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A Ghanain fintech company, Dash, has raised a whopping $32.8 million seed capital to build a wallet for Africans to eliminate the interoperability problem of mobile money transactions between two countries.
Founder and CEO Prince Boakye Boampong who started the company in 2019, noted that global financial transactions are facilitated mainly by payment processors such as Visa or Mastercard. He indicated that the payment processors are responsible for communication between banks and fintechs to settle transactions for consumers and businesses swiftly. However, he stated that Africa has it different.
“It’s [Africa] not a predominantly card continent. Telecoms and banks lead the majority of online financial transactions carried out in the region via mobile money wallets and bank accounts. But here’s the challenge; while both systems tend to work well when users make transactions within their unique environment, there’s no interoperability for transactions between them.”Prince Boakye Boampong
An alternative payment network with connected wallets allowing a mobile money user to transact with a bank account would fix this problem. The CEO indicated that it is against this background that Dash was innovated.
Mr Boakye Boampong stated that the pace at which Dash managed to quadruple the size of its initial investment in the space of five months is intriguing. As such, he intimated that the $32 million is an incredibly large seed that could boost the operation of the three-year-old company.
“For most products, it’s either you are figuring stuff out, or you figured it out. We were kind of caught off guard with the crazy growth in a very weird way. We didn’t prepare for the growth, so when it happened, we raised more money to meet that demand and we believe it can only get better with this new seed.”Prince Boakye Boampong
How Boampong Came out with the Idea of Dash
The CEO asserted that two years before forming the company, he travelled to Kenya and was fascinated by how unbanked Kenyans send and receive money while paying bills with mobile money- a system of payments pioneered by Safaricom’s M-Pesa, which has close to 30 million customers. However, he said “having coming from a mobile money background myself, being a Ghanaian, I experienced how interoperability posed a challenge within and outside mobile money systems”.
“I was blown away by the ubiquity and convenience of mobile money in 2014 when I visited Kenya for the first time. However, there are over 200 mobile money wallets and 100 banks across the continent that [do] not work with each other. Here’s what that means, a Kenyan who uses M-Pesa and travels to Ghana finds it difficult to send money to a Ghanaian who uses MTN Ghana because both mobile money operators don’t permit transactions between each other.”Prince Boakye Boampong
Similarly, the CEO noted that a Nigerian or South African with a bank account cannot make transactions with an M-Pesa mobile money account or an MTN Ghana account due to the difference in payment ecosystems. “Thus, when they travel, they’d need to swap currencies or get necessary bank or mobile money accounts that work outside their home countries”.
Mr Boakye Boampong averred that Dash’s alternative payment network brings together this mobile money and traditional banks and facilitates transactions for consumers and businesses. He added that it doesn’t aim to replace mobile money or banks, but instead, its wallet allows users to access a plethora of services they can’t find on their traditional provider.
“We’re building this interoperability so a Kenyan traveling to Ghana or Ghanaian travelling to Kenya would be able to pay for stuff without having to change currencies or setting up accounts when they touch ground. We’re taking a page from AliPay and PayTm by building features that will make the lives of our users easier without having to switch from different providers.”Prince Boakye Boampong
Meanwhile, Dash’s playbook is similar to Visa or Mastercard, routing payments through banks and telcos regardless of who issued it. The CEO averred that users from different countries such as: Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, for now can connect their bank or mobile money accounts to Dash and pay bills, send and receive money to other users, while the platform handles currency conversions.
Mr. Boampong indicated that the funding will help the Techstars-backed company expand to new markets such as: Tanzania and South Africa to get the licenses needed to operate there, and build out its team, invest in technology and launch new features.


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Coinbase that recently joined Nasdaq &100bn public entity has reportedly gained more fame and relevance as the cryptocurrency exchange company has integrated its debit card with both Google and Apple’s payment platforms.
Coinbase Card is nevertheless finite as it launches this week for reserved users exclusively on its waitlist.
Since the Coinbase Card is not a credit card, the tech company is not demanding a fee for requesting its debit card — Still, owning a Coinbase debit card does not impact your credit score.
While anticipating the Coinbase Card which is expected to arrive at your doorstep, its means you have been approved to own its debit card for further spending.
In addition to sending or receiving cryptocurrency through Coinbase, customers can (1) purchase or sell a single cryptocurrency (a “cryptocurrency purchase” or “cryptocurrency sale”), or (2) convert one type of cryptocurrency into another type of cryptocurrency (a “cryptocurrency conversion”). After signing in to Coinbase.com, select the blue Trade button to view this screen.
The crypto exchange company promises that approved users waiting on the card arrival can proceed to initiate purchases via either Apple Pay or Google Pay — while the card is yet to physically touch down.
Alongside this profitable promo, Coinbase also offers 4% crypto-based rewards, exclusive for users transacting with its debit card.
It worth noting that neither Google’s nor Apple’s payment platform allows cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dodge, etc, as a payment option within its Pay platform.
Therefore, while your transaction processes, Coinbase covert’s your coin to real-time cash — while your cash is transferred into your Coinbase debit card for further transaction with these payment apps.
While the Crypto exchange company charges are derived as a fee from converted cash (visit Coinbase blog for more details on their charges).
Just as Google Pay and Apple Pay are integrated with Coinbase cards — the debit card can also function with ATMs for other withdrawals. Although, Apple Pay was the first to accredited the Crypto exchange debit card in April.

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News round up: Digital Skills Benchmark 2020
News round up - Digital Skills Benchmark 2020
Following research published by the training body Target Internet in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) which uncovered a dramatic shift in the digital marketing skills of the sector’s junior level marketers, CIM spoke to Marketing Week, FE News and Learning News about the findings. For the full articles, click here:
For all press enquiries, please contact the media team:
An overview of CIM our history and services.
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Brief news items of note for Lifehacker readers including: get half-price on Gold Coast Theme Parks admission, Iran inventor creates "time machine", the Samsung Galaxy Mega.
- Samsung has revealed a new Galaxy smartphone that takes the 'phablet' concept to a whole new level: the aptly named Samsung Galaxy Mega measures a faintly ridiculous 6.3 inches and comes with a 720p display, LTE connectivity, up to 16GB of inbuilt storage, 1.5GB of RAM and a 1.7GHz dual-core processor. You can get the rest of the details over at Gizmodo.
- Themeparks.com.au is currently offering 50 per cent off the entry price of popular Gold Coast theme parks including Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and Warner Bros Movie World. The deals can be ordered online and will remain valid until 30 June. [Via Oz Bargain]
- KFC Australia has been caught out censoring LGBTQI interest material on its in-store Wi-Fi network, Gizmodo reports. The issue was apparently caused by a glitch in the ConnectSafe system that Norton provides KFC.
- Is time-travel possible? A Tehran scientist working for Iran's state-run Centre for Strategic Inventions claims to have invented a machine that can predict the future. The 'Aryayek Time Traveling Machine' purports to use "complex algorithms" to predict up to eight years of an individual's future life. The inventor claims the machine, which is small enough to fit inside a laptop bag, is 98 percent accurate. Hmmm. [Via The Telegraph]


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Posted by Dale Buss on August 1, 2014 09:37 AM
Kellogg's plans to revive soggy cereal sales after accelerating slide, as judge orders it to open locked-out factory in Memphis.
Southwest Air and SeaWorld end partnership in response to ongoing animal rights protests.
Yum! Brands says sales effects of China supplier scandal could deepen.
Tesla breaks ground on a contingent basis in Nevada as its loss widens.
NFL will install sensors in players' shoulder pads to track on-field data.
MORE BRAND NEWS
Agent Provocateur releases racy brand film directed by actress Penelope Cruz:Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on July 24, 2014 03:55 PM
It’s not enough to just be a superstar these days, with millions of adoring fans and multitudes of followers on social media. Instead, celebrities from all walks of life are turning their personal brands into actual businesses with products and services that you never knew you needed.
Case in point: Kim Kardashian's blockbuster mobile game “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.” The Sims-like game is sitting at No. 1 on the iTunes free app chart and reportedly brought in $200 million in the few months that it's been live. Kardashian, according to Forbes, will take home around $85 million of that thanks to her near 50 percent stake in the game. While the game "is ridiculous. It’s laughable. It grates on your nerves after awhile," the Washington Post reports, "it’s nearly impossible to look away.”
Reflecting the Kardashian brand, now a multimillion-dollar empire, the app lets users achieve various levels of gameplay on their way to becoming an “A-list” celebrity with Kim as a guide. In-app purchases of Kim Coins drive revenue through the roof for the fairly simple app, which has a 5-star rating.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on July 17, 2014 09:15 AM
Microsoft announces global layoffs affecting 18,000 positions.
Fiat Chrysler's biggest shareholder denies VW takeover rumor.
Murdoch’s surprise Time Warner play detailed as Liberty Media acquires BSkyB's ITV stake.
GM is expected to reveal more details about recall process in Senate hearings today.
Toyota is bringing back the Sienna "Swagger Wagon" campaign for automaker's first online reveal.
MORE BRAND NEWS:
Airbnb logo reveal sparks social media backlash.
Apple agrees to pay $450 million in e-book price fixing case as IBM deal dings BlackBerry.
BMW recalls 1.6 million cars worldwide.
Chrysler boosts production to fix recalled Jeeps.
Clear Channel brings outdoor ads to life on smartphones.Continue reading...
World Cup Daily
Posted by Sheila Shayon on July 16, 2014 07:55 PM
As the dust settles on the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Samsung and Hyundai are both touting the ROI of their respective social media campaigns.
The final piece of Samsung’s Galaxy 11 campaign, Tuesday night's commercial debut of #GALAXY11: The Match Part 2, a follow-up to June's The Match Part 1, concludes the futuristic campaign featuring soccer superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Gotze, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney using Samsung devices and technology in their training—and ultimate defeat of alien rivals.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the 10-month soccer-themed campaign (featuring products including the Galaxy S5 smartphone, Gear 2 watch and Gear Fit fitness tracker) has racked up more than 150 million video views, 4.7 million engagements on social channels and 5 million visits to the Galaxy 11 website.
It’s a departure for the Korean company, which has traditionally relied on TV advertising but began paying closer attention to social media to reach consumers after the 2012 Olympics in London.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on July 14, 2014 06:56 PM
Germany's 1-0 win over Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final resulted in the biggest social media event ever, with 280 million Facebook interactions and 618,725 tweets per minute during the match’s end.
But are the hours inside social media war rooms and millions of dollars spent all worth it for the dozens of official and unofficial brands playing off the World Cup? "Measuring the return on investment is a very real and contentious issue, as marketers are struggling to justify a solid return for the financial investment in social marketing, sponsorship and marketing in general," said Gordon Geldenhuys, head of online reputation management at 25AM, according to Biz2Community.
With some brands advertising across 180 countries, some are spending more on social campaigns for the World Cup than they do on Super Bowl TV ads, as Business Insider notes.Continue reading...
sports in the spotlight
Posted by Paula Pou on July 14, 2014 04:37 PM
Following a month of blood, sweat and tears—both metaphorical and real—the 2014 FIFA World Cup drew to a close on Sunday. Having been spared the humiliation of an Argentine victory on Brazilian soil, the host country is far from getting any respite from the world’s spotlight.
With the 2016 Summer Olympics just around the corner, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) descended on Rio during the 2014 World Cup to monitor the city’s progress. Already labeled “the worst ever” preparations by IOC vice president John Coates, rumor has it that the committee reached out to London back in May, to ask the 2012 host to be ready as a back-up if Brazil drops the ball.
The harsh criticism sounds familiar. Brazil faced years of criticism in the run-up to the World Cup, with delays in construction and completion of stadiums leading FIFA to comment that organizers “needed a kick up the backside.”
Of course, a big part of Brazil’s brand is the jogo bonito (beautiful game), a term coined to describe the choreographed feats of players like Didi and Pelé. But following a dismal showing at this World Cup that culminated in Brazil’s devastating 7-1 loss to Germany, critics have been wondering if the beauty of the game is dead.Continue reading...
Posted by Shirley Brady on July 14, 2014 03:09 PM
The campaign: P&G's Old Spice brand jumps on World Cup finale fever with a soccer-playing, disco-dancing robot who brings a whole new meaning to getting sand in your face.
The pitch: "Experience the freedom of smelling like a real human man at the beach, at parties or wherever your extension cord will allow you to go, with Old Spice."
The response: This "awkward" "mandroid" is "creepy"—and no Terry Crews or Isaiah Mustafa—but "still gets the ladies."
Watch the new Old Spice Man(droid) spots below.Continue reading...
World Cup Daily
Posted by Mark J. Miller on July 14, 2014 02:01 PM
Germany won in more ways than one following the results of Sunday's World Cup final, where the country's national team claimed victory over Argentina in a 1-0 overtime thriller and one of its biggest brands, adidas, solidified its superiority in the sport over rival Nike.
adidas, an official sponsor of the Cup, outfitted both Germany's and Argentina's teams, helping the brand declare victory over Nike since the two brands launched an epic marketshare battle centered around the tournament. Ultimately, adidas prevailed as the most talked about brand during the Cup thanks to a broad marketing strategy that included ads, social media and a major presence at the event.
For one thing, as Bloomberg notes, many of the players Nike had signed as brand ambassadors were either injured or sent packing early in the Cup, while many of those under contract with adidas, particularly Argentina’s Lionel Messi, stayed in the tournament for much longer, ultimately giving adidas a lot more air-time.Continue reading...


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NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment revealed the next DLC characters coming to Mortal Kombat 11 and Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia. More specifically, as the companies said they would, the pair revealed they are expanding the MK11 roster with Rain, Mileena, and Rambo in a new Kombat Pack 2. And to accompany this reveal, the pair also released a brand-new trailer providing fans with their first look at the DLC content.
Since Mortal Kombat 11 released in 2019, it has added to the game’s robust roster with numerous DLC characters, or more specifically the following cast of fighters: Joker, Spawn, Sindel, Sheeva, Fujin, Robocop, Terminator, Nightwolf, and Shang Tsung. And now, fan-favorite requests Mileena and Rain are set to join alongside all-new guest fighter Rambo on November 17th.


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The spa at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort re-launched itself with a new name and spa menu recently.
Spa director Andrea Fisher says the spa has been at the resort since 2003, but it has never had its own special name; it was always known as the spa at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort.
“We’ve never really branched out as our own entity so we decided to do our own name, which now is the Pacific Mist Spa,” says Fisher, adding a new logo was created along with the new name, and the name reflects the spa’s signature service, the Pacific Mist Hydropath.
Last week the Pacific Mist Spa was officially launched with an open house. A variety of Comox Valley women — and a handful of men — came out for spa tours, which included tasty treats from the resort’s restaurant, The Breakwater, and sample services like chair massages, manicures and skincare evaluations.
The tour also included an inside peek at the Pacific Mist Hydropath. The hydropath service includes eight unique features like a mineral massage pool, sea mineral soak and tidal baths.
Attendees got to enter their names in draws for various free spa services and products as well as free meals at The Breakwater and a prize package including at stay at the resort and a ski package at Mount Washington.
The tour also allowed guests to check out the new spa menu, which Fisher said was revamped with the customer in mind.
“We’ve just been listening to what our guests have wanted and asked for, so we put together some new packages for them,” says Fisher.
“The girls (spa staff) are really excited. Everyone sort of had input on the menu when I was deciding to change it over, you know, the surveys went out, the staff got to see what parts they liked, what parts they didn’t like, what their guests were saying, what their opinions were — so tonight they’re all really excited.”
A new Express Seascape is on offer, which is a manicure and pedicure combination, and is something Fisher says guests seemed to be looking for. An Express Retreat package is also new, which includes a facial, manicure and pedicure.
“And then I also looked at what was trending at spas for 2013 and part of that is men going to spas, so we added a page in the new menu that’s just for men,” adds Fisher. “And we also added some bridal information in there as well because we get pretty busy in the summer with weddings and brides.”
Fisher notes the spa building has received some maintenance upgrades such as fresh paint to update its look.
Although the spa has gone through some changes recently, Fisher says the positive attitudes of staff will not change.
“We have staff that have worked here 10 to 12 years — they’re really committed to their job and really committed to what they’re doing,” she says. “The staff here give amazing service and are just really happy to be here and provide the service so it makes it really fun, a really fun environment.”


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In March, tensions between Essilor, the massive French lens manufacturer, and Luxottica, the equally massive Italian frame manufacturer, erupted over a dispute regarding the merging of the two companies that was established in 2017. Both sides publicly accused the other of trying to unfairly dominate the joint company in their ongoing search for a CEO. This week, a settlement was reached, deflating those tensions.
The merger has made EssilorLuxottica the undisputed titan of the eyewear industry. Both companies were already dominant forces in eyewear. Essilor controls nearly 45% of the lens market and Luxottica 25% of the frame market. Now that they are joined, the new company’s control of global eyewear has inched ever closer to monopoly. The company owns dozens of brands, like Oliver Peoples, Ray-Ban and Oakley, retailers like Sunglass Hut and LensCrafters, and vision insurance companies like EyeMed Vision Care.
EssilorLuxottica also has dozens of brand licenses, producing eyewear for the Armani, Versace, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana, to name a few. The closest comparison to their dominance is a company like Coty, which has close to 80 brands in its portfolio of licensed perfumes.
Despite EssilorLuxottica’s stranglehold on the market, independent brands are continuing to pop up. According to Euromonitor — even with the massive success of Warby Parker, one of the biggest DTC disruptors in all of retail, let alone eyewear, with a valuation of close to $2 billion — the global eyewear market is expected to be at $136 billion by 2021, with only 2% of that total coming from DTC brands.
For independent New Orleans-based eyewear brand Krewe, the smaller scale allows for a more intimate relationship with customers than what can be achieved by Luxottica.
“We do a big event here every year in New Orleans called Krewe Fete, and we bring a lot of our global retailers through a program called Royalty. It’s a tiered program for our retailers, where the more Krewe they sell, the more we want them to be involved with the brand and see the brand and its home base,” said Stirling Barrett, founder and creative director of Krewe. “That’s something unique you can’t do at a trade show, no matter how big you are. There are areas where being small and nimble allows you to be more interesting. We’ve found that we can perform well when we’re offering great product with great design, tailored to our customer base and consumers in a way that is unique and more meaningful than what the juggernaut can do. Even with them on the throne, we’ve been able to find market share.”
Luxottica’s true advantage, in the opinion of optometrist Myles Zakheim, co-founder of eyewear brand Zak, is that it has so thoroughly saturated the market that it is basically the default option when a consumer is looking for glasses. With over 9,000 retail locations, including mainstays like Sunglass Hut, LensCrafters and Target Optical, someone who is not thinking too much about where they want to buy their glasses will almost certainly end up getting something from Luxottica.
“I’ve been doing business with Luxottica for 25 years,” Zakheim said, referring to his eye-care center, Optometrix, which carries Luxottica products in addition to offering eye exams and health services. “They have one goal in mind, which is to take over the world. They say, ‘If you want to come join us, we’ll be partners, but if not, we will eat you alive.’”
However, there is a growing contingent of customers that are actively rejecting Luxottica because of its aggressive coverage of the market, according to Kyly Zak Rabin, co-founder of eyewear brand and retailer Zak. Zak, which makes and sells, both online and offline, its own glasses and curated collections of eyewear from non-Luxottica brands. While most companies would probably rather play up their size and dominance, Luxottica has downplayed how dominant it is, aware that its control of global eyewear is frequently called monopolistic and could give them bad press.
“We have had people walk into our store and say, ‘I don’t want to see any Luxottica products,’” said Rabin. “For millennials especially, transparency is becoming super important. Consumers are making choices around what’s transparent and what’s sustainable. There’s a real level of care and concern that just wasn’t as prevalent before.”
But rather than go head-to-head with a company that has an immense amount of resources, some brands have chosen a different path: going where Luxottica is not.
“I don’t think I’m directly competing against Luxottica at all,” said Alex Baker, co-founder of newly launched DTC eyewear brand Féroce. “The goal for me was that I saw a void in the market, in between the $300-plus pair of glasses and the $50 to $100 pair that didn’t have the quality. I also think that because I am the owner and designer of the collection, there’s a much more personal aspect. Customers love to know that there’s a person behind the whole thing, as opposed to this giant conglomerate that is pumping out formulaic stuff. Because it’s all DTC, I can have a much closer relationship with my customers. There’s a lot of value in that.”


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The NFU welcomes the easing of the French border restrictions and is working closely with food and supply chain businesses to monitor potential disruption and impact on farm and consumers
The move to requiring a negative test to enter France means there is a backlog of drivers and lorries that need to be cleared, and businesses are urged to seek driver tests before loads leave depot or despatch wherever possible. Many of these lorries and drivers delayed in Kent are required for return loads after Christmas, which may have implications for inputs and finished goods.
The Channel ports are a key route for perishable goods in particular.
NFU head of food and farming Philip Hambling said: “The priority is clearly driver welfare and ensuring they get a test as soon as possible, therefore ramping up testing capacity in Kent is essential to clear the backlog. The new protocol requirements are likely to be in place for the coming weeks and it is both a critical time for the end of our EU transition period - and for the supply chain to restock after Christmas.
"Disruption in travel from UK to France also places uncertainty and potential delay on freight coming the other way so its important that we minimise friction as much as possible."
More from NFUonline:
- Preparing your farming business for the end of the transition period
- NFU and Irish Farmers' Association issue joint EU exit statement
- The seven key things that will help farmers manage the process of leaving the EU


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Axiata Group’s advertising technology unit Adknowledge Asia Pacific (APAC) is acquiring the Southeast Asian operations of Mumbai-based digital media technology company Komli Media for US$11.25 million.
Komli’s Southeast Asia business, which trades as Komli Asia Group, has operations across Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The operations in Malaysia are carried out through subsidiary and associates companies held by Komli Asia (Komli Asia Group).
According to The Edge Markets report, Axiata said the acquisition is a part of a strategic opportunity for the company to scale up its presence and operations in the Southeast Asian region. A Komli Media spokesperson confirmed developments to A+M, adding that details of any marketing plans post-acquisition will only be announced in the upcoming months.
Komli was founded in 2006 in India and specialises in digital marketing, performance advertising, social media, brand solutions/advertising, search marketing and video solutions.
A+M has reached out to Axiata for a comment.


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Robert Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard, Inc., poses for a portrait during the Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 in Los Angeles June 3, 2009. The convention runs June 2-4.
Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
By Malathi Nayak
SAN FRANCISCO |
Sun Oct 21, 2012 3:11am EDT
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard is betting big on children's fantasy adventure game "Skylanders" this holiday, with the launch of a new title on Sunday and plans for more mobile versions of the console game.
The franchise's second offering, "Skylanders: Giants", will hit stores in North America following the success of "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures" whose U.S. sales have exceeded 286 million game packs, toys and accessories since its 2011 release.
Activision, which is better known for hardcore shooter games, is trying to stem the loss of subscribers from its bread-and-butter games like "World of Warcraft" and diversify revenue sources. Analysts say the "Skylanders" franchise can generate sales not just from games but also toys and licensed merchandise from apparel to bicycles.
"Skylanders" counts among 2012's top-selling games, helped by a fairly novel concept. It is sold with physical toys that come to life on screen when they are connected to consoles such as Microsoft Corp's Xbox or Sony Corp's PlayStation.
When figurines - priced from $10 to $15 - are placed on a small electronic portal, a chip inside them interacts with the console and records a player's achievements and progress.
That concept caught on after the first title, prompting the company to focus on building the brand and expand its licensing program, Activision Publishing Chief Executive Eric Hirshberg said.
"It just starts to take on that body language or footprint of a really meaningful pop-cultural set of characters, the way that Star Wars does or Transformers does," Hirshberg said.
Activision has heavily invested in the Skylanders franchise and marketed products, which are aimed at 5- to 10-year-olds, a demographic dominated by Nintendo Co Ltd.
"Many tens of millions of dollars" have been spent on Skylanders "to go through the development side that is both creation of the software, packaging and toys, and manufacturing of the toys and shipping," said Paul Reiche, who heads Activision's Novato, California-based Toys for Bob studio that develops "Skylanders".
Executives declined to disclose the exact amount it invested in the building the Skylanders franchise. But it is comparable to the amount it spends in creating its so-called triple-A, or high-quality, games like "Call of Duty", Reiche said.
The company is expected to introduce new Skylanders titles for mobile devices in addition to its current "Skylanders Cloud Patrol" game for Apple Inc iPhones and iPads.
An exclusive Kindle version of "Skylanders Cloud Patrol" was launched along with Amazon.com Inc's Kindle Fire HD last month. The game is the first-ever app that allows users to buy, by clicking a button, Skylanders toys of more than 30 characters while playing the game on their Kindle tablets.
"The more that we can integrate the purchase process into the digital experience the better," Hirschberg said.
"Skylanders Spyro's Adventures" has been the top-selling game this year based on revenue from sales of the games, accessory packs and figures, according to research firm NPD.
The company has sold over 30 million Skylanders action figures in the United States so far, and hopes the new game will boost sales further.
Toys retailer Toys 'R' Us began pre-selling "Skylanders Giants" in July and "has seen a lot of demand," said Troy Peterson, vice president of the Electronics and Entertainment Division.
(Reporting by Malathi Nayak; Editing by Richard Chang)
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We told you a few weeks ago that more than 50,000 cattle producers had been certified through the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program’s online learning system. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Executive Director of Producer Education, Josh White, said all of that has happened since this was first offered back in February 2017.
Beef producers are always encouraged to take part in the Beef Checkoff-supported Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs. Allyson Trimble, Florida Beef Council director of beef marketing and promotions, says online training is an easy way for producers to become certified. Florida Producers Encouraged to Be BQA Certified
Late last year, it was announced that the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program had added another aspect to its training program modules. Florida Beef Council director of beef marketing and promotions, Allyson Trimble, urges producers across the state to learn more about it. Florida Producers Urged to Learn about BQA Transportation Module
The U.S. beef industry, of which dairy cows comprise a significant portion, continues to improve the quality of its management practices, according to the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) commissioned by the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. BQA and the National Dairy FARM Program shared the results at a news conference at the 51st World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisc. …
We told you a couple of months ago that training events were taking place across Alabama for the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. In the weekly beef checkoff update, Alabama Cattlemen’s Association’s Erin Beasley says the association was pleased with those events, and it held another BQA training event this week.
During the Cattle Industry Cattle Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, it was announced that producers can now become Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified for free online, twenty-four seven, always. Josh White, executive director of producer education for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says it’s a new interactive online experience that beef and dairy producers can sign up for and complete at …
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Avolon’s Shelley Raina Talwar joins Cargo Facts Symposium 2023
Avolon Vice President of Airline Analysis Shelley Raina Talwar will join Cargo Facts Symposium 2023 for the panel discussion “Freighter leasing: Implications of the growing order backlog” on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 11:45 a.m. PDT (GMT -5).
The 29th Cargo Facts Symposium will take place Oct. 25-27 at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, where industry leaders will share their insights and analyses on developing market trends while providing an outlook on the air cargo industry in the Americas and around the world.
View the full event agenda here.
Avolon, the second-largest lessor globally and the largest manager of A330s, announced its entry into the freighter sector in 2021 as the launch customer for the IAI A330-300BDSF conversion program — the first IAI freighter conversion for an Airbus aircraft. The prototype (1574, ex-Air Europa) arrived in Tel Aviv (TLV) in February.
Talwar was appointed vice president of airline analysis at Avolon in 2021 and is responsible for Avolon’s freighter business development, specifically the marketing of the upcoming A330-300BDSF.
Prior to joining Avolon, she spent fifteen years in various roles at Airbus in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany.
Cargo Facts Symposium, taking place live Oct. 25-27 at the Omni San Diego, is the essential event for stakeholders in the freighter and air cargo industry.
There is just over a month to go until Cargo Facts Symposium, taking place Oct. 25-27 at the Omni San Diego. Learn more about the essential event for stakeholders in the freighter and air cargo industry, and register today.


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Cabot Parks and Recreation is hosting their second holiday shopping event, Cabot’s Celebrate the Season, and partnering again with Cabot Public Schools to benefit children in need over the holiday break.
Last year, the event generated five thousand dollars’ worth of non-perishable food items for the local school system! The event is free to the public with a donation of 3 non-perishable food items. All food donations will be give to CPS to send home with children in need over the Christmas Break.
The event will consist of local businesses and vendors set up in booths, offering holiday specials, season items, and personalized pieces on a variety of items. There will also be a complimentary hot chocolate bar with all the fixings! The doors will be open to the public on Saturday, November 17th from 10am – 5pm at the spacious, new Veterans Park Event Center that opened in January of 2017. The facility is 9,420 sq. ft. and virtual tours can be taken online at www.caboteventcenter.com.
We’d like to thank our gracious sponsors: Red River Dodge, FAB&T and Edge Realty for believing in this event with us and helping to support our local community!


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EAVX recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Atlis Motor Vehicles. The agreement will integrate EAVX bodies and accessories with Atlis’ next generation of service and utility vehicle platforms, commercial work truck accessories, along with its commercial freight and dump vehicle platforms.
“As our commercial fleet customers develop plans to convert their fleets to EVs, having a partner like Atlis is beneficial due to their innovative battery technology, vehicle range and rapid charge time,” said EAVX CEO and GM Mark Hope.
Click here to read the press release.
Whether you’d like to get to know more about JBPCO and our Business Units, learn more about career opportunities or if you’d like to potentially do business, we’d love to talk with you.


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A recent proposal from the Federal Communications Commission isn’t getting as much attention as it deserves, and its critics argue that it won’t be anything like the slam-dunk for competition and innovation that the FCC describes, even though many consumers will probably find themselves reflexively sympathetic to the proposals.
In a nutshell, the FCC wants to unlock the “set-top box” that brings cable television into your home, so you won’t have to rent those boxes from the cable companies anymore.
It’s a sign of how far regulation lags behind technology that everyone still calls these things “set-top boxes,” even though it is physically impossible to perch them on top of modern TV sets. The device in question is the gadget you rent from your cable or satellite provider to decode the incoming signals so you can watch TV. For the primary television set in a household, the set-top box is often incorporated into a DVR system.
Assessing the FCC proposal in January, the New York Times estimated the average consumer pays $231 per year to lease boxes from cable or satellite providers, providing $20 billion in annual revenue to the companies.
The price of the boxes is said to have risen 185 percent over the past 20 years, even as virtually all other consumer electronics became considerably less expensive. Set-top boxes were also denounced as “clunky technology” that lagged far behind the performance standards consumers expect from other computerized systems.
The primary reason for these deficiencies, in the FCC’s view, is that set-top boxes are sold to a captive market: users must rent them from their cable or satellite provider, because they contain custom technology to decode each provider’s transmissions.
Tech companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon are eager to open the market to competition, which the FCC would facilitate by “unlocking” the boxes. Consumers would be able to buy set-top boxes from competing vendors, who would be given the programming necessary to adapt to each cable or satellite system by the providers.
This would, in theory, bring the cost of set-top boxes down, while improving their performance and blending all sorts of additional applications into a single device experience. Owners of current-generation videogame systems like the Xbox One can get a taste of what this could work like. The Xbox One really wants to be your set-top box, as well as a game machine – it has a whole onscreen channel guide and TV viewing environment built into the operating system.
Cable and satellite providers oppose the FCC rule, for both the obvious reason that they don’t wish to surrender the revenue from set-top box leases… and the potentially even greater problem that competitive box vendors might begin interfering in the arrangements between entertainment content providers and cable companies. The box provider could compete directly with cable or satellite TV services to provide content, with absolutely no inconvenience to the user, or the boxes could even change the cable/satellite viewing experience – such as by inserting their own advertisements into the content they display.
This might all sound good to consumers, especially given the occasionally testy relationship between cable/satellite companies and their customers, who see themselves as ill-served members of a captive audience, at the mercy of near-monopolies. However, some spirited arguments against the new set-top box rules have been made.
Phoneix Center economist George S. Ford slammed the FCC action as a “cynical play” at The Hill in February, calling the argument for cheaper set-top boxes through competition a “ruse,” because the supposedly excessive price of existing box technology is due to FCC mandates.
More disturbingly, Ford argued the new rules amounted to allowing third-party manufacturers to “confiscate another company’s product – and the viewers it works hard to acquire – by doing little more than repackaging it to create their own video service without having to negotiate and pay for content.”
Also, as you gaze into the third-party set-top box, it gazes also into you. The devices would harvest enormous amounts of information about television viewers.
“Quite plainly, Wheeler’s proposal is a naked play to provide customers’ viewing habits to edge providers so these companies can monetize that information without having to go to the trouble of actually putting together a video product,” Ford charged, noting that broadband providers themselves are actually limited in their ability to use such information under the “Net Neutrality” rules.
Surprisingly, one of the most potent arguments against the new FCC rules was published Thursday at the Wall Street Journal, written by Anthony Wood… who is the CEO of Roku, one of the very third-party device providers that would seem poised to benefit from unlocking the boxes. In fact, there are already some test markets where cable companies allow Roku devices to handle set-top box functions.
Wood warned the new FCC rules could well have unintended consequences that increased bottom-line prices to consumers, by disrupting the existing business models for production and delivery of media content:
The proposed regulation would—as we say in the industry—“decouple the user interface” from the video and data itself. This would allow a company like Google to do to the TV what it did on the Web—build an interface without the “inconvenience” of licensing content or entering into business agreements with content companies such as ABC, FOX, HBO, or video distributors like pay TV operators. The unintended consequences of circumventing these kinds of arrangements are likely to include increased costs for consumers, reduced choices and less innovation.
One potential pitfall is that the current business model allows video content providers to offer inexpensive entry-level packages at a loss. As Wood explained, the companies accept this loss because they can sell content upgrades, including premium channels and pay-per-view content. If set-top boxes are unlocked and third parties can muscle in on that premium content action, the business model that makes basic cable relatively cheap would be wiped out.
Wood, like Ford before him at The Hill, argued that new regulations were unnecessary to unleash competition, because it’s already happening:
Today, anyone with an Internet connection can buy a streaming device for less than $50 and access thousands of movies and TV shows, including from networks traditionally only available through your cable company’s box, such as ESPN, CBS,Disney, Showtime and others. Soon every piece of video produced for TV will be available to consumers on demand through a variety of competing platforms. Your cable company will be one option, but certainly not a required way to get your TV content.
This competition is causing cable companies to raise their game. Comcast, for instance, developed the X1 platform, which provides an improved user experience with features like content recommendations, shortcuts and voice search that are common with streaming platforms. Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications offer pay TV packages through apps that run on streaming players and smart TVs, rather than cable set-top boxes.
Both Wood and Ford also made the interesting point that by focusing on television content, the FCC is fighting yesterday’s battle over a fading technology, when they should be focused on broadband Internet – the wave of the future that could soon become the universal content delivery system.
The divergence between their criticisms on that point are intriguing: Wood thinks the FCC should be working harder to impose regulations that would prevent broadband providers from imposing competitive disadvantages on Internet-based streaming video, while Ford thought the FCC was artificially prolonging the life of the set-top box by tinkering with its regulatory environment, arguing that “the next evolution of the set-top box is not a competitive market; it’s the elimination of the box outright.”
“If broadband Internet services are accessible and affordable to consumers and there is a level playing field for content providers and devices makers, then consumers will benefit from a revolutionized television experience,” Wood concludes. “Let’s not bog down the revolution with an unnecessary government intervention in a dynamic marketplace.”
In the fast-moving world of the Internet, one man’s regulation is another man’s de-regulation. Most supporters of the new FCC rules portray them as encouraging competition by opening a sheltered market, while detractors view the new rule as handicapping cable and satellite providers to serve the interests of politically-savvy tech giants like Google (Ford explicitly denounces the FCC proposal in those terms.)
Consumers are probably enchanted at the thought of having a single, reliable device that handles all of their media content with a friendly user environment. One way or another, no matter what the FCC does next, it’s coming.


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Bringing Down The Houzz: Israeli Home Design Startup Raises $400M At $4B Valuation
Israeli home design startup Houzz has raised a whopping $400 million from ICONIQ Capital, a closely held Silicon Valley investment firm, at a valuation of $4 billion, according to media reports.
The company has so far raised a total of $614 million and has doubled its valuation within less than two years.
A spokeswoman for Houzz declined to comment.
SEE ALSO: A Rare Glimpse Into Some Of Tel Aviv’s Most Beautiful Homes
Now boasting a community of over 40 million unique visitors every month, the startup was founded in 2009 by Israeli designer couple Adi Tatarko and Alon Cohen, after they had been stuck in the process of trying to renovate their home. Today, Houzz is considered the world’s leading online home design platform.
Featuring a website and a mobile app, Houzz is a Pinterest-style platform dedicated to home decor, allowing users to browse through a vast collection of interior design photos and click on items they want to purchase. Houzz also gives users access to ideas and advice from design professionals online.
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Last month, the company added a 3D augmented reality feature to its app, allowing iPhone and iPad users to view hundreds of thousands of products and see what these would look like in their own homes before buying them.
SEE ALSO: Israeli Architects Build Eco-Home From Cannabis On Mount Carmel
“We’re focused on building technologies that can be used today, by the broadest number of people, to make the home improvement and home design experience more fun and productive,” Cohen said in a statement. “We have built an enormous product catalog that continues to grow daily, and integrated augmented reality into the Houzz browsing experience, making it fast and easy for people to virtually experience products in their own homes, and instantly buy them on the Houzz app.”
As the Houzz community grows – from 25 million just two years ago, to 40 million today – so does the company. The platform claims to boast the largest residential design database in the world, offering users access to home design images, products and professional advice. The Palo Alto-based company has expanded over the years and now operates offices in Tel Aviv, Israel; London; Berlin; Sydney, Moscow; and Tokyo.
So, whether you’re remodeling your house or designing the future home of your dreams, Houzz can provide you with seemingly infinite designs.
Photos and video: Courtesy


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A spanking new Porsche 918 Spyder went up in flames on the weekend, at a petrol station in Canada. The official cause of the fire is unknown but it was quite large, engulfing and ruining the entire car.
We’ve all seen it before. It’s almost a prerequisite before any car can be classed as a true supercar; there needs to be incidents of spontaneous combustion. That’s just the way it is.
Porsche was under heavy scrutiny earlier this year after various 911 GT3s caught fire due to an engine build issue. An official recall had to be issued while Porsche engineers sourced and then rectified the problem.
In the case of the 918, this is only the first time an example has gone up in flames in public. Some reports say the fire started when the owner was filling it up with fuel, which leads many to believe there could have been an issue with the bowser rather than the Porsche.
To remind you, the 918 comes with a very complex hybrid powertrain incorporating a 4.6-litre naturally aspirated V8 and a high-powered electric motor assistance system. Production is limited to just 918 units.
It’s always sad to see a good car go up in flames, let alone an incredible hypercar like the Porsche 918. Let’s just hope more of these fires don’t break out otherwise Porsche will have some explaining to do. Porsche has since sent out a statement regarding this incident, saying,
“Porsche is very concerned but cannot comment as we have no other source of information except these media reports at this time. We are first and foremost happy that apparently no injuries and other damage have resulted from the incident as reported. Porsche is prepared to bring its technical resources to help all authorities who are investigating the matter.”
Click play below to see the 918 up in flames. Nobody has been reported injured.
(Warning: video contains crude language)


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The United Way of Central Maryland announced yesterday that it had raised $36.5 million in its 1995 campaign, an increase of more than 4 percent over last year and a clear indication that its troubled times are past.
Although the total falls just shy of the $37 million goal set when the campaign began in September, it marks the second consecutive year of growth in contributions to the charity and reverses a trend during the 1990s, when giving to United Way plunged in the wake of scandal and a poor economy.
In the biggest increase in five years, the campaign collected $1.5 million more than the $35 million total for 1994.
"Thirty-six million, five-hundred thousand dollars is wonderful," James B. Sellinger, an IBM executive who was the 1995 campaign chairman, said during last night's Campaign Final Celebration at the Morris Mechanic Theatre. "But the impact that it's going to have on the people who are in need is that much more wonderful."
"Tonight is truly a victory. When you look at that number, it's an astounding result," said Joseph E. Blair Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Baltimore Life Insurance Co. and chairman of the United Way board.
"If you want to make a comparison if you look at other United Ways our size, this increase puts us in the top 10 percentile," Mr. Blair said. "And if you talk to economists who look at the Baltimore economy, they'll tell you that Baltimore's economy has come back at a much slower rate than the rest of the nation."
The campaign result marks continued progress in the United Way's turnaround, after it suffered a decline in contributions when it was disclosed that William Aramony, while chief executive officer of United Way of America, was receiving a $435,000 salary and used agency money for personal trips. Aramony had no connection to local United Way efforts, but the organization still suffered. Aramony has since been sentenced to seven years in prison.
A weak economy and job losses in the region's businesses also contributed to decline in giving, culminating in 1992, when the United Way of Central Maryland posted a five-year low of $28.4 million.
Mr. Sellinger said the economy still poses challenges in this year's campaign. "I would say that manufacturing accounts are challenged," he said. The closings and of retail stores also meant those companies could not give as much.
The key to the success this year was aggressively pursuing new companies to participate.
Breaking down the results, Mr. Sellinger said that about 2,000 private sector companies that participated this year raised $28.8 million, about $1.7 million more than last year.
The Combined Federal Campaign for federal employees working in Maryland raised $4.3 million, an increase of about $200,000 over 1994. Baltimore City employees raised $940,426, an increase of $68,000 over last year, and state employees gave $2.47 million, an increase of $287,000.
Three corporations, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., Bell Atlantic and Westinghouse Electronic Corp., gave more than $1 million each in employee and corporate contributions. Mr. Sellinger also noted the contributions of Alex. Brown and Sons, which tripled its total, with employees giving more than $900,000. In addition, 49 members of the firm's staff are members of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society, which recognizes people who give at least $10,000 each year to the United Way.


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2020 Ford Bronco Details - Ford bronco 2020 | bronco confirmed - release date, 2020 ford bronco 03/16/2018 update. ford held a press conference where they discussed the future of the company in suv segment. the news that came our way was in regard to their upcoming off-road vehicles, with 2020 ford bronco included.. 2020 ford bronco confirmed | cars today, Fast forward to 2016. a sequel to the craft is on the way, the hulk has become a staple of the hugely-successful avengers movies, the reunited guns n’ roses has earned well over $100 million dollars and counting on their new concert tour – and it’s now been confirmed that the long-rumored 2020 ford bronco is a “go.”. Ford bronco - wikipedia, The ford bronco is a model line of suvs that were manufactured and marketed by ford from 1965 to 1996. after the first generation of the bronco was introduced as a competitor to compact suvs (including the jeep cj-5 and international harvester scout), the succeeding four generations of the bronco were full-size suvs, competing against the chevrolet k5 blazer and dodge ramcharger.. 2020 ford bronco | hennessey performance, Hennessey performance will be offering a line of high-performance and extreme off-road upgrades for the 2020 ford bronco.upgrades will include high-flow air induction system, intercooler system, stainless steel exhaust, larger off-road tires and wheels, suspension kit, and so much more…stay tuned!. 2020 ford bronco: expect ford’ reborn , 2020 ford bronco: what to expect from ford’s reborn off-roader looking forward to ford’s upcoming jeep wrangler rival. Everything 2020 ford bronco - autoblog, Yes, the ford bronco is back. or at least it will be in 2020. we've gathered all of our intel in this handy guide to help you track this classic suv's development up until the day it returns.. Spied! mule 2020 ford bronco caught testing michigan, Spied! mule for 2020 ford bronco caught testing in michigan production suv probably won't look like this. 2020 / 2021 ford bronco forum, info, news, owners club, Ford has just released new photos teasing the upcoming yet-unnamed “baby bronco” (the front end of which was teased earlier this year).. the silhouette photo shows that it will be loosely based off of the 2020 bronco, with a short hood, flat roofline and boxy proportions.. 2017 ford bronco coming! rumors, engine (diesel, Ford bronco update 10/13/2016: just a few days ago we received confirmation that new ford bronco will be produced. while we are still short on many details, it is quite possible for the 2017 ford bronco 2017 concept to be introduced and offer a full insight into what will be coming with production ready vehicle. even this is still far fetched there is a possibility for a concept version to be.
Ford bronco 2020 new bronco is confirmed release date → 2020 ford bronco is confirmed us cars today → Ford bronco wikipedia → 2020 ford bronco hennessey performance → 2020 ford bronco what to expect from ford’s reborn off → Everything we know about the 2020 ford bronco autoblog → Spied! mule for 2020 ford bronco caught testing in michigan → 2020 2021 ford bronco forum, info, news, owners club → 2017 ford bronco is coming! rumors, engine (diesel →


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Sassafras on Sutton bookstore in Black Mountain, N.C., which was forced to close in early December after suffering substantial damage to its historic building from a major snowstorm, offered an update on the long road back to reopening.
On Instagram Friday, the bookstore posted: "We finally have power back on at the store! We've been closed since December 8th when North Carolina had an epic snow fall and the roof of our old historic building partially collapsed. We were finally allowed back in the space last week and now we are electrified! We are so grateful that our merchandise was undamaged and the building can be restored.
"We hope to be back open to customers sometime next month. Today we start cleaning, reorganizing, restocking and doing a full inventory. We may also be doing a sidewalk pop up shop for Valentine's Day next week. We can't wait to be fully open and see everyone again!"
Building owner Ryan Israel told the Black Mountain News that he would like to make repairs in phases to speed up the process: "Our number one goal is to get the tenants back in business. These are small local businesses and not only are we concerned with getting the proprietors back in business, but each of them have employees who rely on their jobs. There are a lot of people impacted by this and we're working as hard as we can to get the building back together."


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Former staff of collapsed department store chain BHS have won a £400,000 payout due to “a complete failure to consult” on their redundancy.
According to The Times, an employment tribunal decision in London late last week ruled that proper process was not followed.
The tribunal also ruled that 110 former BHS head office employees will now be awarded up to 90 days‘ worth of pay.
The Government‘s National Insurance Fund will pay the staff the equivalent of up to 40 days‘ pay, up to a maximum of £3,800 each.
The remainder is due from BHS, but it is unlikely it would be paid in full.
The legal team representing the head office staff at the tribunal said that although BHS had been put into administration it still existed as a legal entity.
The retailer should have consulted staff for at least 45 days before they lost their jobs as BHS went into administration, but many lost their employment with immediate effect.
The news comes as the one-year anniversary of retailer‘s collapse nears, with two thirds of BHS shops still not yet taken on by new tenants.
According to The Guardian, only 52 of the 164 BHS shops have been taken over by new retailers since the chain went into demise on April 25 last year.
While stores in London and other big cities like Leeds and Birmingham have been snapped up by Primark, H&M and Next, in smaller towns and cities – especially in northern England – former BHS stores remain vacant.


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Some early leaked footage of Activision's upcoming first person shooter based on The Walking Dead TV series has found its way to YouTube, showing off some zombie killing action.
Giveaway: Win the Logitech G910 Orion Spark mechanical keyboard!
Six Windows 10 features not available to Insiders... yet
All the latest on Windows 10 build 10041
windows 10 technical preview
Microsoft wants to turn Android phones into Windows 10 phones
LG Windows Phone mock-up
How to get Cortana working outside of the US in preview build 10041


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Tea and coffee specialist Whittard of Chelsea’s chief executive Mark Dunhill has resigned, with finance chief Nathan Smith taking the role.
Dunhill tended his resignation on 31 July after five years at the retailer. He led the restructure of the retailer, and was involved in the “revitalisation” of its product portfolio, store design and layout and upgrading the customer experience.
Whittard was bought out of a pre-pack administration in 2008 for £600,000 by private equity firm Epic, and posted pre-tax profits of £327,000 on sales of £34m according to its latest accounts.
A statement from the company said: “On behalf of the board and all his colleagues around the UK, we would like to thank Mark for his contribution and wish him well with the next challenge in his career. The business has strong momentum. The board believes in the strategy and the exciting prospects ahead for Whittard.”


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The Detroit Lions will take on the Chicago Bears in about an hour and just moments ago, they revealed their uniform combination for today’s game.
As you can see below, they will be wearing their white jerseys with blue pants.
Nation, what is you favorite Lions uniform combo?
Just under an hour until go time! pic.twitter.com/5MSzSj5PRR
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 3, 2021


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App Store Review Guidelines Rewritten to Be “More Helpful”
Apple has announced it has rewritten its App Store Review Guidelines to make them “more helpful, provide more context, and incorporate the guidelines for Mac apps”:
We’ve rewritten the App Review Guidelines to be more helpful, provide more context, and incorporate the guidelines for Mac apps. We hope these updates will help your app sail through App Review. While the guidelines themselves haven’t changed, the previous App Store and Mac App Store Review Guidelines will remain available for apps currently in the review process.
The guidelines themselves haven’t changed, explains Apple, as it says it hopes the rewritten requirements will help developers “sail through” App Review.
Last week, Apple explained major changes were coming to the App Store, including a revised and expanded subscription model, better app discovery and new search ads, plus the possibility of free trials for apps.


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Japan and EU strike free trade deal after four years of talks
Agreement sends anti-protectionist signal ahead of G20 summit in Germany
Japan and the EU have agreed on the outline of a free trade deal after four years of negotiations.
"At the heart of the deal is an agreement for the EU to open its market to the Japanese auto industry, with Tokyo in return scrapping barriers to EU farming products, especially dairy," says AFP.
Yesterday's announcement, which came on the eve of the G20 summit in Hamburg, has been seen as a clear rejection of protectionist trade policies touted by US President Donald Trump.
As Brexit negotiations get underway, the pact "will also show skeptics in the EU the benefits of staying in the grouping with access to inner and outer markets," the Japan Times reports.
But the BBC reports that few specific details are known and "a full, workable agreement may take some time".
It comes six months after Trump followed through on his campaign promise to pull the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal with Japan and ten other Pacific ring countries.
"Although some are saying that the time of isolationism is coming again, we are demonstrating that this is not the case," European Council President Donald Tusk told the BBC.


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We Help Companies Find New Sales Opportunities
Jardine Motors is expanding its dealership operations in the West Midlands with the acquisition of Colliers Group and the creation of 70 jobs.
Jardine Motors Group is to submit plans to build an £8m Audi car dealership in Oldham next year, with the creation of about 90 jobs.
Jardine Motors is looking to invest £40m in the expansion of its chain of car dealerships, including sites in Chelmsford, Colchester, Letchworth, Milton Keynes, Sidcup and London.
Jardine Motors has sold its Scothall Hampshire BMW and Mini car franchise in Eastleigh to a former director of BMW Park Lane.
Jardine Motors has acquired Toyota and Lexus car dealerships in Cambridge from Turner Motor Group for undisclosed terms.
Jardine Motors has bought three Toyota car dealerships in Chelmsford, Rayleigh and Romford from Lookers for undisclosed terms.
Jardine Motors has bought three Toyota car dealerships in Colchester, Frinton and Ipswich, and a Lexus site in Ipswich, from Thorndale Investments for undisclosed terms.
Jardine Motors has expanded its chain of 50 car dealerships with the acquisition of a Land Rover site in Welwyn Garden City from Pilling Motor Group for undisclosed terms.


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P&C insurer Chubb has entered a deal to buy the life and non-life insurance companies of Cigma in seven Asia Pacific markets for a total of $5.75bn.
According to Chubb, it will acquire Cigna’s $3bn premium revenue personal accident, supplemental health and life insurance business in Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand. The company also has its interest in a joint venture in Turkey. These operates previously generated around $3bn in net premiums written in 2020.
Chubb said the transaction advances its strategy to expand its presence in the Asia Pacific region – a long-term growth area for the company – and adds to an already sizeable accident and health business while expanding its Asia-based life insurance footprint.
Once the deal is completed, the share of Asia Pacific in Chubb’s portfolio will climb from around $4bn to $7bn in premium and represent approximately 20% of the firm.
Chubb has detailed that it expects a strong return-on-investment, with a three-year return-on-investment of 15%. The deal is expected to be completed in 2022 and is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Chubb CEO and chairman Evan Greenberg said, “The addition of Cigna’s business, which is overwhelmingly A&H, will further balance our global portfolio toward this important region. We have long admired and respected Cigna’s business in Asia including its talented people, innovative products, technical and analytical capabilities, distribution and management. We know these businesses well as we already have a sizable operation of our own in the region and globally.
“These businesses produce very stable, high-quality earnings. The digital opportunity across the region is large and untapped and suitable for our direct-marketed A&H products and our consumer P&C and simple life insurance products. We are looking to the future. Broadly across the region, Chubb will be better able to capitalize on market and product opportunities with strong brand, complementary direct marketing skills and the cross-selling of Chubb’s non-life product to life customers.”
Cigna president and CEO David Cordani added, “Our agreement with Chubb is another step forward in advancing our strategic focus on our global health services portfolio. We are proud of our success in building these accident, supplemental and life benefits businesses in Asia Pacific and improving the well-being and sense of security of our customers throughout the region.”
Copyright © 2021 FinTech Global


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The international trade talks about have been going on in Geneva for four years have come down to a question of apples and oranges.
And chickens and beef and tobacco and wine.
Since the talks began, farm exports have been one of the major stumbling blocks to a successful treaty, with the United States seeking greater access to world markets for its agricultural products.
Now, with the major industrialized nations trying to reach agreement in principle on a new treaty as the economic summit in Bonn approaches, farm exports again stand on the way.
The farm export issue reappeared this week when Robert S. Strauss, the Carter administration's chief trade negotiator, called reporters to a breakfast news conference at the White House and warned that, unless Japan and the European community show more willingness to open their doors to American farm goods, there can be no trade agreement. He said he doubted that a compromise could be reached in time for the Bonn summit, which begins July 16.
Trade officials in the administration said it was a deliberate and calculated effort by Strauss to prod the Europeans and Japanese into conditions on various farm products - from citrus fruits to vegetables to tobacco to wine - that could be used to sell the treaty to Congress next year.
At the same time, it highlighted the importance of agricultural trade to the U.S. economy.
The United States exports about $24 billion worth of farm products and accounts for more than 16 percent of total farm exports in the world. It exports almost three-fifths of its wheat, more than half of its soybeans and rice, more than a third of its cotton and tobacco and more than a quarter of its corn.
In contrast, the United States imported about $13 billion in farm goods, including coffee and sugar, last year, leaving a net agricultural trade balance of about $11 billion.
The value of U.S. farm exports rose dramatically during the early 1970s as worldwide crop shortages pushed up prices and created additional demand for American grain. But this has stabilized. At the same time, the value of imported farm products has continued to increase. As a result, the relative trade balance in agriculture has shrunk, meaning there is less to offset the growing cost of other imported goods, from oil to machinery to manufactured goods.
In addition, several potentially significant changes have occurred in the pattern of U.S. imports. A comparison of import figures for 1977 and early 1978 shows that oil is no longer the leading imported product. It has been overtaken by machinery and transport equipment and by manufactured goods.
Oil, which had been the biggest drain on the U.S. trade balance, is now third on the list.
The changes, which may only be temporary, may affect the Carter administration's desire to gain additional access for various products, both agricultural and manufactured, through a new trade agreement.
But various trade barriers, which U.S. negotiators hope to break down, stand in the way of increased agricultural trade with industrialized countries.
Some progress has been made on such big-ticket items as wheat, corn, dairy products and some beef products. Negotiations on a new international wheat agreement are being carried on alongside of the trade talks, and a new pact could become part of the new trade agreement.
The Europeans want greater stability in world markets and prices, and the United States seeks greater access and agreement on a grain reserve.
Other talks, under the auspices of the Geneva trade negotiations, affect beef, dairy products and grains such as corn, rice and barley.
But the United States also wants access for a variety of other products, which are less important to the overall trade balance but may be even more crucial to the treaty's eventual success in Congress.
"They're not big-ticket items, but they are important to the districts of the members of Congress who are on committees, that must approve the agreement," one U.S. trade official said yesterday.
"What Strauss is trying to get is something for the people who count."
Strauss, at a trade conference in June sponsored by National Journal, said that unless the United States received "considerable improvement in market access . . . particularly for our agricultural products," he would not be willing to bring a trade agreement back to try to sell to Congress.
During that conference, Strauss met privately with the principal negotiators from Japan and the European Community, and at the time they jointly announced their belief that the outlines of an agreement could be reached in time for the Bonn summit.
But two events occurred since then that caused Strauss to issue his warning that the timetable might not be met. The European Community's Council of Ministers, meeting last week, agreed on a mandate for its negotiators that appeared to be extremely restrictive on the question of agricultural trade.
Then, last weekend, the Japanese issued a new trade proposal that, in the U.S. view, "went only about one-tenth as far" as expected.
Strauss, according to one U.S. official, concluded that, on the basis of those actions, it would be difficult to conclude an agreement in principle by late next year.
The Europeans and Japanese say they believe they are not overly restrictive toward agricultural goods. Japan is the single leading importer of U.S. farm products and the European community combined is the largest. Both the European community and Japan say they cannot eliminate their trade barriers without seriously disrupting their agricultural economies and causing poliical problems domestically.


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For the first time in 64 years, KFC is hitting pause on one of fast food's most popular slogans. The restaurant has announced it will suspend the use of ‘It's Finger Lickin' Good’ in its advertising.
With the unprecedented global pandemic upending businesses and lives around the globe the fried chicken chain said that the slogan no longer felt right.
"We find ourselves in a unique situation - having an iconic slogan that doesn't quite fit in the current environment," said Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC, in a statement.
"While we are pausing the use of It's Finger Lickin' Good, rest assured the food craved by so many people around the world isn't changing one bit.”
KFC said the slogan will not go away forever. The chain said they will bring it back when the time is right.


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A focus on the education sector is part of the secret of Acer’s turnaround as it battles slumping sales in the rest of the PC sector and competition from Apple in schools, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
Korean electronics manufacturer LG has spent the last two years proving its high-tech credentials as a smartphone technology leader. With the release of the G4, it is ready for more, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
Thanks to poor online presence, e-tailing in South Africa has yet to make a dent in retail, but tools are becoming available to fix it, ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK writes from an e-commerce conference in San Diego.
Those strange little square barcodes now popping up everywhere represent a quiet rebirth of QR Codes, once left for dead, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
At the Microsoft Build conference in San Francisco last week, the company finally allowed developers to get their hands on its new holographic viewing device, the HoloLens. ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK tried it out.
A new virtual mobile operator arrives in South Africa this week, addressing a growing need in the market. But it’s not the same story all over again, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
At last week’s annual convention of the Professional Speaker’s Association of Southern Africa, ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK presented a talk via Skype on the new ‚smart audience‚ , including these key tips.
The past couple of months have seen a flood of new high-end phones arrive in South Africa, across an astonishingly wide range of prices. ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK considers the likely customers for various formats and price tags.
At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the crowds at the Israeli pavilion signaled rising demand for the country’s high-tech, contrary to boycott attempts, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.
The announcement of Samsung Pay, in direct competition with Apple Pay, is a signal that payments with mobile devices are growing up, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.”,”body-href”:””}]


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Ford-VW Partnership: Here’s What to Expect
Ford to use VW platform for new EV
Ford and Volkswagen announced an extensive partnership earlier this year to co-develop products and boost economic efficiencies, without equity exchange or cross-ownership between the companies. Today, the automakers released more details of the collaboration, including work on electric and autonomous vehicles. Keep reading to learn what we can expect from the Ford-VW partnership.
In 2023, Ford will introduce a new electric vehicle based on Volkswagen's MEB platform. This will make Ford the first outside automaker to borrow VW's dedicated EV architecture, which is destined for VW ID vehicles. The new Ford EV will be available in high volumes in Europe, and there's a possibility the American automaker will roll out a second MEB-based vehicle later. Ford's goal is to deliver more than 600,000 MEB-based vehicles in Europe over the course of six years.
For a while now, Ford has invested in autonomous technology platform company Argo AI. Now, Volkswagen is getting in on the action by injecting $2.6 billion into the company. This investment will include contributing its Autonomous Intelligent Driving company, a subsidiary of Audi AG. The German automaker will also buy Argo AI shares from Ford for $500 million over a three year period, and Ford will invest the remaining $600 million it promised in its $1 billion cash commitment to Argo AI.
The tech company is working on developing Level 4 autonomous systems for ride sharing and delivery services in the city. Both automakers will independently integrate Argo AI's self-driving system into their own vehicles.
Ford and VW announced earlier this year they will work together to produce midsize pickups for global markets. This plan is still on track, with the truck expected to arrive as early as 2022. Ford will develop and build a VW Amarok successor for both companies. We haven't heard if the truck will come to the U.S., but we know the truck will make its way to customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and South America.
As we reported a few months ago, it's possible VW will introduce a such a pickup in the U.S. That's according to Volkswagen Group of America CEO Scott Keogh, who told Automotive News there are also two other possibilities for a VW pickup in the U.S., including a production version of the midsize Tanoak concept and an A-segment pickup like the Tarok concept.
Ford will build larger commercial vans for both companies beginning in 2022, destined for the European market. For its part, VW will contribute a city van for Europe and other select global markets. The automakers are leveraging their previous experience with vans including the Ford Transit and Volkswagen Transporter and Caddy. The companies expect demand for commercial vans and medium pickups to jump in the next five years, and working together will increase economies of scale.
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President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to start the process of normalizing trade and economic ties with Turkey, said the day the Kremlin website. This happened after a 40-minute conversation with Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Tuesday brought Russia’s apology for downed 24, 2015 bomber su-24.
The conflict between Russia and Turkey has led to economic sanctions against Turkish companies and citizens, and ban the sale of permits to Turkish resorts. The ban on Charter flights will be lifted, said Wednesday Putin: “the President of Turkey has assured me that the Turkish government will do everything that depends on them, to ensure the safety of our citizens on the territory of the Turkish Republic.”
The process of lifting the sanctions will begin the next day: orders for Turkey will be given June 30 at the government meeting, said Prime Minister’s press Secretary Dmitry Medvedev Natalia Timakova. Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich (in charge including transport) after meeting Vladimir Putin told reporters that regulatory decisions [about lifting the ban on Charter flights and selling tickets] “up on the orders of the President” (quoted by “Interfax”). “It is now a question of the airlines when they will be able to deploy the relevant work”, — said Dvorkovich. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who oversees the construction industry, added that the government will take the necessary steps to resume relations with Turkish companies for one to two weeks.
Russia has not imposed a complete ban on air links with Turkey. The President’s decree on economic measures against Turkey provided for a ban only Charter flights, as well as the recommendation to refrain from selling package tours, and the foreign Ministry advised Russians not to visit the country. No proverok Turkish airports, as in the case of Egypt, decision on vozobnovlenie Charter communications does not require, explained the government official.
The presidential decree does not mean the automatic opening of Charter flights to Turkey, said the President of the Association of air transport operators and the former official of Ministry of transport Vladimir Tasun: “It is a signal that the political reasons for the ban no. But there are other circumstances that affect the organization of flight operations, explains it: including the terrorist threat. Before to issue the corresponding resolution, the government must establish that nothing prevents the resumption of flights. Rostransnadzor and Rosaviation will check the major airports (Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Izmir), the conclusion of “on the line” should give FSB, lists Tasun.
Representatives of the Ministry of transport, Rosaviation and rostransnadzora declined to comment. A source close to one of the Federal agencies said that while the particular security requirements at the airports of Turkey is not worked out.
The Federal tourism Agency on Wednesday released an official statement in which he reminded the operators that before the release of the official order for removal of the restrictive measures continues to operate under a recommendation to suspend sales of tours to Turkey and Charter flights. “Also, Rosturizm recalls that when planning a trip to Turkey need to take into account the high level of terrorist threat in the country”, — underlined in the message.
The terrorist threat
Since last summer throughout Turkey happened 55 attacks for the previous year and a half since the beginning of 2014 to mid-2015 — just two). The vast majority of attacks carried out by militants of the Kurdistan workers party (PKK). Mostly militants-the Kurds are attacking police and military installations. More than 10 terrorist attacks committed by the terrorists of the “Islamic state”. Several terrorist attacks on account of “freedom Hawks of Kurdistan” — a breakaway from the PKK in 2004 radical groups.
On the eve of Vladimir Putin’s statement about the beginning of normalization of economic relations with Turkey at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul two explosions. According to Turkish authorities, 41 people died and 239 were injured. The Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim said that the attack involved three suicide bombers, authorities suspect that the attack is the group “Islamic state” (banned in Russia).
“The safety of our citizens remains a priority, but what kind of guarantee can be given in this case, it will become clear in the near future, when there will be contacts between diplomats and government agencies responsible for tourism in the two countries,” — said the representative of the Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets.
To fly tomorrow
At the time of the imposition of sanctions, Turkey was one of the most popular destinations of outbound tourism: according to Rostourism, in 2015, it was visited by 3.5 million Russians. More just traveled to Abkhazia (3.8 million). Statistics for the year 2016, the office does not, but, as was estimated in February chief editor of the specialized portal TourDom.ru Dmitry Danilenko, Turkey because of the sanctions could lose about 75% of Russian tourist flow, because the majority of travelers used the services of tour operators.
“Today, a flurry of calls. Customers tomorrow ready to fly”, — said the commercial Director of a network of tourist agencies “Shop of travel” Alexander Preobrazhensky. Turkish hoteliers want to return to the Russian market, so we are ready to give discount of 25% or more of housing prices that existed before the ban, admits expert.
About a possible price reduction talking and other participants of the tourist market, in particular the General Director of “NTK Intourist” Victor topolkaraev, managing said the Agency “Interfax” that the proposals of the Turkish hotels are definitely cheaper than last year, “especially in the beginning of the program.”
The airlines is also ready to resume Charter programs. The flight programme of the airline is already generated for the entire summer season, but if desired, the customer can quickly make changes and increase the frequency of flights, said a representative of the Charter airline Air Azur. This confirms an employee of another carrier, but believes that Turkey is more of a “stand” in the winter program, which is still typeset.
However, once the tourist flow to Turkey will not be restored. “We do not consider the possibility of a quick recovery […] in the previous volumes”, says PR Director of Tez Tour Larissa Alkhanov. According to her, if the question of the renewal of the Charter will be resolved in a short time, then it is more likely to go on a Charter before the end of October. Tourist flow to Turkey will in any case significantly lower than last year, she said.
The first flights it is possible to develop for 10-14 days, and a full Charter product to offer tourists will be within a month, said earlier the press Secretary of the Russian Union of travel industry Irina Tyurina. The representative of the Federal tourism Agency estimated that, technically, restore the flow of tourists to Turkey in may for a month.
Suppliers in place
Russian retailers promise to return on the shelves of Turkish products even faster. If the embargo is cancelled, you will need not more than a week to restore the supply contracts of Turkish food, the CFO network “Magnit”, Russia’s largest by turnover and number of outlets, Khachatur Pombukhchan. “The effect of supply agreements are prohibited at the moment for import of products to Russia was suspended for an indefinite period,” says Pombuhchan. In other words, we are not talking about signing new contracts and on renewal of existing ones. About the same time of resuming the supply of said a top Manager of another network, within the top five.
Co-owner of the Kaliningrad grocery network “the Family” Oleg Ponomarev said that the existing, though frozen, contracts for the supply of Turkish products his company now, but their conclusions also do not need a lot of time. “All suppliers on the spot”, — said the businessman.
Most retailers provided the yields of the Russian manufacturers, but will be interested in the Turkish vegetables and fruits in the fall. “As usual, there is a shortage of products grown on the Russian hothouse facilities”, — says Ponomarev.
Readiness to consider the issue of resuming supplies from Turkey reported in the “Magnet” Dixy group” (the network “Dixy”, “Victoria”) and X5 Retail Group (“Pyaterochka”, “Perekrestok”, “Karusel”). “Although the formation of the assortment matrix, the priority of the company — a partnership with local (Russian) suppliers, we are open for new partnerships in categories that cannot be provided by domestic producers”, — said the representative of GK “Diksi” Catherine Kamanina.
Russian retailers are now interested in export of Turkish apricots, peaches, plums and grapes, and in autumn and winter periods will be a need for tomatoes, cucumbers and citrus fruits, said an employee of the large food chains.
According to the representative of the X5, and after the sanctions, Turkish suppliers is waiting for a more competitive market than prior to the embargo. The majority of Russian retailers found alternative suppliers of vegetables and fruits by the middle of January 2016, although to fully replace many categories, such as tomatoes and pomegranates, failed.
“Supply from new regions in some categories leads to an increase in transport costs that affect selling prices, in addition, for the category of fresh vegetables and fruit the delivery time is extremely critical. Each day of delay is a loss”, — says Director of the Union of independent networks Sergey Kuznetsov. In his opinion, the return of the Turkish products can lead to reduction in the cost of fresh produce.
Prices will not fall
The government ban on Turkish products market was regarded as a radical measure, because for many categories of Turkey for Russia has been the main supplier. For example, according to the FCS at the end of 2015, the share of Turkey accounted for almost 53% of total imports of tomatoes in Russia in money terms and 54% in volume. In 2015 from Turkey was delivered 292,8 thousand tons of tomatoes at $the 281.1 million, Turkey was the largest supplier of grapes, and every fifth Mandarin that entered the country were also grown in Turkey.
“The share of products from Turkey to the markets of certain food products prohibited for import from 1 January 2016, is noticeable, however, suppliers have time to change the geography of deliveries. […] The Bank of Russia does not expect a significant impact of restrictive measures for balance of payments and GDP dynamics, given the small share of Turkey in the Russian foreign trade turnover,” — said in the message of the Central Bank of 2 December 2015.
Three months later, the experts of the Ministry of economic development in the economic monitoring for January (published February 29, 2016), wrote that the Turkish factor the sanctions did not affect the rise in prices is: “Despite a ban on delivery of fruits and vegetables from Turkey strengthening price growth in the beginning of the year did not happen. Inhibits the growth of price decline in effective demand, and increase supply of domestic vegetables and potatoes as a result of good harvest”, — stated in the message.
Director of the Center for conjunctural research HSE George Ostapkovich, believes that the inflation contribution from the Turkish sanctions amounted to no more than 0.4%. If now allowed to supply Turkish products, the prices fall by 0.2-0.3 percentage points, he said. “The Turkish sanctions were after the main sanctions, counter-sanctions (in 2014 ). These additional sanctions are not made a high contribution, because the economy is already adapted,” recalls Ostapkovich.
Chief economist at PF Capital, Evgeny Nadorshin believes that the lifting of restrictions on Turkish imports into the Russian market will not affect the level of inflation this year. The possible impact will follow next year, when they resigned the contract, the expert believes.
With the participation of Pauline Nicholas, George and Elizabeth Peremitina Surnacheva


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Hanjin Shipping bankruptcy causes surge in freight rates
Shipping analysts believe the rate increases will not last for long. They note that even if Hanjin goes into liquidation, the industry will still face the same oversupply of capacity that it has suffered from in the last few years. They note that the excess capacity has been driven by demand for bigger ships that can carry more containers at lower costs per box and this has resulted in bringing freight rates down to record lows.
This past weekend, Hanjin received a reprieve from a US Bankruptcy court to be able to offload its goods without fear of having its assets seized. The company’s biggest shareholder, Korean Air Lines Co., also agreed to give $54 million in funds to pay for the unloading. There are reported to be 89 ships belonging to the company stuck at sea, carrying an estimated $14 billion worth of goods. Ports in the US, Asia, and Europe have been turning the ships away as port authorities worry about being paid.
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The FCA has recently published a press release reporting that between July and December 2015, financial services firms received 2.11 million new complaints.
Overall, there was a decrease of 1.4% in the number of complaints from the January to June 2015 period. This is primarily due to 10% and 15% drops in complaints for current accounts and savings accounts respectively. PPI remains the most complained about product; when PPI is excluded, the number of overall complaints is significantly reduced to 1.17 million.
Although the total redress paid to consumers fell to £1.97 billion between July and December as opposed to £1.98 billion between January and June, the FCA notes that a further decrease in complaints and greater emphasis on working in the best interests of consumers is still required.