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Digital TV News: SCTE
M2A Media to debut encoder-based ad insertion at 2023 NAB Show
Mar 27, 2023 – M2A Media is to launch its encoder-based ad manipulation (EBAM) at the 2023 NAB Show. EBAM handles SCTE-35 and SCTE-224 messaging to insert advertising at the encoder side of a live video workflow.
News categories: M2A Media, Matt Hughes, Advertising, Content Distribution, Digital TV, NABShow, Worldwide
Tulix and WiseDV power Hollywire CTV channel on Samsung TV Plus
Dec 1, 2022 – Tulix and WiseDV are powering the Hollywire channel on Samsung TV Plus in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil. Channel origination is provided by WiseDV's cloud playout. Tulix's CDN is used for delivery.
News categories: Tulix, WiseDV, Hollywire, Nino Doijashvili, Brazil, Canada, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Mexico, Smart TV, Streaming, USA, UX
IAB Tech Lab initiative aims to bring addressability to all TV environments
Nov 10, 2022 – IAB Tech Lab has launched an initiative to set technical standards to bring universal addressability to all TV environments. To achieve many of the goals Video Watermark Technology will be instrumental.
News categories: IAB Tech Lab, Anthony Katsur, Shailley Singh, Stephane Krzywoglowy, Ken Norcross, Advertising, Content Identification, Digital TV, USA, Worldwide
YuppTV launches cloud playout solution
Oct 12, 2022 – YuppTV has announced the launch of Janya, a cloud-based playout solution. Janya enables broadcasters to set up channels on a cloud-based platform without upfront capital investment, limited resources and operations.
News categories: YuppTv, Uday Reddy, Asia, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Streaming, Worldwide
CommScope launches HomeVista pre-integrated video solution
Sep 19, 2022 – CommScope (NASDAQ: COMM) has announced the launch of HomeVista solutions, a portfolio that leverages the technologies of Android TV and RDK to simplify and accelerate the introduction of video services.
News categories: CommScope, Joe Chow, Android TV, CableTecExpo, Digital TV, RDK, Set Top Box, Worldwide
DVEO brings new FAST TV service to IBC 2022
Sep 8, 2022 – DVEO will present a new FAST Channel solution at IBC2022. The offering is an all-in-one solution that makes it easier for content companies to launch free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels around the world.
News categories: DVEO, David Vargas, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IBC2022, Streaming, Worldwide
Ad Insertion Platform and Veset create combined solution for ingest, SSAI and playout
Jun 14, 2022 – Ad Insertion Platform (AIP) and Veset are partnering to provide a way to deliver ad-supported video content to multiple platforms. With the solution, video providers can originate and monetize linear channels, with graphics, interactivity and personalization.
News categories: Ad Insertion Platform, Veset, Laurent Potesta, Igor Krol, Advertising, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Worldwide
Comcast Technology Solutions releases SCTE 224-based linear ad insertion solution
May 3, 2022 – Comcast Technology Solutions has launched a linear addressable advertising solution. The solution uses an SCTE 224 standard notification interface to present rich linear metadata to trigger linear addressable ads.
News categories: Comcast Technology Solutions, Comcast Advertising, Bart Spriester, Larry Allen, Marija Masalskis, Advertising, Big Data, Cable TV, Digital TV, USA
Ad Insertion Platform integrates Zixi for targeted ad delivery
Sep 14, 2021 – Zixi has announced an integration with Ad Insertion Platform (AIP), allowing content providers different ways to monetize live channels. AIP's SSAI platform allows ad replacement in live streams and on-demand content.
News categories: Zixi, Ad Insertion Platform, John Wastcoat, Laurent Potesta, Advertising, Digital TV, Streaming, Worldwide
- CDNetworks powers VSTV K+ OTT streaming in Vietnam
- 24i and Amagi partner to enable rapid launch of streaming services
- Net Insight and Skyline partner on live video workflows
- Mixed fortunes for pay TV in the Asia Pacific region
- Evolution Digital integrates OpenSync with an Android TV set-top box
- ARF calls for move away from TV households as basis of TV measurement
- 76% of SVOD services to introduce ads in the next two years
- Free, ad-supported streaming takes off in the U.S.
- NextGen TV begins broadcasting in Des Moines, IA
- PANTAFLIX to dispose of streaming technology subsidiary
- Harmonic powers live sports streaming for VertiCast
- Eurovision Sport selects Ad Insertion Platform monetization solution
- TV reception over the Internet continues to grow in Switzerland
- Ateme launches statmux for NextGen TV and streaming services
- Canela Media chooses Amagi for FAST content monetization
- SES in discussions regarding possible combination with Intelsat
- Comscore expands 48-hour television reporting
- TCCL deploys iWedia Android TV Custom Launcher
- LiveU joins AWS Partner Network
- 63% of rural Americans bundle internet and TV


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As president and CEO of iPoint Capital Partners in Panama City, Hilt Tatum IV closely follows economic trends in Panama. Hilt Tatum IV has served in this position for more than eight years, during which time he has established a presence for the group across Central and South America as well as in Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.
As the expansion of the Panama canal continues, authorities have begun to speculate that the country's economy may expand by up to 7 percent each year for the coming five years. Experts attribute this growth largely to the influx of trading companies from North America, Europe, and Asia, who see the larger capacity for the canal as an opportunity to establish new trade routes. The newly expanded canal, doubled in capacity, will be able to carry vessels of up to 13,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU's), as compared to its current capacity for 5,000 TEU vessels.
Along with its anticipated availability for larger loads, the expansion of the canal also has already made Panama the fastest-growing economy in Latin America. Thus far, the financial services and real estate sectors have driven much of this growth, but experts anticipate a surge in the logistics industry when the new canal locks become operational in 2016. Construction, mining, and quarrying have expanded by more than 11 percent in the second quarter of 2014, while fishing grew by an unexpectedly high 50 percent. Predictions for late 2014 data and upcoming 2015 activity currently hover around 6.5 percent.
Hilt Tatum is CEO of Oxford Consulting Group - International business consulting

domain: news


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Amid dazzling returns, is now the time to join the diamond hunt?
The local diamond exploration sector has lost its glitter in recent years, but there’s renewed interest in finding the dazzling stones ancient Greeks thought were splinters of stars that had fallen to earth.
Underpinning the activity is a looming shortage of better-quality stones spurred by pandemic-related supply problems and the backlash against “blood” diamonds (those mined in certain African countries to fund conflicts).
Rough diamond prices are at their highest since 2012.
Supply has also been constrained by last year’s closure of Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) Argyle mine in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, which had operated for close to 40 years.
The open pit (and then underground) mine was the world’s biggest producer by volume and supplied about 90% of the world’s ‘rare pink’ diamonds for the high end market.
These stones accounted for less than one per cent of Argyle’s output. Around 70% of Argyle’s output consisted of brown diamonds, which became ‘champagne’ diamonds for the affordable jewellery market after the branding gurus got on the job.
In its inaugural pink diamond index released this week, Australian Diamond Portfolio says the category has risen an average 30% in value over the last 12 months, with “industry estimates” suggesting a 10-12% per annum increase between 2005 and 2020.
With even the hot property sector gaining ‘only’ 6.5% per annum over that period, that makes diamonds an investor’s best friend – girl or guy.
ASX-listed diamond hunters
These days the field of ASX-listed diamond hunters has been reduced to a handful of players, mainly with side interests in diamond exploration. These include Astro Resources (ASX: ARO) and Devex Resources (ASX: DEV).
The private India Bore Diamond Holdings is exploring the concept of the ‘lost alluvials of Ellendale’, which refers to tens and millions of hidden subsurface stones resulting from the weathering of the 50 or so volcanic pipes in the area.
Burgundy Diamond Mines
Formerly known as EHR Resources, Burgundy Mines’ efforts are centred on kick-starting the Ellendale mine, 135 kilometres east of Derby in WA, by late 2022.
Ellendale produced 1.3 million carats between 1976 and 2015 when its owner, Kimberley Diamond Company, folded. Notably, the mine produced half of the world’s fancy yellow diamonds, which were sold by Tiffany & Co in an exclusive tie-up.
But Burgundy has a broader strategy to enter the downstream cutting, polishing and marketing of the diamonds at a time when proving good provenance of the stones is paramount.
In July, the company raised $50 million in equity to pursue the strategy, which will focus on building a leading position in the niche market for diamonds of one carat or more.
“We are not trying to boil the ocean, we are not going to dominate the diamond market with volume but have picked a small niche market with incredible value,” Burgundy chief executive officer Peter Ravenscroft says.
In September, the company splashed out US$1 million (A$1.3 million) on rough diamonds auctioned by the Artic Canada Mining Company, which runs the Ekati mine in the northwest territories.
The fancy vivid and fancy intense yellow stones will be processed at a facility in Perth.
Diamond cutting, polishing and marketing
As Peter Ravenscroft points out, mining the rough diamonds only captures 7% of the value of the global diamond trade, estimated by Bain and Company at US$180 billion in 2019.
Retailing accounts for 49%, jewellery making 32% and cutting/polishing 11%.
“Burgundy is positioning itself as the world’s leading producer of polished fancy colour diamonds,” he says.
“We are no longer a diamond mining company, we are no longer and exploration company, we are a diamond producing company.”
Ravenscroft says he has a few innovative ideas about the marketing side.
He’s not letting on too much, but it involves engaging Paris branding experts to hone the strategy.
While Burgundy intends to acquire rough diamonds from various sources – possibly on a profit-sharing basis – the Ellendale project is the supplier of short-term cash flow.
In entering the marketing and polishing game, Burgundy is playing to the need to obtain rough diamonds from responsible channels – and prove their provenance.
Not all participants are willing to play the game, with some of them refusing to sign an accreditation program called the Kimberley Process.
“Responsibly sourced diamonds will be more in demand,” said World Diamond Council president Edward Asscher recently.
“They will obtain better prices in the marketplace, and buyers at jewellery stores will demand proof that they are indeed responsibly sourced before purchasing them as polished,” he said.
“In the not-too-distant future, there will be a difference between rough diamonds that can be guaranteed to have fulfilled the consumers’ demands and expectations, and other diamonds,” he said.
Clearly, the former category will be more in demand and fetch higher prices.
Naturally, Burgundy intends to be on the side of the good guys.
For an Aussie junior, entering the cutting and polishing and marketing game seems ambitious, but management is not without a clue.
A former executive of Rio Tinto’s diamond arm, Ravenscroft has also had senior roles at De Beers Anglo American and Cleveland Cliffs.
Burgundy director (and soon to be chairman) Kim Truter was chief executive officer of Argyle Diamonds and De Beers Canada’ leading the ramp up of the $1 billion Gahcho Kue diamond mine there.
Director Michael O’Keeffe is executive chair of the ASX-listed Canadian iron ore producer Champion Iron (ASX: CIA) and a former boss of Glencore.
Lucapa Diamond Company
Lucapa is in the throes of buying NT diamonds mine from the ‘Diamond’ Joe Gutnick-chaired Merlin Diamonds, which was ordered into liquidation by the Federal Court after an ASIC probe.
The multi pit underground mine produced a 104-carat stone, the biggest ever found in Australia. But Lucapa’s main focus is Africa and its producing, half-owned Lulo mine in Angola and Mothae in Lesotho.
The alluvial Lulo mine has been operating since 2015 and has produced more than 20 100-carat plus diamonds to date.
The Mothae mine is in a kimberlite pipe – the original source of diamonds – and has produced five 100-carat plus specimens, including a 213-carat beauty.
Lucapa recently funded an expansion of the mine’s processing capacity from 1.1 million tonnes per annum to 1.6Mt.
Additionally, the company recently outlined calendar 2021 guidance of underlying earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $26-28 million, up 45% on the previous $17-21 million.
This is on the back of revenue of US$66-71 million and production of 35,000 to 37,000 carats, with an average per-carat selling price of US$1,242-1,312 and all-in production cost of US$828-844 per carat.
Chasing alluvial diamonds to their hard-rock source has been a tiring business over the years for Lucapa, with its shares losing 85% of their value over the last five years.
Though, its shares have since bounced 13% over the last 12 months, valuing the company at circa $90 million.


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EHF EURO 2024 on course for world record attendance
The handball hype during the recent World Championship has also ensured a boom in fans' excitement for EHF EURO 2024 in Germany.
Before this year's Men's World Championship, around 18,000 tickets for the games in Düsseldorf's 50,000 seater MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA had been sold.
On the final day of the World Championship, Mark Schober, Chairman of
the Board of the German Handball Association, announced in Stockholm that 40,000 tickets had now been sold for this matchday - and therefore no more tickets can be sold at the moment.


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Smashburger, a fast-casual burger restaurant, will open a Saratoga Springs location this Wednesday.
See what the local building industry's project activity indicates in the most recent report from McGraw Hill Construction.
Smashburger has opened two locations in Orlando within the last week, but the growth of the fast-casual chain doesn't stop there.
An annual beer festival and a new burger chain will kick off in east Orlando this week.
Denver-based chain schedules opening date for region's first restaurant, in Monroeville.
Dallas-based Pie Five could build up to 30 stores in the Twin Cities in the next seven years, Vice President of Operations Chris Smith said.
The local franchisee for Smashburger is bringing its first two eateries to the Orlando market.
Denver-based Smashburger said that Josh Kern, who had been chief marketing officer for Smashburger owner Consumer Capital Partners, will be its CMO.
A new restaurant with the slogan “Flippin’ great burgers” is coming to downtown Orlando’s Chase Plaza.
The company, which moved here from Las Vegas in February, has 14 stores now but plans to operate 100 by 2017.
South Minneapolis will soon have a 24-hour hangout and a place to score Chicago-style deep dish pizza.
Smashburger, the fast-casual burger chain that entered the Durham market in March, is now making plans to open its first location in Raleigh.
The Denver-based company to increase its store count in the Twin Cities by at least 50 percent in years to come.
A new better-burger chain is breaking into the Orlando market, opening a location near Orlando Fashion Square mall.
The first commercial center in Curtis Park Village is about a year away from breaking ground. The developer has signed up Safeway and is talking to popular local restaurants as well, including Dos Coyotes, Smashburger and Jack's Urban Eats.


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Walmart recently announced a new benefit structure that rewards employees who miss very few days of work. Under the current structure, employees can miss nine unexcused absences every six months. The new policy drops the unexcused absences to five every six months.
According to CNN Business, employees also have six days a year of "protected PTO," which can be used to cover unexcused absences. Those paid time off days won't count against the employee's attendance record though.
This new plan allows employees to take six paid days off a year and still qualify for the attendance bonus, as long as they don't dip into those five unexcused absence days.
The company estimates that 300,000 current part-time and full-time employees would qualify for the bonus under the new structure.
Last year, Walmart increased its minimum wage to $11 an hour and expanded paid maternity and paternity leave for full-time employees.
The company has also implemented a new scheduling system to provide employees with a schedule further in advance and the ability to swap shifts, something they believe has helped drop their turnover rate to the lowest rate in five years.
Although Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) applauded the big box store's paid sick leave plan, he didn't feel it was enough. In his eyes, Walmart employees should be making at least $15 an hour and receive "good benefits," whatever that means.
Walmart’s decision to provide 48 hours of paid sick leave to some employees is a small step forward, but not nearly good enough. This is not a poor company. Walmart can and must pay all of its workers at least $15 an hour with good benefits. https://t.co/mTSTVHbenC— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 4, 2019
People like Bernie Sanders fail to understand the economic impact of decisions like a forced minimum wage. When minimum wage goes up for basic services, the cost associated with goods and services goes up as well. It doesn't mean that people are suddenly making more money. On paper, they may be making more but in reality, they're making the same when goods and services go up along with wage increases. It's a catch-22 and something progressives hate to admit (or acknowledge).


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Austrian navigation technology company Robart is at IFA to launch its latest home robot cleaner innovations equipped with artificial intelligence. The technology helps them find their way alone, identifies obstacles, can be controlled with a smartphone, and even listens to Alexa from Amazon.
New Robart models will employ the Alexa technology from Q3 2017.
KEY SELLING POINTS
Navigation technology listens to Amazon Alexa
Detects walls and doors and creates a plan of the house
Manufacturers such as Bosch and the SEBGroup have already invested in Robart
HALL 5.1 / STAND 111


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Robert Trex / Android Authority
- Samsung is blocking the performance of 10,000 processors in its phones.
- This is believed to be due to the company’s game optimizing service processor.
Update: March 3, 2022 (1:27 AM ET): It looks like Samsung is investigating the GOS issue described below. According to the information spread NavigatorThe company is conducting an internal investigation and is taking the issue as seriously as the Galaxy Note 7 failure. Samsung is expected to release an official announcement on the matter soon.
Original article: March 2, 2022 (2:49 PM ET): Over the years we have seen many instances where smartphone manufacturers limit the performance of a certain number of apps in order to restore battery life. Now, it looks like Samsung might do the same.
The so-called list is not just for games, as you will find significant applications here such as Instagram, Microsoft Office applications, Netflix, Google Keep and Dictoc. Listed here are also Samsung’s own apps and services such as Secure Folder, Samsung Cloud, Samsung Bay, Samsung Pass and Dialer.
Not surprisingly, benchmark apps like 3DMark, Antutu, PCMark, GFXBench and GeekBench 5 are not listed here. This means that Samsung standard apps are not subject to throttling. A Korean YouTube He went so far as to change the name of the 3DMark package (which appears in the list) and run the scale to reflect Jens’ influence. The renamed package reached a significantly lower reference score and average frame rate. See the screenshot below with the renamed package on the left.
For its value, the application does not appear to be installed Galaxy S22 series Units. It appears in the Galaxy Store, but pressing “Install” indicates that the application is not compatible with my S22 Plus review device. This is not the case with Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy S10e devices. However, a team member reported seeing the app on their Galaxy S21 Plus and confirmed that it could not be disabled.
On the other hand, it is understood that smartphone makers will try to balance performance and battery life for multiple applications. On the other hand, there is a clear argument that users are not getting the performance they demand. It is doubtful that standardization applications are included here, meaning that these results do not represent actual experience.
It seems that Samsung has not learned from last year’s staggering OnePlus history.
This is not the first time we have seen a mobile phone manufacturer engage in such protocol questionable practices. OnePlus was Capture It “improved” the performance of popular apps with the OnePlus 9 Pro last year, but it also removed the benchmark apps from the throes.
We contacted Samsung representatives to see if this list is accurate and to determine what GOS does in these applications. We also asked the company if modular applications are subject to GOS. Samsung will return to us / update the article.
“Professional coffee fan. Total beer nerd. Hardcore reader. Alcohol fanatic. Evil twitter buff. Friendly tv scholar.”


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The coffee sector is making more environmental claims than ever but brands need to tread very carefully, says David Burrows.
Why do food and drink brands greenwash? It is a question I’ve been mulling over recently after being invited on the Adventures in Coffee podcast to discuss this very hot topic.
Coffee as a sector is addicted to environmental and ethical claims – and the lack of one can stand out. I found shops pushing plant-based milks to ‘save the planet’, roasters using packaging to ‘green’ their beans, and global brands claiming carbon neutrality. It was a struggle to sort the green from the guff.
That companies are keen to engage customers on issues of sustainability is positive. Most recent surveys show we are keener than ever to buy into sustainable brands – or what we perceive to be sustainable brands. Indeed, as issues such as climate change and plastic pollution become firmly established as top consumer concerns, the temptation to shout about something sustainable becomes harder to resist.
Companies have to compete and increasingly they are competing on everything from carbon to compostable packaging. Some will inevitably look for shortcuts. While the responsible businesses take the time, patience and humility to deliver a sustainable product, others may well just “bluff it”, as one independent coffee shop told me recently, popping an ambiguous green claim on the front of their products and winding up with a sale anyway.
An example I used in the podcast was the term ‘100% recyclable’, which offers a nice green halo to both the packaging and the product (consumers take more cues about a company’s sustainability initiatives from its packaging than anything else, according to the Sustainable Restaurant Association). But it means nothing. Recyclable where and how?
Such claims can be the result of laziness, ignorance or an overly zealous marketing team. Whichever way you look at it, it’s incredibly frustrating for those trying to do their homework so they can make truly sustainable decisions rather than score quick marketing points.
On another bag of coffee beans I bought were the words: not yet recycled. My hunch is that behind such honesty is a brand that is doing its homework.
It’s not just packaging problems that brands are trying to unpick. They’re also confronted with pressure to work on climate change.
Net-zero is fast-becoming a necessity for brands large and small, which is leading to more greenwash. In the podcast we honed in on offsetting because coffee brands seem to have a penchant for carbon neutral claims. Some are even being marketed as ‘carbon negative’, with one offsetting “twice” in order to have “a positive, not a neutral impact on the environment”.
I’m expecting these climate claims to become evermore elaborate as brands compete in this green space. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has urged the government to start clearing this up, and has pushed for legal definitions of terms like recyclable, carbon neutral and net-zero. That would also help the regulator enforce its green claims code.
Thin green line
The Advertising Standards Authority also polices environmental claims. It is undertaking research into consumer perceptions of some the terms above and is about to launch enquiries into claims made specifically about waste and sustainable food.
The approach being taken to environmental claims is not quite ‘guilty until proven innocent’ but brands will have to defend their ads in considerable detail. Miles Lockwood, director of complaints and investigations, warned those presenting a marketing message that “you’d better have the evidence, you’d better be clear, you better be legal, decent, honest and truthful”.
He detailed the recent case of Oatly, which the ASA slapped down for running misleading adverts about the impact and emissions of dairy-free versus dairy milk. The alternative milk maker presented a bucket load of information, including life cycle assessments, but still proved a “classic example of over claiming”, said Lockwood. “Just because your product is probably better for the environment […] doesn’t let you off the hook for being accurate and being precise,” he explained.
Regulators will need to catch a few more big fish before others are deterred. But make no mistake: the net is (finally) tightening around greenwashers and that is great news for responsible businesses and consumers alike.
David Burrows is associate editor at Footprint. The Adventures in Coffee podcast, produced by Caffeine magazine, is available here.


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Industrial production grew by as much as 134.4 per cent in the month of April, mainly on account of a low base from last year, government data released on Friday showed.
Factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), rose 22.4 per cent in March 2021 and had contracted by a massive 57.3 per cent in the April month last year as a coronavirus-induced lockdown froze economic activity.
Manufacturing sector output, which accounts for more than three-fourths of the entire index, registered a growth of 197.1 per cent as against a de-growth of (-) 66 per cent in the year-ago period.
The government said that the numbers are not comparable to the year-ago period as that the nationwide lockdown and other measures from the end of March 2020, had led to a majority of the establishments not operating in April 2020 and consequently.
“There were many units which reported ‘Nil’ production, affecting comparison of the indices for the months of April 2020 and April 2021.”
Similarly, mining activity, which has a weight of over 14 per cent in the overall index, saw 37 per cent growth compared to a 26.9 per cent contraction in the same month last year.
Electricity generation growth stood at 38.1 per cent in April as against a fall of (-) 22.8 per cent in the last year period.
For the month of April 2021, the quick estimate number of IIP with base 2011-12 stood at 126.6.
Capital goods output, which is a signal for private investment, grew over 1,000 per cent in comparison to a (-) 92.7 per cent fall in production last year.
Again due to the low base, Consumer durables output witnessed sharpest expansion of 1,943 per cent in April, from a fall of (-) 95.6 per cent last year.
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Africa’s Informal Sector and COVID-19: Is this an Opportunity to Revisit the Forgotten 80%?
“Teeth do not see poverty.” This African proverb reminds us, that even when circumstances are dire, people still manage to find something to smile about – COVID-19 notwithstanding. Since the first case was confirmed in Africa in late February, numbers have grown to over 4,500 cases in just one month, with hundreds of fatalities. The impact on the economy continues to unfold. As of March 2020, a 1.4% decline in GDP equivalent to $29 billion has been reported. These losses, which translate to lost jobs, income and enterprise opportunities to the over 1.2 billion people in Africa, have far and wide-reaching effects in compounding a very precarious scenario – where the region already needs to create about 13 million jobs every year.
A critical rethinking of the hard-hit informal economy in Africa
Africa’s informal sector accounts for over 80% of all employment in sub-Saharan Africa. This, therefore, means anything that impacts this informal sector needs to be taken with grave consideration. This is a sector that doesn’t understand the language of bank accounts and VAT but at the end of the day, this is the sector that drives the realities of Africa’s economies. These are the unsung heroes of Africa’s growth and have been so for a long time. Over 90% of new jobs created in Africa during the 1990s, for instance, were in the informal economy. This sector has also been described as the “present and future” of work in Africa.
Under COVID-19 however, this informal sector has been hit hard. At local groceries, shortages in critical consumer goods – driven first by panic buying and second, by the slowing down of the global supply chain in replenishing what was consumed – are becoming a common feature. Small retailers – the groceries, open-air traders, retail markets that trade under $150 daily, closed as a public health precaution, to arrest the spread of COVID-19.
It’s reasonably fair to ask some fundamental questions: How will these people, who depend upon daily sales for their sustenance, be able to provide for themselves and their families? For those who deal with perishable food items, how will they buffer the losses of rotting stock that ends up unsold due to reduced clientele as middle-class clients chose to panic buy and remain indoors, and as their stalls are shut down for public health precautions? As the informal sector languishes, a way needs to be created to help this all important economic sector. And that is the “stimulus package” route that lifts millions from the bottom of the pyramid into the economic rungs of society.
Maximizing impact of ‘stimulus package’ approach for Africa under the changing climate
Across the G-20 and indeed globally, countries are framing policy responses to buffer their economies and populations against the repercussions of COVID-19. The “stimulus package” has arisen as among most formidable policy measures to buffer economies, with some countries offering as high as 20% of GDP as emergency COVID-19 stimulus. The U.S., for instance, has enacted a package of some $2 trillion. Germany has announced $800 billion. Canada has announced over $50 billion, and the list goes on. Africa has been estimated to need no less than $100 billion.
Countries such as Kenya have taken the first step down this worthy road. But even more important for Africa, a continent whose productivity lags competitors in the global economy by up to 20 times, is how such emergency measures can be maximized as investments to accelerate the ongoing charge towards unlocking globally competitive climate action enterprises in the continent under the changing climate.
For example, Africa’s agro-market is estimated to be worth up to $150 billion each year in 5 years’ time. While it is open to global competition, empowering the local informal sector to take lead in developing competitive local products, that can compete for shelf-space with goods from elsewhere, offers an opportunity for developmental strides in the continent. Enabling this long-term perspective is the trajectory that stimulus packages in Africa should take. Not short-term cash transfers as is the traditional approach currently been used. And for this, the following policy measures can be taken.
First, prioritize buffering informal sector players in the continent’s catalytic sectors. These are economically inclusive sectors – meaning they engage the majority of the population. This implies that maximizing their productivity through value addition means putting more money in more pockets. In addition, these sectors can meet both climate and socio-economic priorities simultaneously. For example, decentralizing solar driers among cassava farmers – where cassava is converted into dried cassava chips that can be preserved for longer, sold to millers to be further processed into cassava flour or eaten as is/or fried into cassava chips, has seen incomes increase by 150% and reduce loss by 30%.
The use of solar driers to dry rice has proven to be 48 times faster than traditional open sun drying and results in better quality, cleaner, more hygienic rice that fetches more in the market. Decentralizing solar driers to farmers in local markets, to enable them to dehydrate and preserve their harvest that remains unsold at end of day and sell when demand peaks are not only cutting post-harvest losses but increasing earning up to 30 times. All these are delivered by innovatively applying an accessible climate solution – solar dryers – which enhances incomes without piling on the emissions that exacerbates climate change in the first place. Stimulus packages being discussed should aim to buffer these players by targeting the structures that they use to conduct their trade.
For example, cooperatives are grounded community financing structures for these players. The stimulus could be targeted at cushioning cooperatives against liquidity crunches hence ensures that delayed payments that may arise out of such a slow-down, do not render them insolvent and close them down.
Second is prioritizing human capital. A skilled person, capable of turning challenges, into enterprise opportunities is 4 times the value of produced capital and 15 times the value of natural capital. Over the years, Africa has overlooked its most important capital – its people and prioritized physical resources instead. But it is not a lost cause. To date, among key areas where Africa stands out is for being the most youthful continent globally.
What we must urgently do is invest in the skills retooling of these youth. These youth need to be supported to refine, improve and adapt their skills – regardless of disciplinary backgrounds – for application in establishing enterprises in the catalytic areas of the economy. Stimulus packages should, therefore, go to create incentives in the form of tax breaks, holidays, rebates – to enterprising youth already engaged in these areas, to encourage them and keep them afloat during these turbulent times. Inspiring these youths and ushering them to action through the spirit of innovative volunteerism is key at this moment.
Innovative volunteerism is structured guidance and inspiration to youth, to trigger them to purpose-driven actions, leverage their skills, talents, interests and ongoing initiatives as the premium to build mutually beneficial and complementary partnerships with the end goal of closing gaps along the agro-value chain by sustainably industrializing it using clean energy. In the process, they benefit by creating climate action enterprises that drive climate action and SDGs as well as solve major developmental problems in the continent.
Third, is more in the long term. Even as we ride through the emergency response period, the continent must invest purposefully towards unlocking credit opportunities in the informal sector. Africa’s informal sector represents an over $300 billion worth credit market. But this remains untapped because formal credit structures, the commercial banks, remain reluctant to invest in measuring the creditworthiness of players in the informal economy. Over 95% of their transactions are still in cash.
However, modern technologies such as blockchain, with immutability and transparency offer a way out to evaluate transactions in the informal sector. The continent should take lead in formalizing such blockchain technology, by establishing ground rules for blockchain governance. For example, being a nascent area, safeguarding local innovators who go into developing solutions in this area through versatile intellectual property protection could be a great starting point.
As COVID-19 rages, let Africa’s response also lay the ground for a new era of maximum productivity in the informal sector. It is in such that Africa can ensure future crises do not bite the millions hard. Always remember the Africa proverb that says there are no short cuts to the top of a palm tree.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any institutions with which the authors are associated.


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ASUS released the first devices part of the ZenFone line at CES in 2014, introducing some Intel-powered smartphones that had a decent amount of horsepower at a reasonable price. This year it looks like the company is ready to refresh its line of phones, and there’s a new video recently posted on the ASUS Facebook page teasing what one of them might look like.
We can’t see much, but there are a few seconds where we can see the light shine through and get a decent look at the back of the device:
In addition to a quick peek at the back, the video shows off what looks to be a dual-camera set up. While it doesn’t look exactly like what appears to be on the back of the device above, there must be a reason that the company let this little image show up in the video for a fraction of a second:
Sadly, besides these couple of images, we don’t really have much to go off. The rest of the video just sports the tagline “See what others can’t see” spread across the screen, followed by the ASUS logo. If you want to see the video for yourself and come to your own conclusions about what ASUS might have in store for us, head over to the company’s Facebook page.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Media companies are having great luck selling their iPad applications to advertisers prelaunch, The New York Times reports.
FedEx has bought advertising space on the iPad applications from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek. Chase Sapphire, a credit card for the high-end market, has bought out The New York Times’s iPad advertising units for 60 days after the introduction. Advertisers including Unilever, Toyota, Korean Air and Fidelity have booked space on Time’s iPad application. In a draft press release, The Journal said a subscription to its app would cost $17.99 per month, and the first advertisers included Capital One, Buick, iShares and FedEx.


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Troubles at Activision Blizzard continue as new allegations have now been made accusing the video game giant of worker intimidation.
According to Cnet, the developer has now been hit with a formal complaint from the Communication Workers of America alleging to the National Labor Relations Board that it has been intimidating workers in relation to the ongoing legal battle with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
More specifically, the complaint says that Activision Blizzard tried to stop employees from speaking up, and ”threatened or disciplined employees on account of protected concerted activity; engaged in surveillance of employees engaged in protected concerted activity and engaged in interrogation of employees about protected concerted activity.”
After the filing on Tuesday, the CWA also publicly showed its support for the workers at Activision Blizzard. “We will always stand shoulder to shoulder with workers fighting harassment, assault, and discrimination,” said the association’s national organizing director Tom Smith. “Activision Blizzard’s response to righteous worker activity was surveillance, intimidation, and hiring notorious union busters.”
The video game company has not responded to comment as of now.
Elsewhere in the gaming industry, Nintendo will finally allow you to connect Bluetooth audio devices to the Switch.


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The taste of bike lovers in India is changing with time. Modern riders are looking for more features and high-performance in their trail companion. In short, the demand for premium models is growing at a significant rate. The makers are not yet aware of this news. So they are also working hard to satisfy the customers. Not even a month and a half left. 2023 Farewell Rajini is present. Several companies have lined up their bike launches for 2024. Let’s take a look at the list of five motorcycles to be launched in India next year.
Honda is likely to launch its full-faired sports bike CBR300R in India in the first quarter of 2024. It is the upgraded version of CBR250R. The bike will run on a 286 cc, single cylinder, liquid cooled engine. Its output is 30.4 HP and 27 Nm. Estimated price to be between Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 lakh (ex-showroom).
Benelli Leoncino 250
Benelli Leoncino 250 will hit the Indian roads in the new year with a unique design. The scrambler bike has a 250 cc single cylinder liquid cooled engine. A maximum of 26 HP can be obtained from it. The company currently sells the bike’s big brother Leoncino 500 in India. The new model is expected to arrive at an ex-showroom price of Rs 2.80 lakh.
Yamaha XSR125 may launch in mid-2024 to shake up India’s neo-retro commuter motorcycle market. The price is expected to be between Rs 1.25 lakh and Rs 1.35 lakh (ex-showroom). It will be powered by a 124 cc single cylinder engine with an output of 15 HP and 11.5 Nm. It will be accompanied by a 6-speed gearbox.
Husqvarna Svartpilen 401
KTM-owned Swedish two-wheeler manufacturer Husqvarna may launch a new bike in India, the Svartpilen 401. The bike has already been seen undergoing road testing in the country. The Scrambler model will run on a 398 cc single cylinder engine. Its output is 44.8 HP and 39 Nm. Price can be kept between Rs.3 lakh (ex-showroom).
Royal Enfield Classic 350 Bobber
A single seat version of the Classic, the Classic 350 Bobber, may appear in 2024 to increase its presence in the Indian market. Like the regular model, it is powered by a 349 cc, air-cooled engine that produces 20 hp and 27 Nm of torque. The same engine is used in Bullet 350, Meteor 350, Classic 350, Hunter 350.


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Latest Rawr News
Dec 12, 2019
Retail Gazette By // Beauty brand RAWR’s rebrand has extended to a new Fitzrovia flagship store // The new brand caters to money-savvy urban consumers with busy lives RAWR, formerly known as Lashious Beauty has opened the doors of its flagship store on London’s Rathbone Place. The opening followed a launch party which featured a performance from British rapper, singer, and songwriter Stefflon Don. In partnership with global experience agency Imagination, the beauty retailer has completed a full brand overhaul as it plans rapid expansion in key Primark stores as part of a pre-existing partnership. “RAWR is a bold and exciting brand that perfectly encapsulates and fits a huge proportion of urban, busy people,” Imagination client services director Richard Hannah said.


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If you want the answer to a question like “How far apart are sonny and cher in age?” you can’t get it from a simple Google search, but Ask.com is launching a new beta site that aims to make difficult queries like this easier to answer.
The brand of Ask.com was set up as a way for users to find answers, not websites, and now it is going back to its roots with a new service.
“Ask.com is now uniquely able to offer the most comprehensive and convenient approach to getting answers, combining pages and people to help users find the answers to all questions – even questions for which no answer is published online,” wrote Ask.com SVPs Tony Gentile and Lista Kaanaugh in an Ask.com blog post.
According to details on the blog, Ask.com has already paired up more than 500 million common questions and answers in order to link specific results based on the wording of a question, and it will also introduce a human component that allows other people to answer questions asked by a search user. These results will then be indexed to create a more comprehensive database.
This particular aspect of online search is something that Google is especially focused on right now as well, and it has done a good job. People who type in mathematical questions, or ask for currency conversion rates can get the answer provided in the search box itself before they even hit the search button.
However, Google is having an admittedly difficult time figuring out when users are trying to answer a question that can’t be solved by a simple algorithm.
The new Ask.com beta is currently only available to invited members, but anyone can request an invite at Ask.com/invite


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on your WebpageAdd Widget >Get your members hooked!


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The hotel chain has got plans to add another 15 five-star and deluxe hotels and resorts in the country over the next three to four years, said Ratnesh Verma, area director, South Asia, Hyatt.
Hyatt will set up two hotels each in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai. It will also expand in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Gurgaon.
The group is eyeing states such as Kerala and Goa and cities such as Jaipur and Agra for its resorts.
"Hyatt manages five hotels in India. By 2009, we would like to expand to 20 hotels and resorts in the country. The properties are mostly managed by us and owned by their developers. However on a case-to-case basis, our parent Hyatt might consider owning some. Managing hotels is not a capital intensive activity, though our parent would invest in as and when required," said Verma.
Hyatt currently manages Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, Hyatt Regency in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Pune (under development), and Park Hyatt Goa Resorts and Spa.
Grand Hyatt Mumbai is the only property in India in which Hyatt owns 50 per cent equity. The balance is owned by the promoter, Juniper group of hotels.
"Our business model and core competency is managing the hotels. We are not into real estate business and that is why owning our hotels would not be a focus area," he said. Regency is a five-star brand, Grand, a five star deluxe, and Park Hyatt is a boutique luxury brand, said Verma.
Hyatt is planning to make inroads into Pakistan. It will set up three five star hotels in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
The company will also come up with Hyatt Regency in Colombo, Sri Lanka by 2007. It manages Hyatt Regency in Kathmandu.
Hyatt group of hotels is the first and probably the only group that had adopted the single currency single pricing route in January 2005, long before the Reserve Bank of India had warned Indian hospitality industry against insisting dollar currency mode of payment from foreigners and non resident Indians, said Verma.
The past 12 months have been particularly good for Hyatt, when the group enjoyed a growth of 15-18 per cent in occupancy and an average room rate of about Rs 5,500 at its hotels and resorts in India.
"The tourism industry has been buoyant for the past couple of years. The five star hotel industry is expected to grow at about 15 per cent over the next three years," said Verma.


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Mulberry profits to be ahead of expectations
Luxury fashion group Mulberry has announced that profits and sales will be ahead of expectations as it recovers faster from the pandemic than first thought.
The company said the robust sales trend delivered in the six months to September has continued into the second half of its financial year.
Extra cash made will now be used to increase the fashion brand’s marketing and advertising spend to further build brand awareness, Mulberry said.
And even with the extra spending, profits will still be ahead of market expectations for the group, it added. Gross margins on products have been maintained, having hit 69% last year, compared with 59% in 2020.
In November, the company revealed a 34% boost in sales to £65.7 million for the six months to 25 September, with a £2.4 million loss turned into a £10.2 million pre-tax profit for the period.
Bosses have been focusing on full-price sales and moving away from discounting, as pandemic restrictions ended.
Asia has been a strong growth area for the brand, with rich shoppers from the Far East opting to spend cash locally instead of travelling to the UK and Europe.
Strong sales in the US also helped Mulberry’s post-COVID recovery and bosses said at the time that supply chain issues had been offset by stocking up on raw materials at its Somerset factories.


text:
Verizon Earnings Sag, but Posts Record Subscriber Increase Driven by iPhone
January 22, 2013 3:19 PM
Verizon widens its mobile lead
Verizon Wireless -- the U.S. mobile carrier jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. (
) and Vodafone Group Plc. (
) -- has aired its
Q4 2012 financials
and they paint a pretty intriguing picture.
On one hand you have Verizon blazing on the
warpath of continued growth
. Big Red added a record 2.1m customers, broadening its lead over rival AT&T, Inc. (T). The sales were heavily impacted by Verizon's
year-old deal with Apple
, Inc. (
); in fact 87 percent of new subscribers reportedly purchased an iPhone 5. IPhone sales doubled to 6.2 million units in total.
The company now has 98.2 million wireless subscribers. AT&T has not yet disclosed its subscriber count, but it is expected to fall in the 60-70 million range. Verizon enjoys a health lead over AT&T, the second place U.S. wireless carrier in terms of subscribers.
The iPhone 5 drove Verizon's record subscriber growth, accounting for 87 percent of new subscriptions. [Image Source: AP]
Verizon also continues to
accelerate its LTE deployment
, moving 7.3 million LTE smartphones and hotspots for the quarter. The carrier's LTE network now accounts for 50 percent of its data traffic and covers 276 million Americans nationwide.
But the dollar figures painted a different tale -- Verizon earned a mere 45 cents per share, excluding one-time restructuring fees and costs relating to Hurricane Sandy's damage (which totaled 7 cents per share). Analysts had hoped for a healthier 50 cents per share, the average target in a
The profit was hurt by the same factor that drove the record subscriber growth -- Big Red's equally big subsidies. Avi Greengart, an analyst with Current Analysis,
that the tradeoff may pay off in the long run, but is painful fiscally in the short term. He comments, "It’s a big upfront cost on smartphones and a short-term hit. They have to offer enormously expensive phones at affordable prices to move customers onto higher-priced plans."
T-Mobile USA, which is in the process of merging with MetroPCS Communications Inc. (PCS) is
in the process of ditching subsidies
going towards a more European pricing model
of cheaper plans and more expensive (unsubsidized) phones. Verizon Wireless, though, has
blasted that push
, arguing subsidies are a necessary evil.
When charges are considered Verizon Wireless posted a loss of $4.23B USD. However, that figure was probably the least troublesome to investors, as it was mainly driven by a one-time $7.19B USD charge that covered severance pay/benefits and adjustments to pension debt.
Overall Verizon made $30B USD in revenue, up 5.7 percent from a year ago. That figure was in line with the analyst estimates of $29.8B USD.
But even on the growth front there was one sore spot for Verizon. New subscriptions of the company's FiOS internet service stalled to only 134,000, down from the 194,000 it gained a year ago.
"My sex life is pretty good" -- Steve Jobs' random musings during the 2010 D8 conference
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text:
The newest Amazon Fresh store in Naperville, Ill., which opened Dec. 10, is attracting some brisk business in spite of the pandemic. The 35,000-square-foot Chicagoland store at 3116 S. Route 59 is the fifth Amazon Fresh store location to open its doors to the public, and the first in Illinois. Amazon’s four previous locations are all in Southern California (Woodland Hills, Irvine, North Hollywood and Northridge). For more on those locations, click here.
Hot Slices, Cool Prices
Billing itself as a “low-priced” grocery store, Amazon Fresh Naperville is set to offer highly competitive prices on items such as 15-cent bananas; 89-cent freshly baked bread; $1.79 freshly baked pizza slices; and $4.97 rotisserie chickens. Signage outside the store invites customers to head inside for a bite.
You Know Dash Cart and Dancer and Prancer…
The Naperville Amazon Fresh also features the same “seamless grocery shopping experience” of its California stores, with free same-day delivery and pickup for Prime members; the Amazon Dash Cart, which enables customers to skip the checkout line; and new Alexa features designed to help customers manage their shopping lists and better navigate store aisles.
‘Where’s the Wine, Alexa?’
And like its other locations, the Naperville Amazon Fresh will offer a wide assortment of national brands; produce, meat and seafood; a range of prepared foods made fresh in-store every day; along with 365 by Whole Foods Market organics products and local brands such as Turano Baking Co., Oberweis Dairy, and Revolution Brewing. The new store will also carry Amazon-exclusive brands like Fresh and Cursive wines. If shoppers need help finding these items, they can ask Alexa at an in-store kiosk.
Line Up for Traditional Checkout
For those who want to pass on Amazon Fresh’s contactless checkout, traditional cashiers are in place. According to Amazon, its move into Naperville will create hundreds of high-quality local jobs, with a starting wage of $15 and comprehensive benefits on day one. “We’re also supporting the Naperville community by donating surplus food from the Amazon Fresh store to local food banks. We have already donated over 165,000 pounds of food (equivalent to over 135,000 meals) since this location opened as an online-only store,” says Amazon Fresh.


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Realme 3 Pro will be up for pre-order ahead of April 22 launch
You can book your Realme 3 Pro even before its official launch.
Realme 3 Pro launch is scheduled for April 22 and we have already come across several leaks and rumors regarding the device of late. Now, the company's CEO Madhav Sheth has just posted a tweet, which is sure to take you by surprise.
Well, Realme will give its fans a chance to place a blind pre-order of the upcoming smartphone ahead of its launch. The blind pre-order will debut at midnight on April 19 via the official Realme website. Given that the early buyers of the device will not know what the smartphone will feature, it is going to be a great surprise.
Time to show who’s really excited :) pic.twitter.com/HpJs8FAdiq— Madhav Sheth (@MadhavSheth1) April 16, 2019
Realme 3 Pro camera features
As of now, we have been coming across several leaks regarding the Realme 3 Pro, thanks to the teasers shared by the company website and its CEO. Going by the same, the smartphone is believed to have interesting camera capabilities including burst mode, slow-mo video recording support and night mode. The recent confirmed the slow-mo video recording support confirms that it can record either 480 fps or 960 fps slow-motion videos.
The camera samples revealed by the CEO make us believe that it will have amazing photography capabilities for a mid-range smartphone. Being a rival to the Redmi Note 7 Pro, this smartphone is said to feature a 48MP primary rear camera sensor.
Moreover, it was already teased that this smartphone will be exclusive to the online retailer Flipkart. The CEO also shared a video demo showing that it will support 60 fps for gaming by playing the Fortnite game.
Expected Realme 3 Pro specs
While the above-mentioned features stand confirmed, there are speculations that the smartphone will bestow a 6.3-inch FHD+ display, 6GB RAM, a 3960mAh battery with support for fast charging and Android 9 Pie topped with ColorOS 6.0 out-of-the-box. There are claims that it will use a processor that is faster than the MediaTek Helio P70 SoC used by the Realme 3.


text:
In Spain, 'Open Happiness' Turns to Open Rebellion for Coke
Iberian Partners, the massive bottling operation that last year took over seven independent Coca-Cola bottling plants around Spain, has announced that it is shuttering facilities in Asturias, Mallorca, Alicante, and Fuenlabrada, a suburb of Madrid, laying off or relocating at least 1,250 workers. A spokesman for the workers estimates that at least twice that number of people will be directly or indirectly affected by the bottler's decision.
Workers and their representatives have responded by demonstrating in the streets of Madrid, often chanting a slogan that translates to "If Madrid doesn't make it, Madrid won't drink it!" — that is, if the Madrid plant closes, the workers and presumably their supporters will boycott the soft drink. Demonstrators even spent three or four hours outside Madrid's Palacio Municipal de Congresos last week, where the 12th annual edition of Madrid Fusión was being held (Coca-Cola had a stand on the exhibition floor).
The plants haven't closed yet, but starting today February 4, workers in Fuenlabrada are holding two-hour work stoppages on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two weeks, and then all-day stoppages for the third week.
Union spokesman José Vicente Canel told the left-wing Madrid-based newspaper Diagonal that there was no economic justification for the plant closings, since Coke in Spain showed profits of 900 million euros (about $1,200,000,000).


text:
Multiple Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users reported an issue related to poor video call quality on Whatsapp.
Reports of poor WhatsApp video call quality on Pixel 7 devices
The video call quality has been reduced to the point where it occasionally becomes hazy and out of focus. The fact that it also impacts other apps like Google Meet, WhatsApp, and Skype only makes the matter worse.
Users find this to be quite upsetting because it appears they are not receiving the best photo and video experience as promised by the company.
“Um why do Whatsapp video calls look so blurry and low quality on the 7 Pro? it looked just fine on my old OnePlus,” a user posted.
“My front camera is blurry often when in a video call on Google Meet with my Pixel 7 Pro. If I reboot my phone, the image is clear again,” another user posted.
It’s important to note that customers of the Google Pixel 6 series have previously experienced this problem. Additionally, it still has an impact on Pixel 7 users.
Earlier, there have been issues with Google Pixel 7 speaker which resulted in a sound problem. Moreover, users had to experience screen scrolling and charging issues with the device.
Issue being investigated by company
Although Google Meet has previously stated that they are investigating this problem, it doesn’t appear to have been fixed. It’s quite apparent that consumers are still having trouble with the issue.
As a result, the developers have escalated the poor video call quality issue on the Pixel 7 when using WhatsApp or Meet for further investigation.
There have also been no potential workarounds suggested by users to fix the issue temporarily. We hope there is a solution available for the problem soon.
A Google forum user said: “The new December update did not fix any of these video and audio issues. I disabled the “Clear Calling” feature as well. Nothing works.”


text:
The world's largest brewer Heineken has agreed to sell its business of manufacturing packaging in Mexico Empaque to the company Crown Holdings for 1.23 billion dollars. As a result, the Dutch company will concentrate its efforts on the beer market.
It is worth recalling that Empaque has become the property of Heineken as a result of the acquisition of Femsa Cerveza. As a result, Heineken earned about 300 million euro after the sale of Mexican business. We keep a medium-term positive outlook on the shares of the Dutch brewer with a potential growth of around 20% per year and recommend including stocks in the long-term investment portfolio.


text:
The Range Rover SUV from Land Rover was the overall top-rated vehicle in AutoPacific's 2010 survey of the most ideal vehicles as surveyed by new owners.
The California-based market research and consulting firm released its annual Ideal Vehicle Awards Tuesday, rating Porsche as the top premium brand and Ford as the best volume brand.
AutoPacific surveyed 42,000 owners in the United States to rate new vehicles “by how closely they come to their ideal,” using 15 categories, such as power and acceleration, interior lighting and storage, and seating visibility and comfort.
"After owning and operating a vehicle for some time, consumers often identify shortcomings and ideas about what they would like to change about their vehicle," said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific.
The Suzuki Kizashi was the top-rated car.
AutoPacific identified 27 Ideal Vehicle Award categories. The winners included 16 American brands, while European automakers won in six categories and Japanese automakers topped five segments.
“Surprisingly, no Korean brands scored segment wins,” the company said.
AutoPacific said owners picked the large-crossover/SUV segment as their favorite, “beating out last year's leading category -- large car.”
“American buyers continue to value large, comfortable vehicles suitable for suburban driving and longer-distance highway cruising,” AutoPacific said.


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Shared in the Epic vs. Apple lawsuit, 2012 emails of Apple Fellow Phil Schiller revealed that the executive was extremely furious with scam app ranking #1 on the App Store. As the company’s Chief Marketing Officer in 2012, Schiller wrote to Philip Shoemaker, former Senior Director App Store Review over a knock app of the popular Temple Run app discovered on its digital marketplace.
Scam apps have been an issue for the App Store as early as 2012
Launched in 2008 with 500 apps, the App Store quickly grew into an attractive digital marketplace for developers to distribute their apps. However, it also attracted miscreants. Shared by @Patrick MacGee, in the 2012 email, pressing Shoemaker to recall their previous conversation on “bad apps”, Schiller questioned the App Store’s review process. He wrote:
What the hell is this???
Remember our talking about finding bad apps with low ratings?
Remember our talk about becoming the “Nordstroms” of stores in quality of service?
How does an obvious rip off of the super-popular Temple Run, with no screenshots, garbage marketing text, and almost all 1-star ratings become the #1 free app on the store?
Can anyone see a rip off of a top selling game? Any anyone see an app that is cheating the system?
Is no one reviewing these apps? Is no one minding the store?
This is insane!!!!!!!
Epic presented this email to counter Apple’s argument that it uses the capital earned via App Store in-app purchases 30% commission rate (now reduced to 15% for small developers) is used to make the digital store secure marketplace. The developer is attacking the app store’s review process by showing that thousands of fake apps make to the App Store which unfortunately rob people.
Phil Schiller in 2012, after a rip-off app hit #1: "What the hell is this?????
…. Is no one reviewing these Apps? Is no one minding the store?" pic.twitter.com/pNaozl6hv1
— Patrick McGee (@PatrickMcGee_) May 3, 2021
Recently, developer Kosta Eleftheriou discovered a scam app impersonating his FlickType app and many others which were robbing users of millions of dollars. Those non-functional apps on the App Store earn up to $2 million annually use fake reviews, 5 star-ratings, and false advertising to convince people to make in-app weekly/monthly/ yearly purchases. He is now suing Apple for abetting scam apps for far too long.
Having said that, another Schiller email to Shoemaker shows his proposed idea to nib the issue in the bud. Shared by @Jacob Terry, in the 2015 email, Schiller shared sent screenshots of a fraudulent app with Shoemaker sent to CEO, Tim Cook and wrote that the app with 5-star rating did not do what it said. He asked the director to create tools to automatically detect such malicious software and “kick it out of the store.”
Phil Schiller, 2015:
“[this scam app] is a great example of the stuff we should have automatic tools to find and kick out of the store. I can’t believe we still don’t.”
“and PLEASE develop a system to automatically find low rated apps and purge them!!” pic.twitter.com/fhFvja7vXs
— Jacob Terry (@jerkob) May 5, 2021
Although Epic is using these documents to show the incompetence of the App Store’s review process, I believe it might have the opposite effect. The documents reveal that top executives are not only monitoring the marketplace but also proposing solutions to the problem. Apple says it rejects or removes up to 400,000 apps annually from the App Store but the company must devise stronger walls to prevent malicious apps from entering and robbing users.


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FireEye CEO Dave DeWalt To Step Down, Kevin Mandia To Take Top Leadership Role
The security company said it is transitioning to the 'next generation of the company' as DeWalt becomes executive chairman and President Kevin Mandia becomes CEO.
EMC Says Partner-Led Sales Are Booming, But Must Change, In Run-Up To Merger With Dell
Scott Millard, vice president of sales for EMC's Americas channel, told its partner pummit that EMC's indirect sales for many of its key products have increased significantly over the past year.
Verizon Workers Enter 4th Week Of Strike With No End In Sight
Employees say they are demanding job security, and the two sides have been unable to reach a compromise after 23 days.
Head-To-Head: Lenovo Yoga 900S Vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 4
Lenovo is hoping its thin, light Yoga 900S 2-in-1 laptop will win over business travelers.


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The http://www.bha.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">British Hospitality Association (BHA) has called on the Government to actively partner with the industry and recognise the economic contribution of hospitality to the country.
Having welcomed Prime Minister David Cameron's August speech in which he explained the importance of tourism, BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim said that now was the time to create the conditions in which the industry can succeed.
"We have the support, we give three big cheers for that, but now we need to act," she said. "We need to move forward to make some real changes and help our industry to have the context in which it is able to grow."
According to an Oxford Economics study, commissioned by the BHA, the industry is currently the fifth largest in the UK with 2.4 million employees and the potential to generate a further 236,000 jobs by 2015.
Ibrahim added: "The coalition Government talks about regeneration, rebalancing and spreading growth across the UK - hospitality is one of the fastest ways of achieving that. We want to say here is an industry that can lead economic growth and development, regeneration and a rebalancing of development across the UK."
To spell out what the industry has to offer the BHA has published a report, Creating Jobs in Britain - A Hospitality Economy Proposition, which emphasises how the Government can work in partnership with the industry to help drive economic recovery.
It calls on the Government to champion the hospitality economy by:
Holding regular meetings between the BHA and senior cabinet ministers.
â- Establishing a cross-cabinet committee for hospitality and tourism to coordinate policy.
â- Enhancing the visibility and reach of Britain as a tourism destination.
â- Supporting the UK's national tourism boards.
â- Inviting a hospitality presence on the Regional Growth Fund Advisory Panel.
â- Influencing Local Enterprise Partnerships to embrace hospitality and tourism as a key pillar of their economies.
The report also urges the Government to work with the industry to assess the impact of the rate of VAT on hotel accommodation, pointing out that there is a correlation between price and international competiveness.
"Our members completely understand the need to be able to tackle this huge deficit that we have," Ibrahim said. "But the UK will stand to lose incredible levels of competitiveness when the VAT levels go up to 20%."
The BHA suggests that a detailed study should be undertaken so that the Treasury has a tool to understand the effect of the rise and when to reverse the decision.
"What we are saying to government is that we understand that it is inevitable that this increase is going to go ahead. But let's be ready so that as soon as we can actually create a more competitive VAT rate, we can go ahead and do it," Ibrahim added.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BHA'S HOSPITALITY ECONOMY PROPOSITION
Government relations The creation of a cross-cabinet committee for hospitality and tourism and annual meetings between key cabinet ministers and leading BHA members.
VAT Conduct a study into the impact of the rate of VAT on hotel accommodation, given that the UK has one of the highest rates in Europe.
Visas Ease visa application procedures and make their cost more competitive.
REITS Allow hotels to operate within the framework of the Real Estate Investment Trusts.
Visitor experience Facilitate BHA members to train UK Border Agency staff in customer care.
Migration cap Scrap the introduction of a permanent cap on Tier 2 workers from outside the EU.
Tourist boards Secure the long-term future of the UK's national tourist boards to enable a greater level of commercial focus.
CREATING INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
The BHA is proposing a biannual hospitality, tourism and leisure leaders' conference to enhance dialogue between industry leaders and the government.
"We want to create a high level conference where our leaders can come together, share, learn and actually, perhaps, even do business together," Ibrahim explained. "It will create a platform where we can have a single vision moving forward."
The first conference will be planned for 2012 as part of the legacy of the Olympic Games and will recur every two years thereafter.
Ibrahim added: "This is something we have committed to doing. And we are already working with a wide net in terms of industry associations and government to encourage one of the biggest public private partnership opportunities in the UK."


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The meat and dairy sector has been warned about the permanency of vegan and flexitarian diets, which will ultimately drive down demand for their products.
Social media has fuelled the increase in veganism, but a new report published by the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Board (AHDB) notes that only 2 per cent of the population is vegan, which conflicts with reports that the number of vegans in the UK is 7 per cent of the population.
According to Susie Stannard, senior consumer insight analyst for AHDB, veganism gets a “disproportionate amount of media attention.” Stannard said: “Correlation does not imply causation but it is undeniable that the platform (Instagram) has been used very effectively as a tool to share recipes and ideology.”
Young shoppers are identifying with veganism as a cause, compared to older generations. Stannard suggested that veganism has “become a badge of identity or a tribal marker, much like identifying as other youth tribes such as ‘gym bro’ or ‘craft beer nerd”.
Whilst health factors are identified as a reason for people switching to a vegan diet, other factors lie with the ethics of the meat and dairy industry, and the environmental concerns surrounding animal agriculture – something that Stannard believes has been exploited by people advocating for a vegan diet.
The proposed solution for the dairy and meat industry is to launch better marketing initiatives, however, with veganism and flexitarian diets no longer being seen as a fad, marketing might not be enough to keep the industries afloat.


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European consumer confidence has collapsed. It has now fallen below the level recorded during the pandemic (-24.7 points in April 2020) and well below the level during the 2009 crisis (-21.1 points).
In August 2022, the consumer confidence index reached -26 points, below the level reached during the pandemic and below the level reached in the 2009 crisis.
Poor use of communication between brand and consumer exposes companies to crisis. Only 18% of Romanian companies use social media to engage with their customers and only 51% of Romanian businesses employing more than ten people have a web page, compared to a European average of 80%.
According to European Commission data consulted by Lighthouse, economic sentiment also continued to decline in August, to 96.5 points, compared to the 100-point basic indicator. In the context of a decreasing optimism of consumers, Romanian companies are becoming even more exposed to the crisis, because they do not establish channels of effective communication with customers.
“When budgets are reduced it can understandably have a significant impact on the PR, Marketing and Business Development operational capability. This is when your communication strategies and tactics need to be more effective than ever, as productivity and ROI principles will certainly need much closer attention. But it seems that Romanian companies still have an odd reluctance to explore more efficient and effective ways to promote themselves and engage with customers, and this makes them more vulnerable when consumption decreases” explains Ana Maria Gardiner, managing partner at Lighthouse Romania.
According to the official data consulted by Lighthouse, in 2021, 78% of the Romanian companies with over 250 employees had a website, compared to a European average of 94%. As for SMEs, those that represent most of the local business environment, only 50% had a website, compared to a European average of almost 80%.
“A website, pr, blogs and newsletters are basic tools that allow a direct and effective relationship with the user, all of which can be created with minimal budget. Businesses that want to retain and acquire customers cannot afford to ignore these communication channels” explains Steve Gardiner, partner at Lighthouse Romania.
Only 6% of Romanian companies have an active blog, whilst almost 30% use social media to promote their image yet do not deploy any form of professional customer engagement initiatives. Only 12% of the companies with a website offer a chat function, but mainly for robotic FAQs. There remains much to be learned about how to communicate and engage with prospective customers across the business market in Romania.
Founded in 2018 by Ana Maria and Steve Gardiner, Lighthouse Romania operates as a strategic communications consulting company focused on 4 areas of interest: PR, marketing, trainings and business consulting.
Ana Maria Gardiner, managing partner at Lighthouse Romania, is a 360-communication consultant and trainer. Ana Maria has over 20 years of international experience in communication and consulting, previously being a political, economic and investigative journalist.
Ana has worked for some of the most valuable brands in the world, and is very active in the financial, pharma, technology, energy, retail & FMCG fields in Romania. Ana Maria is specialised in crisis management, successfully managing some of the most serious crises imaginable.
Steve Gardiner, partner at Lighthouse Romania, has over 30 years of experience in business consulting and global corporations at executive director level in marketing and sales, in several territories including Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, working for Accenture and several international corporations.
Steve specialises in providing customers with strategic, best practice, go-to-market blueprints, coupled with hands on execution by his team. He is an active member of the SME Development Board and sits on the CMO Council. He also works as a consultant for leading financial institutions in an advisory capacity for their business customers.


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According to various rumours Apple may be releasing a new Apple TV but in a different format compared to the current model. If the rumours are to be believed then the new Apple TV will be a screen-less iPod. It will only have 16GB of on board storage. It will in the main be streaming content from a Mac or the cloud.
I already use my iPhone to do this, however this new Apple TV has the advantage that it will she able to play 1080p HD content.
Probably will get one.


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Displaying items 37-48 of 77 » View aberdeennews.com items only< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next >
Healthkey.comInformation is the best prevention. As the government scrambles to provide vaccine for Swine Flu and contain the spread of the disease, perhaps the best tool available for you is the right information. What is Swine Flu and how is it different from...
KTLA NewsLOS ANGELES -- The FDA is advising consumers to use "extreme care" when purchasing online products that claim to diagnose, treat or prevent the H1N1 swine flu virus. Among the so-called fake products that received warnings from the Food and Drug...
Tags: Swine Flu, Drugs and Medicines, Health, Consumers, KTLA
Tribune staff reportersAn ounce of prevention ... often adds up to a pound of malarkey. Whether it's a tablet to take with alcohol to prevent a beer belly, or a chocolaty, sweetened breakfast cereal that's fortified to "support" your child's immune system, experts say most...
Swine Flu made headlines at the beginning of summer, but has seemingly tapered off from the forefront of broadcasts. Unfortunately - that doesn't mean it's going away. Friday, CBS 6's Tracy Sears met with Dr. Karen Remley the Commissioner of the Virginia...
Los Angeles TimesWith the traditional start of the flu season upon us this weekend, 27 states are already reporting widespread activity of the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, with the rest reporting more limited activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and...
KTLA NewsFORT WORTH - Tests have confirmed that a 14-year-old student who died Sunday after being hospitalized with flulike symptoms had the H1N1 swine flu, the Tarrant County Public Health Department said Tuesday. The father of Chloe Lindsey says his daughter,...
The Hartford CourantCounterfeit Tamiflu being sold over the Internet without a prescription poses a danger to consumers who are allergic to penicillin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. Tamiflu is commonly used to treat the flu and flu symptoms. Anyone who has...
Tags: Allergies, Crime, Law and Justice, Flu, Crimes
Booster ShotsConfusing directions on liquid suspensions of the antiviral drug Tamiflu may inadvertantly cause parents to give their children either too little of the drug, impeding the child's recovery, or a toxic overdose, physicians warned today in a letter...
Booster ShotsThe Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called today for pharmacists to be more careful in how they dispense a liquid suspension of the antiviral agent Tamiflu for infants who have contracted the pandemic......
Swine flu: weekly case figures to come soon, some pregnant women hospitalized, more Tamiflu available, and other newsBooster ShotsThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will release its weekly figures on the spread of pandemic H1N1 influenza Friday, and "I expect that we will be reporting substantial illness in most of the country--virtually all states," Dr. Anne Schuchat,.....
Booster ShotsPeople who want to treat pandemic H1N1 influenza or who hope to prevent it should be extremely careful about buying products online because many of them are not legitimate, the Food and Drug Administration warned today. Products advertised as being......
Aug 27, 2009 |Story| Tribune Interactive
Oct 19, 2009 |Story| KTLA-LTV
Apr 20, 2010 |Story| Associated Press
Oct 28, 2009 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Jul 10, 2009 |Story| WTVR-LTV
Oct 3, 2009 |Story| Los Angeles Times
Sep 30, 2009 |Story| KTLA-LTV
Jun 18, 2010 |Story| Hartford Courant
Sep 23, 2009 | Los Angeles Times
Sep 30, 2009 | Los Angeles Times
Oct 1, 2009 | Los Angeles Times
Oct 16, 2009 | Los Angeles Times
Original site for Tamiflu (drug) topic gallery.


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About a year after opening the French bistro called La Sen in Walnut Creek, the owners are branching out with a new Vietnamese restaurant nearby.
Business partners Hai Nguyen, the chef, and Thanh Dinh have opened Mangosteen in the former Kanishka’s space on Bonanza Street downtown.
Look for a menu of Vietnamese classics: vermicelli bowls and rice plates with grilled shrimp or chicken or barbecue pork; fish caramelized in a clay pot; beef pho with flank and brisket; and a seafood noodle soup. Already, Nguyen says, the clay-pot fish is an early favorite with customers.
Starters include the traditional spring rolls and egg rolls along with lotus stem salad, fried calamari and chicken wings; and pork-and-shrimp crepes.
Late-night dining will be a focus at Mangosteen, which is staying open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Details: 1518 Bonanza St.; 925-476-5150; www.mangosteenbistro.com.


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A Pandemic of Logistical Challenges
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work.
For one particular sector, there had been growth on a scale that has not been mirrored by other sectors; e-commerce, and it is backed up by more than the anecdotes that we all have about shopping from home during a lockdown.
Australia Posts, eCommerce Industry Report, identified that in March 2020, 12.3 per cent of Australian Retail Sales were conducted online, increasing by 31 per cent year on year. By July, e-commerce had grown to 14 per cent of sales, rapidly approaching 2025’s predicted figure of 16 per cent. In addition, Salesforce reported that the growth of e-commerce sales at 107 per cent in Q3 2020 and 108 per cent in Q2, 2020 was the highest in the world.
For logistics, warehousing and industrial sectors, this data is great news. It indicates that the time is right for increasing development activity to meet the demand in growth from local businesses and overseas retail e-commerce giants, with Amazon particularly active, indicating that they will have six fulfilment centres open in Australia by the end of 2021.
But such growth is not without its challenges. As Australia Post data shows, the growth in domestic parcels has been significant.
Naturally, many logistics organisations did not have the people, infrastructure, capacity or capability to manage the growth, resulting in long delays for businesses, retailers and consumers.
However, adversity brings opportunity and if we believe that the ongoing growth in e-commerce is here to stay and at ever-increasing rates, then for the logistics, warehousing and industrial sectors, capacity and facilities must be expanded and developed to meet demand in the short and long-term. Coupled with infrastructure investment, particularly in Queensland’s south-east, there has arguably never been a better time to develop facilities centred on the state’s ever-improving transport corridors.
At Inertia, we know that’s a little easier said than done, but thanks to our experience in civil infrastructure, warehousing, structural design and engineering, we also understand that the rapid development of facilities is challenging but far from impossible.
Over the last few years, we have helped to deliver key projects to support the growth of the sector and through the acquisition of Hilton Reid Consulting have added specialist experience and proven capabilities to complement our service offering. And as we look ahead to 2021, we’re confident that not only will the sector grow, the new normal will be the normal and construction of logistics, industrial and warehouse facilities will be a significant driver of development in south-east Queensland.