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The number of jobs created by startup companies in the U.S. is dropping at an alarming rate, according to a new study by the Hudson Institute.
The study, which draws on government data, finds that more than three years after the end of the recession in 2009, when job creation at new firms hit an all-time low, the number of startup jobs in America has continued to plummet.
“The state of entrepreneurship is, sadly, weaker than ever,” writes the paper’s author, Tim Kane, chief economist at the Hudson Institute, a conservative Washington, D.C. think-tank. “The rate of startup jobs during 2010 and 2011, years that were technically in full recovery, are the lowest on record.”
The findings contrast the torrent of startup success stories broadcast by the media in the aftermath of the recession. From Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley, and in entrepreneurial hubs across the nation, founders and venture capitalists have said they’ve observed rising levels of company creation as the fixed costs of launching a business fall to historic lows. But globalization and technology -- which have made starting a company easier and cheaper than ever -- appear to have also made it more difficult than ever for U.S. workers to land jobs at new firms, Kane’s study suggests.
The number of jobs created by establishments less than one-year-old decreased to an all-time low of 2.8 million in 2009 from 4.1 million in 1994, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited in the report. Then, in 2010, the number of startup jobs fell even further to 2.5 million. The plunge is unprecedented, Kane said in an interview with HuffPost.
“Yes this has been the most severe recession,” he noted. “You might say it’s been, say, twice as bad as some of the previous recessions. But what you’re seeing in startup jobs is much more than a twice-as-bad drop. It's like nothing in the data series we have seen.”
In many ways, Kane said, the figures are puzzling. The capital requirements to start a business are phenomenally low. “You don’t need to get a multi-million dollar loan to buy factory equipment, or open a new shop on Main Street. You can start an internet business for, what, ten dollars?” he added. “We should be seeing a trend going the other way.”
Part of the answer for why low startup costs have failed to spur startup jobs in the U.S. may be that the relentless drive for efficiency through outsourcing work overseas or technology has allowed new firms to get the same amount of work done, but with fewer workers.
Robert Litan, a former colleague of Kane’s at the Kauffman Foundation, an entrepreneurship advocacy group, identified this trend in a report released last year called, “Starting Smaller; Staying Smaller: America’s Slow Leak in Job Creation.”
He found that even before the Great Recession, new firms were starting smaller. “They were opening their doors with fewer workers than the historic norm and were relatively reluctant to expand their workforces even during good economic times,” Litan wrote. “Since at least the middle of the last decade and perhaps earlier,” new firms have contributed “fewer and fewer new jobs to the economy.”
Kane said that Litan’s findings mesh with his own, and that globalization is partly to blame. “The venture capital industry expects every startup now to have an international strategy. Not just for sales, but for putting their team together.”
“It’s just too easy for startup companies now to outsource some of their work as efficiently as they can, and if that means hiring people who aren’t Americans and whom they don’t have to pay taxes on and provide health benefits to, than we’re feeling the effects of that as a country.”
Kane suggests in his paper that the U.S. government could reduce globalization's negative effect on startup jobs by reducing the amount of taxes and benefits that new firms must pay for an American hire.
Felix Salmon at Reuters says he doesn’t buy it. And while Salmon finds the figures cited by Kane to be startling, he also notes that the percentage of Americans working at startups at its peak was only a little more than one percent of the population. Now, since the recession ended, that percentage has dropped to around .78 percent.
“Concentrating on startups is not going to move the broader employment needle very much,” he writes, adding, though, that “the dynamic here is surprising and troubling, all the same.”
Also on HuffPost:
Patrick Dowd, Millennial Trains Project
In the profile of the Millennial Trains Project, founder Patrick Dowd described the powerful experience of connecting with 450 young Indians who all wanted to improve their country. Dowd was so moved by the community on board the Jagriti Yatra, he brought the idea back to America and is bringing together over 100 members of the Millennial generation to ride across America to listen, learn and create solutions together.
Fabio Rosati, Elance
After he grew disillusioned with the bureaucracy of a large company, Elance CEO and President Fabio Rosati found a project where he could again feel connected to a distinct mission. Today, Elance's clients connect to a global marketplace of freelance work in a remarkable new way.
Brian Balasia, Digerati
Brian Balasia, CEO of Digerati,commented on the power of seeing other entrepreneurs at work and how much easier it is to start your own company after seeing the success of others. Balasia's employees at Digerati confirmed this idea when they themselves followed his lead and went on to start businesses and continue the chain of entrepreneurship.
Allen Blue, LinkedIn
During one of HuffPost's job creation panels, Allen Blue, co-founder of LinkedIn, said "Whenever I talk to young people, I always talk to them about finding something that they care enough about that they can build the energy behind it to acquire the skills they need. To follow that passion down the road toward something which is going to be great for them."
Samer Hamadeh, Zeel
When faced with a torn rotator cuff,Samer Hamadeh founded Zeel, an online platform helping people find accredited, convenient and affordable Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners. Hamadeh's anger over the lack of an easy way to find CAM specialists led him to create the solution. As Hamadeh explains, "When there's a product or service that you so desperately want but no one's offering, you become so compelled and so pissed off that you say, 'Let's go start it.'"
Craig Powell, ConnectEDU
Craig Powell founded ConnectEDU after growing outraged over the inefficient college application process. "The system is just so damn broken," Powell said. "At every turn you see how broken it is. If you have an ounce of democratization, you realize that this is an issue that needs to be dealt with." Powell dealt with it, and now ConnectEDU helps both students and colleges view admissions in a new way.
Danny Kennedy, Sungevity
Sungevity co-founder and President Danny Kennedy learned how effective positivity is while running campaigns for Greenpeace: "I saw how people get inspired by positive vision and saying 'Yes' to things," Kennedy said. "You can get people supporting a cause if you're more about the for than the against."
Matt Singer, Videolicious
Matt Singer, the co-founder and CEO of Videolicious, used his passion for video to create an easy-to-use platform so small business owners could market themselves in a more personal way. He believes in the power of video so much he found a way to share the power of video with everyone.
Walter Isaacson, The Aspen Institute
Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute pointed out that passion isn't enough: "The second point is to not just follow your passion, but something larger than yourself." These entrepreneurs didn't just follow their passion, they found the point where their passion met a need and used their passion to create something bigger than themselves.
Bill Cunningham, OneMorePallet
OneMorePallet grew out of founder Bill Cunningham's observation of empty space. He used the power of technology to take advantage of a market opportunity, empowering small businesses by lowering shipping costs and benefitting shippers who were able to make something out of what was nothing.
Charlie Kroll, Andera
Though Charlie Kroll's story of surviving the dot com bust is a good example of perseverance, all of these stories include an underlying message of how important hard work is. These innovators found it to be essential to achieving the American dream.


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Where can you speak to avid fans of cartoon shows in between a ramen-eating contest and a Japanese rock concert? Where else but Sabaku Con?
Last weekend, Sabaku Con (Sabaku is Japanese for “desert”) brought anime and video game fans together for a three-day celebration of nerd-dom. The convention drew in more than 900 attendees for its inaugural event. Convention Chairman Greg Fennell, who has directed similar conventions in Arizona for the last five years, said the local reception was better than expected.
“The excitement factor of a new con really stood out,” Fennell said. “Since we have well-established anime cons here in Arizona, it was nice to see a crowd so energetic for a new convention.”
Sabaku Con, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, featured guests Troy Baker and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, voice-over actors with credits in “Naruto” and “Ghost in the Shell,” respectively.
Sabaku Con featured nonstop programming Friday and Saturday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 a.m. On Sunday, the convention closed at 6 p.m. The convention’s events included a costume contest, a Japanese fashion show, a rock concert, a rave dance, an exhibitor’s hall of artist and retail booths, a maid café and dozens of fan-hosted panels. Panel topics ranged from educational (“Breaking into the Industry,” “Know your Japanese Meme”) to competitive (“Amateur Voice Acting Competition,” “Anime Jeopardy”) to ridiculous (“Ramen Warrior,” “Whose Line is it Anime?”)
Costumed attendees crowded the hallways during convention hours, stopping every so often to pose for photographs. K’Dawn Butler, one such attendee, made — from scratch — a different costume to wear for each day. Butler said cosplay, short for “costume play,” where fans dress up to represent fictional characters, makes the convention that much more fun.
“You can just prance around in your costume that you worked so hard on and someone will say, ‘Oh that’s my favorite character,’” Butler said. “And you can just talk with them about that character or series for God knows how long.”
The exhibitor’s hall featured several local and out-of-state vendors offering anime-themed merchandise. In addition, dozens of artists in all different styles had their art and craftwork available for purchase.
James Perry II, a former Albuquerque denizen, was at Sabaku Con this weekend to sell his artwork and promote his original manga “Orange Crows.” Perry also had a collection of prints for sale featuring fan art inspired by anime shows “Cowboy Bebop” and “Adventure Time.” Perry has been attending conventions for the past two years.
“You get to meet a lot of people with similar interests,” Perry said. “It’s a nice escape from the outside world.”
UNM student Kenya Musegades spent most of Sabaku Con as a host in the Tsuki Mochi Maid Café. The café offered patrons coffee, tea, and desserts. The maids also performed choreographed dance routines and skits each session. Musegades said there was never a dull moment at the convention.
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“I go to cons because I love cosplaying and getting into character,” she said. “I also enjoy all the awesome people I meet. I’ve met lifelong friends from going to cons.”
During the closing ceremonies, Fennell announced that Sabaku Con will be returning next year around the same time. Attendees were ecstatic at the news.
“On our way out, I was stopped about a dozen times by people thanking me for putting on the show and showing their excitement for coming back next year,” Fennell said.

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Although PlayStation 5 doesn’t seem to support backwards compatibility for PlayStations 1 to 3, they’re definitely singing a completely different tune with PS4. After the PlayStation 5 showcase, CEO and President Jim Ryan told the Washington Post that they tested “thousands of games” for backwards compatibility, and 99% of these tested were compatible.
One thing that PC gamers never have to worry about over console players is the issue of backwards compatibility. One of the PlayStation 2’s biggest draws was that it was backwards compatible with PSOne titles. The Xbox 360 touted the same with original Xbox games. Microsoft realized its mistake with the lack of backwards compatibility for the Xbox One and quickly reverted its stance. One of the PlayStation 4’s biggest criticisms was that it didn’t really attempt to do the same for PlayStation 3 games. Perhaps Sony has learned from its past as well.
“No one should be disappointed,” Ryan emphasized. Not to mention that Sony also announced a new service, the PS Plus Collection. This will offer 18 PS4 first-party games to subscribers. It sounds like Sony and PlayStation really want to make sure they cover all of the bases for fans.
PS5 backwards compatibility with long PS4 life span
Ryan also mentioned that he expects up to four more years for the PS4’s life span. Considering that the PS2 had a total life span of 13 years, running about until the PS3’s middle of life, this estimate makes complete sense. Eleven years total for the PS4 life span tracks with this.
“The PS4 community will continue to be incredibly important to us for three or four years,” Ryan said. “Many will transition to PS5, we hope if we do our job well, but tens of millions will still be engaged with the PS4.”
All of this is great news for PlayStation 4 owners, even those who plan to upgrade to a PS5. At least they will know no matter what they choose to do and when, they can still count on support for their PS4 games.


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When Sasa Sestic first introduced carbonic maceration (CM) to the global coffee community on the 2015 World Barista Championship (WBC) stage, the industry saw the value the new processing method could offer in terms of taste and coffee quality.
CM sees farmers ferment coffee in a controlled setting, allowing them to bring out complex flavours and ensure greater consistency. Read more
There’s an unusual scene in the large Chinese cities of Shanghai, Chongqing, Beijing, and Guangzhou. Rather than occupying stores selling Sinkiang Black Beer, green tea, or pearl milk tea, city goers are flooding coffee shops for a daily caffeine hit.
“Coffee drinking in China is a fashion, not a habit,” says Shirley Liu, Yunnan Volcafe General Manager. “Five years ago, you wouldn’t have seen any coffee shops in the city. Now they’re everywhere.”
Winning the coveted Cup of Excellence (COE) competition is like winning an Oscar at the Academy Awards. Just as the esteemed movie awards celebrate the best in cinematic production, each year the COE commends hundreds of farmers who submit their best coffees for assessment. The coffee with the highest score out of 100 is announced in front of hundreds at an awards ceremony, only without the red carpet arrival and golden statue. In this competition, becoming a champion is the reward.
Ismael Andrade knows this feeling well. On 30 October, his name and farm, Andrade Bros Estate Coffees, comprising Sao Silvestre and Capim Branco farms, was announced as winners of Brazil’s Naturals COE competition with a score of 93.26 for a lot from the Paraíso farm in the Capim Branco Terroir unit.
Every Tuesday, Dirk Sickmueller, General Manager of premier export company Taylor Winch (Coffee) in Nairobi, goes to auction. Rather than a vision of excited bankers yelling out figures and gesticulating wildly like a scene from The Wolf of Wall Street, green bean buyers and local roasters bunker down in a theatre-style auction hall.
The scene appears more subdued thanks to the digital platform the Nairobi Coffee Exchange implemented 20 years back, which only a few months ago had an upgrade to include a web camera and TV screens so that farmers in certain coffee growing regions can watch the bidding action unfold. Prices are displayed on a large digital screen. The numbers fly back and forth, with the final print, or best bid, confirmed or noted to a particular buyer. Read more
October is Eduardo Gurdian’s favourite month of the year. It’s the start of crop season, when weather conditions are optimal for cherry picking, when staff receive a steady income, and the month he expects his first child to be born.
“October will be a good challenge for production volume and sleepless nights,” Eduardo says.
Eduardo is a sixth generation coffee professional. It’s too early to predict if his unborn son will join the family dynasty one day, but Eduardo is working hard to ensure he creates a sustainable legacy for the next generation of Costa Rican producers.Read more
On the day I spoke to Jose Francisco on 8 May, Monte Alegre Coffee was a hive of activity on the first day of harvest. Despite the early mark, conditions were “perfect” – a dry 26°C during the day, 14°C at night, and low 45 per cent moisture.
The cherries were ripe and mature, ready for round one of picking. It’s a process that will go until the end of August.
About 35 per cent is mechanically harvested, and 65 per cent done by hand, a balance of technology and craft to ensure the best cherries are picked.
Brazil’s special climatic conditions are one of the reasons the country has a reputation as one of the biggest coffee producers in the world, and an emerging specialty coffee scene.Read more
Most people travel with a suitcase bursting at the seams with clothes to suit every occasion, but Henrik Rylev of John Burton coffee traders in New Zealand packed his full of soccerballs on a recent trip to Sumatra.
“My colleague Danny Mosca and I took 40 soccerballs with us, kindly donated from his football club. As soon as we saw a child on the streets of Aceh we starting handing them out,” Henrik says. “I’ll always remember arriving at the community of Wonosari (part of the Kokowagayo or more commonly known Wanita Gayo women’s cooperative) and seeing the young kids perform a traditional welcome dance. When we gave them the soccer balls to play with, they were hysterical with excitement.” Read more
There’s a telling line in the 2015 International Coffee Organization (ICO) report on China that says: “It is estimated that China now produces more coffee than Kenya and Tanzania combined, and consumes more than Australia.”
While it may seem that Chinese coffee has suddenly burst into the market, it is actually been brewing for over a century. It’s a story that began in 1892 with a French missionary planting a young coffee seedling in the Yunnan province. The plant thrived with small amounts of coffee grown in the region until 1988 when a joint venture between Nestlé and the Chinese government kick-started commercial production. Read more
Cold drip, ice brew, iced drip, cold brew, kyoto drip, cold extract coffee, Japanese drip, the list goes on. With so many names for these two different brew methods, it’s no wonder there can be confusion about what the difference is, and most importantly, which do I want to drink now? Read more


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Tesla shares fell nearly 3% in early trading Monday after CEO Elon Musk said he would sell about a 10th of his holdings in the electric carmaker based on the results of a poll he conducted on Twitter over the weekend.
Musk, the world’s richest person, tweeted on Saturday that he would offload 10% of his stock if users of the social media network approved the proposal.
The Twitter poll asking Musk’s followers if he should sell stock garnered more than 3.5 million votes, and 57.9% of the people voted “Yes.”
Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock.Do you support this?— Lorde Edge (@elonmusk) November 6, 2021
The sometimes abrasive and unpredictable Musk had previously said he would have to exercise a large number of stock options in the next three months, which would create a big tax bill. Selling some of his stock could free up funds to pay the taxes.
His proposal of selling the stock comes as some Democrats have been pushing for billionaires to pay taxes when the price of the stocks they hold goes up, even if they don’t sell any shares.
It’s a concept called “unrealized gains,” and Musk is sitting on a lot of them with a net worth of roughly $300 billion.
“I only have stock, thus the only way for me to pay taxes personally is to sell stock,” Musk wrote along with his poll. “I was prepared to accept either outcome.”
Last week, Tesla shares hit an all-time intraday high of $1,243.49 per share. It’s the most valuable carmaker in the world with a market capitalization of more than $1 trillion.
Shares fell 2.8% from their open of $1,149.79 to $1,187.49 in morning trading after being down more than 6% right after the bell. They're still up nearly 60% for the year.
Market participants expected speculators would try to front-run his selling. Musk’s stake in Tesla was about 170.5 million shares as of June 30, and a 10% sale would amount to about $21 billion based on Friday’s closing price, according to Reuters calculations.
Including stock options, he owns a 23% stake in the world’s most valuable car company.
In the three months to Nov. 4, company insiders at Tesla sold $259.62 million worth of shares, excluding dispositions of indirectly held shares, according to Refinitiv data.
Musk’s poll follows a proposal by United States Senate Democrats to tax stocks and other tradeable assets of billionaires to help finance President Joe Biden’s social spending plan and fill a loophole that has allowed the rich to defer capital gains taxes indefinitely.
“The last thing you do when offloading a massive exposure is to reveal your hand,” said Chris Weston, head of research at broker Pepperstone in Melbourne.
“The buyers tend to step away when you have an overhang like this, but this is no ordinary story and is Musk’s way of getting back at the proposal to tax the elite with gains on unrealized profits.”
Tesla breached a trillion dollars in market capitalization last month, becoming the fifth U.S. company to join a club that includes Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet.
“The dip isn't going to last too long, because Tesla has had such a phenomenal record of bouncing back from these sort of selloffs,” said David Madden, markets analyst at Equiti Capital in London.
Known for his Twitter banter, announcements and lively interactions with followers, Musk has had his share of run-ins with financial regulators.
The billionaire was fined $20 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for tweeting in 2018 that he was considering taking Tesla private at $420 a share and had secured funding. The SEC also asked him to step down as chairperson.
Investors will keep an eye on any response from the regulators on Musk’s Twitter poll, especially because the regulator had ordered Tesla to vet any material public communications Musk made regarding the electric vehicle maker, following his 2018 tweet.


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EB Games Australia's annual expo is in Sydney's Olympic Park from October 3 to 5. The three-day event (which is scheduled to coincide with the school holidays) hosts game developers and publishers, alongside manufacturers, each claiming their stake a...
The Game Masters exhibition has arrived in Sydney's Powerhouse Museum ahead of its public launch tomorrow, December 13.
Nintendo and Capcom has set the A/NZ release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for March 23.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge for Nintendo Wii U has been unveiled to become the first video game to hit Australian retailers with the R18+ label due to its “high impact bloody violence,” following an announcement by Classification Board director, Les...
Nintendo's latest device finally reaches Aussie shelves with several stores hosting midnight launches.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


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Communications announced it received formal offers from companies to buy stake
in Reliance Infratel.
board of directors of Reliance Communications (RCOM) was informed of the
receipt of formal indicative offers from several interested parties, for the
acquisition of RCOM’s controlling interest in Reliance Infratel, its passive
infrastructure subsidiary, according to a press release from Reliance
The board noted that, based on the indicative offers, completion of such a
transaction would facilitate RCOM’s stated objectives of achieving a
substantial reduction of its overall debt position, and staying well within its
target long term leverage ratios.
board has approved taking the process to the next stage of detailed due diligence,
etc., with a view to completing such a potential transaction at the earliest.
to the press release, this is only a preliminary disclosure, and any such
potential transaction is subject to appropriate due diligence, negotiations,
documentation, approvals, etc.
By TelecomLead.com Team


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ST. PETERSBURG — TPG Capital and its partners in Lenta, the Russian superstore chain, plan to hold a board meeting at the end of the month after a shareholder dispute over management and strategy erupted into violence.
The U.S. private-equity firm and VTB Capital aim to meet with Svoboda, run by August Meyer, Lenta’s largest shareholder, at a board meeting on Sept. 30, Tim Demchenko, head of private equity at VTB Capital, said Wednesday.
If Meyer attends, it “will help us to resolve existing issues and jointly move forward with development,” he said.
Meyer said by text message that he had not received a formal notice about the meeting.
The power struggle between TPG and Meyer led to violence Tuesday when Jan Dunning, a Dutch national supported by TPG and VTB as chief executive officer of Lenta, used private guards to take control of the retailer’s St. Petersburg headquarters. Dunning and his lawyers had been denied access the previous day.
The two sides fought at the door of the office, where windows were broken and at least one combatant used a gas spray on his adversaries, according to video footage broadcast by NTV television.
Meyer, who owns 41 percent of the retailer, sought last month to replace Dunning, who had been in the position about a year, with shareholder Sergei Yushchenko. TPG and VTB Capital, which together own 31 percent of Lenta, did not recognize the appointment.
Lenta was founded in 1993 as a cash-and-carry store with two checkout desks and now owns 37 stores across Russia and is 11 percent owned by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
TPG said the dispute risks delaying plans to open nine stores next year. Meyer said he wants to expand the chain faster than TPG and VTB.
Yushchenko said Wednesday that Dunning had no right to serve as CEO. Yushchenko was named CEO in January 2007, according to the retailer’s web site. He was fired by Lenta’s co-founder the following year and then reinstated.
“Under Russian law, the company can lose its CEO under two circumstances: if he dies or by a court order. I am alive and breathing, and there has been no court order,” he said Tuesday on NTV.
Dunning said on NTV that his leadership “is supported by the majority of the shareholders."


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McLaren Automotive has showcased the McLaren 720S and the five-star awarded McLaren 570S Spider, the first convertible in the McLaren Sports Series at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille. Chantilly brings back the elegance of the 1920s when vehicle manufacturers and fashion houses often joined forces to showcase the future of the motor car and couture. This year the automaker has partnered with Columbian born designer, Haider Ackermann and took part in the Concept-Cars parade with a McLaren 720S finished in Memphis Red. Known for his minimalist approach, Ackermann is an interesting pairing for McLaren, both brands being regarded for their unique aesthetic.
The 720S in Memphis Red in Performance Specification comes with a black, harissa red and carmine interior trim with visible carbon fibre a satin diamond cut wheel finish to complement the 10-spoke super light-weight forged wheels. The brands have chosen a stunning monochrome trouser suit with a twisted off the shoulder detail from the Haider Ackermann Fall Winter 2017 collection, a collection which was awarded enormous praise from the fashion industry.
In addition to the 720S, McLaren presented its newest car in the Sports Series, the 570S Spider. Launched in the UK earlier in the summer, the convertible has already received five-star reviews. The model on display at this year’s Chantilly Arts & Elegance, is a Luxury Edition in Vega Blue, an exclusive launch colour for the Spider. The specification includes a beautiful dark palladium roof, tan nappa leather interior and silver calipers to match the 10-spoke diamond cut wheels.
McLaren Automotive confirmed its partnership with watch specialist, Richard Mille, earlier this year. The Chantilly Arts & Elegance is an opportunity for both brands to celebrate the partnership.
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Technology and IT companies are the most valuable
"Digital giants overtake industry," stated a EY headline. Digital and industrial are not mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, there is a profound change. For the first time, only technology groups are among the six most valuable companies in the world.13 Jul 2018 David Schahinian
The German industry will not like to read about it, but US and Chinese digital companies are currently at the top of the world’s most valuable companies . According to the consultants’ analysis, Apple, Amazon, and the Google parent company, Alphabet, are leading the ranking, followed by Microsoft, Facebook, and Alibaba. The stock market value of these companies has increased by around 500 billion euros in the current year alone. An example shows the ratios. Up to now, Amazon has enjoyed an increase in value of $240 billion in 2018. That’s what the two most valuable German companies, SAP and Siemens, currently value combined. On the world’s top 100 list, they occupy the 58th and 73rd place.
"Digitalization is currently the most important megatrend and European corporations seem to be rather the hunted than the hunters," stated Hubert Barth of EY Germany. Half a year ago, six German companies were still in the top 100. Now, with Bayer in 84th place, there are only three left. European corporations seem to have rarely been able to provide investors with a convincing model for the future, Barth continues.
Back in October 2017, the industry association, Bitkom, announced that the digital industry was for the first time the largest industrial employer in Germany , "ahead of leading industries such as mechanical engineering or automotive engineering." Another development should be given some attention. While German companies with Industry 4.0 competence are a sought-after purchase object, Germans are not as offensive abroad, reports F.A.Z . The number of acquisitions by German companies abroad has been lower than that of foreign companies acquiring German companies for years.
Interested in news about exhibitors, top offers and trends in the industry?
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Consumer Electronics Show 2012, an event where various companies feature their latest software and hardware products, has almost started. Although, scheduled to to run from January 10th to 13th for 4 days, CES 2012 has already begun on 8th Jan. with various announcements, press-events etc. and we’re as excited as you are for the event as you’re 😉
If rumors are to be believed, several new thinner tablets, faster phones, ultra-thin TVs, ultrabooks and much more are going to be unveiled.
The show is an invite-only event. So, if you weren’t on the invited list (like me), here’s a quick guide on how you can keep yourself updated about everything that happens in the upcoming show.
Blogs to Follow
- The Verge (@verge)
- Android Police (@androidpolice)
- CNET (@cnet)
- BGR (@bgr)
- SlashGear (@slashgear)
- Engadget (@engadget)
- Pocket-lint (@pocketlint)
These are some of my favorites with whom I’ll be sticking too with this week.
Robert Scoble a.k.a. ‘Scobleizer’ has made a circle on Google+ with his favorite, hand-picked bloggers who will be covering the event. Add these people in your circle on G+:
Live Webcasts of Keynotes in CES 2012
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
Jan 9 at 6:30pm – http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/ces/default.aspx
What to expect? Windows 8 announcements, tablets etc.
This would be MS’s last keynote and booth at CES, the reason being the misalignment of their product news milestones and the event’s January timing.


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Vanderbilt's "Anchor Down" uniforms aren't legal after all.
During the Commodores' 37-7 loss to Temple, Vanderbilt wore jerseys with the slogan "Anchor Down" on the back nameplates of the jerseys in place of players' names. It's against NCAA rules to have slogans on the backs of jerseys, and Vanderbilt was penalized a timeout per quarter, the punishment for the rule violation.
However, early in the second quarter, Vanderbilt showed referee Ken Williamson an email that purportedly said the jerseys had been approved. After looking at the email, Williamson rescinded the timeout penalty.
The SEC on Friday released a statement that said the uniforms were in fact illegal and the timeouts were rescinded as a result of a "miscommunication."
"A miscommunication resulted in Vanderbilt wearing jerseys during its football game Thursday night that are not permissible under the NCAA uniform regulations," the statement said. "Before production of the jerseys, Vanderbilt sought approval of the jersey design from the NCAA, which included the words 'Anchor Down' on the back panel. The NCAA responded with written approval of the design as presented and Vanderbilt proceeded with the jersey production, assuming the approval was applicable to the slogan as well as the colors and overall design in the submitted layout.
"NCAA football regulations do not permit the use of slogans on jerseys. Vanderbilt was originally penalized for the jerseys during the game and after being shown the written correspondence, the head referee also interpreted the correspondence to mean the slogan had been approved. Vanderbilt has been notified it cannot wear the slogan on its jersey for future games and has agreed to comply."
Earlier this month, South Florida wanted to replace players' names on the backs of its jerseys with "The Team." However, because of the no-slogan rule, those plans were squashed. Service academies are the only schools permitted to wear slogans on their jerseys.
Even if the NCAA permitted Vanderbilt's uniforms to be worn in the future, we're not sure the Commodores would wear them again. Vandy had seven turnovers in the drubbing against a team that was 2-10 last year. It was Temple's first road win against an SEC school since 1938.
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Festive season sequentially lifts November auto retail sales
The festive season boosted India's automobile retail sales by 29.32 per cent in November on a sequential basis, industry data showed on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Dec 8 The festive season boosted India's automobile retail sales by 29.32 per cent in November on a sequential basis, industry data showed on Tuesday.
However, sales remained in the red on a year-on-year basis.
The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations data showed that vehicle registration in November rose to 18,27,990 units from 14,13,549 units sold in October.
Nevertheless, on a YoY basis, November retail sales declined by 19.29 per cent to 18,27,990 units from 22,64,947 units off-take during the like month of last year.
"Automobile industry has seen one of the best recovery rates since unlocking began as November continues to see positive momentum by growing 29.32 per cent on MoM basis," FADA President Vinkesh Gulati said.
"On YoY basis, the negative slide continues with a degrowth of (-) 19.29 per cent."
According to Gulati, the 42-days festive period saw good traction in the current pandemic hit world as overall degrowth of (-) 4.74 per cent was much less than expected.
"While registrations during Navratri were tepid, people came out in good numbers to purchase their dream vehicles during the Dhanteras-Diwali period," Gulati said.
"Tractor segment continued to gallop ahead. The fear of pandemic leading to safer means of travel for the entire family saw good sales in passenger vehicles as it grew in double digits at 13.6 per cent."
On a yearly comparison, passenger vehicles retail sales rose by 4.17 per cent to 2,91,001 units from 2,79,365 units off-take during the like month of last year.
Similarly, tractor sales grew by 8.47 per cent to 49,313 units from 45,462 units sold during November 2019.
In contrast, commercial vehicle sales decreased by (-) 31.22 per cent to 50,113 units from 72,863 units sold during the corresponding month of last year.
Likewise, two-wheeler sales degrew by 21.40 per cent to 14,13,378 units from 17,98,201 units sold during November 2019.
In its near outlook, FADA said: "With festive season now over, heavy rains in certain parts of the country leading to crop damage and pent-up demand almost negligible, demand revival now solely depends on exciting year end schemes. If the supply chain issues in PV segment is controlled, we may see continued growth in December."
"FADA once again cautions 2W OEMs and dealers to keep a check on vehicle inventory as post festivals, demand may remain subdued."


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One in five automotive companies is in danger of collapse, according to European Union vice president Günter Verheugen.
He told a conference in Paris today: “We need a strong, independent, and competitive automotive industry in the European Union.”
Referring to the French government considering supporting its vehicle manufacturers in return for a capital stake, he warned against “privatising profits during the good times, and socialising losses during the bad times.”
Verheugen said he expected restructuring and consolidation and that some overcapacity in existing plants would disappear.
“In the long term, production of all small cars will be transferred from western to eastern Europe,” he said.
Small and medium-sized enterprises would be worst affected, but he added there were many such companies that had enough capital to get through a crisis.
Verheugen said there was room for some help from the European Investment Bank (EIB), and that the development of ‘green’ products would help.
Practically every vehicle manufacturer is already in talks with the EIB, according to the German press agency, dpa.
“We must also watch carefully what the new US president does with the US automotive industry. Washington should not do anything to distort competition or disadvantage European vehicle manufacturers,” added Verheugen.


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A ship built in the Philippines is one of the world’s biggest commercial vessels. A major milestone in Philippine shipbuilding.
CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery, a 20,600 (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) TEU class container vessel built at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, is seen as a historic event for the emerging Philippine shipbuilding industry.
Hanjin Shipyard, the Korean production and designer of the vessel, released a report stating the new vessel is considered as one of the biggest commercial ships in the world today as it measures 400 meters in length overall, 59 meters in width and 33 meters in depth.
The container vessel is able to transport up to 20,950 units of 40 foot shipping container, which, when lined up, would reach 12.5 kilometers long. Its deck is as big as four football fields.
Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction – Philippines (HHIC-Phil Inc.) unveiled the new ship in a Completion Ceremony program held late in January.
The newly-built vessel is the first of three 20,600 TEU class Ultra Large Container ships (ULCS) to be delivered by HHIC-Phil Inc. to French shipping magnate CMA CGM.
Under the technical supervision of classification society Bureau Veritas, HHIC-Phil Inc. successfully carried out the construction of the vessel and the ship was launched in August 2017, and it successfully underwent sea trials in December 2017.
HHIC-Phil Inc. declared, “This newly-built 20,600 TEU vessel proves, among others, the strength and capability of our Subic shipyard to manufacture in a timely manner mega ships of much higher quality tonnage that are now shaping the shipping landscape around the world”.
Recognizing the crucial role of the Philippine labor in the HHIC-Phil’s shipbuilding operations, the Company added, “The dedication of our highly skilled Filipino workers towards excellence is the driving force behind whatever positive things we have achieved amid the global economic challenges”.
In addition to the new Philippine-made container vessel, HHIC-Phil Inc. has exported a total of 113 ocean-going merchant ships worth more than USD6 Billion, catapulting the Philippines among the top five shipbuilding countries in the world.


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Workers make garments at a factory in the Sihanoukville SEZ in Cambodia. Backed by the Chinese and Cambodian governments, the SEZ was developed by Wuxi-based Hodo Group and Cambodia International Investment Development Group in 2007. (Photo provided to China Daily)
With committed efforts of both Chinese and Cambodian governments, the Sihanoukville special economic zone or SEZ along the southwest coast of Cambodia is upgrading itself.
Under the China-pioneered Belt and Road, or B&R, Initiative, the SEZ is recognized as a role model by the local government.
Jointly developed by Wuxi based garment giant Hodo Group and Cambodia International Investment Development Group in 2007, the Sihanoukville SEZ is the first of its kind. It was developed based on an intergovernmental agreement and bilateral coordination mechanism between China and Cambodia.
Covering about 11 square kilometers, the SEZ has attracted 121 companies, including 104 Chinese ones, five Cambodian, and the rest from developed markets such as the United States and Japan.
The companies mainly specialize in industries like textiles, garments, machinery, electronics, leather products and wooden flooring.
According to Chen Jiangang, chairman of the SEZ, the zone will soon be upgraded to exploit opportunities brought by the B&R Initiative and Cambodia's industrial development plan for 2015-25.
More projects will be introduced to form a complete industry chain and enhance the competitiveness of the SEZ. To that end, there will be 300 companies operating in the zone, offering jobs to up to 100,000 workers.
"Our goal is to build it into a role model under the Belt and Road Initiative, which can cater to the demand of the local market and residents," said Chen.
Over the past decade, Hodo has built infrastructure in the SEZ. It has worked with the local customs, commerce and labor departments to work out one-stop administrative service for companies to finish various procedures.
Now, the investment application process, registration, customs clearance, commodity inspection and the issuance of certificate of origin are done at one booth at the local government level, which helps improve companies' efficiency.
According to Chen, Hodo has also set up a labor market in the zone to provide necessary human resource services, especially to those seeking bilingual (Chinese and Cambodian) talents.
"The most important thing is to transform the local residents, who were once farmers, into professional workers. It is about skills and their mindset," he said.
So, Hodo worked with the Wuxi Vocational Institute of Commerce on 11 programs, training up to 25,000 local workers in Cambodia.
Thanks to this SEZ, Sihanoukville province overtook others to register the highest GDP per capita in Cambodia in 2016, which was approximately $1,800.
As Chen explained, the success of the SEZ can be largely attributed to the dedication of both governments.
In a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in October 2016, the two countries signed the China-Cambodia Joint Declaration to continuously carry out the construction of the Sihanoukville SEZ.
In an article for a local newspaper in Cambodia early January, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wrote that the SEZ "stands a symbol of renewed China-Cambodia friendship by delivering real benefits to the people".


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The LockAware Story
It all started when...
We stumbled across a huge problem.
1 in 10 locksmiths online are real.
The New York Times and The Today Show recently revealed that "fake online locksmiths" saturate popular search engines, maps, and even trusted review websites.
"Fake online locksmiths" exploit customers by destroying existing locks and selling new locks, often overcharging by several hundred dollars.
The fake locksmith problem is so severe that it has effectively marginalized many real Locksmiths (small business owners).
Locksmiths and clients needed a safe new way to find each other: LockAware was born.
Our Mission: Make it safe and easy for people to connect with great Locksmiths;
This mission guides our team as we work to build a company and a platform that helps people reliably and safely secure their homes, businesses, and loved ones.
Enhancing the security homes, businesses, and communities is more than our mission, it's our passion!


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Whether developer Glenn Russo will snag a major retailer for his downtown shopping and business project, ala Target, and whether a venture like that can blend with Main Street, remained open questions Monday after Russo spoke for an hour before a city panel.
In May, sources familiar with the project said Russo was close to an agreement with a national, general-merchandize retailer. Since then, the sources, speaking on background, said the retailer has asked Russo to provide evidence that the city was committed to the project.
Russo, granted exclusive rights to develop several square blocks in the heart of downtown, went to the economic development commission Monday evening seeking a vote of support. He didn't get it.
"There's been good dialogue, and he's making progress addressing the committee's concerns, but we're not there yet," Councilman Gerald Daley, chairman of the commission, said after the panel's closed-door session with Russo.
"I'm confident he's talking to some very appealing prospective tenants," Daley said, "but we want to make sure the development integrates well with our existing restaurants and entertainment and retail establishments, and that the visual aesthetics of Main Street are preserved."
Daley said the panel was also was concerned about how Russo would handle parking.
Contact Josh Kovner at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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SAP-sponsored Oxford Economics study shows retailers expect digital Transformation to generate greater revenue and profit
Via SAP SE Newsroom
Jan 10, 2018
WALLDORF: Retailers who have undergone digital transformation predict higher revenue growth and greater profit in the next two years, according to a survey by Oxford Economics and sponsored by SAP SE (NYSE: SAP).
The SAP Digital Transformation Executive Study surveyed 3,171 executives to uncover the opportunities, challenges and trends of digital transformation and found:
- Fifty percent of midsize retail companies and 44 percent of large retail companies expect their revenue be 5 to 10 percent higher next year due to digital transformation.
- More than 50 percent of large and midsize retailers consider speed to market the most important revenue growth driver for the next two years, while investment in digital skills and technology is a priority (48 percent) for the top 100 retailers.
- Some 34 percent of midsize retailers and 27 percent of large retailers named effective management as the organizational attribute leading to successful digital transformation. Some 30 percent of the top 100 retailers credit their digital transformation achievements to up-to-date technology.
- All respondents reported that Big Data/analytics is the technology they most heavily invest in today. In response to questions about investments in machine learning, 25 percent of the retailers expect to invest heavily in the next two years.
“Retailers had a strong holiday season and their investments in Big Data are starting to pay off,” said Lori Mitchell-Keller, global general manager, Consumer Industries, SAP. “As they continue to personalize and enhance the overall consumer experience, it will be important for them to consider new technologies such as machine learning and AI. The key to their success with the ongoing digital transformation is ensuring they take a holistic approach to operating a digital core that puts their customers at the center of their business.”
The Digital Transformation Executive Study retail results will be featured January 14–16, 2018, at the NRF Annual Convention and EXPO in New York. Join the conversation by following SAP on Twitter at @SAP_Retail, visit sap.com/nrf and watch live presentations in SAP’s booth #2523.
Stay up to date with the latest industry developments: sign up to receive TelecomTV's top news and videos plus exclusive subscriber-only content direct to your inbox – including our daily news briefing and weekly wrap.


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Middle school students get a chance to create their own products at iInnovate Day.
When Alex Berndt and Ryan Beck arrived at The Out-of-Door Academy on Dec. 17, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
All they knew was they were going to be asked to invent something.
Berndt, a seventh grader, and Beck, an eighth grader, partnered for the middle school’s iInnovate Day, in which they were given a task to create something in the category they chose with little to no guidance from their teachers.
“In the course of a year, we don’t allow kids a lot of time to follow their passions,” said Julie Bianchi, the head of middle school. “This is one way of having a mini passion project and having them be autonomous in the direction of their work.”
Bianchi said the day sparked students’ motivation and curiosity to see what they’re interested in.
Each group had to brainstorm at least 20 ideas in their category before choosing one and diving into it.
“The first four or five are easy,” Bianchi said. “The next five to seven, they’re still OK. But the last five are really hard. Sometimes those are the best ideas because we don’t always drill deep enough to get to those. So even within a room with the same kind of topic, everybody’s exploring a whole different path and ending up at a different place at the end.”
Then the groups created a product they could later present to ODA leadership in a similar way to the show “Shark Tank,” where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of potential partners, hoping for financial backing.
Berndt and Beck knew they wanted to do something with clothing but weren’t sure exactly what they could do. They wandered the campus waiting for inspiration to strike when they looked at the trees in the back of the campus.
They decided to make jewelry like necklaces and bracelets out of twigs, branches and other outdoor items.
Berndt and Beck wanted to be able to replace the rubber bracelets on their wrists with something more environmentally friendly.
“Our goal is to expand on more natural stuff instead of this stuff that is coming from factories,” Beck said. “If we start selling these, some of our profits will go toward planting more trees, which will make the environment cleaner.”
Beck learned some ideas take multiple tries before they come up with the final product. For example, they had to find the best way to stick the twigs and other natural items together. First they tried tape but decided that wasn’t as environmentally friendly as a tiny dab of glue.
“If you keep going on it, eventually it will keep getting better and better,” Beck said.
Seventh graders Tom Bergerat and Wilkes Borden worked with eighth graders Bella Rojas and Mackey Kamiek to create a TV show, “Tom’s Magical Hat.”
They created a website to look like a streaming service to show a description of each of the show’s 10 episodes. The pilot showed how Tom found a hat and how his adventure began. Another episode had Tom get stuck in the hat with his best friend Moe, and they had to deal with a goblin.
Bergerat loved being able to work in a group and collaborate to figure out ideas for each episode.
In the same classroom, sixth grader Starlla Jackson and eighth grader Jason Luedeke created a jingle for a Charmin commercial.
“We had to write down options, and we were just naming objects that came to our mind,” Jackson said. “We just thought that toilet paper would be a fun one to do.”
Jackson said coming up with the lyrics to the jingle was more challenging than she thought because she wanted them to be catchy and rhyme.
Once they were done filming the jingle, Luedeke created a website for the commercial and edited the video.
Michael Smith, an eighth grader, and Darius Harandi, a sixth grader, used a 3D printer to create a prototype for their mixer that has a timer on it. Their idea was that while people are cooking, the mixer would stir itself when the timer went off.
Smith and Harandi, who love to cook, thought the idea would be a product people could use on a daily basis.
“I felt there’s a lot of cooking things that could be upgraded nowadays,” Smith said.
Working with students in different grades gave students the opportunity to learn how to collaborate and compromise.
Other ideas Smith and Harandi had were an espresso vending machine and a coffee cup with coffee lining for instant coffee.
All the groups looked forward to sharing their final products with ODA leadership and trustees.
“It was great to see the kids presenting new ideas and using the landscape of entrepreneurship to collaboratively develop an idea,” said Teena Humphrey, a member of the ODA Board of Trustees. “It was inspiring. It makes you wonder what you could do as an adult if you followed that outline.”
As students completed tasks, they earned “Bianchi Bucks” for their work. With enough Bianchi Bucks, they were able to purchase items from a miniature store Bianchi set up.


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Host of stars including Duchess of Sussex, Michelle Keegan and Tess Daly prove white IS the new black
White is the new black as a flurry of celebrities wearing the colour at awards ceremonies signal a new winter trend in the high street.
Sales from online fashion retailer Simply Be have soared despite demand for white and ivory outfits normally stagnating at this time of year.
Traditionally the colour is reserved for the hotter summer months, holidays abroad and brides.
The brand said sales of white hued dresses and separates had doubled over this time last year.
White is the new black as a flurry of celebrities including Meghan Markle wearing the colour at awards ceremonies signal a new winter trend in the high street
Sales from online fashion retailer Simply Be have soared despite demand for white and ivory outfits - as worn by Tess Daly - normally stagnating at this time of year
The trend had attracted favour with royal wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who wore a white tuxedo dress during her royal tour of Australia and New Zealand while movie stars Lady Gaga, Margot Robbie, Glenn Close and Elizabeth Moss make it all white on the night at the Los Angeles Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In London Michelle Keegan, Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman, Rochelle Humes, Jacqueline Jossa, Megan McKenna and Lydia Bright were among a stream of celebrities who also looked stunning in white at the National Television Awards.
Nicole Kidman went for an ivory blazer and tapered trousers at her new movie premiere in Australia.
In London Michelle Keegan, Jacqueline Jossa, Megan McKenna and Lydia Bright were among a stream of celebrities who also looked stunning in white at the National Television Awards
Simply Be revealed online searches for white clothes, shoes and boots were up by over a third over the past four weeks in addition to sales rocketing.
Laura MacDonald of Simply Be said: “Winter white is seeing a big trend at the moment, where the colour was once reserved for warmer climates!
“Celebrities at home and in Hollywood have helped drive the trend which has definitely been reflected in our online traffic. We’ve seen a spike in searches and sales for white pieces, including shoes and boots.
“White brings a fresh spin on your winter wardrobe for the new year! Give a nod to the trend with one item like a white shirt, jeans or ankle boots.”
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
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Tokyo Jungle Manga to Appear in Champion Red Magazine
posted on by Ko Ransom
The official blog for Akita Shoten's Champion RED magazine has revealed that its July 19 issue will feature "Tokyo Jungle: ~Chiisaki Shishi-Shinou~" ("Tokyo Jungle: ~Little Lion Heart~"), a manga adaptation of the PlayStation 3 game Tokyo Jungle. Riku Marika drew the "survival romance" title.
Tokyo Jungle was released this month, selling 110,309 copies in its first week.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history


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Following several years of circular debate on the disparity between drug prices in Lithuania and other European countries, the Lithuanian Ministry of Health (MoH) has recently implemented a number of measures intended – as stated – to reduce the cost of medicines to patients.
Foremost among these legislative changes introduced this year is the change to the “price corridor”, which has become even more restrictive. Previously, in the case of drugs for which there were three or more producers present on the market, producers were obliged to price their products at a maximum of 40% above the reference price in order to qualify for reimbursement. Under the new rules, the cut off point has been reduced to 10%; if the price of a drug (for which there are at least 3 producers on the market) is more than 10% higher than the reference price, it is disqualified from reimbursement. Also, instead of the price list for reimbursed drugs being updated once a year, it will now be updated four times per year, thereby allowing faster reductions in prices, as it will be possible to react to reductions in prices in reference markets more quickly.
The changes come in the context of an ongoing national debate about drug prices in Lithuania that has focused on the lower prices in regional markets used for international reference pricing (IRP). In Lithuania, IRP is used in the case of both off-patent and patented pharmaceuticals, and the Lithuanian reference price is set at 95% of the average price of the specific medicine in Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.
Competition Council concludes drug pricing system ‘blocks’ cheaper alternatives
In late 2016, an investigation by Lithuania’s Competition Council found that the existing system of setting prices favoured higher-priced medicines, and effectively blocked the entry of cheaper equivalents. The Lithuanian authorities have been grappling with the problem of how to increase the take-up of cheaper generics in the country in recent years, but the growing amount of money paid out by patients in co-payments indicates that these efforts have largely been unsuccessful, as many patients appear to stubbornly stick with more expensive products. Another factor in this situation is the role of pharmacies – although they are obliged by law to give patients the option of a lower-priced equivalent, if available, and obliged to stock them (or order them within a specified timeframe), it is clear that the government does not consider that they are fulfilling this obligation satisfactorily – hence the recently-introduced “mystery shopper” legislation, under which compliance with these regulations is being assessed and enforced in pharmacies.
A survey by the Lithuanian MoH published in October 2016 concluded that 78.6% of the medicines it examined (842 products) had prices lower than the average for 25 countries in the EU. However, as reiterated on many occasions earlier in the year by representatives of the MoH, the prices of medicines in Lithuania remained predominantly higher than the level defined under IRP (i.e. 95% of the average price in the reference markets).
In this context, at the beginning of this year, president Dalia Grybauskaitė called for drug prices to be reduced, and for greater competition to be introduced into the sector. As might be expected in a central and eastern European country, the spectre of corruption and lobbying is never far away, and the president’s spokeswoman referred to “illegal lobbying” and “corruption” in the reimbursed medicines market, which allegedly prevented any change to the status quo.
The MoH has responded to these calls with a range of measures, including the reduction of the price differential for admission into the reimbursement list for the prices of drugs for which there are at least three producers of equivalents, from 40% to 10% above the IRP-based reference price. Producers were requested to bring the prices of their medicines into line with the new regulations. When the July update of the price list for reimbursed drugs was published – the first following the changes – it was reported that 169 products previously included had been removed from reimbursement, because producers had not reduced their prices sufficiently. The MoH reassured that patients would continue to have access to all medicines previously available, because equivalent versions remain on the market. Patients are expected save around EUR20 million annually thanks to lower co-payments, and the savings for the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund are expected to reach around EUR9 million.
Co-payments for some drugs rose, but fell for many
However, there have been reports in the Lithuanian media of patients paying higher co-payments for some medicines. According to the director of the MoH’s department of pharmacy, Gita Krukeiene, quoted by Lithuanian news portal skrastas.lt, in the case of around 200 medicines, there has been an increase in the co-payment, averaging at EUR1. This is likely to be due to producers not reducing prices sufficiently in line with reductions in reference prices. Krukeine stated that in the case of 650 medicines, there was a significant reduction in the patient co-payment, while there was no change for 1,105.
Since the changes, the MoH has published data to back up its assertion that patient co-payments have come down. It reported that there was an 11.7% reduction in patient co-payments from July 2016 to July 2017, and a reduction in the average co-payment in July 2017 of EUR1 compared with the previous month to, EUR4.7.
Conclusion – bigger changes ahead?
So where do these changes leave the pharmaceutical industry? More frequent re-pricing based on IRP will affect both off-patent and on-patent medicines; price reductions in reference markets will be more quickly reflected in Lithuanian prices than before. On the upside, the savings expected to be achieved as a result of the changes are due to be used – according to the MoH’s statements – for expanding access to expensive originator medicines.
There is also the likelihood of further developments to consider. In its 2016 report, The Competition Council recommended identifying a more effective means of calculating reimbursement prices than international reference pricing, and also recommended using ‘actual prices’ rather than producer-declared prices in calculating reference prices. This would imply that future changes to the pricing system could be more fundamental.
For patients, the reduction in co-payments for a considerable number of medicines is a positive development, and this, together with the recently-approved reduction in the rate of VAT on non-reimbursed prescription medicines (a fairly significant segment of the Lithuanian market) from 21% to 5%, will certainly improve access.
Learn more about our new multi-client study (and download an extract), the International Reference Pricing Guidebook, 2017 Edition, which considers the IRP landscape in Lithuania and a wide selection of other countries.


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Weeklong Promotion Includes Bike Giveaway and a Special Event for Children on Aug. 6
The Summit Lifestyle Center is offering patrons a special weeklong program to help families ring in the new school year. Beginning on Monday, Aug. 2 and lasting until Sunday, Aug. 8, back to school shoppers can earn a $25 gift card to The Summit when they spend a total of $250 across five of The Summit’s stores or restaurants. To redeem the Shoptimum Rewards™ gift card, participants may bring their receipts to Guest Services where they will receive their $25 Shoptimum Reward™. The card can be used anywhere at The Summit as shoppers load up on back to school essentials like clothing, backpacks, shoes, school supplies and more. Receipts must be dated Aug. 2 – 8, but can be redeemed up until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11.
The Shoptimum Rewards™ promotion will also feature a special day for children on Friday, Aug. 6. Lite 106.9 will be broadcasting live from 4 to 6 p.m. near the GAP. There will be prizes, giveaways and activities for children including the Game Vault, a climate controlled mobile gaming theater with multiplayer video game systems such as XBox 360, Wii and Play Station 3. Children can also register to win a 20 inch Dynacraft bicycle at the event. Registration for the bicycle will be available throughout the weekend at DSW and a winner will be drawn on Monday, Aug. 9.
About The Summit Lifestyle Center in Louisville, Ky.
The Summit Lifestyle Center provides the complete shopping experience with a variety of premier shops and restaurants. Located at 4300 Summit Plaza Dr., the shops at The Summit are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Guest Services is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.TheSummitOnline.com/Louisville
About Bayer Properties
Birmingham, Ala.–based Bayer Properties LLC specializes in developing, leasing, managing and marketing mixed-use real estate properties nationwide. Bayer Properties is a pioneer in the development of regional shopping destinations such as The Summit, the company’s signature brand. Bayer Properties currently operates retail and office properties totaling over 5 million square feet. New developments include The Pizitz Building urban revitalization project in Birmingham, Ala., and the mixed-use project, The Summit Fremaux, near New Orleans, in Slidell, La., with retail, residences, office space, medical facilities and a university campus. For more information, visit bayerproperties.com.
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April 12, 2010
Four months after introducing our own feeder vessel at the port of Umm Qasr, we are pleased to announce another major boost for Iraqi trade: the country’s first refrigerated container yard.
The yard now has 150 plugs available and is ready to accept refrigerated cargo. For now, we are only accepting frozen cargo, but services for refrigerated commodities are due to be launched in the near future.
Until now, most refrigerated cargo has moved overland into Iraq through Kuwait, Turkey and Jordan, but the new reefer yard means greater access and flexibility for exporters looking to reach Iraqi markets with perishable goods.
The opening of the Umm Qasr reefer yard is just the latest step in our work to expand and diversify opportunities for seaborne trade in the region. “Iraq is an emerging market that presents many business opportunities,” says Vinod Kunnummal, Commercial Planning Manager for Maersk Line’s Jordan cluster. “Bringing reefers into the country is an important step in further opening up this market.”
The yard was built by the Kuwaiti terminal owner, Global Logistics and Warehouse Co (GLOW), in cooperation with Maersk Line. The terminal itself is fenced and protected by 24-hour security services, ensuring that your cargo is protected while in the terminal.
We are excited about the new reefer terminal at Umm Qasr, and we look forward to further expanding our services in Iraq in the near future.
» See our feeder service to Umm Qasr, Iraq


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Just yesterday, we revealed in an exclusive bit that the speculated R15 Version 3 doesn’t exist for now and what Yamaha is bringing in are just new colour themes on the R15.
Apart from that, Yamaha is also gearing up to launch its FZ and the Fazer brand of bikes with new paint schemes as well. In a recent exposé, the bike forum xbhp.com has published scanned images of upcoming FZ and Fazer bedecked in new livery.
Here are the new colours that we can spot for FZ.
- Black with a hint of Red/Maroon
- Red with a hint of grey
- White with golden
The white/golden combo might be launched as a special edition. For Fazer, there doesn’t appear to be a complete list but we do see a new white and red coloured combo. There would be more new options for sure.
Do not mistake these new colour options of FZ with the version 2 that is being tested in India and will be launched later. It will come with a lot of betterments and a possibility of technical tweaks as well. (Check spyshots & details here)
These new colours may be referred to as the 2014 versions of FZ-S and Fazer and have already reached showrooms. We just await an official press release from the company.
Yamaha had kept a few of these new colored 2014 models at the Auto Expo without explicitly mentioning any details about them. So, this is how Yamaha intends to slug it out against the increased competition in the form of Suzuki Gixxer 155 which is squarely aimed at FZ.


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Copyright © 2016
Microsoft\'s security initiatives and the release of the company\'s \"most secure operating system yet\" still leave a lot to be desired when it comes to security, according to a c|net. The company has failed to squash several serious security bugs that \"put customers in harm\'s way.\" Two major security hole discoveries have left security experts questioning Microsoft\'s ability to fortify it\'s products against hackers. Microsoft itself characterized a recent flaw as \"critical.\"
According to Larry Bickford, he contacted Olympus regarding the new USB SmartMedia Reader drivers for Mac OS X and a representative stared they are working on compatibility issues with OS X version newer than 10.0 but prior to 10.1.2. Olympus is aware of the problem and \"they\'re working on it.\" Earlier today we noted the availability of the new drivers.
Bloomberg.com reports that Apple\'s European sales are \"Good, But No More,\" according to the computer maker. Slightly better sales over the previous holiday season are said to be thanks to strong sales of iBook laptops. Earlier this week, the company unveiled a totally revamped iMac at the MacWorld Expo in a bid to boost sales. Shares of Apple have fallen since the announcement, but analysts attribute this to concern over December sales. \"We didn\'t see the classic spike in sales we usually have for Christmas.\"
According to ZDNet Shopper, Apple\'s new iPod digital music player is the third most popular MP3 player among online buyers. This list represents \"the 50 most popular mp3 & audio products ZDNET users are looking for.\" Many enthusiasts and analysts have been surprised and impressed by the success of the iPod with Apple selling about 125,000 units in the first 60 days of production.
MacNN Reader Tadd Torborg has published a video of his visit to the Apple Store in Rockingham, NH. In the video Mr. Torborg examines Apple\'s latest computer, the new iMac, introduced only days ago. \"I pushed, poked and prodded (and lifted it into the air) to see what it was like.\" The three-minute video is available on his website in both a small and large format.
Ben Spink yesterday released CrushFTP 3.0b23, an update to his $25 Java-based ftp server that adds queue manipulation, better implementation of Java skins, better IRC interopability, and improved security for remote management. [Classic, Carbon]
A federal judge on Friday rejected the proposed multimillion-dollar settlement of the class-action antitrust suits filed against Microsoft.
iBuild v1.1.1 adds a new \"Table\" object that can be used to display and edit lists of data to its multimedia authoring and presentation tool. Freeware, Pro ($30), Developer, and Site licenses are available.
Researchers and staff at USC and UCLA have achieved a milestone for cluster computing and the Macintosh platform, achieving 233 Gigaflops on a Macintosh cluster. Using AppleSeed software, a project begun by UCLA physics researchers in 1998, researchers found no evidence for an intrinsic limit to the size of a Macintosh cluster, indicating that \"Mac clusters have excellent potential scalability.\" The tested environment included 56 dual-processor G4/533s and 20 dual-processor G4/450s connected via a large 100BaseT switch.
Wired News interviews a number of designers and their response to the new iMac design: \"What we can\'t miss here is that Apple combines the different look with a different experience, or a configuration that matters to people -- in this case they\'re saying that this is the perfect \'digital hub.\' The looks here signal that difference.\"
Hemera Technologies has released a new version of The Big Box of Art, providing native support for the OS X operating system. A free OS X updater for existing users is available online as well as a QuickTime-updater for Mac OS 9 users. The Big Box of Art is a unique digital image collection with the high quality and a large variety of images, including Photo-Objects, clip art, illustrations, professional stock photos, Web graphics and more. [updates: OS X; QT]
osx.macnn.com has notes on APC new PowerChute software, Quake II v1.01, Eudora 5.1b18, Olympus SmartMedia reader drivers, and an updated Usenet utility as well as fax, menu, cursor, terminal, and system-monitoring utilities.
PocketDock 2.31 is a maintenance release that updates the skin system and fixes a number of bugs in the shareware ($20) for organizing and launching applications, documents, web links, and email addresses.
Vizspring has released a maintenance update to its font manager application, Typeset v1.01. The $15 shareware is designed to \"view a collection of installed fonts searching for a good font for a particular project or logo. Typeset can also be used to view the contents of a font, or to preview text within a particular font.\" It improves font smoothing under OS X, has faster font displays, and other enhancements.
XMonitor 1.0 is a real-time system and email monitoring application that \"allows you to easily monitor your disk, cpu, ram and network usage, PPP status, IP address, Email and more. \"
Michael Levenston forwarded a note from BBC explaining the discontinuation of its QuickTime live stram: \"The live streaming of BBC World using Apple\'s QuickTime TV has ceased. The streaming of the channel began originally as a trial in conjunction with Apple QuickTime TV and was popular with viewers across the world. Nevertheless, the costs associated with streaming a 24/7 channel, have proven to be unsupportable by our Apple partners. As such, Apple has found it necessary to withdraw BBC World from their QuickTime TV offering of channels...BBC World is however still available, on trial, as a 24/7 stream using Microsoft Windows Media Player at www.windowsmedia.com, clicking on \'News\' and then select the appropriate feed. BBC World will continue to investigate the viability of streaming the channel in a number of formats.\"
Scott Johnson\'s Calendar Builder 1.0 is a $20 application that lets you easily and quickly add activities to a calendar document, which can then be printed for posting on your refrigerator door or school or church bulletin board.
MouseZoom 2.0 is a new Cocoa-based system preference pane which speeds up your mouse cursor movement in OS X.
CDS has posted LCedit+ v2.02, a software update to the LanBox-LC lighting editor software. It adds support for button panels with up to 255 buttons, position locking of fixtures, a new Vari*Lite V2200 fixture library and the ability to copy/paste DMX values of a fixture or group. (The LanBox-LC is a 250 channel DMX-512 lighting controller, with built in sequencers, faders, patchers, etc.)
Deep Sky Technologies has released eTrans 1.0, a 4th Dimension component which provides a simple, consistent interface to online credit card authorization service providers, including AuthorizeNet, E-Xact, FirePay, IonGate, LinkPoint, PlanetPayment, and WorldPay. Licensing is $200 per year with 10 deployements and $1000 for a unlimited license.
three-2-one has updated its $15 shareware ID3 tag editor, ID3X 2.3, which offers speed and compatibility improvements; more batch renaming features; better folder navigation with a Back-Button; and access to the important OSX folders \"Computer\", \"Home\" and \"Music\".
Ben Mackin has updated Cocoa eFax 0.8, his freeware Cocoa-based frontend to the UNIX tool efax, which lets you send and receive faxes. This version now receives faxes as long as the application is open and correctly deletes all the temporary files generated.
SpectorSoft has released Spector 2.0, a utility that \"secretly records everything that happens on your computer: every website visited, every chat conversation, every program, and much more.\" The $70 application periodically takes \"snapshots\" of the screen, allowing authorized users to playback and review computer usage and also records every keystroke typed. [version no. updated]
Jeff Keller has posted an in-depth review of iPhoto, Apple\'s freeware digital photo management/organization utility: \"Apple\'s iPhoto is a very impressive effort, and a great tool for beginning and intermediate digital photographers. It has a few bugs to work out (it crashed once on me, in addition to the other things I mentioned) and I\'d like a few more features, but for version 1.0, it\'s really nice.\"
Emil Hedaya forwarded a note from Olympus Digital Technical Support that noted the release of new OS X drivers for its USB MAUSB-1 SmartMedia reader.
Eridanus has released Baker 1.4, adds speed improvemetns, better picture sharing, and an identity preference to the $30 utility designed to simplify the task of downloading files from and uploading files to Usenet newsgroups.
Phillip De Leon writes: \"After calling Apple (and falling on deaf ears) to inquire how I could order various AC plugs (tips) for the new TiPB power adapter (see attached picture) for overseas electrical connections, I did a bit of investigative work. Looking very closely at the plug (made by Well Shin of China) and a bit of web searching, here is the place where you can order for various countries for a nice clean solution. Finally, the TiPB power adapter will do 100-240V/50-60Hz all you need is the proper plug.\"
Epson has referenced the Power Mac G5 on its Swedish site, stating that its new series of laser printers are compatible with the \"Apple iMac (and the) Apple G3/G4/G5/Cube (O.S 8.1 or later).\" The company was not available to comment on whether the posting is an error, or a slip of confidential information. (check here for new link)
ZDNN has posted a piece detailing the development of accessories made to latch on to Apple\'s new flat-panel iMac. The article states that Macally is already planning keyboards and other accessories, but quotes a Kensington representative as saying \"If we try to track Apple\'s styling too closely, we tend to get burned.\"
An OSOpinion article surmises that Apple\'s recently introduced flat-panel iMac \"lives up to the hype.\" Author Mike Banks Valentine says \"What is stunning is not the adoration at introductory shows, but the fact that sales figures of 6 million iMacs over the last three years fails to impress the press,\" and compares the new iMac\'s hyperbole to the automotive industry.
Reuters reports that a federal judge could rule as early as today on the proposed multi-million dollar settlement of the class action antitrust suits filed against the company. Class action attorneys from California still oppose the settlement, saying that the deal would give Microsoft a \"leg up\" on Apple in the education market.
Now AAPL Stock: 93.99 ( + 0.29 )
Apple to open R&D center in India
A new report says that Apple will be opening a new technology center in Hyderabad, India, helping to boost the city's growing reputation as a tech center. The facility would operate within the WaveRock facility, and create 4,500 new jobs at a cost of around $25 million. In 2015, India surpassed the $1 billion in yearly sales milestone, and Apple has recently received permission to open retail stores in the country under its own control, an exception to rules that usually block foreign ownership. http://zd.net/1SMBVu4
Google killing Picasa starting May 1
Google Photos head Anil Sabharwal confirmed in a blog post today that the search engine giant will be shutting down acquisition Picasa. Support and downloads for the desktop application will terminate on March 15 with the application continuing to work for the time being. The transition to Google Photos truly commences on May 1, with deprecation of some Picasa API calls happening shortly thereafter. Users that have Google Photos access will find their photos already migrated. A mass-download tool for users not wishing to use Google Photos will be available sometime after May 1. http://bit.ly/1SmV2KH
Rogue Amoeba Piezo updated, departing App Store
In order to continue working on audio capture tool Piezo, developer Rogue Amoeba has simultaneously updated the app to version 1.5, and announced that it will pull version 1.2.6 from the Mac App Store. Customers who own the Mac App Store version have a one-time migration process to the Rogue Amoeba-served version. The company notes that the sandboxing restriction placed on Mac App Store versions "effectively stopped our ability to upgrade Piezo in any meaningful way." [8.80MB] http://bit.ly/1PIjz7l
FCC spectrum auction will happen without Google
After throwing its hat in earlier, Google (and associated companies) has declared that it is not participating in this year's FCC spectrum auction. A company spokeswoman said of the auction that "like all those interested in improved connectivity and equitable access, we'll be following the upcoming spectrum auction closely. That said, we have not filed to participate." http://on.recode.net/1oy5LWk
iPad Air 3, iPhone 5se sold Friday after launch?
Reverting the way products are actually released by Apple after an announcement to the way it was a decade ago, reports are circulating that new products revealed at a March announcement will go on sale the Friday immediately following the unveil. Slated to appear at a conjectural Tuesday, March 15 event are a new Apple four-inch phone with more up to date internals currently referred to as the iPhone 5se, and a new iPad Air 3 model with Smart Connector and other enhancements. http://bit.ly/1o7mqiY
Lexmark prevails in toner import appeal
Printer manufacturer Lexmark has won an appeal on the third-party US resale of its printer cartridges originally destined for markets outside North America. The appeals court ruled in a 10-2 vote in favor of Lexmark's demand to stop the sale and against Impression Products, both on the toner cartridge resale matter, as well as a related matter regarding overturning the reseller's refilling one-use cartridges and selling those in the US market. The ruling has ramifications in the tech industry, as well as the pharmaceutical and medical technology markets. Impression Products promises an appeal before the supreme court. http://reut.rs/1SLVmmG
AT&T expands BOGO promo to iPhone 6s
Beginning today, new and existing AT&T customers can purchase a new iPhone 6s and get another one free when adding a second line. Over the weekend, customers must purchase two phones through AT&T Next (one can be an existing number), and add both phones to a qualified plan. AT&T notes that "after three bill cycles or less" the account will start to receive up to $650 spread out over 30 monthly bill credits to offset the cost of the installment plan for the phone. Taxes are due at time of sale. http://soc.att.com/1SLUP4k


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Food adulterators to attract heavy fine, life imprisonment
OT, 0 IST
Okhla Times News Service/Okhla
MAY 12, 2011: People involved in food adulteration will be forced to pay heavy fine and punishment including life imprisonment. For this to happen, the Delhi government is gearing up to enforce the new Food Safety & Standard Act 2006 within next three months as the Rules under the Act have been notified. Delhi Health Minister Dr. A.K. Walia stated that after enforcement of the new Act, adulteration in food items in Delhi will become very difficult as fear of strict punishment will continue to hover the traders intending to adulterate. The Department of PFA is committed to overcome the menace of food adulteration as it is a major health hazard and affects human.
Dr. Walia while giving details of the new act stated that all food business operators will have to get them registered or licensed. “The petty shopkeepers will also have to apply for registration whereas the other business establishment shall have to get license. Under the new Law the punishment has been divided into two categories. In case of sub-standard, misbranded food and in case of misleading advertisement about the food products (not injurious to health), the cases will not go to the court and only fine shall be imposed up to maximum of Rs.10 lakh. Hence, the disposal of cases will be fast,” he said.
In case of un-safe food the punishment will be imprisonment up to 7 years with fine of Rs.10 lakh. In case of death caused due to adulterated food items, the punishment will be 7 years imprisonment and maximum life imprisonment and fine up to Rs.10 lakh. The new act will have a provision of a compensation of injury or death. Under the new changes, the department will be authorized to recall injurious food and punishment will be doubled for subsequent offences. For the petty manufactures, there is provision of compounding of offences.
Dr. Walia further stated that the other penalties are fine up to Rs.2 lakh for selling food not of the nature or substance or quality demanded, up to Rs. 5 lakh for sub-standard, up to Rs.3 lakh for misbranded food, up to Rs.1 lakh for un-hygienic or un-sanitary processing or manufacturing of food.
Dr. Walia added that the Department of PFA has been instructed to continue raids against adulterators. During April, 2011, in all, 264 samples were lifted out of which 40 were found to be adulterated and four to be mis-branded whereas result in respect of 43 samples is still awaited. 32 samples of spices, 31 of milk products, 22 each of pulses, cereals and milk, 18 of edible oil and 17 from eating establishments were lifted. Apart from this 69 samples of miscellaneous of food items were also lifted. The raids were conducted in all parts of the Capital city.
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The Bank of Mexico to introduce CBDC by 2024.
According to the Mexican government and the Bank of Mexico, the country might implement a CBDC by 2024. This digital currency issued by the central bank would presumably be backed by and connected to the value of the Mexican peso. Mexico is one of several nations that are developing CBDCs, along with China, Sweden, and Nigeria.
The Mexican government stated that the Bank of Mexico will launch a CBDC by 2024.
“The Banxico [Bank of Mexico] reports that by 2024, it will have its own digital currency in circulation,” according to the announcement. This decision was taken because CBDCs and related technology are “extremely important as options of great value to advance financial inclusion in the country,” according to the statement.
The Mexican government appears to have based its assessment on a recent video conference address by Bank of Mexico Deputy Governor Jonathan Heath.
Heath stated that the country’s central bank has a timeframe and that “perhaps by the end of 2024 at the very latest, we should have [the CBDC] operating perfectly well.”
Though nothing is known about Mexico’s CBDC, the asset would apparently be backed by and tied to the value of the Mexican peso, and would be managed on a digital ledger.
If the Bank of Mexico successfully implements a CBDC in the future years, it will join a growing number of central banks. Other banks that have established or are in the process of establishing CBDCs include those in China, Nigeria, and Sweden.
Other countries are looking towards CDBCs in the future. Notably, the Bank of England has declared that the UK may introduce its own CBDC by 2030, while India is considering crypto limitations that might pave the way for a digital currency.
The Federal Reserve of the United States is also investigating the possibility of central bank digital currencies, however the government is unlikely to produce such an asset in the near future.


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Digital TV News: Digita
Europe’s top broadcasters to make $11 billion from football
Jun 3, 2021 – According to Digital TV Research, broadcasters' revenues for live football matches in their domestic and UEFA Champions leagues will reach $10.5 billion in the 2021/22 season in the top five European countries.
News categories: Digital TV Research, France, Germany, Italy, Market Research, Spain, UK
CUJO AI reveals North American connected device usage patterns
Jun 2, 2021 – CUJO AI has released its annual device intelligence report. The report explores connected device usage patterns and trends based on data from more than 1 billion devices in the Unites States and Canada.
News categories: CUJO AI, Kimmo Kasslin, Big Data, Canada, Digital TV, Gaming, Smart TV, Smartphone, Tablet, USA, VR
54% of U.S. OTT brands plan to change business models in 2021
Jun 2, 2021 – Applicaster, in its latest OTT industry survey, has found that three-quarters of respondents plan to change their monetization model this year, or are considering making a change.
News categories: Applicaster, Ido Hadari, Devra Prywes, Digital TV, Market Research, OTT, USA
PallyCon offers content protection solution for OTT apps
Jun 1, 2021 – PallyCon has launched an app security service for OTT platforms. A plug-n-play solution, it is dedicated to helping content developers and publishers protect their content from manipulation and theft.
News categories: INKA Entworks, PallyCon, James Sungim Ahn, Govindraj Basatwar, Apps, Content Protection, Digital TV, OTT, Worldwide
Terrestrial broadcast infrastructure revenue stable in Europe
Jun 1, 2021 – Terrestrial broadcast network infrastructure operators in Europe garnered revenues exceeding €2.3 billion for TV and radio transmission in 2020, a stable amount compared to previous years, according to Dataxis.
News categories: Dataxis, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, Market Research, Terrestrial
A divided picture for pay TV subscriptions globally
Jun 1, 2021 – According to Digital TV Research, the top 50 will lose 20 million subscribers over the next five years. However, operators beyond the top 100 will gain subscribers over the same period.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Market Research, Subscribers, Worldwide
ZEASN launches Smart Voice solutions
May 27, 2021 – ZEASN has unveiled its Whale Speaker OS and Whale AI Voice smart voice solutions. Whale Speaker OS is an operating system for smart speakers. Whale AI Voice provides Alexa skills for connected devices.
News categories: ZEASN, Raymond Chung, Colombia, Digital TV, Middleware, Smart Home, Smart TV, Worldwide
HBO Max to be available in Latin America & the Caribbean from June 29th
May 26, 2021 – HBO Max has announced that it will be available in 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean starting on June 29th. HBO Max will offer two subscription plans, starting from US$3 per month.
News categories: HBO Max, Johannes Larcher, Luis Durán, Caribbean, Digital TV, Latin America, OTT
Telefónica selects MediaKind processing for Movistar+ VOD content
May 26, 2021 – MediaKind has been selected by Telefónica to enhance the VOD offerings of Movistar+ in Spain. MediaKind's Aquila On-Demand will provide asset processing for Movistar+’s on-demand OTT and IPTV content.
News categories: MediaKind, Telefónica, Stuart Boorn, Eugenio Lojo, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, Satellite, Spain
- Elliptic Labs to trial presence detection and gestures for Smart TV
- Carbon Trust releases white paper on CO2 impact of streaming
- ZEE5 to launch in the U.S. on June 22
- Vewd offers ATSC 3.0 integration options
- Broadpeak's CDN and Multicast ABR power Megacable's Xview+
- TEGNA selects TVSquared for ad measurement and attribution
- Lünecom deploys IPTV solution from ocilion in Northern Germany
- Gigared chooses Appear to deliver to TVs in Argentina
- Kabelnoord extends service to Samsung and LG TVs with 24i
- First football match broadcast over 5G in Portugal
- HD PLUS operator app available on Samsung Smart TVs in Ghana
- More than 11 million addressable TVs for VIZIO in the U.S.
- Viant ad platform integrates TiVo TV viewership data
- WarnerMedia trials national addressable TV with Comscore
- UK broadcasters launch ad campaign measurement tool
- Síminn creating TV bundles using Red Bee Channel Store
- MetaX launches Smart TV commercialization platform
- Only 20% of streaming subscribers content to stay with providers
- Sky NZ selects Intertrust ExpressPlay DRM cloud service
- Evolution Digital Android TV box selected by TDS Telecom


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Volvo XC40 Recharge Refreshed to Resemble Coupelike C40
Volvo’s compact electric crossover gains sharper front-end styling that brings it in line with its sloped-roof C40 Recharge brother.VOLVO
Volvo has facelifted the XC40 Recharge with a new front bumper and triangular headlights similar to the design found on the C40 Recharge.
The C40 Recharge also adds a new single-motor, front-wheel-drive variant.
Volvo won’t yet divulge the U.S.-market plans for these models, but said that more information will come in the spring.
Volvo is rapidly moving towards an all-electric future, with news emerging earlier this week of five new EVs coming in the next few years, including two wagon-like “activity vehicles” and a sedan. But before those models arrive, Volvo’s first electric vehicle is getting an update, with Volvo announcing today a facelift for the XC40 Recharge that brings its styling in line with the sleeker, coupelike C40 Recharge introduced last year.


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Report: Content spending to spike in '13
Looking ahead to 2013, content is expected to get a second or maybe third glance from brands. That according to a recent Custom Content Council/ContentWise survey, which predicts that branded content spending will increase in the New Year.
The survey notes that over the past two year branded content spending has increased by more than 10% to reach $1.64 million; most (79%) of survey respondents said their companies are moving to branded content either 'moderately' or 'aggressively'.
"The stability of brand content spend in the face of overall marketing budget decline proves the staying power and efficacy of content marketing," said Lori Rosen, Executive Director, Custom Content Council. "This notable growth outcome is motivating brands to outsource at record levels."
More than half of respondents said their company had out-sourced some part of their content creation for 2012. Other interesting findings include:
• 44% spend the bulk of content budgets on personnel while 37% spend it on production (print)
• 57% spend the bulk of content budgets on personnel, 26% on production (electronic)
• Companies spent $371,364 on outsourced content creation (average)
• Spending per company reached $1.725 million (2011-2012)
• 38% say content budgets will increase in 2013
Why branded, customized content? Of those surveyed most said content was used to educate customer, build brand loyalty and upsell/retain existing customers.
One interesting finding: content is being used across channels with slight tweaks for different platforms. Those surveyed said content was being created for print and then re-purposed for online use and social networks.
- Consumer satisfaction with mobile commerce falling
- YouTube wants agencies to learn from their top creators
- Search marketing taking back seat as proving ROI challenging
- Study: Video big influencer for some voters
- Ad Roundup: Partnerships underscore importance of connection
- Study: Digital driving calls to businesses
- Study: Email key for SMB trust
- Studies: Video views increasing
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