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The breakdown of the seats won shows a clear mandate for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his United National Party. |
The political organization, also known as the green party (for the color of its logo, not because it supports eco-friendly policies) saw the number of seats it holds in the 225-seat Parliament jump 75% to more than 105, up from the 60 seats it won in the 2010 election. |
The coalition backing Mr. Rajapaksa, the United People's Freedon alliance, lost almost the same number of seats that the UNP gained. Its once dominant position of 144 seats in Parliament dwindled to less than 100. |
Neither party captured a majority so the UNP will have to form a coalition. That should be easy with the support of smaller parties, including the Tamil National Alliance, which captured more than 15 seats. |
Israel reportedly bypassed the White House and asked the US Congress for an extra $317 million to be added to President Barack Obama’s budget for the next fiscal year in order to fund Israeli missile defense programs, Bloomberg reported. |
The requested funds would be in addition to the $158 million already proposed by the Pentagon for Israel’s security needs for the fiscal year that will begin on October 1. The new allocation will allegedly finance the ‘David’s Sling’ and ‘Arrow-3’ programs – designed to intercept medium- to long-range missiles – as wel... |
Ramati completely bypassed the White House and the Pentagon. The report links the move to the tense relationship between the Obama administration and the Israeli government ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on March 3, which is likely to stress that the White House is pursuing a “bad deal”... |
The report revealed that Ramati’s proposal included $250 million to start production of the David’s Sling system, in addition to Obama’s $37 million request for development. Another $35 million Ramati requested for the initial production of Arrow 3, in addition to the $55.7 million the US administration is seeking for ... |
During his visit to Capitol Hill, Ramati “distributed one-page sheets naming US contractors that would benefit from production funds for each of the missile defense systems.” According to Bloomberg’s information, the list included Chicago-based Boeing Co.; Waltham, Massachusetts-based Raytheon Co.; Arlington, Virginia-... |
When contacted by Bloomberg, the Israeli embassy in the US declined to comment on the report. |
The US already provides Israel with $3.1 billion a year as “foreign military financing,” which excludes other missile defense funds, according to the report. |
For the current fiscal year, Congress has reportedly provided $620 million, including about $347 million for missile defense programs. US Congress has appropriated more than $1.2 billion since 2011 for the Iron Dome, which is designed to intercept and destroy rockets. |
In light of the large amounts of distributed funds, US lawmakers have been insisting that Israel use American-based defense contractors when spending the received money. |
Last year, the Israeli government agreed to spend more than half the funds provided by the Pentagon for the Iron Dome in the US by this year. Until recently, the missile system was been built solely in Israel by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. |
Iran nuclear talks have created a significant rift between Israel and the US. Last week, the White House and State Department stated that Israel inaccurately provided information and twisted the official US position in nuclear talks with Iran, and accused Tel Aviv of “selectively” leaking details of sensitive talks. |
Washington has also voiced suspicion that Netanyahu’s office directly provided Israeli journalists with the leaked information, including an alleged offer to Iran to keep 6,500 centrifuges for uranium enrichment. A White House spokesman expressed frustration with the “cherry-picked” information released by the Israelis... |
A new application programming interface from Microsoft provides more seamless in-app search experiences on mobile devices. |
Microsoft today announced a new Bing application programming interface (API) that fetches the information mobile app users seek without having to switch to a mobile browser or search app. |
The new API's capabilities "allow developers to directly integrate the [Bing] knowledge graph into their apps," Ryan Gavin, general manager of Microsoft Bing, told eWEEK. Interested developers must email partnerwithbing@microsoft.com to request access to the API. |
By exposing Bing's knowledge and action graph via an API, Microsoft is helping developers not only enrich their apps, but also drive more user engagement, Gavin said. The company's knowledge and action graph is a repository of information with more than "a billion entries, 18 billion facts and 21 billion connected acti... |
Integrating the technology can lead to stickier, more fulfilling in-app experiences, even if they are delivered on non-Windows platforms, Gavin argued. |
Inspired by the innovation on display across the entire mobile device and application market—not to mention the opportunities therein—his team realized that they couldn't "stay inside the four walls of Microsoft," he said. A major challenge confronting mobile developers is keeping "consumers inside of their app experie... |
The company's answer is an API that brings some of the advanced search capabilities baked into Cortana, Xbox and Office to mobile apps of all stripes. Developers can add Bing "snapshots" that deliver supplemental information in a context-aware manner. |
"For instance, a messaging app could add a Bing snapshot with actionable info on a restaurant, making it easier for a group to plan an evening," explained Gurpreet Pall, director of program management, Bing for Partners, in an Aug. 20 blog post. "A social media app could augment users' photos with information about the... |
To showcase the API's capabilities, Microsoft is updating its Bing app on Android, enabling the software to overlay the Bing snapshot experience over existing apps. |
For example, the updated app can help users learn more about the vacation spots their social media friends and contacts visited. "Just long-press the home button and Bing will read the contents of your screen, identify the destination your friend posted about, and present you with information that you can find on the W... |
During a live demo of the app, a Microsoft staffer showed how the new Bing app can provide a landmark's location on a map without leaving Instagram. While viewing a movie trailer in the YouTube app, a user can call up reviews from different sources or buy movie tickets. |
The new Bing API is among many efforts by Microsoft to "evolve [search] out to the browser box," Gavin said. "Bing [is] becoming this intelligence platform," growing increasingly capable of providing search in the context of what users are doing, he added. |
The Awning Shoppe was founded in 1985, and is located at 190 State Route 36 W in Hazlet Township. Additional information is available at or by contacting Thomas McCarthy at (732) 787-4246. |
The Awning Shoppe can be found at Rt-36 190. The following is offered: Other Manufacturing. The entry is present with us since Sep 7, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 12, 2013. In Keansburg there are 1 other Other Manufacturing. An overview can be found here. |
On the International front, an order has been secured in the United Arab Emirates for the construction, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of a 132/11kV substation and associated works. PT&D has also won an order for a 132kV cable circuit. |
In India, the business has won an order to convert overhead lines of a power distribution system to an underground cabling system in the cyclone-prone coastal town of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu. |
Another transmission line package has been received from Bihar State Power Transmission Company Limited. |
The business has also secured add-on orders from some of its existing transmission line projects. |
Water & Effluent Treatment Business: The business has secured projects from the Andhra Pradesh Drinking Water Supply Corporation (APDWSC), Government of Andhra Pradesh. |
Engineering, Procurement and Construction orders have been secured for the execution of drinking water supply projects in Srikakulam and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. |
The aggregate scope of work includes design, supply, and erection of 8,036km of transmission and distribution pipelines, construction of 19 water treatment plants of aggregate capacity 133 MLD, 1,628 elevated storage reservoirs of aggregate capacity 45.35ML, 217 pump houses and 5.6 lakh house service connections. |
The projects will cater drinking water to 2,898 habitations of Srikakulam and East Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. |
Boxy and practical, the NV200 could be an ideal choice for small businesses. That shady looking character in the front passenger seat is not an option, however. |
The Nissan NV200 cargo van is nothing if not practical. It’s no beauty but, when it comes to utility, this Nissan provides plenty of it in a relatively small footprint. |
For starters, this compact cargo van packs 122.7 cu. ft. of load space into dimensions that stretch 186.2 inches in total length. |
A Honda Civic sedan is approximately 6 inches shorter, for comparison’s sake. |
Powered by a 131-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, coupled to an economy-conscious Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), the NV200 had plenty of punch during my two days zipping around Manhattan. |
There is 122.7 cu. ft. of cargo space and, in SV trim, a total of six tie-down points in the floor. |
In fact, these 48 hours spent with the NV could go down in the annals of automotive journalist history. Despite repeated offers to help anyone in need of a moving van, there wasn’t a single taker during my time with the Nissan. |
While the cargo bay remained empty, the driving experience was surprisingly fulfilling. |
You don’t expect much from a vehicle as utilitarian as the NV200. In fact, in its cargo van format, even the upcoming ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ version is downright opulent. |
Compared to a traditional full-size cargo van, the compact proportions of the Nissan NV200 make it much more user-friendly in a city environment. |
For starters, the cargo van has seating for only two onboard. The rear floor is covered with rubber matting and the sides of the cargo area are nothing but painted metal – though with numerous holes for installing storage boxes and other work-related items. |
While developing the NV, Nissan discovered that many owners of small cargo vans will drill directly into the metal sides to mount whatever it is they need for work purposes. This might provide a temporary solution to storing tools, or dry ice for that next big catering job. But it also leads to rust, rattles, and even ... |
Speaking of roads, the NV200 managed to assert itself on the bumpy streets of New York City. Acceleration is solid, if not sparkling, during city driving. The NV was usually able to keep its blocky nose ahead of the crowd when punching the gas from zero to, say, about 40 mph during several runs along the West Side High... |
There are sliding side doors on either side of the NV200 cargo van. |
We know this is the cargo van, not the upcoming cab. But it’s hard not to imagine some taxi drivers will miss the surge provided by the V-8 engine under the hood of the outgoing Ford Crown Victoria. |
Yet the nimble handling and composed ride of the NV200 should easily overshadow these misty-eyed memories. A turning circle of 36.7 feet makes U-turns (legal or otherwise) quick and painless, while a combined fuel economy average of 24-mpg during city and highway driving stacks up well against the NV’s, admittedly, lim... |
That doesn’t mean this Nissan is getting a free ride, however. |
How's this for a back-to-back comparison? Apparently my local parking garage realized the Ford Transit Connect is the biggest competitor to the Nissan NV200. A new Transit Connect is on the way, however, so it remains to be seen how the Nissan might stack up to the upcoming model. |
Pitted directly against the NV200 is the Ford Transit cargo van, which is due a major overhaul for the 2014 model year. |
In terms of sheer utility, the NV200 cargo van offers a similar range of exterior options and interior comfort features. You can order the NV with or without rear door glass, for example. |
It’s worth noting that only Ford offers its current and upcoming Transit Connect in an optional people-toting configuration. The NV200 is strictly a workhorse and, according to Nissan, there are no immediate plans to sell a multi-passenger version in the U.S. |
The dashboard is simple and practical. The cloth seats proved supportive, but taxi versions will feature even comfier squabs for longer stints behind the wheel. |
My test vehicle came in fully-loaded SV trim and included features such as a rear back-up camera and Sirius/XM satellite radio – not to mention a decent sound system that, coupled with the hollowed-out interior, provided some entertaining bass beats. |
Back to the real world of form following function…there are sliding side doors and 60/40 split rear doors which open 180-degrees. These multiple points of entry, along with a low and flat cargo floor, should make moving things into and out of the NV200 much easier. |
With a starting price of $19,900 (excluding $845 destination fee), adding every available option still doesn’t push the price of the NV200 past $24,000 – though many business might add extras such as custom exterior graphics (which Nissan also provides). |
I didn’t slather any Daily News logos on the sides (this time!), but I did come away impressed by a vehicle that, to be honest, looks pretty modest from the outside. |
The taxi variant will have a different suspension setup – and more seats, of course – along with many other features not found in the NV200 cargo van. |
But as a compact and highly-functional tool for a small business, the NV200 is packed with appeal. |
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