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An unusual conglomeration of technology companies hopes to challenge Sony and Microsoft with a hybrid PC and game console.
Fast-growing consumer electronics company Apex Digital is scheduled to unveil plans for a merged console on Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company is the first manufacturing partner of Digital Interactive Systems Corp. (DISC), which announced plans last year for the Discover PC game console, a device that will run popular PC games and display them on a TV set.
DISC, a Long Beach, Calif.-based start-up, sells BIOS (basic input/output system) chips, which are system chips that contain the software that makes the console work, DISC spokesman Curtis Kaiser said. PC and electronics manufacturers buy the BIOS chips from DISC and use them in their own configuration of a Discover console.
Apex's ApeXtreme console essentially will combine a DVD player with a limited-function PC, said Richard Brown, associate vice president for marketing for Taiwan chipmaker Via Technologies, which is supplying the major components for the console.
The device will sport a 1.4GHz Via processor, a 40GB hard drive and a Via DeltaChrome graphics processor, Brown said. It will run on Windows XP Embedded, Microsoft's operating systems for limited-function computing devices. In addition to running Windows-based PC games, the console will be able play digital music files and DVD movie discs and to display digital photos.
DISC's Drop & Play software will automatically configure PC games to run on the machine, according to Kaiser, eliminating the often complex set-up routines usually associated with installing a new game on a computer.
The software will initially support about 2,000 games, with more titles to be added through regular software updates that the console will automatically download from DISC. "Our software makes sure that when people drop a disc in the drawer, it starts playing automatically," he said.
Kaiser said the console should appeal to video gamers looking to experience new types of games and to dedicated PC game players interested in extending their hobby. "We see a couple of markets, and one of them is the PC gamer who would like to get out of the office and their 15- or 17-inch monitor and have a big-screen TV experience," he said.
The ApeXtreme is set to go on sale in the first quarter of this year, priced at $400--double the cost of Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation 2 game consoles. Other manufacturers working on Discover consoles include specialty PC maker Alienware, which will offer a higher-priced console with more advanced components, Kaiser said.
Price is likely to be just one of the obstacles DISC and its partners face in popularizing the new console design, according to analysts.
"It's extremely difficult to compete against the Sony brand in the living room, as Microsoft has found out," said P.J. McNealy, an analyst for American Technology Research. "Having a high entry price point won't help."
PC gamers are typically very dedicated to their hobby and concerned with running games on the latest and most powerful hardware, added Schelley Olhava, an analyst at research firm IDC. Getting them interested in playing the same games on a comparatively low-powered living room machine will be a challenge, she said.
"The issue is going to be getting PC gamers to go into the living room," Olhava said. "When you play a PC game, it's a totally different experience from a console...I have concerns about whether more than a small number of gamers are going to be interested."
Several other companies have tried to break into the game market with similar PC-based consoles. These include Indrema, whose plans for a Linux-based game console fizzled two years ago.


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Turkey’s leading fashion brand Kigili has hired JLL India to scout for a local partner. “We have received a request to find suitable retail partners for this (Kigili) brand and are in the initial stages of the search,” said Pankaj Renjhen, managing director for retail at JLL India.
Koton, the Turkish rival of Kigili, has also been exploring the Indian market for some time, a top executive of a New Delhi mall said.
India’s rapidly growing fashion market has so far been dominated by European and US brands. For example, Poland’s Cool Club to Russia’s leading kidswear label Acoola are talking to mall owners in India to open outlets.
“Now brands from various countries are trying to make a mark in the industry,” said Benu Sehgal, head of retail and marketing at Ambience Group that operates malls in Delhi and Gurgaon.
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domain: news


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Google secures all searches
Google has confirmed that it has begun encrypting searches for users who are not signed in - a change that could eventually lead to 100 per cent (not provided) keyword data.
(Not provided) began appearing in Analytics organic keyword reports back in October 2011, when Google first announced search encryption - although Matt Cutts estimated it would affect a single digit percentage of search queries.
In the intervening two years, encryption became default for any users signed into their Google account, before extending to searches in the Chrome and Firefox browser bars. Encryption means that the keyword the user typed in to find a site will not be passed on to the site's Analytics results, returning (not provided) instead.
This week, a Google spokesperson told Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land:
"We added SSL encryption for our signed-in search users in 2011, as well as searches from the Chrome omnibox earlier this year. We're now working to bring this extra protection to more users who are not signed in."
Speculation over the reason for the change has so far been divided into two camps: those who think Google is protecting users from NSA data collection, and those who believe the search giant is attempting to drive more businesses to use AdWords, where the keyword data remains completely unencrypted. Google commented, "The motivation here is not to drive the ads side - it's for our search users".
Coping without keyword data
SEO experts have pointed out that many sites have seen (not provided) climb to over 70 per cent already, and many predicted it would hit 100 per cent later this year. Furthermore, the organic landing page report will still be available, which for some websites will be easily interpreted as keywords or groups of keywords, and cross referenced with rankings and volume.
Further techniques being suggested as alternatives for organic keywords include the Search Queries screen in Webmaster Tools, which displays impressions and click through rates for a site's top keywords. Meanwhile, Google AdWords can be used to discover new keyword opportunities and determine the brand/non-brand split. Of course, for countries where the search engine market share is more balanced, other search engines could still provide some useful information.
Daniel Nolan, managing director at theEword, commented: "For SEO agencies, the organic keyword report has never been the crux of a campaign, more a small piece of the jigsaw. It might be more complicated, more time-consuming, and less transparent, but there are plenty of tools and techniques that will help sites cope with the loss of this data, and the industry is sure to adapt very quickly."


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If you believe that click bait is relegated to the lesser news sources that produce false- or questionable stories about the entertainment- and health industries, think again. Click bait has become a very powerful tool that even some of the leading, and more respected news sources have created.
Why are reputable news producers willing to “stoop to” this level? The truth is that modern readers enjoy it. Clickbait has proven to be a highly effective form of making money and building a stronger reader base, whether it is thought to be respectable news or not. Another big reason why companies are willing to create these ad-riddled pieces is because they are a backdoor around the ad blockers that most Americans have employed on computers and smart devices.
Earlier this year, Forbes published a story on the prospects of the click bait market. The author of that piece suggested that the more stringent controls put in place by the search engine algorithms (and more specifically, by Google) were meant to slow the oncoming tide of clickbait articles. Facebook also, DeMers writers, updated its algorithm to prevent the growth of clickbait titles. Despite all of this, clickbait continues to gain power and that means that an increasing number of brands are trying to find ways to create the titles that encourage more page visits, even if that means creating content of less quality.
Three years ago, marketing gurus were strongly urging brands to stay away from the clickbait formula. Now, in 2017, despite all of the efforts of Google, Facebook, and others, brands are being told that clickbait works and that they should create more of it, if they hope to achieve notable levels of organic reach.
So, what classifies as clickbait? The term is not overly well defined, but essentially, it is all about the title and it generally comes in one of the following formats:
- Lists Countdowns, DIY step-by-step, ‘the best of’, or ‘the top… of all time’ are just some of the examples commonly seen.
- Animal involvement People can’t resist a funny cat meme or a heart-wrenching dog rescue.
- New Take on Trending Topic
- Shocking Element If you can cause feelings of disgust, alarm, hysterics, or heartbreak in only a few words, you’ve created a great clickbait title.
Should your brand consider this as part of the content creation process? It all depends on what industry you operate in and who your primary consumer is. There are some who will greatly appreciate such titles and who will click through regularly. There are others who will be quick to form a bad opinion of the brand. If you know your niche well, then you will know whether clickbait holds great power for your company.


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The popular video streaming platform Youtube is nowadays working to launch a new project “Youtube Short Video Creation”. According to news, Youtube’s this new project will compete with the popular short video streaming app known as TikTok. TikTok has been massively popular with video creators today with over 800 million-plus users all around the world. So, Youtube is planning to launch its new project ‘Youtube Short.’
Google’s popular video publishing service Youtube is now working to launch the new project Youtube Short video publishing service. TikTok has been the most downloaded app on play store after Whatsapp. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has recently launched a music streaming App Resso. This app offers music streaming services like JioSaavan, Gaana or Spotify.
This new service of youtube may be launched in the name of ‘Shorts.’ This service will be working along with youtube. Users can then publish short videos on youtube through this service. It is also assumed that this new service ‘Youtube Shorts’ will act as a trump card against TikTok. This new service will be providing licensed music to create short videos. Users can create videos of length 15 seconds to a maximum of 60 seconds.
TikTok was launched in China in 2016 and worldwide in 2018. Since then, this app had been widely popular globally in a short span of time. However, TikTok was initially launched in the name of the ‘Musically’ app and was later changed into TikTok. In this app, users can publish videos for less than 60 seconds.
However, it is yet to be seen whether this new service of publishing short videos by youtube becomes as popular as TikTok or not. We can still assume that Youtube is the largest video publishing platform on the globe and it is positive that this new service can also be as popular.
Moreover, users might be more interested in Youtube Shorts because of the monetization option. In TikTok, it is difficult to monetize using CPC and PPC ads. You can’t get any advertisement offer by the company till you get a million followers on TikTok.
But, it can be different in the case of Youtube Shorts. When you can get your passion along with some monetization options, won’t you be more enthusiastic about using Youtube’s new service? I definitely would. What do you think? Please leave a comment.


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The majority of Brits are in complete denial about their health, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 adult workers commissioned earlier this month by peanut snack company KP Nuts gives an insight into the nation’s attitudes towards their wellbeing. The study reveals that we tell on average 20 fibs a week regarding our lifestyles: that’s 1,020 every year.
And it’s not only friends we try to deceive. It’s partners, doctors – and even ourselves, according to the findings. In fact, 61% of the adults who took part in the poll admitted they were in denial about their health – with 16% claiming they ‘always’ paint a healthier picture of their lives to others.
Some 15% tell acquaintances that they are non-smokers when it isn’t the case and 13% routinely play down the level of alcohol they consume.
A further 12% claim they are ‘gym-goers’ regardless of how often they actually frequent the gym.
However, the biggest fib to emerge was how much water we drink, with 18% claiming they drink more than one litre of it every day.
Other regular fibs to emerge from the research include ‘I never eat takeaways’ (7%), ‘I don’t watch much television’ (14%) and ‘my kids aren’t allowed sweets’ (6%)
Regardless of age, mums are the people we are most likely to lie to about our health, with 19% of adults pulling the wool over their mother’s eyes about how healthy they are. 16% tell lies to their other half about their lifestyle and a further 16% admit to going to the school playground dressed in gym gear to give off a healthy vibe to other parents.
More worryingly, 19% routinely lie to their GPs about their lifestyles with 41% filling medical forms in inaccurately to give a better impression.
36% exaggerate how healthy they are on social media –and men are the worst culprits (43%). When asked why, 26% of those polled said it was because of peer pressure and 14% said it was because of celebrity influences. 51% said they felt pressure to keep up with the Joneses in terms of their health.
A spokesperson for KP Nuts said: “We’re all a little guilty of fibbing about what we’ve really been snacking on. But the truth is we don’t have to take supplements and pump iron at the gym to be healthy.
“Some foods that we write off in a bid to eat well can be far more nutritious than we give them credit for.It’s not about following food fads. It’s about knowing which foods taste good and still give you the nutrients you need. A handful of peanuts for example (or 25g) can provide around 7g of protein.”
20 TOP HEALTH AND FITNESS FIBS:
1. I drink more than one litre of water a day
2. I don’t watch much telly
3. I only drink at weekends
4. I visit the gym regularly
5. My kids aren’t allowed sweets
6. I have a normal BMI
7. I never eat takeaways
8. I don’t really like chocolate
9. I don’t like the taste of alcohol
10. I’m not a fan of fried food
11. My kids love vegetables
12. I never eat fast food
13. I lift really heavy weights
14. I only shop at organic supermarkets
15. I don’t eat any saturated fat
16. I won’t have processed food in the house
17. I have never tried a kebab
18. I don’t eat carbs at all
19. I’ve run a marathon
20. My children never eat fast food


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Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., left, arrives at federal court in San Jose, California, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
For Matthew Hassett’s smart alarm clock company Loftie, the 2022 holiday shopping rush was the busiest in its five-year history despite a lackluster U.S. economy and persistent concerns of a recession.
Hassett, who’s based in New York, attributes the boon to one key decision. He reallocated his marketing budget, decreasing spending on Facebook and, for the first time during a holiday season, committing ad dollars to Amazon.
“So many people start their shopping on Amazon,” Hassett said in an interview. “I do personally for most things. So, we have to be there.”
Loftie is representative of a larger trend taking place in retail that’s having major ripples on Madison Avenue and Wall Street. Amazon’s increased advertising offerings for the millions of brands that sell on the site coupled with Facebook’s diminished targeting capabilities that resulted from Apple’s privacy changes have produced a significant realignment in the digital ad market.
Until a year ago, Amazon didn’t even disclose the size of its advertising business, leaving analysts and investors to guess how much the company was making in allowing sellers and brands to promote their wares on the site and apps. Now, the company’s ad division is a $38 billion annual business, and last week reported 19% year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter to $11.6 billion.
Facebook-parent Meta, meanwhile reported a 4% annual decline in revenue for the quarter to $32.2 billion, shrinking for a third consecutive period. Google has been less impacted by Apple’s iOS update, but the ad business is still being hit by the economic slowdown. Parent company Alphabet posted growth of 1% to $76 billion.
Amazon has catapulted to third in the global digital ad market, with 7.3% share, according to Insider Intelligence. Even as it takes share from Google and Facebook, it’s still well behind the two market leaders, which control 28.8% and 20.5%, respectively, of the industry. The Facebook figure includes Instagram.
Loftie continues to spend more money on Facebook than Amazon, but the equation has changed dramatically. In the days surrounding Black Friday in November, he allocated 10% of his marketing budget to Amazon, up from zero the year before. Facebook and Instagram fell to 40% of his budget from 71%. The rest of the money he pulled out of Meta went to Google, as he increased spending there from 29% over the holidays in 2021 to 50% last year.
Hassett said Facebook ads simply don’t work as well anymore, after the iOS update in 2021 began forcing app developers to ask users if they wanted to be tracked. With more consumers opting out of app tracking, the pool of potential customers has been “hollowed out and so we can no longer reliably target people,” Hassett said.
“Facebook has to serve the audience to a bigger pool of people in order to find the same people you’re finding before, and that’s just more expensive,” he said. “You have to pay a lot more than you did a year ago, and a lot of that is due to Apple’s privacy changes.”
Meta finance chief Susan Li told analysts on last week’s earnings call that growth in the company’s biggest verticals, online commerce and consumer packaged goods, “remained negative” in the quarter. She said the pace of the year-to-year decline in “online commerce has slowed compared to last quarter,” but was uncertain if the sector will significantly rebound anytime soon.
People take selfies in front of the logo of Facebook parent company Meta on November 9, 2022 in Menlo Park, California. Meta will lay off more than 11,000 staff, the company said on Wednesday.
Liu Guanguan | China News Service | Getty Images
For Loftie, Amazon and Google provide better value because a shopper is showing intent by searching for a particular item. Hassett purchased keywords like “white noise” as well as “Loftie” to make sure that consumers who wanted to find his products weren’t misdirected.
“The work we do off of Amazon on advertising definitely pays dividends on Amazon because people are going there and typing in Loftie,” Hassett said, adding that his shift in ad spending helped Loftie generate a record $250,000 revenue over a four-day stretch during the holidays.
Investment bank Cowen noted in a recent survey of ad buyers that “Amazon was the most popular survey response when we asked respondents which ad platform outside of GOOG / FB properties could emerge or is emerging as a meaningful part of buyers’ Digital ad spend, ahead of TikTok.”
The survey indicated that there continues to be “broad interest among advertisers” to grow their Amazon budgets in 2023, with 54% of surveyed Amazon advertisers saying they are planning to spend more this year than last.
While Facebook remains a core piece of a brand’s budget, its influence is diminishing, and the company’s investment in its TikTok-like Reels product will take a few years to make a significant financial impact, the Cowen analysts said.
“In the near term, we expect Meta ad share to decline further in ’23 given macro headwinds and the pivot to Reels,” they wrote.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment for this story but sent CNBC examples of brands that the company says increased their allocation to Facebook and Instagram and have seen improved performance from ads on the site.
Like Loftie, Robin Golf also had to move away from Facebook in promoting its catalog of golf clubs and related equipment. CEO Peter Marler said over the past year more of that money has gone to Amazon.
Between July 2021 and the same month a year later, Robin’s cost to acquire a customer jumped 260% to $180 from $50, Marler said. He attributed most of the surge in costs to Facebook’s reduced targeting abilities, and said Google also wasn’t performing as well.
“We started investing more heavily in Amazon,” Marler said. “We shifted budget away from Facebook, we shifted budget away from Google, and we shifted to Amazon, and our Amazon sales have shot up by about 600% in 2022.”
Overall, the value of the tracking cookie has withered because of a renewed emphasis on consumer privacy. There are very few major online ad platforms that don’t rely on targeting, Marler said.
“Changes in the efficacy of those platforms really have forced us to reexamine our reliance on them,” he said. “We are actively moving our budgets away and decreasing the amount of money that we are spending with Meta.”
‘Not our customer’
Reliance on Amazon has its own pitfalls. The company is a dominant force in online retail and can make or break a brand’s success based on its performance on the site. That’s particularly risky because Amazon has its own ballooning private label business, which regularly rolls out products that compete with sellers on the platform.
Vitamin company Manna Health has been increasing its presence on Amazon, committing more of its ad budget to the site since the iOS changes, with plans to possibly double its allocation in 2023 from less than 10% currently, said marketing chief Ryan Farmer.
But he worries about brand loyalty, when so many transactions take place on Amazon.
“It’s not our customer, it’s Amazon’s customer,” Farmer said.
Farmer likens Amazon’s online ad system to Google’s in that companies run ads based on keywords that they think resonate with potential customers who may be searching for certain products. Manna also uses Amazon’s demand-side platform advertising tool, which is helpful for placement in banner ads that can be seen by people “searching for certain things,” Farmer said.
Manna, like Loftie and Robin Golf, maintains a customized Amazon home page that contains graphics, slogans, and a listing of the company’s various products that it’s selling on Amazon. However, the system is a “black box,” Famer said, because it doesn’t provide the kind of demographic data or other information to help Manna retain and nurture its customers.
Manna doesn’t even get contact information for the buyer. CEO Jeff Hill said he wished that Amazon offered “more insight into the customer, obviously, and sharing emails would be a bare minimum” so Manna could build a community and talk to clients.
“‘Hey, you bought this joint supplement, you know you might also be interested in our new bone supplement,” Hill said, describing a potential follow-up email. “It would help our company out and we would be able to buy more on Amazon and it would be mutually beneficial for us to make it to the customer and drive more traffic back to Amazon and the products.”
Amazon declined to provide a comment for this story.
Rachel Tipograph, CEO of marketing technology firm MikMak, said there are other unforeseen costs tied to Amazon advertising.
Unlike Meta, which just requires you to login to Facebook’s business manager to start buying ads, advertising on Amazon comes alongside listing products on the platform and a host of other services that brands are often buying, including warehouse space. Premium ad placement is the equivalent of slotting fees in retail stores, where brands pay for shelf visibility.
A Target customer looks at a display of board games while shopping at Target store on December 15, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Tipograph expects these costs will “cause the pendulum to swing back” towards brand promotion, and companies will rely more on channels that direct traffic to their own website and give them more control over their expenses.
“What CFOs want is profitable advertising, profitable growth,” Tipograph said, “and they want to know that they are driving incremental growth.”
Ryan Flannagan, the CEO of e-commerce marketing firm Nuanced Media, said that as Amazon’s ad business has grown, so has the competition to run “premium copy and visuals.”
Companies that aren’t investing in Amazon ads are “basically losing market share, because they’re not defending themselves,” Flanagan said.
Amazon has plenty of work ahead to keep its ad offerings attractive enough for brands to continue forking over bigger portions of their budget. But for now, companies like Loftie are happy with the returns they’re getting from Amazon, given the challenges with Facebook.
The way Hassett sees it, even with the rising expenses and associated risks, Amazon is providing enough value to justify the headaches.
Lloyds Bank this weekend fired a salvo at Facebook-owner Meta, slamming it for failing to stop a ‘Wild West’ surge in online shopping scams. Britain’s biggest retail bank – which has 26 million customers – blasted the social media giant for enabling so-called ‘purchase’ frauds.
The banking group claimed two-thirds of the scams start on Meta-owned platforms, which also includes Instagram.
Banks and insurance groups have been frustrated for years that social media companies are not made to pay their fair share of compensation to victims for frauds hosted on their platforms.
But it is highly unusual for a lender like Lloyds to take aim at an individual tech firm like Meta.
The intervention puts Lloyds Banking Group boss Charlie Nunn at loggerheads with Facebook tycoon Mark Zuckerberg.
Face-off: Lloyds Banking Group boss Charlie Nunn and Meta executive chairman Mark Zuckerberg
British banks have previously urged ministers to tackle online financial scams amid concerns that criminals are using Facebook and Google to place fraudulent advertisements with impunity.
The failure of internet giants to check the authenticity of digital ads has led to a surge of scams, they claim. These include ‘brand cloning’, where criminals impersonate legitimate businesses to dupe victims into handing over their savings. Purchase fraud tends to target younger consumers who are tricked into paying for sought-after items that don’t actually exist.
Victims are lured by the offer of a cheap deal – often advertised on social media – and then asked to send money from their own secure online bank account direct to the seller via a transfer system known as faster payments.
However, this provides very little protection when things go wrong.
The scam is a small but growing part of online fraud, which now accounts for 40 per cent of all crime and costs £7 billion a year, according to latest government figures.
The number of purchase frauds has soared by 40 per cent since the start of the pandemic to over 117,000 cases in 2022, according to the UK Finance trade body. It coincided with a boom in online shopping, more time spent on social media and shortages of certain goods caused by supply chain issues.
Lloyds, whose brands include Hailfax and Bank of Scotland, estimates that someone falls victim to the scam on a Meta-owned platform every seven minutes, costing consumers £27 million this year alone.
The average amount lost by the victims of purchase scams is around £570. Clothes, trainers, gaming consoles and mobile phones are among the most common goods being falsely advertised for sale.
Lloyds said it reimburses ‘the majority’ of victims and has invested ‘hundreds of millions of pounds’ in security systems to beat the scammers.
But refunds don’t address the emotional trauma of being a victim of fraud or stop the flow of money to organised crime, it added.
‘Social media has become the Wild West of online shopping in recent years, with very few checks in place to verify who is selling what,’ said Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Banking Group.
The Government’s new national fraud strategy allows banks more time to slow down suspicious payments. But Ziegler said banks couldn’t fight the ‘epidemic of scams’ alone.
‘It’s high time tech companies stepped up to share responsibility for protecting their own customers,’ she said.
‘This means stopping scams at source and contributing to refunds when their platforms are used to defraud innocent victims.’
An amendment to the long-delayed Online Safety Bill requires social media firms to prevent paid-for fraudulent adverts, regardless of whether the ads are controlled by the platforms or an intermediary. It followed pressure from consumer groups, charities and the banking industry who claimed the Government’s approach to tackling online fraud was ‘flawed’.
But critics say the proposals still don’t go far enough. ‘Fraudsters don’t just pay for adverts or create fraudulent content that fits within the scope of the Bill,’ said a banking industry source. ‘The exclusion of online marketplaces like Facebook’s is therefore a significant loophole.’
Campaigners say only the threat of fines will force the social media companies to act.
‘Without penalties there’s nothing in it for them to stop the scams from happening,’ said consumer champion Baroness Altmann. She fears the Government is ‘absolutely terrified of upsetting the tech companies’ and of being seen to clamp down on the free market.
James Daley, founder of consumer campaign group Fairer Finance, said social media sites had become ‘a gateway for fraudsters’.
‘Firms like Meta have a clear responsibility to step up and protect their users,’ he said. ‘But if past experience is anything to go by, it’s unlikely these firms will do much if they don’t have to.
‘The Government announced plans to introduce new protections last year, but these have now been kicked into the long grass again.’
Meta said purchase fraud was ‘an industry-wide issue’ with scammers using ‘increasingly sophisticated methods’ to defraud people ‘in a range of ways, including email, text and offline’.
A spokesman said: ‘We don’t want anyone to fall victim to these criminals which is why our platforms have systems to block scams. Financial services advertisers now have to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.’
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was approached for comment.
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NHS trusts are sharing intimate details about patients’ medical conditions, appointments and treatments with Facebook without consent and despite promising never to do so.
An Observer investigation has uncovered a covert tracking tool in the websites of 20 NHS trusts which has for years collected browsing information and shared it with the tech giant in a major breach of privacy.
The data includes granular details of pages viewed, buttons clicked and keywords searched. It is matched to the user’s IP address – an identifier linked to an individual or household – and in many cases details of their Facebook account.
Information extracted by Meta Pixel can be used by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, for its own business purposes – including improving its targeted advertising services.
Records of information sent to the firm by NHS websites reveal it includes data which – when linked to an individual – could reveal personal medical details.
It was collected from patients who visited hundreds of NHS webpages about HIV, self-harm, gender identity services, sexual health, cancer, children’s treatment and more.
It also includes details of when web users clicked buttons to book an appointment, order a repeat prescription, request a referral or to complete an online counselling course. Millions of patients are potentially affected.
This weekend, 17 of the 20 NHS trusts that were using Meta Pixel confirmed they had pulled the tracking tool from their websites.
Eight issued apologies to patients. Multiple trusts said they had originally installed the tracking pixels to monitor recruitment or charity campaigns and were not aware that they were sending patient data to Facebook. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating.
The Observer can reveal:
In one case, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS trust shared when a user viewed a patient handbook for HIV medication. The name of the drug and the NHS trust were sent to the company along with the user’s IP address and details of their Facebook user ID.
Alder Hey Children’s trust in Liverpool, sent Facebook details when users visited webpages for sexual development problems, crisis mental health services and eating disorders. It also shared data when users clicked to order repeat prescriptions.
The Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust in London shared data with Facebook when users clicked the information page for its gender identity service, which specialises in working with children who have gender dysphoria. Data was also shared when users viewed the webpage for the Portman Clinic, which “offers specialist help with disturbing sexual behaviours”, and clicked for details on how to be referred to the service.
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS trust shared data with Facebook when a patient clicked buttons indicating they were under 18, lived in Brighton and wanted to access mental health services.
Other NHS trusts sent detailed receipts to Facebook when users accessed pages for appointment bookings or completed online self-help courses. Barts Health NHS trust, which serves a population of 2.5 million in London, shared data with Facebook when a user clicked to “cancel or change an appointment” or added a visit to a particular hospital to their itinerary.
The Royal Marsden, a specialist cancer centre, sent data on patients requesting referrals, viewing information about private care and browsing pages for particular cancer types.
Information sent to the company is likely to include special category health data, which has extra protection in law and is defined as information “about an individual’s past, current or future health status”, including medical conditions, tests and treatment and “any related data which reveals anything about the state of someone’s health”. Using or sharing it without explicit consent or another lawful basis is illegal.
Once the data reaches Facebook’s servers, it is not possible to track exactly how it is used. The company says it prohibits organisations from sending it sensitive health information and has filters to weed such data out when it is received by mistake.
Professor David Leslie, director of ethics at the Alan Turing Institute, said the transfer of data to third parties by the NHS risked damaging the “delicate relationship of trust” with patients. “Our reasonable expectation when we’re accessing an NHS website is that our data won’t be extracted and shared with third-party commercial entities that could [use it] for targeting ads or linking our personal identities to health conditions,” he said.
He accused Meta of doing too little to monitor what information it was being sent. “Meta says we don’t permit certain types of data being sent to us but they haven’t spent enough on resources to audit this,” Christl said.
In most cases, the information sent to Facebook during a test by the Observer was transferred automatically upon loading a website – before the user had selected to “accept” or “decline” cookies – and without explicit consent. Only three of the 20 trusts mentioned Facebook or Meta in their privacy policies at all. Several of the trusts had previously promised patients that their information would not be shared or used for marketing.
Collectively, the 20 NHS trusts found using the tracking tool serve a population of more than 22 million people in England, stretching from Devon to the Pennines. Some had been using it for several years.
In a statement, the trust apologised to patients and said the Meta Pixel had been active on its website in error. “It was installed in relation to a recruitment campaign, and we were not aware that Meta was using this information for marketing purposes,” a spokesperson said. “Immediate action has been taken to remove it.”
The Royal Marsden said it regularly reviewed its privacy policies but did not say whether it planned to remove the pixel. Barts said it was removing trackers from its website “following the disclosure that they were being used to extract personal information beyond the purpose for which they were originally installed, which was to measure responses to recruitment advertising campaigns.”
Several said they were unaware of how data would be used and apologised to patients for failing to get consent. Aside from the 17 who pulled or are pulling the tool, Hertfordshire Partnership trust and Royal Marsden said they were investigating the issues internally and only the Tavistock and Portman did not respond to requests for comment.
The ICO said it had “noted the findings” and was considering the matter. “People have the right to expect that organisations will handle their information securely and that it will only be used for the purpose they are told,” a spokesperson said.
Several leading US hospitals are currently being sued by their patients over their use of the pixels, which are tiny pieces of code that are invisible during normal browsing.
Meta is also facing legal action over accusations of knowingly receiving sensitive health information – including from pages within patient portals – and not taking steps to stop it. The plaintiffs claim Meta violated their medical privacy by intercepting “individually identifiable health information” from its partner websites and “monetising” it.
Jeffrey Koncius, a partner at Kiesel Law in California and one of the attorneys leading the action, said the data transfer by the NHS websites appeared similar to what was happening in the US. “Imagine if a hospital sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg and said, ‘We want you to know that Jeff Koncius is our patient,’” he said. “That’s exactly what’s happening here. It’s just happening electronically.”
The Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper described the findings as a “shocking discovery” that raised serious questions about the protection of patient information. “The NHS must investigate how this happened and how widespread this alleged data breach is,” she said.
NHS England said individual trusts were responsible for ensuring they followed data protection laws. “The NHS is looking into this issue and will take further action if necessary,” a spokesperson said.
Meta said it had contacted the trusts to remind them of its policies, which prohibited organisations from sending it health data. “We educate advertisers on properly setting up business tools to prevent this from occurring,” the spokesperson said. They added it was website owner’s responsibility to ensure it complied with data protection laws and had obtained consent before sending data.
The company did not answer questions about the effectiveness of its filters designed to weed out “potentially sensitive data”, or which types of information they would block from hospital websites – or say why it permitted NHS trusts to send it data at all, given the high risk it could reveal details about the web user’s health.
“Like any technology, our filters won’t be able to catch everything all of the time. However, we are constantly improving our mechanisms to make sure we catch as much as we can,” a spokesperson said.
The company offers its business tools to advertisers, saying they can help them use health-based advertising to “grow your business”. In one guide, it says data collected through its business tools can improve users’ Facebook experience by showing them ads they “might be interested in”. “You may see ads for hotel deals if you visit travel websites,” it explains.
Sam Smith, at medConfidential, a data privacy campaign group, said it was never appropriate for the tools to be used to collect health information. “There’s no benefit to NHS trusts in giving this information away. It’s like asking a tobacco company to sponsor a cancer ward,” he said. “NHS England is tacitly approving this by not enforcing anything better.”


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Turning away from open trade would lead to greater price volatility and inflationary pressures and weaker growth prospects overall, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told a meeting of leading central bankers, policymakers, and economists on August 26, 2023.
Speaking at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the Director-General said predictable trade is a source of disinflationary pressure, reduced volatility, and increased economic resilience whereas fragmentation of trade into rival blocs “would be very costly.”
“A world that turns its back on open and predictable trade will be one marked by diminished competitive pressures and greater price volatility,” the Director-General warned. “It would be a world of weaker growth and development prospects, a slower low-carbon transition, and increased supply vulnerability in the face of unexpected shocks.”
Sustained inflation has made a comeback across the rich world, with subsequent monetary tightening exacerbating debt distress and financial instability for dozens of developing economies, she noted. Some policymakers have looked at these shocks, alongside rising geopolitical tensions, and concluded that globalization needs to be rolled back.
However, WTO economists estimate that if the world economy decouples into two self-contained trading blocs, this would lower the long-run level of real global GDP by at least 5 %, with some developing economies facing double-digit welfare losses.
Despite all the tensions and scepticism around trade, overall trade costs for agricultural products, manufactured goods, and services have actually fallen by 12 % over the past 20 years, with the increased digitalization and trade in services potentially becoming a powerful disinflationary force.
“Falling trade costs for goods and especially for services mean that globalization can still be an engine for increased growth, efficiency, and economic opportunities, while also contributing to price moderation,” the Director-General declared.
In particular, increased digitalization and trade in services boosted by initiatives such as the agreement on Services Domestic Regulation, concluded by WTO members accounting for over 90 % per cent of global services trade, and the ongoing talks on electronic commerce now being negotiated among 90 WTO members, “could become a powerful disinflationary force,” she noted.
“Seizing these opportunities requires open and predictable international markets, anchored in a strong and effective rules-based multilateral trading system.”
Rather than deglobalisation, “there is a strong case for diverting some of the energy behind reshoring to re-globalizing production instead,” she told the Symposium. Some evidence of re-globalization is already visible with countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania, Morocco, and Turkey sharply increasing their participation in value chains across a range of goods and services.
“Today, as businesses recalibrate how they think about scale efficiencies versus concentration risks, they have an opportunity to bolster supply chain resilience by taking this diversification process further, to encompass more places in Africa, Asia and Latin America that have good macroeconomic fundamentals but remain stuck on the margins of the global division of labour.”
“Re-globalisation is a far better alternative,” DG Okonjo-Iweala told the gathered economic leaders. “I ask all of you to speak up for open trade, multilateral cooperation, and the WTO. Doing so might even end up making your jobs a bit easier.”
The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.


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A data breach on a credit agency has compromised the personal data of about 15 million T-Mobile customers and applicants, and T-Mobile CEO John Legere is 'incredibly angry' about it.
The company that the hackers targeted, Experian, said that is suffered a data breach which exposed personal information that includes names, dates of birth, home addresses, drivers' license numbers and Social Security numbers.
Payment information such as credit card data, however, were not a part of the data breach, according to Experian.
"Based on Experian's investigation to date, the unauthorized access was an isolated incident over a limited period of time. It included access to a server that contained identifying information for some organizations and, primarily, personal information for individuals, including some current customers and consumers who applied for T-Mobile USA postpaid services or device financing, which require a credit check, from Sept. 1, 2013 through Sept. 16, 2015," Experian explained in an emailed statement.
The compromised data come from customers that sent in an application for a postpaid plan under T-Mobile between Sept. 1, 2013 and Sept. 16 of this year. T-Mobile uses Experian when conducting credit checks on applicants, with Experian storing customer data as it determines whether the applicant qualifies for the service or the promotion being applied for.
"Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach and we will institute a thorough review of our relationship with Experian, but right now my top concern and first focus is assisting any and all consumers affected," said Legere in a post on the company's official website, adding that he takes the privacy of T-mobile's customers very seriously.
Legere also said that Experian has sent an assurance to the wireless carrier that the credit agency is taking aggressive measures for the improvement of their systems for added protection on T-Mobile customer information.
Experian has taken responsibility for the data breach, stating in a post on its official website that hackers infiltrated a network server that contained the personal information.
While there is no indication that the information that the hackers acquired is being used for inappropriate purposes, the credit agency is starting to notify the people that had their information compromised.
Experian noted that the exposed information could possibly lead to cases of identity theft, and as such has offered two years of free credit monitoring and identity resolution services to customers that have been affected by the data breach.
It is unclear what the hackers would do with the stolen data, though such information usually goes for sale on black markets. The stolen information could then be organized to create a large and searchable database that could be used for identity theft, which could lead to ruined credit, stolen tax refunds, and worse.
Photo: Mike Mozart | Flickr


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Of the seven million mattresses that were disposed of in the UK in 2017, 40% were sent to landfill and a similar proportion were incinerated. The industry faces a significant challenge when it comes to managing waste as well as demand for new virgin textile materials. Just 19% of all mattresses are being recycled into new products – a figure which the National Bed Federation (NBF) has pledged to increase to 75% by 2025.
Across the sector, businesses are looking for new solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of used mattresses.
“Products are often sent for disposal when a single component has failed, meaning that valuable textile materials and working components go to waste,” says James Appleyard, Sales Director at Deluxe Beds in Huddersfield.
“The structure of a mattress means it is difficult to replace individual components. We thought we could make a real impact if we went back to the design phase.”
Working with researchers at the University of Huddersfield, James and the team at Deluxe Beds led a project to develop a new approach to mattress design that enabled individual components to be replaced over time.
A modular design composed of different blocks that could be arranged, removed and added separately, could add years to the life of the product and retain valuable materials, as well as offering some unique benefits for consumers.
“Individual components are much easier to transport, lift and carry than a complete mattress. They can also be configured to provide a completely personalised product, with the added health and comfort benefits that this offers consumers,” explains Dr Sohel Rana, Lecturer at the Technical Textiles Research Centre, University of Huddersfield.
Deluxe Beds had already started work on a three-layer mattress that was recognised as a finalist in the ‘Innovation of the Year’ category at the 2019 NBF Awards. The new project took a different approach, building on this work and exploring whether the product could be sectioned vertically as well as horizontally, creating smaller sections that allowed greater flexibility in design.
At the same time, an adhesive material had to be developed that would hold each component firmly in place while making it easy for individual consumers to remove and replace blocks themselves. Keeping sustainability at the heart of the project, this adhesive also needed to be biodegradable or recyclable, as did the other fibres and fabrics used in the entire construction.
Working across the University’s labs and the Deluxe Beds site, Sohel, Dr Jim Bamford and Research Technician Dr Kay Burrows succeeded in developing an adhesive polymer that holds the sections together.
Early testing on fabric samples show that the new polymer works well, applied as an adhesive layer that can itself be replaced and recycled at the end of its life. For Sohel, this opens up a wealth of new opportunities for future research.
“A polymer like this has never been used before in this industry,” he explains. “With further development to optimise it, there is great potential for Deluxe Beds to protect this technology as a world leader in innovative design.”
Testing the polymer in different situations helped to steer the direction of the materials and design development: blocks in some shapes may need less adhesive to hold them together than others, while some materials may work better than others. To truly minimise the volume of mattress waste in landfill, using natural rather than synthetic textile materials was a key concern throughout the project.
Although many existing mattresses use natural fibres such as wool, and recycled textile fibre in combination with steel springs or other materials, polyester is commonly used as a protective barrier between the different layers. The new modular mattress design eliminates polyester completely – replacing an oil-based, non-biodegradable synthetic material with eco-friendly alternatives that will either biodegrade or can be recycled.
Early feedback from the textile industry and consumers has been extremely positive. Deluxe Beds exhibited their layered mattress construction at Future Fashion Factory’s Year 1 Showcase in October 2019 and spoke to visitors about their plans for a modular design.
James also shared insights from the project as part of Future Fashion Factory’s panel, ‘Reducing waste through design and manufacturing’, at Make It British Live in September 2020.
The company is now well positioned to take forward modular products, which can be completely personalised to each consumer while reducing the amount of waste created during end-of-life disposal.
By using entirely natural and renewable materials, the design will also cut global demand for synthetic polyester and ensure that the remaining waste is either recyclable or biodegradable.
“This project really helped to fast-track our product development,” says James. “By closing down dead ends, identifying leads and giving us a clear direction of travel, collaborating with Future Fashion Factory has helped speed us toward a solution capable of driving major global change.”


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The economy is looking up and business growth is literally exploding. Recently the Small Business Association launched a series entitled Big Think which will be held in a number workshops at various locations around the country. The first in the series was held on the 21st September at the Business School of Rutgers University. Further offerings will be announced on the SBA website, but all have the purpose of promoting an entrepreneurial spirit in the US. With such a huge number of startups in literally every area of the country, the SBA aims to give budding entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed.
What Defines a Small Business?
According to the Small Business Association, a small business is technically defined as one that has 500 or fewer employees. To many, that is a huge enterprise and especially so for a new business just starting out. With business growth as the primary focus of the series, the SBA intends to help startups achieve economic mobility by teaching them how to break down the barriers to starting a flourishing business in all 50 states. In their most recent report as of February of this year, the SBA noted a marked increase in the number of small businesses starting out and as a result, they offer the series in an effort to help these startups grow beyond that first critical year.
Starting Small with an Eye on Growth
Of course every entrepreneur envisions a Fortune 500 company but few make the grade. Even so, with a proper perspective and some well-defined goals, the SBA believes that most businesses can thrive over the long haul. The workshops will empower entrepreneurs to go after their dreams by showing them how to find the resources they need to make a go of it. Economic experts, entrepreneurial advocates and a string of small business owners who achieved success will be the main speakers.
Providing the Tools for Growth
Not only will the series discuss funding in the form of grants and loans but it is thought that there will be an emphasis on sound financial planning. Operational costs will most likely be discussed and ways to cut back on expenditures will be a key issue. Businesses will be taught the ways in which to utilize what they have on hand while also working towards updating and upgrading their business. For example, a company just starting out may not have the financial wherewithal to build a stationary loading dock, so concepts like using a forklift ramp in the interim may be discussed.
As a government body tasked with overseeing the start and success of small businesses around the country, the SBA is offering this series to better assist startups during those early critical days. If you are currently starting a new business or have recently opened your doors, these workshops can help you better understand what is involved while showing you where to find the resources you need.
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2020 will go down in the annals of history as the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, when world economies were stagnating under strict lockdown, as some 30 million people worldwide were infected, and more than a million died. But on a more positive note, it has also been a year of heart-warming initiatives as people have overcome challenges; and the African packaging industry can hold its head high in this respect.
Earlier this year, an article published in L&L entitled ‘Their finest hour’ described the sterling efforts of South Africa’s packaging converters to manage demand – particularly for essential food and pharmaceutical packaging – under almost war-like conditions.
But it’s not only packaging converters who have had to adapt. Another shining example is the way those heading up the Institute of Packaging SA (IPSA) have risen admirably to the challenge, being exceptionally fleet of foot and innovative to ensure the continuation of packaging education and awards. While IPSA’s One-Year Diploma (OYD) kicked off as usual, everything changed overnight with South Africa’s stringent lockdown announcement on March 27. Following hurried meetings among academic and secretarial staff, the OYD was rapidly transformed into an online program.
Through the purchase of multiple Zoom licenses, the education team seamlessly switched to an online lecture delivery platform and were pleasantly surprised to find that, with minimal hiccups, it worked well.
Tests and examinations were re-engineered into research-based assignments, reinforcing the need for active and intelligent research. Under trying circumstances, this has been a paradigm shift from the way IPSA’s education program has been executed for almost five decades, and the aim is now to catapult the OYD to a global audience, with particular emphasis on other parts of Africa. As Kishan Singh, IPSA’s national education officer, remarks: ‘Covid-19 has enabled this, and every cloud has a silver lining.’
A similar story surrounds IPSA’S Gold Pack Awards (the local ‘Oscars’ of the packaging world). The entire procedure for the 2020 program changed, with a traditional three-day gathering of adjudicators exchanged for virtual judging via Zoom.
For this virtual procedure, the judging chairman and three Johannesburg-based judges acted as the eyes, ears and senses of the other judges, scattered around South Africa (one of whom was your correspondent), who appreciated the resultant interactivity as they identified the excellent application of innovative and creative design and technology to South African packaging. Almost concurrently with the publication of this article, in another brave departure from the norm, final results are being announced on a virtual platform.
Just one successful Gold Pack entrant was an enterprise named It’s Not Made in China.
As Durban-based entrepreneur Tracy Ruggier watched Chinese imports erode local industry, especially clothing, she bravely decided to establish this business and for her first undertaking she and her husband, William, designed (and patented) a hip flask-shaped PET bottle for still water, on which local artists’ works could be displayed. They held competitions for illustrators and used a ‘judging panel’ to select designs. They now have dozens of illustrators’ work printed on their reusable, recyclable PET bottles, which are fast becoming collectibles.
Along their journey, they’ve experienced supportive collaboration from suppliers, one being the Brodowicz brothers, Devlin and Wade, of Blue Print Labelling in Durban. Then there’s the spin-off from the astonishing recycling benefits, as the heavier weight of the clear PET bottles and the use of easily-removable PP labels encourages collection and facilitates recycling.
Africa’s economic pulse
While some African governments have acted rapidly to reduce the spread of Covid-19, successful containment measures have come at a high economic cost, as elsewhere in the world. Sadly, in the face of this economic fallout, it’s likely that growth in Sub-Saharan Africa will fall to -3 percent in 2020, pushing the region into its first recession in 25 years. According to the latest economic analysis ‘Africa’s Pulse: Charting the Road to Recovery’, the pandemic could also drive around 40 million people into extreme poverty, erasing at least five years’ progress in fighting poverty in Africa.
It’s estimated that this substantial downturn in economic activity could cost the region at least 115m USD in output losses this year. Per capita GDP is expected to contract by nearly 6.0 percent, in part caused by curtailed domestic consumption and lower investment brought about by containment measures.
Undoubtedly the road to recovery will require massive investment and financial support from the international community, plus reform agendas that include policies to speed up job creation. Several countries, including South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia, have begun implementing long-needed reforms in energy and telecommunications spurred by the current crisis, and 25 percent of African firms have accelerated the use of digital technology and increased investments in digital solutions. By mid-September, 46 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa had introduced 166 social protection measures, with social assistance representing 84 percent of these measures.
Although the persistence and spread of the virus remains uncertain, African governments are beginning to institute policies and programs to support an inclusive and sustainable post-pandemic recovery.


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One of the largest fitness chains in B.C., Steve Nash Fitness World & Sports Clubs, is under new ownership after a court-approved sale was announced on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the company, the chain which has been closed for several months and faced financial uncertainties will retain its CEO, Chris Smith.
Steve Nash Fitness World is now owned by a group of investors, and plans are under way to rebrand the clubs.
“The new ownership team understands there are many questions that remain unanswered and we look forward to welcoming people back into the clubs as quickly and safely as possible as we work through COVID-19 reopening protocols,” said Smith in a statement.
“There will be health and safety procedures in place when we reopen that are all in line with B.C. safety standards, as keeping everyone safe and healthy will be a foremost priority.”
Reopening plans are also currently being worked on and information about the timing of opening at each location will be sent out to members in the coming weeks.
Monthly fees, and all existing service agreements will be honoured once the gyms reopen.


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According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung is no longer the #1 5G smartphone seller. At the end of the first quarter, the South Korean giant lost first place to Apple, which took the lead thanks to the iPhone 12 line, which received support for fifth-generation networks and was quite actively purchased by users in the United States, China and Europe. Therefore, Apple’s leadership position turned out to be predictable.
According to analysts, in the first quarter of this year, 40.4 million iPhones with 5G support were sold; and this allowed it to control almost a third of the smartphone market – 30.2%. Surprisingly, Oppo came in second with 21.5 million 5G smartphones and a 16.1% market share. Vivo closed the top three with a result of 19.4 million delivered mobile devices; with support for fifth-generation networks, and its market share is estimated at 14.5%.
5G smartphone sales have skyrocketed and Apple is in the lead
Gizchina News of the week
According to the results of the first three months of this year; Samsung was on the fourth line in the ranking; and its share decreased by almost three times compared to the results of the first quarter of 2020. Now the 5G smartphones of the South Korean giant account for 12.7% of the market against 34.6% a year earlier. The shipments of Samsung devices with support for fifth-generation networks amounted to 17 million.
Xiaomi managed to break into the top 5, which showed growth, and its share in the 5G smartphone segment was 12.4% and 16.6 million gadgets delivered. It is noteworthy that the demand for mobile devices with support for fifth-generation networks has increased by almost 5.5 times. If in the first quarter of last year shipments of 5G smartphones were 24 million; then this is already 133.9 million.
“The surge in the 5G volume in China, allied with the Apple factor, inevitably had a negative impact on Samsung’s share despite impressive product diversity from Samsung in 5G,” Woody Oh, a director at Strategy Analytics, said.
“Apple’s iPhone 12 5G is proving wildly popular across China, Europe and the United States, due to its sleek hardware design and surprisingly competitive pricing,” it said.


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World food prices jump to highest level
The index stood at 127.1 points in May, only 7.6% from its peak value in February 2011.
07 June 2021 | Economics
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index has now risen for 12 consecutive months to reach its highest value since September 2011, driven by the higher costs of vegetable oils, sugar and cereals.
Prices rose by 4.8% from April the fastest month-on-month gain since October 2010 and by nearly 40% compared to May 2020.
The index stood at 127.1 points in May, only 7.6% from its peak value in February 2011, the FAO said
The sharp rise in food prices also comes as the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown millions out of work, adding to food security fears that are already high due to conflicts and climate change.
The FAO noted that cereals prices rose "even as world cereal production is on course to reach a new record high."
In a separate report, the FAO said it expects a 1.9% increase in cereals production this year to a record 2.82 million tonnes.
Despite the increase, it said the global ratio of food stocks to use is expected to decline to 28.1%. -Nampa/AFP


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Little prepared me for what to expect when Vital Tomosi’s Dairy (VTD), popularly known for the MilkMan brand, hosted the media at their factory in Rushere, Kiruhura district, on June 10.
The facility, which is a joint venture between Vital Capital Fund and Tomosi’s Farm, was unveiling the newest product, Long Life Milk, to supplement MilkMan yoghurt it launched six months ago.
Long Life Milk, which comes in a one-litre pack, joins the competition of existing Ultra-high temperature (UHT) processed brands from companies such as Jesa, Brookside and Paramount, among others.
While touring the expansive facility, Eyal Jonas, the MilkMan chief executive officer, said it took the company four years to set up the $13m facility in Uganda with the first two for research and understanding the market and the other two for setting up the factory.
At the moment, the state-of-the-art factory has two production lines, one for yoghurt and another for UHT milk, and processes up to 50,000 liters of milk per day. As part of the tour, The Observer visited a waste water treatment facility.
Most companies that operate in Uganda have not put in place proper waste management and disposal facilities and because of this, there is disease outbreak in the community and other problems such as contamination of products at the factories.
VTD employs hundreds of Rushere residents with many of them working in the packaging department. There are also several tractor drivers, cleaners, machine operators, security guards and farmers who have all benefitted from this project. There are even some veterinary doctors hailing just a few kilometres from the factory.
During the tour of the nearby community, The Observer talked to Jackson Muhumuza, a farmer, who said the factory has changed business in the area. “We used to walk long distances to sell our milk to middlemen that used to cheat us,” he said. “But now we have a ready market to supply the milk at good prices.”
Jones reiterated the company’s goal of enriching lives while providing good quality dairy products on the market. “This project is a perfect example of how financial profit and positive social purpose can come together to benefit both investors and local communities. When fully implemented, we will further improve the income of small hold farmers, establish distribution of quality dairy products to the region, improve the food security condition, reduce costs for consumers, and of course return profit to our investors. This is impact investing.”
According to 2016 figures from Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos), the dairy industry is largely unorganized with the presence of a large number of small-scale dairy farmers who contribute 80 percent to the overall milk production.
Out of the total raw milk production of 2.8 billion litres in 2015 across the nation, only 40 per cent was consumed in processed form such as cheese, butter, milk powder and yoghurt. Additionally, around 20 per cent of raw milk gets wasted due to lack of proper storage facilities.
Hopefully, that wastage will reduce thanks to new players such as MilkMan, who have put in place large scale production systems and advanced processes to ensure that the dairy by-products are properly preserved and transported from the farm to the market.


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Vietnam seeks sustainable partnership with US in agricultural production
Businesses from the two countries signed four memorandum of understanding (MoU) in facilitating trade and agricultural production.
Vietnam and the US can become credible and sustainable partners in agricultural production, for which the Vietnamese Government is committed to addressing business concerns and creating a favorable environment for international investors, including those from the US.
|Hi-tech farming in Hanoi's rural district. Photo: The Hanoi Times|
Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan gave the remarks during a business matching event between Vietnamese and US farm businesses on May 13 in Washington.
Representatives of businesses, Government agencies, and associations in the agricultural sector from both countries took part in the event, including the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC), National Pork Producers Council and other multinationals.
At the conference, Minister Hoan briefed the delegates on Vietnam’s strategy for agricultural development in the coming time, as well as opportunities and challenges in promoting bilateral trade and investment.
“The Vietnamese Government is committed to ensuring a transparent and favorable business/investment environment for all companies and investors to do long-term business in the country,” Hoan said.
During the meeting, four memorandum of understanding (MoU) were signed between the two sides, including the one on development partners for sustainable agricultural production between Pepsico and Care International for greater food production capacity in Vietnam; the MoU between Bac Giang Province and ERG Group to facilitate the trade of local farm produce; the document signed between furniture producer Moc Thinh Phat and Grasslands Farms on promoting farm exports; and the MoU between Nevist Vietnam and APG on facilitating trade and investment in the agricultural sector.
At the event, businesses from the two companies held meetings to explore business opportunities, as well as chances for US multinationals to take Vietnamese farm produce into the global supply chains.
- Hanoi promotes consumption of agricultural products on e-commerce sites
- Hanoi encourages businesses to develop processing industry
- Mangrove afforestation in Mekong Delta: Indispensable for climate response in Vietnam
- IFAD supports Vietnam’s climate response in agriculture
- France helps boost coffee yields in Vietnam
- Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery exports exceed US$13 billion in 5-month
- Hanoi promotes application of hi-tech farming models
- Vietnam envisions low-carbon agricultural sector
- Vietnam seeks sustainable partnership with US in agricultural production
- Vietnam negotiates new markets for local farm produce
Vietnam to draft national action plan for circular economy adaptation
Success of US$3.7-billion ring road project is Hanoi’s pride: City Party chief
BA.5 Omicron sub-variant detected in Vietnam
Australian Foreign Minister enjoys Pho ga in Hanoi
Hanoi GRDP growth hits 7.79% in first half
Hanoi selects final design of Tran Hung Dao Bridge
Fiercer storms forecast to hit Vietnam towards year-end
Bun cha listed in the British Queen's Platinum Jubilee Cookbook
Hanoi seeks UNESCO’s support in culture, education and tourism


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United Kingdom, February 2023
Mr Yum is proud to partner with the best to continue to support a dynamic and creative hospitality industry throughout the UK.
That’s why we’re pleased to announce our new partnership with Feed it Back.
Feed It Back is a customer experience dashboard for hospitality operators that acts as their “eyes and ears” across all channels for reviews, feedback and customer engagement. It allows operators to make sense of their guest data, helps staff to create memorable experiences and respond to feedback and reviews in real-time.
Mr Yum provides restaurant partners with a powerful and integrated platform that allows them to serve, meaningfully connect with and reward their customers to get them coming back and spending more.
With Feed it Back’s personalised surveys sent via Mr Yum, operators gain improved insights into their customers, which can help drive operational improvements and proactively respond to negative experiences.
By combining Mr Yum's data with Feed it Back’s actionable feedback insights, operators can discover untapped opportunities and create automated campaigns that drive revenue growth and increase customer satisfaction.
Feed It Back Managing Director Dan Hawkie says the new partnership is a win for operators across the UK.
“We pride ourselves on partnering with the best hospitality tech, to ensure that operators have the best tools and integrations available to enhance the customer experience, so we’re delighted to finally announce this awesome partnership with Mr Yum,” he says.
Mr Yum CEO and co-founder Kim Teo says partnering with Feed it Back highlights the company’s commitment to supporting the industry as it evolves and adopts new tools and technologies and smarter ways of working.
“Mr Yum helps operators to gain deeper understanding of their customers to create superior experiences and partnering with Feed it Back adds another asset to the operator’s toolkit to learn more about their guests and how to serve them better and keep them coming back,” she says.
For more information on Feed It Back and the partnership: feeditback.com/partnerships


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Pro Wrestling: EVE has announced a brand new promotion that will be focused on establishing newer female stars in the United Kingdom. Dubbed ‘SHEVOLUTION’ the first event will be taking place on Sunday June 10th from EVE’s spiritual home, the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, London.
Tickets for the event (known as Stage One) are available to purchase via the company’s official site and are priced at just £10.
EVE has issued the following release on the brand new venture:
Pro-Wrestling:EVE launches exciting new women’s wrestling brand SHEVOLUTION! So… What is SHEVOLUTION?
SHEVOLUTION is a new brand of women’s wrestling shows, powered by EVE launching on Sunday June 10. It will have a seperate roster and Championship to EVE, with SHEVOLUTION more focussed on exciting, unseen in EVE, new, young and emerging talent on the wrestling scene around the country.
SHEVOLUTION will also be the platform where performers from EVE Academy will begin their careers when ready to debut. There will at times be guest appearances from EVE roster regulars in matches against the members of the SHEVOLUTION roster, however, they are guest appearances only and nobody classed as being on the EVE roster will be eligible to contend for the SHEVOLUTION Championship. There will be a mini draft with a few performers from EVE moving over to SHEVOLUTION. Where as EVE is an 18+ promotion, SHEVOLUTION will not have an age restriction.
We are incredibly excited about SHEVOLUTION, working with the future worldwide stars of professional wrestling!
More than a revolution…
SHEVOLUTION – a new brand in women's wrestling, powered by EVE, designed for the next generation of stars to evolve
*ALL AGES WELCOME*
— EVE – Women's Pro Wrestling (@ProWrestlingEVE) April 1, 2018


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Ed Bott with the skinny on Microsoft’s cloud computing strategy.
Office 365 Home Premium, a subscription service aimed at consumers, debuted on January 31, 2013. In one year, it’s grown to 3.5 million paying customers, each shelling out $99.99 for a 12-month subscription that includes the rights to download and install the latest version of Office on up to five PCs or Macs, as well as 20 GB of extra online storage and 60 minutes of Skype calling time each month.
Do the math. Almost $350-million in annual revenue. Peanuts to Microsoft.
Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription service is nearing 2-million total. At $30 per month (average), that translates to $60-million in revenue. Per month.


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These are the most popular vehicles thieves look for
Last year, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said, more than 9,100 cars were stolen in Bernalillo County.
These four makes and models topped the list:
1. Chevrolets pickup trucks -- 1,011
2. Ford pickups trucks -- 716
3. Honda Civics-328
4. Dodge Pick-ups-319
Police said people who steal cars use them to commit other crimes, and sometimes they use them as a place to do drugs.
Others take the cars to illegal chop shops, where parts are taken off the stolen cars and then sold.
Amy Wilds' Chevy pickup was stolen in February.
Officers with the Albuquerque Police Department found it days later and, she said by then it was a total loss.
"The ignition was popped. The doors were popped. Two flat tires. The taillight was missing. Front left panel was damaged," said Wilds.
"Truck seems to be a hot topic because usually they're getting chopped up, used in other crimes. Some of them are going south of the border," said Albuquerque police Officer Simon Drobik.
APD said that, in January and February, it has found 843 stolen cars and made 137 arrests.
Mayor Tim Keller said that, through a new auto theft partnership, the city will focus on catching more thieves who steal cars.
He said that will hopefully also reduce the number of other crimes in Bernalillo County.


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As if things couldn’t get any worse for the plastic surgery-addicted Hills star, Heidi Montag’s album has debuted with some of the worst numbers the music industry has ever seen.
According to Nielsen Soundscan, Montag’s Superficial LP sold just 658 copies in its first week of release. She also apparently bankrupted herself producing the album. She told EW last week, “…I put every dollar I have into this. I’ve spent over $1 million, almost $2 million, on this album. It’s cost as much or more than a Britney Spears album because I wanted it to be that quality … (But) I think within the first week we will definitely make our money back. The songs will make an impact in pop history.”
This goes to show that money can buy you really big fake boobs and a face made of plastic, but it can’t buy talent.
Source: Splash News


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Weather markets are hard to predict and although they appear simmering for a while it takes only a slight action for the markets to explode. Internationally this has now happened twice in the space of one month. First rally was on the back of Russian dryness and subsequent short covering, whilst this rally was emerging US Midwest dryness, and each time domestic prices have reacted accordingly. This has been welcome news especially with growers who were too busy in the paddocks in offloading old crop stocks in May. Delivered markets are now at the highest prices since last August, whilst southern delivered markets approaching twelve-month highs. New crop wheat has surged $27 over the week, and have now exceeded the last peak by $8.
Barley and sorghum has also surged between $18 - $22 over the week, on the back of international production concerns. Sorghum and feed barley is currently sitting at the highest prices since last October. The malt/feed spread continues to trade around +$27. Although malt barley has surged $42 since the contract hit $213 for two months, it is still a risky proposition in selling malt so far early in the growing season. Delivered F1 for the up coming harvest are at a slight premium to current old crop prices.
East Coast new crop canola continues to mirror Winnipeg ICE exchange, and although the market has surged $16 over the past week, it is still $11 shy of the of the contract peak reached on 26 April. The GM spread continues to fluctuate, current discount is $33, but it was only -$16 last week. With acreage surging across the country (NSW DPI alone are forecasting a 73% increase to 668,500 ha) growers have already engaged the forward market back in April/May at similar values. Agronomic conditions are mixed in regions, and with BoM long range forecast not offering much confidence, this raises the risk of hedging more of the crop (albeit at current excellent returns). Last year when forward prices sunk more then $100 from May until December, however may be still stuck in the back of growers mind.
Canadian growers have planted another record crop, and South American growers on the back of last years drought ravaged output will look to increase soybean acreage sharply. Combined with increased domestic selling as harvest approaches, these are the factors that could weigh on market mentality in the second half of the year. Short term, the sky rocketing US soybean crop continues to add uncertainty into the global oilseed market. With all weather related rallies it is difficult to predict, so this will be the one to watch if canola is to strengthen.
Chickpea prices have ignored outside market gains in cereals and oilseeds, with the chickpea market still catching its breath from the sharp rally experienced during May. Internationally market news is thin on the ground, the Indian monsoon that usually you can set your watch to, continues to disappoint and delayed. Rainfall continues to be unevenly distributed in recently planted pulse production regions in interior growing regions.
Domestic exports continue to run at a brisk pace, as highlighted by last weeks BHC stocks with NSW stocks declining by 931kt from April to May. Looking at the current Graincorp shipping stem for NSW, exports will continue to surge. Although 365kt (June) and 384kt (July) is on the shipping stem for Port Kembla, looking at previous export months the most that was shipped out was 205kt in May. Either ship failing survey, vessel delayed, domestic accumulation delay, terminal problems, quality issues the list goes on, so shipping volume will continue to roll from one month to the next or shipping slots being cancelled and/or moved elsewhere around the country. Recently Graincorp opened up the 2012/13 shipping stem (Oct '12 to Sept '13) so traders can acquire slots for exports. Out of the 13.3mmt available some 9.1mmt was booked. Port Kembla for example, there is only 150kt available for shipment during Oct – Dec. But from now until August 2013, it is booked solid!


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The Consortium of Partners for the Implementation of the Business Plan for the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) is a plan mandated by the Heads of State of the African Union (AU) to build up the capacity for pharmaceutical manufacturing in Africa, to make the continent self-sufficient in fighting diseases, including HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The plan will also fight against counterfeit and sub-standard medicines, and increase production of high quality and affordable medicines locally.
PMPA comprises the African Union Commission, UNIDO, UNDP, African Development Bank, United States Pharmacopeal Convention and Federation of African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations.
A 13-member delegation from the consortium has spent a week in the country as their first point of call in Africa to study ways of pushing the agenda forward.
The team, which is in Ghana at the invitation of President John Dramani Mahama, has met with officials at the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and National Development and Planning Commission.
They are understudying the public health situation in the country, the political will and commitment to ensure progress in the pharmaceutical industry and how industry players can produce drugs that would meet international standards of safety.
The consortium, visited LaGray, a leading Ghanaian pharmaceutical company at Nsawam in the Eastern Region to inspect facilities at the factory as part of the preparatory stages for the project.
LaGray is reputed for being the first company in West Africa with the technology to manufacture pharmaceuticals from start to finish.
Dr Zafar Mirza, Co-ordinator, Public Health Innovation and Intellectual Property at the WHO in Geneva told the Ghana News Agency that the consortium was put in place to offer financial and technical assistance to support local pharmaceutical industries in Africa to grow.
He said in Ghana the pharmaceutical companies are producing under capacity and cannot even meet 30 per cent of drugs needed locally.
Dr Mirza said the bottom line approach of the consortium is to develop good pharmaceutical business plans for the local industries in order to boost production.
He gave thump up to LaGray for pioneering the innovation of producing active pharmaceutical ingredients and promoting research development.
śThese are good encouraging signs,ť he said.
Dr Mirza said the five-year timeline for the project had begin with the assessment visits and putting in place regulations, procurement and policy packages as part of the holistic approach.
Dr Paul Lartey, Chief Executive Officer of LaGray expressed the need for African governments to do more sourcing of drugs from local manufacturers, harmonise regulations and create an even field for competition.
He said the biggest gap for indigenous pharmaceutical companies is profitability and sustainability of production.
Dr Lartey, who is also the Chair of the Federation of African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations, said the zeal of LaGray to produce quality products is not going with the needed market to be able to break even.
He expressed the need for Ghana to expand the 14 drugs listed for restricted local production to enhance business growth.
Dr Lartey said LaGray is liaising with the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana, Legon to develop cryptolepis sanguinolenta, a local herb use widely for the treatment of malaria, into tablets to aid the treatment of the disease.
The wide range of products of the company includes tablets, capsules, liquids, ointments and creams.
LaGray produce drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases such as HIV and AIDS and its associated opportunistic infections, respiratory tract infections, malaria and other parasitic infections, fungal infections and tuberculosis.
Dr Alexandra Graham, co-founder and Director of LaGray said the company would establish another factory in Nigeria to boost marketing of its products.
She noted that the quality products produced by the company is accompanied by cost, which include payment of high tariffs for water and electricity, hence the need for a conducive environment to boost local production as done successfully in Tunisia and Morocco.
LaGray is developing affordable medicines for the treatment of diseases endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and to improve the quality of life in Africa as well as a portfolio of drugs for the management of key non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
The vision of the company is to become Africa™s premier healthcare company, providing innovative and affordable healthcare solutions to the continent.


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Country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Monday reported 9.13% increase in sales at 5,32,113 units in July.
The company sold 4,87,580 units in July 2015, Hero MotoCorp said in a statement.
In July, Hero MotoCorp commenced retail sales of Splendor iSmart 110 - the first motorcycle to have been completely designed and developed by its in-house R&D team at the Hero Centre of Innovation and Technology in Jaipur.
"The initial customer response to the new bike has been positive," the company added.
On the outlook, Hero MotoCorp said: "With the above average monsoon and implementation of the 7th pay commission recommendations, the company remains cautiously optimistic about a positive turnaround in the industry in the second half of the year.


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With plenty of razzmatazz and a heavily camouflaged car, Jaguar has confirmed what we already knew - that it will be making a new small sports car to compete with the Porsche Boxster and Cayman. An E-Type replacement, if you will.
It has also confirmed the name: F-Type. Sadly, the only pictures we're getting at the moment are of the disguised prototype, but we can now expect a slew of carefully presented teaser information before the production car is finally presented, probably at the Paris show in September.
It is fairly easy to make out from the pictures, though, that the soft top F-Type has a substantially chunky pair of shoulders over the rear arches, and a lovely fat pair of central tailpipes.
Announced officially at the New York Auto Show yesterday, the F-Type will launch as a two-seat convertible, but a coupé will come shortly afterwards. The convertible will go on sale early next year.
Addressing the New York show, Jag's brand director Adrian Hallmark said: "We showed the C-X16 concept in September 2011, and the reaction to it has been so positive that we've accelerated our development of an all-new Jaguar sports car.
Jaguar's design boss Ian Callum added: "A true sports car needs to be pure in both its purpose and its form; to have the opportunity to produce such a car for Jaguar has been a privilege both for myself and for my team.
"The C-Type, D-Type and E-Type Jaguars were all sports cars that held true to this principle in their era, and the F-TYPE will hold true to that same principle in its time, a time that is soon to arrive."
So there you go. A new era for Jag - and it's not even a filthy looking SUV. Hoorah! We'll keep you posted...


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With some destinations reopening for tourism, travel operators are adapting to the idea of 'sanitised travel' to keep travellers and tourism workers safe throughout a journey amid Covid-19.
Video conferencing service Zoom is urging users to update to the latest version – 5.0 – as it plans to enable GCM (Galois/Counter Mode) encryption.
It's a secret, almost. But Silicon Valley is buzzing over a new audio-chat social network which is struggling to keep people out even as it hits an eye-popping value.
Might it be possible that the virtual reality industry has finally found the middle ground between a high-quality virtual reality headset and an affordable price?
Gamers wearing headsets and wielding rifles adorned with flashing lights battle a horde of zombies, letting out the occasional terrified shriek.
MEDIA specialist firm Universal McCann (UM), which bagged its third consecutive “Agency of the Year” accolade at the recent Malaysian Media Awards (MMA), can probably attribute the multiple successes it has had to its unorthodox business strategies.


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Six GTbyCITROËN to be Built at £1.1 Million Each
Not blown away by the recently launched 2010 Citroen C3? Neither are we, even if that hatchback should prove to be as excellent. Instead, here we have the GTbyCITROËN, catering to the ultra-exquisite segment unlike the mainstream C3. As you might remember, the extremely long, radical-looking GTbyCITROËN is creation by Citroen and the people behind Sony PlayStation's highly popular Gran Turismo game franchise. It featured at the 2008 Paris Motor Show and even made an appearance through the Piccadilly street in London.
It was previously reported that 15 examples will be made at a million euros each. But it seems GTbyCITROËN will be even more exclusive and more expensive, with only six to be built, each costing 1.1 million pounds. The powerplant to be used has not been revealed, but rumours suggest a 500-hp V8 is on the table, paired to a sequential gearbox. And assuming the rumoured carbon-fibre construction goes through too, GTbyCITROËN would have quite the explosive pace to match its menacing looks. Keep a lookout for this French supercar at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. Meanwhile, enjoy the gallery!


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Iranian gamers will be forced to do without Blizzard games, including World of Warcraft, as the company begins to tighten up their compliance with US sanctions on Iran.
Several Iranian players found themselves unable to log into World of Warcraft and began posting on Blizzards official forums inquiring about the problems. Many of them stated that after last week’s server maintenance, they were having connection issues with the game.
Players began speculating as to the issues while many blamed the Iranian government for the block. Later in the thread, a Blizzard employee made a post clarifying what was happening in Iran.
More from GlobalPost: US lags behind in broadband access
“United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran,” read the Blizzard employee’s post.
“This week, Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services,” the post went on to read.
Blizzard products are not legitimately available in Iran but gamers preparing for the release of a new World of Warcraft expansion were buying games through virtual private networks (VPN).
The block was initially reported as an Iranian government restriction to massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 for “promoting superstition”.
More from GlobalPost: Anonymous hits Uganda in defense of LGBT rights
Gaming and geopolitics collide more often than one may expect. In 2010, an island claimed by both North and South Korea was shelled by Pyongyang. Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae Young came under scrutiny for a delayed response to the attack.
When asked why the South Korean response took 13 minutes, the minister replied, “This isn’t Starcraft.”
He was later sacked over his mishandling of the situation.
The Iranian government has also aided the development of certain games, including "The Stressful Life of Salman Rushdie and Implementation of his Verdict" a computer game in development by the Islamic Association of Students, a government-sponsored organization.
Whether or not the game will be a first person shooter or a real time strategy game, or something entirely different, is still unknown. However, if anything is to be gleaned from the title given to the game, players will more than likely implement Khomeini’s Verdict — a death sentence.
Iran has also banned the distribution of several games, including Battlefield 3, for its depiction of a US military incursion into Tehran.
More from GlobalPost: Anonymous sets out to avenge Demonoid


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Sony’s video game unit named the head of its U.S. operations as president Thursday, replacing the so-called “father of the PlayStation,” Ken Kutaragi, just as the company is rolling out its newest version of the PlayStation 3.
The appointment of Kazuo Hirai to the global management team comes at a crucial time for Sony Corp., which sorely needs a big hit in its PlayStation 3 to repair its battered reputation and books.
Kutaragi will stay on as chief executive and also become chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment, and the company said he will continue to play a key role in the video game business.
The addition of Hirai, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, also reflects Sony’s efforts to make its top ranks more international.
Sony announced Thursday that it was appointing an American, Jack Tretton, head of its U.S. gaming business to replace Hirai. He’s the first non-Japanese to assume that post.
Tretton, executive vice president at Sony’s U.S. gaming unit, helped oversee the launches of the PlayStation series in North America.
“Given his experience and exceptional reputation in the industry, I can think of no better person to assume the helm of the PlayStation brand in the US, Canada and Latin America,” Hirai said of Tretton.
The recent management changes in Sony Corp.'s video game division were needed to ensure the success of the PS3, Sony President Ryoji Chubachi told a newspaper Friday.
"Work of each executive in the gaming business has increased," Chubachi said in an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's top business daily. "It's growing as a business in the U.S. and Europe, and a lot of work is involved to keep up with all the changes."
The PS3 went on sale in November in Japan and the U.S. to eager fans waiting in long lines overnight. But Sony has stumbled in mass-producing the consoles. Its sale in Europe was postponed until March and a global launch had been expected last spring.
When a delay was announced in September, Kutaragi blamed the electronics division because of the problems involved in mass-producing parts for the Blu-ray next-generation video.
In Japan, company presidents run the daily business operations and being promoted to chairman sometimes disguises retirement or demotion. In some cases, a chairman can be extremely influential, especially if the executive is charismatic and publicly popular as is Kutaragi.
"Mr. Kutaragi's strength is his knowledge of technology," Chubachi was quoted as saying in the Nikkei. "His position is, of course, chief executive, but this means he will especially be looking closely at the area of technological development."
Kutaragi was once rumored to be on the star track to lead Sony. But he was sidelined last year in a management shuffle that put Howard Stringer in charge — the first foreigner to head the electronics company.
Kutaragi was taken off the board of Sony to head just Sony Computer Entertainment.