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That’s when Chrome takes a significant step in the direction that hundreds of millions of us already have gone by installing ad blockers. Chrome stops far short of those browser extensions, which typically ban all ads, but the move carries plenty of importance because Google’s browser dominates the web on both personal computers and phones. Chrome is used to view about 56 percent of web pages, according to analytics firm StatCounter.
Chrome’s ad-blocking move is designed to rid the web of sites stuffed to the gills with ads or degraded by obnoxious ads, said Ryan Schoen, Google’s product manager for web platform work at Chrome. There are signs it’s already had an effect: About 42 percent of sites that the company’s warned have dialed back on ads to pass Google’s standards, including the LA Times, Forbes and the Chicago Tribune.
“We want the web to be a place where businesses can thrive and make revenue, but also a place where users can have a good experience,” Schoen said. “We’re hoping this will bring balance back in the web ecosystem.”
Online ads have fueled the growth of the web by funding sites like Google and Facebook without forcing us to pay for subscriptions. That helps services quickly grow to massive scale — more than 2 billion in Facebook’s case. But as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and now there’s a backlash against ads as we discover the actual cost of free websites.
Ads have abundant downsides. They slow down websites and gobble our phone batteries’ power. They can track our online behavior in an attempt to build a profile useful for matching ads to our interests. They can be distracting. They can even serve as a conduit for computer attacks or turn our machines into unwitting tools that let others make money off cryptocurrency.
What Chrome ad blocking does
Google’s move doesn’t address most of these points, at least for now — this is only a first step. It’s just designed to dissuade publishers from obnoxious ad practices defined by a consortium called Coalition for Better Ads. In Chrome, you’ll no longer see ads that:
Cover more than 30 percent of your phone screen
Cover your screen and show a countdown timer
Autoplay video with sound
Use “sticky” panels that won’t go away
Pop up to cover part of the screen
What you’ll see instead is a message from Chrome explaining what’s happening and allowing you to disable the ad blocking.
Google analyzes sites and warns those with overly intrusive ads of the consequences in Chrome, Schoen said. If they don’t update, they’re added to a blacklist. Chrome will block all ads on those sites until website publisher complies with the standards.
The goal isn’t to eliminate ads.
“If we just got rid of ads on every single page load, would performance be better? Yes. Unfortunately, the content you were consuming would no longer be funded, and the content would dry up,” Schoen said.
Not far enough?
But some in the browser world are taking a stronger stance against ad technology. One is Eeyo’s Adblock Plus, a major ad blocker funded by companies, including Google, that pay it to let some ads through if users opt in. The standards Google is using only “skim off” the ads “that may induce massive eye-gougings upon viewing,” AdBlock Plus operations chief Ben Williams said in a blog post.
Brave Software, led by Mozilla and Firefox co-founder Brendan Eich, offers a browser that by default blocks all ads and ad tracking software, too — though in


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JAPAN's "K" Line is to focus on growing its non-container business in the areas of LNG, bulk and car transport, as well as to cut costs to maintain the viability of its struggling container shipping business.
The company's annual report shows the company made a profit of US$161.7 million for the fiscal year through March 2014 but its container business only just broke even, with just 47.6 per cent of the line's revenue generated from its container transportation business.
"In terms of businesses that contribute to a more stable earnings structure, "K" Line has particular strength in dry bulk carriers, car carriers and LNG carriers. We hope to make these particular areas even stronger,," said CEO Jiro Asakura, reported London's Container Management.
"Stable earnings are generated by businesses in which we can expect a certain level of earnings for a certain period," he said in the company's annual report.
The shipping line currently operates 74 container vessels with a combined capacity of 350,000 TEU.
By joining the CKYHE Alliance along with COSCO, Yang Ming, Hanjin and Evergreen, "K" Line would be able to tap the alliance's combined capacity of 3.2 million TEU deployed on the east-west trades, representing 16.7 per cent of global capacity, based on data from Alphaliner.
"K" Line will also add five 14,000-TEU ships to its fleet next year, with another five scheduled for delivery by 2018, which is expected to lower costs per TEU. Meanwhile it will focus on reefer transport and other segments to improve overall profitability.
In 2013-14 its container cargo volumes grew by four per cent on North American and European routes.
As a part of the strategy to expand its logistics business further in Asia, the Japanese shipping line has agreed to establish a joint venture with Cool Japan Fund Inc. and Japan Logistic Systems Corp, and to construct and operate a cold storage facility on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City.
The new facility will have a total floor area of 9,300 square metres occupying a 20,000-square metre site.
Source : HKSG, 06.10.14.

domain: news


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The Body Shop has hired former Planet Organic commercial director Linda Campbell as its retail director.
Campbell had been with Planet Organic for almost three-and-a-half years. Before that she was the UK retail director for cosmetics retailer Space NK.
Grocer Planet Organic last month unveiled a new store design at its shop in Wandsworth, south London, which featured revamped tills, a coffee shop and a health and bodycare offer.
The Body Shop could not be reached for comment.


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Gabe Newell announced something at E3 2010 even he didn't expect to ever say, and that is that "Portal 2" will be coming to the PS3.
He jokingly said that "Kevin Butler was introduced to him as the VP of sharpening things." He went on to say "When the PlayStation 3 was introduced, I was the one of the platform's biggest critics," said Newell.
"However, Sony has proved that the PlayStation 3 is the most open platform of all the current generation consoles and has worked extremely hard to make the platform the most desirable for consumers and developers.
"As such, we are delighted to announce Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 and believe the Steamworks support included will make it the best console version of the game." This means that Xbox has lost another exclusive that was once never thought to leave.
More PlayStation 3 News...


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The UK market for savoury snacks, nuts and crisps is doing well despite the recession, according to a report from Nielsen.
Growth for the category in 2010 showed a hike of 5.6 per cent on 2009, reports the Financial Times, citing the figures from the consumer trends specialist.
The latest market data puts the value of the sector at £2.4bn.
A key driver for the buoyancy in the savoury snacks segment is the large sharing pack category.
The sharing packs saw a hike of 12.5 per cent on the previous year, with the category valued at £608m. And analysts argue that this good sales peformance can be explained by the increase in home-based entertainment - a long-term trend augmented by the recession.
The 2015 @PotatoEurope #edition has started today in #Tournai with #rain being part of the show #Potato #Business http://t.co/4o1VX5PCIR
Henk Boon takes us through @Florigo2013's newly built 25t/h #Frenchfry #turnkey line @tnasolutions #potato #business http://t.co/Ud0DhMV6qW
RT @FrozenFoodMag: Here are some #innovative approaches to a simple #ingredient: #frozen #potato. @xavierterlet http://t.co/W9XUvUftrg http…


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After five years in the US, Ford's new in-car infotainment system, Ford Sync, is finally set to reach UK shores this October when the brand new hot-hatch Ford Focus STs hit the road.
Ford's newest weapon in the in-car tech arms race - the Ford SYNC voice activated computer and infotainment system - is about to hit UK shores but not in the Ford B-Max as expected. Instead the first cars on the roads to feature the new tech will be the smart sporty hot-hatch, the Ford Focus ST.
The SYNC system will still appear in the new Ford B-Max range when they go on sale but will be available first in the new Focus STs when first cars set to take the road from early October.
The Ford SYNC system made its first European appearance at Mobile World Congress back in February. It offers Bluetooth pairing and voice-activation from smartphones, MP3-player conectivity and voice control plus live Emergency Assistance in multiple languages depending on where you're driving your car.
There are also live 3D sat-nav features, the ability to read out SMS messages and automatic phonebook download which puts your smartphone contacts, inlcuding phonebook photos, instantly onto the cars built-in memory.
The technology has been well recieved in the US where it has been available for a number of years and will be Ford's most advanced in-car tech to reach UK shores so far.
Ford has also confirmed that a full 8-inch touchscreen version of Sync that has already been rolled out in the US will be making its way to the UK soon, although there's no exact date.


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Valer Bulhakau fined 500,000 rubles
10:48, — Politics
The revenue from sales of Arche magazine (875,000 rubles) was seized.
The decision was taken by the Hrodna regional economic court. Valer Bulhakau was charged with “illegal business activity”, Radio Svaboda reports.
He came to Hrodna on September 14 to present a new book by historian Yan Shumski from Arche magazien series “Sovietization of Western Belarus”.
Tax officers came to the presentation and made a “test purchase”. They then seized about 200 copies of magazines and books that didn't have bills.


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Global logistics company UPS has signed a multi-year agreement to continue as Nascar’s official logistics partner and announced it is to downgrade its sponsorship of the Roush Fenway Racing team.
As Nascar’s official logistics partner, UPS will provide pick-up and delivery services to all race teams, sellers and suppliers in the Sprint Cup Series throughout the season. Financial details were not released.
Regarding Roush Fenway, UPS has announced plans to cut back on its primary sponsorship of the team’s No. 6 Ford driven by David Ragan in 2012 to become an associate sponsor of the team’s other entry, the No. 99 car driven by Carl Edwards.
UPS will however serve as the primary sponsor of Carl Edwards’ car for one race at the Kentucky Speedway.
“UPS has enjoyed a great relationship with Nascar and our official status allows us to continue providing logistics solutions for other great Nascar partners both at and away from the racetrack,” said Ron Rogowski, UPS vice president, sponsorships and events. “The shift in our programme was a strategic business decision that allows us to focus on the elements that drive the best return on our investment, including continuing our relationship with Roush Fenway Racing.”
“We are very pleased that UPS will continue to partner with Roush Fenway Racing,” said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark. “UPS is one of the most recognised and respected brands in the world and we have enjoyed a strong relationship for many years. Although they are restructuring their commitment, it speaks volumes that an organisation of UPS’s caliber has chosen to stay a part of our partnership roster and that they recognise that Roush Fenway will continue to deliver a great return on their marketing investment.”
Meanwhile, vehicle service tool company Ingersoll Rand has announced it will continue to sponsor three-time Nascar champion Ray Evernham.
“Ingersoll Rand is thrilled to continue to work with one of the most influential figures in Nascar,” said Nate Schmid, marketing manager of vehicle services, Ingersoll Rand. “One of the great things about our partnership with Evernham is that he is not just in this partnership to have another sponsor, but rather he firmly believes in our products and has used Ingersoll Rand tools since he was introduced to them as a kid.”
Evernham said: “I am truly excited about continuing my relationship with Ingersoll Rand. They are my longest partner relationship and even more than that I have used Ingersoll Rand tools my entire career. In fact, at every race, and for every championship I have ever been a part of, Ingersoll Rand tools have been in my tool box. They are a strong American brand for mechanics, and I am so proud to have the opportunity to continue to represent them.”


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(City, State – Date) Out of more than 1,350 submissions from 37 countries, (Winner’s Name) has won a (Platinum, Gold, or Honorable Mention) recognition in the 2018 Muse Creative Awards competition. The winning work was created by (Artist name) for (Client name).
(Executive quote from winning firm about the honor of winning a Muse Creative Awards.)
The Muse Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals who inspire through concept, writing or design, whether through traditional or electronic media. “We recognize the breakthrough achievement of designers, marketers, artists, writers, photographers, videographers, and digital experts who set the trends of the global creative industry,” said Kenjo Ong, President for the International Awards Associates (IAA). “They hear the voice of an inner muse, inspiring others to rise together.”
Muse Creative Awards is administered and judged by International Awards Associates (IAA), and an elite panel of internationally-recognized creative professionals. IAA oversees awards and recognition programs, provides judges and sets the competition’s rigorous standards.
Grand Jury Panel
This year’s Jury Panel includes 46 renowned, experienced, and brand-new Judges from 20 countries worldwide. Judges hail from leading companies in the creative and digital industry from all corners of the globe, and include professionals from such power brands as Guinness World Records, Leo Burnett, Grayling, DMG, McCann Worldgroup, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, etc.
Entries in 325 categories were rated according to rigorous standards. During blind judging, panelists evaluated the most innovative and creative concepts, the most effective campaigns, and the most inspired messaging. Winners were selected in a wide range of categories, from broadcast, print, social media and emerging platforms.
Participation of International Brands
Numerous entries from international brands and top agencies from around the world were received for this year’s award program. The amount of time and passion dedicated to producing such astonishing works is truly admirable. Entries submitted by agencies for companies and brands such as Porsche, National Geographic, Marvel, FOX Networks Group Spain, Siemens, Longines, MINI, MasterCard, Part IV, New Balance, and Nationale Postcode Loterij, are among some of the winners from this year’s award.
The 2018 Muse competition included entries from 37 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherland, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.
“Winning a Muse Creative Award can be a significant career milestone,” Ong said. “With vetted panelists, tough criteria, blind judging processes, and strict bylaws limiting winners, only the best entries receive this coveted statuette. Each year, I am both amazed and inspired by the level of craft and art submitted.”
IAA Blog: http://iaaawards.org/blog/
(Background about the winning company including the significance behind winning an award, clients, market niche, history.)


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Medicare enrollment scams to watch for
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Scammers are getting more active trying to steal your identity and your money. Experts say the thieves are out in full force because we’re in the middle of Medicare’s open enrollment, which runs October 15 – December 7.
“Unfortunately right now we’re looking at even greater popularity (in these scams),” Lee County Sheriff’s Office scam expert Stacey Payne told WINK News Monday.
Payne says one common scam involves someone knocking on your door saying they’re an “official medicare agent” selling Medicare insurance.
“Medicare will never go door-to-door. Now I won’t say that a legitimate insurance person won’t go door-to-door, but Medicare never will,” said Payne.
Another scam involves a phone call from someone saying you’ll lose benefits if don’t sign up for something for a prescription drug coverage plan, or one saying you’re due a $250 refund.
“Medicare is not going to call you. You’re going to receive a formal letter in the mail from them,” said Payne, also adding that the the refund doesn’t exist.
Another scam involves “official looking” brochures about new Medicare products available at discounted prices, also fake.
“Nowadays you can go online and if you’re any type of person who can cut and paste on the computer, you can create your own official looking documents and print them out yourself,” said Payne.
Payne says a popular scam new this year involves someone asking for your personal information in order to send you a new Medicare card. Payne says existing Medicare customers will receive their new cards in 2020, and won’t have to do anything to get them.
For more information on scams, contact the Florida Department of Elder Affairs’ SHINE Program at (239) 652-3292.


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33 FASHION BARS IN DENVER TO BE CLOSED
Byline: Holly Haber
DALLAS — Specialty Retailers Inc., Houston, plans to close 33 Fashion Bar stores in 10 malls in the Denver metropolitan area by August, leaving the chain with a single Fashion Bar door in the city and 17 units elsewhere in Colorado.
The closures are scheduled to begin at the end of this month and will affect 350 full- and part-time employees. Approximately 20 to 30 of those people will be absorbed in the remaining store in downtown Denver and three units in nearby Boulder.
Fashion Bar’s family apparel stores in the Denver area suffered from an awkward format in which clothing for women, petites, men and juniors was displayed in adjacent stores that weren’t always connected, explained Carl Tooker, chief executive officer of SRI.
“We really didnít stand for anything,” Tooker noted. “We did a market study last year and found we had great name recognition but no loyalty.”
In addition, Tooker asserted that Denver has too many stores. “It has something like 2,500 retail square feet per capita versus an average of 1,600 retail square feet in U.S. major metropolitan areas,” he noted.
SRI bought Fashion Barís 71 stores in 1992 from the Levy family, which founded it. They included Fashion Bar family apparel stores, Stage junior apparel units and Hannah, which carried bridge clothing. SRI soon began closing the 12 Hannah stores, shutting the last one in March.


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Airbnb May Actually Be Undervalued Ahead Of IPO: Report
A new analysis by consumer analytics company ValueChampion found that the coronavirus pandemic has actually helped Airbnb achieve greater dominance over the travel booking industry.
Airbnb is on the verge of going public, but in the run-up to the company’s initial public offering a new report suggests it may actually be undervalued and could eventually grow to become the largest travel company in the world.
The report, from consumer analytics company ValueChampion, compares Airbnb to other established and already public travel companies like Booking.com — which is currently valued at about $85 billion. New documents revealed this week that Airbnb is shooting for a $35 billion valuation when it starts selling shares, making it less than half as valuable as Booking.com.
However, ValueChampion’s report suggests Airbnb has massive growth potential that could allow it to overtake other travel companies.
“Airbnb could grow into the most important, if not the biggest, travel company in the world, meaning Airbnb’s stock could actually be undervalued relative to its potential,” the report states.
The reason ValueChampion sees Airbnb as having so much potential is actually because it merges the real estate and travel industries in a way that other companies haven’t been able to master.
“Airbnb’s true strength lies in its unique portfolio of real homes that its users can rent,” the report explains. “These are properties owned by single-property owners whose full time jobs aren’t to rent out their homes and maximize their revenue.”
Other factors such as reviews of both hosts and guests, and the fact that many hosts don’t need to keep their properties occupied at all times, also give Airbnb an advantage. The end result, the report concludes, is that Airbnb has managed to make itself synonymous with “‘vacation rentals’ and ‘homestays,’ just as Google has effectively replaced the word ‘search.’”
The report doesn’t speculate on where exactly Airbnb’s valuation may ultimately land in the near future, but it does note that Airbnb may become the go-to site for travel in the same way that Amazon has become consumers’ go-to for shopping. The end result may be “an exciting upside for investors,” the report adds.
The report also doesn’t get into what this means for the real estate market, though it’s clearly a big deal. After all, imagine being a book retailer or shop owner in the early days of Amazon; the online retail giant was a threat, leading for example to the demise of companies like Borders, but also an opportunity for companies to connect with a wider array of consumers.
If Airbnb follows a similar trajectory, it’ll continue gobbling up real estate, creating opportunities for housing professionals who can harness that trend and challenges for those who can’t.
In any case, evidence that Airbnb is still on the rise further comes from the report. Though travel in general has floundered this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, ValueChampion concluded that the crisis “actually may have helped Airbnb in the long-run.”
“As people shy away from conventional travel involving flights and hotel stays, the traveling during this pandemic effectively became driving to an Airbnb,” the report states. “This dynamic combined with Airbnb’s brand power means that it has been taking a greater percentage of consumer mind share.”
ValueChampion further found that Airbnb suffered less and is recovering more quickly during the pandemic; that it has managed to become leaner and more efficient, especially compared to competitors; and that consumer interest in Airbnb appears to have surpassed interest in Booking.com during the COVID-19 outbreak.
On top of that, the report speculates that Airbnb could have an easier time expanding into more traditional businesses, such as flights or hotels, than established companies will have expanding into short-term residential rentals.
This is all speculative, of course, and it remains to be seen how investors will respond to the IPO of a travel company at a time when travel remains highly disrupted. However, if ValueChampion is right, Airbnb is well-positioned to “cement its position as a synonym for travel and establishing itself as the long-term leader in the travel industry.”


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Sigma announces B+W software mode, Lens Prices, USB Lens Dock coming
Sigma announces new products in multiple stages before you can actually buy them and use them and you often need a project plan in order to keep track of them. At CES 2013, they have issued a press release that provides updates on multiple fronts.
The new 17-70mm f2.8-4 DC OS Macro HSM lens will be priced at $500, while the 120-300mm f2.8 DG OS HSM will be priced at $3,600.
The Sigma Photo Pro software will get a new mode/module, Monochrome Mode! It is as the name suggests, black and white editing of Sigma RAW files.
Last but not least, the USB Lens Dock continues to exist, it is coming in early 2013, but still, Sigma has not announced a price. Because they love to drive us all crazy :) Typing Tip: Be careful when typing Dock. The letters "o" and "i" are next to each other on the keyboard.


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Posts Tagged ‘smartphones’
Global mobile phone sales increased slightly in the first quarter of the year, with Asia-Pac the only region to show real sales growth. But Samsung is still dominating the vendor leaderboard according to Gartner.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, the good folks at Trend Micro surveyed 1,037 folks online to find out how moms use (and misuse) technology and devices. Here’s what they discovered.
Tom Wheeler may be better known to wonky Beltway insiders than to those in technology, but his appointment Wednesday by Pres. Obama to head the FCC should be good news for the channel.
Gartner finds 38 percent of companies worldwide say they expect to stop providing mobile devices to their staff by 2016.
The South Korean technology conglomerate today announced record profits of $6.5 billion for the past quarter, a 42 percent rise over the same period last year.
Synnex is joining other distributors in enabling solution providers to capitalize on the mobility trend by forming a new division that will give resellers products and support in selling devices, transport services and complementary technologies.
Analyst Ovum has hit back at industry encouragement to migrate from Microsoft’s Windows XP by declaring it does not think life after the operating system’s support ceases will be any different.
The new Aruba WorkSpace component extends current ClearPass capabilities for provisioning and managing mobile devices by adding network-aware applications controls, which can limit the apps allowed on the corporate network, enforce network prioritization policies for work applications and change security profiles on the fly.
Canalys found that app downloads from the four leading stores worldwide – Apple’s App Store, Google Play, Microsoft’s Windows Phone Store and BlackBerry World – shot up 11 percent sequentially to 13.4 billion.
A new Gartner estimate shows conventional desktop and notebook PC shipments falling by one-fifth over the next four years, while tablets and smartphone sales skyrocket. The change will mean new opportunities and challenges for vendors and solution providers.


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WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Restaurant Association released its 2020 State of the Restaurant Industry Report which examines key factors impacting the restaurant industry including the current state of the economy, operations, workforce, and food and menu trends across segments from quickservice to fine dining. The report is an authoritative look at the industry and its challenges and opportunities based on a range of national surveys of restaurant owners, operators, chefs and consumers.
Key findings regarding economic conditions include:
- Restaurant industry sales are projected to reach a record $899 billion in 2020, with the moderate 4% growth rate mirroring general economic conditions.
- Consumers will continue to be the driving force in the economy, buoyed by a healthy labor market and strong household balance sheets.
- Consumers' pent-up demand remains elevated, with nearly half of all adults saying they want to use restaurants more frequently.
"Now in its eleventh consecutive year of growth, the restaurant industry is adapting to consumer preferences faster than ever before," said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president, research and knowledge group, National Restaurant Association. "Consumers tell us they want to use restaurants more than they are now, and the challenge for the industry is meeting consumers where they want to be. We expect this year will see growth in off-premises options, technology that streamlines operations, and more restaurants that are talking about their increased sustainable and eco-friendly practices."
Opportunity lies in off-premises
Off-premises will be a prominent force of growth in 2020. To be successful, restaurant operators will look to strike the perfect formula of on- and off-premises for their business as consumers strive for convenience, but continue to look to the social escape that restaurants provide. When asked about ways in which restaurants could incorporate more technology, consumers primarily mention frictionless, convenience- and service-enhancing items, rather than people-eliminating items. Other key takeaways on operations include:
- Restaurant operators are generally positive about business conditions, but they anticipate ongoing challenges that impact both the top and bottom lines.
- Off-premises will be a major driver of sales growth in 2020 and beyond, and many restaurant operators are devoting more resources to this side of their business.
- Restaurant operators agree that the use of technology provides a competitive advantage, and as such are investing in customer-facing technologies that will enhance service and convenience for their guests.
Employment opportunities abound
The restaurant industry remains one of the economy's most important employers – for a year or for a career. Sixty-three percent of adults report working in the restaurant industry at some point during their lives; 48 percent held their first regular job in a restaurant. Employee recruitment and retention continues to be a major challenge for operators in 2020, with low unemployment rates and growing job openings. However, of the job openings filled in 2019, nearly half of them were filled by either new entrants to the workforce or people promoted from other positions in the same restaurant. Other key statistics on the state of the workforce include:
- More Jobs: The restaurant industry will provide a projected 15.6 million restaurant and foodservice jobs in 2020.
- Good Jobs: The restaurant workforce is as diverse as the communities it serves, and the industry will offer up additional employment opportunities at all levels of the business this year.
- Opportunity for All: Older adults' representation in the restaurant workforce will continue to grow, as their numbers in the labor force are expected to rise sharply.
Healthy, sustainable options increase alongside changing alcohol preferences
Consumer interest in healthy menu options will remain strong in 2020, and consumers will make decisions based on the availability of healthy offerings. Alcohol is a key driver of sales in the fine dining segment, with nearly two-thirds of orders including alcoholic beverages. In 2020, alcohol will expand further beyond this segment with operators in all but one category planning to increase their alcoholic beverage offerings to keep up with changing consumer tastes and preferences. Key figures on food and beverage trends include:
- 76 percent of adults say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally sourced food and 79 percent of adults say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers healthy menu options.
- 65 percent of millennials say they are more likely to go to restaurants that offer locally sourced alcoholic beverages.
- 53 percent of chefs indicate that low-alcohol beers and cocktails will continue to rise in popularity in 2020.
"Consumers are embracing the industry more as they continue to shift their spending away from physical items and towards experiences. This opens channels of opportunity and growth in food, beverage, and technology. We're excited to see how these trends and developments play out in 2020 and beyond," said Riehle.
Go here for more information or to access the full report.
About the National Restaurant Association
Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises more than 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 15.6 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry's largest trade show (National Restaurant Association Show May 16-19, 2020, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart). For more information, visit Restaurant.org and find us on Twitter@WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.
SOURCE National Restaurant Association


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Australian egg exports could grow 600 per cent in 2017 as producers scramble to help fill a massive supply gap in South Korea
Clever technology is allowing one free range egg marketer to prove the origins of its product - right down to the very paddock they came from.
BUYERS were out in force at last week's Elders Boyanup store sale and bid up strongly on their preferred cattle.
A FURTHER three farming families have left or are leaving WA's dairy industry after processors said they did not want their milk. One is a Brownes Dairy supplier and two are Harvey Fresh suppliers.
MAJOR live exporter company Wellard bought a 340 hectare (850 acre) property at Condah, west of Macarthur, to service its move into live cattle exports to China.


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The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association commissioned an Economic Impact Study on the RV industry, released on June 7, 2016. The study found that the RV industry contributes about $49.7 billion in economic output or 0.28 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Through its production and distribution linkages, the industry impacts firms in 426 of the 440 sectors of the United States economy.
Nationwide, the industry is responsible for 216,170 jobs, both directly and inderectly, creating an economic impact of $37.5 billion. The full study results, along with each individual state and congressional district's economic impact is available on the website by clicking here .
Tue Aug 23, 2016
Sharon Walker was ready to retire, but wasn’t necessarily ready to slow down. She’d enjoyed a successful career in public relations, marketing and graphic design and was ready to try something new.
“It was one of those things where we’d had RVs and enjoyed them,” Walker says. “I decided it might be fun to own a campground, so we leapt into it. Not knowing much, I might add — and I learned quickly that there’s more to owning a park than just saying ‘Welcome to KOA.’”
At the time, Walker was living in Livingston, Montana. She learned that there was a campground for sale in Townsend, just 90 miles away, which boasts some of the best walleye fishing in the state. The time was right, the place was right, the price was right, and soon the sale was complete, according to a press release from the Kampgrounds of America.
“We honestly didn’t look around,” she says. “This one was available, and it was more of an opportunity than exploration.”
During the first year of ownership, Walker and her crew spent the first year completing the many needed improvements. Their goal was to become a KOA, which they achieved in 2006.
Today the Townsend/Canyon Ferry Lake KOA features 57 RV Sites with either full or partial hookups and up to 50-amp service. All are pull-through to accommodate the many boats and recreational vehicles towed by camping guests. One-room camping cabins and tent sites also are popular accommodations, as is the recently added bunk house, which sleeps up to 10 people. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, fishing access, miniature golf and a pavilion for activities and get-togethers.
For Walker, the last 10 years have been a lot of hard work, but also very rewarding.
“I love getting to meet all of the different people from all over the world,” she says. “Some come back year after year, and they tell you about their travels. You watch their kids grow up, literally.”
Open year-round, the Townsend/Canyon Ferry Lake KOA is located at 81 Silos Road. It is one of 490 open-to-the-public KOA campgrounds in the Kampgrounds of America system in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, call 406-266-3100 or visit www.koa.com. Reservations may be made online or by calling 800-562-5904.


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There are two stories of travel recovery that we are witnessing right now in the United States. During the summer of 2021 hotels everywhere witnessed an overwhelming number of tourists who came back to enjoy a well deserved summer break. We all heard stories of how some destinations ran out of rental cars and hotels were at full occupancy with ADR and bookings bucking all previous trends in a traditionally low-demand season. The fall out of this surge has been the sharp rise in hospitalizations across states that have low vaccination rates when compared to the national average.
Whatever it is, volatility remains the theme of the season as we move towards recovery making it challenging for revenue managers to plan for the future. However, what is key here is to define how we look at the future. In my understanding there are two futures – the one that needs immediate attention and the one we need to plan for.
The future we all discuss is not just the next quarter or next six months – but a future where volatility will increasingly become a part of revenue management as we tackle global disruptions on a daily basis. This includes changes in not only traveler behavior, but also resources available at the supply side; local restrictions; international events and more. Nothing can be predicted with certainity and this forces revenue management teams to be in a continous evolution mode.
Right pricing is slowly becoming a big piece of the puzzle – as optimizing strategies to accommodate rise and decline in demand can have adverse impact on margins. So is there a way to handle both the futures?
The Immediate Future: Tackling Volatility Everyday
A breakthrough innovation that is already making a lot of noise among revenue leaders is MarketDRONE Narratives. It is more than a data analyzing tool – it helps Revenue Managers become better at their job.
Market volatility is a reality. Tackling it manually, sourcing data and deriving insights from it isn’t just tedious but it strips critical hours from a revenue manager’s life that could have been invested in realizing revenue maximizing.
Get clear and actionable insights every time there is a change in the market – helping revenue and pricing managers know exactly how to position one’s revenue strategies for the day, while mitigating any loss of market share and increasing RevPAR – saving critical hours spent in collating and analyzing data.
Commenting on it, Harmeet Singh, CEO, RateGain said “As one of the largest aggregators of data in our industry, RateGain is committed to listening to our customers who have clearly stated the need to evolve rate intelligence solutions. MarketDRONE Narratives is a step in that direction where we continue to push innovation and help our customers move faster every day to unlock more revenue.
The Long-term vision: Making the Future of Travel clear
At RateGain, our team has been obsessing over these challenges for months – it has heralded an array of exciting innovations like Demand-AI. Imagine if marketing or distribution teams could foretell the source and place of the upcoming surge in demand in a particular locality! What if they could forecast in advance the dates when demand will be the highest?
Wouldn’t it make more sense business-wise to know what kind of guest will potentially be visiting your city? Indeed, these insights would be mission-critical for any hotel or hospitality business to drive revenues and improve ROI. A highly targeted, data-driven and geo-specific campaign would show better results vis-a-vis a campaign without this intelligence – it helps you get more ROI on your ad spend.
The industry’s first AI-powered index uses over 25 forward looking real-time demand indicators and does not rely on historical data to give you the exact picture of demand for the next 75 days in a city. No plug-ins and no configuration required. Just sign up and start planning ahead.
At the same time, it offers hoteliers an opportunity to direct their resources towards the best guest experience by planning ahead. You can See it for yourself by signing up for Demand.AI
Demand-AI serves a bigger purpose though. In the words of our founder Bhanu Chopra, “I am proud of my team today as we launch Demand.AI, a product created and conceptualized, end-to-end by RateGain, to make the future of travel clear and provide insights for the next 75 days at a hyper local level, helping businesses with critical insights to not only recovery but also create sustainable jobs.”
What lies ahead
I feel we are still some time away from realizing full recovery. Our industry is sitting on volumes of data –making it more accessible for revenue managers and distribution teams would be the real gamechanger. The need of the hour is predictive data and technologies, as past data has been rendered almost ineffective. While this crisis leapfrogged us in the new digital age, the future belongs to those who adopt these technologies. What’s stopping you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this exciting theme and would like to showcase these technologies LIVE in action. As I hit the road once again to meet industry experts – reach out to me at any of these events to see the products in action: Skift Global Forum, HITEC Dallas and HSMAI ROC this September in Dallas or at HEDNA – Miami in October. Look forward to hearing from you.


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A new crypto teller machine is now operational in South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg. The ATM, which supports several digital coins, has been installed at a supermarket in the north-western part of the city’s metro area. It is the latest addition to a growing number of terminals offering automated crypto-fiat exchange services in the country and across the continent. Not all is rosy in the region, however. A crypto ban in neighboring Zimbabwe may deprive Harare of its bitcoin ATM. Nevertheless, crypto teller services are spreading in Africa.
Multicurrency ATM Installed in a South African Supermarket
The Republic of South Africa, the continent’s economic powerhouse, and neighboring Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s most troubled nations, have at least one thing in common – the growing interest in cryptocurrencies, although under different circumstances. In recent years, both countries have been experiencing their own versions of crypto development. The process has led to improved access to the crypto ecosphere but now their paths may diverge again.
A South African outlet reported this week that the nation has got its “first” cryptocurrency ATM in its largest city. The teller machine has been installed at a store in Northwold, part of one of the biggest retail chains in the country – Spar. The automated terminal is a multicurrency device, according to Business Insider South Africa. Customers can buy bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH) and litecoin (LTC) with fiat cash. Unfortunately, it supports one-way transactions, which means only purchases of cryptocurrency are available.
Of course, “the first” is almost always a doubtful label. Unsurprisingly, right after the report came out, the breaking news information was corrected by other media. “While this is undoubtedly a forward-looking move, it is most certainly not the first cryptocurrency ATM to go live in South Africa,” Mybroadband wrote in a piece putting forward another example. According to member of the local crypto sector, multiple cryptocurrency ATMs are operating in South Africa. Jacques Serfontein, CEO of mining hardware supplier Bitmart, said his company has installed one last year at its store in Nelspruit, east of Johannesburg. It supports multiple cryptocurrencies, as well, including bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, dash, and zcash. Serfontein added he knew of several other crypto ATMs in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Midrand.
The new Johannesburg’s ATM may not be the first in the country after all, nevertheless, it’s arguably the first one in Northwold. The good news is that the residents of another South African neighborhood will be able to buy digital cash with a simple QR scan and a fiat payment. The teller machine has been installed by the Spar store manager, George Neophytou, who is a crypto enthusiast and entrepreneur. “I asked permission to use this location because I work here. What better place to set it up, so that if a user required help, I’d be on-site to help,” Neophytou said. His initiative was supported by Vendibit, a company developing software and hardware blockchain solutions, and his partner, Daniel Cappiello, director of the Danish firm Copencoin…


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Several states are considering legislation that could give pets more legal rights.
New study shows felines allowed to roam outdoors are more likely to contract diseases.
A new survey highlights the role that companion animals play in deciding where their owners move.
A recent report from the Center for Disease Control provides tips for keeping healthy when handling hedgehogs.
A new report highlights the positive impact pets can have in the lives of older adults.
The department's latest retail sales report should be kept top of mind when planning for the rest of the year.
Retailers can pass on helpful tips to pet parents who are worried about their canine friends.
When put to the test, larger breeds showed more signs of intelligence than smaller breeds.
The American Kennel Club's annual registration list reveals the top 10 canine breeds in America.
This online service makes finding lost animals easier.
A new study highlights pet owners’ interest in feeding their cats and dogs a plant-based diet.
Did Elon Musk mislead customers in promoting Tesla’s new pet-protection feature?
A new survey reveals the role veterinarians, retailers and other animal care professionals play in fighting the pet obesity epidemic.
The lifestyle guru's endorsement of hemp pet products might signal a new trend in celebrity promotion.
A new survey of industry professionals reveals predictions about sustainability in the pet food market.
March is Pet Poison Awareness Month, the perfect time to focus on teaching pet owners how to safeguard their pets from toxins.
There are strong indications that the big boxes are losing market share within the pet specialty channel.
Pet retailers may be feeling nervous about minimum wage increases planned for this year.
A new report highlights how dogs impact the modern dating activities of pet parents.
This year’s best in show winner had people questioning the judging criteria for America’s most well-known dog show.


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Digital TV News: David Sidebottom
Market turbulence to boost UK digital video market
Jul 1, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, 2020 continues to be a volatile year for the UK video and TV entertainment industry, with accelerated adoption across all OTT sectors and a lockdown boom that has played to the strengths of content hungry UK consumers.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, COVID-19, Digital TV, Market Research, UK
Brazil's video market picks up the pace
Mar 18, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, Brazil’s video entertainment market has emerged from the shadow of recession. New SVoD services from global players and increased investment in pay TV and OTT services by local media companies are seen as the key drivers.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Brazil, Digital TV, Market Research
Service stacking shows consumers not yet suffering from service fatigue
Mar 18, 2020 – More than half of all SVOD users who subscribe to three or more services will purchase additional services this year, according to Futuresource Consulting. Service stacking is becoming commonplace across many countries worldwide.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Europe, Market Research, Streaming, USA
German video entertainment market approaching €10 billion in 2020
Mar 3, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, 2019 was a defining year for the German TV and video market, with mass market resistance to premium digital video finally falling away and paving the way for next month’s launch of Disney+.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Germany, Market Research
Australian SVOD poised to break billion-dollar AU$ barrier
Oct 15, 2019 – Australia’s TV and video market is on track to achieve a second consecutive year of growth in 2019, with consumer spend set to grow by 4%, according to Futuresource Consulting. Despite the continuing upsurge, key components are experiencing wildly varying fortunes.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Australia, Digital TV, Market Research
Global SVoD revenues to grow 25% in 2019 to $36bn
Apr 18, 2019 – SVoD continues to resonate with consumers across the globe. A report from Futuresource Consulting reveals that SVoD already reaches more than 60% of households in North America, 26% in Western Europe, 21% in Asia-Pacific and 19% in LATAM.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, Worldwide
Steady growth masks seismic shifts in US video and TV market
Jan 18, 2019 – Futuresource Consulting has unveiled some seismic shifts in the US entertainment space in two recently published reports. Futuresource estimates that the US video and TV industry saw a 1% rise in consumer spend in 2018.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart Home, USA
US SVoD culture continues to strengthen
Feb 20, 2018 – The overall US video and Pay-TV market continues its healthy overall growth and is set to reach $140 billion by the end of 2018, according to Futuresource Consulting. This is despite the continuously evolving and challenging landscape.
News categories: Futuresource, David Sidebottom, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA
Multiple online video service adoption growing in China
Nov 27, 2017 – According to Futuresource Consulting, in China, VIP membership subscriptions to the leading online video services are continuing to build in momentum, with most subscribers taking at least two services at once.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, David Sidebottom, China, Digital TV, Market Research, Mobile, Streaming
- Major U.S. pay TV providers lost ~1,925,000 subscribers in 2Q 2022
- Pay TV revenues in Australia to continue to decline
- Samba TV enters Spanish market via partnership with Smartclip
- Ad-supported Disney+ tier to launch in the U.S. on December 8th
- Foxxum launches RDK-based OS for Connected TVs
- Gracenote enables optimized program metadata distribution
- VIZIO Account simplifies subscriptions for its Smart TV customers
- Discovery+ launching on Sling TV and Dish TV
- FAST Channels TV provides linear channels for Digital TV Cyprus OTT platform
- Video streaming services lost further playtime per user in H1 2022
- BARB releases Establishment Survey data for the UK for Q2 2022
- Simulmedia and TiVo renew data-licensing partnership
- Paramount+ joins Roku Channel’s Premium Subscriptions lineup
- Altice USA residential video RGUs down 85,000 in 2Q 2022
- DISH Network pay TV subscribers down 257,000 in 2Q 2022
- Over six million Android TV OS deployments for iWedia
- RTL Deutschland and Seven.One Entertainment to create addressable TV JV
- Charter residential video customers down 240,000 in 2Q 2022
- Access Advance adds further patent owners
- Disney+ app integrated on Foxtel set top boxes


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Pizza Hut's cheesy debate stunt
The chain is offering free pizza for life to anyone who can inject pizza toppings into the conversation.
This year's presidential campaigns have yet to give us the "zingers" or memorable quotes we've heard in past contests. But if one of the nation’s largest pizza chains gets its way, we may soon have the phrase "sausage or pepperoni?" to add to the U.S. political lexicon.
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum Brands (YUM), is trying to make pizza a topic during the next presidential debate at Hofstra University -- offering an audience member free pizza for life for bringing pie into the discussion.
"The next debate is town hall style, which means real people ask real questions,” a new Pizza Hut ad intones. "With that said, if someone asks a question about pizza during the next debate on Oct. 16, Pizza Hut will supply them with free pizza for life."
According to the ad, the questioner must be an official attendee at the debate, and must also ask either candidate "sausage or pepperoni?" or "pepperoni or sausage?" Either version of the question is apparently acceptable.
No word yet on how the candidates are reacting to this stunt -- or of their pizza topping preferences, for that matter.
Pizza Hut has calculated free pizza for life to be worth $15,600 -- and will give a check for that amount to the person asking the right question. The individual is responsible for paying taxes on that amount. A better question for the candidates might be about the appropriate taxes for that amount.
Will any attendee be brazen enough to ask the $15,600 question? People have done far more ridiculous things for that kind of money before. Remember the woman in this Cnet story who tattooed GoldenPalace.com on her forehead for $10,000?
where's the story on the libya coverup? pizza? really?
trust me, these debates are not "about the future of our country.
They are mostly a joke, designed to get the feeble minded some sound clip that will be used to make up their minds finally. No presidential debate has ever done anything for the country. And any mouth breather who decideswho to vote for based on which candidate was better at being a clever jerk should be neutered and not allowed to vote in the first place.
But its a free country, so let em vote.
I will tune in to the replay if someone dopes inject the pizza toppings question, but I still think its stupid
Looks like there getting there Name out there already! so who needs the phrase "sausage or pepperoni?" to add to the U.S. political lexicon. it's on CNN MSN and who know's what else!!!
Pizza suck's anyway and that taste is unforgetable......
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Breaking up big banks is an untested solution to the too big to fail problem that attempts to isolate and dismantle large, troubled institutions while protecting the rest of the economy.
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[BRIEFING.COM] Equity indices closed out the month of August on a modestly higher note. The Russell 2000 (+0.6%) and Nasdaq Composite (+0.5%) finished ahead of the S&P 500 (+0.3%), which extended its August gain to 3.8%. Blue chips lagged with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.1%) spending the bulk of the session in the red.
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A charcuterie master shares his process for cold-smoking meat at home.
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Kersia acquires Holchem, becomes Europe’s second biggest food safety company4 Jun 2020
French biosecurity and food safety firm Kersia acquired UK-based Holchem, one of the leading players in the UK food and beverage hygiene sector. The financials of this deal were not disclosed, but it was backed by the private equity investment company Ardian.
This acquisition marks Kersia’s expansion to 120 countries and makes it the second largest food safety firm in Europe. “This merger will enable us to make new solutions and services available to Kersia’s customers throughout the world, and in the same way, will provide Holchem’s local teams and customers with Kersia’s solutions to help combat contamination by pathogens of the food chain in one of the world’s largest food processing regions,” said Kersia CEO Sébastien Bossard in a statement.
Although Kersia’s mission to combat the spread of animal and human diseases in the food chain is required in normal times, the outbreak of coronavirus has thrown the necessity of food safety measures into stark relief. In its merger, Kersia acknowledged the import of solutions explicitly dedicated to fighting the virus.
For the foreseeable future, both Kersia and Holchem will be refocusing operations towards providing the products which have been most in demand, such as disinfectant and hand-hygiene solutions. The two companies will also continue to support the rising requests for biosecurity protocols.
Going forward, this partnership will likely benefit from the high global health and food safety standards that the pandemic will give rise to.
Already, Kerisa invested in Kilco in 2018, which enabled the French group to gain a foothold in food safety within the UK livestock sector (dairy, poultry and swine). With the addition of Holchem’s two industrial sites in Bury and Liphook, which primarily provide safety solutions for food, beverage and dairy industries, this French conglomerate stands to gain ground as a market leader.
Recalls and contamination are already an expensive occurrence within the food industry and the importance of avoiding them will only grow as the pandemic brings food safety to the forefront of consumers' minds. According to a study by the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the average cost of a food recall from contamination is $10 million, not to mention the subsequent damage to the brand and lost sales. If Kerisa can provide solutions to manufacturers throughout the UK that help alleviate the risk of a recall and allay the fears of both workers and consumers during the duration of the pandemic, the company stands to benefit tremendously from this acquisition.
In Ireland, Subway’s sandwich rolls are not legally bread
13 Oct 2020
The Irish Supreme Court ruled that Subway bread is not legally considered as such. Instead, its sugar content, which is five times above what Irish law specifies as the acceptable threshold for bread, lands the company’s sandwich rolls in the confectio...Read more
U.K. begins exporting beef to the U.S. for the first time since 1996
12 Oct 2020
After over two decades of prohibiting the importation of beef into the U.S. from the U.K., the government of the United States lifted the ban this October to allow for U.K. beef producers to trade across The Pond.Read more
Indian trade association calls to waive license renewals for food businesses
2 Oct 2020
As the lingering pandemic continues to upend routine business practices the world over, Indian trade association, the Federation of All India Vyapar Mandal, is requesting that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) not require license...Read more
Tesco partners with Olio to reduce food waste in U.K.
1 Oct 2020
Tesco is partnering with the food sharing app Olio to redistribute surplus food nearing its sell-by date from its stores to local communities and individuals that are food insecure. The two companies will roll out this effort across all of Tesco’s 2,70...Read more
Germany working to impose human rights and environmental supply chain protections by 2021
25 Aug 2020
Germany is taking the lead on human rights and environmental protections in the European Union. The country plans to pass a Supply Chain Law that will oblige companies to analyze whether their business activities have an adverse effect on recognized hu...Read more
The British Meat Processors Association calls for a shelf life extension for fresh meat
20 Aug 2020
Current UK food regulations limit the shelf-life of fresh meat to 10 days when stored at 3-8 degrees Celsius. However, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) is aiming to persuade the UK’s Food Standards Agency to extend those guidelines to all...Read more
New Umami salt can help manufacturers improve their Nutri-Score
10 Aug 2020
Sea salt producer Salt of the Earth has developed an umami ingredient solution to help manufacturers reduce the sodium content in their products while also improving their Nutri-Score. The company says its product can lower sodium scores by three to fi...Read more
UK pledges to protect food standards during trade talks but public concern remains high
6 Aug 2020
British public concerns over lowering food safety standards continue to court US trade remain steadfast as the UK and US governments gear up for the next round of scheduled negotiations later this month.Read more
Kombucha Brewers International releases code of practice to standardize kombucha
3 Aug 2020
U.S. kombucha trade association Kombucha Brewers International (KBI) established a code of practice that outlines the quality standards for the production of this fermented beverage. The trade group is also working on releasing a seal for manufacturers...Read more
Study: 2% of Brazil’s soybean farms are responsible for 62% of deforestation
29 Jul 2020
A new study published in the Journal of Science found that 20% of soy and 17% of beef imports into European from Brazil may be contaminated with illegal deforestation. Although a substantial figure, this deforestation is linked to a small number of far...Read more
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Tech News from the United States
Huawei has dropped a lawsuit against the US government after its telecommunications equipment was seized "without justification."
Rapid Jacqueline 15,369
Huawei accused U.S. authorities on Wednesday of attempting to break into its information systems and of trying to coerce its employees to gather information on the company.
Rapid John 9,478
Apple sent out invitations Thursday for a media event next month where the company is expected to unveil its latest iPhone models. The event is scheduled to take place September 10 and will be held at the Steve Jobs Theater at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Rapid Lorna 25,328
US technology companies will be allowed to continue selling to Huawei under certain circumstances, after the US commerce secretary extended a second temporary 90-day reprieve. Wilbur Ross on Monday said the Trump administration would extend a temporary licence for companies to sell to the Chinese company if they are selling repairs or updates to existing systems.
US government agencies will be banned from buying Huawei equipment after the Trump administration implemented a congressional measure to crack down on Chinese companies seen as security threats. A rule issued by the administration bans Huawei and other Chinese groups from supplying the federal government.
Rapid Susan 29,583
Capital One has revealed that more than 100 million customers had their personal information hacked, including credit scores, credit limits, balances, payment history, and contact information, as well as 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 linked bank account numbers of secured credit card customers.
Rapid Carol 17,435
Huawei, which has around 1500 US workers, will be letting go of 'several hundred' staff from its R&D lab, run by subsidiary Futurewei Technologies.
Rapid Carol 5,236
Huawei secretly helped the North Korean government build and maintain a wireless network, according to leaked internal documents.
Rapid John 19,375
Equifax will pay up to $700 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and others over the 2017 data breach that exposed the private data of nearly 150 million people.
Rapid John 1,914
BlackBerry today announced a new distribution agreement in the United States with SYNNEX Corporation and its Westcon-Comstor division.
Rapid Jacqueline 26,613
AT&T and Microsoft have entered into a major multiyear cloud/5G deal where Microsoft will be the preferred cloud provider for non-network applications, as part of AT&T's broader public cloud first strategy, and will support AT&T as it consolidates its data centre infrastructure and operations.
Rapid Carol 5,114
A group of US senators are introducing a bill that would prevent President Trump from easing restrictions on Huawei.
Rapid John 27,908
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has voted to approve a £4bn ($5bn) settlement with Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The fine is the largest-ever imposed by the FTC for violating an order and is in line with what the company said it expected to pay in its quarterly report in April. In July, the ICO issued a Notice of Intent to fine Facebook as part of a wide ranging investigation into the use of data analytics for political purposes.
Rapid Jacqueline 2,241
Microsoft and ServiceNow today announced a broader strategic partnership intended to significantly enhance the integration and optimisation of the companies’ products, platform and cloud capabilities.
Watch Communications and Microsoft partner to bring broadband internet to Indiana, Ohio and Illinois
Rapid Jacqueline 1,583
Watch Communications and Microsoft have announced an agreement aimed at closing the broadband gap, and the rural digital divide in particular, in the states of Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.
Rapid Jacqueline 12,038
The US has hit back at Huawei, asking a federal judge in Texas to dismiss the firm’s lawsuit against the US ban on its products. Huawei filed the lawsuit in March, claiming that a law limiting its American business is unconstitutional.
Rapid Jacqueline 5,493
Samsung has launched the Bixby Marketplace in US and Korea. The Bixby Marketplace is a one-stop shop for users to browse and add a wide range of services (known as capsules) to enhance their Bixby experience.
Rapid Marianne 49,311
Following talks with President Xi Jinping. President Trump said Saturday he will allow U.S. companies to sell products to Huawei, offering a concession to China.
Rapid John 5,374
A US jury has cleared California semiconductor designer CNEX Labs of stealing trade secrets from Huawei while awarding CNEX no damages on its own trade theft counter claims.
FedEx has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce to stop it from enforcing certain export restrictions against the company. In a statement, FedEx didn’t name Huawei specifically but the filing comes after the company has botched Huawei-related shipments on at least two occasions.


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The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has lowered the sugar allocation for the export market, because of increasing demand in the local market amid decreasing sugar production.
In Sugar Order 1A, SRA Administrator Ma. Regina Bautista-Martin ordered the reallocation of “D sugar” or world market sugar for “B sugar” or domestic market sugar, in order to meet the increasing demand for the sweetener in the local market.
“While the current crop year’s production is on the downtrend, the records show that our local demand or consumption for sugar is increasing,” Martin said.
The SRA chief added that it is necessary for the agency to reallocate world market sugar to the local market, stressing that projected sugar buffer stock may hit a critical level by the end of the crop year 2013 to 2014.
“The SRA conducted periodic assessments wherein it was determined that due to the adverse effect of the series of severe climatic disturbances befalling the country, which directly impacted sugar production,” Martin said.
“Our national sugar production will be reduced to more or less 2.356 million metric tons [MT] for the current crop year,” she added.
To recall, the SRA said that it expected sugar production for crop year 2013 to 2014 to reach 2.45 million MT, roughly the same level as the actual production of 2.45 million MT in the previous crop year.
Of the total projected volume, Martin said that the agency has allocated 2 percent for “A sugar” or US sugar quota, 12 percent for “D sugar” or world market sugar, and 86 percent to “B sugar” or domestic market.


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Reserve Bank of India RBI, its monetary policy committee has retained the short-term-pending rate or Repo rate at 6 percent, unchanged during the fifth bi-monthly review of policy during the current fiscal year. this decision was on the expected lines as 95 percent (52 out of 54) of the financial expert's survey poll were sure that policy rate will be retained.
Seven-year low policy rate is still retained. Sine the committee reduced the key lending rate by 25 basis points in August 2017.
Inflation statistics in the past five months revealed a rise in the cure oil prices, G.S.T rates, and loss-making varients due to risk factors during the current financial year. Experts believe US Federal Reserve intends to up the interest rate in the next week's policy review, has forced the Monetary Policy committee to retain the rate cut.
RBI forces inflation to remain between 4.3 to 4.7 percent till 31st March 2018. Even though vegetables are costlier, non-arrival of vegetable during productive winter, the prices are subject to change. Pulses rate are in the fall since GST rates reduced on several retail goods and service to lower tax, which should have a bearing on retail prices in future.
Farm loan waivers by some states, roll back partly on excise duty and VAT on some petroleum products thereby decrease in revenue may have its effect on inflation.


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At 500 million users and growing, China’s Internet market is the world’s largest. But China’s cyberspace is also one of the most restricted, with many sites blocked and censors monitoring what users say online.
Get on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, and you’ll be bombarded with 75 million messages each day.
According to its founder Charles Chao, the country’s number one micro-blogging site has about 200 million users and growing.
While most of them use it for social networking, others use it to track issues that matter.
But the micro-blog is being watched by the censors.
Popular micro-blogger Daniel Wu was shut down after flashing comments and pictures about government officials and their expensive watches.
Weibo’s founder, Charles Chao has warned that he’s stepping up censorship, as a result of increasingly unverified information being spread via the service.
But observers said such efforts are almost futile.
Although Facebook and Twitter are banned in China, one foreign social networking website managed to get over the Great Firewall.
Viadeo, the world’s largest non-English competitor to LinkedIn, operates its business through a local partner, Tianji, which has five million users.
Even though its users go online mainly for business networking, Tianji still has its internal censors keeping watch.
While the websites try to play by the rules and may be pressured to do so, online users appear to be unfazed by the censors, perhaps due to a relatively light-handed and limited policing on the online space so far.


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This content is current only at the time of printing. This document was printed on 6 December 2021. A current copy is located at https://apvma.gov.au/node/31416
You are here
Businesses warned that supplying unregistered insect repellents could come back to bite
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is encouraging retailers to stock only APVMA registered natural insect repellents to avoid heavy fines and risking customer safety.
APVMA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Chris Parker, said the regulator had noticed a growing number of potentially unsafe and ineffective products being sold in stores across Australia.
“All insect repellents for human use, including chemical-based products, and ‘natural’ plant-based alternatives, are required by law to be registered with the APVMA before they can be sold in Australia,” Dr Parker said.
A business can be fined up to $157,500 by the APVMA for supplying an unregistered product, while a court can impose penalties of up to $1.5 million.
“The dangers of supplying or promoting an unregistered product go beyond breaking the law,” Dr Parker said.
“Insect repellents that come through the APVMA’s regulatory assessment process have been through the proper checks and balances to ensure product safety and effectiveness.
“Unregistered products are not only illegal, they haven’t been through a scientific assessment process that ensures potentially harmful and/or ineffective products are kept off Australian shelves.”
The regulator warned that plant-based, ‘natural’ insect repellents were not always effective or safer than traditional, chemical-based products.
“The only way to be sure an insect repellent –made of ‘natural’ or chemical-based substances—will be safe to use and work as claimed is if it’s been assessed and registered by the APVMA,” Dr Parker said.
“It’s irresponsible to be stocking or supplying unregistered agvet products. Doing so is putting customers at risk of exposure to insect-borne diseases and unwanted side effects like skin irritations.
The APVMA is running a targeted campaign to encourage retailers and suppliers to check the registration of all natural insect repellents before the mosquitos and flies return in the warmer months. This includes any lotions, wrist bands, body sprays, candles, coils, wipes, wear-on stickers and roll-ons.
If you’re supplying a product that doesn’t have an APVMA approval number on the label, contact the APVMA at firstname.lastname@example.org or call 1300 700 315. Reports of possible non-compliance are treated confidentially.
Learn more about your responsibilities when selling natural insect repellents at www.apvma.gov.au/compliance-education
Further information: Roanna Dawson | Director, Public Affairs | 0467 726 486 | email@example.com


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Alaska’s marijuana regulators have postponed until June action on draft rules for allowing people to consume adult-use cannabis in authorized retail stores.
Erika McConnell, the director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, had recommended that the Marijuana Control Board put the draft regulations out for public comment.
The board is down one member after Travis Welch resigned from the public safety seat last month.
Alaska’s regulators have been mulling onsite use for several years.
They adopted rules in late 2015 to permit people to use marijuana at authorized stores but haven’t finalized how that would work.
Recreational marijuana retailers are pushing for onsite use to give the 1 million-plus tourists who visit Alaska annually somewhere to consume their cannabis purchase.
– Associated Press


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Cryptocurrency startup Blockchain.info is now a community of 25 Million Wallets
UK-based cryptocurrency wallet provider Blockchain.info has hit a huge milestone by surpassing 25 million customer wallets on its platform, according to Yahoo Finance. The company’s growth has been supported by notable hires and an extremely talented team.
Blockchain.info has experienced exponential growth ever since its launch in the year 2013. In the initial 18 months of its existence only, the startup expanded by a tremendous 2100% from 1,00,000 to 3 million wallets.
With 25 million wallets community, the startup is a larger community than that of Charles Schwab (9 million accounts), TD Ameritrade (11 million accounts) and Ally Bank combined. It is undoubtedly the world’s most popular cryptocurrency wallet. Coinbase, the competitor of Blockchain.info, had a userbase of 13 million as of November which was the last time Coinbase publicly shared the userbase.
The Company reportedly involves in 1,60,000 daily transactions apart from 100,000,000+ transactions powered by the Company. It has raised a whopping $70,000,000 from the leading investors in Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and London. Virgin, Google Ventures, Digital Currency Group, Prudence Holding etc. are some of the investors.
The company has experienced unprecedented growth in the last few months. Through its “Blockchain explorer”, the company also shows real-time activity on the bitcoin blockchain. However, it should be noted that 25 Million wallets community doesn’t mean the company has exactly 25 million users, as one user can have multiple wallets too. There are 22 million Bitcoin wallets with a positive balance, according to Bitcoin Private, which means that some of the wallets might be empty or some of the users of Blockchain.info don’t use the flagship cryptocurrency.
After the announcement, various users noted that Blockchain.info supported the controversial SegWit2x (Segregated Witness) hard fork to increase bitcoin’s block size to 2 MB but failed to reach consensus. Others claimed that it hasn’t yet adopted the SegWit, a scaling solution created by the Bitcoin Core development team, though they claimed that it was ready for it earlier this year.
Peter Smith, the CEO of Blockchain.info, said,
“Everyone should have some meaningful yet small allocation. You should buy crypto in amounts that you’re not worried about, and you should sell it whenever you start thinking about it once a day.”
The Company is building a strong and safe community of digital currency enthusiasts and is claiming to increase innovation to create a brighter financial future.
Follow us on Telegram!


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Coronavirus and digital media industry trends: 6/12/20
It’s your biweekly update on the latest across the ad and publishing industries! We’re exploring what early June may mean for summer ad spending trends, looking at what Memorial Day traffic foreshadows for upcoming holidays, and sharing three important things...
It’s your biweekly update on the latest across the ad and publishing industries! We’re exploring what early June may mean for summer ad spending trends, looking at what Memorial Day traffic foreshadows for upcoming holidays, and sharing three important things you can add to your calendar this month.
Summer advertiser spending
Many advertisers set monthly budgets, which means a few things:
- The beginning of the month is generally light as advertisers launch new budgets. Some start spending immediately but others can take a few days as they iron out the details.
- Leading up to the last few days of a month tend to be the highest spending points in a month since advertisers have had the entire month to optimize their strategies so they can spend most effectively.
- At the very end of a month, some budgets run out, so the last day or two tend to have lower advertiser spending.
That first point is what we’re most interested in today, as we’re rounding out the beginning of June. June started like a normal month — a little lighter than peak spending at the end of May. The slowness continued a little longer than usual this June because some advertisers participated in #BlackoutTuesday on June 2 and didn’t start new budgets until after that.
While this meant that the beginning of June was low for longer than usual, it’s having a positive impact now. Advertisers’ budgets for a month are set in advance, so if they start spending late, they still spend the same amount of money, just faster. The slow start has led to a huge bump in spending over the last few days.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, but so far the ad recovery is moving along well, with significant RPM gains for many CafeMedia publishers, including some numbers reaching pre-COVID levels.
We continue to see spikes in spend from advertisers who work directly with us (rather than through open market programmatic buying). This means the CafeMedia community is seeing ad spending that’s better than industry averages lately!
We’re still paying very close attention to advertiser needs, as any spike in coronavirus cases or other major global/national trends may put a damper on their spending patterns again.
Looking forward, the start of July is usually the second-weakest time of year (next to January) when it comes to advertiser spending. Many large advertisers have fiscal years that run from July to June, so July is effectively their January.
Annual advertiser spending trends are similar to monthly spending trends, but on a larger scale. So for these big advertisers who are resetting their budgets for a new year at the beginning of July, it usually takes a few weeks for them to get things set up efficiently and to start spending.
Celebratory content trends
We’re continuing to see readers leaning into celebrations with more passion than ever, so our insights team dove into Memorial Day data to see what trends we can expect in the next few months.
1. Readers are more excited than ever about reasons to celebrate
Comparing 2019 Memorial Day-themed traffic to this year illuminates just how much more of a focus there is on holidays right now.
Not only was overall traffic much higher, the “holiday bump” was that much more pronounced this year.
2. It’s not that readers are doing things differently, they’re just doing them with more intensity
We were interested in finding out how much COVID-19 changed what holiday content people were most interested in — and surprisingly, it didn’t change too much.
Comparing the most popular Memorial Day content overall this year versus last year reveals that readers are still looking to celebrate in their traditional ways: cookoffs, lots of macaroni salad, and fun activities for the kids.
What does this mean for Father’s Day and Independence Day?
We’re expecting the celebrations to continue — and reader interest to be higher than normal.
Raising money for racial justice
CafeMedia publishers have been doing incredible things lately and using their influence to address systemic racism in many ways over the last few weeks.
Together, CafeMedia publishers, publishers’ communities of readers, and CafeMedia team members have submitted over $34,000 for matching in the first week! With the CafeMedia Community Matching Fund, that’s now $68,000 to support organizations fighting for racial justice — and we’re excited to see this continue to grow.
Our matching program runs through June 30, and we’ve updated the donation form to include the option for CafeMedia publishers to aggregate their readers’ donations for us to match. Here’s how:
- CafeMedia publishers may collect receipts from their readers and verify the donation is to a 501(c)(3) organization
- You submit them to us in aggregate, through this form
- We’ll match up to $10,000 from any CafeMedia publisher, including readers’ pooled contributions, up to the $100,000 fund total!


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Dear sikafo, we have a long awaited announcement for you. Our beloved app now offers P2P trading to our friends in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon. This means that people in these countries can exchange their local currency for cryptos such as Bitcoin, USDT, ETH, Solana, etc inside our app. They can also exchange crypto for their local currency.
Being a P2P app now means that all trading between any currency pair will be done at the rates set by individual sellers. As a buyer, this gives you more price variety when making transactions. We’re hoping this update will help you save more money than you already do now on our app.
Our P2P services are a best fit for day traders, people who need stablecoins or other cryptos, users sending remittance and speculators. We’re opening in our three biggest markets today, but we hope to rapidly expand to more countries throughout this year. What countries should we add next? Let me know.
The new update is available on the Playstore for Android users (click here).
For iPhone users, you can access the update via TestFlight (click here) as we continue to seek store approval from the Apple team (if you know, you know).
The new Bitsika update offers P2P trading, remittances, virtual cards and giftcards. Enjoy.
Visit bitsika.com for more


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In 2017, there were over 4,156 million Internet users in the world.
By December 31st 2017, there were over 4,156 million Internet users in the world.
A recent study from Internet World Stats just proved Asia collects up to 48.7% of the Internet users in the world by region.
In a far second place is Europe with 17.0%, Africa with 10.9%, and Latin America and the Caribbean with 10.5%. North America, the Middle East and Oceania/Australia finished at the bottom.
Users and Internet penetration: not the same
However, despite the large amount of people with access to the web, Internet penetration is not as good for the regions with large amounts of web users.
North America, for example, placed at number 5 in the amount of people using the web, is number 1 in web penetration.
Europe (85.2%), Australia (68.9%), Latin America and the Caribbean (67.0%), and the Middle East (64.5%) continue the ranking as they position themselves above the world average, which comes down to 54.4%.
Asia and Africa, numbers 1 and 3 among the amount of users, are the two regions with the less amount of Internet penetration in the world.
A rising trend for Asia
According to a Business Insider article, southeast Asia grew 70 million new users since 2015, making this region the third-largest market globally in terms of web users.
As consumers spend 3.6 hours per day on the mobile internet, more than any other market, Internet usage is set to peak even more.


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Hoping to hit Pandora where it hurts, online radio service TuneIn just debuted a service to help listeners discover new audio content. “Using the data it gathers from its over 40 million monthly users, TuneIn is now able to provide its users with personalized recommendations, based on the stations, songs and artists they listen to,” TechCrunch reports. TuneIn was also a launch partner for Google’s Google+ sign-in launch, this week.
Not unlike The Wall Street Journal itself, LinkedIn benefits greatly from its corporate clientele, which is happy to spend a share of recruiting resources on the social network. Indeed, the company is now valued at north of $18 billion, up from $4 billion when it went public mid-2011. Ironically, however, “LinkedIn was long an ugly duckling of social media,” WSJ recalls.
What kills social networks? Simply put, when the costs associated with being a member outweigh the benefits. So found the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich after recently performing a digital “autopsy” on fated social network Friendster. “The thinking is that if one person leaves, then his or her friends become more likely to leave as well,” the MIT Technology Review reports.
Forrester analyst James McQuivey suggests that Silicon Valley’s best days are behind it. Why? For one, because “digital disruption,” has gone global, her writes in AllThingsD. “The long-term effect of rising digital disruption will be to redistribute the benefits of the future across the planet, even as it continues to improve the already futuristic valley that started it all.”
Oddly enough, Marissa Mayer’s first misstep as head of Yahoo might have been to order all telecommuting workers back to the office. In effort to appease critics, Yahoo on Tuesday said the move wasn't meant as a broad judgment on the practice of working from home, MercuryNews.com reports. Still, “critics blasted CEO Marissa Mayer, a new mother herself, for seeming to abandon what many view as a progressive approach to helping working parents and other employees juggle conflicting demands.”
AOL debuted its On video network in Canada, this week. The company said it will use a video hub housing more than 500,000 videos, including Canada-specific video content, as the foundation of an AOL On Video Network, FierceOnlineVideo.com reports. American Express Canada has also signed on as the Canadian launch partner of AOL On.
With the help of research firm Triton Research, The Wall Street Journal’s Dennis Berman admits that Twitter might be worth $10 billion. Yes, “Twitter has the potential to match some of the money-gushing properties of the Internet's greatest money gusher, Google.” What’s remarkable, Berman notes, is the fact that “Twitter has been in the money-making game for only three years.”
In recent weeks, mobile app developers using “cookie tracking” to keep tabs on consumer usage have seen their apps rejected by Apple’s App Review team, TechCrunch reports. And, while it may be too early to glean a clear strategy from Apple’s activity, industry insiders suggest that the company is signaling to developers to start transitioning to Apple’s own Ad Identifier technology.
Sorry Spotify, but Google is reportedly working on a subscription music-streaming service of its own. “Negotiations are under way with major record labels to license their music,” reports Bloomberg, citing sources. In addition, “Google … is also discussing renewing deals that cover the use of songs in videos made by consumers.”
Despite their wildly successful mobile partnership, all is not well between Google and Samsung. As The Wall Street Journal reports: “Google executives worry that Samsung has become so big -- the South Korean company sells about 40% of the gadgets that use Google's Android software -- that it could flex its muscle to renegotiate their arrangement and eat into Google's lucrative mobile-ad business.”


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AT&T just announced at its Developer Summit two LTE phones that will cost less than $50 on contract. First up is the Pantech Burst, which will have a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, and comes in either black or red. There's also the Samsung Exhilarate, which is being described as the first "sustainable" LTE device. AT&T says the phone is constructed from 80 percent recycled post-consumer materials, and it has an Eco calendar and calculator to help you figure out how green (or not) you are.
You'll be able to purchase the Pantech Burst alongside the Element tablet (which was also announced today) for $249.99 if you buy a contract for both devices. Clearly, AT&T is looking to lower the price of entry and get more people on its expanding LTE network. We think $50 is certainly a reasonable price for access to LTE, though don't forget you'll be saddled with that two-year contract. We should have more details on both phones soon, and we'll be getting some hands-on impressions after AT&T's event finishes up.


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Growers will have the opportunity to listen and interact with leading marketing, policy and industry experts during the Midwest Soybean Conference planned for Aug. 10-12 in Des Moines, Iowa.
The three-day conference, hosted by the Iowa Soybean Association, will showcase concurrent session topics on areas such as: environmental management; pest and disease management; soybean and corn standards; and biotechnology. In addition, featured speakers will cover important marketing and policy issues. A trade show with exhibitors from the seed, chemical, equipment marketing and e-commerce industries will also highlight the conference.
For more information, visit the Iowa Soybean Association Web site at www.iasoybeans.com or contact the Midwest Soybean Conference at 1-800-383-1423.