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Slovakia approves hefty incentives for Honeywell plant

The Slovak government said Wednesday it had approved incentives worth 19.15 million euros (26.9 million dollars) for a turbocharger plant planned by US technology giant Honeywell.

"The state subsidy will include 7.04 million euros to support the creation of new jobs and tax breaks worth 594,383 euros," said the economy ministry.

The remaining 11.5 million euros will include areas such as aid for construction and machine purchases.

Honeywell plans to build the plant worth 38.3 million euros, in Presov, eastern Slovakia, creating 446 new jobs in the country's poorest region with the highest unemployment, the ministry said earlier this month.

The company plans to export all of its production, the ministry added.

The production of cars and car components is one of the engines of the post-communist country's economy, which depends heavily on demand from the German market.

Moody's maintains Portugal at A3, outlook negative

Moody's credit rating for Portugal depends heavily on the country maintaining strong commitment to consolidating its finances, the rating agency said on Friday.

Moody's maintains Portugal at A3, toward the lower end of its investment grade ratings, with a negative outlook after Prime Minister Jose Socrates lost a vote on fresh austerity measures to tackle the country's debt crisis and resigned on Wednesday.

"Strong commitment to fiscal consolidation by both leading political parties is an important reason why the rating remains within the A range," Moody's said in a statement.

Rating agency Fitch downgraded Portugal to A- on Thursday, on a par with the Moody's rating and four notches into investment grade. However, Standard and Poor's cut Portugal on Friday to BBB, two notches below the others, and warned of further cuts.

Portuguese borrowing costs on 10-year debt rose above 8 percent for the first time since the launch of the euro currency in reaction to the downgrades.

(Reporting by William James; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Hispanic Access Foundation Announces Partnership With H&R Block

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2011 – HAF and HRB launch program to educate Spanish-speaking taxpayers

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Access Foundation has announced it has partnered with H&R Block, the world's largest tax services provider, to educate Spanish-speaking taxpayers about tax issues affecting where they live, work and play.

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HAF and H&R Block will work with leaders in select communities to discuss tax topics, promote regular informational seminars called Tax Talks and participate in community events.

"We are excited to work with H&R Block," said Maite Arce, executive director of HAF. "Hispanics, particularly those with limited English proficiency, need access to quality information in their language and to bilingual tax experts so we can help build their understanding about taxes."

The project's goal is to increase Hispanics' knowledge of the key elements that are critical to understand and consider when filing a tax return. These elements include the benefits of establishing an accurate tax history in the U.S. and how a tax return is an important tool when building a financial history.

"Hispanics have a unique set of issues they deal with when it comes to taxes that are confusing and easy to overlook," Arce said. "Through tax education we can help position them for greater long-term financial success."

About H&R Block

H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is one of the world's largest tax services providers, having prepared more than 550 million tax returns worldwide since 1955. In fiscal 2010, H&R Block had annual revenues of $3.9 billion and prepared more than 23 million tax returns worldwide, utilizing more than 100,000 highly trained tax professionals. The Company provides tax return preparation services in person, through H&R Block At Home online and desktop software products, and through other channels. The Company is also one of the leading providers of business services through RSM McGladrey. For more information, visit our .

About Hispanic Access Foundation

Hispanic Access Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works topromote responsible citizenship, educational attainment, and active engagement in the improvement of the health, environment, and financial well-being of Hispanic families throughout the United States. Working with and through our strategic partnerships with faith and community organizations, we are dedicated to providing greater access to vital information and community resources to the U.S. Hispanic population to improve their health and quality of life. For more information visit .

CONTACT: Robert Fanger, +1-317-410-7668,

SOURCEHispanic Access Foundation

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Global Toy Industry Makes its Way to New York City for Toy Fair 2011

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2011 – "Play Happens" During the 108th American International Toy Fair

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New toys and games from around the world will fill the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center starting this Sunday, February 13th, as the $75 billion global ($21.8B domestic U.S.) toy industry comes together in New York City for the 108th annual American International Toy Fair a four-day event showcasing the latest and greatest products to delight kids of all ages. Owned and operated by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), Toy Fair provides toymakers with the opportunity to debut thousands of new products that will start to appear on toy store shelves in time for the holiday shopping season.

"Toy Fair is the most exciting event of the year for industry influencers, who annually flock to the tradeshow to create new business opportunities," said Marian Bossard, TIA vice president of meetings and events. "Showcasing the creativity and flair of one of the most innovative industries in the world, 1,100 exhibitors from nearly 30 countries are set to unveil their top products to buyers and guests from 100 nations."

There's a lot more than order-writing that happens at Toy Fair; many special events and activities take place during the week:

The , administered by TIA in support of the , will be held on Saturday, February 12th at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The event honors the best in toys and children's entertainment in eleven industry award categories plus one overall "Toy of the Year" award; the induction of Al Verrecchia, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Hasbro, Inc. and Donald Duncan, Founder of Duncan Toys Company into the ; and pays tribute to the Foundation's work to bring the joy of toys and play to kids in need.On Sunday, February 13th at 10 a.m. the Toy Fair Opening Ceremony will take place with live musical entertainment and a parade of popular costumed characters during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. On Monday, February 14th at 2:00 p.m. media will get the inside scoop on 2011's hottest trends at the Toy Trends Tea; a TIA trends specialist will reveal the freshest developments in toys using examples from the show floor.Toy Fair-hosted educational seminars will also be taking place throughout the week: on Tuesday, February 15th the Toy Safety & Legislative Update will be held at 9:30 a.m. and the U.S. Department of Commerce seminar, "U.S. Toy Manufacturers: Increase Exports/Maximize Trade Opportunities," will be held at 11 a.m. Throughout the show, the Creative Factor Drop-In Learning Center will bring together inventors, designers and other creative professionals to network and share information and resources. Details about all of the educational seminars and events can be found online aton .

New for 2011 is Play Happens: The Game, a social media experience that marries the fun of Toy Fair with the energy of New York City by turning Manhattan into a virtual board game. Learn more at .Those who can't make it to the show will be kept in the loop by event staff via Twitter (, #TF11), the ,and the .

About the American International Toy Fair

Toy Fair is an annual event that is owned and operated by the Toy Industry Association (TIA). The largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere, the show brings together more than 1,100 exhibiting manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents from 100 countries to showcase an estimated 100,000 toy and entertainment products to the 9,000 unique retail outlets scheduled to attend.

About the Toy Industry Association (TIA)

TIA is the not-for-profit trade association for producers and importers of toys and youth entertainment products sold in North America, representing more than 500 companies who account for approximately 85% of domestic toy sales. Toy safety is the number one priority for the toy industry. TIA has a long history of leadership in toy safety including development of the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 30 years ago, and working with government, consumers and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play. For more information, please visit ,or .

SOURCEToy Industry Association

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Analysis: How Apple's new subscriptions stack up to the competition

Apples newly announcedhas triggered a round of griping from companies that sell content or subscriptions from their mobile apps. But a closer look at Apples new rates and terms suggest that the companys policy isnt that different from what rival services offerand in some cases, Apples terms are more favorable.

Before this week, publishers were able to give away their apps in the store for free, but shuffle users out to Mobile Safari when it came time to actually purchase content for that app. That changed Tuesday, when Apple updated its rules. Now, any content available outside of an app must now also be made available via in-app purchase, with Apple taking a 30 percent cut of any revenue. Users can still buy that content on-device via Mobile Safari or even their desktop computers, but Apple wants its chance at making money from content that is bought and used for its mobile platform.

Right on cue, Apples policy came under fire from pundits and publishers. In a statement, music subscription service Rhapsody called Apples new rules economically untenable and suggested it would work with other publishers to come up with an appropriate legal and business response to this latest development. Aasked how far can Apple push developers? Some law professors speaking to the Wall Street Journal even raised the possibility ofagainst Apple.

Interestingly, however, Apples rules dont seem that out of line when compared to what rivals are offering. Admittedly, its a small field of competitorsAndroid, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry platforms do not yet support subscriptions for app content. Barnes & Noble strikes deals with publishers for content on its , though the company wouldnt comment to Macworld on how it splits subscription revenue with publishers in its Nook store. (Its self-publishing book rates, on the other hand, are publicly available.)

That leaves Amazon and its assortment of Kindle offerings, including the . Like Apple, Amazon makes a popular gadget for content consumption, serves as the sole (legitimate) gatekeeper for getting the vast majority of content onto it, and publishes the fees it charges for content delivery. Both large publications like New York Times and individual bloggers like you and me are able to publish content directly to the Kindle. But if we want to do so, we have to agree to Amazons revenue terms.

In a nutshell,of the revenue collected from subscriptions sold through Kindle. In December 2010, Amazon increased that amount to match Apples existing 70-30 split with developers. But a publisher will only get that rate from Amazon if it meets certain qualifications, such as submitting its content in a format that can be read across all Kindle devices and apps. Furthermore, self-published bloggers still only get 30 percent of the fee Amazon charges Kindle customers.

Regardless of which revenue rate publishers qualify for, Amazon also charges a small fee for delivering content over its 3G Whispernet service, billed at 15 cents per MB. Remember, with each , Amazon includes lifetime wireless service to download content for free, but passes on 70 percent of the content delivery costs to publishers.

To use Amazons best case revenue split and pricing formula(revenue - delivery costs) * 70 percenta monthly publication delivered wirelessly that costs $10 and weighs 9MB will end up netting the publisher $6.05 per subscriber. With Apples terms and a native app in the App Store, that 30 percent cut would give the publisher $7.

Barnes & Noble only publicizes its self-publishing rates for books, but theyre worth mentioning. If your book costs $3 to $10, youll get 60 percent of your price (minus wireless delivery costs). If your book costs $11 to $200, youll get only 40 percent of your price.

One day after Apple announced its App Store subscriptions features and new rules, Google tossed its hat into the ring by announcing , a new payment system that allows publishers to charge for digital content. Designed primarily as a browser-based payment tool that's attached to readers Google accounts (and billed through Google Checkout), One Pass allows publishers to charge content subscriptions, day passes, membership discounts, or even per-article fees. Users can login via the browser on just about any modern device and will need an Internet connection to read their paid content, but Google will take only a 10 percent commissionundercutting what Apple and Amazon charge. Of course, Googles service is browser-based and not necessarily tied into a hardware device, which probably had an affect on the share of publisher revenue Google decided to claim.

Of course, the real point of contention around Apples new subscription features rears its head when a publisher wants to sell content on iOS devicesthrough a competing store such asor Zinios digital magazine stand. Though Apple has so far been happy to approve quite a few third-party stores in the App Store, its new terms are clearly not winning the company much applause from them right now. Not only are margins already thin for some of these companies, but theyre also used to avoiding Apple's cut of in-app purchases by redirecting consumers to a browser-based store for purchases. Under Apples new rules, theyll have to start paying Apple and agree to consumer-friendly terms like making it easy to cancel a subscription and protect personal information.

Again, though, a comparison to rival devices is revealing. Amazon offers no access to third-party stores on the Kindle, and even though the Nook is based on Android, Barnes & Noble has locked its reader down by removing access to Googles Android Marketplace and porting only a handful of apps that it chooses to the Nook.

However, like the iPad, these devices do offer a content consumption alternative to their built-in storesa browser. The Kindles browser may be technologically limited in some ways when compared to the iPad and the Nook, but all three devices have a browser that is not restricted from visiting any site. More to the point, it doesnt cost anyone 30 percent of anything to use those browsers.

There are also some open questions about which types of content and services will be affected by Apple's new rules. Some of the language Apple uses in its terms suggests that content delivery servicessuch as magazine publications and book storeswill fall under the new rules, while streaming subscription serviceslike Netflix and Rhapsodymight not.Macworld has asked Apple for clarification and will update once we receive a comment.

It's up to the content providers to weigh whether 30 percent is too high a price to pay for access to the throng of App Store customers, but it is also up to Apple to clarify some of the boundaries of these new rules. For now, when compared to the competition, what Apple is imposing doesn't seem as out of line as the initial uproar might have you believe.