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The new edition was launched on August 27, with an initial print run of 82,000 copies.
The Dainik Bhaskar-Jabalpur Group, led by Manmohan Agarwal and Kailash Agarwal, has launched an edition from Aurangabad on August 27. It is to be noted that DB Corp's Marathi daily Divya Marathi debuted from the city in May this year.
The edition has a cover price of Rs 2.50 per copy, and was launched with a pre-booking of approximately 50,000 copies for the Aurangabad city, and 31,000 for upcountry markets.
On an average, the edition will carry 21 pages, including one page of DB Star that will carry youth-related stories. The daily will have three weekly supplements -- Nav Rang on Saturdays, Ras Rang on Sundays, and Madhurima on Wednesdays.
Until now, Aurangabad was being catered to from Akola. To promote the newly-launched edition, the group is carrying out road shows and reader contact programmes.
With Divya Marathi just having entered the city and DB Corp's advertisements being fresh in the minds of people there, the Dainik Bhaskar-Jabalpur Group hopes to cash in on that and take advantage of the group activities in the same city. "It is a synergy for us," says the official.
The Jabalpur edition of Dainik Bhaskar will complete its 25 years at the end of August 2011. To celebrate its silver jubilee, the group is organising Bhaskar Rajat Jayanti Utsav, a reader connect programme that will inculcate various sports, cooking workshops, cultural fest, rock band show, group dance competition, folk dance competition, fashion shows, and a Garba Mahotsava.


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As we say farewell to 2020 there are plenty of positives to take from this year of change and challenges. Magnus Geverts at Calabrio sums up the lessons learned and reveals his top 3 predictions for 2021.
We’re constantly being told that customer attention spans are getting shorter, thanks to technology. But is this a myth”
Large businesses in the UK make up just 0.1% of the overall business landscape but equate to 48% of turnover illustrating their market dominance and the challenge at hand for smaller businesses to face. So, in a world of Amazon, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis, is there room for SMEs anymore The answer is yes, and SMEs can use their more personable qualites to drive sales through a quality customer care experience.
Is there a way to compete with online retail giants” According to Stephen Ball, most certainly if you invest your all in customer service.
Are consumers suffering from event shopping fatigue Dare’s Roz Thomas believes so. Here’s why sales aren’t always the solution.
Amidst a backdrop of high street closures, physical stores must offer a customer experience that cannot be replicated online.
Share Share via Pinterest LinkedIn Copy Link Share Share via Pinterest LinkedIn Copy Link The growth of this role in today’s corporate hierarchy is not surprising. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit, 59% of bosses see turnover increase faster when they prioritise investment in the customer experience. Earlier this year, PwC announced the appointment of […]
These days, consumers arrive from an array of digital channels, but, more often than not, there is a moment when human interaction is necessary especially when something goes wrong.
We regularly hear that people aren?t loyal to businesses anymore. Not to airlines, bank accounts and least of all to supermarkets. The facts, however, point to a very different story.
Emotional intelligence is a vital element to understanding customer needs. Colin Hay, VP sales at Puzzel, explains how contact centres that blend technology with the human touch will reap rewards in the digital age.
I recently decided to move house, bracing myself for one of the big three stress scenarios, right up there with bereavement and divorce. What awaited me was a poor customer experience unnecessary automation and the unwillingness of staff to listen.
As a society, we ve become very good at making stuff. So good, in fact, that we re in danger of running out of the materials to make more.

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Restaurant wage growth in Northwest Arkansas better than U.S. average
Year-over-year wage growth for restaurant workers in Northwest Arkansas rose by 5.6% in October — up from 4.2% in September, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report.
- That's down from a peak of 39% in November 2018.
- The data comes by way of Square's new third-quarter restaurant industry report and includes base wages, tips and overtime.
The big picture: Nationally, restaurant workers' wage growth has slipped considerably since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, falling below even prepandemic rates.
- Restaurant workers' wages grew 4.9% year over year nationwide in October 2023.
- That's slowed from peak growth of 10.5% in December 2021, when the average base wage was $12.60 and average hourly earnings were $15.85.
Why it matters: It's a sign that restaurants are no longer quite as desperate for workers as they were late in the pandemic era, when many struggled to replace employees who had left for other industries.
- It's also a reflection of inflation's impact on restaurants and consumers alike.
Driving the news: Restaurant costs are up due in part to inflation, while consumers are often loath to pay higher prices because they're also getting hit with higher costs on basically everything in life.
- Discretionary spending on dining out often goes first when times get a little tougher — and tips may be shrinking, especially amid a growing sense of "tipping fatigue."
🧮 Be smart: Wage growth is best considered alongside inflation — if your wage grows 3% but so does inflation, your wage didn't really grow at all.
- The inflation rate was 3.2% in October 2023. (Of course, everybody experiences inflation differently.)
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Chinese Tencent Enters Russian Internet Service Market
Apr. 13 – Digital Sky Technologies has sold 10 percent of their business to the largest Chinese Internet company Tencent, as reported by a joint press release.
London and Moscow based Internet investment group Digital Sky Technologies (DST) is owned by Russian businessmen Yuri Milner, Grigory Finger and Alisher Usmanov. The company has investments in Mail.ru, Forticom, vKontakte, Odnoklassniki and Astrum Online Entertainment among others. In May 2009 DST bought 1.96 percent of Facebook for US$200 million.
The general director and co-owner of DST, Jury Milner told Russian paper Vedomosti that the Chinese Tencent has paid US$300 million for DST Ltd additional issue.
As a result Tencent has received 10.26 percent in authorized capital of DST Ltd meaning that the Chinese company will get the right to nominate one observer in DST Board of Directors without the right to vote. Russians shareholders will still own more than 75 percent of DST assets. Before the transaction Milner and Finger owned more than 50 percent and Usmanov about 35 percent.
A press release stated that Tencent invested in DST hoping to “earn from Russia’s fast Internet growth, and also … to strengthen the leading position of Digital Sky Technologies, as well as open up new possibilities for the Russian-speaking Internet market”. DST is one of the largest companies on the Russian-speaking Internet market and in the Eastern Europe with an audience that exceeds 300 million people. “We hope to get long-term benefits from this partnership,” Tencent representative Katrin Chan said to Russian media.
Co-owner of DST Yuri Milner confided that this transaction is strategic one for his company both on its business model and on actives structure as Tencent is a close analogue of DST.
The Chinese company owns the game portal QQ and a similar named messenger service and a social network Ozone. According to Tencent data its cumulative monthly audience in 2009 was about 500 million unique users.
“Tencent is a very successful company, which knows how to make profit from Internet services, in particular how to integrate online games with social networks”, said Mr. Milner.
“Taking into consideration that the average Chinese population is poorer than Russia’s, there are something we can learn from Tencent,” he noted. “Besides, the two companies can get the chance to license new games in both Russia and China territories at once,” added Milner.
Milner presumes that funds from this transaction might be pay out for the ICQ purchase. ICQ’s instant-messaging service is the leading IM service in Russia. It has 42 million users globally and Russia accounted for 44 percent of the whole audience with about 18.5 million users a month. DST started the early stages of negotiations to acquire ICQ for between US$200 million and $250 million last December. Tencent was also shown its interest in the AOL owned instant-messaging service. Meanwhile some Russian experts confide that US$300 million for 10 percent of the Russian share of DST strongly overrates estimation.


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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 18. Demand for cars in Uzbekistan in April began to grow rapidly in the primary market,Trend reports via the Uzbek Center for Economic Research and Reforms.
According to CERR, in April 2022, 129,100 vehicles were registered in the country, which is 104 percent more than in April last year (63,300).
In April 2022, 96,900 cars were sold on the secondary market of the country. In March, this indicator amounted to 84,700, in February – 101,000, in January – 85,300 units.
The number of cars purchased in the primary market amounted to 32,100 units, which is an increase of 50.7 percent compared to April 2021 (21,300).


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The Athens, Georgia, restaurant known for coining the phrase “automatic for the people,” is expected to close in the next two to three weeks, the owner said.
Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods has been an Athens institution for more than two decades. Owner Dexter Weaver previously told the Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald and other outlets the economy is responsible for the decline in business.
The famed restaurant is located in a neon green building on East Broad Street just a short walk from downtown Athens. Over the years, the soul food eatery became a fixture for local residents, University of Georgia college students and alumni alike.
“Weaver D’s Fine Foods is announcing that we will be closing the restaurant for good 2-3 weeks from today,” Weaver said in a Monday Facebook post. “The restaurant is for sale along with it’s contents. Come and get your last eat-on here at Weaver D’s, where our food has made us world famous for the last 27 1/2 years! Automatic, Dexter Weaver!”
The James Beard Foundation in 2007 named the restaurant an American Classic.
R.E.M. used Weaver’s signature phrase “automatic for the people” as the title of their 1992 album. Weaver was born in Athens, but grew up in Baltimore, Md., before returning home to create a classic in 1986, according to the Southern Foodways Alliance.


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STAFF REPORT IBD: Hundreds of companies from all over Pakistan have joined hands with the d2w for greener Pakistan. The d2w is a leading brand of Symphony Environmental UK in oxo-biodegradable technology which is providing best solutions to plastic pollution.
The d2w is a granular chemical which not only makes the plastic environment friendly but also decreases its life from hundreds of years to some months after its useful life. d2w additive is added in plastics during preparation in the proportion of only one per cent, which makes plastic degradable as it dissolves with oxygen.
It is worth mentioning here that the government has banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic packaging products in Islamabad and the violators are liable to face penalty. The proper use of biodegradable shopping bags has started in the capital.
This is very encouraging and fortunate that more and more companies are switching to oxo-biodegradable technology everyday which would definitely help keep Pakistan neat, clean and green.
International and local brands, companies, industries and shops in Pakistan have already adopted eco-friendly measures including the use of d2w products.
The manufacturers of plastic products are also standing shoulder-by-shoulder with d2w in eliminating plastic pollution. All these institutions would be remembered for eco-friendly efforts.


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WELCOME TO The THE INTERNET OF THINGS REPORT
Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
Monnit | June 07, 2022
Monnit has unveiled its new ALTA Wireless IoT Gateway, which features a cellular and Ethernet platform for keeping ALTA Wireless Sensor networks connected to the Internet in a variety of situations and remote places.
The cellular engine of the ALTA IoT Gateway supports 4G LTE Category M1 (CAT-M1) and NarrowBand-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) 2 technologies (NB2). Its RJ-45 Ethernet socket offers connectivity backup and allows for local device configuration and troubleshooting. The AL...
IoT Tech news | March 24, 2020
IDC has offered a gloomy analysis of the semiconductor market amid the Covid-19 pandemic, suggesting significant shrinkage compared with the earlier expected minor overall growth.
In its latest report, titled Impact of COVID-19 on the Worldwide Semiconductor Market Forecast, IDC notes that despite the disruption, to human life as well as the international technology supply chain, the report states that there is still a one-in-five chance that the market would bounce back from the contagio...
Microsoft | May 25, 2020
Microsoft Azure IoT platform is currently leading the overall Internet of Things landscape in 26 out of 35 capabilities across Edge IoT, Cloud IoT and Platform Performance categories.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) led in 10 out of 35 capabiliti...
KORE , Everynet | August 31, 2021
KORE, a global leader in Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and worldwide IoT Connectivity-as-a-Service (IoT CaaS), today announced that it is expanding its international partnership with Everynet, the world's largest network operator for national LoRaWAN® networks, into the U.S. at a time when the need to capture and transport small packets of data is growing and use cases for Massive IoT are accelerating.
According to Transforma Insights, by 2025, 358 million Massive IoT...
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TikTok has 3x more daily active users than Snapchat; TikTok Is Worth Between $50 – 75 billion (10 New TikTok Stats In 2023).
RELATED: TikTok valued 11% higher than Facebook; 65% higher than Instagram
The data analysts at Business2Community have compiled 10 revealing TikTok statistics for 2023.
Full 35 stats here: https://www.business2community.com/statistic/best-tiktok-statistics-02665309
New TikTok Statistics For 2023
Below are 10 revealing TikTok stats in 2023, to see the top 35 go to the full story above.
1. TikTok Has Almost 3 Times More Daily Active Users Than Snapchat
TikTok has overtaken Snapchat in the bid for Gen Z’s attention – as of 2023, Snapchat had 375 million daily active users on the app, while TikTok boasts a whopping 1 billion daily active users.
2. TikTok Is Worth Between $50 – 75 billion
As of Q2 2023, TikTok is estimated to be worth between $50bn – 75bn US dollars.
The big question – how much is TikTok actually worth? As TikTok is a private company, it is difficult to say for sure, but estimators put it between $50 – 75 billion.
3. Khabane Lame Is The Most Followed TikTok Creator In The World In 2023
As of Q2 2023, Kabane Lame is the most followed TikTok creator in the world with 155 million followers on the app.
According to Statista, the most popular TikTok creator in the world right now is Khabane Lame with 155.1 million followers, surpassing the previous title holder Charli d’Amelio who now has 150.1 million.
4. TikTok Is Banned In Some Countries
As of Q2 2023, TikTok is fully banned in 3 countries & the app is banned on government devices in 3 countries.
Due to an increasing concern from governments about data collection and cyber attacks, TikTok is coming under scrutiny from a number of governments for its close links with the Chinese governments. So far, that the US currently has a piece of legislation debated in the house of representatives alls are being made to ban the app in the US. The social media app is currently banned in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Government bodies have banned the app on staff devices in the US, Canada, Taiwan and three top EU bodies.
So, the facts are clear – TikTok is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Demonstrating record breaking download numbers and incredible levels of user engagement, it’s time to face the music – or ‘sound’ – and start making TikTok a priority in your marketing strategy.
5. USA Has The Largest TikTok Audience In The World
As of 2022, the USA had 135 million users, the largest of any country.
The US has the largest TikTok audience with over 135 million users.
The second largest is Indonesia with 99.07 million and third is Brazil with 73.58 million.
The UK reported 17,464,020 TikTok users in 2022.
6. Twice As Many TikToks Uploaded Than Instagram Reels Per Month
Data from Q4 2022 reveals there are 2.3x more TikToks uploaded than Instagram reels per month.
TikTok appears to be the more popular format for uploading short video content. The average number of TikTok videos posted per month by an active account is double compared to the amount of Instagram Reels posted per month.
The average active TikTok account posts 22.5 TikToks per month, whereas the average active Instagram account only posts 9.8 Reels per month.
7. 25% Of USA TikTok Users Are Aged 10 To 19
Data from Q1 2023 showed that 25% of TikTok users in the US are aged between 10-19.
TikTok mostly appeals to young people, with 25% of US TikTok users aged between 10-19, and 22.4% of users are aged 20-29. Only 11% of users are aged 50+.
This shows a clear decrease in user percentages as age goes up.
8. 50% Of TikTok Users Have Bought A Product After Watching It On TikTok Live
As of 2021, 1 in 2 TikTok users have bought a product after watching a TikTok live.
Much like watching a shopping network, many users turn to TikTok live for the purpose of shopping. A TikTok study which studied responses from 250 users, shows that 50% of users had bought something after watching it on TikTok live.
9. TikTok Is The 6th Most Popular Platform For Business Marketing
Data from 2022 revealed TikTok to be the 6th most popular platform for business marketing, falling behind Facebook (1st) & Instagram (2nd).
Although no one can deny TikTok’s growing popularity, in 2022, 90% of marketers used Facebook to promote their business, while 79% used Instagram. 18% used TikTok to promote their brand, making it the 6th most popular platform for business marketing.
Here are the leading social media platforms used by marketers to promote their business in 2022, from a survey of 2,897 online marketers:
- Facebook 90%
- Instagram 79%
- LinkedIn 61%
- YouTube 52%
- Twitter 43%
- TikTok 18%
- Snapchat 4%
10. 70% Of Users Like It When A Brand Creates A New Trend On TikTok
A study released in 2021 found that seven in ten TikTok users prefer brands to create new trends & challenges on TikTok.
It is not enough for brands to simply show up on the platform– they must participate in order to win over consumers. According to a study by TikTok, 70% of users enjoy when brands create new trends and challenges for users to participate in.
[Source: TikTok Marketing Science Global Community and Self-Expression Study 2021 conducted by Flamingo]


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One of the cruellest aspects of the cost of living crisis has been the powerlessness of consumers in the face of price rises on some essential goods and services.
In some industries, these price increases have been largely unavoidable. Buffeted by significant increases to energy bills, the result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government was forced to intervene to support customers via the Energy Price Guarantee.
Connectivity has become an essential in modern life. Whether it’s for home working, educating children or keeping in touch with friends and family, a decent internet connection isn’t a nice to have, but a necessity.
For a few years many of the largest broadband providers have employed a dubious practice of increasing prices annually by inflation plus a seemingly arbitrary 3.9 per cent for customers under contract.
But this year, many people have faced hikes of over 14 per cent – which could be more than £100 annually for customers on more expensive packages. A bitter blow for people already struggling with soaring bills across the board.
While most providers offer social tariffs to customers on certain benefits who are struggling financially, awareness and take up of them remains frustratingly low and more should be done to clearly advertise them.
Which? believes firms must cancel these hard to justify increases. We have worked in good faith with providers over the last year to ask for concessions on increases, but most of them have ploughed on regardless – showing incredible indifference to the plight many customers were facing. Many people were left facing an impossible choice between paying much more expensive bills or punitive exit fees if they wanted to switch to a cheaper provider. Either way, they would lose.
Ofcom’s review, launched earlier this year, of these inflation-linked mid-contract price hikes is welcome. But progress has been slow and the probe is expected to drag on into next year – meaning it will not conclude in time to stop the next round of price hikes in April 2024.
While we wait for the result of the Ofcom review, Which? is demanding the regulator looks more urgently at whether the most egregious practices we’ve identified at Virgin Media are in breach of consumer law.
We believe that Virgin Media’s terms for customers are an attempt by the company to have its cake and eat it by applying aggressive above inflation-linked annual mid-contract price increases, while removing the right for affected customers to cancel without substantial exit fees and also maintaining the right to hike bills further at any time. Virgin Media say they refute any allegations of potential law breaking and claim our views on the subject are “one-sided”. They say that their practices are in line with consumer law and Ofcom guidelines.
The terms state that, from April 2024 Virgin Media can increase customer fees by Retail Price Index (RPI) + 3.9 per cent every year, with no ability for customers to exit the contracts if this hike is applied. RPI is typically higher than Consumer Price Index and its use has been discouraged by the Office for National Statistics, which doesn’t use it.
To compound matters, Virgin Media routinely underperforms in our customer satisfaction ratings and Ofcom is already investigating claims the company has made it difficult for customers to cancel their services.
While Which? has asked Ofcom to proceed urgently with an investigation of Virgin Media, this is a shot across the bows of all other UK telecoms providers too – many of which are poised to inflict inflation-busting mid-contract price rises on millions of customers again in April. Such increases would be hard to justify in normal times. In the midst of the worst cost of living crisis in decades, they are unconscionable.
It’s unacceptable for consumers to be signed up to contracts that seem to make it almost impossible for them to know how much they will pay for service – and if it becomes unaffordable, the only escape for many is to pay exorbitant exit fees.
Ofcom’s review of above inflation mid-contract price hikes should bring long-overdue reform to this unfair system, but before that providers should accept that the game is up, and drop any plans to impose these hikes on customers next year.


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Intercard will be among the companies “bringing the future” to the Thailand Amusement and Attraction Parks Expo (TAAPE) in Bangkok this week. Held Sept. 19-21, the Southeast Asian show will be at the Impact Exhibition & Convention Centre.
There will be 560 booths and exhibitors coming in from more than 20 different countries. The St. Louis-based cashless technology provider Intercard will be at Booth #D19. They’ll be showing off all their hardware and software, like The Edge Mobile App Collection.
Learn more at www.intercardinc.com.


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Up coming to the container terminal at Portsmouth Intercontinental Port, just a couple hundred metres from the water’s edge, stands a new hello-tech border management post.
Created around the earlier 18 months at a price of £25m, a value shared by the taxpayer and the port’s operator, Portsmouth city council, the superior-specification facility need to be in its inaugural week of use, handling put up-Brexit checks on imports of animal, plant and forestry merchandise arriving from the EU.
The constructing stands vacant and silent, however, subsequent the government’s choice in April to delay, almost certainly for excellent, the introduction of physical inspections of refreshing meat, fruit, greens and crops from the EU.
The facility was done before the government’s past and significantly-delayed get started day of 1 July for the new border actions.
The government is now functioning on a new working model for imports – owing to be revealed in the autumn and occur into result at the finish of 2023 – following the announcement by the Brexit possibilities minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, at the conclusion of April that all checks and paperwork at the border would be digitised.
The final decision has still left ports these types of as Portsmouth counting the cost and wanting to know what to do with their extraordinary but redundant multimillion-pound white elephants.
The British Ports Affiliation (BPA), a lobby group for the sector, calculates that at least £450m of taxpayers’ revenue has been put in on these now mostly undesired new border regulate services.
This contains the £300m invested on properties at ports, as very well as an believed £250m invested by the govt on setting up 10 inland border facilities, in destinations these as Dover and Holyhead where by there is not area for a checkpoint following to the terminal. These buildings will be complicated to repurpose.
“It is made exclusively for authorities inspections, practically nothing else,” reported Mike Sellers, director of Portsmouth Intercontinental Port.
“The most economical option would be to demolish it. It’s using up two acres of operational land we are not blessed with a lot of land so it’s a large difficulty for us in phrases of operations.”
The port would have acquired revenue from the border regulate submit by levying fees on importers for the merchandise checks. Below the grant fund arrangement agreed with the authorities, Sellers explained the port was currently not able to use the facility for other commercial factors.
Even if this was authorized, it would be time-consuming and pricey to reconfigure for a further use.
Portsmouth, alongside with 40 other ports, gained £200m in funding for the new regulate posts by the government’s port infrastructure fund. On the other hand, this was oversubscribed, top the ports them selves to pay an believed £100m to make up the shortfall.
Portsmouth, the UK’s 2nd-busiest cross-Channel port, utilized for £32m of funding and obtained £17.1m.
It subsequently modified its strategies to lessen the value, but Portsmouth city council took out a personal loan to deal with the £7.8m shortfall.
The chief of the council, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, reported it “has been still left to foot the government’s bill” and is facing personal loan and desire repayments at a time of stretched budgets.
“The most major challenge is the phenomenal charge the council has had to take up,” claimed Vernon-Jackson. “We have no way of recovering the prices and no provide of economical support from the governing administration.”
The port estimates it will price £1m a yr to maintain the facility working, even in a mothballed point out.
Constructed to cope with “high risk” products and solutions this kind of as meat, as properly as vegetation and trees, Portsmouth’s facility has 14 lorry bays, as well as sterile locations and air-lock quarantine zones, designed to avert any cross-contamination between distinctive types of items.
Practically 70 personnel, which include port well being team, vets and port operatives, were predicted to perform at the facility, checking goods 365 days a yr, alongside officers from the government’s Animal and Plant Overall health Company and the Office for Atmosphere, Foodstuff and Rural Affairs. Port overall health officers experienced currently been recruited.
When the Guardian visited on Tuesday, workers ended up laying the closing paving stones outdoors the setting up. Within, the freezers – which would have been utilised to store meat merchandise throughout the checking system – were being remaining examined and managing at a chilly -20C (-4F) degrees.
Stephen Morgan, the Labour MP for Portsmouth South, has composed to Rees-Mogg to specific his worry about the general public income squandered on the construction of border handle services that may not be wanted.
Rees-Mogg mentioned in reaction that the government would be doing work with the port to “identify strategies of minimising this kind of fees, or recouping prices, if possible”.
The Guardian understands that authorities officials frequented Portsmouth’s facility in current times, although ministers are checking out other prospective takes advantage of for the border facilities.
Portsmouth town council is calling on ministers to reimburse it for the first funding shortfall, and give them clarity on whether the border command posts will ever be essential.
When the government announced its U-flip around the introduction of import checks, Rees-Mogg stated it was to avoid placing added charges on British companies and people in the course of a expense of residing disaster.
“The choice to postpone and reshape sanitary and phytosanitary controls is most likely the suitable a person for the freight sector and the economic climate,” reported Richard Ballantyne, the BPA’s main government.
“But from the port operator place of check out this has come two years far too late.”
This short article was amended on 5 July 2022 to explain that an estimated sum of up to £450m of taxpayers’ revenue is thought to have been put in on the new border management services, not £550m as mentioned in an previously version.


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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has stated that it conducted searches at three premises of Coda Payments Pvt Ltd India (gaming top-up platform) as part of a money laundering probe into the fintech firm and Sea Ltd’s Free Fire. The agency raided the coda offices on Tuesday (27 September).
ED Raids Coda Offices in Money Laundering Probe Involving Garena Free Fire
ED has conducted searches in 3 premises pertaining to M/s Coda Payments India Pvt Ltd in connection with an ongoing investigation under PMLA, 2002 against M/s Coda Payments India Pvt. Ltd and ‘Garena Free Fire’ mobile game & freezed bank account balance of Rs. 68.53 Crore.
— ED (@dir_ed) September 27, 2022
The ED described Coda India as a “conduit” for remitting money outside of India and stated that the Indian branch of the company is simply formed to “act as an agent” for its Singapore-based parent company.
The Indian entity is also accused of collecting money from consumers under the pretext of selling digital material, while the actual services were channelled through Coda Singapore. According to the ED, Coda India made no real sales or purchases of digital content. “It is only a conduit to remit funds outside India. Till date the amount collected by CPIPL (Coda India) is INR 2,850 Cr, out of which, INR 2,265 Cr has been remitted outside India after retaining (a) a certain percentage of revenue for the payment of taxes and nominal profits,” the statement added.
Indian Government banned Free Fire back in February 2022 alongside other 53 apps as they were believed to be sending Indian user data to Chinese servers. Singapore eventually intervened, questioning Indian officials about why Free Fire was targeted despite the fact that Sea has its headquarters in the rich city-state, but it remains barred. However, the enhanced version of Garena’s hit battle royale game, Free Fire MAX is still accessible in the Indian region.


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A group of scientists from Tulane University in New Orleans disclosed the shocking discovery through a study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. They tested 60 non-alcoholic beverages from a grocery in the Crescent City that are commercially available across the country. These beverages include single and mixed fruit juices, plant-based milk, sodas and teas.
The study authors used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to generate atomized samples of the beverages, which where then analyzed for heavy metals. Twenty-five heavy metals were found in all 60 beverages sampled. "Mixed fruit juices and plant-based milk frequently contained elevated concentrations of most of the elements," they noted.
The elements found in the drinks include lead, selenium, arsenic, strontium, cadmium, nickel, boron, manganese, aluminum and zinc. According to the researchers, many of the beverage samples they tested contained aluminum and zinc in concentrations beyond the standards for drinking water. Aluminum was especially prominent, surpassing the federal government’s health standards by 40 percent.
Lead study author and Tulane environmental health sciences professor Tewodros Godebo emphasized the study's importance, given that there are few peer-reviewed studies examining the contents of American beverages.
"It was surprising that there aren't a lot of studies out there concerning toxic and essential elements in soft drinks in the U.S.," he said. "This creates awareness that there needs to be more study."
While the health risks of these beverages for adults are most likely low, Godebo said they pose a bigger risk to children. He advised: "People should avoid giving infants and young children mixed-fruit juices or plant-based milks at high volume. Arsenic, lead, and cadmium are known carcinogens and well established to cause internal organ damage and cognitive harm in children especially during early brain development." (Related: Would you drink juice with arsenic and lead? Study shows 50 percent of juices tested contain TOXIC heavy metals.)
Food manufacturers do not intentionally add heavy metals as an ingredient. However, contamination of food and water can occur at any stage of the food web and supply chain – from farming and harvesting of ingredients, processing up to transport to grocery shelves.
According to Godebo, most of the elements he and his team found in the beverages presumably come from contaminated soil. He expounded: "These metals are naturally occurring, so it's hard to get rid of [them] completely."
NaturalHealth365 staff writer Patrick Tims shared Godebo's view. He noted that the prevalence of toxic metals in many beverages can be attributed to several underlying factors.
"Unfortunately, the safety of the soil, fertilizers, and pesticides used by farmers during the cultivation of fruits and plants for these beverages is no longer as assured as it once was. The advent of industrialization and urbanization has introduced toxic heavy metals into farmland, thereby altering the elemental composition of the very fruits and plants utilized in beverage production," Tims wrote.
He continued that metals contaminating beverages weren't just found in the soil. "The manufacturing and packaging processes, as well as the quality of irrigation water and air pollution, serve as additional sources of potential contamination. These stages in the beverage production chain can contribute to the presence of toxic metals, exacerbating the issue and posing a significant concern to consumer health and well-being."
Meanwhile, Godebo said there should be a risk assessment based on the data collected to see the impacts of heavy metal consumption in children and adults. He added: "We are curious to keep exploring what's in our drinks and foods commercially sold to the consumers."
Visit StopEatingPoison.com for more stories about heavy metals in foods and beverages.
Watch this news report about heavy metals found in products from major chocolate brands.
This video is from the MEGA (Make Earth Great Again) channel on Brighteon.com.


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In June, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Sony would unveil both its 4K-ready gaming console and a slimmed down version of the PS4 at Tokyo Game Show (TGS).
Today, French gaming site Gameblog reported that Sony plans on holding an unveiling in New York City on September 7. That report has since been corroborated by VICE Gaming, who claims to have heard it from several unnamed sources close to Sony.
There's room to believe both reports are right, that Sony may hold an event at TGS this year for members of the Asian press, then hold an event in New York City for the North American and European press corps but Sony has yet to officially confirm either date publicly.
The mid-generation console war continues
Sony's upcoming hardware update has been a bit of a mystery ever since news first leaked of its existence. In the months since, we've heard a bit about its purported specs and how the hardware will radically improve PlayStation VR's performance.
But Sony isn't the only one with new hardware on the horizon.
Last week, Microsoft launched its new Xbox One S system that's capable of 4K Blu-ray playback and High Dynamic Range gaming, and had already announced its next system, Project Scorpio, during its keynote at E3 2016.
Nintendo has its own next-gen system, called the Nintendo NX, which its President Tatsumi Kimishima has said will be unveiled in March 2017.
With three new-and-improved systems en route, 2016 is starting to resemble 2006 – the year that Sony launched the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo shipped the Wii – more and more each day.
- Here's a list of the best PS4 games to play while you wait
Sign up to receive daily breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis, deals and more from the world of tech.
Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar's sister site, Tom's Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He's also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he's not using if anyone wants it.


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Jury decision means Apple must pay Qualcomm $31 million
Earlier today, we updated a story to tell you about a ruling made by Judge Gonzalo Curiel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. The judge said that Qualcomm is obligated to pay Apple nearly $1 billion in rebated royalties that it promised to pay Apple as long as the company didn't attack the chip maker in court or to regulators.
But anorther legal decision involving Qualcomm and Apple was announced today. As noted by Reuters, a jury sitting in federal court in San Diego today, awarded Qualcomm the $31 million it was seeking from Apple after finding that the latter infringed on a trio of Qualcomm patents. That works out to $1.41 for each iPhone sold without a license for the Qualcomm technology used inside each device. Despite the award, when you consider the $1 billion that Qualcomm will have to rebate to Apple, the latter ended up approximately $969 million in the black.
The $31 million that was awarded to Qualcomm covers a trio of patents. One allows a phone to connect to the internet as soon as it is booted-up. Another helps conserve the amount of battery power consumed by the graphics processor when in use, and the third covers how traffic flows between the app processor and the modem on a handset. As you might imagine, Qualcomm was happy with the jury's decision while Apple said it was disappointed with it. Apple and Qualcomm still have a number of court battles remaining. For example, next month a trial will start up in San Diego that will deal with billions of dollars in royalties.
Qualcomm could be forced the way it sells chips to phone makers
Qualcomm is also awaiting a couple of key rulings that could change the way chips are sold to smartphone manufacturers in the future. The court battle it had with the FTC earlier this year revealed why many phone manufacturers hate dealing with the chip maker. Qualcomm's "no license, no chips" policy has infuriated these handset vendors because each of them end up paying for the Qualcomm chips used in its phones, and a license that is based on the number of phones each manufacturer ships whether it contains a Qualcomm chip or not. Qualcomm also has been accused of not licensing its standards essential patents in a fair, reasonable and non discriminatory (FRAND) manner. These are patents that cover technology that a device must include in order to meet technical standards.
On March 26th, the International Trade Commission (ITC) is expected to make another important ruling involving Qualcomm. In this case, an ITC judge originally ruled that while Apple had infringed on a Qualcomm patent, it would be against the public interest to give Qualcomm the iPhone sales and import ban in the U.S. that Qualcomm was seeking. But ITC regulations call for a review of that decision by the entire commission, and the result of that review will be announced a week from this coming Tuesday.
Depending on how this all shakes out, Qualcomm could end up with a whole new method of selling chips to smartphone manufacturers. And if it shows remorse and promises to reform, it just might be able to win back Apple's business. From 2011-2015, Qualcomm was the exclusive supplier of modem chips for the iPhone. In 2016 and 2017, Qualcomm and Intel both supplied Apple with this component. Intel was the sole supplier of modem chips for the 2018 iPhone models, and is rumored to be the sole source of 5G modem chips for the 2020 iPhones.


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100 Altair, a US-based AI business, led early funding for Xscape Photonics with a $10 million investment. As part of the investment, Altair’s founder and CEO, James R. Scapa, will be appointed to the startup’s board of directors.
Altair, a computational science and artificial intelligence (AI) firm, has invested $10 million in Xscape Photonics, a business that has created patented photonic chip technology for ultrahigh-bandwidth connections within data centres and high-performance computing (HPC) systems.
Xscape claims to have created a platform that uses photonics to connect multiple computer parts in an ecologically beneficial manner.
According to Xscape, the usage of photonics reduces power consumption and heat output while enhancing the speed and power of communications. Xscape Photonics is led by Columbia University professors and world-leading photonic researchers, including professors Alexander Gaeta, Keren Bergman, and Michal Lipson, as well as Yoshi Okawachi, a Columbia University research scientist, and Vivek Raghunathan, a senior principal engineer who led Intel’s First SiPh Product Ramp.
Gaeta noted, “We are excited to be redesigning the future of computing by developing the most energy-efficient, high-bandwidth, and high-performance photonics technology that can expand sustainably while addressing future demands.”
Altair’s founder and CEO, James R. Scapa, will be named to the startup’s board of directors as part of the investment, and Altair will also be nominated to the board of observers.
Scapa added, “This investment and partnership with some of the world’s top photonics developers will allow us to continue at the forefront of such high-fidelity and sophisticated technologies, helping our clients solve their challenges more effectively as they turn to the next generation of technology.”
Photonics also offers considerable potential for high-speed data transport, which is important for software that aids simulation, HPC, AI, and machine learning, according to the business.


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It’s thirsty? Variety of breweries grows in Brazil
The survey indicates that there are 1,549 establishments of this type in the country. São Paulo leads the total number of breweries, with 340 units
The number of breweries registered in Brazil grew 12% in 2021 compared to the previous year, shows the newest edition of the Anuário da Cerveja, launched yesterday (31) in São Paulo, by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa). The survey indicates that there are 1,549 establishments of this type in the country. In 2020, the first year of publication, there were 1,383 breweries. In relation to 2000, when there were 40 units, the sector’s growth is 3,678%.
In 2021, 200 new establishments were registered, while another 34 canceled the registration. There was, therefore, a real increase of 166 breweries compared to 2020. The deputy executive secretary of Mapa, Mara Papini, highlighted that, “despite the pandemic, the difficulties,” there are reasons to celebrate the numbers and that the ministry has committed to developing the sector.
The Mapa is the body responsible for registering and authorizing the breweries to operate, considering the activity and production line, as well as the technical capacity and hygienic sanitary conditions. All producing, standardizing, bottling, wholesale, exporting and importing establishments must be registered, as well as all beverages produced in the country. The registration certificate is valid for 10 years.
Analysis by region
The South and Southeast regions gather 85.8% of establishments, totaling 1,329. São Paulo, again, leads the total number of breweries, with 340 units. Next is Rio Grande do Sul, with 285, and Santa Catarina, with 195 registered breweries. The states with the highest growth in the number of breweries in 2021 were Rondônia, which now has three breweries, Acre, which went from one to two units, and Piauí, which now has five breweries.
The survey also shows the density of breweries per inhabitants. Santa Catarina has the highest indicator, with one establishment for every 37,633 inhabitants. On a national level, Brazil has one registered brewery for every 137,713 inhabitants.
“Our production chain is extensive, it goes from the field to the glass. [Representa] 2.02% of GDP, a salary mass of BRL 27 billion per year, a generation of taxes of around BRL 25 billion. The sector is resilient, it went through the pandemic well, with occasional mishaps”, pointed out Luiz Nicolaewsky, superintendent of the National Beer Union (Sindicerv). He believes that there is room for growth in the sector. “You have a new generation that demands new products. There’s something that we still haven’t explored much, which is beer tourism”, he proposes.
The yearbook points out that there was an increase of 66 million kilos in the volume exported in relation to the previous year, representing a turnover of more than 131.5 million dollars. South America accounts for 99% of sales, with Paraguay as the main destination, followed by Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
Regarding exports, in 2021, the imported volume totaled more than 18 million kilograms, representing 15 million dollars. In the evaluation of Mapa, there is a decrease in the consumption of foreign beers influenced by the increase in the supply of the national product.
Although the Brazilian market is concentrated in three major industries, Ambev, Heineken and Petrópolis, the microbrewery movement stands out. “[O consumidor] seeks differentiated products, which previously had to be imported, but with this brewing movement, these quality products began to be manufactured in Brazil, winning many international awards, including”, reports Glauco Bertoldo, director of the Department of Inspection of Products of Plant Origin. of the Map.
Source: Agência Brasil


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The mass call to support Black-owned businesses has seen a tremendous response from the public over the last year. This large spotlight has both attempted to boost American consumers’ morale and recognize how important Black entrepreneurs are to the economy.
Above all, it’s not just important that we show our support to these businesses through the power of the internet, it’s also crucial that we amplify the Black founders — especially the Black women — behind these brands.
According to the 2019 State Of Women Owned Businesses Report, it found that Black women-owned businesses earned an average revenue of $24,000 per firm vs. women-owned businesses overall that pulled in $142,900 — pointing out that the disparity gap between Black women-owned businesses and all women-owned businesses’ average revenue is the largest out of any minority.
Many Black women founders have established successful brands because of their moving origin stories and impactful brand missions. It is now our job as consumers to utilize our spending power and shift it so that these dedicated founders and inspiring companies can also feel supported.
Check out these seven Black women founders who are behind some of the most moving brands today:
Beatrice Dixon, Founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company
Honey Pot Founder Beatrice Dixon started the world’s first plant-based feminine care line with the help of a $21,000 loan, according to CNN. Today her products are being sold nationwide in over 1,100 Target stores as well as Walmart, Walgreens and CVS. The brand was inspired by Dixon’s desire to create more vaginal health options on the market that actually work for women and in turn she developed a line of trusted products women swear by today.
Though the road to success wasn’t smooth, Dixon made the most of it. What she hoped would be a viral Target ad highlighting her entrepreneurial journey as a Black woman turned into a media nightmare, but Dixon seemed to be ahead of the curve as this occurred right before the summer’s nationwide protests and calls to support Black-owned businesses.
Just as she shared in her Target ad, “The reason why it’s so important for Honey Pot to do well is so the next Black girl that comes up with a great idea — she can have a better opportunity.”
Trinity Mouzon, Founder of Golde
Golde founder Trinity Mouzon Wofford started her wellness brand alongside her fiancé, Issey Kobori, when she was 23-years-old. According to The Cut, Mouzon’s brand was inspired by her mom, who suffered from an autoimmune disease and found relief after switching to holistic medicine. Frustrated with the lack of accessible holistic care, Mouzon launched a brand that would fill the void in the wellness market and her determination paid off.
Her business goal was to “make the buzzy world of wellness more accessible and fun for the next generation of consumers,” The Cut shares, and she went on to do just that. She became the youngest Black woman ever to launch a business at Sephora as well as the only Black woman to lead a major brand in the wellness space — something she hopes to see change in the near future.
Jewel Gould, Founder of Balanced Women
Balanced Women is a non-profit organization that was founded by entrepreneur Jewel Gould, who aimed to create spaces and initiatives that both encourage women of all types to improve their way of life all while carrying out their various roles.
In the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Gould helmed an initiative called Sister-Sister that was designed to both address Black women’s essential needs in her community, as well as aid in furthering education, tools and resources needed to pour into their aspirational dreams. Balanced Women also collected funding to help support this mission. Additionally, her brand also pledged to roll out follow up programs to help these women stay on the right path to “becoming the best versions of themselves,” its website states.
Brittney Escovedo, Founder of Beyond 8
Brittney Escovedo is the founder and creative mastermind behind experimental event production company, Beyond 8. Escovedo created this company as a means to promote multicultural awareness and inclusivity across the fashion, music, tech, lifestyle and hospitality industries, Forbes shares. By pushing the status quo when it comes to creative boundaries, Escovedo and Beyond 8 created a powerful brand mission to execute authentic and diverse experiences while innovating interactive methods.
Escovedo has worked with the likes of people such as Solange Knowles, Pyer Moss, Nike, Sephora, Gucci, Red Bull, VLONE, Culture Con, Essence Fest, and many more. When asked about the importance of inclusion to Beyond 8, Escovedo stated, “when we start loving humans more, inclusivity naturally occurs.”
Adaire Byerly, Founder of Entertainment Mindframe
Adaire Byerly — founder of Entertainment Mindframe — has used her ambitious company to bridge the gap between mind and power for brands and professionals in the entertainment, media, and fashion industries. Byerly — who’s a licensed practitioner in neuro-linguistic programing and certified in cognitive behavioral therapy techniques — used her level of expertise to break down the miscommunication that occurs between creatives and the companies they work for, according to Bella Magazine.
The study of human nature can seem complicated, but that’s where Byerly and her company Entertainment Mindframe step in. Where we don’t often see Black women leading the way in cognitive sciences, Byerly is carrying the torch that is both optimizing creativity from a scientific standpoint and creating more understanding between businesses and creative professionals so they can better work together.
Farissa Knox, Founder and CEO of RLM Media and WhatRUWearing Productions
Chicago-based author, producer and entrepreneur Farissa Knox is the founder and CEO of RLM Media — an integrated marketing and communications advertising agency — and WhatRUWearing (WRUW) Productions. Knox has become known as a visionary creative executive, storyteller and tastemaker in her line of work where she works to create change amongst social narratives and champion authenticity.
Knox has worked in the entertainment industry as an accomplished director and executive producer, and has made on-air appearances across NBC Chicago, Amazon Prime, and more. She’s also lead a reality show called PRGirl — currently in its second season — which showcases the behind the scenes action of the lifestyle, fashion, and beauty sectors in public relations. Between writing, designing, speaking, and creative development, Farissa draws inspiration from reality to breathe life into new stories yet to be told.
Love Malone, Founder/ CEO of Gradient Group
Love Malone is the founder and CEO of The Gradient Group — a premier staffing platform that works to connect creative talent with worthy roles in various industries. Malone’s mission for her company is to overall drive inclusivity for minorities in the creative world and offer them access to more opportunities. To continue her business’ mission, Malone aims to work with companies who are looking to hire, promote and build leadership that believes in equity.
What’s unique about Malone’s company is the inspiration for it — which came from online dating sites. “The increase of people dating outside of the typical parameters allowed more people to discover each other,” she told The Noun Project, which ultimately led to her creating a business model that reflected this notion. Her goal was to diversify options for creative minorities and The Gradient Group operates as a solution to solve that existing problem.


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SidAlpha, game critic and ruffler of industry feathers as he calls himself, has reported on a serious glitch that plagues Steam, allowing for free downloading of several indie games and consequently tanking their Trading Card values.
The games in question are indie offerings such as Glare1More and Fantasya Final Definitiva Remake, although quite a few more games seem to be affected.
It turns out that Glare1More could've been downloaded by anyone if they found it via Steamdb.info, and this information quickly found its way online.
The method was quickly posted on Steamgifts.com, from where Glare1More and quite a few others ended up being downloaded like crazy.
In fact, Glare1More ended up trending on SteamDB, which was unfortunately only due to the exploit. SidAlpha says that the sheer volume of Trading Cards being obtained and converted to Gems ended up tanking the value.
A post on Steam alerted the developer Kurenaibook to this issue, as well as the fact that adding Glare1More doesn't add +1 to the game count.
Kurenaibook explained that the version that this exploit installed is the license for internet cafes and networks, hence the missing +1 counter, and kindly asked that those who downloaded it for free at least leave a review.
CleanwaterSoft's game Fantasya Final Definitiva Remake was activated more than 175,000 times on Steam, all illegally, despite only the first chapter being free. The rest of the chapters, or books as dev calls them, should've been paid content, but there you have it.
For the sake of not perpetuating the situation, we won't be listing other games affected for this bug, but you've enough info to find it for yourself.
This is hardly the first time indie games were wronged by Steam, and the latest one that comes to mind is when the platform's algorithms back in October 2018. And we're not sure this is helping Steam's case against the Epic Games Store.


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UK business confidence recedes as European and Global optimism remains buoyant
- Q3 global business optimism stands at net 49% - a slight (2pp) drop from previous quarter’s record high
- UK business optimism falls to its lowest measure since Q1 2013, down to 9%; whilst optimism remains strong across the EU and eurozone (net 47% and 57% respectively)
New figures from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) show a growing divergence in business optimism between UK firms and those of EU and other major economies around the world. Whereas business confidence in the eurozone remains high, growing uncertainty has hit UK business optimism hard. The data is revealed as negotiations around Brexit have become increasingly protracted and the UK seeks to extend its timetable for exiting the European Union (EU) via a transitional deal.
Globally, the overall position for business optimism remains relatively high at +49% in Q3 of 2017. This is down 2pp on Q2’s record high, and follows five consecutive quarterly increases in business sentiment globally. The outlook for businesses in the eurozone continues to be positive. Optimism stands at net 57%, just down from 58% in Q2, which was the highest IBR figure ever recorded for the region and comes as GDP growth in the region hit its fastest pace since 2011 in Q3.
Figures for the UK’s business confidence come in stark contrast to their continental counterparts. Optimism among businesses leaders in the UK stands at its lowest since Q1 2013, with a 13pp fall to 9%. Despite this continued deterioration, expectations for revenue remain buoyant (up 3pp to 52%) and businesses are also confident that selling prices for their goods and services can rise in the next 12 months (up from 32% in Q2 to 45%). Alongside export expectations at a near two-year high of 23%, many underlying indicators reported by UK businesses remain strong. Moreover, positive GDP growth and the availability of funding in the capital and private equity markets remain solid features of the economy.
Robert Hannah, chief operating officer at Grant Thornton UK LLP, comments: “Whilst the eurozone is starting to motor ahead, businesses in the UK are feeling somewhat hamstrung at the moment. The number of ‘unknowns’ still surrounding our future relationship with the EU, coupled with inflationary and import cost pressures beginning to materially bite into profitability, are rattling UK business confidence.
“Policy makers have given rise to an unsettled period for business leaders in the UK, as Brexit negotiations are moving slowly and have become protracted. The result is that confidence has dipped while businesses are stuck in a period of ‘wait and see’. Fundamentally, however, British businesses report that they are in good shape, with companies upbeat on revenues and export expectations. Once policy makers show their hand and can give a better sense of the trading environment ahead, businesses are well positioned for growth. The question for the UK economy is: How long will they have to wait?”
The IBR figures come as the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has confirmed its intention to raise interest rates for the first time in over 10 years, to 0.5%.
Robert Hannah continued: “The long-anticipated interest rate rise offers businesses a degree of certainty over their borrowing costs and investments in the near term. Whilst the modest rate increase in and of itself is unlikely to prove inhibitive for businesses and may actually spur investment as firms look to get ahead of future rate rises, they’ll be reading the Bank’s cautious outlook on weaker economic growth and higher inflation with interest. This could further erode business confidence in the months to come, particularly if clarity on Brexit proceedings doesn’t come soon.
“What businesses need most is a more tangible indication from the Government as to where Brexit negotiations are headed. As this is unlikely to materialise in the near term, businesses should be making preparations for Brexit, including a ‘no-deal Brexit’ scenario, and building positive contingencies within that to mitigate risks and identify opportunities. A focus on their export strategies, talent retention and attraction initiatives, and operational / supply chain exposures is a prudent place to start with planning. Those businesses taking more proactive steps in gearing themselves up for a post-Brexit UK economy undoubtedly stand to gain the most on Day 1 Brexit, whatever that may look like.”


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The automotive industry is faced with dealers who need to be more profitable and consumers who are in search of affordable transportation. Additionally, there have been advancements in technology making autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles more common, but not yet widely utilized. This creates an opportunity to utilize advancements to innovate, benefiting consumers and dealers. Cox Automotive argues that while there is uncertainty regarding what changes will be made in the future, if entities do not plan for change they will never be able to catch up. Subscription services are now being offered by some automotive manufacturers and rideshares are also being used extensively. Both of these innovations in the industry present a new need for fleet vehicle management.
Cox Automotive has launched a new division, Cox Automotive Mobility, that will provide end-to- end services that can be brought to the car or offered at a facility. Cox Automotive recently opened Pivet, a facility that provides these end-to-end solutions to simplify fleet operation and maximize uptime for vehicles. In the coming years, cars are expected to drive five to eight times more than an average vehicle so maintenance will become paramount to keep cars safe and in top condition. Innovations and technological advancements present new opportunities to address service gaps and expand possibilities for companies and consumers in the New Georgia Economy.
To learn more about Pivet click here. To learn more about the Georgia Chamber’s Policy Committees, contact Daniela Perry at email@example.com.


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Harsh Winter Sends Produce Prices Higher
But beef and milk prices remain stable despite freeze
You can thank this year's headstrong winter for the extra money you're paying at the grocery store.
The freezes and floods that began earlier than normal show no sign of letting up in key food-producing regions, and the effect is becoming evident at the produce rack.
Almost overnight, wholesale prices are shooting up 30 percent on some seasonally sensitive items. Peppers, okra, and squash have been hardest hit. As much as 80 percent of these crops was wiped out in the recent chill in south Florida.
Shoppers are also shelling out more for tomatoes, corn, lettuce, and strawberries. Prices for orange juice futures jumped earlier this week with the release of reports detailing the damage to Florida's citrus crop. Some $70 million to $300 million worth of the citrus crop was ruined.
The higher prices aren't going unnoticed by consumers. "They say, 'what? Broccoli is up up a dollar a bunch from the day before? Whoa!,'" says Mike Mulier, operator of Mulier's Market just outside Detroit.
Mr. Mulier's grandfather built the grocery store 60 years ago, and the family still prides itself on selling only fresh meats and vegetables that arrive each day.
"A 28-pound crate of green beans now costs $37.50. The day before it was $27.50," says Mulier. "I think when they see the higher prices, what they do is pass on the vegetables. Then they go to a competitor and realize it's not just us that has higher prices."
While the short-term price increases hurt, families shouldn't feel the effect on their food budgets too long.
"I think the bottom line on fresh vegetable prices is that we know we're going to have some higher prices, and possibly some short supplies on some of them," says Annette Clauson, an economist with the US Department of Agriculture. "But it's not something that will affect the overall CPI to any effect." The Consumer Price Index is the government's gauge of consumer prices on a wide range of items.
Ms. Clauson isn't worried about long-term prices because plenty of products are available on commodity markets. In many cases, prices of basic staples are going down. Gary Veinberg, a retail food-chain analyst for Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York, agrees.
"If Florida orange juice goes up, you can get it from Brazil," he says. "There is a lot of product in the world."
Despite Florida's misfortunes, citrus prices should remain stable since a bumper crop was hanging in orchards before the freeze. The portion of the crop that survived is at least equal to that of last year. Moreover, citrus crops in Arizona and Texas are flourishing.
In the short term, however, the weather continues to wreak havoc.
In the Northwest and California, the wettest season in history is making fields soggy, and keeping farmers from harvesting crops like cauliflower. In Florida, as the state requests disaster aid for January losses, as many as 20,000 migrant workers are without work.
Growers are also bitter about the effects of the freeze and the government's lack of help in predicting it. For the first time in 40 years, the National Weather Service did not provide agricultural weather forecasts. Congress axed the program to save $3 million in federal dollars.
The program used to give farmers advance notice of imminent freezes and provide hour-by-hour temperatures. Growers say they could have saved much of the lost citrus if they had more lead time to set out smudge pots and take other measures.
Across the country, other producers are also hurting. The recent cold snap in the Rocky Mountain West killed tens of thousands of cattle.
"If you want to talk extremes, during the major part of the storm, it was nothing to have an 80-degrees-below-zero wind chill and blowing snow," says Wade Moser, vice president of the Stockmen's Association in Bismarck, N.D.
But the Dakota deep freeze did not affect the big-feed-lot states of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas as badly, so beef prices nationally have remained stable and in some areas have fallen in recent months.
In Nebraska, some dairy farmers claim this is the worst winter in 25 years and are feeding their livestock 40 percent more than normal to help keep the animals warm.
This regional misfortune shouldn't hurt the rest of the country. Milk prices are down 25 percent from last year's highs and are expected to dip even lower.


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Irish people are spending €1.3 billion a year on video streaming subscriptions.
The research carried out by Pure Telecom found that the average adult currently spends €28.26 per month on video streaming subscriptions.
The survey also found 26% of those who pay for streaming subscriptions are sharing their password outside of their household.
28% would be willing to watch ads on their chosen service if it meant they could get the content for free.
It also found 38% have cancelled a video streaming subscription in the last 12 months to cut costs.
The total video streaming spend has increased by more than €330 million since 2021.
Head of Operations at Pure Telecom, Jonathan Long says we're continuing to drift away from more traditional forms of entertainment.
"I think streaming is a big part of many people's lives now, And it's showing there's a big increase in the demand for it.
"The focus is [more] towards a streaming services, and maybe away from conventional TV and other entertainment services."
Irish film director Jim Sheridan, says traditional TV stations need more support in order to survive.
"It's reaching the extinction level.
"First to go [will be] cable TV in the US, then RTE will go, and BBC will go.
"I mean, they won't go so long as they're supported on life support by the Government.
"And probably that needs to happen, just as the Government in Ireland supports Screen Ireland."


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Poco is going to launch its next smartphone Poco X2 on 4th February 2020. The phone will be available on the Flipkart e-commerce site. Flipkart has created a dedicated page for Poco X2.
Poco X2 is going to be much more than just a redefined version of the Redmi K30. The phone is said to be the direct competitor of the recent Realme X2 phone.
Poco X2 Confirmed Specifications & Features
The Flipkart’s dedicated page reveals that the Poco X2 will feature a RealityFlow 120Hz refresh rate display and will support 27W fast charging technology.
The phone will come with an advanced cooling system for consistent performance and lag-free gaming experience.
Talking about the phone’s processor, the company has not revealed anything about it. However, Flipkart’s dedicated page shows the processor’s brand which is Qualcomm Snapdragon. The recent rumours and the lines like “Redefine Power“, “Redefine The Game” on the product’s exclusive page suggest that Poco X2 will be powered by the new Snapdragon 730G gaming processor.
Other details like camera, storage options have been kept secret. According to GSMArena, Poco X2 may include quad-camera setup at the back with a 64MP Sony IMX686 as the primary sensor and a 6.67-inch display.
Poco X2 Price
The phone’s official price is still a mystery. However, the phone is suggested to be priced around Rs 18,999. The phone will be available in various storage options. Stay tuned here to find the upcoming reveals and leaks on the Poco X2 smartphone.


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Snorkel to show 20 products at ConExpo
20 January 2017
Snorkel will show 20 products at ConExpo, March 7-11 in Las Vegas. Among the numerous aerial work platforms, the manufacturer said it will show new units, including a 16-foot version of its TM12E.
The TM16E is a 16-foot, electric-drive version of the TM12E, which will officially launch at The Rental Show 2017.
The TM16E has electric drive for long duty cycles, and includes a 20-inch (0.5m) roll-out extension deck as standard for additional reach. It also features a zero inside turning radius, making it ideal for working in confined spaces.
Snorkel will be displaying all three of its self-propelled telescopic mast lifts at the show, including the TM12, TM12E and TM16E. In addition, Snorkel will show the Snorkel A38E, A46JE and A46JRT articulated booms, four models from the recently launched Snorkel electric slab scissor family and the new Snorkel 660SJ telescopic boom lift that was globally launched at Bauma 2016.
The company will share its 14,400-square-foot exhibit space with sister company, Xtreme Manufacturing, in the Gold Lot at booth G3516.


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I remember when the Sony Aibo was launched way back in 1999. It was the robotic dog that was supposed to revolutionise pet ownership by providing companionship without actually pooing on the floor and needing walkies every few hours.
Although it was very expensive, it was undoubtedly the most exciting robotic dog since Doctor Who’s K9 first hit our screens. Sadly after 16 years it’s time for owners to say their fond farewells to their much loved robotic pets as they go to cyber heaven.
Gizmodo reports that Sony is calling time on Aibo because of a shortage of repairs, meaning that repair work is now left to home-grown technicians who have to take parts from other Aibos – like a sort of robotic donor system.
The New York Times has recorded the plight of current-day Aibo owners in a completely heartbreaking video which you can see below. They interviewed a series of owners, whose Aibos are a central part of their lives, but are slowly having to come to the fact that their dogs, like real dogs, have a life expectancy.
So RIP Aibo. It’s a sobering thought that nothing lasts forever – not even virtual pets.


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U.S. Stocks Rise On Solid China, Japan Data
NEW YORK (AFP) – U.S. stocks Monday moved higher following strong economic data from China and Japan.
About 40 minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 81.89 (0.55 percent) to 15,004.39.
The broad-based S&P 500 added 8.27 (0.50 percent) at 1,663.44, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index tacked on 21.28 (0.58 percent) at 3,681.29.
U.S. investors continued to cautiously await news on the Obama administration’s plans for a military strike on Syria and on the Federal Reserve’s intentions for scaling back its aggressive bond-buying program.
However, markets were cheered by data out of the world’s second- and third-largest economies.
China’s trade surplus grew to a greater-than-expected $28.5 billion in August after exports jumped unexpectedly.
Meanwhile, Japan’s second-quarter economic growth hit 0.9 percent, up from the previous quarter and above the 0.6 percent previously estimated.
Technology giant Apple jumped 1.3 percent ahead of Tuesday’s company event, which is expected to launch new products.
Molex, a manufacturer of electronic components, surged 31.4 percent on news it is being acquired by Koch Industries for $7.2 billion.
Computer maker Dell was trading 0.1 percent higher after activist Carl Icahn indicated he will not offer a counterproposal to the latest buyout offer from a consortium led by founder Michael Dell.
American banking giant JPMorgan Chase rose 0.5 percent after announcing two new board members in the wake of a pair of July board resignations. The move comes as JPMorgan continues to face tough scrutiny from regulators.
Online coupon company Groupon rose 5.4 percent after announcing an acquisition of last-minute travel application Blink for an undisclosed sum.
Athletic-wear company Lululemon Athletica rose 4.3 percent after Citi Research initiated coverage with a “buy” rating. Lululemon offers a differentiated product with a “culture-driven model” that “serves a niche market with few pure-play competitors,” Citi said.
Delta Air Lines rose 6.0 percent ahead of its joining the S&P 500 index after trade Tuesday.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 2.89 percent from 2.94 percent Friday, while the 30-year dropped to 3.83 percent from 3.87 percent. Prices and yields move inversely.


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Flywire, a global payment solution provider, has been selected as a winner in this year’s Fierce Innovation Awards – Healthcare Edition, a peer- reviewed awards program from the publisher of FierceHealthcare. Award winners were announced across five different categories in the 2019 Innovation Report, published yesterday, Thursday, December 5th.
The competition highlights companies that have demonstrated innovative solutions with the greatest potential to save money, engage patients, or revolutionize the industry over the past 12 months. Flywire was recognized in the Financial/Operational Solutions category for its industry-leading responsive billing and payment solution for healthcare.
Flywire’s payment solution for healthcare enables providers to offer flexible payment strategies that responds to each patient’s financial needs to settle payments faster and on mutually beneficial terms. It includes consolidated billing for one balance across multiple accounts, self-service activation capabilities to proactively engage patients before payment becomes an issue, seamless cross-border payment processing and reconciliation, and flexible payment posting and funds allocation. The result is a great patient experience, while making provider operations more efficient.
Finalist applications were reviewed by an exclusive panel of executives from major healthcare companies including Aveus, Change Healthcare, Hackensack Meridian Health, Consuming Health, Aspen Institute Health Innovators, Accenture Health, Proliance Surgeons, Cook Children’s Health Care System, Duncan Regional Hospital, Asprius, and GNSHealthcare. All applications were evaluated based on the following criteria: effectiveness, technical innovation, competitive advantage, financial impact, and true innovation. A full list of judges can be found at https://fiercehealthcareawards.secure-platform.com/a/page/judges
Flywire solves complex payment problems for businesses and institutions globally and locally. The company processes billions in payments per year, connecting entities to make transactions faster, more secure, less expensive, and more transparent. Clients in business, education and healthcare use Flywire’s full-service platform to tailor the payment experience for their customers and to create a single point of visibility and control for payer engagement and receivables management – from invoicing to payment reconciliation. Flywire also supports its clients with end-to-end customer support, including multilingual servicing via phone, email, and chat, as well as around-the-clock online payment tracking.
The company is headquartered in Boston and has offices in Chicago, London and Manchester (UK), Valencia (Spain), Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Cluj (Romania), and Sydney. For more information, visit www.Flywire.com.


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The MHRA will consider the possibility of reclassifying all opioid-based painkillers as prescription-only medicines (POMs) “as necessary”, a spokesperson told C+D last week (March 5).
The medicines regulator was responding to C+D’s question as to whether it would consider reclassifying codeine linctus from a pharmacy (P) medicine to POM, following an increase of enforcement notices placed on pharmacies for the “high purchase numbers of codeine linctus”.
Several regulatory restrictions have already been imposed on over-the-counter (OTC) products containing codeine over the last few years, the MHRA said.
These include recommending the use of OTC painkillers containing codeine and paracetamol, ibuprofen, or aspirin for a maximum of three days.
OTC medicines containing codeine have been limited to 32-tablet pack sizes or less, and they “carry prominent label warnings to highlight the potential for addiction and the fact they contain opioids”, according to the MHRA.
The medicines regulator told C+D it has received “a very small number of queries relating to the OTC status of codeine-containing medicines and is taking these into consideration in its ongoing monitoring of these medicines”.
C+D reported last month that the GPhC had placed conditions on the practice of 38 pharmacies between April 1 last year and January 31, with the majority chastised for “the online, over-the-counter supply of codeine linctus and promethazine-containing medicines”.


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By scanning the brains of adults who played Pokémon as kids, researchers learned that this group of people have a brain region that responds more to the cartoon characters than to other pictures. More importantly, this charming research method has given us new insight into how the brain organizes visual information.
When Google launched its now distinctive digital assistant in 2016, it was already in danger of being an also-ran.
At the time, Amazon had been selling its Echo smart speaker, powered by its Alexa voice assistant, for more than a year. Apple’s Siri was already five years old and familiar to most iPhone users. Google’s main entry in the field up to that point was Google Now, a phone-bound app that took voice commands but didn’t answer back.
Most of the strategy discussions and news coverage in the media & entertainment industry is concerned with the unfolding corporate mega-mergers and the political implications of social media platforms.
These are important conversations, but they’re largely a story of twentieth-century media (and broader society) finally responding to the dominance Web 2.0 companies have achieved.
Facebook wants to make it easier for filmmakers to grow their audiences and for viewers to connect with content creators. To do so, over the coming months, Facebook will change how it ranks videos. It will give more weight to videos based on their originality, intent and viewing durations. In a press release, the company said this will affect how videos are distributed across platforms like News Feed, Facebook Watch and Facebook’s video recommendations.
Traditional advertising is based on a reach and frequency model, which focuses on how many people brands reach and how frequently they can reach them. While the industry has spent decades perfecting this model, it hasn’t stopped to think what that frequency is based on: interruptions!
BRANDING STRATEGY INSIDER


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Benjamin Gillies has a master’s degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University, where he focused on transportation planning. He co-owns a transportation company in Winnipeg.
As more Canadians shop online, the rise in package deliveries has been staggering. In 2012, Canada Post left 153 million parcels on our doorsteps. By 2018, that number had almost doubled to 296 million. Private carriers enjoy a similar trend and, with e-commerce sales projected to increase another 40 per cent in the next five years, the result will be more delivery trucks on the road.
Studies show these vehicles are responsible for between 15 per cent and 35 per cent of urban carbon emissions and traffic. They exacerbate gridlock in unique ways, as a lack of loading-zone space leads drivers to double-park in travel, bike, or bus lanes – causing back-ups and safety concerns. Deliveries are even spreading to sidewalks, with “autonomous bots” (think of machines similar to Star Wars droids) operating in U.S. cities. Starship Technologies has bot trials running in nine states – their services are especially popular for delivering food on university campuses – but FedEx, Amazon and Postmates are all testing prototypes. Moving at 15 kilometres an hour on the sidewalk, these self-driving machines raise issues regarding pedestrian safety and congestion, but few policy makers have begun to consider these effects.
Transportation officials have traditionally given relatively little attention to what delivery trucks need, instead focusing on human commuter requirements. Rather than developing a comprehensive strategy, cities tended to place loading zones in an ad hoc manner when pressed by businesses, so in many neighbourhoods supply does not reflect demand. Research has found it can therefore take delivery drivers up to an hour to find a place to stop, which is why many double-park and accept a ticket as a cost of business. Given today’s skyrocketing growth, however, cities must adopt a more robust, pro-active approach to managing the delivery industry to reduce traffic and improve road safety.
Providing sufficient loading-zone space is the most effective measure municipalities can take to lower delivery congestion, but most do not even know where their zones are. A first step should be to ask delivery companies for drop-off data, identify hotspots such as shopping districts or high-rise towers, and look at where they ticket trucks for double-parking. They can then map existing loading zones to determine where they need to add space to accommodate this demand. They can also consider pilot projects such as the one in Washington that allowed delivery drivers to reserve space in a loading zone using a smartphone application, rather than circling the block.
Many communities prohibit deliveries outside business hours citing noise concerns, but as companies adopt electric vehicles, now is also an opportune time to review these policies. Research shows night-time delivery could cut freight congestion by almost two-thirds in some areas; Peel Region in Ontario found that relaxing off-peak delivery rules reduced gridlock as trucks operated when fewer cars are on the road.
In Europe, delivery companies employ a range of vehicles including small lorries and bicycles. Canadian governments should consider how they can encourage a similar shift. Provinces can modify highway traffic acts to permit electric-assist cargo bikes, which make it easier for drivers to climb hills, while cities can provide space for cargo bike parking and for trucks to distribute packages to bike couriers. As truck size significantly influences intersection design, a shift to smaller vehicles will allow cities to incorporate more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure – such as curb extensions called bump-outs and islands that make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street safely – meant to reduce collisions.
Finally, city officials must manage new technologies. There are many benefits to a shift from large trucks to smaller delivery vehicles, but an army of self-driving bots flooding sidewalks is not acceptable either. While a number of U.S. states have policies in place welcoming these robots, San Francisco has restricted their use. Communities need to determine their own best path, but will need to regulate for speed, safety and privacy. It is better to begin this conversation now, rather than waiting until bots have arrived before addressing these issues.
Canadian cities were not designed for today’s massive delivery demand. From street design, to traffic codes, to space allocation, however, policy makers have a number of tools at their disposal to mitigate its effects. While it has not commanded the same attention as transit, bike lanes, or mixed-use development, better delivery management is a critical component in the rise of vibrant, safe and sustainable urban communities.


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While we've seen a lot of high street businesses fold in recent times thanks to a huge upsurge in online sales, Intel has come up with a way to improve the retail shopping experience in the real world that could mean for a much nicer experience when out looking for a deal.
It debuted a “deal-sending screen,” at this year's National Retail Federation conference in New York, where retailers are able to automatically tap into a user's information in order to tailor deals to them. Maybe you're a man, who's short and slim – like a certain writer I know – so perhaps you're looking for clothes designed to fit a leg that belongs in the Shire? Well Intel's tech could direct you right to it and give you a 10 per cent discount too by sending a coupon to your phone.
The idea is that using cameras that pick up your details as well as cross referencing publicly available information about a shopper, the whole buying experience can be streamlined and personalised to each customer.
There's also talk of bringing the self checkouts seen in supermarkets into retail outlets as well, which should cut down on the lines seen at stores that can sometimes turn people away from purchasing. Bigger selections is also something that stores are going for according to Reuters, with screens in store offering a wider range of products.
Ultimately a lot of the technology being talked about is attempting to emulate the ease of use that we have online.
KitGuru Says: Most people would agree that facial recognition tech is likely to turn people away from stores, but would you guys be happy with a camera checking your build and then sending a discount offer to your smartphone?


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General Motors’ first-quarter net profit rose 19% over the prior year thanks to strong U.S. sales. The firm increased its profit forecast for the entire year in anticipation of continued strong demand for its vehicles.
The Detroit manufacturer increased its revenue from January through March from $1.99 billion to $2.37 billion.
GM earned $2.21 per share, easily surpassing analyst projections of $1.72, after deducting a $900 million charge to pay severance packages to around 5,000 white-collar employees who took buyouts during the quarter.
The quarter’s revenue came in just shy of $40 billion, exceeding expectations of $38.55 billion and increasing by 11% from a year earlier.
Due to the year’s promising start, the business increased its pretax profit projection for 2023 to $11 billion to $13 billion. It used to range between $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion.
General Motors Co. shares increased 2.3% before Tuesday’s market opened.
Paul Jacobson, the chief financial officer, did not expect a recession this year but predicted solid demand through December.
April is still perfect for us, he remarked. Therefore, we are optimistic that we can meet this more excellent instruction.
The buyouts are already paying off for GM, and according to Jacobson, a predicted $1 billion in yearly savings will also benefit the business this year.
Prices held up well despite a slight decline in GM’s average transaction price as sales in the United States, the company’s most lucrative market, increased by about 18% in the quarter.
In the United States, the average cost of a GM vehicle was $50,263, which is $490 less than a year earlier.
“We will have a little bit of a challenge as we lap last year’s pricing increases through this year,” Jacobson said, adding that the new models GM is launching should assist with pricing and demand.
He claimed he doesn’t see any justification for GM to matching the numerous price reductions for electric vehicles announced by industry leader Tesla this year.
He added that the consumer demand for our products appears to be very high, and we feel pleased about our current pricing.
GM anticipates a significant rise in sales this year due to the introduction of several new electric vehicle models.
The business plans to produce 400,000 EVs in North America between 2022 and the first half of 2024. GM sold 20,670 electric vehicles in the first quarter, which was still enough to move it into second place behind Tesla.
Also on Tuesday, GM and Samsung SDI of South Korea announced plans to invest more than $3 billion in a new battery cell manufacturing facility in the United States.
The exact location is uncertain, but the businesses intend to start doing business there in 2026.
The factory, which is anticipated to produce prismatic and cylindrical nickel-rich cells, will be run jointly by GM and Samsung SDI.
The auto sector was compelled to reduce production last year due to a global shortage of computer chips and other parts, which led to price increases as demand remained high.
But manufacturing and the lack of features are beginning to improve. At the end of March, GM had 412,000 vehicles in stock, an increase of 50% over the same period last year.
For the quarter, GM’s pretax profits in North America increased 14% to $3.58 billion. However, its revenue from China dropped by 64% to $83 million.
According to Jacobson, new gasoline and electric vehicles from the corporation are on the way as Chinese sales rebound.


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The first image of Samsung’s new virtual reality headset, the Gear VR, have been leaked online. Gear VR is basically a more comfortable and durable version of Google Cardboard, though with one significant difference....
About The Author
Maria Korolov is editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business. She has been a journalist for more than twenty years and has worked for the Chicago Tribune, Reuters, and Computerworld and has reported from over a dozen countries, including Russia and China.


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Sky Television will allow for standalone season pass options, but it comes with a hefty catch.
A “season pass” to Super Rugby, or the NRL if you would prefer, will cost $299.00.
A monthly fee of $70 is available, or weekly for $29.
Access to the content will be through a website called Fan Pass which is powered by Sky Sport.
Although this option of standalone season passes is what consumers fed up with Sky TV’s high prices have been asking for, the fee for a single season of Super Rugby is surprisingly high.
Add in that this content is online only, it requires high speed internet and reasonably stable connections which in many areas are few in far between, consumers should be still a little skeptical about leaving the monthly $100 for their MySky HDi boxes just yet.
The new service rolls out next week.


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French media giant Canal+ has been given 25 days to make an offer to buy DStv-owner MultiChoice.
Last week, South Africa’s Takeover Regulation Panel (TRP) ruled that Canal+ must make a mandatory offer to buy MultiChoice.
On 5 February 2024, MultiChoice informed shareholders that Canal+ had acquired more MultiChoice shares and that its total interest in the company now amounts to 35.01%.
According to South Africa’s Companies Act, when a company’s total interest in another company reaches 35%, it must make a mandatory offer to buy that company.
Therefore, MultiChoice requested that the TRP make a ruling on whether or not a mandatory offer by Canal+ was required.
On 27 February 2024, the TRP issued a ruling that Canal+ has acquired 35.01% of the voting rights in MultiChoice and accordingly, a mandatory offer has been triggered.
Canal+ is, therefore, required to make the mandatory offer immediately.
In addition, the TRP said publishing the announcement that Canal+’s stake in MultiChoice is now more than 35% without the TRP’s approval was unlawful.
Following the TRP’s decision, Canal+ acknowledged the ruling and said it would respond in due time.
Today, Canal+ said it respects the decision taken by the panel, and will comply with it.
“On this basis, Canal+ confirms that it has applied for and received from the panel an exemption from adhering to the timing requirements,” the company said.
These requirements state that a firm intention announcement be made immediately when a mandatory offer is required to be made in terms of Section 122(1), read with Section 123 of the Companies Act.
The panel, therefore, extended the time period by 25 business days.
Therefore, Canal+ is required to publish a firm intention announcement by no later than Monday, 8 April 2024.
This ruling comes after Canal+ made a voluntary, non-binding offer on 1 February 2024 to buy MultiChoice for R105 per share.
This offer was made before Canal+’s total interest in MultiChoice surpassed the 35% mark.
This offer of R105 per share was a premium of 40% to MultiChoice’s closing share price of R75 on 31 January 2024.
However, MultiChoice rejected this offer, saying R105 per share significantly undervalues the company.
Prior to this offer, Canal+ had been using a ‘creeping takeover’ strategy to acquire a substantial stake in MultiChoice without triggering a mandatory offer.
Over the past 30 months, Canal+ has gradually increased its stake in MultiChoice – from 6.5% in October 2020 to around 30% at the start of this year.
Since MultiChoice first announced Groupe Canal+ was buying a large number of shares – and prior to the offer announcement – the share price has traded relatively flat.
Canal+ was, therefore, able to increase its exposure to MultiChoice without needing to pay a premium on the DStv-owner’s market value.
However, the creeping takeover strategy concluded as soon as Canal+ crossed the 35% ownership threshold.
However, regulatory hurdles may prevent Canal+ from buying MultiChoice outright.
The Electronic Communications Act 36 of 2005 (ECA) puts limitations on foreign control of commercial broadcasting services through strict ownership rules.
- A foreigner may not, whether directly or indirectly, exercise control over a commercial broadcasting licensee.
- Not more than 20% of the directors of a commercial broadcasting licensee may be foreigners.
MultiChoice has previously said its compliance with the ECA is ensured through restrictions in its Memorandum of Incorporation, where voting rights for foreigners collectively are limited to 20%.
The limited voting rights may bypass the ECA foreign ownership restrictions to some point, but a full takeover is a completely different beast and will likely face numerous regulatory hurdles before being approved.