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Thursday, 24 March 2016
Thursday, 21 January 2016
The Heartminders Project (THP) has wrapped up plans to once again lend its voice against rape ans other sexual abuses by staging a walk against rape under the umbrella of Heartminders Action Against Rape and Other Sexual Abuse (HAAROSA).
The event has been scheduled for February 14, 2016 in Lagos.
Read details below:
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will miss Chelsea's trip to Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday after the Football Association on Tuesday upheld his dismissal against Swansea City.
This video of Cristiano Ronaldo in GTA 5 answers a simple age-old question: What would CR7 do in a world of ultimate freedom?
Veteran thespian, Lari Williams, has tasked the government to set up an inquiry into the current state of the grant the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration gave to the entertainment sector.
There's a story in the Telegraph that Real Madrid have made a final, £21.2 million bid for David de Gea.
Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson once said he would not sell Real Madrid "a virus" let alone Cristiano Ronaldo but, as even he found out, when the Spanish giants come knocking they usually get what they want.
Monday, 10 August 2015
The West African Examinations Council has withheld the May/June 2015 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results of hundreds of candidates from 13 states in the country.
When I first saw the notification for the release of the musical video from rising singer, Adekunle Gold titled 'Orente,' I had postponed seeing it for a while until this morning and as the visuals and audio played out in front of me, I had to pop in here to commend the singer for a job well done.
Friday, 7 August 2015
We know how crazy Nigerian girls and their counterparts all over the world are about 'selfies.'
Well, take a good and detailed look at this selfie and tell us if you agree with the submission that this is definitely one way 'not' to take a selfie.
Nigerian filmmaker and Nollywood actress, Stephanie Okereke-Linus took to her Instagram page a few minutes ago and shared an image of herself dressed in immaculate white with her baby bump.
I showed the picture to someone and the individual in question said she looks beautiful; "like a pregnant angel," she said.
Do you agree with this description?
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Popular comedian and brand ambassador, Basketmouth is strongly considering getting guard dogs and bodyguards to protect his daughter.
The comedian posted a cute montage of his daughter on his Facebook Timeline moments ago and wrote:
"I think I need guard dogs now... and like 4 bodyguards."
Ladies and gentlemen, what or who do you think the comedian wants to protect his daughter from?
|A Nigerian bride wearing Fix U makeup during her traditional wedding|
Thursday, 8 January 2015
Following the recent unveiling of Funke Akindele's fresh 21 photos of herself, we find the need to urge the actress to tread carefully and to always take strong cognizance of her status as a brand ambassador at all times.
Friday, 19 December 2014
Multi award-winning rapper and Chocolate City artiste, M.I has shared his strategy of avoiding the sexual advances of female fans who might be tempted to embrace extreme measures especially when he's in a very vulnerable situation.
In a recent interview with a soft sell magazine, M.I said:
"Let me first say this, Nigerian girls are more decent. I tell you why? Fans in other countries go out of their ways for celebrities to sleep with them. But our girls are very decent. However, what I try to do in most cases is to stay in my hotel room anytime I go to event. That means, if you don’t want to, nobody would force you. I show my female fans a lot of respect. The love I have for them is not sexual. It is an appreciative love. The contact can now become sexual the more you communicate. The best thing is when they show you love, show them love; when they bless you, you bless them; when they greet you, you greet them; and you part ways. I think that’s the best way,” he affirmed.
Controversial actress and singer, Cossy Orjiakor recently fell into the mood of rocking her boat of controversies yet again and this time, she decided to wear something that drew tons of attention when she stepped out.
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Models needed to showcase designs at the Afrika Mania 2014 Beach Runway show. No particular height required.
Interested individual should contact Sara on 08096890065, BB Pin; 79EC6535 or E-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.org
Plans are in top gear for the maiden edition of 'Swish A Cruise,' a boat cruise and beach party, which has been scheduled for December 21, 2014.
There will be music from celebrity DJ, networking, pool side attractions, games, quad bike rides and too much fun for one day.
Tickets:N10,000 single- N15,000 Couple Regular- N30,000 Couple Premium.
For tickets reservation and booking call 08094212462 or 08066355463.
An online lifestyle newspaper based in Maryland, Lagos is looking for NYSC members with a good command of English and passion for entertainment, fashion, events, sports and celebrity news.
They will be exposed and trained in an engaging and busy media environment. Interested candidates male or female should send CV to email@example.com
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Konga.com, Nigeria's largest retail website recorded the sale of over 100,000 items that are presently being shipped during the 2014 edition of its discount sales popularly known as 'Yakata.'
It would interest you to know that during the Konga ‘Yakata’ sales, Nigerians received as much as 70% discount on items purchased. The Yakata sales, which started on Thursday a day prior to the global Black Friday and ended midnight on Black Friday, gave shoppers two days of fantastic offers.
The CEO and founder of Konga.com, Sim Shagaya expressed his deep gratitude to all customers that took part in the Yakata Sales saying, “Because of our customers, Konga and many small and medium size retailers that sell on our platform witnessed sales volumes that were simply staggering. We, as a people, have made a great leap forward towards the development of e-commerce in Nigeria and larger Africa”.
Mr. Shagaya disclosed that at its peak, Konga was processing N50 million worth of orders every hour and that Konga sold 500% more items in the two days of Yakata than it did in all of 2012.
His words: “We received thousands of orders within the first few hours of launching Yakata. The orders poured in from virtually every state in Nigeria and interestingly from several other countries as well. Following the Yakata sale, almost 100,000 items are now being shipped all over Nigeria.
Further remarking on the growth of E-commerce in Nigeria, Shagaya said, “Over 40% of the people who shopped had never bought online before. With a significant part of Konga’s orders generated from mobile devices it shows that Ecommerce is really growing fast in Nigeria and it is a clear pointer that mobile is the way Nigerians will shop online in the future.
Some of the hottest deals recorded during the period were Haier Thermocool 3KVA remote control generator which sold at a remarkable N53, 750 at a discount of almost 60 percent; and the Lenovo A3300 Tablet which sold at N18, 000 instead of N30, 000.
#Konga #Yakata #SimShagaya


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Air Products and Chemicals Inc. plans a 500-employee customer service division that could anchor a South Bethlehem office complex employing up to 800 people in all.
Bethlehem developer Frank Gillespie is leading a group of local investors who plan a $10 million renovation of the former Bethlehem Steel Corp. headquarters East Annex.
Gillespie refused Wednesday to discuss potential tenants for the building and declined to comment about Air Products.
But sources said the anchor tenant is Air Products, of Trexlertown.
For now, the project is being delayed by the Federal Trade Commission's review of last year's proposal by Air Products and Air Liquide SA of France to buy BOC Group Plc of Britain for $11.2 billion and split up the company.
Air Liquide is the world's top producer and distributor of industrial gases. BOC ranks second, while Air Products is No. 4 and poised to move to No. 2 with the takeover.
In March, the takeover offer was extended until May 12. The FTC is reviewing whether the deal gives too much of the market to Air Products and Air Liquide.
Air Products spokeswoman Julie O'Brien confirmed that if the takeover gains FTC approval, a new 500-employee customer service division would be created and set up in a building near Interstate 78.
It would draw employees from Air Products' customer service center in Trexlertown and BOC's operations in Lebanon County and Bethlehem, O'Brien said.
But she would not comment on specific sites under consideration.
"We are considering several options in the I-78 corridor," O'Brien said. `We intend to take the best of both companies and create a customer service department that would handle matters, from order to receipt."
O'Brien said the new division would do everything, from taking calls and complaints to billing to setting up international deliveries. Eventually, it could extend the company's e-commerce capabilities, she said.
Gillespie said developers hope to have the renovated East Annex open by early next year.
He said he plans to make the five-story annex one of the Lehigh Valley's largest centers for customer services and e-commerce.
"This will be a technology center that will place 750 to 800 workers in South Bethlehem," Gillespie said.
"It may be a 50-year-old building on the outside, but it will be a state-of-the-art tech center on the inside, with all the capabilities of a modern e-commerce facility."
The 120,000-square-foot East Annex was built in 1950 as an addition to Bethlehem Steel's former world headquarters.
The building, at 715 E. Third St., is on the edge of the proposed $450 million Bethlehem Works cultural, retail and entertainment district.
Gillespie said that while the East Annex could house an anchor tenant, it almost certainly would house several tenants whose combined employee count would be 750 to 800.
He envisions the annex as an extension of the two technology centers built in the past decade through the Bethlehem Economic Development Corp.
The most recent center, the John M. Cooke Technology Center, is to open this week.
"Part of the reason we started looking at this project was because Tech Center II was full even before it opened," Gillespie said. "We intend to provide a place for up-and-coming technology companies that need a place to grow."
Gillespie, whose partners in the project include Boyle Associates owner Anthony Boyle, said the renovation is expected to take five to seven months.
The exterior of the brick building is the type of fortress expected of a Bethlehem Steel-built structure, Gillespie said. But much work will be needed inside to bring it up to 21st century standards.
Some areas will need to be gutted to make them handicapped-accessible and environmentally sound, and others will be upgraded to handle the power needed to support the computer-based businesses.
The biggest changes will be the installation of a new heating and air conditioning system. Under Bethlehem Steel, the building was heated by steam from the blast furnaces.
Free heat meant there was no need for energy-efficient windows.
That means every one of the more than 550 windows in the building will need to be replaced, Gillespie said.
Exactly how the building's interior is remade and which company occupies it is of no importance to Bethlehem Mayor Don Cunningham -- as long as it attracts 800 employees who will work, eat and shop in South Bethlehem.
"We've been working aggressively to bring a project like this to that building," Cunningham said.
"For a retail and commercial district to thrive, you need people working on the street. This is exactly what Third Street needs."

domain: news


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The Scottish government has agreed to lift restrictions on seating and screenings in betting shop premises.
UK.- The Scottish government has announced it will relax restrictions imposed on betting shops when they reopened after the Covid-19 lockdown. Restrictions on seating and screenings will be lifted on July 22.
Betting shops in Scotland were allowed to reopen on June 29 but were subject to a series of restrictions, including the removal of all seating, switching off gaming machines and not screening racing live on television.
Those restrictions will be lifted from July 22, although bookmakers will still need to follow other measures such as use of screens, hand sanitisers and physical distancing.
Industry trade association, The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), has welcomed the decision to lift the restrictions.
It had warned that revenue was down by 95 per cent compared to before the lockdown, saying it believed the restrictions could be at least partly to blame, putting the future of Scotland’s 900 betting shops and their 4,500 staff at risk.
BGC Chief Executive, Michael Dugher, said: “This is great news for Scotland’s 900 betting shops and the 4,500 hardworking staff that they employ.
“We have always said that the extra restrictions imposed on Scottish betting shops were unnecessary. We are delighted that the Scottish government has listened and responded.
“Betting shops in Scotland can now look forward to playing their part in helping to kick-start the economy, supporting Scottish racing and providing a safe environment for customers who enjoy a flutter.”
The Betting and Gaming Council meanwhile continues to call on the UK government in London to allow casinos to reopen.


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SuperGroup sales boom as fashion lovers splash out ahead of Christmas
SuperGroup, owner of fashion label Superdry, overcame recent stock supply problems to generate strong sales in the run-up to the Christmas festivities.
The group was forced to open temporary warehousing after a new system suffered teething problems, leaving many stores with incorrect stock and incomplete size ranges on key products.
The Cheltenham-based firm, which owns 72 Cult and Superdry stores and 74 concessions in the UK, saw its shares slump by more than a quarter in October after it reported the glitch.
Follower of fashion: SuperGroup said it had delivered 'solid' sales against a challenging economic backdrop
But today it revealed like-for-like retail sales were ahead 5.8 per cent in the nine weeks to January 1, and growth accelerated to 9.3 per cent in December.
However, there was a 4 per cent fall in wholesale sales, which SuperGroup said was mainly down to different phasing of supplier deliveries compared with the year before and the 'natural migration' of UK sales to its growing store estate.
The group saw total sales, including the wholesale business, increase 22 per cent over the nine-week period to £79million.
SuperGroup shares were 7.5p higher at 558.5p in mid-morning trading.
Chief executive Julian Dunkerton said the company had delivered 'solid' sales against a challenging economic backdrop, its own distribution issues and 'exceptionally' strong Christmas sales in the previous year.
He said: 'Our retail business has seen an improving sales trend as our stores became better stocked following the resolution of our warehouse issues and the continued demand for our products and brand.'
SuperGroup last month warned its warehouse system blunder would cost the firm nearly £9million in lost profits.
View from the City
'This update is a mixed picture with underlying UK retail sales improving but wholesale showing a decline,' said Wayne Brown of broker Collins Stewart, which has a sell recommendation on the stock.
'It is the latter that should be driving strong growth with +90 per cent growth in international stores year on year. Whilst the shares may go better as a result of this update (due to improvement in UK retail), one update does not warrant a re-rating and we remain cautious against an increasingly challenging consumer backdrop.'
John Stevenson of broker Peel Hunt said: 'For wholesale, we were surprised to see a 4 per cent sales decline; this is a result of phasing, but something that had not been previously flagged.
'Wholesale quarterly sales patterns can differ wildly year on year, as we see with Ted Baker, purely dependent on the timing of deliveries. However, we would be keen for management to point out the shape of full-year sales to avoid the surprise factor and questions over full-year performance.'
Mark Photiades, analyst at Singer Capital, said SuperGroup was expected to report pre-tax profits of £53million in the year to May, compared to £50.2million the previous year.
He said: 'SuperGroup has reported an encouraging Christmas update in retail including like-for-like growth of 9.3 per cent in December against very strong comparatives, highlighting previous stocking issues have been put behind them.'
Mr Photiades said he would expect growth to 'ramp quickly back up' as new spring and summer ranges start to appear.
Stock trend: SuperGroup sales have struggled this year and took a further hit following a supply blunder in the autumn
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It's time for enterprise applications and storage to work more closely together, even to the point where SSDs become a pool of computing power, according to Samsung Semiconductor.
Samsung Semiconductor continues to pack data more into solid-state storage, announcing Tuesday a new generation of its V-NAND technology that should help bring down the cost and power consumption of flash later this year.
Samsung has raised the stakes in flash storage with a new 1TB solid-state drive based on its newest memory technology.
Solid-state storage has helped to raise the wave of portable PC alternatives that has hit the market over the past few years, and 2011 is likely to see that technology become more affordable and better performing.
Worldwide mobile memory revenue is expected to grow by close to 50 per cent this year on increased smartphone shipments, research firm iSuppli said on Friday.
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This article discusses the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry. The article delves into the challenges faced by hotels, restaurants, bars, and tourism, and explores the innovative strategies implemented by the industry to maintain customer safety and comply with government regulations.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global economy, with no industry being spared from its effects. One of the sectors that have been hit the hardest is the hospitality industry, which includes hotels, restaurants, bars, and tourism.
The industry has been forced to deal with a sudden decline in demand, temporary closures, and the implementation of new safety protocols to comply with government regulations.
In this article, we will explore the impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality industry, the challenges faced by businesses, the innovative strategies implemented to maintain customer safety, and the prospects for recovery.
Impact on the Hospitality Industry
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the hospitality industry. According to a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, the pandemic is expected to lead to a loss of 174 million jobs in the industry, with a potential economic loss of $4.7 trillion.
The hotel industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. With travel restrictions in place and customers hesitant to travel, many hotels have experienced a significant decline in demand.
In addition, temporary closures and the implementation of new safety protocols have added to the industry’s challenges. According to a report by STR, hotel occupancy rates in the United States fell to a record low of 22% in April 2020.
The restaurant industry has also been significantly impacted by the pandemic. With restrictions on indoor dining, many restaurants have had to close temporarily or reduce their capacity significantly. According to the National Restaurant Association, the industry lost $240 billion in revenue in 2020, and an estimated 110,000 restaurants closed either temporarily or permanently.
The bar industry has been similarly impacted by the pandemic. With restrictions on social gatherings and the closure of many entertainment venues, bars have experienced a decline in demand. According to the National Restaurant Association, sales at bars and taverns fell by 56% in 2020.
The tourism industry has been significantly impacted by the pandemic, with international travelers coming to a near standstill. According to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, international tourist arrivals fell by 72% in the first ten months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This decline has had a ripple effect on other sectors such as hotels, restaurants, and attractions that depend on tourism revenue.
Challenges faced by the Hospitality Industry
The hospitality industry has had to face several challenges in response to the pandemic. These include:
- The decline in demand: With travel restrictions in place and customers hesitant to travel, businesses have experienced a significant decline in demand.
- Temporary closures: Businesses have had to temporarily close due to lockdowns and other restrictions.
- Implementation of new safety protocols: Businesses have had to implement new safety protocols such as social distancing, mandatory mask-wearing, and increased cleaning to comply with government regulations and maintain customer safety.
- Supply chain disruptions: Businesses have had to deal with disruptions in their supply chain, leading to shortages in food, supplies, and equipment.
- Staffing challenges: With temporary closures and reduced demand, many businesses have had to lay off staff or reduce their hours.
Innovative Strategies Implemented by the Hospitality Industry
Despite the challenges faced by the hospitality industry, businesses have shown resilience and adaptability by implementing innovative strategies to maintain customer safety and comply with government regulations.
Some of the strategies implemented by the industry include:


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According to a soon-to-be-released Chief Marketer survey, 65 percent of marketers ranked social media as a marketing tactic they plan to rely on more in 2020 and beyond. Moreover, it was the highest-ranked tactic chosen by marketers during COVID-19, indicating that businesses are relying more heavily on social media platforms to communicate to target audiences.
Increased social media use is a global phenomenon. According to Hootsuite and We Are Social’s July 2020 Stat Shot report, 51 percent of the world are active social media users, up 10.5 percent from last year. And 44 percent of internet users aged 16 to 64 say they’ve spent more time on social media due to COVID-19, with 18 percent expecting these behaviors to continue after the COVID-19 crisis has ended.
Following are additional useful insights for social media marketers from the report:
*64 percent of 16 to 64-year-olds surveyed globally are worried about how brands use their personal data. That number increases to 67 percent when considering just the U.S.
*When it comes to brand research, social networks are now the top choice among internet users aged 16 to 24, eclipsing search engines. Younger women in particular are likely to turn to social media to research a brand: 50 percent of women versus 45 percent of men say they use social platforms for brand research.
*82 percent of worldwide respondents use digital media to access news content, with 55 percent saying they use social media to get news. In the U.S., 48 percent use social media to access news content. Drilling down further, 67 percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 years old use social media in that capacity and 63 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds. Just 47 percent of those aged 55 and older do so.
*In terms of social platforms, news content is consumed worldwide most often on Facebook (46 percent), YouTube (27 percent) and WhatsApp (20 percent). Those three platforms rank the highest for usage as well.


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The year hasn’t entirely ended yet, but AMD is getting a head start on getting the word out about what’s in store for 2014. There is limited information about specifications, but there is a general outline of what to expect from the processors.
The same branding still exists, but the Richland, Kabini and Temash processors are being replaced with versions known as Kaveri, Beema and Mullins. It appears that the changes come from the new chips being more power efficient, possibly to catch up in the mobile computing department. Something that AMD hasn’t exactly been keeping up with.
New security features are also making an appearance on the platform, with the Trusted Execution Domain. This new feature splits the system into normal and secure domains. What that means is still unknown, although more details are expected at CES next year.


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The EU opened a formal investigation into Amazon on Wednesday centered on how the e-commerce giant uses merchants' data.Technologyread more
Analysts and investors are keen to find out how looming interest rate cuts will impact the second biggest U.S. lender by assets.Financeread more
IAC is set to invest $250 million in Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing firm that is often referred to as the "Airbnb for cars."Technologyread more
U.S. officials see the deal as a threat to NATO, for which Turkey provides the second-largest military.World Politicsread more
Google's services have been blocked in China for several years, but the company still has a business there, as the tech giant seeks to sell products to Chinese firms in...Technologyread more
China may have signaled it's going more hard-line on trade, but it could be a good thing, former U.S. negotiator Clete Willems told CNBC.World Economyread more
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Barney Frank, former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, says that significant progress has been made to reduce the amount of imprudent household lending in...Invest in You: Ready. Set. Grow.read more
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A key read on the industry, the Architecture Billings Index, fell into negative territory in June, according to the American Institute for Architects. Inquiries for new...Real Estateread more
Australia's corporate regulator threatened on Thursday to prosecute some of the country's largest banks over their sales earlier this decade of consumer insurance products that it said had harmed customers.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said in a report that consumer credit insurance products, which cover credit card debts or loans when a person loses their job, falls sick or gets injured, had "consistently failed consumers".
It said a seven-year review of the sales practices and products of Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Citigroup, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group and eight other lenders had showed they "caused consumers harm" and were "extremely poor value for money".
"We are deeply troubled by the findings in our report, and the stories they tell of unfair practices occurring within Australia's largest and most well-known financial institutions," ASIC Commissioner Sean Hughes said in a statement.
"An inevitable consequence of these widespread failings and mis-selling practices will involve ASIC taking significant enforcement action against some of the entities named in our report," Hughes added.
The regulator's report and threat of action follows over A$100 million ($69.58 million) in remediation made to over 300,000 consumers and revelations at a powerful inquiry that banks were aware of the problems for years but continued selling the products.
Representatives from CBA, ANZ and Citi did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
ASIC said its investigation, for the period 2011 to 2018, found insurance sold to cover credit card debts had paid only 11 cents for every dollar that consumers spent in premiums.
It said the report found that the products were sold to people that were ineligible to claim their policy, for example, due to unemployment. It also found that telephone sales staff used high-pressure selling tactics, and that consumers were given poor personal advice to buy the policies.
ASIC threatened to intervene to get the products banned and said it would investigate "suspected misconduct of several entities involved in the CCI product market" and would take public action against the culprits.


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The "iPhone 12" family has started mass production one month from its expected release, according to a prolific leaker, athough 120Hz ProMotion Displays reportedly didn't make the cut.
According to Jon Prosser, the "iPhone 12" entered mass production without 120Hz ProMotion Displays, for reasons as yet unknown. He also indicated that mass production started this week.
120hz (codename: d6x) didn't make mass production— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) September 11, 2020
*now* you can give up
The mass production timing is nearly identical to that of the iPhone X, and iPhone XR.
Prosser has previously stated that the event would shift into early October. This was all but confirmed by Apple during their quarterly earnings call stating that the iPhone release would be "a few weeks later."
ProMotion was first introduced on the iPad Pro as a differentiating feature from budget models. A 120Hz refresh rate means more smooth screen animations, more responsive interactions, and better gaming performance. The "iPhone 12" has been rumored to have the feature for months.
Problems with battery life management with ProMotion enabled may have been the reason behind abandoning it. One rumor suggested that Apple would have to implement LTPO displays in order to get ProMotion to work so the refresh rate could dynamically adjust as needed. LTPO is used in the Apple Watch, but such a controller in the iPhone is likely not available until at least 2021.
Apple is not totally new to iPhone initial shipments after September. The iPhone X was announced in September and not released until November. Some speculation places the "iPhone 12" announcement at the "Time Flies" event on September 15, though most publications say otherwise.


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JioAds Launches Picasso.AI, Its Proprietary Advertiser-Focused AI Tool
JioAds releases Picasso.AI, a proprietary advertiser-focused artificial intelligence tool. The platform tackles a critical issue that small businesses deal with. It helps local businesses in the area produce engaging video creatives that are suited to their unique requirements and local clientele. The new artificial intelligence-led solution was introduced by JioAds CEO Gulshan Verma.
Through his LinkedIn profile, Verma shared his vision for JioAds. He said he wanted to serve millions of advertisers—from the biggest corporations to the tiniest local businesses. This program seeks to improve customer satisfaction by offering a wide range of pertinent offers. Moreover, it also looks to facilitate smooth communication between companies and their customers.
Verma’s primary challenge relates to the difficult undertaking that small local businesses must undertake. This consists of creating engaging video content that appeals to their Pincode-confined target audience. Picasso.AI is a trailblazing solution that promises to successfully close this gap, recognizing this challenge as a critical issue in the field of digital advertising.
Gen AI-powered technology solution
Picasso.AI is powered by Gen AI technology. It gives small businesses the resources they need to produce and choose from a wide range of video creatives suited to their particular needs. By utilizing artificial intelligence, the platform helps businesses create visually appealing and engaging content that is not only highly impactful but also relevant. Picasso.AI enables companies to engage with their target audience on mobile devices and Connected TV (CTV) platforms. Furthermore, it ensures accurate and efficient outreach within their local pincode areas, by enabling the creation of hyper-localized video campaigns.
After the tool was successfully introduced to the market and its capabilities were demonstrated at the recent and esteemed India Mobile Congress (IMC) event, Verma expressed his pride in the JioAds team. He called on companies and associates to seek out the opportunities Picasso.AI was offering.
- Netra is a Dual Masters graduate in International Business and Marketing. She is a content-writing enthusiast and a social media addict. In her downtime, you will find her headbanging to Pop songs from around the world. She is also a sports fanatic and especially loves F1, Volleyball, and Cricket. Her hobbies are baking and watching Anime.
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Murdoch message boosts News
SHARES in Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation surged today after the veteran media magnate said the group would stand back from the acquisition trail and forecast that the international giant was 'better placed' than its competitors to withstand the faltering world economy.
News shares, which have halved in value over the past year, rose almost 7% to A$13.54 as Murdoch told the annual meeting in Adelaide that the group's Fox News channel faces an immediate US$100m (£69m) hit as a result of the 11 September terrorist attacks and their impact on the US economy. But he said advertising revenues were recovering and he was confident much of the lost revenue could be recouped.
News down graded its 2002 earnings a week ago, dropping its forecast net profit from US$2.1bn to between US$1.8bn and US$1.9bn. The company made a US$1.7bn profit last year.
'We think with the mix of businesses that we have and the cash reserves that we have, we are a great deal better placed than all our competitors,' Murdoch said. 'Revenue bookings in the past few weeks have been stronger than recent months. In the last few days there are certainly strong rays of sunshine appearing.'
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- Solar car that claims to be able to do 12,400 miles a year


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The pastel hair color has made its way through celebrities, musicians and regular folk. With so many interpretations of the trend out there, some variations end up looking amazing, while others not so much.
That said, the 28-year-old pop musician Grimes (who has been called "the ultimate beauty chameleon") has successfully made the trend her own, showing us unique variations of pastel that include everything from pink to green and black.
Take notice…Grimes is set to appear on Teen Vogue's April 2016 cover sporting sherbet-colored hair. She claims her look is, as always, "inherently political" and at the same time just "fun."
Here are a few of her past varying pastel hues for inspo…..
Bowie-Inspired '70s Glam Rock
Courtesy of Byrdie. Read full story and watch interview with Grimes here.


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Hellomagazine.com, the online extension to HELLO! magazine, has signed an exciting new partnership with UK Online, the UK’s fastest Broadband ISP, to provide celebrity news headlines to its thousands of visitors.
This partnership will allow UK Online’s users to receive celebrity news headlines on the ukonline.net entertainment page, with promotional blocks driving traffic to the page in areas such as the news and home page. The headlines will be updated throughout the day, five days a week. Covering everything from Beyoncé to Beckham, they will link directly to the stories in the main five sections on hellomagazine.com. – Celebrities, Actors and actresses, Musicians, Fashion and models and Royalty. Users simply click on the headline to be transferred to hellomagazine.com for the full story and the latest fabulous pictures.
Tree Elven, Website Editor for hellomagazine.com, said: “We’re very happy to be providing a quality celebrity news service to one of the most established portals in the UK. Our news is upbeat, colourful and full of the ‘froth of life’. It’s the perfect Christmas addition for the UK Online site, and great added content for its users.”
Chris Stening, General Manager for UK Online added: “Following on from our launch of UK Online 8000 - the UK’s fastest broadband – we are delighted to be able to keep our customers up to date with the latest celebrity news as it happens.”
Ukonline.net – Anne Perry – tel: 0207 900 8811 or email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Published on: 12:00AM on 10th December 2004


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Windows 8 may be launching for x86/x64-based processors by mid-2012, but a new rumor from Digitimes claims that the promised ARM version of Microsoft's next operating system could take a little longer. The story claims via unnamed sources that the Windows on ARM OS could debut by the end of 2012 and that ARM-based Windows 8 notebooks could launch in June 2013.
Obviously those notebooks with ARM-based processors, made by companies such as NVIDIA, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm, would be competing with notebooks with Intel and AMD processors inside. ARM processor makers are reportedly making deals with notebook makers such as Asus and Lenovo to have ARM-based chips inside their notebooks.
The story claims that the notebooks that would launch in mid-2013 would test the waters for such a laptop. More ARM-based Windows 8 notebooks would launch in 2014 and by 2015 ARM-based processor makers hope to take a large amount of market share away from Intel and AMD in the notebook space.
ARM-based chips can compete with Intel and AMD in terms of both price and power consumption. However, Windows 8 on ARM will require that applications have to be rewritten to work on the ARM processor. It will also require the support of the major notebook makers. If those two issues can be overcome, Intel and AMD might have to deal with some real rivals for its once mighty laptop business.


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hi INDiA Copyright 2022-2050
New Delhi [India], Aug 24 (ANI): The Finance Ministry on Monday recounted several achievements of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who heralded the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and passed away a year ago.
GST subsumed 17 different taxes and 13 cesses. Cinema tickets with high tax ranging from 35 to 110 per cent earlier are now at 12 to 18 per cent in the GST regime, the ministry tweeted.
“Most items of daily use are in zero or 5 per cent slab. The construction of residential complexes saw a steep reduction in rates to 5 per cent in general and 1 per cent for affordable houses.”
Common-use items such as hair oil, toothpaste and soap have seen their tax rates come down from 29.3 per cent in the pre-GST era to just 18 per cent under the GST, it added.
At the same time, the taxpayer base has almost doubled since the rollout of GST. The numbers of assessee covered by the GST at the time of its inception were about 65 lakh.
“Now the assessee base exceeds 1.24 crore. All processes in GST have been fully automated,” said the ministry.
Now, businesses with an annual turnover of up to Rs 40 lakh are GST exempt. Initially, this limit was Rs 20 lakh.
Additionally, those with a turnover up to Rs 1.5 crore can opt for the composition scheme and pay only 1 per cent tax, said the ministry. (ANI)


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When Aaron Levie co-founded Box in 2004, he envisioned how businesses would benefit from cloud storage and file sharing -- improved data access and collaboration -- and, since few vendors grasped this, Box cashed in when this technology got popular y...
The total disk storage systems market barely grew in the second quarter at a 0.3 percent year-over-year increase, with a continued drop in high-end storage sales, according to research firm IDC.
Box and AT&T plan to lock down cloud file-sharing with a service that places enterprise content behind an AT&T VPN.
New Office 365 customers who buy at least 150 seats of the online apps suite will get deployment help from Microsoft at no additional charge.
Microsoft has consolidated the consumer and enterprise editions of OneDrive under a single Android app, a move it plans to replicate across all the platforms that the cloud storage service runs on.
Microsoft has extended the data loss prevention features in Office 365 so that they are available not only for its email tools but also for data in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business.
EMC is putting replication and recovery into the hands of VMware administrators with a software version of its RecoverPoint appliance that's designed for cloud computing.
Small businesses are growing up when it comes to data, investing in bigger and smarter storage systems that can be shared among PCs, tablets and smartphones.
Dell is organizing the backup software products that it has acquired in the past two years into a coherent portfolio, bundling three of its storage software products into a single package to simplify licensing for the enterprise.
Dropbox has improved the search engine of its Android application, as well as given it a document preview feature.
It's time for enterprise applications and storage to work more closely together, even to the point where SSDs become a pool of computing power, according to Samsung Semiconductor.
Samsung Semiconductor continues to pack data more into solid-state storage, announcing Tuesday a new generation of its V-NAND technology that should help bring down the cost and power consumption of flash later this year.
Storage technologies much faster than NAND flash aren't expected to reach most smartphones and data centers for years, but preparations are already underway in order to make the most of them when they arrive.
A shortage of solid-state drives for ultrathin laptops and hybrids will cause prices to flatten next year after dropping for the last several years, with lower prices coming again in 2016, according to a market analysis.
Dropbox will continue beefing up the business version of its cloud storage and file sharing service, adding security features to shared links, full-text search capabilities and new tools for enterprise developers.
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Microsoft has released Azure IoT Edge, a hybrid approach to crunching data in the cloud and locally.
— Delivered by Feed43 service
Internet pioneer Vint Cerf says there will be little difference between the online and real world within the next two decades.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques are helping to manipulate video and audio in frightening new ways.
Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things will create massive opportunities in workplaces.
Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph has a sober message: it takes only a handful of people to disrupt a multi-billion-dollar business.
Cameras produced by Japanese firm Fujitsu can tell if you are emotional, distressed or in the mood to be pitched a bargain.
Sony has gone for the minimalist look with its new A8F OLED range.
With one of Garmin’s new fenix 5 Plus watches, you’ll be able to ‘climb ev’ry mountain, ford ev’ry stream, follow ev’ry rainbow’.
Software and services have made it much simpler to transcribe audio, or get someone to do it for you.
With smartphones offering audio recording and transcription apps, is there still a case for operating a separate voice recorder?
Britannica Insights is available as a free Google Chrome browser extension.


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Nissan boosts interactivity for tablet video ad via hot spots
In a reflection of how savvy marketers are catering mobile ads to take advantage of the devices? unique characteristics, Nissan recently leveraged a new tablet ad unit that enables viewers to interact with the brand?s video in-stream via tappable hot spots.
The 60-second video ad promoting the 2014 Nissan Rogue ran across Juice Mobile?s network and tallied up a 78 percent completion rate and a 93 percent engagement. Nissan was the first to test drive Juice Mobile?s new ad unit, which enabled viewers to gain insight into the features of the Rogue and enhance the experience by tapping on five different hot spots.
?We saw the first generation of mobile ads be passive,? said Sonya Furdyk, associate marketing manager at Juice Mobile, Toronto. ?Much like our voice-activated unit that we released in the third-quarter of 2013, we are in favor of creating units that utilize a device?s capabilities in order to engage consumers in exciting and creative ways.
?This new unit is more of a two-way communication with the consumer where you can get more information, not just a one-line message,? she said.
?The success of this ad can be attributed to offering a different experience of an existing video ? something that is unique to the device?s function and ability that can offer another layer of interactivity to the user/viewer.?
Nissan was looking to build on a TV ad for the Rogue called Winter Warrior that shows the car battling evil snowmen in a campaign designed to break through in the competitive compact SUV category while underscoring the need for a powerful vehicle to tackle Canada?s cold winters.
Nissan partnered with Juice Mobile and OMD on the campaign, which ran in Canada.
The mobile ad reuses the TV spot and makes it interactive via hot spots, enabling the brand to create a different experience for tablets users and expand the reach of the campaign.
The tablet ad features five hot spots, with content highlighting statistics on winter weather and snow safety.
A prompt telling the user that the ad is interactive is shown first.
Enhancing video assets
When viewers click on a hot spot, they see content further bringing home the message of the ad. In one example, when users tap on a hot spot, a message appears over the video explaining that the lowest temperature ever officially recorded in Canada and in North America is -63 degrees Centigrade on February 3, 1947 at Snag, Yukon.
Viewers have the choice to view as little or as much information as they want.
?Mobile is always pull ? never push,? Ms. Furdyk said. ?A unit that draws a user in to activate extra content in an engaging way is a big win ? this is one of those opportunities.
?This unit enhances a brand?s established video content to something interactive,? she said. ?Extending commercials and other video content across different devices is valuable for marketers, but it is not worth anything if you offer the exact same experience."
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York


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September 9th is World EV Day, a global movement driving change by celebrating electric vehicle ownership worldwide. Once again, as tradition and values dictate, we signed the #GOEV pledge and officially committed to pushing e-mobility forward.
#GoEV in 2022
The geopolitical context within which we find ourselves in 2022 heightens the importance of World EV Day’s mission to encourage everyone to switch to electric vehicles. According to a recent major study, the climate crisis has driven the world to the brink of multiple tipping points due to the 1.1C of global heating caused by humanity. Energy prices are skyrocketing. The war in Ukraine has put Europe’s energy independence at the top of the political agenda. Leaders and top decision-makers worldwide must accelerate their efforts to achieve our net zero goals.
Yet many steps have been taken
September 9th is a day to recognize the exponential growth and the efforts we have made in moving towards the fully electric future of transportation. Many countries have drawn ambitious roadmaps and set regulations to replace fossil-fuel-burning vehicles with battery-powered ones. In August 2022, California banned the sale of petrol cars by 2035, marking a historic step in the state’s attempt to tackle climate change and accelerate the introduction of electric vehicles. Earlier this summer, the European Parliament voted for a ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2035. In Norway, the pioneering leader of electric vehicle adoption, nearly nine in ten cars sold in 2021 were electric, largely thanks to high taxes on ICE cars and adequate charging infrastructure.
AMPECO’s sustainability strides over the last 12 months
AMPECO is committed to enabling a sustainable future with cleaner air and lower emissions. This past year we worked hard to set an example and accelerate our industry’s growth by providing an exceptional EV charging management solution for businesses supporting our new electric journeys.
We also took the first steps to identify and reduce our digital carbon footprint using the science-based carbon accounting software Normative.io. In addition, AMPECO has actively held discussions and innovation sprints with leading institutions like the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).
As a leading EV charging software provider, we continuously contribute to a better and more sustainable digital environment. By joining organizations such as the Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA), we engage in essential discussions with global innovation leaders on challenges around our digital carbon footprint. At AMPECO, we see immense added value in collaborating with like-minded organizations on matters related to the transparency of our carbon footprint, which ultimately benefits our product and all our clients.
Fully committed to decarbonizing transportation, over the last 12 months, AMPECO has become a proud and active member of several industry bodies: Eurelectic and smartEN in Europe, Smart Electric Power Alliance and Forth in the US, and global alliances Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance, SME Climate Hub, and Green Tech Alliance, where we play an instrumental role in shaping effective policies.
AMPECO recently submitted recommendations to The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on its proposal to establish regulations setting minimum standards and requirements for projects funded under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. Currently, there are no US national standards for installing, operating or maintaining EV charging stations. The Biden Administration wants to change this, and we support them in their efforts to enforce standards that guarantee interoperability in charge infrastructure.
Earlier in the year, we ensured AMPECO was compliant with the UK’s new EV smart charging regulations. The new regulations mandate that domestic and workplace charge points sold in Great Britain will have the capability to smart charge. Smart charging technologies are designed to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of energy consumption, minimizing peak demand and maximizing the use of low-carbon renewable electricity.
AMPECO is actively involved in discussions in Brussels in the context of the revision of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which contains provisions for the roll-out of charging infrastructure (such as installation targets, payment, roaming) along the main roads in the European Union.
How AMPECO enables sustainable transportation
Our EV charging management platform promotes smart charging and optimal energy use, which helps combat climate change. We help companies worldwide to develop and grow EV charging networks. We know that a simple, hassle-free charging experience for drivers is what will ultimately accelerate EV adoption and move emobility forward, and we support our clients in providing an exceptional charging experience for EV drivers.
We will continue our ongoing commitment to supporting the EV industry and accelerating the transition to EVs. Here’s to the next 12 months!


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How intriguing. Just what were City minister Lord Myners and Commons Treasury Select Committee chairman John McFall talking about so animatedly the other night? The pair were spotted in deep and lengthy conversation at the launch of Gillian Tett's credit-crunch book, Fool's Gold, hosted by her paper, the Financial Times, at its offices this week.
Alas City Spy didn't gather what Myners and McFall were discussing but the timing was certainly interesting. Tomorrow McFall's committee publishes its report into the state of British banking, entitled Dealing With The Future of the UK Banks. The report is expected to draw on the evidence that Myners, ex-Royal Bank of Scotland boss Sir Fred Goodwin, and others gave to MPs in recent months. Doubtless Myners will be hoping he doesn't get too harsh a write-up from McFall's team...
* Gillian Tett had a good turnout for her launch. Along with Myners and McFall, there were ex-Citi chief Sir Win Bischoff, Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, Lib-Dem Vince Cable and the BBC's Evan Davis.
* City Spy does have a fashion tip — Gillian, the high heels you were wearing at the party look like they might be a size too big for you.
Myners vs Goodwin – again
The entertaining feud between Sir Fred and Paul Myners took a new twist with the City minister claiming in the House of Lords that the shamed ex-RBS chief employed one member of staff solely to ensure that the ATMs in the bank's HQ in Scotland dispensed notes that bore Goodwin's signature. RBS denies it.
It is not entirely clear whether Myners' latest dig at Sir Fred was premeditated. The City minister was answering questions on the arcane subject of the money supply in Scotland when he was asked by Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan whether it was still OK to use the bank notes that bear Goodwin's signature.
Myners didn't answer that directly (it is still OK, by the way) but pointed out that new RBS boss Stephen Hester now signs the notes — and then he mentioned the ATM yarn as a one-line aside.
O'Neill will have been gratified. The ex-Labour MP began his career as a humble insurance clerk for Scottish Widows in the 1960s and went on to become a teacher in Scotland.
It's not hard to imagine what comrade O'Neill thinks of Sir Fred.
* This must be just a coincidence. The Sunday Times Rich List had two notable risers — the Candy brothers and Andrew Davis of Von Essen Hotels. It so happens that they both advertised in the supplement too.
* Julia Hobsbawm's Editorial Intelligence networking outfit has been analysing whether journalists were "ahead of the curve" in spotting the credit bubble and impending crunch. The newly published report gives the press, TV and bloggers a surprisingly clean bill of health, saying "the media led the way".
While EI quotes many commentators who got it right early on, it also names some who didn't such as Anatole Kaletsky ("Britain will avoid an outright recession" — January 2008), Gerard Baker ("the US sneezes, the rest of the world no longer catches cold" — summer 2007) and Wolfgang Munchau ("a cut in interest rates would not resolve the problem" — February 2008). Since the Treasury and the Bank of England said the same thing, at least the hacks were in good company.
Mandy's old banger plan might just work
A sliver of good news for the beleaguered car industry. A Yahoo survey for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says that despite recession, almost a quarter of 6000 consumers polled would consider buying a car in the next six months. Of those, 38% would buy a brand new car while 62% would opt for a used one. This just might be a sign that Business Secretary Peter Mandelson's pet project — the £2000 Government "old banger" car scrappage scheme — could encourage people to trade in their old motor and buy again.
* City Spy is bemused by the latest US fashion trend: unemployment. Entrepreneurs have launched bracelets, in the style of charity wristbands, emblazoned with the slogan Laid Off — Need a Job. So far, 4500 have been sold, as well as T-shirts printed with the wearer's CV and cover letter on front and back. But maybe they're not as ridiculous as they sound — some jobless types have apparently landed interviews after having their job-seeking kit spotted by employers.
* More bizarre job-seeking ideas: A US entrepreneur has set up a company selling business cards made of, er, beef jerky. "These business cards have two ingredients: meat and lasers," claims the marketing blurb, the lasers being used to "sear" the holder's information on the beef. Gives new meaning to providing something for firms to chew over.
- More about:
- Evan Davis
- Fred Goodwin
- Royal Bank Of Scotland
- Scottish Widows
- Treasury Select Committee


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Supply chain resilience trumps sustainability
Corporates want to improve sustainability in their supply chains, but, if anything, the barriers to doing so are getting worse.
Research conducted by HSBC and East & Partners asked more than 400 large corporates in Asia-Pacific about aspects of their supply chains, including sustainability. Only 5% of those surveyed had sustainable finance solutions, and of those who are incorporating sustainability into their supply chains, four out of 10 don’t have metrics in place to measure the progress. Even among those that do have the metrics, 38% are just informal general outlines.
What is troubling here is that the situation is getting worse, not better. HSBC asked the same question in 2020. Back then, 4% of corporates said there were barriers to incorporating sustainability into their supply chains. Now it is 43%. On top of that, there is a lack of knowledge about specifics such as sustainability measurements, and also a reported lack of support from senior management.
The abiding theme of the last 12 months has been supply-chain disruption, and the greatest corporate priority has been resilience, rather than sustainability
Why should this be? The abiding theme of the past 12 months has been supply-chain disruption, and the greatest corporate priority has been resilience, rather than sustainability.
Corporates come to banks to ensure suppliers have sufficient liquidity, and there is plenty banks can do to assist with that, including giving greater visibility deeper into a client supply chain. It is only then that questions of supply-chain sustainability can really be explored.
HSBC says one of the factors holding back the adoption of sustainable trade finance is the difficulty in measuring what is and is not considered sustainable. For many trade finance transactions, industry environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards do not yet exist, though banks such as HSBC are working with regulators and industry bodies to develop them. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) sustainable trade finance steering committee, for example, is trying to develop standard definitions.
There are also government-led initiatives, such as the Green and Sustainable Trade Finance and Working Capital Framework from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which helps banks extend green financing to buyers and suppliers.
Other HSBC research, this time with BCG, found that decarbonizing global supply chains – accounting for as much as 80% of the world’s total carbon emissions – will require upwards of $50 trillion of investment into small and medium enterprises (SMEs). “That is a huge amount of money that clearly cannot be delivered by supply-chain financing alone,” HSBC says, calling for a concerted effort among multilaterals, corporates and banks.
HSBC says it expects the number of sustainability-linked trade transactions it handles this year to double, “and all indications are that our growth in the future will be exponential”. One hopes so, and across the whole industry, for there is clearly a lot to do.


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Splenda advocates and defenders were given an inconvenient truth from a new study that put the brakes on Splenda’s parade of health claims for marketing purposes. Splenda is the brand name for sucralose. One of the health claims for this chemically-altered sucrose is that its molecules are inert, they don’t produce internal biochemical changes. And even though it sweetens much more efficiently than chemically-unaltered table sugar, it is completely eliminated from the body naturally after ingestion and not stored as fat or even used as energy. Therefore it is calorie free. This most current sucralose animal study turns the claim that it is not stored in the body completely upside down: “The average Splenda users should be informed that sucralose is accumulating in their bodies and that it forms metabolites whose effects are unknown. The long-range effects of sucralose are not understood. Furthermore, we already know that it has adverse biological effects,” stated study author Susan Schiffman, Ph.D. Interestingly, the fact that all the rats in the study gained weight counters claims of non-calorie weight loss that’s promoted with sucralose. The fact that metabolites are formed and detected proves that sucralose is not an inert substance. What those metabolites are, where they are stored, and what dangers they might create, has been addressed by this new study and other studies prior to 2018.
A new, in-depth review on the synthetic sweetener sucralose (marketed as Splenda), published in the journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, is destined to overturn widely held misconceptions about the purported safety of this ubiquitous artificial sweetener. Found in tens of thousands of products and used by millions of consumers around the world, sucralose's unique ability to dissolve in alcohol and methanol as well as water, makes it the most versatile and therefore most widely used artificial sweetener in production today. And yet, its popularity is no indication nor guarantee of its safety, as is evidenced by the widespread use of other artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which while being safety approved in 90 nations around the world, has been linked to a wide range of serious health conditions including brain damage.
While millions around the world consume foods and beverages sweetened with Splenda (sucralose) with abandon, an accumulating body of research indicates that this synthetic chemical is far from safe, may contribute to obesity and blood sugar disorders, and more recently has even been linked to leukemia in animal experiments.


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If it seems like this story reappears every few years, it's because it has. Here is a sample of today's news on the topic:
Here is a headline from 2016:
According to Fortune.com, the problem started back in January 2015, nearly four years ago. Facebook admitted average video viewing figures were inflated by only counting views that lasted longer than three seconds and clicks were counted on video ads when a user tried to resize the video carousel.
Users claim these inflated statistics made Facebook appear to be a more robust video platform than it was. This inaccurate information was used to build content strategies that shifted away from traditional platforms to Facebook.
Could this be a major issue for the company, considering its business model relies heavily on advertising revenue?
For now, we are keeping a watchful eye on the situation as it unfolds and a closer eye on our metrics.
What about you? Did Facebook video metrics sway your strategy?


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American pet owners want the best for their pets, so much so that the pet food category is experiencing a trend in humanization evolving beyond flavors to ensuring nutritional benefits, ingredient quality and manufacturing standards are as high as human food.
Highlighting the impact this growth has had on American pet owners, new research from Mintel reveals that one-quarter of pet owners worry that the pet food they buy is making their pet obese.
Furthermore, 55% of all pet owners agree they worry about filler ingredients in pet food, including grains and meat byproducts. As pets are increasingly considered members of the family for many Americans, standards for pet food, including treats -- the fastest-growing segment in the pet food category -- are on the rise.
70% of households own a pet
Pet ownership is widespread in the US, with 70% of all households owning any type and any number of pets. The number of US households that dote after a single pet is 26%, dropping down to 19% of households owning two pets and 25% owning three or more. Among those who own pets, dogs are the most popular, with 73% of American pet owners owning a dog. As expected, cats are the second most popular pet, with 51% of all American pet owners owning a cat. America’s third most popular pet is fish with 17% ownership among total pet ownership. Pet ownership of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and other types of pets, lags behind with less than 10% ownership.
Owners of other pets, excluding dogs and cats, are more likely to own three or more pets, reflecting the ease of ownership for these smaller, often caged pets. Households with children have considerably higher rates of pet ownership than those that do not. In fact, 84% of households with children under the age of 18 own pets compared with 63% of those with no children under age 18 in the home.
Diet and nutrition are top concerns for pet owners
Forty-five percent of American pet owners consider whether their pet would like the taste of the pet food they buy as the most important factor in their purchase decision. Second is overall price, which 42% of pet owners identify as an important factor. Products made in the US and natural product offerings are also top purchase considerations for consumers (36% and 32% respectively). While pet owners’ interest in taste reflects perceptions of pets as family members, a growing trend Mintel has identified in American pet owners, overall price will limit the capacity for consumers to upgrade to premium-priced products.
Regarding pet nutrition, American pet owners are as concerned with what is not in their pet’s food as what is. More than half (55%) of pet owners are concerned about the amount of filler ingredients in pet food, such as grains and meat by-products. Nearly as many (49%) feel that the best diet for their pet is a “wild” diet - allowing their pet to eat only what they would have eaten in the wild, such as all-meat diets without artificial ingredients. Interest in pet foods that resemble “wild” diets is highest among millennial pet owners, 56% of whom agree that such diets are best for their pets compared with 47% overall.
Pet owners also express interest in organic diets for their pets with 39% agreeing that organic pet food options are better than non-organic options. Millennials are more inclined (37%) to worry than older generations that the pet food they are buying is making their pet obese (compared with 25% overall). Furthermore, millennials are more inclined (34%) to prepare their pet’s food from scratch (compared to 23% overall).
“The perception that pets are members of the family will continue to define the humanization trend in 2015 and drive price increases in the pet food category in the future. Manufacturers should note that the pet food humanization trend translates into pet owners wanting the same quality and safety standards for pet food as for their own food,” said Amy Kraushaar, US category manager, food and drink and foodservice, at Mintel. “As far as nutrition is concerned, some pet owners express interest in foods that cater to pet-specific diets, such as what their pets would have eaten in the wild. This entails reformulating products to be without grains, artificial ingredients or meat by-products. Consumer interest in pet food that meets human criteria for food health, safety and nutrition will drive pricing, particularly in the wake of ongoing concerns related to pet food recalls. Pet foods with specific attributes that mirror human food trends, like gluten-free, organic and locally sourced, may attract less price-conscious pet owners.”
Pet owners are highly satisfied with the brands of pet food they purchase, with 55% of pet owners reporting they are completely satisfied with their current brand. Experimentation with new pet foods is uncommon among US pet owners, with just 28% saying they sometimes experiment with other pet food brands. As few as one-fifth of pet owners (22%) would be interested in buying variety packs -- which allow them the opportunity to test out new products before switching brands entirely -- but this may be driven by desire for new flavors versus wholly new products or brands, and only 20% have changed pet food brands in the past 12 months.
Treats communicate love from owners
Pet treats are closely associated with the affection pet owners feel for their pets, with 45% of pet owners reporting treats are their way of showing their pet they love them. Mintel research shows that treat-giving behavior as a demonstration of affection increases with pet owner age: 49% of owners age 55-64 see pet treats as a way to show love, compared with just 41% of owners age 18-24. Nearly half of dog owners (48%) give treats daily, compared with 28% of cat owners. Habitual dog treat usage may relate to the role treats play in dog training.
Interestingly, few pet owners rely on the same brand for both pet food and pet treats, as just 16% of American pet owners use the same brand of treats as food. Mintel research suggests that pet owners likely buy different brands of treats and food because they hold treats and food to different standards. While food has to provide nutrition as well as taste, pet treats only have to be enjoyed by pets. Accordingly, 22% of pet owners look for unique flavors and ingredients in their pet treats to appeal to their pets.
“Treats are the fastest growing segment in the pet food category. Because treats are used primarily to demonstrate pet owners’ emotional involvement with their pet, pet owners assess treats more for the flavors and indulgence they offer versus nutrition – which they rely on pet food to provide. Pet treats that leverage this alternate need have more potential to grow,” said Kraushaar.
Humanization leads to market growth
Total US sales of the pet food category were $21 billion in 2014, an increase of 0.4%. Mintel forecasts the pet food market will grow to $22.8 billion in 2019, an increase of 9% from 2014.
“Sales growth in the pet food category in 2014 was limited by lagging rates of American pet ownership. Demographic factors similarly showed slowed growth; households with children, which are most likely to own pets, continued to decline as millennials delay marriage and childbirth. Flat wages undercut expectations that premiumization would drive growth. While pet owners continue to see pets as members of their family, the humanization trend in pet food will more likely involve pet owners looking to healthier pet foods without filler ingredients rather than trading up to premium-priced products,” said Kraushaar.


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At the end of five days packed with matches, Riyadh Masters concluded with a rematch of the TI 10 grand finals, but in a best-of-three set-up. (Dota 2) PSG.LGD – Liquipedia Dota 2 Wiki PSG.LGD since The International 10. Nonetheless, after nearly 10 months of playing exclusively online in the Chinese
Mojang is taking a firm stance against NFTs in Minecraft. Minecraft developer Mojang has announced that its sandbox adventure game will not feature any kind of NFT integration for the foreseeable future. In a comprehensive statement, the developer pointed to several issues currently revolving around blockchain and NFT technology, such as
ENCE announced that they have signed on five young players, a coach as well as a program lead to start their own academy division in CS:GO. The five players all hail from Finland, along with a Brit as a coach and a local as the lead of the academy program.


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India: Procter & Gamble (P&G), one of the leading FMCG companies in India, has stepped up its efforts to serve the country in response to COVID-19 under its response program ‘P&G Suraksha India’. The company has announced today that it will produce face masks and hand sanitizers for its employees, and to support the government and relief organizations who are on the front lines of this pandemic in India. The production of hand sanitizers has begun in Roorkee, and the company has manufactured the first batch already. The company will soon begin manufacturing 3-ply face masks in Hyderabad.
Madhusudan Gopalan, MD & CEO, P&G Indian Subcontinent, said, “Under our program ‘P&G Suraksha India’ we are stepping up to support the government and those who are on the front line in India’s fight against COVID-19. We have started production of hand sanitizers and we will begin the production of masks soon, using it to ensure our people can continue operating safely and sharing it with those who are on the front line. To start with, we will donate 1.5 million masks to government and relief organizations to combat the spread of this pandemic. The face masks and hand sanitizers that we will make will also help us protect the health and safety of P&G people and to ensure that P&G can continue to serve Indian consumers with cleaning, health, and hygiene products during this time when they are needed the most.”
In addition to the latest announcement, under its response and relief program ‘P&G Suraksha India’, P&G has also undertaken the following initiatives to serve the communities during this challenging time:
- We are extending our support to the broader community through in-kind, product and critical supplies to aid frontline and essential workers who are tirelessly working to combat the spread of COVID-19
- We are leveraging our advertising and brand voice on traditional and social media responsibly and our in-store and direct-to-consumer capability, to increase awareness on safety and hygiene measures among consumers and our community
- We are playing a pivotal role in partnership with government to leverage best in class P&G Capabilities to raise the Health & Hygiene standards in retail stores and manufacturing units across the country
- P&G employees in India are donating to the ‘PM Cares Fund’ to support India’s fight against COVID-19
Madhusudan further added, “The P&G people remain committed to manufacture and make our critically important cleaning, health and personal hygiene available to serve the people of India during these unprecedented times. We are making these products available following the highest safety and health standards and advice from the government and medical authorities. We will continue to step up as a ‘Force for Good’ and leverage our innovation, manufacturing and marketing expertise to support our communities during this time of need.”


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The emotive compact four-door coupe now resembles the larger CLS-Class, and the distinctive head lamp design which features 18 individually controllable LEDs separates it further from the new A-Class (W177). Much like its hatchback brethren (the A-Class), the four-door now comes with an aggressive front fascia courtesy of flatter LED headlights, a sportier front grill and a more aerodynamic front bumper. Expect high-performance AMG CLA 35 and CLA 45 models to come later. The largest tyre and wheel combination available will be 225/40 R19 wrapped over 19-inch wheels. Tire sizes, on the other hand, will start from 205/60/R16 and end all the way to 225/40/R19. Measuring in at 4,688 mm long, 1,830 mm wide and 1,439 mm tall, it's 48 mm longer, 53 mm wider and two mm shorter than the C117. It is also slightly bigger and roomier with a longer wheelbase than the first-generation CLA.
New technology will be carried over from the A-Class such as the MercedesMBUX operating system including digital instruments and touch screen infotainment functions. "Coupled with new operating systems, it sets new benchmarks for the entire class".
It also introduces Interior Assist, which recognises operational demands from gestures and equips the interior with intelligence, through augmented reality for navigation and understanding indirect voice commands. Serving as your personal "Siri" or "Alexa", this neat feature can be activated by saying "Hey Mercedes".
Mercedes claims the MBUX system has improved natural voice recognition and can comprehend more complex situations than before, while owners that wear a Garmin vivoactive 3 Smart Watch (which was revealed alongside the CLA at CES) can share personal details with the vehicle - such as heart rate - to link with the Energizing Coach function that can alter the mood of the cabin by manipulating the air conditioning, seat heating, ventilation and massage, music and ambient lighting.
For its initial launch in the U.S., the all-new CLA only gets one engine option for the meantime. It uses a four-cylinder petrol engine to produce 225 hp and 350 Nm of torque.
The all-new Mercedes Benz CLA Coupe is expected to arrive in India in the financial year 2019-20 after the launch of Mercedes A Class sedan this year. However, Mercedes-Benz promises there will be a "broad range" of diesel and petrol engines available featuring manual or dual-clutch transmissions and all-wheel drive at a later stage.
The controversy prompted a protest outside the school on Thursday, and some white parents retrieved their children from class. Curro Foundation School in Roodeplaat was found guilty of racism after a probe by the Gauteng education department.
Coach Billy Donovan was unable to give an update on Noel's condition following the game, with more news expected on Wednesday. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook missed two 3-pointers in the closing seconds that would have given the Thunder the lead.
As with past years most of the attention will be on the new flagship phones that will be announced, and Samsung's in particular. And with Huawei's Nova 4 also depicting a similar design, you can't fail to conclude that 2019 is the year of the hole-punch.
West Ham could move for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson if Marko Arnautovic leaves, according to The Daily Mail . It is close to double what they paid for him. 'It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China '.
Investors and Apple enthusiasts will be treated to "material" new additions to its services in 2019, the CEO told Cramer. Apple slipped to the ranking of the most valuable companies in the world. -China trade war will be seen soon.
In a press release, Cummings said , "I thank Michael Cohen for agreeing to testify before the Oversight Committee voluntarily". Now it is Cohen who is going away, due to be incarcerated in FCI-Otisville, a medium-security federal prison in NY .
Further, out of millions of sites we've reviewed to date, less than 1 percent have had their ads filtered. The 12 ad formats deemed particularly annoying based on the Coalition for Better Ads survey data.
Donovan said the 5G E icon will be used in 400 markets across the United States where AT&T has deployed advanced LTE technologies. T-Mobile said it added 7 million net subscribers for 2018 and delivered strong additions in the fourth quarter of 2.4 million.
President Trump on Thursday wished Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos good luck on his divorce - predicting it will be "a beauty". No information is available on how the couple are dealing with the financial implication of the divorce .
Samsung, like Apple, feels sting of slowing global growth
Speaking of Huawei, it's aggressively trying to displace Samsung as the top global smartphone maker, perhaps as soon as this year. The firm had seen earnings surge in recent years largely due to strong appetite for memory chips in mobile devices.
Mourinho free for Real Madrid return
Jose Mourinho has only been out of a job for a few weeks, but he is already set to return to our television screens. Manchester United have said that they are not preventing their Ex-Manager from joining any club.
Missing Wisconsin Girl, 13, Found Alive
She was found in Douglas County, Wisconsin, and a suspect was taken into custody shortly after she was found. More than 2,000 volunteers showed up to help with two grid searches around Barron in October.
Packers Hire Titans OC Matt LaFleur as Head Coach
Wednesday, the 39-year-old coach will get his introduction to Wisconsin and the Green Bay Packers media corps. LaFleur certainly is, and that phone call with the two-time MVP quarterback only energized him more.
Everything that Samsung announced at CES 2019
The design of the invite leaves no doubt that Samsung will launch the tenth edition of its flagship phone on February 20. Samsung unveiled its new, 49-inch "CRG9 gaming monitor" while optimizing it with gamers' needs in mind.
The Division 2 Is Launching on Epic Games Store, Not Steam
The two companies also say that they "will work to integrate key components" of both Uplay and Epic's own online services. If The Division 2 proves as popular, that's a significant cut to income for Valve when the game launches on March 15.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 launched in China; prices start Rs 10,000
We are actually pretty pumped about the price, the camera and the fact that the device is powered by a capable, S660 processor . The selfie camera is tucked in the small waterdrop notch at the top of the 6.3-inch display that has a 2340x1080 resolution.
Jaguar Land Rover 'to cut 5000 jobs' as losses continue
In its biggest market, China , the vehicle industry recorded its first slump in sales in more than two decades. Marketing, management and administration roles are expected to be those most affected, the BBC report said.
NYC Mayor Unveils "Health Care For All" Plan
And now de Blasio plans to further embrace illegal immigrants by providing them with free health care on the taxpayers' dime. Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled out legislation guaranteeing private-sector employees two weeks of paid vacation every year.


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With the transition period for the United Kingdom's split from the European Union set to end on December 31, businesses and individuals from both sides are stockpiling goods as they await the post-Brexit fallout. This is resulting in huge traffic at ports, and this in turn has led to delays in deliveries.
One of those suffering from the delays is Honda whose plant in Swindon, United Kingdom, was forced to stop production on Tuesday due to delays in parts deliveries, Bloomberg reported.
A spokesman for Honda said production will restart as soon as possible.
The plant is the exclusive home of production for the Civic Hatchback, including the Type R variant, and in the past year has built approximately 110,000 vehicles. However, to reduce its global capacity, Honda decided in 2019 to close the plant.
2022 Honda Civic prototype
The plant is scheduled to close in 2021 when a redesigned Civic range is introduced. Honda has confirmed that the redesigned Civic Hatchback bound for sale in North America, including the Type R, will be built in North America alongside the redesigned Civic sedan. A coupe body style won't return however, due to the current generation's waning popularity.
Honda previewed the new Civic sedan in November with the unveiling of a prototype version. The car starts sales in 2021 as a 2022 model.
The new Civic Type R should follow shortly after the launch of the sedan, and the regular hatchback. Prototypes have been spotted testing, with the car to once again sport a manual transmission but this time with possibly more power than the current 306 horsepower.
As for Brexit, politicians from the U.K. and E.U. are still in negotiations to establish a trade deal. In the worst-case scenario, a no-deal exit could lead to a 10% tariff on cars and 4% tariff on parts. When announcing plans to close its Swindon plant, Honda said the result of the Brexit vote in 2016 didn't weigh on its decision.


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So low milk supply from the big three European countries - France, Germany and the UK - continues to help the supply-demand balance.
Yes, global milk supply increased in July, but the rate of growth was significantly lower compared with recent months, with negative EU27 flows being the main driver.
Overall, the prediction is that global collections will still expand by 1.5% this year, but there is a lot still to play for on that.
European commodity prices regained much of the losses experienced during the July and early August period, which was quieter than usual.
The European cheese, butter and skim prices all improved in recent weeks, while the casein market has been stable to firm at a high level.
Futures are indicating that prices should remain at current levels for the remainder of quarter three and into quarter four. All eyes will be on China and what happens demand there after that.
So, Dairygold looks to be making a break into the US under its international brand Pastureland following the Glanbia Truly Grass Fed brand launch a while back.
Like Glanbia, Dairygold will argue a rising tide lifts all boats and there is room for everyone. They’ll argue they won’t undercut the market, but, inevitably, they’ll have to, so as to get a foothold in the market.
Dairygold is well able to defend the decision, so that’s their business to do over the coming weeks. The success or otherwise of the move won’t be found out for another few years.
So as owners and significant shareholders of Ornua, now they are selling against the Kerrygold brand. Maybe they are going to differentiate the product, sell in different stores, etc – only time will tell.
Farmers around the board table in Mitchelstown signed off on it. Farmers signed off on something similar in Kilkenny with Truly Grass Fed and then another set of farmers and directors sign off on selling Kerrygold in the US.
The processors argue they have to make a margin and that Ornua is not manufacturing the product, hence the €60 per cow difference between the Ornua index (the PPI) and what the average monthly league price shows us.
The market remains positive, so farmers will be looking to take back some of this margin when co-op boards meet over the coming 10 days.
The farmers didn’t have any success in July, so what are the chances milk price will increase for August?


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Mobile advertisement accounted for the largest share in the South Korean advertisement market for the first time last year with mobile ad spending exceeding 2.2 trillion won ($2 billion).
According to the nation’s leading advertising agency Cheil Worldwide, total ad spending rose 1.8 percent from a year ago to 11.1 trillion won last year. The gain was mainly led by the growth in mobile ad against the broader slowdown in the ad market due to political unrest caused by former President Park Geun-hye’s corruption scandal and massive strikes by terrestrial TV networks.
Mobile ad spending surged 27 percent to 2.2 trillion won on year in 2017 after a 36.3 percent gain in 2016.
Market experts believe that the exponential growth in mobile videos and improved video services by local and foreign media companies contributed to the big jump in the mobile ad market.
Ad spending on terrestrial TVs, on the other hand, plunged 12.1 percent on year to 1.5 trillion won in 2017. Share of terrestrial TV ads declined to 13.7 percent, pitiful when compared to 26.4 percent in 2007.
Ad spending in cable TVs rose 5.2 percent from a year ago to 1.8 trillion won while ads in newspapers fell 4.5 percent to 1.4 trillion won. Magazine ads suffered 9.1 percent decline to 343 billion won. Entire digital ad market including mobile commercials grew 13.5 percent to 3.8 trillion won.
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A year ago, consumers eagerly handed over upwards of $200 for each pair of special fitness “toning” shoes that, thanks to designs featuring padded, wobbly, uneven soles, would supposedly tighten buns, thighs, calves, and abs. Nowadays, amid widespread claims that they don’t come close to working as advertised (and may even be dangerous), toning shoes are more likely to be selling for $50 or less, and shoemakers are unloading millions of them at a loss.
Sales of hot new toning shoes from the likes of Reebok, Skechers, and Avia rose 400% in 2010. But almost as quickly as consumers hopped on board with a gimmicky product that promised quick results through less effort, doctors, fitness gurus, and consumer advocates expressed deep skepticism amounting to something like: “Come on, who are you kidding?”
“Across the board, none of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation. There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.”
At the same time, shoemakers, focusing way more on the skyrocketing sales figures than the gripes, churned out more and more of these shoes, regardless of whether they really toned anything. Today, what we have is a marketplace flooded with oddly-shaped shoes of dubious utility, combined with consumers who are newly wary that they’re just funny-looking shoes that won’t miraculously give you a swimsuit-model body.
The Los Angeles Times reports that recent sales of Skechers, which has been using Kim Kardashian to help sell its Shape-ups and Tone-ups padded toning shoes, have been terrible, and the company’s stock has tanked as well. One Skechers executive offered a few numbers to explain the situation:
“We aggressively reduced our excess toning inventory during the second quarter by selling 2 million pairs of our original Shape-ups for a loss of $21.0 million,” Chief Operating Officer David Weinberg said in a statement.
The problems with toning shoes aren’t limited to their effectiveness. A Consumer Reports study indicated that people exercising in these shoes are more likely to report injuries, including turned ankles and pain in the legs, hips, and feet. CR’s advice?
If you want to tone your legs and buttocks, we think you’re better off spending time in the gym than wearing shoes that could send you to the couch with your foot in a cast.
A doctor at Johns Hopkins, meanwhile, recommended a different alternative to toning shoes. She said consumers would be better off if they just “bought one less bagel a day — and walked an extra block.”


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Kellogg has secured a gateway to introduce its own brands in the promising MEA region by acquiring a controlling stake in Egyptian biscuit maker BiscoMisr, says an analyst.
Kellogg will launch its gluten-free corn puffs into free-from sections of major UK retailers this month to align with shopper expectations, it says.
Consumers increasingly are turning away from cereal for breakfast in favor of nutrition-dense, on-the-go foods, creating a growth opportunity for consumer packaged foods companies that can offer fast solutions to...
General Mills has reported a significant slump in profits for its second quarter, pulled down by a tough environment in North America, particularly across breakfast cereals.
Grupo Bimbo has bought Saputo Bakery via its Canadian subsidiary Canada Bread for C$120m ($103m).
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ruled that Pork Farms’ acquisition of Kerry Foods’ chilled savoury pastry (CSP) business may substantially lessen competition in the sector.
A method for finding bread volume has been approved by the American Association of Cereal Chemists – International (AACCI).
PepsiCo has cut about 100 employees from its Chicago, Illinois office, home to the company’s North America Nutrition division, which handles the Gatorade, Quaker, and Tropicana brand lines.
A healthy quinoa bar concept developed by a team of final year culinary arts management students has picked up the award in the ‘culinary product development challenge’, run by the...
Functional food specialist Dr Zak’s has developed a high-protein bagel and has flatbreads in development as it looks to stretch its offering in a niche market, its managing director says....
General Mills has brought back French Toast Crunch cereal to US shelves but has reformulated the product to align with “current nutritional goals”, it says.
Mediterra Nutrition’s recently launched savory bars seek to tap into one of the increasingly rare white spaces remaining in the crowded nutritional bar category, which is laden with sweets. ...
Graze underestimated the level of localization needed with snacks for the US market but will evolve its portfolio rapidly in the coming months, its CEO says.
Balance Foods has developed vending size snacks under its Poptillas brand.
Heinz has opened a major production plant in southern China for its infant cereal and snacks business, keeping a paramount focus on safety and quality.
Kingsmill has developed Christmas tree-shaped crumpets for the UK market.
Most water used by General Mills happens outside direct operations in agriculture and improvements must be made in at-risk watershed areas, says the company’s chief sustainability officer.
Gluten-free microwaveable muffins plug a market gap where major food firms are slow to innovate, claims a start-up looking to upscale its muffin pot concept.
Bakery and milling business Hovis has won the coveted Training Programme trophy in the industry’s Oscars – the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs).
High-protein cookies will continue to soar in the mass market, says the president of Lenny & Larry’s as the company plans more US roll-outs in mass stores.
The nutrition bar category is becoming saturated, but there are still untapped pockets of opportunity, says Ohio-based Good Greens, which claims to blow rivals out of the water when it...
KP Snacks’s Consett factory will close in the first quarter of next year, threatening more than 100 jobs, the company has confirmed, with the closure of its Corby plant also likely....
BEMA (Baking Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds) brought together its exhibiting members at the inaugural Gulfood Manufacturing 2014 at the Conrad Hotel, Dubai, recently.
Kellogg will liven up its US cereal portfolio with seven new products set for launch at the end of this year.
Raisio will reduce the book value of Honey Monster cereal by €10m – a move that comes just weeks after its multi-million brand revamp of the product.