German competition guardians Face to face with Google, Apple & Co.

Status: 23.06.2021 3:56 p.m.

The big tech companies from the USA are becoming more and more powerful all over the world. There are also new players from China. The Bundeskartellamt does not just want to accept market power.

From Sebastian Tittelbach, WDR

For a few months now, one hears an abbreviation more frequently in the office corridors of the Federal Cartel Office: GAFA. They are the first letters of the really big ones: Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. And Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt has all of these in his sights. “We are talking about the most powerful companies in the world. We’re getting very strong companies in China – so this is by no means an American event, it’s a global trend.”

New rules have been in effect since the beginning of the year

German competition law changed at the beginning of the year. Since then, the cartel watchdogs have been able to take action against Internet companies more easily. And the 400-person authority from Bonn does not shy away from tech giants from overseas worth billions. “It’s not about throwing sand in the machine”says head of the authorities Mundt. “Our aim is simply to end anti-competitive behavior at these companies.”

Amazon already had to reorganize its marketplace under pressure from the Federal Cartel Office. Amazon has given the smaller retailers who offer their goods there more rights. The Federal Cartel Office is currently taking a look at Apple. “We know what kind of universe Apple maintains, and I personally see it that way that restrictions of competition are possible”, so Mundt. “And now let’s see how this process develops.”

The pandemic is leaving its mark

The corona pandemic did not leave the Federal Cartel Office completely without a trace. In 2020, the investigators only went out for a single search – for reasons of hygiene, the head of the authorities said: “We were out last summer, and we’re honestly looking forward to going back out now, if the numbers allow.”

Even without searches, the Bonn authorities found enough evidence to punish companies. She imposed 349 million euros in fines last year. Half a billion less than in 2019, but still well above the long-term average. Above all, steel and aluminum forges, manufacturers of street sewer castings, such as covers made of cast iron or concrete, and wholesalers of pesticides have to pay. Elsewhere, the cartel watchdogs were more flexible because of Corona: in the automotive industry, for example, they approved collaborations between companies so that the supply chains did not collapse completely in the pandemic. “Then other cooperations are possible between companies where you might have concerns outside of the pandemic, then say in the pandemic: The economic situation is such that you can and must cooperate”, explains the head of the Cartel Office, Mundt.

High hopes, more work

He has great expectations of the new competition register, which was launched in the spring. “The competition register is simply about registering companies that owe something. Violation of minimum wage et cetera.” Such companies can be banned from public tenders for three to five years.

The Bundeskartellamt expects more work on merger control in the current year. Because of the pandemic, there could be more company mergers. The cartel office will examine such mergers without any corona bonus, announces the head of the authorities Mundt. Because when companies merge, it is usually forever – but hopefully not the corona pandemic

Elephant Mammoth Columbia Voi Extinction time: 11,500 years ago Living area: America and Mexico Illustration. Elephant Mammoth, you probably already know. They are huge, have long fur and a pair of huge tusks. They appear in many pictures, documentaries, movies. However, here we are talking about the Columbian Mammoth elephant, which is a relative of the long-haired but larger Mammoth. A Mammoth Columbia can be from 3.7 to 4.2m tall, weighing from 5.5 to 11 tons. Their tusks average 3.7m long, the largest of the elephant family and extremely strong, used to handle any carnivores that dare to come close. Prehistoric people, of course. Lazy land Extinction time: 4200 years ago Living area: South America The sloth is a lovely, harmless creature. The Megatherium is also a sloth, but it’s not like the slow, bully sloths you’re used to seeing. Megatherium also does not live on trees, because no tree can withstand its huge body. Megatherium has several subspecies, the smallest species is as big as a rhinoceros, and the largest can weigh up to 4-5 tons when mature, equivalent to modern African elephants. They can be up to 6m tall, similar to giraffes when standing on 2 legs. In addition, they also have a set of super-large claws used to slap the mouth of any carnivore. The ground sloth finally lived peacefully on the islands of the Caribbean, until about 4200 years ago, when the “species that everyone should fear” set foot and drew an end to the sloths walking on the face. land. Orangutan Gigantopithecus Extinction time: 100,000 years ago Living area: Mainly in Southeast Asia Gigantopithecus was a close relative of modern orangutans but was much larger. They can be 3m tall, weigh up to half a ton and are the most massive primates that have ever walked the Earth. If you need a clearer picture to visualize the size of a Gigantopithecus, check out the cute giant orangutan in The Jungle Book. But that’s in the movies, who knew what such a huge beast could do to a small human? Gigantopithecus went extinct with the main cause not being human. The fact that they are large also means that they need a lot of food to survive. However, about 100,000 years before the climate changed and the forests of their homeland – Southeast Asia – became savanna, Gigantopithecus simply “flies” because there is not enough food. Cave hyena Extinction time: 11,000-13,000 years ago Living area: Europe If you often watch documentaries about wildlife in Africa, such as the Diary of the Cat Family, you are probably familiar with spotted hyenas. These guys have a lot of bad reputations. They are cunning, reckless, attack in herds, scavenge for prey of other species such as leopards and lions or even enter villages to capture children. However, spotted hyenas are still not comparable to their ancient relatives – the cave hyena. Cave hyenas were twice the size of modern spotted hyenas, weighing on average 130kg, 90cm high and 1.5m long. They have extremely strong jaws, enough to chew the bones of their prey. Calculations based on fossils show that a cave hyena can easily kill a small elephant weighing about 1 ton. But that’s not enough to say how scary they are. They still live in groups of about 30 to help hunt more effectively. However, with our ancestors, they are not easy to touch. Cave hyenas became extinct somewhere between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago. The main cause is believed by paleontologists to be that prehistoric people took the caves for shelter during the Ice Age. Sword tooth tiger Extinction time: 10,000 years ago Living area: All Americas The saber-toothed tiger sounds like that, but in fact, they don’t have a close family to the tiger. Most saber-toothed tigers became extinct before modern humans appeared. However, there are still a few that can encounter humans, such as Smilodon populator and Smilodon fatalis. In which, Smilodon fatalis is as big as an African lion, and Smilodon populator is bigger, as big as a Siberian tiger (about 350kg). According to the calculations of paleontologists, saber-toothed tigers have rather weak jaws, the bite force is only about 1/3 of that of modern lions. However, in return, they have other things. In addition to their trademark long fangs, saber-toothed tigers also have extremely muscular forelimbs, the strongest of the cat family to assist in capturing prey before slicing its throat with long scythe-like fangs. Another theory is that they can use these fangs as knives to “skewer” their prey to death. But no matter how they killed their prey, a prehistoric human would surely explode if caught by it.

Kia Seltos in the US and Vietnam use different engines – Photo: Autoblog. Kia North America is conducting a mass recall of Seltos vehicles to prevent the risk of fire. However, the entire number of Kia Seltos cars included in the recall is equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI petrol engine. Meanwhile, Seltos in Vietnam market uses two petrol engine options of 1.4 Turbo and 1.6L. Therefore, there is no contact between vehicles in the market during this recall, the Kia Motors statement stated. On April 13, the US Road Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the Seltos recall program carried out by Kia Motors in North America, with a very large volume. The above information immediately affected car owners outside the US market, including Vietnam. Kia Motors also quickly released a statement clarifying the market areas related to the recalled Seltos, along with a description of the fault that caused the car to face a fire risk. Accordingly, the oil rings in the engine have not been fabricated, heat treatment in accordance with standards causes abrasion, causing the cylinder lining to be scratched, causing oil to enter the combustion chamber, leading to Lack of oil and could cause the vehicle to stall and face the risk of fire. Speaking to the Transport Magazine, Mr. Tran Viet Hung – Deputy Director of Communications Thaco confirmed that the program to recall Seltos cars in the US according to the announcement of Kia Motors on April 13 does not affect vehicles manufactured and distributed by Thaco. distribution in the Vietnamese market. Thaco is still in close contact with Kia Motors and closely following this issue to ensure absolute safety for vehicles sold to the market.

Electric cars lose control. According to Liu, a few days ago, while driving his familiar Tesla, he suddenly lost control. Worth mentioning, this loss of driving is not due to the subjective expert but the car suddenly stripped the user’s control and drove himself, making Mr. Liu unable to control. After that, the car crashed into the wall before it stopped. Experiencing the shock, Mr. Liu was extremely scared. He said at that time he was very afraid of injuring others and also feared that he would suffer bad damage when he could not control the car. Mr. Luu revealed that at that time he was about to park the car in the underground garage when the car suddenly lost control and he could not activate the brake system. This caused the car to rush forward and eventually hit the wall directly, creating a loud crashing sound. Fortunately the car did not crash into other vehicles or people, otherwise the consequences would be catastrophic. Mr. Liu added, this is the first time he encountered this situation, after the accident happened, he called the police and contacted Tesla, frankly saying to Tesla: “Don’t rush to fix it. repair, please investigate the details of this accident “. Later, Tesla’s engineer responded that the preliminary investigation was due to too low ground friction causing ABS (anti-lock braking system) to start and slip. Currently the accident is being further investigated and handled.

Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh, Khanh Hoa.

Faced with the hinges of the tourism industry in 2020, analyzing and grasping the future trends of this smoke-free industry becomes critical for many related industries.

TOURIST’S TOURIST PLAN CHANGES AFTER TRANSLATION

The year 2020, with the effects of the Covid-19 epidemic and environmental disasters caused by climate change, will have an impact on the tourism industry around the world in general and Vietnam in particular. Under the impact of those factors, the tourism trend in 2021 also changes significantly.

Domestic tourism: According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2021, domestic tourism will be a prominent trend. Before the Covid-19 pandemic took place, Vietnamese people tended to travel abroad or choose crowded places, after the epidemic was temporarily controlled, according to statistics, 96% of the total distance. Vietnamese tourism from June 1 to August 31, 2020 is in the country. With the tense development of the Covid-19 epidemic globally, international flights have not yet reopened, the year 2020 has marked a dramatic change in the wave of Vietnamese tourism.

In 2020, Vietnam’s domestic tourism market served 56 million visitors, down 34.1% year on year. However, this is a positive figure at a time when the international tourist market is freezing.

Safe travel: Going back to the time before the Covid-19 translation took place, domestic and international tourists tend to like to explore crowded places, learn local cuisine in bustling markets. However, at the present time, pre-season health safety is still a top priority for any visitor.

Globally, 65% of visitors say they have the ability to choose less crowded destinations, and more than half of those surveyed said they would prioritize trips close to nature.

The 5-star resorts with the advantage of isolated space, safety and nature have become the choice of most visitors.

Travel towards wellness: Health-oriented tourism is no longer a strange concept in the tourism industry, however, in an epidemic era, fatigue, stress, and anxiety about personal health have become the concerns of many people. The search for a getaway from a pandemic-controlled getaway becomes a trend in 2021.

TRAVEL TOURISM FUTURE MEETING

In the context that international routes have not yet reopened and cannot travel abroad, domestic tourists are the main object of the tourism industry.

Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism said that in the first quarter of 2021, Khanh Hoa received more than 210,000 tourists. In 2021, this local tourism industry aims to welcome more than 5 million visitors. Currently, Khanh Hoa province has 1,113 tourist accommodation establishments in which 125 4-5 star accommodation establishments, especially Bai Dai (Cam Ranh) area – which is considered the new resort capital in Vietnam.

Possessing a breakthrough, novel architecture, harmoniously blending local cultural beauty with classy European style, Ocean Luxury Villa by Radisson Blu (located in the Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh) is like a ” the jewel “in the center of Bai Dai.

Inheriting the golden location with a limited number of only 36 units, including one of the most prestigious President apartments in Vietnam, Ocean Luxury Villa by Radisson Blu is considered a lucrative investment channel for investors. level.

Opened from the Vietnamese fishing village architecture, each resort villa here offers visitors a close experience to nature, one step touching the sea. Especially, 100% of the resort villas of Ocean Luxury Villa by Radisson Blu have direct views of Bai Dai beach thanks to staggered design and 3.5m height difference. This is a “expensive” advantage for the beach resort real estate segment, when every morning, visitors will be awakened by the light of dawn, quietly watching the golden color of sunset in the sunset and indulging in immersion. into the sea space with all senses.

Also by possessing a view of the beautiful coast of Bai Dai – which was honored as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches on the planet, Ocean Luxury Villa by Radisson Blu received the prestigious Dot Property Vietnam Awards honored with the category : “The most luxurious resort villa facing the sea in Vietnam”.

This is also the product marking the first time the world’s leading brand from the US – Radisson Blu directly manages and operates the resort villa. With a system of strict standards and professional service manner, visitors will enjoy a variety of facilities at restaurants, health spa, infinity swimming pools … that meet international standards.

Especially, at Spa Blu Wellness, visitors will experience health care services with products derived from the sea such as seaweed, pearl powder – rejuvenating therapies that bring relaxation and ease. bear.

In addition, visitors can choose massage methods to improve muscle tension, relieve pain, or spend time for sauna therapies to detoxify, increase circulation, completely suitable for the coin. Current health care tourism directions.

Not only brings great resort space, Ocean Luxury Villa by Radisson Blu is the perfect investment choice with high profit potential for customers wishing to own a resort villa. sea.

Illustration.

Egg

Regular use of eggs can cause pain in the joints and also lead to inflammation. The yolks contain arachidonic acid, which produces inflammatory agents. Therefore, when suffering from joint pain should be careful to avoid the yolks in your daily breakfast.

Artificial and refined sugar

Increasing sugar levels in the body can increase the levels of AGEs, causing inflammation. Sugar stimulates the production of cytokines, one of the most serious inflammatory agents. Furthermore, sugar leads to weight gain and increased pressure in the joints.

Drinks containing coca

Coke is a beverage that contains a lot of carbonnates and sugar. If you regularly use these drinks, within a short period of time, your bone density will be significantly reduced, which means they will become brittle and fragile.

Explaining this, experts at Harvard Medical University, USA said that not only reduces the absorption of calcium, it is the phosphoric acid in coca that also accelerates the excretion of calcium from the body.

Milk Products

High levels of sugar in dairy products can enhance joint pain and possibly cause inflammation. According to one study, protein can also cause tissue swelling around joints. It also contains saturated fats that can increase pain.

Corn oil

One of the other foods that are bad for joints is corn oil. Corn oil contains omega-6 fatty acids that can produce inflammatory chemicals in the body.

Salt

Not only causing kidney disease, excess salt in the body also seriously harms the skeletal system such as weakening bones, being less flexible due to loss of bone density.

Evidence shows that, every day your body will excrete about 40 milligrams of calcium in the urine if in your diet about 2,300 milligrams of salt / day.

Another study carried out with menopausal women showed that for women with a high salt diet, the minerals in the bones were more likely to be excreted out than those who ate the bland diet. Therefore, learning to limit the participation of salt in meals as well as in the cooking process means that you are ensuring the “safety” of the skeleton.

Starches and grains

These foods can cause joint pain because they contain inflammatory agents that can increase pain in the joints.