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“We’ve had people come in thinking we were a spa; to me that’s a win,” said Erica Hill, the co-owner of Sparrow, a business that opened last November in Greenpoint. Sparrow does, indeed, look very spalike: the décor is pleasantly neutral, with skylights, pastel murals, and a retail storefront on Driggs Avenue that stocks candles, cashmere throws, bath products, and some very nice ceramic vessels made by local women. It’s not until you look a little closer at the titles of the books or move into the main establishment, where the rooms are filled with rows of empty chairs, that the space’s true nature becomes apparent: Sparrow is a funeral home, and those nice pieces of pottery are cremation urns. Hill wanted the shop to be warm and inviting in order to draw in passersby — a route into, if not the next world, then a preliminary conversation about it. “People are given a door to peep in, to walk through,” said Hill. “I feel strongly we don’t talk enough about death and dying. And we don’t plan for it. But everyone is going to die; you can’t get away from that one.”
In addition to arranging funerals, Sparrow also hosts exit parties — gatherings for the dying but not yet dead, to say good-bye — and meetups known as death cafés to discuss the topic. It’s just one of many end-of-life businesses that have sprung up in the last few years, aimed at offering a better, more modern, more millennial-friendly way of death: cost-transparent, with cleaner aesthetics and consumer-friendly interfaces. In addition to Sparrow, which wants to open 15 funeral homes around the country in the next five years, there are death-planning sites like Cake and Lantern, direct-to-dead-consumer casket and cremation companies founded by ex-Amazon and ex-Nike executives (Titan and Solace), a platform called the Dinner Party that connects grieving strangers for meals, and an app, WeCroak, that reminds you that you’re going to die at five random times each day. Their branding is approachable, with soft colors and the kind of cute illustrations that New Yorkers are accustomed to seeing splashed across subway cars. But don’t expect an F-train ad campaign anytime soon — while companies invest heavily in SEO and Google-keyword search, advertising is something of a third rail in the death industry. “What you don’t want to do is put a casket in front of someone who’s not thinking about it,” said Josh Siegel, the co-founder of Titan Casket. Death is something that most Americans would prefer not to be reminded of during their morning commutes. Or really, ever. This, too, is something that end-of-life start-ups are aiming to change, transforming not just the consumer experience of death, but the cultural one. Can you really rebrand death, though?


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Through paying in small instalments starting from one thousand on Ezypesa wallets, Zantel customers can simply be eligible to purchase Smarta phones, thanks to the company’s strategy of ensuring affordable access to smartphones for a more digitally inclusive society.
Launched under the campaign dubbed ‘Haba na Haba Hununua Smarta’ customers will be able to save money in their Ezypesa wallets starting from 1,000/- and shortly after reaching the devices’ price of 39,999/- they will be able to purchase Smarta phones at any Zantel shop.
Speaking while unveiling the service, The Head of Zantel (Zanzibar), Mohammed Mussa stated that as a digital lifestyle company has seen a broad need to create a simple and reliable payment platform that will reduce the burden of paying in cash.
“We understand that not everyone is capable to purchase a smart device through cash that is why we have created a platform where a customer can pay through small installments without destructing their daily basic expenditures,” he said.
The Head of Product and Pricing, Ms. Aneth Muga added that apart from individual savings, customers can also ask for helping hand from friends and family to contribute direct to their Ezypesa saving as a way to help them reach the device’s price of 39,999/-.
“Our quest is to ensure everyone has access to digital World and enjoy all the benefits that comes with it including socialization and business through e-commerce. Through this service we are paving a way for everyone to own a smart device easily than ever before,” she said.
To access the service, Zantel’s customers will dial *149*15# then choose 0 and follow the instructions provided in the menu. Successful customers will purchase Smarta through any Zantel’s shops available across the country.
Smarta is currently the most affordable smart device that is 4G enabled and comes with all smart applications like YouTube, Google, Facebook and WhatsApp enabling even the low incomers to have access to digital lifestyle offered by Zantel in the local market.

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Kate Ritchie fans go wild over star’s glamorous Instagram photo
The former Home And Away actress left in awe after she posted a of a series of very glamorous snaps as part of a photo shoot.
Kate Ritchie has posted a series of glamorous snaps leaving fans in awe.
The 42-year-old mother-of-one took to her Instagram this week to share the “stunning” images from a photo shoot with The Australian Women’s Weekly.
“Thanks to the magic of @womensweeklymag I’m going to try and have you believe I’ll look this relaxed and glamorous in the kitchen come Christmas Day,” she captioned one of the images with her sitting on a kitchen bench surrounded by Christmas treats as she effortlessly poses in a beaded couture gown by Sydney-based designer Jessica Andreatta.
“This is all kinds of Fabulousness,” one fan wrote.
“Wow, favourite photo ever," a second person commented.
“Absolutely love your hair short. Giving me hair inspiration. Can wait to get the WW,” a third person added.
Another behind-the-scenes photo of Ritchie sitting on the floor barefoot has garnered even more of a reaction with more than 12,000 ‘likes’.
Fellow actress Jodi Gordon wrote: “Omg you divine human!!!!! Stunning woman.”
To complete the glam look from the photo shoot, Ritchie opted for subtle, bronzed makeup with a light-brown lipstick and dark eyeshadow.
“Never felt so fabulous on the floor,” she captioned the snap.
It’s not the first time Ritchie has shared pictures that have left fans speechless.
Earlier this year she posed for a lingerie shoot that showcased her incredible figure to announce her fourth collaboration with Australian underwear brand Jockey.
“You look amazing,” Australian singer Rickie Lee wrote at the time.
“Wow Kate. I have seen you grow up on Home And Away and wow you still looking gorgeous,” a fan added.
Photos from the brand’s campaign showed Ritchie’s toned physique, following the announcement of being named SS20 Jockey ambassador for its “celebrating women” campaign.
Earlier this week, Ritchie sold her apartment in Bellevue Hill for $850,000 one week before its scheduled auction.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the former Home And Away star managed to secure a buyer for the 1930s Art Deco pad ahead of its December 5 auction.
Ritchie worked on Nova 96.9FM’s Merrick and Rosso breakfast show back in 2008 and 2009, before later joining Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold (now replaced by Joel Creasy) on the network’s drive show.


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Architect and designer Jenny Wu will showcase her collection, LACE by Jenny Wu, at Dwell on Design on June 23-25 at Los Angeles Convention Center. The leading 3D printing luxe jewelry line specializing in 3D printing stainless steel and precious metal statement pieces features cutting-edge technology and innovation. LACE will showcase the full collection, from necklaces and bracelets to rings and earrings in various materials, ranging from steel to rose gold and silver.
Since its launch in 2014, LACE has been worn by celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Carrie Underwood, Lucy Liu, and Christina Aguilera. The collection was recently featured on the front page of Image section of the LA Times as well as various prominent publications such as the Wired, Forbes, Fast Company, People Magazine, etc. The LACE by Jenny Wu collection reflects Wu’s architectural aesthetic merging line-based geometry with intricate organic movement to create avant-garde designs with high level of digital refinement.
Dwell on design will be open to the public from Friday, June 23 at 10:00 am to Sunday, June 25 at 4:00 pm. LACE will be located at The Shop and will include a special Dwell on design show discount throughout the weekend.
Song by Sylvan Esso


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Organizations that don't invest in personalizing the customer experience, whether online or within their brick-and-mortar stores, are going to be facing an uphill journey to keep up with their competition.This message is at the core of Responsys Interact 2013, currently taking place in San Francisco. In the relationship era that we're living in right now, customers don't just want, but expect messages that aren't only relevant but also personalized to them individually.
And as Scott Olrich, Responsys' president for marketing and platform, pointed out, marketers have the tools to turn the clock back and deliver the same personalized experience of the past, when retailers knew their customers' needs and preferences and were able to not only serve these needs but create a true one-to-one relationship.
Some of us have fond memories of small stores that were able to deliver a highly personalized experience because they knew each and every customer. Growing up I remember the corner grocer knowing what products my mother preferred, without the need to look at a database. In fact, I bet he didn't even have one.
While customers enjoyed this uber personalized relationship, the majority were willing to give it up for better choices, starting to do business with bigger organizations that were able to give them just that.
However, marketers have figured out a way to turn the clock back and be able to deliver the same personalized experience that we were accustomed to in the past but are tapping into technology to do it at large scale. This is allowing customers to both have the cake and eat it because they're able to have the personalized experience that they always wanted but at the same time have the choice that larger companies make available. Olrich used the example of Amazon which offers a humongous choice to its millions of customers but still delivers a highly personalized experience by following each member's online journey and making suggestions that are relevant. In the end customers don't feel like they're doing business with a large company but with someone who knows them intimately.
During a conversation with Michael Della Penna, senior vice president of emerging markets at Responsys, he mentioned how individuals like myself, who were accustomed to this personalized relationship in the past, notice and appreciate it when they encounter it again nowadays. More importantly, they are keen to share the experience with their friends or to the world through social media.
Jamie Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Direct, spoke about the retailer's journey towards this extremely personalized experience, and pointed out that customers expect this at every touchpoint. "Retailers that don't invest in personalization won't be successful," he stressed. In fact, Nordstrom pointed out that even customer loyalty is increasingly dependent on this highly personalized relationship rather than the more traditional points systems.
Some might wonder whether the data needed to deliver such a personalized relationship will make organizations appear Big Brotherish. According to experts the answer is "no," as long as the brand is delivering something of value to the consumer. "If you offer something of value it stops being intrusive and becomes relevant," noted Della Penna.
In the end, it's all about building relationships. Customers want brands to know who they are and treat them as individuals. Only those organizations which are able to do this successfully will remain relevant and beat the competition.


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In light of these statistics, it's no wonder that sunless tanning options — creams, aerosol sprays and pills — continue to flood the market, promising consumers who seek darker skin tones a golden glow without the harmful effects of UV radiation.
But is there really such thing as a "safe tan"? There is if it's chemical free and all natural like 100% Herbal Instant Tan.
The most popular options for sunless tanning are sprays and creams containing dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a Food and Drug Administration-approved color additive. DHA is a sugar compound that reacts with proteins in the outermost layer of dead skin cells to produce a brownish hue that lasts until the skin sloughs off.
Dr. James Beckett, a dermatologist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, says sunless tanning creams containing DHA appear to be a reasonable alternative for those who can't resist the appeal of a tan-looking skin. "They are much safer than sunbathing," he says. But though he's never seen patients with an allergic reaction to DHA itself, he believes it's possible for people to develop a reaction to the preservatives, perfumes and other ingredients in tanning products. Indeed, the FDA has received a few reports of allergic rashes from the items.
No studies have looked at health effects of regular, long-term use of sprays and creams containing DHA, but Dr. Martin A. Weinstock, professor of dermatology and epidemiology at Brown University, says there's no reason to expect any danger. "We do have a number of years of experience with people using [the products], so we have a fair amount of confidence that they're not harmful," he says.
But some of that confidence about safety disappears when a person walks into a spray-tan booth that provides a full-body blast of tanner, warns Dr. Jennifer M. Fu, a dermatologist at Solano Dermatology Associates. "We don't know if dihydroxyacetone is safe for use around the eyes, lips or other mucous membranes, or for inhalation, ingestion or absorption into the bloodstream. Appropriate safety studies just haven't been done," she says. It would be best to stick with a product which can be used anywhere on the body like 100% Herbal Instant Tan.
The FDA has received reports of coughing, dizziness and fainting from people who've used sunless tanning booths — but it's unclear whether these symptoms came about in reaction to sunless tanners or if they were related to preexisting medical conditions. A number of sunless-tanning-booth manufacturers have said that they plan to conduct studies demonstrating the safety of the process, but none has yet provided data to the FDA.
Sunless tanning facilities don't always make the experience as safe as it can be. Fu led a small 2004 study examining safety practices, which found that standards varied: All 17 of the facilities surveyed encouraged customers to close their eyes, 13 recommended that customers hold their breath, but only one offered safety equipment — disposable eyewear, petroleum jelly for the lips, and cotton balls for the nostrils.
Tempted by "tanning pills"? Beware. The pills work by tinting the skin with high doses of color additives, most often a naturally occurring pigment called canthaxanthin. Though canthaxanthin is FDA-approved for human consumption as a food coloring (often found in items such as ketchup and salad dressing), the dosage required to give an orange-brown hue to human skin is much higher than anything you'd get from eating.
In the early 1990s, a company submitted an application to the FDA for the approval of tanning pills containing canthaxanthin, but the application was withdrawn because of side effects that included yellow crystal deposits in the eyes, liver damage, nausea, cramping, diarrhea, severe itching and welts. Despite FDA regulations banning the sale of canthaxanthin as a tanning agent, these pills continue to be sold over the Internet and elsewhere.
There's another possible problem with all of these products: Beckett worries that they might encourage people to let down their guard against UV radiation. Unlike a real suntan, a tan from a bottle does not provide any long-term protection against harmful rays, and studies have found that many people who turn to sunless tanning are dangerously cavalier about UV exposure. They get a lot of sunburns, they aren't especially likely to use sunscreen or protective clothing when outdoors and they spend a lot of time in indoor tanning salons.
August 22, 2011|By Lily Dayton, Special to the Los Angeles Times


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NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) – Apple is considering pushing back the debut of its mixed-reality headset by at least a few months, potentially delaying its first major new product since the Apple Watch in 2015, according to people familiar with the situation.
The headset – a high-end device that blends virtual and augmented reality – was targeted for an unveiling at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, followed by a release later in the year. But development challenges related to overheating, cameras and software have made it harder to stay on track, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.
That could push the announcement until the end of 2022 or later, with the product hitting shelves by 2023, the people said. A spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.
Apple shares, which had been up about 1 per cent Friday (Jan 14), retreated on the news, dipping as low as US$171.68 (S$231.49). The stock gained 34 per cent in 2021, outpacing the S&P 500 Index.
The delay would mark a setback for a product seen as one of Apple’s famous “next big things” – a new category that can keep sales growing and help justify the tech giant’s nearly US$3 trillion market valuation. The company has not discussed the headset publicly, but the product has been years in the making and already delayed before.
Apple had previously planned to introduce the headset in 2021 and ship it this year, according to other people with knowledge of the matter. The company has been developing the device since around 2015 and is counting on it to be the first of many headsets that could eventually replace the iPhone a decade from now. The hope is to create products with more appeal than current augmented reality goggles, which let users superimpose data and imagery on top of real-world views.
Past AR headsets, such as Google Glass or Magic Leap, have either been fringe products or flops – and have drawn ridicule for making users look creepy. VR headsets, meanwhile, have been more successful. Devices from companies like Meta Platforms shut out the real world and immerse users in a digital reality – setting the stage for the so-called metaverse. But even VR has not caught on much beyond a core group of gamers.
Apple’s product would combine both technologies in one device, letting the company plant a flag in the still-nascent industry. The headset is not expected to be an iPhone-like hit from the start – it will be an expensive niche item – but the device may set the stage for bigger moneymakers in the years ahead.
The challenge is getting such a product to customers. Apple recently informed supply-chain partners that the device probably will not be released until 2023, according to the people familiar with the discussions. However, it is still pushing vendors to have units available at the end of this year so that they are ready for the roll out.
Apple is planning to focus its 2023 developers conference on building virtual and augmented reality apps for the device, which will have an App Store, according to the people.
It is also laying other groundwork for the headset. That includes building in support for the device in iOS 16, codenamed Sydney, a new version of the iPhone’s operating system that is set to be unveiled in June.
That means Apple could still theoretically preview technical aspects of the headset or its software, without showcasing the full device, as early as this year’s developer conference. When it ships the product, Apple will face immediate competition. Meta, formerly Facebook, is working on its own mixed-reality headset, known as Project Cambria, that is likely to be cheaper than Apple’s. Apple has weighed price points north of US$2,000 for its headset because of the inclusion of powerful chips, high-resolution screens and new audio technology.
Today’s consumer VR market is led by Meta’s Quest 2 headset and products from HTC, with both companies developing ecosystems of content and developer support around their hardware.


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Kellogg Co., cereal and snack maker, said Monday that its third-quarter earnings increased rose 9 percent, but warned that 2008 earnings will not meet Wall Street's expectations.
The world's leading cereal producer earned $305 million (EUR212 million), or 76 cents per share, in the July-September period, up from $281 million, or 70 cents per share, a year earlier.
The company's performance beat the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Financial by 3 cents per share.
Kellogg reported sales of $3 billion in the latest quarter, up 6 percent from $2.8 billion a year ago.
For the first nine months of 2007, the company reported net earnings of $927 million (EUR644.15 million), or $2.31 per share, up from $822 million, or $2.06 per share, a year ago. Nine-month sales rose to $9 billion from $8.3 billion a year ago.
"We achieved our goals by remaining focused on our game plan," David Mackay, Kellogg's chief executive, said in a statement. "We continue to lay the groundwork for future growth and reinvest into the business.
"Our third-quarter advertising investment rose at a double-digit rate and we're planning another increase in the fourth quarter. This investment gives us the confidence to once again raise our 2007 earnings guidance."
The company raised its full-year guidance by a penny, to a range of $2.72-$2.75 per share. But the guidance is still below the $2.77 per share, on average, forecast by analysts.
Kellogg also gave preliminary guidance for 2008 of $2.92 to $2.97 per share, less than the average of $3.04 that analysts predict.
In addition to cereals like Apple Jacks and Special K, Battle Creek-based Kellogg is a top maker of snacks and convenience foods. Its brands include Pop-Tarts toaster pastries, Eggo frozen waffles and Keebler cookies and crackers.
Its shares fell $1.94 to $52.50 in morning trading.
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A massive air strike with the use of cruise missiles and combat drones was launched on Kyiv on Friday, June 2 at night


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Manitoba farmers who buy tax-exempt marked diesel in bulk may be paying more than if they were allowed to apply their exemption at retail pumps, the National Farmers Union reports.
The NFU on Thursday called for the provincial government to allow farmers to take advantage of the lower prices at retail outlets selling diesel fuel.
NFU Manitoba co-ordinator Fred Tait cited an “informal survey” of pump prices at several stations around Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie in the last week of April, which found a range of 70 to 81.9 cents per litre.
According to Tait, the prices at farm fuel bulk dealers, which are supposed to deduct provincial fuel tax of about 11.5 cents per litre, ranged between 64.88 and 71.6 cents per litre.
“If the 11.5 cents per litre deduction was incorporated into the retail fuel price for diesel, those prices would be in the range between 58.5 cents per litre and 70.4 cents per litre,” said Tait, who farms at Rossendale, about 30 km southwest of Portage la Prairie. “That’s a big discrepancy.”
The province, he said, “should allow farmers the option to purchase regular transportation diesel fuel at retail suppliers and then apply for a refund of the provincial fuel tax as part of their Manitoba income tax schedule.”
Farmers, for whom a per-litre price difference of just a few cents on diesel can translate to thousands of dollars in increased input costs, could thus “shop around” to reduce their costs, “while ensuring that the system remains fair and honest,” Tait said.
Such a change, he said, “would also have the beneficial effect of increasing the level of competition in pricing of farm diesel fuel among suppliers, and prevent excessive profit-taking by companies at the expense of farm operators.”


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A Salvadoran and Mexican restaurant that has been serving the East Boston community for seven years has opened a second restaurant. Mi Pueblito opened at 964 Saratoga St. early this month, the East Boston Times-Free Press reported.
Owned by husband-and-wife duo Ferdy Argueta and Altamira Carpio, the original Mi Pueblito on Border Street is regarded as a family-friendly establishment, and their solid reputation helped pave the way for their second location, the Times-Free Press article says. The Saratoga Street restaurant space has seen a lot of turnover in the past decade, and "with the exception of John Lee’s Chinese Food restaurant that had a short stint at the location, the building has housed some trouble establishments." It doesn't name the other restaurants.
Mi Pueblito has redecorated the space, the article notes, and it offers function space in the basement. It has an 11 p.m. closing time.
As at its original establishment, Mi Pueblito offers large portions of fajitas, nachos, tacos, papusas, burritos, fried plantains, and more. It specializes in seafood, including spicy shrimp, ceviche, and fried tilapia, and it also serves breakfast daily. Its full bar specializes in margaritas and sangria, and it also carries imported cervezas, micheladas, pina coladas, and the like.


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The term “virtual reality" (VR) is often associated with the ﬁelds of gaming and sport, where it can be applied to immerse yourself into a different reality to ﬁght against villains, or for skills strengthening, such as perfecting a golf swing.
Other applications include virtual tours of museums, for instance a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, or virtual engineering where virtual prototyping is used for planning and construction purposes.
Healthcare is one of the lesser known, but fast growing ﬁelds in which this interactive technology is used for both research and treatment applications. The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) is not lagging behind and the Department of Psychiatry has recently acquired a Virtual Reality Exposure (VRE) device, with high expectations of its applications.
Dr Stéfan du Plessis, clinician and researcher at the Department of Psychiatry who assisted with the application for the funding of the machine, explains that the VRE device is a high-performance instrument that will be used by different researchers in the department as part of studies in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and neurological disorders, among others.
In 2017, Du Plessis travelled to the University of Würzburg in Germany to customise the machine according the SU's speciﬁc needs, and it was delivered earlier this year. “The device consists of a controller PC as well as a physiological monitoring PC attached to a medical trolley. The virtual reality component is a HTC VIVE head mounted display (HMD), and includes physiological monitoring equipment capable of measuring galvanic skin responses, heart rate, breathing rate as well as startle responses," he explains.
According to Du Plessis, these features can be used to gather psychophysiological responses while participants experience virtual reality simulations as part of approved research studies. This includes environments designed to gauge participant stress responses, for example a fear of heights, small spaces and social situations. “The literature shows that by being exposed to stressful situations in a controlled fashion in VR, participants can learn to overcome their fears with the assistance of licensed psychotherapists."
Though the principle may still sound a bit futuristic for some, Du Plessis says the technology has been available since the 1970s, albeit in a more limited form. “With the rise of cell phone technology, crucial components used in HMDs have become a lot cheaper and more advanced. Consequently, the technology has undergone rapid progress since around 2014, when the Oculus Rift (a commercial HMD used commonly by gamers) was developed. After it was bought by Facebook, it spurred particular interest."
According to him this constitutes a dream technology for researchers, as it's relatively inexpensive. “It provides a cost-effective method for doing cutting edge research that can be tailored to our own context, and which could potentially be integrated into existing treatment strategies that are available to everyone."
Du Plessis says the Department of Psychiatry hopes to further its collaboration with international partners, and to integrate the use of this technology with its existing research studies to provide additional biological measurements. “This will help us to better understand and potentially, in future, treat neuropsychiatry disorders that are prevalent in our local context."
Caption: Dr Stefan Du Plessis demonstrating the Virtual Reality Exposure device.
Photo credit: Stefan Els


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BAAM!! Is HTC 10 the best smartphone of 2016 ??
April 13th, 2016 | by Web Desk
HTC 10 is HTC’s flagship phone for 2016. It comes after the heels of its successful predecessors, the HTC One M9 and the HTC One M7. With new and upgraded features from those of previous HTC phones, the HTC 10 is out to give Samsung and Apple a run for their money.
This new HTC phone is made mostly of metal, with plastic material found at its edges. It has a new chamfered contour and a metal and matte finish. Undeniably the best smartphone to come out this year, the HTC 10 boasts of using OIS in both its back and front cameras, resulting in steady, sharp, and bright opticals regardless of which camera is used. Its audio features have also been upgraded. It uses the new HTC BoomSound hi-fi edition speakers that feature the same woofer design and separated tweeter as the major acoustic systems. Each speaker has a dedicated amplifier that allows it to deliver quality audio unlike any other smartphone. With these come the Hi-Res audio certified earphones, which are made of 70 percent over sized drivers and a thin aerospace-grade polymer diaphragm that measures 8mm. These provide users with twice more frequency range, as well as a richer sound. For sure, these are the best audio accessories for the best smartphone. Unlike the HTC One M9, which was the best smartphone 2015, the HTC 10 is twice more responsive that even the fastest and smallest finger movements are tracked smoothly and perfectly. In addition, its auto-optimization algorithm allows its apps to launch 50 percent faster.
Equipped with fingerprint security features, your phone is sure to stay protected. However, you can still easily unlock it as it recognize your fingerprint from every position and angle. Its smart algorithm also enables it to recognize you more quickly over time. Moreover, it allows you to interact with your phone more creatively, as you can drag icons anywhere across it. You can also choose from a wide array of themes, and with a battery that last up to two days of normal use, you can definitely enjoy hours of fun and productivity on this new HTC phone.
When compared to the features of the new smartphones 2016 from other brands, it can be seen that the HTC 10 features are very much at par with those of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Apple Iphone 7, making this HTC hone one of the contenders for the top smartphones this year!
See the hands on video on HTC 10 below.


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New cryptic teasers from Epic Games suggest that the company is about to reveal its next major project. Do these phrases or symbols mean anything to you?
Epic Games may be out of the Gears of War business, but the North Carolina-based gaming powerhouse is still hard at work. The company has been a bit secretive about what it has in the pipeline, but a new string of teasers offer the first hints about what secret project the team is working on.
The teasers have been arriving around the world in the form of little metal cards that hint at what is likely a new game. The cards have a number of different phrases on them like “For Valor” and “For Grace.” Each slogan is numbered and there are apparently 30 variations floating around. The card also says “You Are Invited,” but doesn’t offer any other concrete details about what people are invited to or when it is happening.
The reverse side of the teaser plates features a design that is likely the logo for a new game. At a glance the symbol could be mistaken for something from the Assassin’s Creed universe, but at closer inspection it seems to be original and unrelated to any existing games that we know about.
Epic Games has been working on Unreal Tournament and Fortnite lately and this is the first hint of a third new game in development. Fortnite’s alpha launched almost a year ago and the game is scheduled for release before 2016, so some of the company’s resources are likely about to be freed up to concentrate on a new property.
The teaser cards that we’ve seen mention things like valor and grace which don’t offer a ton of clues, but do tend to bring images of war games to our minds. With the loss of Gears of War, it is possible that Epic Games is looking to create the next big AAA action shooter.
The market for military shooters is as flooded as ever with the usual annual installment of Call of Duty and other takes on the genre like Star Wars: Battlefront, but if Epic can deliver an experience as groundbreaking as the first Gears of War, it should have a real chance at stealing the spotlight. It’s also worthwhile pointing out that this game is likely at least a year away, unless Epic has something very tricky up its sleeve.


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Knauf UK & Ireland says that its new packaging materials will contain at least 30% recycled plastics.
As well as increasing its use of recycled plastic in its packaging, it is also trying to improve the recyclability of its plastic packaging.
Knauf is one of the largest building materials manufacturers in the world, selling plasterboard, plaster, flooring, renders, laminates and more.
Knauf sustainability leader Lucy Hall said “the recycled content of plastic packaging will now be high on the agenda of new product development”, which she described as “a fantastic achievement”.
Some of Knauf's packaging can be recyled after use. The company has added logos to the packaging to identify when it has been made from recycled plastic, and if it is recyclable.


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$500K Walmart Settlement
According to Entrepreneur.com, the Department of Justice in California and the District Attorney’s Offices of Yolo, Ventura, and Merced Counties investigated Walmart’s website which is believed to be illegally selling brass knuckles.
The investigation found products could be classified as brass knuckles with over 250 products on the retailer’s website.
40% were sold through third-party sellers while 60% were sold directly through Walmart.
Brass knuckles are considered one of the most dangerous weapons in most states. Brass knuckles are placed over one’s knuckles. 17 states have allowed it with a permit while they are considered illegal in 21 states including California.
The other remaining states do not have a law that specifies either brass knuckles are illegal or legal. In the state of Texas, they can be carried for self-defense purposes, and in South Carolina, brass knuckles are not permitted in hospitals or schools but they are legal in the state.
The Walmart settlement is proof that online retailers are the ones who are responsible for what they sell in the state, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.
He added that illegal weapons have no place in California.
Lastly, the company said in its statement that they are committed to being the most trusted retailer and they believe that its policies and procedures adhere to California law. Although they didn’t admit any wrongdoing or no liability, they believe that the Walmart settlement is best for both parties.


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Feminine tech expertise
In a ground-breaking transfer, the Australian Division of International Affairs and the Authorities of Telangana, India have joined fingers for an trade, thought of to be rewarding for girls entrepreneurs of each nations.
The enterprise trade, often called CyberTech Ladies Entrepreneurs program, is a chance for girls entrepreneurs to supply entry and enterprise pathways for women-led expertise companies in Australia and India.
The accelerator program is a part of the Australia-India Bilateral Cyber and Vital Know-how Partnership (AICCTP), supported by the Australian Division of International Affairs and Commerce’s Cyber Affairs crew.
Deepthi Ravula, chief government officer of WE Hub, stated, “For over a decade, start-ups, particularly ladies entrepreneurs in tech, have expressed an absence of alternatives and monetary help to optimally scale up their companies globally.”
This system will host six women-led Indian start-ups and 6 women-led Australian start-ups primarily within the areas of cybersecurity and significant applied sciences.
This system goals to help the launch of above talked about shortlisted start-ups within the different nation with additional soft-landing help within the respective markets for 3 months past this system.
Entries thus far have included ladies entrepreneurs working in synthetic intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, next-generation telecommunications, the web of issues, artificial biology, genomics and genetic engineering, low-emission different fuels, autonomous autos, drones, swarming and collaborative robotics, and massive knowledge.
“This trade program shall be integral to constructing an ongoing bilateral start-up-scale-up trade initiative to help and enrich the start-up ecosystem for feminine entrepreneurs in our on-line world and significant expertise throughout the 2 nations,” stated Irfan Malik, CEO, inQ Innovation International.
He added that his crew has been working with DFAT since March to plot a program that gives an all-inclusive scale-up ecosystem essential for women-led tech start-ups and thanks the Telangana Authorities, and ecosystem companions for the possibility to curate this outcome-driven program.
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Last week Grasshopper Manufacture and GungHo Online Entertainment teased some concept art for the next game from Suda51 (No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned), with very little revealed other than the fact that it will be action-oriented with a woman lead. Now we know just a liiiittle bit more, including the fact that it's targeting next-gen consoles and a unique online feature.
Word comes from Edge, who talked to Suda51 about the new IP. According to him, it's been in development since November, with a release planned for 2014. The game's consoles of choice haven't been locked down, but they're currently investigating the specs and aiming for next-gen platforms.
Set in the near future, the action game features work from No More Heroes artist Yusuke Kozaki. Here's that lead visual again, which packs the tagline, "Whatcha looking at, commoner?"
Given the recent merger with GungHo, it makes sense that Suda51 and Grasshopper are planning some online/social features for the game. "On the simplest level it will be social, but the word social is used and misinterpreted a lot these days," Suda said, adding, "This is a very new style of online feature, so there's no example from the past."
While details are still murky, it should be interesting to see what Suda51 and co. manage to do with online features. In the meantime, we still have Killer is Dead to look forward to this summer.


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Corning Reaches Optical Fiber Sales Milestone
More than 1 million km of Corning Incorporated's SMF-LS optical fiber have been sold since the product was introduced in 1994. This nonzero dispersion-shifted fiber is making its mark as high-capacity, long-haul transmission segments of the market expand. It allows the transmission of multiple high-bit-rate channels in the 1550-nm window and can transmit an unrepeatered optical signal almost twice as far as standard single-mode fiber. According to Curt Weinstein, marketing manager for telephony applications, "SMF-LS fiber has enough capacity for the entire population of Boston to simultaneously have phone conversations with the same number of people in New York City over a single, uncompensated SMF-LS fiber."
MORE FROM PHOTONICS MEDIA


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Politicians are keen on three-word slogans, but the public service now has a snappy five-word brand.
"Shape Australia. Create your future" will be the Australian Public Service employment brand, selected from more than 700 entries to a competition judged by marketing experts and two senior bureaucrats.
The tagline was designed by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science and will be used on websites and other media.
© AAP 2019


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Verizon has been the one carrier that’s most resisted the T-Mobile-led wireless pricing wars of the past few months and now we can see why. RootMetrics has posted the results of its massive study of wireless voice, SMS and data quality and has found that Verizon is besting its rivals for overall quality in 35 of 50 states and its tied for first place with AT&T in 10 more. This means that Verizon came in either first place or was tied for first place for overall performance in 45 out of 50 states in the U.S. More →
New scams looking to swindle people out of their hard-earned money are devised every day, and one particularly devious scheme targeting Verizon Wireless subscribers is now gaining notoriety. Droid Life recently posted about the new scam, which lures Verizon customers in by offering “a special reward” of $54 to subscribers who visit a new website set up for the promotion. More →
Are you constantly streaming high-definition video, downloading tons of Xbox One games and sending massive files to friends and family? You should pay more for Internet access than your neighbor, who only uses a 10-year-old PC in his living room to read email and occasionally browse the Internet for cat GIFs. This is the position of Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, who said this week that heavy broadband users should have to pay more for home Internet access than those who don’t take full advantage of the service for which they already pay top dollar. More →
The die has been cast and now every single ISP in the United States will want a payout from Netflix in exchange for ensuring that its video streaming services are delivered efficiently to its subscribers. Once Netflix struck a deal to pay Comcast an unspecified amount of money as part of a new peering arrangement, that set the precedent for every other ISP in the country to strike similar bargains. And sure enough, Multichannel reports that both AT&T and Verizon have said that they’re now working with Netflix on their own peering arrangements to ensure that Netflix users aren’t subjected to laggy videos. While this is good short-term news for Netflix subscribers it remains to be seen how these deals cumulatively affect Netflix’s bottom line, especially if ISPs decide they want to jack up the rates in the coming years.
Who runs the Internet? Is it Google, the global search leader that trades fantastic free services for borderline frightening insights into user behavior? Is it Apple, whose iPhones and iPads are reportedly used to connect people to the Internet more than any other mobile devices on the planet by a massive margin? Is it the Illuminati? According to a new feature from the team that taught us how to disappear online, there are actually six organizations that secretly run the Internet and you might not have considered any of them. More →
It’s been a long time coming, but the latest version of the Nexus 7 is finally available for Verizon Wireless customers as of February 13th. Verizon’s Nexus 7 unsurprisingly features the same specs as the tablet has in previous releases: 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution 7-inch display, 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and 5-megapixel rear camera. Interestingly, Verizon refers to the Nexus 7 as an Android KitKat tablet, although it ships with Jelly Bean on the Google Play Store. If you’d like to purchase a Verizon Nexus 7, you can pay $349.99 for an unlocked tablet, but if you’re willing to sign on for a two-year contract, the price drops to $249.99.
This is probably not how Verizon wanted things to play out. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam has long crowed about the fact that his carrier “never has and never will lead on price” while also recently declaring that unlimited data plans were a dead end despite being offered by both Sprint and T-Mobile. Now, however, Verizon has been dragged into the price wars after aggressive moves from T-Mobile similarly forced AT&T’s hand. Verizon on Thursday announced its new MORE Everything plans that will cut prices and boost data cap allotments for some customers. More →
The great mobile price wars of 2014 are officially on. Leaked documents obtained by Android Police show that Verizon plans to announce that it’s increasing all of its data cap tiers from 500MB, 1GB and 2GB to 1GB, 2GB and 3GB, respectively. Even better, these upgrades will be given automatically to customers on Verizon’s Share Everything plans and won’t cost any extra. More →
Have U.S. Internet users’ worst fears just been realized? A new report from iScan Online programmer David Raphael claims to confirm that Verizon, which you might recall helped lead the charge against net neutrality regulations, has begun limiting the bandwidth utilized by certain websites for its FiOS Internet subscribers. In a blog post on Wednesday, Raphael shared a troubling account of issues that his company had been experiencing with service slowdowns. After digging into the problem he finally contacted Verizon customer support, which seemingly confirmed that the ISP is throttling bandwidth used by some cloud service providers including Amazon AWS, which supports huge services including Netflix and countless others. As BGR has learned, however, this is in fact not the case. More →
Some of the biggest names in tech have come together this week for the sake of schoolchildren all around the country. The Associated Press reports that Obama has made considerable progress on his mission to connect more American schools to the internet as Microsoft, Apple, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and others have committed to pledging $750 million to his ConnectED plan. Their pledges will be in the form of cash donations, electronic devices and network services. More →
Verizon has no interest in getting into a price war with AT&T and T-Mobile. If you want evidence, just ask Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, who last year flat-out stated that “we never have and never will lead on price.” But given that AT&T and T-Mobile are now getting much more aggressive with their family plan offers, could Verizon be forced to make similar offers just to keep up its subscriber growth? Don’t count on it: ComputerWorld this week reached out to Verizon for comment on the AT&T-T-Mobile price war and the carrier once again said that it won’t go down the price-cut rabbit hole. More →
After popping up last week on an internal test page, the Lumia Icon made an abrupt reappearance on Verizon’s official site on Tuesday. The page was promptly taken down, but Gigaom managed to snag a few screenshots before it went offline. The listing was nearly identical to the one on the test page from last week, featuring the same photos of the device and the same $777 placeholder price tag with or without a contract. Unlike the previous listing, this time Verizon included a full spec sheet for the Lumia Icon. More →
Following rumors that suggested Intel was ready to throw in the towel on the revolutionary pay TV service it has been developing behind closed doors, a new report states the company has done just that. But for those wishing the service would launch and potentially change the game, there’s still hope. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that Verizon has acquired Intel’s online TV division for an undisclosed sum, though earlier reports suggested that Intel was seeking around $500 million. Verizon will take control of all intellectual property associated with the service, and will also reportedly offer jobs to each member of the 350-person team at Intel that was working on the project. The deal is expected to close sometime in the first quarter. More →


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WESTERLY — Officers are investigating a weekend break-in at the Verizon Wireless store in which nine cellphones priced at about $8,000 were stolen.
Westerly Police Chief Shawn Lacey said a bicyclist called dispatchers around 6:30 a.m. Sunday to report that someone had broken into TCC Westerly, the Verizon dealer in the Westerly Crossings Plaza on Franklin Street. Officers arrived to find that the glass entrance door facing CVS had been smashed and that the cords holding the phones to their display cases had been cut.
"A number of high-end phones from Apple and Samsung were taken," Lacey said. "There were a total of nine phones missing, with an estimated value of approximately $8,000 in all."
The theft may be connected to similar break-ins reported in Coventry, Warwick and New London. Lacey said the Verizon store in New London was struck in similar fashion the same night, and that a GMC Arcadia reported stolen from Massachusetts was used as a getaway vehicle in the New London burglary.
Westerly police are seeking additional surveillance video from both stores and from the New London police, Lacey said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Westerly Police Department at 401-596-2022.


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Elsa Peretti, the fashion muse and jewellery designer with connections to some of the most glamorous aristocratic families in Europe, has died aged 80.
Born to wealthy parents in Florence, Italy (her father was head of a huge oil and energy company) she was educated in top schools across Europe, before cutting ties with her family and leaving home to pursue a career as a model in Rome. Later, she became a stalwart of the New York social scene in the late 1960s and 1970s, after catching the eye of American fashion designer Halston, who soon recruited her to model his chic jumpsuits.
A regular at the iconic club Studio 54, she was often photographed partying alongside the designer, as well as other scenesters including Andy Warhol, Joe Eula, Bob Colacello, David Geffen and Liza Minnelli. Her signature look was a cropped haircut and oversized glasses - reportedly to hide her heavy nights out.


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Compaq shows off set of Cabletron Ethernet gnashers
Why doesn’t Compaq just buy Cabletron and get it over with?
Giant PC player Compaq-Digital has introduced a range of dual speed Ethernet switches aimed at terrifying its networking opponents, it said today. The products come from the joint venture it has with Cabletron Systems which it signed earlier this year in a bid to beef up its product offerings. Cabletron bought a chunk of Digital's networking business before Compaq bought DEC. A joint venture was only possible when CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer had set his mind on Digital. But that no longer applies… The SW3300 range is a set of high performance products aimed at the corporate enterprise, said Compaq. But Compaq has also introduced a three layer 10/100/1000 Cabletron speech which is a different type of beast altogether. The SW3322 and SW3323 are priced at £1,615 and £2,230 respectively, and the SW5450 is priced at £9,070. All three switches are covered by a three-year limited warranty and are available immediately. That has prompted speculation in the industry that Cabletron is a target of Compaq's acquisitive feeding frenzy. ® Click here for more speculation


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As we gear up for another school year, teachers all across this country are preparing their classrooms with the essentials students need for a successful school year. Many teachers are responsible for purchasing school supplies, books and classroom essentials right out of their own pocket.
That's where #ClearTheList comes in. It's gone viral on Twitter and now it's happening right here in the Carolinas with #ClearTheListNC. Teachers are creating Amazon wish lists and then sharing them on social media in hopes that family, friends and strangers will purchase an item for their classroom, helping them to clear the list.
Check out some of the tweets below and help #ClearTheListNC!


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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — President Barack Obama got personal as he wrangled with tough questions Saturday in the latest leg of his campaign for health-care reform, growing emotional when he referenced his own grandmother, who died two days before he was elected.
Mr. Obama, striding across the stage with shirtsleeves rolled up, was in full campaign mode, billing the plan as aid for "ordinary Americans, no different than anyone else, held hostage by health insurance companies that deny them coverage, or drop their coverage, or charge fees that they can't afford for care they desperately need."
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A massive cyberattack that took down government websites in Venezuela earlier this week also has left seven million mobile phone users without... ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/cyberattack-leaves-millions-without-mobile-phone-service-in-117081100027_1.html
Leading GSM operator Vodafone would full bring the metro under the 4G network coverage by the end of FY18, a company official said. "The 4G... ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/vodafone-to-fully-cover-kolkata-under-4g-network-117080200923_1.html
New Delhi: With the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) taking centre stage, Videocon Telecom CEO Arvind Bali while hailing the same as a... ...http://www.sify.com/finance/gst-a-blessing-will-bring-uniformity-videocon-ceo-news-tax-rhepLOggajgea.html
Rail passengers can soon enjoy uninterrupted Internet connectivity with the Railways all set to equip main trunk routes with high speed mobile... ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/high-speed-train-corridor-to-ensure-non-stop-net-connectivity-117061800196_1.html
New Delhi: Fuelled by fast smartphone adoption, changing users' behaviour and disruptive pricing strategies, the data traffic per smartphone user... ...http://www.sify.com/finance/an-indian-smartphone-user-to-consume-11gb-data-a-month-by-2022-news-smartphones-rgooEeighdfhh.html
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Turkey ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), and presented its instrument of acceptance to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Deputy Director General Yi Xiaozhun on March 16, 2016.
Turkey is the 71st member of the WTO to ratify the TFA. The TFA will enter into force once two-thirds of the WTO countries ratify a Protocol of Amendment and notify the WTO of their acceptance of the TFA.
Turkey has already begun to take steps to increase and facilitate trade with its neighboring countries. For example, the WTO noted in its recent Trade Policy Review of Turkey, that Turkey has launched a pilot project at a border gate with neighboring Bulgaria to reduce customs processing delays through coordination of customs procedures. A similar project is proposed to be launched at the border of Turkey and Georgia.
The implementation of the TFA has the potential to increase global merchandise exports by up to $1 trillion per annum, according to the WTO’s flagship World Trade Report 2015. For a brief summary of the TFA, see our earlier post here.
In addition to Turkey, the following WTO members have also accepted the TFA: Hong Kong China, Singapore, the United States, Mauritius, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Botswana, Trinidad and Tobago, the Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Niger, Belize, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, China, Liechtenstein, Lao PDR, New Zealand, Togo, Thailand, the European Union (on behalf of its 28 member states), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Pakistan, Panama, Guyana, Côte d’Ivoire, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Kenya, Myanmar, Norway, Vietnam, Brunei, Ukraine, Zambia, Lesotho, Georgia, Seychelles, Jamaica, Mali, Cambodia and Paraguay.


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It took us a few weeks to figure out that iCloud Mail servers had decided they didn’t like something about TidBITS. That’s now resolved, and we think we’ve reset all iCloud subscribers who bounced as a result.
We’d like to welcome our latest sponsor, Global Delight, makers of the Boom 3D audio enhancement utility for the Mac.
We’re taking a brief break from building an email issue of TidBITS next week to make way for the latest addition to the Centers family, so look for the next issue in your mailbox on 28 June 2021.
Technology transitions with accounting packages are scary—you don’t want to mess around with your organization’s financial tracking if you can avoid it. With MYOB AccountEdge failing to break through the 32-bit barrier, we at TidBITS chose to move to the cloud-based Xero. After a few initial setup confusions, Xero has given us a fast, modern workflow that makes managing our finances fun.
Has it really been a year since we marked our 30th anniversary? It was hard to stay positive in 2020, but just as science and technology have given the world a way out of the pandemic, we’re going to focus more on the positive ways Apple-related technology can improve our lives.
In keeping with our tradition, we’re going to take off the last few weeks of 2020, which this year means staying safe with our immediate households and scheduling virtual gatherings with our extended families. You can expect the next email issue of TidBITS on 11 January 2021. Thanks for reading TidBITS, and we hope you’ve found our content useful, accurate, and enjoyable!
TidBITS has been bringing you the Apple news, advice, and technical details you need for over 30 years, but the only way we can keep it up is if you chip in a few bucks to make it happen. Join the TidBITS membership program today!
We’re taking the next email issue of TidBITS off to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday—without traveling!—in the United States, although we’ll continue to publish articles on our Web site. You can look forward to the next email issue on 7 December 2020.
If you can read English and write in either Dutch or Japanese, we could use your help in translating TidBITS!
We’d like to welcome as our latest long-term sponsor MinuteHound, a company that provides a zero-contact biometric time and attendance tracking solution.
Of all the people whose deaths we’ve memorialized in TidBITS, no one was as close to us as Oliver Habicht. His name probably isn’t familiar to most, but he has written for TidBITS, commented on articles, and helped with software and hardware testing. He even played a key role for Take Control Books for several years. But most importantly, he was our best friend.
After outlining the major complaints against the App Store, we asked for your feedback on how Apple runs the App Store and treats developers. We received strong answers, some of them surprising.
Apple has announced that it has made its longtime marketing head, Phil Schiller, an Apple Fellow and promoted Greg “Joz” Joswiak to senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. TidBITS publisher Adam Engst shares stories from his history with both men.
Apple has updated its style guide, both on the Web and in Apple Books, which triggers TidBITS publisher Adam Engst to discuss how TidBITS makes stylistic decisions in writing and editing. He also examines a few of the changes to the style guide that Apple has made recently.
A number of podcasts helped us celebrate the 30th anniversary of TidBITS by inviting publisher Adam Engst on as a guest, and the resulting conversations are well worth listening to if you enjoy reminiscing about the early days of the Macintosh world.


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We all want clean teeth. And hey, if we could scrub off a few of those laugh lines, who wouldn't?
But do you know what's in some of those drugstore products that say they will make your teeth whiter or your skin clearer?
Microbeads — that abrasive, gritty stuff that is supposed to exfoliate your skin or polish your teeth.
Now Canada has taken a bold step toward banning them. The microbeads, found in dozens of beauty products widely sold in the US as well, are actually tiny pieces of plastic.


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Although Uganda’s fisheries sector had fallen on hard times due the COVID-19 lockdowns and instability in the global markets, which rendered thousands unemployed following the closure of fish exporting firms, it is set to become the biggest forex earner in a few years.
According to the World Bank, Uganda, today, is already the world’s largest exporter of fresh, chilled and frozen Nile perch fillets, controlling roughly a third of the global market share. In its recently issued “Uganda Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD)” report, the World Bank says in 2019, Uganda was also the world’s second largest exporter of fish heads, tails and maws, trailing only Hong Kong SAR, China, the centre of the global market for such products and a major re-exporter.
Together, these products accounted for nearly 5% of all exports by value from 2015–2019, which does not include informal trade, mostly destined for regional markets, some of which is later re-exported.
Figures from Bank of Uganda (BOU) show that over the last 15 years, the fisheries sector has played an important social and economic role in Uganda as the second largest foreign exchange earner, contributing 2.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 12% to agricultural GDP.
“In 2018, Uganda’s export earnings from fish were the highest the country has received in the last 20 years. During this period, the country exported fish worth $171m, the highest revenue the country has ever earned from this commodity,” says a BOU report.
Records further indicate that the volumes in 2018 were the highest at 24,545 metric tonnes in the last 10 years, when the country exported 27,454 metric tonnes.
However, export volumes had declined because of immature fi sh harvest and illegal fishing methods, which depleted the resources, according to economists.
Currently, all signs are indicative of the fact that the fish industry is on the road to recovery after suffering setbacks a few years ago. These saw several factories close shop for lack of raw materials to process and export and loss of their traditional global markets. Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 12 fish processing factories across the country were operational.
On a brighter note, the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) Export Potential Map suggests that Uganda has over $150m in untapped export potential in five fish products, which include cured fish, fresh cuts, frozen fillets, fresh whole fish and frozen whole fi sh.
Aquaculture holds key
The World Bank has further revealed that according to demonstration projects, aquaculture yields could increase up to 20-fold with proper inputs and techniques.
“The Government is hoping to facilitate increased investment in commercial cage farming in freshwater areas. With wild catch output shrinking, Uganda’s lowlands are suited for fishpond aquaculture, with opportunities to expand into hatcheries and integrated feed mill systems,” reads the report.
It says opportunities also exist around the production of valueadded products.
“Most fish are sold either dried or smoked for the local market or receive simple primary processing (such as gutted and filleted) for export.” The report, dated February 2022, says having integrated into global value chains, supplying fish to Europe and Asia, Uganda has the potential to increase fish exports to Hong Kong SAR, China, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the US and even within the wider South African Development Community region to the DR Congo and Zambia.
“Aquaculture in Uganda is only just beginning to expand, professionalise and hold significant potential. Aquaculture systems are now playing an increasingly central role in the global market for fi sh because wild catch fisheries continue to be over-exploited and face existential sustainability threats,” the report reads.
It adds that Uganda’s relatively stable weather patterns, moderate temperatures and grassy plateau are a plus to this positive trend.
Exports of fi sh maw have also seen explosive growth in demand in Asian markets — mostly Hong Kong SAR, China, Myanmar and Vietnam. “With its favourable agricultural conditions and lower labour costs, Uganda is in a strong position to grow in this area of agribusiness,” the report reads.
The World Bank has also proposed that the country takes the route of secondary processing, which could produce fish oils, fish soluble, fish silage and fish meal, critical components for animal feed and other manufacturing processes.
“Development of a domestic feed industry, capable of producing quality, affordable inputs would be advantageous to competitiveness. With competitiveness in maize production, this may be viable and further investigation is warranted,” reads the report, adding that successful projects would require significant capital investment, skills, and market knowledge.
The World Bank further notes that with fresh water covering roughly one-fifth of Uganda’s surface area, opportunities to develop sustainable capture fisheries and aquaculture production are evident.
“Unlike its neighbours, some of which share these trans-boundary water resources, Uganda has the comparative advantage of having an organised set of processors and exporters with proven capability to meet the standards of foreign markets and established global trading networks,” it says.
These firms have led to the professionalisation of the value chain, including investment in modern technology and food safety management systems.
“The Government is eager to promote investment in the fishing industry, with the President promising, during his re-election campaign, that they would deliver a new industry master plan, help to secure new markets for fish exports and increase earnings,” the report shows.
The Government is seeking to further develop fish and fish products value chains by offering public-private partnerships and attracting investment into aquaculture parks, which could include new fish processing facilities in Mukono, Jinja, Kamuli and Serere districts in the next five years, in addition to restocking endangered species and strengthening the protection and preservation of breeding grounds.
Fisheries and aquaculture law
In a major boost to the fisheries industry, Parliament recently passed into law the 2021 Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill.
This would strengthen regulation and increase deterrent punishments for people convicted of committing offenses related to illegal fishing and mismanagement of water bodies. Despite fish being a key export, Uganda’s fish value chain is still largely unstructured, unregulated and mostly artisanal.
“Most fisher-folks work individually and earn meagre incomes, living at a subsistence level off their catch,” further reads the report, adding, “With Uganda’s massive lakes, regulating informal fishers and traders is challenging, although authorities have made progress in recent years toward more centralised regulation of the sector, including registration of fishers and fi shing boats on Uganda’s waters.”
Threats to the sector
Changes in weather patterns, which has resulted in rising water levels, may be de-oxygenating the water and contributing to large fish die-offs.
“Pollution of the water bodies is also increasing, posing a serious problem for biodiversity health. With populations growing across the region and imports increasing in foreign markets, demand will continue to rise and will place tremendous strain on fish stocks if not sustainably managed,” says the World Bank.
It says although the Government called in the military in 2017 to fight illegal fishing, this was never intended to be a long-term solution.
“Illegal trade of fish is estimated to account for more than 10% of informal exports out of the country. Additional threats to sustainability include illegal fishing of large fish for their maw, use of explosives, poison, illegal nets and other illegal fishing gear to catch fish. Others are illegal movement of fish and fish products, unlicensed boats and corruption among fisheries officers,” reads the report.
However, with improved enforcement, Government’s renewed focus on sustainability and Nile Perch’s natural ability to spawn quickly, there is revamped optimism among local fish consumers and exporters that the sector is on the road to full revival.


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According to the NIH, about 15% of Americans have tried weight loss supplements. Supplements aren’t held to the same standards as medications in terms of regulatory oversight, which means consumers aren’t always getting what’s promised on the label. Pieter Cohen, MD, an associate professor of Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, Mass. has been interested for a long time in the contents of the supplements we take. Dr. Cohen has been a vocal critic of how dietary supplements are regulated.
Checking the label — and the contents
In a paper published March 23 in Clinical Toxicology , Dr. Cohen and his research team looked for deterenol, a beta-agonist that has not been approved for use in humans. A beta-agonist is a class of medications that relaxes airway muscles, thereby helping with breathing.
Using Google to locate supplements that advertised deterenol, Dr. Cohen found 17 supplements that advertised deterenol in them. Dr. Cohen found deterenol in 13 of the 17 brands he tested. He considers this odd because all 17 listed deterenol as an ingredient. “It’s surprising that a prohibited stimulant is listed on the label but not found in the product,” said Dr. Cohen, “It’s hard to divine what level of manufacturing dysfunction could lead to that outcome.”
Deterenol wasn’t the only compound found in these pills. And that is part of why they might be so dangerous. “ … We found deterenol mixed with other experimental stimulants. We have no study to predict at what dose a combination of these prohibited stimulants would cause serious health effects,” said Dr. Cohen. The researchers also found 9 other experimental stimulants and 8 combinations of prohibited stimulants.
Deterenol came to Dr. Cohen’s attention when his colleague, Bastiaan Venhuis, followed up on 26 cases of deterenol toxicity reported to Dutch authorities. “When our colleagues in Europe investigated the cause of several cases of serious adverse events linked to supplements – they discovered deterenol in the supplements combined with other ingredients,” Dr. Cohen explained, “We wanted to know if deterenol might also be available in supplements sold in the US.”
In the Netherlands, the 26 instances of complications came from Dexaprine and Dexaprine XR, supplements aimed at athletes and others looking to lose weight. People who took these supplements containing deterenol experienced a fast heart rate, sweating, chest pain and heart palpitations. There was one reported case of cardiac arrest. Upon investigation, the researchers found deterenol, along with several other compounds, in the supplements. They were only able to test 4 of the pills, as the other 22 complainants had discarded their pills.
According to Dr. Cohen, there are no studies that show deterenol leads to weight loss.
Seized for your safety
Blue Ice, made by EPG, was one weight loss supplement that Dr. Cohen analyzed. He found that it contained about 15mg of deterenol per serving.
One consumer reviewing the pills wrote, “This stuff scared the heck out of me. I started breathing fast and got very warm and felt a sudden mood change! I didn’t know if I should drive to the hospital or not.” Even so, this person persevered and claimed to have lost 6 pounds.
Consumers should not confuse these supplements, which range from “fat burners” to pre-workout drinks and weight loss pills, with prescription weight-loss pills. “To be approved as a prescription weight-loss drug in the US you need to convince the FDA through large randomized controlled trials that it’s effective and safe for weight loss,” said Dr. Cohen.
While all drugs have side effects, he explained, an FDA-approved medication must list all side effects on the packaging. Supplements aren’t required to undergo clinical trials so the agency does not have data on side effects before the drugs go to market.
The FDA regulates the ingredients in the supplement and requires that the manufacturers ensure their products’ safety. It also requires that the labeling be accurate.
But, it only reviews supplements after they’ve made it to market. The FDA is “… responsible for taking action against any adulterated or misbranded dietary supplement product after it reaches the market.” So consumers face a window of time between when an adulterated or misbranded product is available for purchase and any recall action.
- The FDA, which records show for the last two years or so spent much of its investigative time on supplements containing non-labeled erectile dysfunction medicines, have listed most, if not all, of the Cohen study chemicals on its Dietary Supplement Ingredient Advisory List.
- In 2013 the FDA released a statement about dimethylamylamine, DMAA, announcing that it was “ using all available tools at its disposal” to stop dietary supplements containing DMAA. Two of the supplements Dr. Cohen tested in the current study contained DMAA. Without testing, the FDA considers products containing DMBA “adulterated.”
- Although not banned or considered an adulterant, BMPEA is not considered a “dietary ingredient” by the agency. Two of the Cohen supplements contain BMPEA.
- Higenamine, chemically akin to amphetamine, is known by at least 15 other names.
- Oxilofrine, found in four supplements, and octodrine, found in three, are also not considered supplements. Oxilofrine, a stimulant, “does not meet the statutory definition of a dietary ingredient” and octodrine is considered an adulterant.
- Another chemical found was phenpromethamine. In highly sensitive testing of its molecular weight it resembles methamphetamine and amphetamine. Once marketed as a nasal inhaler called Vonedrine , the manufacturer took Vonedrine off the market in 1960 and it lost FDA approval in 1971.
If some of these chemicals are known to be dangerous, let alone not tested or approved for use in humans, why are they in weight loss supplements? Part of it comes down to the FDA’s regulatory structure, which Dr. Cohen termed as flawed.
Medicine vs supplements
FDA-approved prescription medicines and over-the-counter treatments can only contain claims if the claims are backed with research. To get in front of a consumer, the manufacturer needs to have data to prove that the product can do what it is purporting to do. With supplements, the FDA will review a supplement if it has a new ingredient that hasn’t been sold in a supplement before October 1994. This is why several of the compounds were considered adulterants; their manufacturers had not submitted the compounds as new ingredients to the FDA.
Other institutions have banned these stimulants. For example, t he World Anti-Doping Agency has outlawed most of them. The Department of Defense has too; it f orbids its personnel from taking any dietary supplements containing certain ingredients meant to stimulate weight loss and enhance moods.
Medical Daily reached out to several companies whose products were included in Dr. Cohen’s study; none responded with comment.
The take home
Consumers can always look up ingredients on the FDA’s website. But bear in mind that supplement manufacturers sometimes lie. According to the NIH, “ What’s on the label may not be what’s in the product.” Again, consumers can also check for recalled or tainted supplements before buying.
The NIH warned that a manufacturer’s use of the words standardized, certified or verified does not guarantee the product’s quality or consistency.
Dr. Cohen believes that under current regulations, consumers are in the dark regarding a supplement’s ingredients. “At present, there’s no way to know if sports or weight loss supplements contain prohibited ingredients,” he said, “Until the laws can be reformed, my advice is to avoid all supplements sold as pre-workout or weight loss supplements.”
Sabrina Emms is a science journalist. She got her start as an intern at a health and science podcast out of Philadelphia public radio. Before that she worked as a researcher, looking at the way bones are formed.


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De Beers slashes the price of diamonds for the first time in years as industry crisis deepens
- De Beers said it will slash prices by five per cent before sale in Botswana
- Diamond market is currently in crisis due to an overabundance of cheap stones
- Family-run traders in Belgium, Israel and India are surviving on slim returns
The world's leading diamond company has cut its wholesale prices by five per cent but this is unlikely to lead to slashed costs on retail jewellery.
De Beers, the world's largest diamond producer, reduced prices by five per cent for its November sale, according to sources close to the matter.
Profits in the industry have plummeted for middlemen customers of De Beers who buy rough stones from the diamond giant.
'The De Beers rough diamond price cut is likely meant as a way to help restore profitability for its clients, which are primarily diamond manufacturers, i.e. diamond cutters and polishers, in India,' New York-based diamond market analyst, Paul Zimnisky, told the MailOnline.
'So this price cut in particular will not necessarily translate to a price reduction for consumers.'
De Beers, the world's largest diamond producer, has cut prices by five per cent for its November sale
People walk past the US luxury shop Tiffany&Co.'s in Paris on October 29, 2019. De Beer's subsidiary buyers, including Tiffany & Co., purchase rough stones from the diamond giant but some of these middlemen and companies are struggling to earn a living during the industry crisis
An employee displays a 109 carat uncut diamond worth an estimated value of up to $2 million in this arranged photograph at DTC Botswana, a unit of De Beers, in Gaborone, Botswana, in 2012. Though the middlemen, also known as 'sightholders', may be able to earn more money, it's unlikely that the reduced costs will trickle down to the retail market
Family-run traders in Belgium, Israel and India are surviving on slim returns as are subsidiaries Tiffany & Co and Graff Diamonds.
The current crisis has been blamed on low prices and a flood of diamonds, oversupplying the market. The opening of three new diamond mines in 2016 and 2017 is believed to be the source of the new stones, Zimnisky said.
Despite the lack of trickle down to consumers from this particular price slash from De Beers, Zimnisky added that diamond prices for retail have actually lowered this year.
'Based on my analysis, polished diamond prices at the retail level are down as much as 9 per cent in 2019,' he said.
An employee uses a magnifier to inspect a finished pear-shaped diamond before final classification at the Shrenuj Botswana Ltd sightholder office in Gaborone, Botswana, in 2012. De Beers once held a monopoly on diamonds traded across the globe with 80-85 per cent of stones moved. Their current 35 per cent means they are still influential in dictating the market
From its formation in 1888 until the beginning of the 21st Century, De Beers held a monopoly on the world's diamond supply, controlling 80 to 85 per cent stones moved around the globe.
Though competition has increased, they can still set prices and dictate market costs.
De Beers has refuted claims that the demand for diamonds has softened.
Middlemen, known as 'sightholders', buy stones from De Beers, at 10 sales each year in Botswana's capital of Gaborone.
Buyers have to accept the prices and quantities - at a discounted rate.
Some of the sightholders have said they are struggling to make a living with the shrinking deals.
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That's not all that bad
Research firm IDC has just released its statistics about the burgeoning "media tablet" market and, not surprisingly, the iPad is taking more than the lion's share of the industry.
Don't Miss: The best Deal on a new Samsung Galaxy S8
According to IDC, Apple shipped 4.2 million tablets in the third quarter of 2010, enough to give it an 87.4% command of the market. The firm did not expand statistics for other companies, but noted that Samsung was the major competitor with its Android-based Galaxy Tab.
What is more worthy of taking a closer look, though, is IDC's breakdown of the e-reader market. The iPad is excluded from this list, as researchers only count devices that are dedicated to reading e-books. Here's how that list breaks down:
- Amazon (Kindle): 41.5%
- Pandigital: 16.1%
- Barnes & Noble (Nook): 15.4%
- Sony (Reader): 8.4%
- Hancon - 8.2%
What's interesting here is that the top five only represent less than 90% of the entire market, so other independent, low-budget e-readers are selling too.
It's a mixed bag for Amazon, though. It used to dominate this market with as much as 75% of the e-reader industry. But that was when fewer people were buying e-readers. Even though it only has about 41% of the market now, it's selling more Kindles than ever. Q3 2010 shipments reached 1.14 million.
And even though it doesn't own a majority of the e-reading business anymore, its top market share still outweighs the next three companies combined. So it's good news for Apple and Amazon, but both markets are still very nascent, so 2011 has the potential to bring about a lot of change. Keep your eyes peeled.


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By Theanna Hegge
When a Saint John's University's entrepreneurial student Josh Weinzettel decided to launch a business venture, he sought to open an ice cream shop in his hometown of Hastings.
The pieces fell into place as Josh hired staff, advertised, and with a little help from his parents, opened Schoolhouse Scoop in Schoolhouse Square.
Josh is happy to continue the tradition of a dipping ice cream store in Hastings, and has already seen a positive response from the community.
"We used to take the kids to Grand Ole Creamery on their last day of school," customer Joan Endres said. "We are so glad that we can still take them to an ice cream shop this year."
Schoolhouse Scoop features flavors ranging from "Elephant Tracks" to "Pirate's Booty." The store also offers free sprinkles, and an "extra-credit scoop," a mini scoop of any flavor on top, similar to the "Izzy Scoop."
Josh is enthusiastic about the work atmosphere, saying his employees were chosen for their "fun, energetic, and crazy personalities." The staff consists entirely of Hastings High School students and graduates, many who otherwise might not have a summer job this year.
As a 21-year-old manager of his own business, Josh has seen the power of word of mouth, turning ideas into reality, and connecting with his community.
"A woman came in and told me that she went to school on this site 50 years ago," he said. "I've really enjoyed meeting the customers and hearing their stories."
Schoolhouse Scoop is located in the old Grand Ole Creamery location, 919 Vermillion Street, in Schoolhouse Square. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. The phone number is 480-8400.
Josh and his staff also have a stand at the Hastings Cruise-In car shows.


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Samsung will soon be unlocking the FM radio chip in its smartphones in the US and Canada, according to the maker of the NextRadio app.
Note, this isn’t (yet) an official announcement from Samsung itself, but NextRadio owner TagStation claimed that the move will mean owners of the smartphones can listen to broadcast-radio while consuming less mobile data and battery life.
“Samsung should be lauded for taking this important step. They are providing their customers a more engaging, immersive radio experience and, as importantly, a means to connect with life-saving information in emergencies,” said TagStation boss Paul Brenner.
Unlocking FM radios in smartphones has become a cause célèbre for the US National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which has campaigned for handset makers to take this step – the point where Apple had to recently deny that its latest iPhone models even had the chips.
Unlocked FM chips could, of course, provide more competition for music-streaming services on smartphones too.


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Taihe Institute's Jelinek calls for global coordination in the post-coronavirus world
May 27 (NBD) -- The coronavirus pandemic has swept through the globe in recent months with nearly 5.6 million confirmed cases and 350 thousand deaths by press time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
International organizations warns the outbreak is threatening to impose economic pain profound and long lasting. WTO defines this crisis as unprecedented wherein world trade is expected to fall by between 13 percent and 32 percent in 2020. IMF alerts that the coronavirus-driven recession could be worse than 2008 financial crisis.
In a good way of course, the epidemic is showing signs of easing globally and countries in sequence step into the post-coronavirus world. China's drastic containment measures allow itself to bring the outbreak under control in two months, then embarking on the road to economic recovery in March. Following China, many European countries and the U.S. issued their reopening plans since early May.
Under this crisis, what has been damaged while what will be reshaped? In the aftermath of this crisis, how to fix the economy and implement economic reforms? While both challenges and opportunities await, how should China react?
To figure out, National Business Daily (NBD) had an interview with Dr. Thorsten Jelinek, director of Taihe Institute Europe Center and former Associate Director of the World Economic Forum.
Thorsten Jelinek Photo/provided to NBD
Recovery means not only restoring but rethinking connectivity
NBD: Macroeconomists claim that COVID-19 will bring about long-term impact on businesses, workers, and a nation as a whole, in addition to economic damages at present.
Do you think whether damages by COVID-19 to the economy's capacity to produce goods and services will be long lasting? Do you think will the pandemic change a nation's long-term economic trends?
Thorsten Jelinek: The pandemic is not simply the cause of the crisis but mainly amplifies the limits of unsustainable global growth that defined the previous decades and was amplified during the 1990s and 2000s.
Recovery won't be about merely restoring the pre-pandemic past, but about rethinking existing connectivity as well as operational and business models, which could further accelerate the risk of deglobalization. Mitigating future risks might well mean regionalizing and reducing global dependencies. While large businesses have the capacity to restructure accordingly, small and medium-sized businesses don't have that capacity.
The initial crisis response has primarily happened on national levels, but recovery and future resilience and preparedness must be coordinated on a global level. As it looks today, the pandemic will have a long-lasting and disruptive impact but also offers the opportunity to reform the global economic system.
NBD: What do you think could the post-coronavirus economic recovery look like? Will the aftermath be as painful and time-consuming? Or will the economy swiftly recover once the pandemic passes?
Thorsten Jelinek: This crisis hit the global economy much faster than the great financial crisis in 2008 or any economic crisis before, with most economic activity emerging only slowly from an unprecedented global shutdown.
Unlike the 2008 crisis, this recovery is not mainly about recapitalizing financial institutions, but providing vast amounts of liquidity to the real economy for the short and medium terms. The rate of recovery also depends on how markets react to macro-level developments, earnings and profits, and especially COVID-19-related health news, including the effectiveness of the quarantines and lockdown as well as the development of a vaccine that can be deployed on a global scale.
NBD: Major economies currently adopt loose monetary policies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, analysts argue that the rescue packages by central banks merely ease the pain rather than fundamentally solve the problem.
Do you agree with it? What are financial uncertainties that rise to the surface through this pandemic?
Thorsten Jelinek: All major monetary policies that central banks can deploy in response to the COVID-19 exogenous shock have already been deployed, within a shorter period of time than the monetary interventions deployed during the 2008 global financial crisis. This rapid deployment was necessary to ease the immediate pain of the demand, supply, liquidity, and employment crises and to help stabilize investor sentiment due to the initial stock market crash. However, those measures will not solve the structural problems and may not necessarily solve the medium-term effects.
This pandemic crisis entails a massive increase in sovereign debt, which, coupled with rising private-sector debt and a loss of income for households, could potentially lead to mass unemployment, bankruptcies, and painful restructuring. Diminishing supplies of essential goods could be another medium-term effect of this shock. In addition, protectionism, deglobalization, and decoupling between the major economic blocs will prolong recovery from the short- and medium-term effects.
Only multilateral economic coordination and competent global leadership will help end the crisis, better balance monetary and fiscal policies, and maintain financial stability.
File photo/Wang Fan (NBD)
China acted swiftly and accordingly
NBD：Most China's central SOEs revved up work resumption in March as the epidemic waned. Their revenues reached 2.2 trillion yuan in March, recovering to the level seen in January, according to media outlet Xinhua.
Do you think the decline will be substantially offset by China's growth during the rest of the year? And why?
Thorsten Jelinek: The state-owned enterprises are the backbone of China's economy, and the resumption of their operations is crucial for China's domestic recovery. However, China's overall recovery more strongly depends on the recovery of its private sector.
As the global economy only subsequently leaves the shutdown, the demand for Chinese goods will only slowly increase, therefore, keeping the pressure on China's production and consumption. The economies of China's largest trading partners—U.S. and Europe—have strongly contracted in the first and especially second quarters of 2020, and an uneven recovery is projected for the third and fourth quarters.
Although domestic consumption has resumed, China can expect only an anemic economic recovery from its slowdown in the first quarter. The delayed recovery of China's major trade partners will slow down the country's recovery.
NBD: What are advantages do you think that China have in containing the coronavirus and easing economic damages?
Thorsten Jelinek: The central government's awareness of the potential severity of the coronavirus outbreak; its centralized, top-down approach and rapid control and allocation of vast medical and human resources; and the discipline of the Chinese people themselves have proven very efficient in dealing with the pandemic. Without those measures and the central government's professionalism, China could not have achieved such remarkable results. Now China needs to demonstrate that it can remain vigilant during a potentially long recovery period that requires a careful balance between preventing subsequent outbreaks and boosting domestic and international economic activity.
During recovery, China should also maintain a holistic view and not push aside other tremendous risks. Importantly, a successful recovery requires both a rigorously planned national approach and international coordination and solidarity. As China is several months ahead of the rest of the world, the rest of the world has a chance to again learn from China's approach.
NBD: During the post-coronavirus economic recovery, what are the key determinants of an economy's resilience to the crisis? What do you think about Chinese government's response?
Thorsten Jelinek: Every government's goal should be to emerge stronger from this crisis. This requires a comprehensive plan that outlines how to restart the economy, safely relax the shutdown, revive domestic and international economic and social activity in the near and long terms, and improve governance in a way that dynamically helps make the economy more resilient against future shocks while it grows sustainably.
The post-pandemic period will remain one of uncertainty and unpredictability. Therefore, resilience is less about prevention and more about the importance and capability of absorbing shocks, recovering from the aftermath, and adapting to various systemic risks. Policy interventions should include building resilience in the local economy for households and businesses to recover rapidly from shocks, for bolstering consumers and households, and for preventing bankruptcies, layoffs, and shutdowns. Stabilizing the financial system is of utmost systemic importance.
China acted swiftly and accordingly without having the advantage of learning from other countries.
NBD: In April, China's New Orders Index registered 50.2 percent and the New Export Orders Index reached 33.5 percent, both experiencing a decline from March. In the meantime the transformation and upgrading of industrial production is accelerating in China.
What changes do you think will the pandemic bring about to China's industrial production?
Thorsten Jelinek: Despite such unprecedented shock, competitiveness will remain a key driver for decision-making by the majority of China's trade partners and foreign businesses. Thus, the continuous upgrading of China's industrial production and supply-chain ecosystem remains crucial for selling products abroad and attracting foreign businesses.
Macroeconomically, only an innovation-driven economy will overcome the diminishing returns of a factor- and efficiency-driven economy and retain high levels of competitiveness. Given the tremendous external pressure, China also needs to continue diversifying its trade relations and pushing for the development of indigenous technologies.


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South Carolina shoppers will get a second chance to buy tax-free guns.
The state Revenue Department sent out a reminder Wednesday of the upcoming "Second Amendment Weekend." The 48-hour tax break begins just after midnight the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Shoppers will pay no state or local sales taxes on handguns, rifles and shotguns, which can tally 9 percent. Taxes still apply to ammunition and accessories.
South Carolina had the nation's first tax holiday on guns last year, after legislators tacked it on to a tax break on energy-efficient appliances. But the state Supreme Court threw out that law in May because of an unrelated energy amendment. Lawmakers restored the tax break as a one-time event in the budget this year.
Louisiana followed this year with its own sales tax holiday for hunters in September. That break went further, applying to any item that can be used for hunting or fishing, including off-road vehicles, airboats, animal feed and ear plugs.
South Carolina is the only state to designate a tax-free weekend during two of the year's biggest shopping days.
How much shoppers saved in the gun-friendly state last Thanksgiving weekend is unknown. State economic officials estimated it would cost the state about $15,000.
The National Rifle Association praises the idea.
"It allows gun owners in tough economic times to stock up on the hunting season and holiday season," said NRA spokeswoman Alexa Fritts.
But the director of a nonprofit that advocates changes in South Carolina's tax structure said, "There is no good tax reason to have a gun sales tax holiday."
"It isn't tax policy. It's gun policy," said John Ruoff of South Carolina Fair Share. "Our state tax system is sufficiently screwed up that instead of taking a serious look at it ... we keep doing stuff like a gun sales tax holiday, or a going-back-to-school tax holiday, all of which are very shortsighted tax policies or knee-jerk pandering."
His group argues the state unfairly relies on sales and excise taxes, which disproportionately affect the poor.
South Carolina's tax-free weekend for school supplies is in August.