But it is advisable to place them sparingly at wide intervals to enjoy the contrast of light and shadow during the night.
Lamp Posts
Lamp posts are kind of similar in structure to bollard lights, but the former has more in height than the latter. Like bollards, it can provide direction when you place them in your walkways and driveways. It can also be a great feature not only as a light source but in adding character, charm, and elegance to your garden.
Most lamp posts come in traditional styles, but there are modern ones which are solar-powered that can complement to the contemporary setting of your gardens while also saving energy when you use them.
In-ground Lights
If you want a light for your garden that is concealed and unobtrusive, in-ground light is for you.
In-ground lights are perfect in providing subtle yet essential illumination for both safety and aesthetic appeal. For instance, it can add drama in casting its light under tall trees and dense foliage in your garden, while it is a staple in lighting pathways for you to walk your garden at night safely.
Garden Spike Lights
Garden spike light is a great modern outdoor lighting that is easy to install on a soft surface in your garden. It highlights a key landscape feature in your gardens such as an elegant palm or pine tree.
Most spike lights are LEDs, so you won’t have to worry about high electricity cost as LED lights are energy efficient. They also come in various colors to suit a particular style of a garden.
Modern Lanterns
If you want to combine a retro and modern style to your garden, modern lanterns will do the work.
Modern lanterns are attractive as garden lighting design because they add a romantic atmosphere to your garden. They are also easy to move if you want to transfer them at will and come in a wide range of style that will suit your aesthetic biases. You can put them at the corners of the garden, beside the outdoor dining table, or on both sides of the pathway.
The traditional lanterns use candles as light, but modern ones use LED for both safety and energy-saving purposes.
String Lights
String lights have the power to turn a simple, ordinary space into something like those you see in the fairy tales. They are also inexpensive and proved to be an easy way to light and beautify your garden. Just hang them in the tree, and your heart will skip a beat when you see them.
For a cozy and elegant ambiance for your garden, string lights are the best!
Orbs and Sphere Lights
If you want to pull another trick to turn your garden into something magical aside from string lights, orb- or sphere-shaped lights will do wonders.
Orbs and sphere lights come in a variety of colors. The more traditional color is the white color. It will set a modern and elegant mood when you hang them to light your garden and patio. But, if you want a more fun atmosphere for your outdoor area, you can go for the colored orbs and spheres.
You can hang them in a branching tree or float them in a small pond in your garden.
Pots and Planter Lights
If you think you know more about pots and planters because you have them in your garden serving as containers for your plants, think again.
Pots and planters don’t do just that. They also serve a dual purpose as both plant containers and light sources. They come in a variety of sizes and colors of light that will surely accentuate your plant collections and will provide an elegant beauty to your garden.
Takeaway Gardens are an important aspect of our homes. Thus, it is only necessary that we give as much attention in providing beauty to them as we do with our interiors. Choosing the perfect modern outdoor lighting is one way to provide them with that.
Gardens are an important part of our homes. It is where we pass our time for relaxation and spend our bonding time with our family after a long tiring day from work. Therefore, providing it a vibrant and refreshing look should be among our home improvement priorities for us to make these moments more comfortable and memorable.
When looking for furniture, homeowners should keep the size and layout of the garden in mind. If you have a large, open garden, the furniture you need should differ from that of a smaller garden area. Also, you need to remember that garden furniture has three-fold purposes: comfort, style, and function.
It can be tempting to buy furniture right away because it’s 50% off or it looks chic, but buying the right one is not merely focusing on those qualities. You also need to take heed of the quality. Knowing how outdoor furniture was constructed and from what materials they come from, will surely deliver a value-for-money purchase.
Here are some tips for you to buy the right furniture for your garden.
Measure Your Garden Space
The type of furniture you want to display depends on the outdoor space available. For example, a 2-seater bistro set might be ideal for a smaller patio, while a cube set is a better fit for a bigger outdoor area.
Think of What Pieces of Furniture You Need
If you want to get purchase outdoor furniture, you must base it on how you will use your outdoor space. For example, if you want your garden to be an area of relaxation, comfort should be topmost in your furniture consideration. Furniture with cushions is perfect to cater this need.
Storage and Easy Care
Most garden furniture nowadays has ‘all-weather’ as its label. While cast aluminum pieces are specially designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, you still need a spot where you can protect them from the sun, wind, rain, and hail.
So, before buying an outdoor furniture, consider first if you have enough storage space for the winter season. If you lack space for storage, go for smaller furniture pieces that are easy to move indoors, or you can consider buying a suitable cover in the budget.
Quality is Key
Buying furniture should be thought of as an investment. When choosing furniture for the garden, test its smoothness by rubbing your hands over its surface. For metal furniture, check if any welding has cracked and if the coated finish is correctly applied. Also, check if joints are not glued but screwed.
Consider the Different Materials of a Furniture
Wood Garden Furniture
Wood furniture is a perfect choice if you want to provide your garden a casual and natural style. Besides, the look of wood is ideal for an outdoor setting. Woods are sturdy, non-heat-absorbing, and long-lasting if cared properly.
Wood material comes in many varieties. There is eucalyptus, teak, cedar, pine, and oak.
Eucalyptus is a versatile hardwood and is resistant to moisture damage and insects. It is also ideal if you are tight on budget.
Teak is a dense-grained tropical hardwood. If you are looking for a piece of furniture that is resistant to rotting and shrinkage, teak is the best choice. The only disadvantage of teak is that it is an expensive option.
Cedar is a soft wood that has a distinctive scent that is insect resistant. It needs a regular maintenance because its color will turn to gray if left unsealed or unpainted.
Pine, like cedar, is also a soft wood. It is used extensively as a material for modern furniture and has color varieties that range from cream to yellow brown with its typical marked growth rings.
Oak is hardwood widely valued for its strength and attractive grain. It is used as solid furniture and in modern furniture as veneers. Oaks are moderately expensive and come in two variants of colors: grayish brown and reddish.
Wicker/Rattan Garden Furniture
Wicker and rattan are great as both an indoor and outdoor furniture. If you display it in your outdoor area, it makes a perfect complement to your porches and decks. They are available in a variety of colors that will give your garden a natural and rustic look. Its benefits include comfortable, movable, and flexible.
Plastic Garden Furniture
Plastic furniture is polyethylene-made. It comes from recycled plastic materials such as shampoo bottles and milk cartons.
The best thing with plastics is that it does not require painting or sealing. It can also be made to resemble the materials mentioned above such as wood and wicker. They are resistant to moisture, insects, stains, and mildew. Its weight is perfect if you need to move it around in other spaces.
Aluminum Garden Furniture
Aluminum furniture is good to go when you want to provide your garden a contemporary and modern design. Powder-coated aluminum is durable and only requires low-maintenance. The only catch is that aluminum becomes hot when exposed to the heat of the sun for too long.
Steel Garden Furniture
Steel furniture is heavier than aluminum and can give you a hard time moving it around. It is, however, an ideal complement to contemporary and modern gardens. For comfort, it is advisable that you provide it with cushions.
Takeaway Choosing the right furniture is essential if you want to provide your garden a comfortable and functional purpose. In achieving this, it is important to know the needs of your outdoor area first, then learn the different materials of the furniture for you to have an insight on how you will complement it to the look of your outdoor area. In this way, you won’t need to waste money and worry that is typical in any furniture mistakes.
Almost everyone has played a video game or two. Video Games are what most people often resolve to when wanting to relieve stress or just to get away from the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Similar to the effects of movies, video games provide great entertainment through several means such as wholesome fun, action, mystery, problem-solving, etc.
Video games, however, do have a dark side. Similar to movies, games have brought nightmares to a lot of people when they play horror survival games. With immense gameplay, awesome storytelling, and fear, individuals who play these games get addicted to the thrill and adrenaline they get when facing a hidden monster or a ghoulish face scream at them out of nowhere. With that said, here is a look at the five most terrifying games produced.
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly – Tecmo
The majority of the games featured in this list tackles with evading and escaping the supernatural. However, Fatal Frame 2 is the opposite of most games. Armed with a camera, the protagonist must snap photos of ghosts that they encounter along the way. The game is a unique take on the survival horror genre. The horrors of the game feature Japanese-inspired ghosts that resemble Sadako and other horror icons famous in the country.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – Capcom
Known for its heavy use of zombies, Resident Evil is a mainstay in most lists that feature the horror survival genre. However, Resident Evil 7 is the strongest showing in the series as of late, and a lot of people aren’t disappointed by the frights it gives. The eerie setting of Resident Evil 7 takes the player in a whole new setting filled with old shacks, rotting vegetation, gruesome images, all set on a plantation.
Leaning on towards a rare genre in the American horror scene, Resident Evil 7 is more of a “Hillbilly Horror” wherein the terrors are from seemingly brutish and uneducated people in the far reaches of American modernization. Resident Evil uses all its scares to deliver a resurgence and a fresh new look for the franchise.
P.T. – Konami
From famed game director Hideo Kojima and famous Hollywood director Guillermo del Toro, P.T. is a first-person psychological horror video game which takes the player on a whole new level of fright and fear. The game was part of a teaser for the Silent Hills, a canceled installment of the Silent Hill franchise. A lot of fans praised the game for its direction, graphics, complexity, and the absolute mental horror of its gameplay.
With the game already shrouded in mystery, Konami took the game off of the PlayStation Network which prompted a lot of fans to protest, clamoring for a chance to download the game again. To this day, no traces of the game are present online which only adds to the mystery that P.T. or this “Playable Teaser” brings.
Image source Flickr
Amnesia: The Dark Descent – Frictional Games
The essence of horror survival games tends to focus on action rather than the fear itself. Amnesia: The Dark Descent is an ode to the nature of what is a real fright. Games like Resident Evil, Zombie themed games, and most survival horror genre games equip a player with some melee weapon or a gun. In this game, however, you are powerless as the option to fight back is apparently absent.
If being powerless isn’t enough to scare you, Amnesia also has a unique system embedded in its gameplay that isn’t found in many horror games today. A sanity meter is a meter that tells the player of his or her sanity. Expose your in-game character to a lot of ghoulish figures, and your meter eventually fills bringing your character to insanity.
This unique system juggles the real world player’s flight or fight system which ultimately provides an exhilarating and scary experience to those who try out Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
Silent Hill 2 – Konami
Silent Hill 2 is the 2nd installment of the Silent Hill franchise. The game is so scary that a lot of people consider the entire franchise the brass ring for most survival horror games. Although the game makes use of relatively simple combat systems, it’s still a scary game due to the grotesque monsters you’ll get to encounter which is curiously difficult to defeat.
The game also makes use of horrible audio by playing random high-pitched noises that most people find unsettling. In the first game, Silent Hill, a similar sound plays when the radio fills with static when an enemy is close. Other sounds in the game include a baby crying, pigs squealing, gasping, footsteps approaching, glass shattering, etc. Try listening to those sounds while standing in a room alone.
Silent Hill has been long known by many as a game that strikes horror in the most unusual ways by displaying horrible and gruesome scenes to the player. Silent Hill 2 is indeed the best game to come out of the franchise, with other installments not far behind. Truly a game that will scare your wits out. Do not play this game alone, without lights.
Takeaway
A lot of people play horror games for the pure fun and adrenaline that comes with jump-scares and frights. Sometimes, just like movies, these games take it to the extreme by using more than just zombies and monsters as frightening themes. Some of these games stick to the more realistic form of fear.
Games like Amnesia use real fears that most people experience. Silent Hill, however, combines all those elements and molds them into an experience that players will never forget. Keep the lights on, blankets over your head, and play with a buddy, as these games are the scariest.
The amount of deaths and life altering injuries on the road have grown over the past few years. You might assume that this is due to drinking driving or perhaps even phone related deaths. However, instead of blaming independent drivers safety, petitioners are beginning to turn their attention towards one particular industry. Many people are starting to feel as though trucking has become a serious danger on the roads.
Why Is Trucking Dangerous
There are numerous reasons why trucks are dangerous vehicles on the roads. First, it’s important to understand that trucks can weigh five times the amount of a typical car. This means that if you are involved in an accident on the road involving a truck death could be more likely than an injury. Due to their size, these trucks also have longer braking distance meaning that an accident could be less preventable. As well as this, despite larger mirrors trucks have massive blind spots. There are several areas around a truck that a driver will not be able to fully see while driving. In 2015, there were nearly 4000 people died due to a truck accident on the road. This amount is about 12 percent of the total number of accidents.
What Are The Issues In The Industry
Too many to count. Trucking companies often use cheap labor resources that may involve drivers that do not have a lot of experience manning the large vehicles. As well as this, drivers are often encouraged to get to their destination as quickly as possible with incentives for fast deliveries. There is also evidence to suggest that drivers work without breaks on the road, leading to issues with fatigue. Furthermore, yet more research suggests that many of the trucks currently in service on the roads are no longer safe due to being out of date with the latest safety features.
As such, a reform is needed to reduce the number of incidents on the road. According to www.lawsuitlegal.com a number of wrongful death lawsuits have been brought forward due to incidents involving trucks on the road. For a reform to take place there needs to be a show of force to prevent further incidents. This may happen due to Tracy Morgan being one of the most recent victims of a truck incident. His celebrity status could lead to changes in the trucking industry, though so far nothing has changed. So, what can be done to improve the situation?
Government Incentives
One of the major issues is that life-saving technology is available on the market that can make trucks a lot safer for drivers and other people on the roads. Unfortunately, this tech is expensive and buying full vehicle upgrades is a cost that most companies simply can not handle. Particularly, when taking into account expensive insurance costs that they have to pay. Due to the potential of wrongful death lawsuits being a result of a truck accident and massive payouts often occurring, insurance companies are charging a fortune to cover truck businesses. This forces them to save money in other areas such as safety.
As such, petitioners want the government to provide incentives to these companies. They already do this for businesses that use electric vehicles, so it’s not a stretch to suggest they could pay incentives to companies using better safety equipment in their vehicles.
Hope For Future Tech
It is fair to say that a number of trucking accidents are caused by driver negligence or even basic human error. As such, if we could take humans out of the equation we would have safer roads and far fewer accidents involving trucks. This might not be as absurd as some people think. There are currently tests and research involving trucks that drive themselves. However, one could suggest that this would just lead to further problems. After all, a driver would still need to be in the truck as a safety precaution, and it would cost companies even more money. Without a driver present, if the tech driving the truck failed it could lead to further accidents. You can learn more about this tech on www.technologyreview.com.
The Road To No Traffic Deaths
Safety petitioners interested in this movement are attempting to reach the goal of zero traffic deaths. Stopping the dangers of trucking is crucial to moving towards this goal. Trucks present a serious danger on the roads. Unfortunately, only legal action and government interference have the power to change things. Without this type of pressure, it is unlikely that the industry will make changes itself to provide safer roads for all users.
However, there is definitely a surge in interest for this type of trucking industry reform. To succeed, it needs the support of the general public to force companies to make changes that will help keep everyone safe.
If you are someone that owns their own business, then you have a variety of people to be thinking about and to keep happy. From any staff to your accountant or clients, there are a lot of people that you need to keep happy, in order from them to keep working with you or so that they keep doing a good job for you. Clients can, of course, benefit you as they help you to bring in revenue for your business. However, there is a certain satisfaction when it comes to knowing that you did a good job for them and have contributed to their happiness. So what are some of the best ways to keep those people that you work with happy? Here are a few ideas for you to get you thinking.
If you are able to anticipate your client’s needs, then it can make a massive difference. Being able to predict what they might want, as well as what they might need for their next project, for instance, can stand you in good stead. Plus, if you get regular work from a client, you can anticipate certain things through the ways that they prefer to communicate. If they keep emails quite brief but they give their phone number, then could it be that they’d rather talk in person? Arrange to call them or to go to their office, for example.
Send Thank Yous To Them
If you have worked with a client quite a lot, then it can be a good idea to send something over to them as a thank you. After a project is finished, having something sent to their office as a thank you can be really appreciated and will keep you in their good books. It could just be that you send over some treats or even give your clients a stubby holder, for example. It helps to keep you in their memory, which is more likely to lead to repeat work from them. So have a think about what might work, even if it is just sending them a holiday card.
Own Your Mistakes
From time to time, mistakes will happen with certain work or projects. But the best thing to do, to keep everyone happy, is to own up to something rather than blame others. Explain what has happened, and tell them quickly what you will be doing to rectify the situation. Some things may have been out of your control. But it looks bad to blame others or circumstances, instead of owning your mistakes and then putting in a lot of effort to put it right.
Stay On Top Of The Trends
If you have certain clients that require work that is more seasonal, then be prepared for work that comes up at certain points in the year. Try not to overbook yourself for work, so that you have space at certain times of year for loyal clients. This can also allow you to have time to creatively plan when you know they will need you at a certain time.
President Donald Trump has observed a moment of silence at his first 9/11 commemoration in office, marking the 16th anniversary of the attacks.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump observed a solemn moment of silence at the White House and later at the Pentagon.
Thousands are gathering nationwide to mark the deadliest attack on US soil.
Nearly 3,000 people died after hijackers crashed planes into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a rural Pennsylvania field in 2001.
President Trump and the first lady observed a moment of silence at the Pentagon at 09:37, when US officials say American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.
“Our values will endure, our people will thrive, our nation will prevail, and the memory of our loved ones will never, ever die,” Donald Trump said afterwards.
President Trump joined Defense Secretary James Mattis and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Department of Defense to remember the lives lost on 9/11.
“The terrorists who attacked us thought they could incite fear and weaken the spirit. Those who try will soon join the long list of vanquished enemies who dare to test our mettle,” he said.
President Trump acknowledged the more than five million young men and women who joined the military since 9/11 to “defend our country against barbaric forces of evil and destruction”.
“We are making plain to these savage killers that there is no dark corner beyond our reach, no sanctuary beyond our grasp, and nowhere to hide anywhere on this very large Earth,” he continued.
Earlier, President Trump appeared at the White House for a commemoration.
Meanwhile, relatives of 9/11 victims, survivors, rescuers and others gathered at New York’s 9/11 memorial at 08:46 to mark the exact time the first plane struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
The second plane slammed into the South Tower at 09:03.
The names of the 3,000 killed were read aloud at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum as bells rang out in memory of the dead.
Each year on the anniversary, two light beams illuminate the sky in place of the two towers.
The fourth plane went down at 10:03 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where crew members wrestled hijackers for control of plane, forcing it down in a rural field instead of its intended target in Washington.
VP Mike Pence and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke appeared in Shanksville, where ground was broken a day before for a 93ft tower at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
The Tower of Voices will remember the 33 passengers and seven crew members who died on Flight 93.
Social media is a powerful tool to communicate with our friends, relatives, and the general public. Many businesses use it to communicate with the customers, introduce the products and services to prospective clients, update the public of the latest news about the company, etc.
One of the best ways to do social media marketing is creating a robust and significant Facebook Group. How can you do this?
Determine Your Possible Members – You have to figure out the possible members of your group. For example, you can create a group that will help you generate leads for your business. The group can also be built based on interest, goals, profession, etc.
Send Invitations – Invite your possible members or prospective clients to join your group. You can send your invitation through email or by sending messages through their Facebook account. If they agree, add them to the group. It takes so much time and effort to do this. However, the benefits are overwhelming.
Choose a Wingman – Choose a friend who can help you manage your group. He can help you monitor interactions, post blogs, and approve membership requests. A proper designation will help you focus on more important matters. Be sure to select a person with dedication, integrity, time, and passion for this kind of work.
Establish Your Rules and Regulations – Determine the content, the frequency of posting, the allowable promotions, and other policies that can give order and harmony to your group. Be transparent with your policy to avoid confusion. Encourage each member to participate in this process. Clear policies will enable your team to work smoothly and orderly.
Give Updates – Always remember to frequently post original articles, stunning images, and compelling messages to attract attention and to encourage them to interact. Constant interaction, active participation, and harmonious relationship among the group are necessary to keep it stronger and bigger.
Respond to Posts – Don’t forget to answer to all posts in your group. Give appreciation, positive comments, and excellent remarks. Interact with your group as often as you can. Encouraging words are essential to establish a camaraderie with the team members.
Promote Your Group on Other Social Media Sites – Promote your group on other social media accounts, blog pages, and other marketing sites. Let your group be famous not only on facebook but possibly on all marketing sites. Popularity will enable you to promote a better image for your business. Examples of social media platforms are Twitter and LinkedIn.
Give Importance to the Needs, Wants, and Desires of Your Group – Determine the wants, needs, and desires of your group and create your post around that. Most of us are interested in the things that would benefit us. Moreover, show off your best to keep them interested with your group. Social Media Magazine is a good source to find ideas on how to address these needs, wants, and desires.
Takeaway
Facebook has billions of users. Establishing a Facebook Group is an efficient and inexpensive way of reaching out to a lot of people. To make it flourish, you need to invest time and effort. However, it is also very beneficial because people usually prefer to do business with those they know and trust so your group can become an excellent venue to build new relationships.
PewDiePie comes again under fire after using the “n-word” during an online broadcast.
The world’s highest-paid YouTube star – real name Felix Kjellberg – could be heard using the racial slur while he was playing a video game during a live streaming.
After using the term PewDiePie appeared to recognize his error, saying: “I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
The 27-year-old Swede, who has more than 57 million subscribers, previously had to defend himself over anti-Semitism allegations.
On another occasion, PewDiePie was suspended from Twitter for ISIS jokes.
He amassed his following by posting recordings of himself playing video games and providing commentary.
In February, some of PewDiePie’s videos were found to contain Nazi references or anti-Semitic imagery, which resulted in Disney cutting ties with him.
The gamer is reported to have made $15 million through YouTube in 2016 – he gets billions of views per month and generates vast amounts of income from advertising.
PewDiePie had been associated with Disney via Maker Studios, a company with a network of YouTube stars.
In February, Disney said that while PewDiePie had a reputation for being provocative and irreverent, some of the videos he made were “inappropriate”.
In one of the controversial videos, he paid two people through a crowd-sourcing website to hold up a sign which read “Death to all Jews”.
He accepted the material was offensive, but said he did not support “any kind of hateful attitudes”.
PewDiePie said that the anti-Semitism claims were “insane” and “unfair”, adding: “I am sorry for the words I used as I know they offended people.”
The row led to YouTube canceling the release of his new series, Scare PewDiePie 2.
Some 6.3 million people in Florida had been told to evacuate.
Irma hit Marco Island at 15:35 local time. It had earlier barreled through the Florida Keys, a chain of low-lying islands to the south.
The whole of the southern tip of Florida has seen high winds, driving rain and storm surges,
About 2ft of water has been seen in Miami’s financial district, where one major street resembled a river, but the worst damage is expected on the west coast.
President Donald Trump described hurricane Irma as a “big monster”. He praised the federal agencies involved with the storm and said he would go to Florida “very soon”.
Irma has strengthened to a category 4 hurricane as it approaches Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 130mph.
Wind gusts close to hurricane force are already battering islands in south Florida, with the mainland due to be hit in the coming hours.
Water levels are already rising on Florida coast, where a huge storm surge is expected.
At least 25 people died when hurricane Irma earlier hit several Caribbean islands.
In Florida, 6.3 million people – about 30% of the state’s population – had been told to evacuate. However, on September 9, Florida Governor Rick Scott said it was now too late to leave for anyone remaining.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns that a “life-threatening storm surge” is expected in the Florida Keys – a chain of small islands in Florida’s south – and also the west coast of Florida.
Hurricane Irma is predicted to hit the coast on Sunday morning, but the outer bands are already affecting the south of the state and central Miami is being lashed by heavy rain.
The Florida Keys have suffered some minor damage and are expected to bear the brunt of the storm in the coming hours.
FEMA Administrator Brock Long told CNN there were “no safe areas within the Keys”.
“You put your life in your own hands by not evacuating,” he added.
Governor Rick Scott warned residents: “If you’re in an evacuation zone, you’ve got to get to a shelter need to get to a shelter… there’s not many hours left.
“The winds are coming, there is not gonna be a lot of time now to be able to drive very far.”
Thousands of people on the mainland are currently without electricity.
The western Gulf coast is expected to be worst affected, with cities such as Tampa and St Petersburg in the path of the storm.
The Tampa Bay area, with a population of about three million, has not been hit by a major hurricane since 1921.
Some 50,000 people have gone to shelters throughout the state, Governor Scott said.
Media reports say shelters in some areas have been filling up quickly and some people have been turned away.
Miami and Broward county have imposed curfews to help clear the roads of traffic.
Eric Bolling’s only child, 19-year-old Eric Chase, died on September 8, the day Fox News said it had parted company with his father.
Fox News suspended him last month after allegations he sent inappropriate photos to female co-workers.
Eric Bolling made the announcement in a tweet on September 9: “Adrienne and I are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Eric Chase last night. Details still unclear. Thoughts, prayers appreciated.”
The former Fox News host added: “Authorities have informed us there is no sign of self harm at this point. Autopsy will be next week. Please respect our grieving period.”
Fox News said in a statement: “We are very saddened to hear of the passing of Eric Bolling’s son. Eric Chase was a wonderful young man and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Bolling family.”
Eric Chase Bolling was a freshman at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Boulder police were investigating a death near the university, but Sgt. Nick Smetzer said the department would not release the circumstances of the death or identify the person who died.
Eric Bolling worked for Fox News for 10 years and had been considered a rising star, one of its more vociferous supporters of Donald Trump. He hosted The Specialists, which aired at 5pm ET each weekday.
Fox News host Eric Bolling has left the network after being accused of sending inappropriate messages to female co-workers.
The network has announced they have decided to “part ways amicably”.
Eric Bolling was suspended in August as the network investigated accusations of inappropriate picture messages.
His lawyer described the claims at the time as “untrue and terribly unfair”.
It was the latest of several high-profile harassment cases at the conservative cable news outlet.
The allegations first emerged on the Huffington Post, which cited 14 unnamed sources claiming Eric Bolling had sent unsolicited photos to at least two female colleagues at Fox Business and Fox News.
After initially suspending Eric Bolling pending an investigation, Fox News announced his departure on September 8.
Fox News said in a statement: “We thank Eric for his ten years of service to our loyal viewers and wish him the best of luck.”
They also confirmed they were canceling Eric Bolling’s show, The Specialists.
Eric Bolling’s lawyer, Michael Bowe, had previously told Reuters that he intended to co-operate with the investigation so Bolling could “return to work as quickly as possible.”
In August, Eric Bolling was allegedly suing the journalist who first broke the story for defamation, The Hill reported.
Other allegations of harassment involving top Fox News stars recently included Bill O’Reilly, who was dropped from the channel in April following reports that five women had received $13 million in payouts because of his behavior, and Roger Ailes, who resigned as chairman of Fox News following several accusations of harassment by female employees, which he denied. Bill O’Reilly denied the allegations. Roger Ailes died in May.
Hurricane Irma has hit Cuba with strong winds and heavy rain after devastating several Caribbean islands.
The monster storm made landfall on the Camaguey Archipelago, in Cuba’s north-east, as a category 5 storm but has now weakened to a category 3.
The Bahamas have largely been spared.
In Florida, 5.6 million people, or 25% of the state’s population, have been told to leave as the storm approaches. At least 20 people are known to have died so far across the Caribbean.
Hurricane Irma hit the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago on September 8, threatening nearby coastal towns and villages.
It was the first category 5 hurricane to hit Cuba in decades. It weakened to category 3 by September 9 lunchtime but is expected to strengthen again as it approaches Florida.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), at 12:00 GMT, Irma had maximum sustained winds of 130mph.
Irma has brought vast amounts of rainfall to parts of Cuba, with extensive flooding reported in the fishing village of Caibarien.
Power lines have been brought down in several parts of the central province of Camaguey, and communication is becoming increasingly difficult with towns in more remote areas.
Thousands of people have been evacuated but many others stayed to ride out the storm.
Cuban officials reported “significant damage”, without giving further details, but said there were no confirmed casualties yet, AFP news agency reported.
About 50,000 tourists are fleeing or have fled Cuba, with resorts on the north coast now empty, Reuters reports.
Hurricane Irma is expected to hit Florida on September 10, but the outer bands are already affecting the south of the state and downtown Miami is being lashed by heavy rain.
About 25,000 people are currently without electricity, energy provider Florida Power and Light reported.
Florida Governor Rick Scott issued a stark warning to those in threatened areas on the west coast.
“Look, it’s getting late,” he told NBC.
“If you’re not on the road on the west coast by noon, you need to get to a shelter, get to a friend’s house if you’re in an evacuation zone. Get off the road.”
Governor Scott said that storm surges in coastal areas could be as high as 12ft, adding that people “cannot survive this”.
Some 50,000 people have gone to shelters throughout the state, he said.
Media reports say shelters in some areas have been filling up quickly and some people have been turned away.
Don Williams was known as the gentle giant of country music.
Other hits included You’re My Best Friend, I Believe in You and Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good.
In 2010, Don Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
A second country singer, Troy Gentry of the popular country duo Montgomery Gentry, has also died at the age of 50. He was killed in a helicopter crash.
A statement of the band’s website said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm that Troy Gentry, half of the popular country duo, Montgomery Gentry, was tragically killed in a helicopter crash which took place at approximately 1:00pm today in Medford, New Jersey.”
The band said details of the crash were not immediately known.
Troy Gentry was due to perform in Medford on September 8.
Brock Long, the administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has said that Hurricane Irma will “devastate” either Florida or neighboring states.
He said parts of Florida would be without power for days. Half a million people in the state have been ordered to leave their homes.
Hurricane Irma has left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, affecting an estimated 1.2 million people.
At least 20 people are known to have died so far.
Irma has been downgraded to a category 4 storm, but officials warn that it remains “extremely dangerous”.
According to the US National Weather Service, Irma was expected to bring wind speeds of around 165mph over the weekend as it hits Florida.
Brock Long said: “Hurricane Irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the United States in either Florida or some of the south-eastern states.”
“The entire south-eastern United States better wake up and pay attention,” he added.
The death toll continued to rise on September 8 in the Caribbean.
France’s Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said nine people were dead and seven missing in the French territory on St Martin, an island shared with the Netherlands, and St Barthélemy, known more commonly as St Barts. Another death – the second – has been confirmed in the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten.
French officials said six out of 10 homes on Saint-Martin were so badly damaged that they were uninhabitable.
The US Consulate General in Curacao said it believes an estimated 6,000 Americans are stranded on the island.
French, British and Dutch military authorities have deployed aid – including warships and planes equipped with food, water and troops – to their territories.
Irma, which most recently lashed the Turks and Caicos Islands and brought torrential rain to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, was headed towards Cuba and the Bahamas.
The worst of the storm is expected to hit east and central Cuba, with the eye of the storm predicted to pass between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
About 50,000 tourists are fleeing or have fled Cuba, with resorts on the north coast now empty, Reuters reports.
A huge evacuation of south-eastern, low-lying coastal areas in the Bahamas has been ordered. The tourism ministry said in a video statement that thousands of tourists left before the storm’s arrival.
Meanwhile Brock Long predicted a “truly devastating” impact on Florida.
South Florida “may be uninhabitable for weeks or months” because of the storm, the US National Weather Service said.
On the archipelago of Turks and Caicos, with its population of about 35,000, one witness described a drop in pressure that could be felt in people’s chests.
Irma ripped off roofs on the capital island, Grand Turk, flooded streets, snapped utility poles and caused a widespread black-out.
Irma also caused some damage to roofs, flooding and power outages in the northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Irma is due to hit Florida as a category 4 hurricane on September 10, bringing storm surges and flooding.
Florida Governor Rick Scott said on September 7: “If you look at the size of this storm, it’s huge.”
“It’s wider than our entire state and could cause major and life-threatening impacts on both coasts – coast to coast.”
President Donald Trump said: “I can say this: Florida is as well prepared as you can be for something like this. Now it’s just a question of what happens.”
Hurricane and storm surge warnings have been issued for south Florida and the Florida Keys, the NHC says.
President Trump’s own Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach is among those ordered to evacuate, the Washington Post tweeted.
After ripping through Florida’s Atlantic coast, Irma is expected to move into Georgia and South Carolina.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said a mandatory evacuation on the state’s Atlantic coast was scheduled to begin on September 9.
Roads and airports have been jammed as thousands of people tried to evacuate areas at risk, with reports of fuel shortages and gridlock on some roads.
Many tourists are stranded with no seats left on flights back to their countries as flights to and from airports in Florida are being suspended.
Orlando’s international airport said commercial flights would stop from 17:00 local time on September 9.
Another storm, Jose, further out in the Atlantic behind Irma, is now a category 4 hurricane, with winds of up to 120mph.
Hurricane Katia, in the Gulf of Mexico, has strengthened to a category 2 storm, with winds of up to 85mph. A warning is in effect for the coast of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the storm is expected to make landfall on September 9.
Equifax said it was working with law enforcement agencies to investigate and had hired a cyber-security firm to analyze what happened. The FBI is also believed to be monitoring the situation.
The company said it would work with regulators in the US, UK and Canada on next steps. It is also offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for a year.
Equifax said it had set up a website – www.equifaxsecurity2017.com – through which consumers can check if their data has been caught up in the breach. Many people trying to visit the site reported via social media that they had problems reaching it and that security software flagged it as potentially dangerous.
The breach is one of the largest ever reported in the US and, said experts, could have a significant impact on any Americans affected by it.
Equifax holds data on more than 820 million consumers as well as information on 91 million businesses.
A powerful earthquake has struck off Mexico’s southern coast killing at least six people.
The 8.1-magnitude tremor was described by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as the country’s strongest in a century.
Another person also died in neighboring Guatemala, the president has said.
The earthquake, measured at 8.1 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) but higher by Mexico, struck in the Pacific, about 54 miles south-west of Pijijiapan.
A tsunami warning has been issued for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras.
The earthquake was felt in Mexico City, with buildings swaying and people running into the street. The tremors there, about 1,000km from the epicenter, were reported to have lasted up to a minute.
President Enrique Peña Nieto said some 50 million Mexicans would have felt the tremor and that the death toll might rise.
Four deaths were reported in Mexico’s Chiapas state, near the epicenter, and two more in Tabasco state.
Severe damage was reported in southern Mexico and in western Guatemala.
Social media images showed collapsed buildings in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, including in the city of the same name and in Juchitan, where the municipal palace was leveled.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that tsunami waves “reaching more than three meters above the tide level are possible along the coasts of Mexico”. There is a coastal evacuation in Chiapas state.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 70km, the USGS said.
At magnitude 8.1, the quake outstrips the deadly 1985 tremor that hit close to Mexico City and caused thousands of deaths.
The Mexican interior ministry has given the latest quake a higher magnitude, of 8.4.
More than 10 aftershocks ranging from 4.3 to 5.7 in magnitude have been recorded closer to the Mexican coast, off the town of Paredon.
President Peña Nieto warned there might be more.
He also said the Salina Cruz refinery on the southern coast had temporarily suspended operations.
Schools have been closed in 11 Mexican states.
Some electricity cuts have been reported in the capital and social media video showed lampposts swaying violently, but there are no reports of major damage there.
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales appealed for calm on national TV and in a Twitter post.
“We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don’t have exact details,” Associated Press quoted Jimmy Morales as saying.
No tsunami warning has been issued for the US west coast.
Mexico is currently also being threatened on its eastern coast by Hurricane Katia.
The category one hurricane is about 300km south-east of Tampico and has sustained winds of 140km/h the National Hurricane Center says.
Website testing and tracking bugs is a full-time job for web development companies. Building and maintaining complex web applications requires a dedicated team of professionals. This is not an easy job. It requires a wide variety of skills. New devices and browsers make ensuring websites and applications are bug-free on every device harder and harder. Outsourcing is a great solution, but there are a lot of things to consider before choosing this route.
Why You Need Website Testing
A website has become an integral part of any business. And simply having a website is no longer adequate; it needs to be a good one. All websites can be improved and made to achieve more. Testing and quality assurance have many benefits. It leads to improved layouts that showcase relevant information. It can raise on-site conversion, clicks, sales, and visits. It eliminates underperforming or problematic elements such as bad links, buttons, ads, text, and code. It helps your website function at its best. Many times, your website is the first impression a client or customer has of your business. You want it to be a good experience.
This makes website testing vitally important. Automated monitor and performance testing makes sure your site is always available and responsive and notifies you of problems instantly. Manual scripted and exploratory testing on multiple browsers, devices, and screen sizes identify any experiential problems. Make your site even more user-friendly using A/B testing. The occurrence of bugs is increasing and can be costly. On top of making sure your site is running smoothly and is quick and easily accessible, you need to be testing for and tracking bugs.
Should You Outsource?
All of these tests require time and money. It is worth considering outsourcing to a website testing company. If you have a small team, you can task them with running tests. Ensuring high-quality website requires many skills. Members of your team need knowledge of web development, communication skills, and domain expertise at the very least.
The value to your company of outsourcing equals the benefits minus the costs. Some costs might include contracts, process changes, and communication. When making these decisions, involve everyone in your company that might be affected by your decision: developers, designers, project managers, etc.
It is assumed that outsourcing will speed things up. This is not necessarily the case. Most outsourcers are half as effective in the first few months and take up to a year to reach maximum effectiveness. It takes web testing companies time to learn what works best for your business.
There are many benefits as well. Companies like QAwerk have teams of professionals with years of experience. They ensure usability, security, user-friendly design, and functionality. You are paying professionals to perform a specific task. You get a fresh set of eyes on your website. Outsourcing alleviates pressure from your team and gives you the peace of mind that all checks have been carried out and documented. A high-quality website generates better results for you and your customers and clients.
Elements to Consider When Outsourcing
Service Level Agreements – These describe in detail the level of service a vendor will provide. Some types of SLAs might include client satisfaction, volume of work, on-time delivery, effectiveness, availability, and sensitivity.
Mobilization – After signing the contract, there is a period of mobilization. During this time, certain elements are organized: people, knowledge acquisition, infrastructure, and processes.
Communication – The ability to communicate seamlessly with your outsourcing partner is important. Make sure open channels and effective points of contact are maintained. An effective communication model includes issue resolution, escalation, and reporting.
Quality – The point of outsourcing is to improve the quality of your website significantly. The testing company that you choose should assess testing capabilities, identify gaps in test processes, and implement positive changes.
When it comes to your website, quality assurance is important. When a potential customer travels to your site, you want the experience to be flawless. This requires testing and bug tracking. It is possible to maintain your site with an in-house team, but it is not always the best scenario. Outsourcing might be your best option. It is important to consider the benefits versus the costs to determine the value derived from such a decision. There are many benefits to partnering with a company that specializes in web application testing and quality assurance for websites. Their team of professionals may have the capabilities to improve your website in ways your current staff is incapable of accomplishing.
In 2000, esports was still a new word. Yes, video games were played by millions of people worldwide. However, video gaming competitions were held among amateurs on a local level, and could not be considered a worthy investment. Who could have thought that the esports industry would go through the roof and will be growing at 41% per year?
How Esports Became What It Is Today
The esports industry as it is now is a result of a boom in online gaming in South Korea at the beginning of the 2000s. The boom was catalyzed by the spread of public Internet access and an increase in unemployment. More and more South Koreans chose to play computer games during this period, and the popularity of online video games grew so much as to allow to organize competitions. Slowly, the number of competitions in Korea alone grew tenfold. A governmental comission was organized in order to manage the growing industry, and as many as three channels were dedicated to transmitting online competitions. The hitm game in Korea was StarCraft, which sold 4.5 million copies in South Korea alone.
Image source Wikimedia
Slowly but surely the esports competitions gained popularity in the West, with MOBA games like Dota that are now at the peak of their popularity. MOBA (massive online battle arenas) and MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing) games slowly replaced first person shooters and strategies in the competitions, due to the fact that entering a MOBA game requires a lesser number of skills and is sometimes absolutely free. The prize pools of competitions are very attractive to young people who now can pursue professional player careers. Some competitions prize pools of 18 million dollars.
The overall audience of professional gaming competitions is on a steady increase, from 115 million in 2015 to 194 million in 2017, with every esports fan spending an average of 50$ a year. By 2020, the audience is estimated to grow by 20% and constitute 303 million. The profit from the egaming business is now at 696 million dollars, and this figure has a 41% growth rate. This makes the esports industry attractive enough for investments from sources other than game development companies. The number of competitions also grew from 10 in 2000 to more than 260 nowadays.
What makes esports appealing is apparently the competitive side of it. Video games have evolved to be so complex and diverse that they require fine skills and extensive training to succeed in them. The competitive edge is tremendous, as players spend a lot of time and effort to become very good at what they do and beat everyone else at it. At this point, it starts looking as any other competitive sports out there. Almost everybody can play football; however, only the most skilled professional players do it so well that they can beat everyone else at it and participate in worldwide competitions. In many ways, Internet-gaming is a sport. There is even a debate going on around whether to recognize esports as an actual sport. The Olympic Games Committee of 2024 is considering including video games into their list.
In any case, the esports gaming industry is only getting started. The estimated figures from a NewZoo report suggest that it will grow to be a 1-billion-dollar industry, and will be gaining popularity in the years to come.
Kate Middleton missed Prince George’s first day at school as she was not well enough to take him.
Prince William dropped the 4-year-old son off as Kensington Palace said Kate Middleton, who is suffering from severe morning sickness, was still unwell.
Prince George is attending Thomas’s Battersea, a $23,500-a-year preparatory school in London.
His uniform includes navy shorts and jacket, long red socks and black shoes.
The milestone for Prince George comes after Kate Middleton and Prince William this week announced they are expecting their third child.
Kate Middleton had to pull out of public engagements on September 4 and 5 because she is suffering from hypremesis gravidarum, as with her previous two pregnancies.
Prince William drove the little prince through the school gates before helping him out of the car.
The father carried the son’s bag and held his hand as the pair walked up to the entrance.
They were then greeted by Helen Haslem, head of lower school, and Prince George shook her hand before being accompanied to his first class.
Prince William told Helen Haslem that Prince George had been eagerly watching and he had “noticed” the other boys going into the school in their uniforms.
The royal has joined a class of 20 other pupils and has his own desk and peg with his name on. He will begin by doing half days as a “gentle” introduction to school life.
Ben Thomas, principal of Thomas’s London Day Schools, said there would be no special treatment for Prince George.
“We are going to try and make this a really happy, safe and secure time,” the principal said.
“I hope he will have the confidence to be himself with all his quirks and his idiosyncrasies and characteristics – that’s what I would want for all of our children.”
The uniform for Thomas’s Battersea is only available at the Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square or from the second-hand uniform shop at the school.
For boys in reception class, the outfit consists of a navy jacket, a v-neck jersey and navy Bermuda shorts.
In winter, this is accompanied by a red polo neck and long red and navy socks.
In summer, short-sleeved light blue shirts are required – which Prince George was sporting on his first day – along with navy ankle socks.
Notable alumni at Thomas’s Battersea include Florence Welch – from Florence and the Machine – model and actress Cara Delevingne and Fresh Meat star Charlotte Ritchie.
The school was described by the Good Schools Guide as: “A big, busy, slightly chaotic school for cosmopolitan parents who want their children to have the best English education money can buy.”
One cameraman and one photographer were at the school to capture Prince George’s first day, as Princes William and Harry went to Wetherby School in Kensington, before both going on to Eton College, in Berkshire.
Their father, Prince Charles, was initially educated at home by a governess, but later attended the Cheam Preparatory School, in Berkshire.
Prince William has previously pleaded for the press to respect his son’s privacy.
The US is seeking a range of new UN sanctions against North Korea, including an oil ban and a freeze on leader Kim Jong-un’s assets.
The draft resolution circulated to the Security Council members comes after Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test and repeated missile launches.
North Korea also claims to have developed a hydrogen bomb and continues to threaten to strike the US.
China and Russia are both expected to oppose further sanctions.
Pyongyangis already under highly restrictive sanctions imposed by the UN that are intended to force the leadership to curtail its weapons programs.
In August, a new round of sanctions banned exports including coal, costing North Korea an estimated $1 billion – about a third of its entire export economy.
However, some trade avenues remain open to it.
The draft US proposal calls for a total ban on supplying a range of oil products to North Korea and a ban on its textile export industry.
It also suggests freezing the assets of Kim Jong-un and the North Korean government, as well as banning him and other senior officials from travelling.
North Korean laborers would also be banned from working abroad, principally in Russia’s Far East and China.
Remittances from foreign earnings and textile exports are two of the most important remaining sources of income for North Korea.
However, it is not clear how China and Russia, which both supply oil to North Korea and wield vetoes at the Security Council, will respond to the US move.
On September 7, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi told reporters that the council should respond further “by taking necessary measures”, but did not elaborate.
Wang Yi added that “sanctions and pressure are only half of the key to resolving the issue. The other half is dialogue and negotiation.”
China is both North Korea’s and the US’s biggest trade partner, and has supported recent sanctions against it.
President Vladimir Putin has argued that the amount of oil Russia exports to North Korea – some 40,000 tonnes – is negligible.
“It is not worth giving in to emotions and driving North Korea into a corner,” President Putin said.
Both China and Russia have been pushing for an alternative solution.
They are proposing that the US and ally South Korea stop their military drills – which anger the North – and end the deployment of the controversial anti-missile THAAD system in South Korea, in return for North Korea ceasing its nuclear and missile program.
The proposal has been rejected by the US and South Korea.
On September 7, South Korea’s military announced it had completed the deployment of THAAD, Yonhap reported.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in also met with Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe, where both agreed to push for greater sanctions. Shinzo Abe called for “the greatest possible pressure” to be put on North Korea.
President Donald Trump had previously warned the US could cut off trade with countries that do business with North Korea.
The US has indicated that if the resolution is not passed when the Security Council meets on September 11 it may impose its own sanctions unilaterally.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters on September 6: “We believe that we need to economically cut off North Korea.
“I have an executive order prepared. It’s ready to go to the president. It will authorize me to… put sanctions on anybody that does trade with North Korea.”
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping also discussed North Korea over the phone on Wednesday, where they agreed to “take further action”, said a White House statement.
Donald Trump, who has previously threatened a military response to North Korea, told reporters this was “not our first choice”, but did not rule it out.
He added: “President Xi would like to do something. We’ll see whether or not he can do it. But we will not be putting up with what’s happening in North Korea.”
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that President Xi called for a “peaceful settlement of the issue” involving “dialogue combined with a set of comprehensive measures”.
