The latest edition of Hotels.com® Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®) indicates that North America saw the second fastest rise in average hotel prices in the first half of 2012, with a growth of 5 percent, putting the Index at 109. The good news for travelers is that prices stayed 10 Index points behind their peak in 2007 and were still cheaper than in 2006.
The HPI tracks real prices paid per room by Hotels.com customers at approximately 140,000 properties within the Hotels.com network in major destinations around the world. This edition of the report, which compares the first six months of 2012 with the same period in 2011, shows an upward trend in hotel prices across all global regions, resulting in an average global increase of 4 percent. This is the first time in five years that Hotels.com has seen an increase across the globe.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52878-hotels-com-hotel-price-index-north-american-hotel-prices-up-5-percent
Planet Toccer Holding Ltd., founded by former world class athlete, Mark Thomas, has teamed up with leading animated film and gaming industry veterans to launch Goaly Moley, the first 3D mobile game app from the Space Sports franchise.
Space Sports’ Goaly Moley is a highly engaging and competitive 3D game app with rich graphics and cosmic monsters. Players can test their soccer skills against Galactic Moles as they score points against Madu the Monster. Space Sports is holding the first Goaly Moley Championship of the ZaZa Galaxy starting on April 15th, 2013. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip for two to London to attend the U.E.F.A. (Union of European Football Association) Champions League Final on May 25th, 2013.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60223-planet-toccer-launches-free-space-sports-app-3d-mobile-games-platform
Jingdezhen, a medium-sized city in China’s Jiangxi province also known as the Porcelain Capital of China, is well recognized for its efforts in protecting an important piece of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage. A group led by UNESCO consultant Emma Chen Hoefler, simultaneously the vice president of the folk art international organization IVO, the president of IVO China and an expert in the field on the protection of cultural artifacts with intangible value, paid a visit to Jingdezhen between the 8th and the 10th June, 2013, where she conducted field research on the city’s efforts in protecting its heritage.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62383-jingdezhen-ancient-kiln-applies-for-place-on-world-heritage-list
Vioxx Settlement
This is an important announcement for consumers about the prescription drug Vioxx. Vioxx was a drug commonly used to treat pain and inflammation in adults with arthritis.
A settlement was reached with the manufacturer of Vioxx and will provide refunds to anyone who paid for the medication. Consumers are eligible to get $50 or more. Personal injury claims related to this drug are not included in this settlement.
The deadline to file a claim is approaching – claims must be filed by May 6, 2014.
Details are available at http://www.VioxxSettlement.com or by calling 1-866-439-6932.
Lightning may not seem as destructive as other natural disasters, yet a strike can cause serious damage to business equipment and electrical appliances, disrupt electrical service for long periods of time, and spark wildfires. In 2014, State Farm paid nearly $149 million dollars for insurance claims as a result of damage from lightning strikes.
June, July, and August are the times of year when lightning is most frequent. Even though lightning is weather-related and not a preventable event, there are ways to reduce your chance of damage from a power surge or fire. That is why State Farm has joined forces with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) in recognition of Lightning Awareness Week, June 21-27.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7452831-state-farm-weather-preparedness/
According to entrants to our latest competition, Machu Picchu in Peru has been voted the most desirable place to escape to. Hostelworld, the leading budget travel website, is offering one lucky winner and a friend the opportunity to jet off round the world on an incredible trip, all expenses paid. All you have to do to enter the competition is pick your top three choices from 30 incredible adventures, and you could be in with a chance to win all three.
As part of the competition, valid until the 30th of June, Hostelworld produced a video of an offline stunt. We brought the spirit of travel to shoppers in London’s Westfield Shopping Centre by setting up a series of scenarios, using a mixture of augmented reality and live actors. We filmed the public’s reactions and captured how they interacted with what was happening.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/71400552-machu-picchu-travellers-top-destination
QROPS - Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes were introduced in 2006 as part of a major overhaul of Britain\'s pension framework, aimed at simplifying pension transfers to another country. New legislation was passed by the UK tax authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in order to comply with an EU directive that pensions be free to move across Europe\'s borders. This ruling means that individuals, wishing to retire to countries such as France, Spain and Portugal can effectively take their UK pension funds with them: http://www.axis-finance.com/what-are-qrops.php
Who can apply for a QROPS?
A QROPS is specifically designed to allow anyone, not intending to retire in the UK, to transfer existing and frozen UK pension plans into a more appropriate retirement vehicle.
Individuals who are, or have been members of a UK registered pension fund and are currently living outside of the UK, or intending to leave the UK on a permanent basis, can consider transferring their retirement fund into a QROPS: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-living-in-France
Transfers to QROPS
The UK Government allows transfers to QROPS to be made free of UK tax. Their aim is to simplify the affairs of individuals leaving the UK on a permanent basis and to encourage them to continue saving in order to provide an income when they retire. There is no official limit to the amount of funds that may be transferred to a QROPS: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-France-pension-transfers
QROPS - HMRC Rules
What makes a scheme a QROPS?
In order to transfer your UK pension into a QROPS, it is necessary for the overseas pension scheme to be accepted by HMRC. The criteria outlined by HMRC for an overseas scheme to qualify as a QROPS include:
- The pension scheme must be established outside of the UK
- It must be recognised for tax purposes in the country where it is located
- It must be regulated in the country in which it is established
Age that benefits can be taken from a QROPS
The QROPS regime mirrors that of a regulated pension scheme in the UK. Benefits, including lump sum payments, from the transferred funds may not be distributed earlier than the normal retirement age of 55, if an individual has been a non-UK resident for less than five complete tax years: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-living-in-France-HMRC-Rules
QROPS Reporting requirements
HMRC should be notified if a payment is made within the first five tax years of a member becoming non-UK tax resident. Any benefits paid before five complete tax years of non-UK residency and not in accordance with UK Pension rules will be deemed an unauthorised payment.
The scheme manager does not have to notify HMRC if the payment is made 10 or more years after the day of the transfer that created the QROPS fund for the \'relevant member\', provided that the person is non UK resident for the duration of this period. This 10 year \'bracket\' for reporting payments took effect as of 6 April 2012.
QROPS List
When transferring your UK pension to a scheme overseas, it is important to check that the scheme meets the conditions to be a qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme (QROPS). Not all transfers to overseas or offshore schemes are QROPS transfers; it is therefore essential to verify that the scheme receiving your UK benefits is on the QROPS list published by HMRC, otherwise a transfer will be treated as a transfer to a non-qualifying overseas scheme and substantial penalties may be applied by HMRC at the time of transfer: http://www.axis-finance.com/qrops-list-living-in-France
How do I know if it is a legitimate QROPS scheme?
QROPS approved plans that agree to have their details published are listed on the HMRC website. A UK Pension administrator will confirm a QROPS listing before agreeing to a transfer. If not listed, the administrator will contact HMRC
Anyone who has seen the blockbuster movies The Thomas Crown Affair or Bullitt will want to read The Pursuit of Happiness, a new novel by the same writer, Alan Trustman. The highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood at one time, Trustman now turns his pen to fiction, which reads and moves with the same crime thriller speed as his movies.
From the opening chapter we are rocketed into the world of a Boston bad boy who is recruited to work for the government.
“All of the material in The Pursuit of Happiness is true,” says Trustman. “Not a lot of people know that Boston was the contract killing capitol of the country throughout the 1940s – 1970s. Maybe later. I did a lot of research on the Boston gang wars.”
Media Contact: For a review copy of Silver Dollar or to arrange an interview with Alan Trustman, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090 http://www.book-marketing-expert.com Thriller
Just like people, dogs have their good days and bad days but for the 4.7 million dog bite victims each year, a dogs’ bad day can result in serious injury or even death. In 2012, State Farm® had 3,670 dog bite claims and paid more than $108 million as a result of dog bites. This is a slight decrease compared to the number of dog bite claims in 2011 (3,750 claims) and a slight decrease in the amount paid as a result of dog bite claims in 2011 ($109 million).
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56916-state-farm-usps-avma-national-dog-bite-prevention-week
April showers bring May flowers but it also brings the potential for water in your basement. One of the worst experiences a homeowner can have is a backed-up sewer or drain filling the basement with foul-smelling water and sewage. Water losses are rising even though many of these accidents are preventable. In 2014, State Farm paid nearly $1.8 billion for water loss claims as a result of frozen pipes, flooded basements and burst appliance hoses, an increase from the $1.3 billion State Farm paid in 2013.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7452831-state-farm-weather-preparedness/
Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSTK) this month reached the milestone of having paid over $100 million to Worldstock.com’s artisan suppliers around the world. Worldstock Fair Trade® is one of Overstock.com’s socially responsible stores, found on the Overstock.com online shopping website and at www.worldstock.com. Patrick M. Byrne, Overstock.com chairman and CEO founded Worldstock.com in 2001 after he met a small group of artisans in Cambodia that are land-mine survivors.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64503-overstock-com-compensated-worldstock-artisans-100-million
