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01 September 2015
01 September 2015
JEC Group has revealed the results of the JEC Asia Innovation Awards competition that highlights innovative companies and processes among all stakeholders.
This year, during the 8th annual JEC Asia - Composites Show and Conferences, 20-22 October 2015, 12 companies and their partners will receive an award for their composites innovations in a ceremony. Also, a Life Achievement Award and a Student Award are to be delivered. The winners were selected from the following categories: Raw Materials, Equipment, Thermoset Process, Thermoplastic Process, Quality Control, Mining, Aeronautics: Future of MRO, Transportation, Automotive, Railway, Recycling and 3D Printing.
According to JEC, a total of 10 nationalities are represented, amongst which, China, the Country of Honour for JEC Asia 2015, will be awarded 3 trophies including a Life Achievement Award.
In addition, one Student Award will support tomorrow’s Composites Innovator as it will put forward a student final paper on the Composites field.
“Asia already counts for nearly 50% of the world production. Asian countries are benefiting from economic growth, increase in per capita income and technological development. Winners of these Awards participate in the progress of the community and are pioneers in tomorrow’s composites usage,” said Frédérique Mutel, JEC Group President and CEO.
JEC says the jury of composites experts has selected the best composite developments, based on their technical interest, market potential, partnerships, financial & environmental impact and originality.
Cobra International will showcase a range of composite products at CAMX 2018, including carbon fibre components for the automotive, transportation, marine, water sports and luxury sectors.
A skateboard, architectural panels and a rigid roof for boats, all built using Chomarat composite reinforcements, will be on display at CAMX 2018.
The American Composites Manufacturers Association participated in a roundtable discussion about the IMAGINE Act. Known as the Innovative Materials in American Growth and Infrastructure, Newly Expanded (IMAGINE) Act, the new bill is designed to promote the increased use of innovative materials like fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, as well as new manufacturing methods to accelerate the deployment and extend the life of infrastructure projects.


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Short-term rental platform Airbnb has introduced an indefinite ban on all parties and events at its listings, on top of introducing an occupancy cap.
The move, according to the company, was pushed over the line “in the best interest of public health” and comes as the final stage in a process by Airbnb to regulate against unauthorised parties.
“Unauthorised parties have always been prohibited at Airbnb listings,” the company said in a statement.
“In fact 73 per cent of our listings globally already ban parties in their house rules, and the vast majority of our guests behave in manners that show respect for house rules and for neighbours.
“We’ve historically allowed hosts to use their best judgement and authorise small parties – such as baby showers or birthday parties – if they’re appropriate for their home and their neighbourhood.”
Airbnb said that with the continuing complexities of the coronavirus pandemic, with health mandates on gatherings and regulations on bars, clubs and pubs frequently changing, people had chosen to take bar and club behaviour to homes, “sometimes rented through our platform”.
“We think such conduct is incredibly irresponsible – we do not want that type of business, and anyone engaged in or allowing that behaviour does not belong on our platform,” the company said.
Airbnb said it is in the process of communicating this new policy to its global community, with the following rules to take effect:
- Parties are now prohibited on all future bookings.
- Occupancy at Airbnb listings will be capped at 16 people. This is primarily relevant to larger homes that were previously allowed to list as able to accommodate more than 16 people.
- Airbnb is currently scoping a potential exception process for specialty and traditional hospitality venues (i.e. boutique hotels).
- Guests will be informed about Airbnb’s party rules and informed that they may be legally pursued by Airbnb if they violate our policy. This work is currently being operationalised and will be rolled out in the near future.
The move comes as the next stage in an effort by Airbnb to enforce its ban on “party houses” – listings that create persistent neighbourhood nuisance, according to the company – after a tragic shooting incident at a Halloween party held in an Airbnb property in Orinda, San Francisco.
Airbnb finally finalises paperwork for IPO
Meanwhile, Airbnb has announced that it has finally filed its initial public offering – its S-1 registration statement – confidentially with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to multiple reports, there is no public information about the details of the offering; however, it comes almost a year after the company announced it planned to become a publicly-traded company.
That original announcement came off the back of record revenue in the second quarter of 2019, with Airbnb reporting that it had recognised “substantially” more than US$1 billion in revenue, marking only the second time in its history where revenue had exceeded US$1 billion.
However, in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced Airbnb to raise US$2 billion in debt and lay off 25 per cent of its workforce.
But, in positive signs, the company signalled last month that it had booked more than one million room nights, marking the first time that milestone had been reached since 3 March according to Skift.

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Hong Kong Show Adapts to New Market Conditions
Hong Kong Electronics Fair organizer Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) chairman K.B. Chan said the Autumn Edition of this biannual show, which runs through Oct. 16, was experiencing a record-breaking year. “The show is growing,” he told Dealerscope, due in no small measure to new ideas initiated as solutions to fast-changing and ever-challenging market conditions that have required adjustments to streamline buyer-manufacturer relationships.
Innovations like the Small Order Zone, first introduced at the April 2012 show to allow buyers to easily place inquiries via QR codes and then, low-quantity orders from 20 to 1,000 with suppliers, after viewing their wares in grouped showcase displays, was a good part of the reason, he said.
“The overall buying experience is changing,” Chan said. “If I’m not Walmart and have only five shops, I can’t buy 10,000 of something but maybe only 50. Manufacturers realize they have to be willing to make accommodations.”


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Ingressive Capital has raised an additional $5 million from new investors to become a $10 million fund. It would be investing between $200,000 and $400,000 in early-stage startups at $2 million valuations for 10% equity.
Articles about ingressive on Benjamindada.com
Ingressive Capital—an early stage venture capital firm—has cut three Nigerian startups a cheque of $250,000 (₦90.3 million).
As a business owner, you are also a product manager and you should know what stage your product or business at every point of its lifecycle.
Register for "Build to Last in Africa" 2019!
Ingressive Capital is looking to invest between $50,000 and $100,000 or not in early stage African companies within less than 30 days of application.
The "Economics of Blockchain – Cryptocurrency, Fintech, and the Entrepreneur", was the theme of the first Ingressive Ecosystem Hangout in 2019.
In partnership with EDG Africa and Ingressive, Fempower Africa will be holding a workshop on how to design a sustainable business model using the BMC.


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SINGAPORE: Ride-hailing company Grab said on Wednesday (Aug 1) that a "notification error" caused its customers to receive e-receipts and app notifications for an old trip.
The glitch saw Grab users in some countries - including Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines - receive a notification on their smartphones, as well as electronic receipts stating they had been charged for a ride on Jul 19.
This caused some to question if they would be charged twice, or if their accounts or credit cards had been compromised.
In its response to Channel NewsAsia's queries, Grab assured customers that no passengers were charged again.
"We are aware that a small group of Grab customers had received notifications and receipts for rides they took with us on Jul 19," he said.
"This was due to a notification error that resulted in customers receiving duplicate ride receipts and notifications.
"We would like to reassure customers that no passengers were charged again, and their Grab account is not at risk. We apologise for the inconvenience caused."
On Tuesday, Grab Singapore tweeted it was "encountering an issue" where users who had taken a Grab ride on Jul 19 received the notification. It also clarified that "there is no extra charge".
Its Philippine counterparts apologised to a Twitter user, and said it is currently checking why passengers are receiving notifications for past trips.
"We assure you that you are not charged again for that trip," the tweet read.
Personal trainer Daphne Loo, who lives in Singapore, received an e-receipt from Grab at about 6.20pm on Tuesday and did not immediately notice that it was for a ride on Jul 19.
She told Channel NewsAsia that she thought it was "another fraud case" as she had been charged for phantom Uber rides previously. She then decided to change her password and set a security PIN.
"I was especially concerned this afternoon because I’ve been actively using GrabPay in stores without ever considering security," she said.
Graduate student Mysara Aljaru received a notification on her smartphone at about 5.30pm on Tuesday stating she had been charged S$15.50 for a ride.
"The first thing I did was to check my Grab app, but there was no record of such a ride," she said, adding that she later realised the charge was the same as a ride she had taken on Jul 19.
Another Grab user based in Singapore who declined to be named said he received an app notification from the ride-hailing firm at about 5.30pm on Tuesday.
"The ride was supposedly S$17. My first thought was: 'Someone scammed me?'" the 26-year-old said. "So I quickly went to check (my) Grab history and saw nothing there. It was an uncomfortable feeling. I then went online and spent a few minutes checking my credit card history."
He also did not immediately realise the charge was for a ride taken on Jul 19.


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The Galaxy S Blaze 4G for T-Mobile is available in some retail locations across the country beginning today, but it won’t go on sale nationwide or online until the 28th of March. So if you were wondering just how much the device would cost without a contract, but weren’t near a physical retail location to check it out for yourself, we can finally fill everyone in on the secret.
Thanks to a leak sent to our friends over at TmoNews, it has been confirmed the newest member of the Galaxy S line-up will retail for $449.99. That’s without the contract, mind you. If you’re willing to sign a two-year agreement on T-Mobile’s Value Plan, you’ll be met with a $199.99 price tag, after a $30 mail-in rebate, and a $15 monthly equipment installment plan.
Decent pricing, at least.


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The retailer's fiscal fourth-quarter sales fall well below expectations. Is Best Buy becoming a showroom for online retailers like Amazon?
Excluding those charges, Best Buy reported a non-GAAP profit of $2.47 a share. Wall Street was expecting earnings of $2.16 a share on revenue of $17.23 billion for the quarter that ended March 3. As for the fiscal 2013 outlook, Best Buy projected earnings of $2.85 a share to $3.25 a share. Non-GAAP earnings will be $3.50 to $3.80 a share. Wall Street was looking for $3.69.
Best Buy's problem: Amazon. Best Buy has been trying to grow its e-commerce business to compete better, but the big-box approach to selling consumer electronics isn't what it used to be. That reality has Best Buy thinking small.
The company outlined the following moves:
Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn said that the company is looking to "provide a better shopping environment for our customers across multiple channels while increasing points of presence."
On a conference call with analysts, Dunn said:
Over the last three years, the industry experienced little innovation and many of the large traditional consumer electronics categories such as television, PCs and gaming. At the same time, consumers have enjoyed greater price transparency and ease of costs shopping. As a result, we knew we had to accelerate our cost reduction efforts, adjust our sales mix and significantly improve on the experience we were delivering for our customers. All of this in the most uncertain consumer and economic environment we've ever experienced.The challenge for Best Buy is simple: It can't be the showroom for electronic sales online. To differentiate, Best Buy will have to focus on service.
To bolster service, Best Buy said it will boost its loyalty programs and provide free shipping and access to "major sales events" and offer no-hassle returns and price matching. Best Buy is even throwing in a free house call from its Geek Squad for its Reward Zone Silver loyalty card members.
Will it work? Perhaps. Analysts going into Best Buy's earnings report noted a few big issues. First, Best Buy's products sales are shifting to Apple products, which have lower profit margins. And then there's Amazon. "The company is gradually becoming a physical showroom for online retailers, and the prevalence of smartphones makes comparison shopping increasingly easy," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.


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In the early days of organic food, most of the food you buy was grown organically.
Today, organic food is much more expensive than organic.
In fact, organic products typically cost between 10% and 25% more than organic food.
But there’s a growing movement to make organic food more affordable, and a new organic grocery chain has come along to offer a new alternative to organic food: the Organic Valley.
In a recent interview with Recode, the CEO of Organic Valley, Greg Zeman, laid out the new concept, saying it’s designed to bring organic foods to more people in an affordable, efficient, and sustainable way.
Zeman says that his company’s goal is to create a more affordable way to eat organic food by reducing the price of organic products to a fraction of the price they’re sold for on the supermarket shelves.
For example, Zeman says, if you bought a box of organic chicken breasts for $7.50 at a Costco, you’d pay only $3.25 at the organic grocery store.
Zimmer points out that the organic food chain’s business model is based on the premise that organic products are cheaper because they are organic.
The idea is that you’ll get a better product if you buy organic.
So if you have a box at Costco for $8, you can get a box for $5.50 online.
Zeman tells Recode that the goal is for organic food to be sold at grocery stores, not online.
The idea of a cheaper organic food option was first mentioned by David Karp, the chief operating officer of the Food Group, a food retailing company that is owned by the family of Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.
Walmart announced plans to sell its organic groceries online in 2016, but only in select markets.
The move drew criticism from organic advocates and many foodies, who felt the Walmart deal was a way to bring in Walmart’s own organic foods without having to compete with other retailers.
Zaman says that Walmart is working on a similar deal, and he believes the move to online grocery will help organic food become more affordable.
The Organic Valley’s goal with the new chain is to offer cheaper organic groceries, Zman says.
And the company is also going to work with farmers to help them make organic produce more accessible.
The chain’s goal, Zaman says, is to have organic products on shelves in more grocery stores across the country.
The organic food that’s on the shelves will have a lower price tag than organic products that aren’t on the shelf.
Zemen says that the company has plans to roll out its own grocery store in the coming months, with an opening in the spring.
He says the chain is working to make its products available in stores that Walmart already operates.
Zaman also says the company will start selling organic products at Walmart in 2017, but not online as of this year.
Zemans goal is not to compete directly with Walmart, but rather to offer organic food at a cheaper price.
Zermans goal, however, is not just to sell organic food but to create an alternative to the supermarket system.
He’s not worried about Walmart losing business because people will go to the organic grocer and buy organic food instead of the organic store.
The grocery store is the only way that people can buy organic products, Zemans point out.
The grocery store, however.
The Organic Valley has plans for a store in each state and several more cities in the future, Zermans said.
Zermals goal is that, at least in the short term, the company can help its customers save money by offering organic products for less money than organic foods sold on the store shelves.


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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Economists at Indiana University believe we could see a recession next year, but the economy’s future isn’t entirely clear.
“People aren’t able to buy as big of a home as they would like to have,” said Lutes, co-owner of RE/MAX Acclaimed Properties. “They’re choosing not to move up from their current homes and buy more space.”
That’s because of the ongoing interest rate hikes meant to slow inflation, Lutes said.
Higher costs continue to be an issue across all industries. Don Weiler of Bailey Weiler Design + Build says he’s not building as many homes as he used to.
“Just the cost of new construction, as they stated here today, has gone up 35% at least over the last few years,” he said.
Weiler and Lutes were among the business owners attending a seminar in Bloomington Thursday with the IU Kelley School of Business, whose economists shared their economic outlook for 2023.
Inflation is likely to slow down next year, but so will the economy, explained assistant professor Andrew Butters. That’s because the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates, which is meant to discourage spending and therefore reduce inflation, he said.
“Consumers are still mostly spending even at the elevated rates of inflation,” Butters said. “But basically how much that slows down could really be the pivot point.”
That means that slowdown may lead to a recession in 2023, but it’s unlikely to be anything near historic levels, Butters said.
With low unemployment, continued job creation and inflation, economist Kyle Anderson points out there’s good and bad news for the economy right now. That makes it hard to predict what that recession could look like, he said.
“It’s definitely in the cards that that would happen next year,” Anderson said. “And it might be a mild recession. Hopefully it won’t be too severe.”
Still, business owners in Bloomington say they’re holding out hope.
“I believe this was really a smart slowdown, so to speak, with the rates and things,” Lutes said. “I think it needed to happen.”


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The "Imagine" singer's untimely death shocked the world. Then the estimated cost of his possessions were publicly revealed, which shocked us even further.
The Beatles co-founder was murdered in New York City by die-hard fan Mark David Chapman in 1980. After his death, John Lennon's belongings are among the most expensive and desired celebrity items.
In 2011, his tooth sold for more than $30,000, and so was a lock of his hair in 2016. Around the same time, Lennon's instruments, lyric sheets, manuscripts, and artwork have respectively sold for million of dollars. For example, his Gibson J-160E guitar sold for more than $2.4 million.
In 2006, more than one hundred items were reportedly stolen from Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, in New York.
Then it felt like all was lost, until...
A 58-year-old man was arrested in Berlin, Germany on suspicion of handling stolen goods. According to a spokesman for the Berlin prosecutor's office, another suspect, who lives in Turkey, has not been arrested. It's believed that the second suspect used to work as a chauffeur for Lennon's wife.
However, many of Lennon's stolen possessions were recovered by local authorities at a Berlin auction house in July.
Images of some of the items were released online.
Authorities say it's unclear when the recovered items will be returned to the late singer-songwriter's estate.


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Union Government to take Khadi overseas
The MSME Ministry are, according to officials there, planning to create memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with various countries that will boost their Khadi textile imports from India. Khadi fairs in select countries are also planned to introduce foreign consumers and businesses alike to the sustainable Khadi textile. KVIC is also looking to use MoUs as a way to forge links between Indian exporters and overseas importers and to boost Khadi garment exports.
The Union Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been championing domestic production, especially in the textile industry, in their “Make in India” campaign. Khadi has arguably become their most favoured cloth and it has been given exemption from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that was brought in last July in order to create incentives for both textile manufacturers to create the fabric and for designers to use it. KVIC has recently partnered with the Globus retail chain to introduce “Khadi Corners” in stores selling garments and goods made from Khadi and the plan is to create more domestic retail partnerships to do the same.
The government is working on boosting Khadi sales both domestically and internationally. Prime Minister Modi recently stated on his radio show, “Maan Ki Baat”, that sales of Khadi products increased by 90 percent over the last Diwali season which suggests that this strategy is starting to pay off. As the government now has their sights set on international Khadi trade, big things could be on the horizon for the traditional handloom textile.
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Airbnb has announced the launch of #GetBehindTheMask, a host led movement to support communities struggling with the impact of COVID-19. In partnership with the Western Cape Government’s Maskathon and Afrika Tikkun, the initiative will kickstart with an Online Experience on how to create face masks, alongside a call to action from the host community to challenge others to make masks. In addition, a relief fund will support tourism entrepreneurs who participated in the Airbnb Africa Academy and who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis.
With South Africa moving slowly out of lockdown, there is an opportunity to support struggling tourism entrepreneurs and township communities through this difficult time. All South Africans are required to wear a protective face mask, but not all have access to them, and tourism has come to a standstill.
The spirit and creativity of the Airbnb community never fails to inspire, even in times of crisis. We want to support this commitment from hosts on Airbnb and champion the tourism entrepreneurs who help vulnerable communities and who will help lead South Africa through this crisis.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb Co-Founder, CEO and Head of Community
At the forefront of the campaign is Tamryn, a host on Airbnb since 2013, who will demonstrate creative face mask making skills through her Online Experience. Participants will learn how to cut, design and assemble masks with colorful patterns, and Tamryn will donate two masks to communities in South Africa most in need for every person booking. There will be several Experiences each week and Airbnb will offer coupons to the first 100 people who book so they can enjoy the Experience for free. For more information, see here. For those who cannot join, Tamryn will share an easy to follow, ready made mask pattern and instructions.
The face mask idea was also inspired by hosts like Maria from Khayelitsha who participated in the Airbnb Africa Academy program. Despite not being able to host due to lockdown, Maria is committed to helping the most vulnerable by calling on all other hosts in South Africa to “get behind the mask” and to start sewing.
Cloth masks, when combined with the golden rules of hygiene and physical distancing can help to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. We therefore welcome Airbnb’s Get Behind the Mask initiative to make more masks available to communities in the province, and their support of the Maskathon campaign.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has seen a major outpouring of kindness and support and we thank all of those, like Airbnb, who are working to help us flatten the curve and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the Western Cape.
Alan Winde, Western Cape Premier
To further support the #GetBehindTheMask campaign, the relief fund will provide much needed support to tourism entrepreneurs who participated in the Airbnb Africa Academy; a development program focused on giving under-represented and under-resourced communities the tools and resources they need to participate in tourism. Airbnb will contact eligible participants and invite them to apply for a relief grant of up to R20,000 which, if successful, will be awarded within four weeks. Since the launch of Airbnb Africa Academy in 2017, 220 people have been trained, with 70 percent of them being women micro-entrepreneurs. These funds aim to help more people realize their entrepreneurial ambitions*.
The Airbnb Africa Academy is a program that very much aligns with what we stand for and it’s fantastic to see how Airbnb is committed to supporting these hosts who have little to no income right now.
Alef Meulenbergi, CEO of Afrika Tikkun
Anyone who would like to #GetBehindTheMask can do so by making masks and challenging others to do the same, joining an Online Experience, or simply donating directly to Afrika Tikkun. All donations will assist in getting masks to communities who need them most. More information on the Airbnb Africa Academy Fund and #GetBehindTheMask, can be found here.
* The funds from Airbnb are split into two parts: 1) donation to Africa Tikkun that will go directly towards the making of masks to be distributed to vulnerable communities, and 2) a relief fund set up for participants of the Africa Academy – these funds will go directly to eligible participants.


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BrewDog have signed a lease for the former Blind Tiger Club almost exactly a year after it closed due to noise complaints.
The pub is set to open later this summer after a big refurb. The independent Scottish brewery, which runs 27 bars around the world, announced its interest in setting up shop in Brighton last year, but delayed the move for legal reasons. Though it seems like there might be other factors involved in the timing.
Today the outspoken craft ale hipsters pulled off an audacious stunt when they flew over London dropping stuffed cats out of a helicopter. According to BrewDog co-founder James Watt, the ‘fat cat’ blitz was a “glorious combination of art, guerrilla warfare, taxidermy and feline sartorial elegance”.
The publicity/propaganda stunt was promoting a crowdfunding share sell off which has already earned the company £5m in 20 days. Despite (or perhaps because of) its outsider attitude, BrewDog has been the fastest growing food and drinks company for three years on the trot and recently valued itself at a staggering £283m.
The Blind Tiger was formerly run by local promoters Playgroup, who claimed the venue was forced to close following noise complaints from a single resident who’d moved into a flat a few feet above the stage. However, the Council says the complaints came from three different residents on nearby streets. In any case, a petition was launched to save the much-loved venue, getting over 15,000 names, but the impending fines were the final nail in the coffin for the Playgroup guys who’d had a hard time of it ever since their festival was cruelly rained off in 2012.


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The Co-op is poised to return to pharmacy with the acquisition of digital platform Dimec.
According to Sky News, the mutual, which operates the Co-op grocery and convenience stores, has struck a deal with Dimec four years after it offloaded its bricks-and-mortar chemist chain.
Dimec is an NHS-approved app that enables customers and pharmacists to manage repeat prescriptions.
The deal is expected to be confirmed alongside the Co-op’s half-year results on Friday.
Sky News reports that it cost the company a modest £10 million to make the acquisition, and would be used as a platform by the Co-op to build its health and wellbeing-related offerings.
Dimec was founded in 2013 and has relationships with all 12,000 pharmacies in England.


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Toyota New Zealand has offered to correct the braking systems of last year's model of the Prius hybrid vehicle.
Toyota has announced the recall of more than 400,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems.
Some Prius customers in the United States and Japan have reported a slight delay in braking reaction on slippery surfaces.
Toyota New Zealand's general manager of after sales, Paul Carroll, says all owners in this country will be asked to contact their local dealer to enable updated braking software to be installed in their vehicle free of charge.
He says the software will eliminate the delay and improve driving performance.


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Better warnings on generatorsA Times Editorial
Published November 22, 2005
How many more people must die before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission adequately warns the public about gas-powered generators? Federal regulators knew two years ago that dozens of people were dying every year from carbon monoxide poisoning. Yet rather than require manufacturers to more clearly warn consumers of the risks, the agency allowed the industry to police itself. Better warning labels are not the cure-all, but they would be a start.
The commission has one job - to protect consumers against dangerous products in the marketplace. While nearly all generators have warnings included on their container, inside the operating manual or on the machine itself, the language can be vague and incomplete. The purpose of these warnings, at least from the government's view, should not be to satisfy the industry's lawyers, but to give consumers enough information to operate the equipment responsibly. Among the details to include: Where to operate the machine to ventilate gas emissions, how to limit the buildup of carbon monoxide and symptoms of poisoning.
The risks have taken on added significance in Florida, where at least 12 people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in busy, back-to-back hurricane seasons. People desperate for power, especially those whose families face dire medical needs, would benefit from seeing a well-placed, clearly written warning label. Anyone who thinks such a label would dampen sales does not grasp how these hurricanes have made Floridians scramble to prepare for power outages.
Commission chairman Hal Stratton, who put aside the staff recommendation for clear warnings and opted for voluntary standards instead, is wasting time by having his agency conduct a "thorough review" of safety issues. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., was right to call Stratton on the delay. If the commission wanted to live up to its name, it would require better warning labels now and set a deadline for the industry to come up with these larger safety improvements - from a valve that shuts down a generator when gas emissions reach unsafe levels to more aggressive public-information campaigns.
People who turn to these machines often already have plenty of distractions on their minds. It's not too much to require the industry that sells these machines to clearly explain the risks.


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With the Home Mini and Home Max in 2017, Google was able to inundate the market with affordable smart speakers, while offering an audiophile experience for the high-end. This year, the Made by Google lineup is gaining its first Assistant Smart Display with the Google Home Hub.
The post Google announces Google Home Hub, its 7-inch Assistant Smart Display appeared first on 9to5Google.
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Alliance Empowers Brands & Agencies to Run the Most Authentic, Profitable Programmatic Media in Real Time
AI Digital, an advanced analytics-driven organization which leverages AI to optimize and drive better business outcomes across programmatic technology, has announced a strategic partnership with real-time marketing and intelligence leader, Sightly. The partnership is a win-win for both companies and their customers. Brands and agencies can now leverage the powerful combination of AI Digital’s programmatic expertise and AI-optimized outcomes with Sightly’s Brand Mentality® platform-driven moments intelligence and Anticipation Software®. “We are excited to form this partnership with Sightly and integrate our key strengths for the benefit of brands and marketers. AI Digital’s expertise in extracting value through programmatic technology is invaluable to brands, who want to derive the most out of their advertising spend,” said Stephen Magli, CEO and founder, AI Digital. “By partnering with Sightly, we are able to use the intelligence and insights from their platform to enhance our performance, and provide our brand customers with increased data management, precision audience targeting and greater effectiveness on digital channels such as CTV, video and display.” In addition to making a strategic investment in Sightly for continued innovation, AI Digital is acquiring an Enterprise license for Brand Mentality, which includes recently patented technology that codifies a brand’s unique DNA to respond instantly and authentically to breaking news, viral trends and emerging media moments. By using the platform to drive media activations and marketing intelligence, brands and agencies can combine speed and values without sacrificing ROI. “AI Digital has continued to demonstrate its growth and programmatic prowess within the industry, and we’re excited to collaborate closely with them,” said Adam Katz, CEO, Sightly. “We caught their eye because they saw how Brand Mentality adds value to their offerings. They are data and analytics-driven like us, and we complement each other incredibly well to deliver rich, precise, real-time brand insights at the speed and cadence needed to fuel today’s dynamic media campaigns and strategy.” About Sightly Sightly is the leader in real-time marketing and intelligence, as driven by each brand’s unique perspective, opinions and outcomes. Our revolutionary Brand Mentality® platform combines speed with values, so companies can make decisions instantly and authentically without sacrificing ROI. Learn more and master the mayhem at https://www.sightly.com. About AI Digital AI Digital is a programmatic consultancy that enables an advanced analytics based and AI optimized approach to programmatic technology which leads to better business outcomes for marketers. Leading with an audience-first approach, the company helps agencies and advertisers navigate the digital ecosystem by delivering hands-on, unrivaled data and technology access, outcome-based audience strategy, advanced analytics driven campaign optimization and advanced measurement including detailed, real-time transparent campaign reporting. AI Digital is a priority Amazon Partner with access to over 150+ people-based data sources and in-platform optimization expertise to maximize value of all walled gardens including Google and Amazon’s data and tech stack, along with 10+ DSPs. AI Digital leverages technology through its proprietary platform ELEVATE and the expertise of its world-class, global team to drive a more ELEVATED consumer experience, measurable action, and brand and sales lift for more accountable results. Learn more about AI Digital at www.aidigital.io.


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Digital TV News: Multimedia Research Group
ZTE and Telkom Indonesia to establish IP-video Joint Innovation Center
Mar 11, 2015 – ZTE (0763.HK / 000063.SZ) has announced that the company will set up a Joint Innovation Center with Telkom Indonesia to focus on the development of Internet Protocol-based video technologies.
News categories: ZTE, Telkom Indonesia, Digital TV, Indonesia, IPTV, OTT
ZTE launches MeBox IPTV + OTT dual-mode set-top box
Mar 19, 2014 – ZTE (0763.HK/000063.SZ) has launched the ZTE MeBox, an IPTV+OTT dual-mode set-top box (STB), at TV Connect 2014. The ZTE MeBox STB (model number ZXV10 B760E) is an embedded audio/video decoding device based on the open Android platform.
News categories: ZTE, Frank Fang, Digital TV, IPTV, OTT, Set Top Box, Video Exchange, Worldwide
ZTE ranked no. 1 in IPTV middleware, VOD and STBs
Mar 4, 2014 – ZTE (0763.HK/000063.SZ) has been ranked number one globally in three major market segments: middleware, video-on-demand (VOD), and set-top boxes (STB) in the IPTV Global Market Leader Report issued by MRG.
News categories: ZTE, Multimedia Research Group, Frank Fang, Digital TV, IPTV, Market Research, Middleware, Set Top Box, Worldwide
Home media gateway shipments to surpass 24 million in 2017
Nov 11, 2013 – According to the latest report from MRG, in 2013, global unit shipments of home media gateway products are on track to reach nearly 10 million, a solid increase from the 7.7 million units that shipped in 2012.
News categories: Multimedia Research Group, SNL Kagan, Mike Paxton, Digital TV, Gateway, Market Research, Mobile, Set Top Box, Smart Home
Verimatrix Enhances Revenue Security for AXTEL's IPTV service
Apr 2, 2013 – Verimatrix has announced that AXTEL has chosen its VCAS™ for IPTV to secure its service, which combines IPTV broadcast channels with video-on-demand, a network-based PVR and interactive content via IP, along with access to free-to-air DTT broadcasts channels.
News categories: Verimatrix, AXTEL, Content Protection, Digital TV, IPTV, Mexico, NABShow
Volia Selects Minerva Platform to Offer Multiscreen Television Services
Mar 20, 2013 – Minerva Networks has announced that Volia has deployed Minerva iTVFusion for its advanced TV services. The system will enable the Ukrainian operator to offer pay TV services over third-party broadband networks, significantly increasing its service footprint.
News categories: Minerva, Volia, Cable TV, Digital TV, Middleware, Ukraine
Zenverge to demonstrate Gateway Applications and HD HEVC Transcoding in Las Vegas
Jan 3, 2013 – Zenverge has announced that it will be demonstrating operator gateway solutions and industry-first, real-time HD HEVC transcoding technology at The Palazzo® hotel in Las Vegas, Jan 8-10, concurrent with CES 2013.
News categories: Zenverge, CES, Gateway, Placeshifting, Semiconductor
MRG Ranks Global IPTV Market Leaders
Nov 6, 2012 – MRG has released its annual IPTV Market Leader Report (MLR) which identifies the companies leading each of six IPTV market segments: access systems, video headends, VOD server software, set-top boxes, middleware, and content protection/DRM.
News categories: MRG, Content Distribution, Content Protection, Digital TV, DRM, IPTV, Market Research, Middleware, Set Top Box
Verimatrix Selected to Secure Telefonica del Sur's Digital IPTV Service
Apr 16, 2012 – Verimatrix has announced that Telsur of Chile has selected the Verimatrix Video Content Authority (VCAS™) 3 solution to secure its IPTV service. Telsur selected VCAS™ for IPTV as a replacement for its existing conditional access system (CAS).
News categories: Telefónica del Sur, Verimatrix, Chile, Conditional Access, Content Protection, Digital TV, IPTV, Middleware, NABShow, Set Top Box
- Major U.S. pay-TV providers lost 1.74 million subscribers in 3Q 2019
- Disney+ passes 10 million sign-ups since launching
- Telefónica announces Movistar Living Apps for its STBs
- Sunrise terminates plan to buy UPC Switzerland
- Astro Malaysia releases Astro Ultra Box
- DVB approves DVB-I specification
- Partner Communications selects Broadpeak for server-side ad insertion
- Irdeto and Amlogic launch Netflix-integrated Hailstorm Hybrid STB platform
- INNOPIA becomes Netflix Hailstorm Hybrid partner with Synaptics and NAGRA
- Synaptics VideoSmart SoC approved for Widevine CAS on Android TV
- EU clears Telia's acquisition of Bonnier Broadcasting with conditions
- Bitmovin receives €20 million of funding from EIB
- Discovery partners with Inscape for TV audience measurement
- SVoD subscriptions in N. America to grow at 9% CAGR from 2019 to 2023
- ITV announces new addressable advertising platform: Planet V
- Eutelsat signs up Orao Telecom Congo for CIRRUS hybrid satellite/OTT
- Disney+ gets some traction, Apple TV lags in streaming wars
- Disney+ launches in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands
- Czech Television completes transition to DVB-T2 with Synamedia
- Thomson Broadcast and Viaccess-Orca secure DTT deployment in Mali


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This eventually resulted in a lawsuit in which it seems that Facebook-owned Oculus is walking away the loser in this battle. This is because a Dallas, Texas jury found in favor of ZeniMax which resulted in a ruling that Oculus must now pay the company $500 million in damages, Breaking this down, Oculus has to pay $200 million for breaking the NDA and an additional $50 million for copyright infringement.
They are also expected to pay $50 million for false designation. Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey is also expected to pay $50 million for false designation, while Brendan Iribe, also the co-founder of Oculus, will have to fork out $150 million. Unsurprisingly Oculus plans to appeal the ruling.
In a statement provided to Polygon, a spokesperson said, “We’re obviously disappointed by a few other aspects of today’s verdict, but we are undeterred. Oculus products are built with Oculus technology. Our commitment to the long-term success of VR remains the same, and the entire team will continue the work they’ve done since day one – developing VR technology that will transform the way people interact and communicate.”
As for ZeniMax, they plan to pursue this further by seeking a temporary injunction on the Oculus Rift headsets.


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Get people to swap tea or coffee for soft drinks with breakfast – that's one of the strategies Coca-Cola's main bottler in Europe is proposing to boost sales in the United Kingdom.
Coca-Cola Enterprises issued a report last week that identifies a variety of ways it can increase sales in the next five years in the region. One category titled “Complete the Meal” notes that breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day, with about a quarter of all drinks being consumed before 10 a.m.
“How do we motivate people to make soft drinks – like smoothies, juices and other on-the-go products – part of their morning ritual in the same way as tea or coffee?” the report asks.
The company said it was referring specifically to smoothies and juices in suggesting breakfast as an area for growth.
- Police say 3 deaths in Fullerton are not a murder-suicide; teen missing
- Bruxie flips for fried chicken as waffle chain reboots menu
- Brush fire burns hill above San Juan Hills Golf Club
- Marlins say ace pitcher Jose Fernandez has been killed in boating accident
- Police seek man, woman accused of pushing, berating a boy with autism


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- Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh lead in earmarking special organic farming zones
- The Centre’s overall plan is to develop 10,000 clusters across the country for promoting organic farming
- India is looking at a “cluster” approach to increase area under chemical-free farming in other states
NEW DELHI: After turning Sikkim into a fully organic state, India is now looking at a “cluster“ approach to increase the area under chemical free farming in other states. Many states have already started earmarking exclusive organic farming zones, with Maharashtra leading the pack, with 932 exclusive clusters, followed by Madhya Pradesh (880), Rajasthan (755), Uttar Pradesh (575), Uttarakhand (550) and Karnataka (545).
The Centre's overall plan is to develop 10,000 clusters (one cluster of 20 hectares each) across the country exclusively for promoting organic farming to cater to growing domestic demand and the high export potential of such crops. The aim is to increase the cultivated area under organic farming from nearly eight lakh hectares at present to 10 lakh hectares by 2017-18.
The states have, so far, identified over 7,500 clusters for this purpose. Under this plan, 50 or more farmers can form a cluster. Every farmer will be provided Rs 20,000 per acre in three years for seed, harvesting of crops and transporting pro duce to the market under the `Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana' (traditional agriculture development plan) of the agriculture ministry.
The government has allocated Rs 297 crore under the scheme for 2016-17. Besides, an additional amount has been allocated for creating organic value chain for northeastern states.
"The method is expected to increase domestic production and certification of organic produce. Since organic products are grown without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, it is important to adopt this approach by involving farmers at grassroot level“, said an agriculture ministry official.
During 2013-14, while Sikkim had gone fully organic, according to the agriculture ministry, Madhya Pradesh had over 2.32 lakh hectare of cultivable land under organic farming, the largest, followed by Maharashtra (85,536 hectare) and Rajasthan (66,020 hectare).
According to Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of the commerce ministry, India had, during 2015-16, produced around 1.35 million metric tonnes of certified organic products, which includes all varieties of food products, namely sugarcane, oilseeds, cereals & millet, cotton, pulses, medicinal plants, tea, fruits, spices, dry fruits, vegetables and coffee.
The total volume of export during 2015-16 was 2,63,687 metric tonnes. The organic food export realization was around $298 million during the financial year.
Indian organic products are mainly exported to European Union nations, US, Canada, Switzerland, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, South East Asian countries, Middle East and South Africa.


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- Special Sections
- Public Notices
Similar to a hardy perennial, ChamberFest faithfully takes bloom every summer in the Los Alamos community.
It is a tradition that has sunk its roots into the town but the event also receives a lot of nurture and care from the community to allow it to flourish.
For instance, over the years the event has seen several popular additions including a bubble pit and two car shows.
Furthermore, this year the cuisine that will be for sale will expand from the normal hamburgers and hotdogs to traditional New Mexican fare.
ChamberFest will sprout up Friday with the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce Banquet at Central Avenue Grill followed by the Los Alamos Summer Concert series, which will feature Candye Kane, at 7 p.m. on Main Street and Central Avenue.
The event will come into full bloom from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Saturday along Central Avenue.
Local businesses set up booths and the ChamberFest 2010 Car show will kick off with staging at 7 a.m. with the show from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
A second car show, the Atomic City Corvettes’ “Corvettes in the Jemez,” will start staging at 8 a.m. and the show will begin at 10 a.m.
Additionally, the Summer Concert series will present The Nomads from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Chamber Member Services Coordinator Katy Korkos encourages people to be a part of the festivities.
“First, it’s fun,” she said. “It’s free and they might get to know something about their local assets they might not know about.”
Suzette Fox, community projects coordinator, added, “There’s something for everybody.”
Krista Edwards, community events coordinator, commented that the ChamberFest helps open people’s eyes to what businesses are available in the community.
“Of course, we always encourage shopping locally,” she said. “(It) just opens people up to what’s available locally.”
Fox agreed. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to focus on the community. I think it’s a great opportunity for talks in White Rock and Los Alamos to learn about businesses (we) are not aware of just have (people) be a part of down town.”
Los Alamos may be a small town, Edwards said, but it does offer a lot.
A several business owners told the Monitor that they are eager to show ChamberFest participants what they have.
Liz Thomson, owner of Cook’in In Style and Tea World, said she will host a sidewalk sale during ChamberFest. In addition to offering a selection of items at a discount, free iced tea will be served.
Thomson said Cook’in In Style has participated in ChamberFest since day one.
“It’s just fun to have the community out and (we like) the different activities for them,” Thomson said, “and we enjoy talking to people.”
Ken Nebel, co-owner of Village Arts, said his business will share a table with Karen Wray’s Gallery.
In addition to offering information about the business, he said they will feature the birdhouses that are up for silent auction to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
While Nebel said he has participated in ChamberFest in the past, this year, he said he is excited about “getting out of the store and being out in the middle of town. And seeing people we wouldn’t otherwise see.”
Cyndi Wells, owner of Pet Pangaea, commented, “We always look forward to having the opportunity to talk to people about their pet food and to introduce people to quality food. We’ll be giving away free samples.”
Wells has also participated in ChamberFest in the past.
“I think it is a great opportunity to find out what’s available right here in our little town,” she said. “I think there are a lot of good businesses and sometimes people aren’t aware of them.”
One of the big hits of ChamberFest is the bubble pit provided by VaLynn Purvis, owner of Party to Go! In fact, she said she gets asked every year to be a part of ChamberFest.
She said a friend who lives in Utah introduced her to the idea and after researching it, Purvis said she discovered it was a big hit and something that had not been offered in New Mexico.
Purvis added not only is ChamberFest a fun activity, it is also an example of the good work the chamber does.
“As far as the Chamber, I think they do a great job,” she said. “I think (ChamberFest) gets bigger and better every year and more enjoyable to be there.”


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West Midlands-based installer Wolverhampton Glass has demonstrated why reputation is so important, after a local resident used the company for a window and door install – 37 years after originally using them.
Steve Trainer originally had hardwood and satin aluminium windows fitted by Wolverhampton Glass all the way back in 1985. When they started rotting, leaking and looking rather shabby, he turned to them again to upgrade them to the Deceuninck Heritage 2800 system.
“I had always kept Wolverhampton Glass in mind due to the job they’d done when we had the original windows fitted, and then I saw an advertisement in one of our local publications,” said Mr Trainer.
“We wanted to use a local company, and the new windows are brilliant. The fitters were very quick, very thorough, and everything was as it should be. Even the neighbours were impressed, and we’ve had a few people ask us about the service.”
Neal Harper, Wolverhampton Glass’ Managing Director, said: “For Mr Trainer to keep us in mind after 37 years was brilliant and it is testament to the local reputation Wolverhampton Glass has built up over the last 45-plus years. It shows why building an excellent local name through quality products and service over many years is so vital.”
As well as new casement windows in the bathroom, kitchen, landing, porch and bay windows in the lounge and bedroom, the customer also had a new French door installed in the porch and a new patio door in the kitchen.
“The Deceuninck Heritage 2800 system was the perfect solution for the client thanks to look, performance and security,” added Neal. “The windows and doors are hugely complimentary to the property.”
It means yet another satisfied customer for Wolverhampton Glass – and shows that the service hasn’t changed, even 40 years on.Wolverhampton Glass has over 45 years of industry experience and is part of Sustainium, a group set up to acquire local home improvement companies and invest in their future. For more information call 01902 773831 or email email@example.com. For more information on Sustainium visit www.sustainium.co.uk.


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On genetically engineered food, let the market decide
The movement to force the labeling of genetically engineered food is gaining momentum. In November 2012, an initiative to require the labels in California was on the ballot; it was defeated. Now, federal legislation carried by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) would mandate labeling most bioengineered food nationwide.
Yet the movement’s argument is weakened by the lack of evidence that inserting fragments of DNA into crops harms our health. Pro-labeling activists — who also tend to be anti-Monsanto activists — point to polls finding that most Americans want the information labeled. But there is plenty about our food that consumers might like to know that is not on the labels. Food packages don’t have to include information about the use of pesticides or hormones. There is evidence that the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock, not to treat illness but to fatten animals and prevent disease from sweeping through crowded pens, is contributing to the rise of drug-resistant infections that threaten human health. Yet antibiotic use also remains unlabeled, and most consumers are unaware of the practice.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does require the labeling of artificial ingredients, and many people consider bioengineered food artificial. Corn that can survive certain pesticides certainly didn’t evolve naturally. But neither did the tomato, developed decades ago, that ripens into a bright, uniform red. The attractive color was a product of selective breeding, which had the unfortunate side effect of damping down the gene that provides a tomato’s sweetness. That too is genetic modification, but no one is pressing for labels on hybridized or selectively bred crops.
There are justified concerns about genetically engineered foods. Some have contributed to the rise of pesticide-resistant weeds and been linked to the decimation of monarch butterfly populations in the Midwest. In addition, because the crops’ DNA is owned and controlled by the companies that produce them, such as Monsanto, tough questions should be asked about the risks of having so much of the country’s food supply owned by a couple of companies. Some 85% or more of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States is genetically modified.
But consumers who want to avoid bioengineered foods have many ways of accomplishing that. Organic food is by definition not genetically engineered. Some producers of cornstarch and other products offer, and label, non-engineered versions for a higher price. Trader Joe’s has announced that all of the foods sold under its brand name are not sourced from bioengineered crops, and there are websites and apps devoted to selecting non-engineered foods. If there is a growing demand for such foods, the market will find a way to offer them.
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The store employs 12 sales people with years of customer service experience, said owner Dede Keel. "We represent a local atmosphere and we service our customers as they come in," she said.
The store also offers comfort shoes, athletic, dress and special occasion shoes and even does individual consulting for wedding and bridal parties. The store also carries the largest selection of Carhartt clothng in the Atlanta area, said Keel.
As for sales, "our best price is every day," said Keel.
The store is operating with extended hours until Christmas, Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.


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As traditional communication patterns in different spheres are becoming less relevant, mobile phones are becoming tools that are widely used for banking, payment and shopping. Mobile financial services are a new fast-evolving sector that has expanded its intermediary role between customers and retailers, financial services providers, etc. According to the survey of the Federal Reserve Board 87% of the adult population in the USA has a mobile phone. While Gartner predicts that mobile phone sales to end users will increase to 1.9 billion units in 2014 (the Gartner’s forecast for 2018 is 2.1 billion units), eMarketer expects 4.55 billion people worldwide to use a mobile phone in 2014.
It cannot but affect mobile financial services development in an impressive way. Thus, Gartner says that by 2018, revenue from mobile services will grow to $1.2 trillion and the number of mobile connections will reach 8.5 billion – fostered by uptake of mobile data cards, connected devices in mature markets, and organic growth in emerging markets. IT companies are doing their best to keep pace along with these figures. That is why currently lots of efforts are directed at IT activity concentration on the best practices. What do we get if we add the statistics on the mobile phones use to mobile financial services? At Elinext Group, we suggest that the following mobility trends are worth mentioning:
1. Improved access to mobile financial services
The majority of customers have near-constant access to their mobile phones that provide just-in-time information which affect financial decision-making. Thus, point-of-sale services continue to grow due to innovative access to them. Currently, mobile phones offer new capabilities for a retail purchase at merchant locations. As a result, a tremendous growth in using mobile phones occurs when people want to scan a barcode or get a quick response code at the cash register. These are the most popular mobile payments in the USA. Between 2012 and 2013, in the USA the share of people who reported making a POS purchase with their Smartphone in the past 12 months has risen from 6% of Smartphone users in 2012 to 17% of such users in 2013 (Source: Survey of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board).
In general, Gartner forecasts that the worldwide mobile payment market will have over 450 million users and a transaction value of more than $721 billion in 2017. This represents compound annual growth rates of 18% and 35% respectively for the period 2012 to 2017. An improved access is this very area that customers have found while using mobile financial services. 37% of the respondents surveyed by the Federal Reserve Board started using mobile payments due to their convenience. The same applies to mobile banking, the second sector of the mobile financial services.
Figure 1. Use of different access to banking services, 2013, USA, survey of the Federal Reserve Board
Modern mobile banking apps feature a wealth of capabilities including funds transfer, remote deposit capture, personal financial management, bill payments, as well as debit card functionality. 69% of the mobile banking users surveyed have checked their balance before making a large purchase in 2013 and half of them didn’t buy an item as a result of their account balance or credit limit (Source: Survey of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board). Actually, checking financial account balances or other transactions inquiries followed by money transferring between accounts remain to be the most common mobile banking activities in the U.S. and Europe.
Figure 2. Mobile banking activities, 2013, USA, survey of the Federal Reserve System
Remark: in the United States the convenience of the mobile banking overtook Smartphone adoption as the driving force behind the use of mobile banking (37% against 32% respectively).
2. Comparing the above-mentioned mobile payments and mobile banking, the common trend to be named is that the use of mobile payments is still less common than the use of mobile banking
In the United States among all Smartphone owners surveyed in 2014, 30% made an online purchase using their phone in the past 12 months, 24% paid bills online, 17% paid for a product or service at a store, 15% transferred money directly to another person’s financial account, and 12% received money from another person. Far less common was a payment by text message 5% or paying for parking or a taxi 4%.
Comparing the use of mobile banking and mobile payments it should be mentioned that while, as we have put it earlier, the use of mobile banking is connected with transactions inquiries, and these are considered to be less “dangerous” (there’s no secret that many consumers express their concern about security of mobile banking and mobile payments. Despite an increase in the usage of these mobile financial services a significant number of customers consider them to be unsafe).
3. Increased simplicity of mobile financial services.
The introduction of mobile technologies for financial organizations has resulted in an influx of new customers seeking basic financial services. The simplicity of the mobile financial services has to do with clear communication with customers and an access to services in the way they prefer. Difficult things can be made and explained in a simple way.
This area was mentioned by the majority of the respondents of the Ernst and Young’s “Global consumer banking survey-2014” conducted in 43 countries in 2014. To gain a deeper understanding of the attributes that customers value in financial services, survey respondents were presented with 31 benefits asked to select top 5 of them.
Figure 3. Top-benefits of financial services
Mobile banking ranks are lower in comparison with online banking, probably because of mobile’s relatively recent integration as a channel. Customers expect that everything they can do online can be done on their mobile device, but these improvements are still catching up at many banks.
On the whole, customers expect simplicity. Mobile financial services tend to be very customer-centric. And this is one of the most sought-after benefits that was named by the majority of 32 642 respondents in 43 countries according to the Ernst&Young’s report.
Following the trend, recently at Elinext Group we have taken development of an app that is aimed to replace many transactions with interactive financial graphs that will eliminate complexity of borrowing or lending money named LoanGarage App. Elinext Group has also recently released an FX Grant platform for Forex traders with different levels of experience .
4. Mobile financial services tend to provide their customers with advice and seamless information. This is, actually, a real-time need for mobile financial services to be profitable and successful.
Besides, we can definitely talk here about different levels of the information. Thus, 34% of the U.S. consumers surveyed report that they are interested in using their phones as a means to compare prices while shopping. The expressed interest also has to do with discount offers management, getting offers etc. The information provided affects shopping behavior. Due to mobile capabilities consumers can scan a Quick Response code in newspapers, magazines or advertisements to get product data, apart from doing it directly in a retail store.
Going to a higher information level, the most widespread thing here is that consumers of mobile financial services get a wide range of text alerts (low-balance alerts, payment due alerts, deposit alerts, fraud alerts, credit card balance alerts, saving reminders). These data encourage a person to engage into the right financial behaviors that is beneficial both for them and financial institutions.
This statement is proved by the results of the Ernst &Young’s research on global consumer banking-2014: to be more specific, customers say they are ready to involve mobile interactions as well as other interaction channels in exchange for financial and problem-solving advice. More than 70% of respondents said they would consider buying additional products from their financial providers if advisory services were improved. That is why we can absolutely declare that mobile capabilities should be built around this need for advisory service.
5. Use of mobile financial services highly depends on age.
18-35-years-old are increasingly favoring mobile capabilities.
|Upwardly Mobiles||Elites||New World|
|Safety Seekers||Unhappy and Unmovings|
|Branch or office||46 %||23%||27%||27%||18%|
|Remote channel average (ATM, online, mobile)||75%||58%||59%||43%||37%|
Figure 4. Channel use, financial services. Ernst&Young’s global consumer banking survey-2014. 43 countries, 32 642 respondents. Population groups here are given partially in comparison with the research.
In the upper horizontal row one can see categories of consumers (“upwardly mobiles, elites, new world adopters” etc.). Here one should stress that according to Ernst&Young divisions “upwardly mobiles”, “new world adopters”, “safety seekers” are younger consumers (in comparison with older “self-sufficient”, “traditionalists” and so on). Among them, we can see a high percentage in the use of mobile services. The same applies to the U.S.
Among aged 18-29 surveyed there are approximately 39% of mobile banking users (21% of mobile users respectively). Individuals between 30 and 44 account for 34% of mobile banking users. The same situation concerns mobile payments:
|Age Category||Yes, %||No, %||Total, %|
|Number of respondents||1, 956||372||2,328|
Figure 5. Use of mobile payments by age, USA, 2013
6. Use of mobile financial services highly depends on countries.
As described above, high-developed countries favor mobile financial services development to a larger extent. Developing countries are behind for different reasons. The World Economic Forum experts studied mobile financial services markets in Argentina, China, Uganda, Brazil, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Mexico, India, Colombia, Haiti, Ghana, Peru etc., in other words, countries with major differences. However, it turned out that many common concepts and insights also apply to all of them.
According to the report, the obstacles that impede the progress of mobile financial services in developing countries span a wide array of issues: lack of experience resulting in mistrust toward official institutions, lack of infrastructure and information, poor population and inadequate customer service etc. All the constraints were divided into groups; as a result, mobile financial services in developing countries need some concentrated pillars such as:
- proper regulatory environments (law, financial, telecommunication sectors)
- a proper basis for consumer protection
- market competitiveness
- market catalysts (including government support)
- proper end-user environments (mobile penetration, financial literacy of population)
- distribution and agent network
- adoption and availability of mobile capabilities.
In 2009, according to Financial Access Initiative, access to financial services was limited for 2.5 billion people (mostly poor countries).
The above mentioned research states a not much better situation. Meanwhile, financial analysts say that the poorer a household is, the stronger its need for such financial services as savings, credit and insurance. That is why overcoming the 7 constraints means a lot for realization of potential of mobile financial services in developing countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia.
To sum it all up, we suggest that use of mobile phones to deliver financial services represents unprecedented opportunities for the world economy, serving as a universal time-saving platform in Western countries and providing stability in developing economies. That is why mobile financial capabilities are becoming a kindly field for high technologies.
Elinext mobile application projects:
Industries and Technology Areas:
Industries: software development
Technology Areas: mobile application development, software development, custom software development, iOS, Android


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Golden age of Fitbit is ending, marketers need to adapt
By Brielle Jaekel
February 15, 2017
Fitness wearable manufacturer Fitbit is planning to lay off 6 percent of its staff after a dramatically disappointing holiday quarter, while the Apple Watch saw its best sales quarter, meaning marketers who cater to wearables need to adjust their strategies.
While Fitbit had originally cornered a market previously untapped and dominated the landscape for a strong duration, its dominance is losing its grip. Marketers should be aware that smartwatches such as the Apple Watch are learning to bridge the gap between fitness and function, which could mean a powerful long-term future for fitness-lead smartwatches.
Marketers need to be aware that the golden age of Fitbit is coming to an end, said Neil Mawston
executive director at Strategy Analytics
. Fitnessbands remain popular, but there is a fresh push to promote fitness-led or health-optimized smartwatches in 2017 and that is where the longterm future lies for wearables.
There will be 1 billion wristwatches sold worldwide in 2017 and smartwatches are gunning for a slice of that pie, he said.
Fitnessbands such as Fitbit are becoming less popular now that companies such as Apple are leaning how to build a powerful fitness experience with a device that is designed to accomplish even more. While yes, Fitbit has provided the capability to receive text messages and more, Apples second generation Apple Watch features a sportier design and a waterproof body. Apple Watch image, courtesy of Apple
The Apple Watch saw its best sales the same quarter that Fitbit saw its worst. However, Fitbit chief executive James Park believes this is only a temporary slow down.
Fitbits company structure will reorganize to gain better control in the new market. A few experts agree that its niche branding will help carry it through this time, and that its low cost will keep its appeal with the average consumer.
Fitbit Blaze, courtesy of Fitbit
However, for marketers and retailers, the Apple Watch has the ability to drive in-app sales. Especially after Apples App Store also had its highest performance this past quarter.
Apple vs Fitbit
Apples Q1 2017 was its highest revenue quarter ever, seeing record-breaking sales through its App Store, as well as Apple Pay transaction volume up 500 percent year over year.
During the tech giants earnings call for the first quarter of the 2017 fiscal year, Apple announced it had an unparalleled quarter during the holiday season with sales from products such as Apple Watches, iPhones and Macs, paired with strong purchases on the App Store and in service. After a disappointing few quarters, this was a big season for Apple and its results are indicative of a further shift in consumer behavior such as a bigger interest in wearables (see more
As the Fitbit ecosystem opens up to more app partners in the future this will become more diffuse, potentially making these apps more appealing as targets for either ads or data gathering, said James Moar, senior analyst at Juniper Research
. However, in terms of more easily converted users, the iOS ecosystem will remain a space that is more likely to have higher rates of in-app sell-through, even though the user base is smaller.
Fitbit is focused on quite an obvious use case, and has a better price for the casual user, he said. The Apple Watchs benefits beyond fitness tracking are less certain, which Apple has how realised with its pivot towards fitness and wellbeing with WatchOS 2 and the Apple Watch Nike+.


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18 October 2019 – Makati Business Club, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX), Judicial Reform Initiative (JRI), and Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), paid tribute to retiring Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio in a joint a testimonial lunch. MBC Trustee Ramon Del Rosario praised Justice Carpio for […]
The Philippines slid 8 places to 64th out of 141 countries, from last year’s 56th spot in the 2019 Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum. This was due to its global competitiveness score dropping by 0.3, from 62.1 to 61.9 this year while other countries improved their scores. It also dropped to 6th from 5th among nine covered ASEAN countries due to the significant improvement in the scores of Brunei.
September 2 — The Makati Business Club hosted a Digital Economy Roundtable, entitled “Roadmap for Innovation: Mapping Opportunities in the Philippine Digital Economy”, as the third installment of the MBC Integrity Series in partnership with the British Embassy Manila.
As trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies continue to escalate, the Makati Business Club and the Philippines-U.S. Business Council hosted Kellie Meiman Hock, Managing Partner at McLarty Associates, as a guest speaker for a roundtable discussion on the ongoing U.S.-China Trade War.
Celebrating 72 years of strong bilateral relations between France and the Philippines, the Makati Business Club and the Philippines-France Business Council, in collaboration with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, welcomed an inbound mission from France led by MEDEF International at a joint networking lunch and business dialogue.


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Emily Leiding-Weight, IMG Asia-Pacific’s former head of fashion and the public face of the company’s annual Australian designer collections showcase Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia has been replaced by Natalie Xenita as head of fashion, sales and brand management.
Although at press time IMG Australia did not immediately respond to a request for further information, sources report Xenita commenced work earlier this week. On Wednesday, Leiding-Weight announced via e-mail that she has left the company after five years to pursue consulting work.
According to Xenita’s LinkedIn page, she has spent 13 years working in advertising sales in the Australian women’s magazine sector, working with Bauer Media Australia, Seven West Media and most recently, News Corp Australia, where she was employed as group sales manager for the past 14 months.
Sources also report that Anna McLeod, currently marketing manager with the Scentre Group, is due to start working with Xenita at WME/IMG on September 5 as marketing and communications manager.
Leiding-Weight is one of three senior IMG Asia-Pacific fashion staff members to have left the company.
Chelsea Wayte, IMG Australia’s former director marketing and designer brands, fashion events and properties has moved to New York to become vice president of marketing communications and brand partnerships at Cynthia Rowley, according to her LinkedIn profile. Dolli Taylor, IMG Australia’s former senior marketing coordinator, marketing and communications is now communications and digital manager at the Sydney-based NAC Media Group.


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(For a live blog on the U.S. stock market, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.)
* Starbucks, Western Digital rise premarket after results
* Senate looking for a way to end government shutdown
* Intel drops as China slowdown hits earnings, forecast
* Futures up: Dow 0.77 pct, S&P 0.81 pct, Nasdaq 1.06 pct (Updates prices, adds comments, background)
By Shreyashi Sanyal
Jan 25 (Reuters) – Wall Street was set to gain at the open on Friday, as upbeat earnings reports lifted optimism, which has recently been hit by worries about global economic growth, U.S. government shutdown and uncertainty around U.S.-China trade talks.
A strong start to the year was stalled this week by growth worries. But with fourth-quarter earnings largely exceeding Wall Street expectations, the benchmark S&P 500 is holding near one-month highs.
News that the U.S. Senate was looking for a way to end a partial U.S. government shutdown, entering its 35th day, also added to the mood.
“The indices are pointing to a solid jump at the opening on renewed talks to end shutdown and earnings that are for the most part beating expectations,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities, in a client note.
Starbucks Corp shares rose 3.7 percent in premarket trading as the popularity of its holiday-themed drinks in the United States helped quarterly sales top analysts’ expectations.
Western Digital Corp, which missed estimates for quarterly results due to weak demand for its data storage devices, rose 10.3 percent after the company said its revenue would improve in the second half of the year.
Shares of rival Seagate Technology climbed 3.5 percent.
Three-fourth of the 97 S&P 500 companies that have reported quarterly results have surpassed profit estimates, according to Refinitiv data. That is above the historical average of 64 percent.
Semiconductor stocks, which have taken a beating after Apple Inc’s sales warnings, led Wall Street’s rally on Thursday on better-than-feared results from chipmakers, including Xilinx Inc and Lam Research Corp.
However, Intel Corp’s dismal current-quarter forecast, which it blamed on a slowdown in China and sluggish demand for its data center and modem chips, sent its shares down 6.8 percent.
At 8:45 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 189 points, or 0.77 percent. S&P 500 e-minis were up 21.25 points, or 0.81 percent and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 70.75 points, or 1.06 percent.
Investors are bracing for an event-packed week ahead, which includes the Federal Reserve’s first monetary policy meeting this year, U.S. jobs data, another round of trade talks and reports from several tech giants as well as Boeing Co.
Top Trump administration officials are scheduled to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu on Jan.30 and 31 in Washington as the two counties try to meet a March 1 deadline to resolve their trade disputes.
Among other stocks, Colgate-Palmolive Co dropped 2.2 percent after the toothpaste maker forecast a decline in 2019 earnings as it spent more on advertising, while battling higher commodity costs.
AbbVie Inc fell 3.4 percent after the drugmaker posted a quarterly profit below estimates, as it cut prices of its top-selling drug, Humira. (Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Sruthi Shankar; Editing by Arun Koyyur)


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A lot of 9 CryptoPunks portraits ended up selling for just under $17 million in a Christie’s auction Tuesday evening, marking another substantial moment for NFT art sales. The lot of pixelated portraits were from the collection of the NFT platform’s co-creators Matt Hall and John Watkinson.
The CryptoPunks platform is one of the first NFT projects on the Ethereum blockchain. Back in 2017, ten thousand of the procedurally generated characters were given away for free. In the years since, a vibrant NFT community has developed around the ‘Punks. In recent months, on the back of a broader NFT boom, prices exploded.
Last month, TechCrunch profiled the community and some of its buyers who have paid tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars each to join the exclusive club of CryptoPunks owners.
Tuesday’s sale marks a substantial payday for the creators of the project, but comes just days after a much more substantial one: the release of their new project called Meebits which garnered nearly $80 million in sales in just a few hours.
The final Christie’s bid was for $14.5 million, $16.96 million after fees.
Many inside the crypto community had expected the sale to reach an even higher premium in recent weeks, something that had led to a substantial run-up in prices of CryptoPunks in the weeks ahead of the auction. Though the lot sold for a significantly higher dollar amount, when priced in denominations of the surging Ethereum cryptocurrency, the entire bundle sold for slightly less than the sale price of the last alien figure, which sold in March for 4,200 Eth (some $7.2M USD at the time).
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 12, 2021
/ 3 hours ago
At least one person was killed and two others were injured in a bombing...


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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced that there are now 100 generic TLDs that have been “delegated,” one of the final steps before the domains can begin taking registrations.
Among the new domains are .rich, .sexy, .ninja, .pink, .email, .buzz, .coffee and .domains. ICANN has posted the full list, along with the names of all the registrants.
Among the known companies, Google is represented by its domain-name registrar company, Charleston Road Registry. The sole domain it has on the list of 100 is a Japanese-character name, the Japanese word for “everyone.” Google (through Charleston) actually has several gTLD applications pending, including .google, .android, .youtube and even .tech, although those haven’t reached the delegation stage yet.
Apple has just one application, for .apple. Microsoft has applied for .microsoft, .bing, .skype and .docs, among others.


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In stellar results for the quarter ended 26 June 2021, Apple reported iPhone sales of $39.57bn, up 49.8% year on year, and this huge growth has been reflected across the global smartphone industry, according to new research from Gartner.
In its Market share: PCs, ultramobiles and mobile phones, all countries, 2Q21 update, the analyst found there were 328.8 million global smartphone sales to end-users in the second quarter, a year-on-year increase of 10.8%. “Demand for smartphones continued to be strong in this quarter as buyers preferred higher specifications and better user experience,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner. “The pent-up demand from 2020 continues to drive advantage for global smartphone vendors in 2021.”
The growth was generated despite supply constraints, due mainly to coronavirus-related production disruption and component shortages, as experienced by Apple in the first part of 2020. These included factory shutdowns in India and Vietnam because of the second wave of Covid-19, the closure of retail businesses and restrictions on online deliveries that affected smartphone sales negatively in the second quarter after a strong start to 2021.
On the upside, the survey revealed that regions with higher penetration of 5G connectivity saw strong demand for 5G smartphones and were growth drivers for the leading smartphone suppliers, with Samsung in particular being a beneficiary. The Korean firm expanded its 5G smartphone line-up in the second quarter at entry and mid-range prices to target growth opportunities in 5G segments.
The company shipped 57.748 million units in the quarter, up 18.4% on the previous year, giving the firm a 17.6% market share. But although Samsung maintained the leading position among the top five global smartphone suppliers, its year-on-year growth slowed because of supply constraints and production disruptions.
Despite the massive iPhone shipments, strong global worldwide smartphone sales saw Chinese vendor Xiaomi surpass Apple in the second quarter with 51.073 million units, taking it to a 15.5% share and into second place for the first time ahead of third-placed Apple, which accounted for 15% of devices.
In the quarter, Xiaomi registered 80.5% growth in sales, which Gartner said resulted from a stronger online presence and rapid expansion in the global markets beyond Asia/Pacific led by investments in retail channels and partnerships with communication service providers.
Apple saw 49.258 million global unit shipments over Gartner’s forecast period, putting it comfortably ahead of Oppo and Vivo by some 16 million units in the quarter. The Chinese smartphone suppliers grew by 42.4% and 41.6%, respectively, in the second quarter.
The analyst said Oppo’s growth was boosted by aggressively priced mid-tier smartphones, a wider distribution network and robust marketing campaigns in Western Europe. Vivo was seen to have continued to expand its market presence beyond Asia/Pacific, beginning with a focus on Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Vendors outside the top five collectively notched up 104.93 million shipments in the quarter, 31.9% of the market but 11.6 percentage points lower than in Q2 2020.
Read more about smartphones
- IDC study finds global consumers around the world continue to show the need for mobile devices, and a particular increasing willingness to buy 5G devices as price points go down.
- Average cost of mobile handsets is increasing and people do not feel compelled to upgrade, with new features – such as foldable designs – limited to premium products.
- 5G already changing smartphone usage behaviouras Ericsson 5G consumer study to date finds seven in 10 5G users expect more innovative services and apps, while 20% have decreased usage of Wi-Fi on their phones at home and other locations after upgrading.


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|Sales of personal cars are on the decline in Europe. Click to enlarge. Source: ACEA|
European automakers will approach to European Commission (EC) seeking €40 billion in loans (US$54 billion) to support their shift to lower GHG-emitting vehicles, according to Fiat CEO and former ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) president Sergio Marchionne, in interviews given to several financial newspapers at the Paris Motor Show.
The request mirrors the new program of US$25 billion in loans from the US government to domestic automakers and suppliers for retooling factories to produces more fuel-efficient vehicles. (Earlier post.)
In an interview with the Financial Times, Marchionne said that European manufacturers were unanimous in the approach to the EC.
“We will approach the European Commission for a similar idea to [that of] the US: €40bn is a good number given the bigger size of the European industry. We need a level playing field,” Mr Marchionne said. The US loan has caused concern among German carmakers such as Volkswagen. They think it could discriminate against foreign manufacturers in the US.
...Carmakers worry it will be impossible to attain the targets for carbon dioxide emissions that Brussels intends because of the economic difficulties. “We are on our knees at the moment, so if they want us to invest billions of euros, the Commission has to help us out,” one European car executive said.
Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Renault, said before the Acea agreement he hoped Europe would follow the US. “Other governments should take inspiration from this. Why only in the US? The European Commission should perhaps do the same.”
On top of the coming push for greater reductions in GHG emissions, sales of personal cars in Europe have been decreasing. ACEA figures through September show that demand for new cars in Europe decreased by 7.3% in July and 15.7% in August, reflecting the general deterioration in consumer confidence and the effect of continuing high fuel prices. Over the first eight months of the year, new car registrations declined by 3.9% in Europe.
New registrations fell by 4.4% in Western Europe, with a decrease in Spain (-21.1%), Italy (-12.0%) and the UK (-3.8%) overshadowing growth in France (+2.9%) and Germany (+1.7%). Registrations were up 1.8% in the new EU member states, reflecting growth in Poland (+9.1%) and the Czech Republic (+8.2%) while Hungary (-4.9%) and Romania (-3.5%) were on a downward trend.
At a GM press conference at the Paris Motor Show, GM Europe President Carl-Peter Forster appealed to European politicians to help restore consumer confidence in the markets. He also called for clear, European-wide environmental laws. (GM was the fourth-largest seller of vehicles in Europe through August. Volkswagen Group was first, followed by PSA and Ford.)
Foster attributed the decline in European sales to three main factors: tough market conditions, unfavorable currency rates; and high commodity prices for metals and oils.
...for any of us to succeed, we must have customers who are willing and able to purchase new automobiles. Frankly, until consumer confidence returns, the automobile market cannot regain its momentum...We know there is pent-up demand for our Opel products. And we have local initiatives in place to spur cash sales. But our efforts are being stifled by a serious cash shortage.
...we also need help from political leaders to turn the situation around. At the EU level, and within the political leadership of individual countries, action must be taken to stimulate the economy, relieve the credit crunch and restore consumer confidence. Only then will consumers have the means—and the confidence—to invest in a new automobile.
Another uncertainty that is undermining consumer confidence and purchase intentions is the lack of clarity on CO2 policy. Stated plainly, we need action on a reasonable, results-focused, pan-European CO2 policy. Now.
...for any policy to be successful, it must enable the design and manufacture of cars that are both desirable and affordable. This is the only way we will achieve the near-term volume sales required to replace the older, high-emission vehicles currently on our roadways. Let me state this again. If the CO2 policy slows or even kills demand for new vehicles, the policy actions will have failed completely by leaving the older, higher-polluting cars on the road.
If we consider CO2 policies from this practical, results-focused perspective, it becomes clear that a successful CO2 strategy will be one that is viable for manufacturers proportional with other sectors and supported by the necessary fuel, infrastructure and taxation policies.—Carl-Peter Forster
Forster called for three main policies:
A “reasonable”, phased-in compliance schedule. (The European Parliament Environment Committee rejected a phased-in schedule in its vote in September. Earlier post.)
Policies to stimulate the early commercialization of breakthrough technologies, such as extended-range electric vehicles. GM suggests that the incentives come in the form of “super-credits” in which vehicles rated under 50 g/km count five times when calculating the manufacturer’s CO2 compliance rating.
A comprehensive plan to quickly expand the availability of biofuels.


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Kroenke snaps up Malibu shopping center for $82M
Jamestown sells Malibu Village at steep discount
In addition to his array of pro sports teams, Stan Kroenke also collects shopping malls in Southern California, based on the billionaire developer’s latest purchase.
Kroenke, owner of the Los Angeles Rams, the Denver Nuggets and U.K. soccer club Arsenal, has bought Malibu Village, a 51,000-square-foot shopping center in Malibu, for $81.5 million, or about $1,600 per square foot, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Doug Harmon, Kevin Donner and Ben Lushing picked up the assignment while they were at Cushman & Wakefield, though the team has since moved to Newmark. The brokers declined to comment, and Kroenke could not be reached for comment.
Jamestown, the Atlanta-based real estate investment firm best known for owning One Times Square in New York City, sold the property for about $40 million less than what it bought it for almost 10 years ago, records show. Jamestown did not respond to a request for comment.
In 2014, Jamestown bought Malibu Village, located at 3836 Cross Creek Road, for $120 million, or $2,350 a foot, from a group of investors that included Pouya Abdi, Michael Shabani and Jay Luchs.
Since then, Malibu has passed new ordinances to regulate chain stores. Under the 2018 revisions, a retail tenant can only sign a lease in Malibu if they have 10 stores or fewer.
Current tenants at the property include Sephora, Fred Segal, Wells Fargo, Lululemon and tourist haunt Broad Street Oyster Co.
With his purchase, Kroenke has now spent north of $700 million buying retail real estate across the Los Angeles market, according to an analysis by The Real Deal.
Last year, he splashed $325 million on The Village, an outdoor shopping mall in Woodland Hills — a mall previously owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. He also bought a defunct indoor mall just south of The Village for $150 million — also a former URW property — and a nearby 13-story office building on a full block in Woodland Hills for $175 million.


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Cyber-type non-physical triggers mainly involving industrial security or control systems have the ability to cause substantial physical damages and resulting business interruption. The losses could be huge and the risks will only get bigger.*
Much of the focus on cyber risks from businesses and their insurers has been on data protection, particularly protecting consumer details. This focus is likely to increase in Europe as the forthcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation nears implementation. However, other cyber risks are being ignored by many firms. “Privacy and consumer data losses are just one small element of cyber risk,” says Sam Tiltman, JLT Global Communications, Technology & Media (CTM) Practice Leader.
“The prospect of cyber attacks causing physical damage is among the most striking of these, yet it has been largely ignored,” he warns. Partly this is due to the relatively small number of reported losses. Many of the worst discussed losses to date have been theoretical – such as Lloyd’s’ recent report, Business Blackout, on the potential impact of cyber attack on the US power grid (the plausibility of which has been questioned by some industry figures) – or experimental, in the case of the two security researchers who took control of a Jeep over the internet. Yet there are good reasons to take the threat seriously.
How many losses?
First, the potential impact is huge. Lloyd’s Business Blackout report estimated the economic impact from the scenarios it examined would be from USD 243 billion to USD 1 trillion; with insured losses estimated between USD 21.4 billion and USD 71.1 billion (the report describes all such theoretical scenarios as realistic, although some parties have queried this).
Second, unlike data breaches, there is no regulation to compel businesses to publicise incidents, which means that, despite some high-profile incidents, many cases are likely to be unreported.
“Not many companies will put their hands up to an incident if they don't have to,” says Katie Moore, research and development manager at Airmic.
What are the implications for the CTM industry?
Potential loss scenarios based upon the broad and diverse sectors in which his CTM Corporations operate in:
- Telecommunications – destruction of critical infrastructure such as data centres, switch centres, payment processing centres and potentially even more localised damages at broadcasting towers.
- Semiconductors and technology manufacturers – plant damages and/or more isolated damage to critical equipment within the supply chain, leading to business interruption. Potential loss scenarios could potentially include fire and explosion, flooding events (safety systems), disruption or contamination of clean room areas and simply just shutting down key infrastructure/equipment.
- Media – broadcasting centre damages, equipment damage, interruption to production and transmission (in particular to live content).
This is a preview of our detailed paper, to obtain the full version please contact Sarah Stephens, Head of Cyber, Technology and Media E&O on +44 (0)20 7558 3548 or email firstname.lastname@example.org alternatively contact Kate Payne, Head of Comm Tech on +44 (0)20 7528 4445 or email email@example.com
*The following is a Communications, Technology and Media (CTM) adaption of a recent article written for JLT Specialty’s in-house Risk Specialist publication, which is a follow-on from a discussion held at the AMS 15 CTM conference June 2015.


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Govt not to impose anti-dumping duty on certain steel products
The commerce ministry's investigation arm DGTR had conducted a probe against imports of 'Cold Rolled/cold reduced flat steel products of iron or Non-Alloy Steel, or other Alloy Steel of all width and thickness - not clad, plated or coated' and 'Hot Rolled flat products of alloy or non-alloy steel', following complaints filed by domestic manufacturers of the respective products.
The government has decided not to impose anti-dumping duty on certain steel products being imported from countries like China, Japan, and Korea, as the finance ministry has not accepted the recommendations of the directorate general of trade remedies (DGTR).
On both these categories of steel, the directorate on September 14, 2021, had recommended the imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties.
While DGTR recommends the duty, the Department of Revenue takes the final decision to impose the duties.
In separate office memorandums, the department has said that "the central government, after considering the final findings of the designated authority (DGTR), has decided not to accept the recommendations".
The directorate had concluded in its findings that cold-rolled products are being dumped by companies from China, Japan, Korea and Ukraine; and hot-rolled goods are dumped from China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia.
India has a free trade agreement with Japan and Korea.
In international trade parlance, dumping happens when a country or a firm exports an item at a price lower than the price of that product in its domestic market.
Dumping impacts the price of that product in the importing country, hitting the margins and profits of manufacturing firms.
According to global trade norms, a country is allowed to impose tariffs on such dumped products to provide a level-playing field to domestic manufacturers.
The duty is imposed only after a thorough investigation by a quasi-judicial body, such as DGTR, in India.
The imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime.
The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.
With a plan to invest over USD 1 billion in electric vehicle ambition, Mahindra in July raised INR 1,925 crores (USD 250 million) at a valuation of up to INR 70,070 crores (USD 9.1 billion) from British International Investment into its electric four wheeler business. The first of the five new electric SUVs will be launched in December 2024 starting with the India market.
The company will stop producing Jazz after October 2022 while the crossover WR-V will not be produced beyond March 2023. The carmaker will also stop the production and sale of the 4th Generation Honda City by December 2022 in the country. However, the 5th generation of the sedan will continue to be available in the market, a source in the know of things told ETAuto.