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The Big Issue is keeping vendors’ animal pals healthy and well fed during the Covid-19 lockdown, thanks to a massive pet food delivery from Tails.com and support from StreetVet.
Animal companions are vital support to vendors who are self-isolating, offering company at a time when it is hard to come by.
But magazine sellers have seen their income hit after The Big Issue was forced to stop selling the magazine on the streets temporarily to protect vendors from the coronavirus. That has made it difficult to pay for pet food for some, despite The Big Issue’s support.
StreetVet, the charity working across the UK to treat homeless people’s pets, heard of our vendors’ plight and contacted online pet food firm Tails.com.
They responded immediately, sending 600kg of pet food and treats to The Big Issue’s London and Midlands offices to be distributed to vendors and their pets who desperately need it.
Sean McCormack, head vet at Tails.com, told The Big Issue: “We were more than happy to step up.


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Trade Me launches Aroha for Christchurch
Trade Me launches Aroha for Christchurch to help the Canterbury community
Trade Me has launched Aroha for Christchurch to help Kiwis show Canterbury some kindness.
Trade Me’s Chief Customer Officer Regan Savage said after the horrendous events in Christchurch on 15 March the company wanted to support the community.
“We’ve been working with St John, the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand and ‘Our People, Our City’ to find out what they need most.”
Mr Savage said there is a range of practical and financial ways that members can show Christchurch their support.
“We know people often like to give 'things' rather than a donation, so we've asked organisations for practical options. Members can gift items like petrol and grocery vouchers to people who need a hand via the Aroha Store. Members’ can also donate to The Federation of Islamic Associations of NZ.
“We will be matching our members’ donations dollar-for-dollar and 100 per cent of the proceeds will go to the selected charity.
“We know Kiwis around the country want to help and we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to show their support,” he said.
Kiwis can head to trademe.co.nz/arohaforchristchurch now to donate.

domain: news


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Citing the difficult economic environment caused by the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday said it has approved the setting of interest rate ceiling on all credit card transactions.
Data from the BSP showed that as of the first six months of this year, credit card charges range between a low of 18 percent and as high as 58 percent annually.
To take effect on November 3 this year, the annual ceiling for credit card charges is now pegged at 24 percent.
This simply means interest rate charges for unpaid credit card purchases and cash advances should not exceed two percent per month.
Benjamin Diokno, BSP governor, said the interest rate cap on credit card receivables aims to ease the financial burden of consumers and micro, small and medium enterprises “amid a difficult economic environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Diokno clarified that the new issuance prescribes a separate interest rate ceiling for credit card installment loans.
For these transactions, credit card issuers may only charge monthly add-on rates up to a maximum of one percent.
Also, no other charge or fee may be imposed or collected on credit card cash advances except for a maximum processing fee of P200 per transaction.
The add-on rate is essentially the monthly interest charged by the credit card issuer on the installment loan.
“These maximum rates and fees shall also take effect on November 3 and shall be subject to review by the BSP every six months,” Diokno stressed.
He explained that the reform initiative is pursuant to the BSP’s supervisory authority over all credit card issuers under the Credit Card Industry Regulation Law.
It is also seen to promote responsible credit card lending in the country.
“Amid the rising use of electronic platforms for payments, the issuance will enable credit cardholders to settle financial transactions under more affordable pricing terms,” Diokno said.
He also said the setting of a maximum ceiling on interest or finance charges on credit card transactions is also in keeping with the country’s current low interest rate environment.
The interest rate on the BSP’s overnight reverse repurchase facility remains at 2.25 percent. This has been the lowest policy rate since the beginning of the pandemic.
The new regulation also waives the requirement for credit card issuers to notify the cardholder of the said changes on interest or finance charges at least 90 calendar days before such changes take effect.


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For Vodafone (LSE: VOD) (NASDAQ: VOD.US), the improving long-term outlook for Europe is hugely positive. Certainly, there are short term challenges in terms of a potential Grexit (and maybe even a Brexit), but with quantitative easing now being implemented and the global economy continuing to improve, the outlook for the single currency region is more positive than it was a year ago.
As such, Vodafones share price has risen by 18% in the last year, as investor sentiment has improved dramatically. Furthermore, Vodafone is expected to grow its bottom line by an impressive 15% next year which, alongside a yield of 5.1%, marks it out as a strong growth as well as income play.
While Im bullish on Vodafones long term prospects, there are a number of stocks that I would buy ahead of it. Chief among them is private equity company, 3i (LSE: III), which offers superb value for money at the present time. For example, 3i trades on a price to earnings (P/E) ratio of just 9.2 and, while its bottom line is expected to fall by 21% in the current year and by a further 5% next year, its margin of safety appears to be sufficiently wide to still offer upside over the medium to long term.
Of course, 3i is not the most stable of companies and, looking back at its track record over the last five years, it has slipped into loss-making territory in one year but has also delivered annual growth of as much as 43% in 2014. And, encouragingly for its investors, the overall trend during the period has been up, with earnings per share expected to be 55.9p next year, versus just 19.6p in 2011, which shows that in the long run an upward rerating to its valuation is very much on the cards.
Meanwhile, the last three months have been very tough for Burberry (LSE: BRBY), with the fashion designer releasing a profit warning as a result of currency headwinds and slower than expected demand in Asia. As such, the company is expected to post growth of just 3% in the current year, although next year is set to see a marked improvement, with growth of 11% being pencilled in.
Of course, lower than expected profitability is a disappointment, but currency headwinds are par for the course for an international stock such as Burberry, while slower than expected demand from Asia is unlikely to last over the medium to long term especially with China set to further lower interest rates moving forward. As such, Burberrys recent dip in share price represents a great opportunity to buy a slice of it.
The present time is also a great moment to add global engineering company, GKN (LSE: GKN), to your portfolio. With global demand for cars and aeroplanes on the up due to an improving outlook for the global economy, GKN looks set to benefit and is expected to deliver earnings growth of 10% next year. Despite this, it trades on a price to earnings growth (PEG) ratio of just 1.2, which indicates that it offers growth at a very reasonable price.
Furthermore, GKN has a sound balance sheet, impressive cash flow and an upbeat long term growth strategy and, while its shares have disappointed in the last year (being down 4%) they could be an excellent long term performer.
Of course, finding stocks such as GKN, Burberry and 3i (as well as Vodafone) is a tough task, which is why the analysts at The Motley Fool have written a free and without obligation guide called 10 Steps To Making A Million In The Market.
It’s a simple and straightforward guide that could make a real difference to your portfolio returns. As such, the performance of your investments could surpass your expectations in 2015 and beyond.
Click here to get your copy of the guide – it’s completely free and comes without any obligation.


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Although a recent union organizing drive at an Amazon fulfilment center in Alabama failed, union leaders are calling for more organizing attempts as companies continue to undermine workplace safety and worker rights.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1932 Secretary-Treasurer/Principal Officer Randy Korgan discussed the need to organize Amazon workers on the AWF Union Podcast. Korgan also explained what Teamsters Local 1932 members do and more.
Organizing at Amazon
According to Korgan, the Teamsters have plenty of room to organize Amazon workers. Amazon has workers in multiple Teamster-related settings, such as the warehouse and delivery.
Many Amazon employees want to join a union, as was demonstrated during the recent unsuccessful organizing drive in Alabama. Korgan said these workers are mistreated, underpaid and work in dangerous conditions. With such a high level of turnover, it is impossible for Amazon to properly train an employee. The existing dangers of working in a warehouse are amplified when untrained workers are surrounded by other untrained workers.
However, Amazon has told employees they do not need a union and have taken steps to block organizing drives in their warehouses.
Deregulation in the trucking and warehouse industries and failing infrastructure
Korgan said it is important for those in the trucking and warehousing industries to join a union for their own safety. When a trucker is responsible for a massive truck and cargo, having the best training will help limit accidents.
While training helps, truckers also depend on road conditions. Korgan explained how infrastructure investments are vital to trucking jobs. Not only do structurally safe roads, bridges and highways keep drivers safe, but they also help products get delivered on-time.


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In what promises to be a revealing insight into corporate values among the Walt Disney Company's power elite, Delaware's Court of Chancery (which recently staged the Conrad Black show) is now host to another glitzy event – an action brought by Disney shareholders against the Disney board.
It was 'lights, camera, action' on the trial's second day, Wednesday, when Deborah DeMott, a law professor from Duke University and expert witness for the shareholders, made her entrance onto the set.
In terms of star quality, DeMott will face stiff competition from two of Hollywood's leading egos, Disney ceo Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz – the company's former president, hired in 1995 by Eisner who reversed the procedure in 1997 after series of explosive mano-a-mano clashes. Ovitz' ousting was lubricated by a $140 million (€110.87m; £76.98m) severance package.
The latter, DeMott told the court, had breached the Disney board's fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders, and given Ovitz a "wasteful and unwarranted" pay-off.
The shareholder plaintiffs (whose number is thought to include former Disney board members Roy E Disney and Stanley Gold) are demanding that the board as individuals reimburse the company for the termination payment – a possibility said to have triggered a pandemic of nervous tics across corporate America.
DeMott revealed that the only record of a full board meeting to discuss Ovitz's ill-starred hiring was dated September 26 1995. This was "well after" his appointment had been announced to the media – circumstances that did not allow the board to review entirely the terms of his appointment or his suitability for the job.
Disney's legal eagles counter-attacked, stressing the lack of consistency in the "customs and practice" of corporate governance ten years back, forcing DeMott to admit she had no knowledge of how other company boards handled hirings and firings at that time.
Undeterred, the expert witness suggested the Disney board had breached its own corporate by-laws which stated that a group president must be appointed by the board.
One-to-one discussions between Eisner and other board members were not an adequate substitute for the process of informed collective decision-making, she argued. Such a situation could "sap" the board's ability to collaborate when required.
The case is expected to run for around four weeks.
Data sourced from Financial Times Online; additional content by WARC staff


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After 1 month from the entrance of the biggest social network in the Stock Markets, we’re talking about Facebook of course, everybody knows that the stock price and, as a consequence, the value of the company dropped down after the first days, even if all the investors were expecting exactly the opposite..
What was the real reason about that? Was it so difficult to forecast for the big and educated business analysts in Wall Street?
The answer is simple: absolutely not. So why happened it? Maybe you have to know that behind the entrance of Facebook in the stock markets there were the 3 biggest financial companies/banks of the US: Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JpMorgan. A couple of weeks before Facebook valuation, the analysts of the 3 companies already showed that the valuation of 106 billion $ for a company that earns 4 billion $ an year was too much and that a stock price of 38 $ for a company that is new in the stock market was too high.. But they hid these analysis because they were sure to earn so much from this. How? People didn’t know that and bought the shares at that price (it reached also 45 $ the first day but it immediately went down by the 12% and so lots of people that bought at a price close to that one lost so much). Morgan Stanley earned 100 million $ the first week and so the others. It was also a perfect passage for the “short seller” (people who bet on the failure of the value of the company when it enters the market), so that’s why they didn’t change the valuation of the company, it was a perfect occasion to make so much money..
Why the stock price of the company was too high?
The reason is this one: in these years lots of people (especially young people) started using Facebook more with the mobile app than with the computer, so the company had to sell less ads and in this way less companies wanted to spend so much for the advertising on Facebook. It is a simple reason but normal investors couldn’t know this type of information, and so now the stcok price is lower than expectations
So in the end, the Facebook IPO looked more like a planned “failure” (with the complicity of the major US banks), but who was really affected were the normal investors that saved their money during these year of crisis and recession.. So maybe next time it’s better to wait a little bit more and to do better researches, because nobody will help you to earn money easily..


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The company Grove Labs thinks it’s found a way to provide customers with fresh, organic, and extremely local produce: all they’ll need is an indoor, fish-fertilized, hydroponic garden.
Gabe Blanchet and Jamie Byron stumbled on the idea for Grove a year and a half ago, when they were roommates at MIT and Byron was tinkering with indoor gardens. "Jaimie came into our room with a bunch of PVC pipes and crates, and I was totally against it," Blanchet says. But as they ate salad from their hacked-together garden in the middle of the Boston winter, Blanchet came around. "We thought that if we could use technology to make it easier, and design to make it beautiful, we could make something that would allow anyone to grow their own food."
The company now has 13 employees and a little over $2 million in funding, mostly from venture capitalists and angel investors like Timothy Ferriss, the "four-hour" everything guru. Today, Grove is announcing an "early adopter program," with units going out to a couple hundred people in the Boston area.
"We took the philosophy and biology of an actual ecosystem and shrunk it down"
The Grove system looks like a 6-foot-tall wood cabinet with four LED-lit boxes for plants. Three are smaller, for leafy greens and herbs, and one is larger, for things like tomatoes or peas. On the bottom left is an aquarium whose fish provide fertilizer for the plants. The fish are what make the system "aquaponic," a particularly organic variant on traditional hydroponics.
"Essentially we took the philosophy and biology of an actual ecosystem and shrunk it down and put it in a bookshelf tower," Blanchet says. The fish produce ammonia in their waste, which gets pumped to the plants, where bacteria convert the ammonia to nitrate. The plants consume the nitrate, filtering the water, which gets returned to the fish. "If you keep the system running optimally you can grow plants faster than you can outside," says Blanchet.
That’s an important "if." Aquaponics can be difficult, combining the challenges of keeping both plants and fish alive, and then putting them in a system that needs to be kept balanced. Blanchet says Grove’s sensors and software will help help novices, with data sent to a smartphone app that will tell you when it’s time to feed the fish, change the water, or make other adjustments. The app also lets you control the lights, fans, and pumps remotely.
Energy is the other classic obstacle to hydroponic farming. Growing vegetables on remote farms and shipping them to supermarkets may be wasteful and emit lots of carbon dioxide, but it has the benefit of free energy from the sun. Various utopian planners have dreamt of feeding the world using vertical urban hydroponic farms, but the technology has never really made sense for anyone but marijuana growers, who don’t want to plant outdoors for obvious reasons. Recently, however, hydroponics has been undergoing a bit of a resurgence, thanks in part to improvements developed by pot growers.
"We owe a lot of the knowledge base to the marijuana growing industry," Blanchet says. "We’ve taken that knowledge and put it into something that makes sense for growing fruits and vegetables."
Several companies are making commercial hydroponic farming work in places where soil is scarce and there demand for organic, local produce is high. In 2011 Gotham Greens built a rooftop hydroponic farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and has since expanded to several locations in the city, including the roof of the Whole Foods in Gowanus. Last month it announced plans for a 75,000 square foot rooftop farm in Chicago. BrightFarms, also based in New York, has been having similar success, partnering with grocery stores to sell produce grown nearby. But these are mostly big greenhouses atop roofs. They benefit from economies of scale and free solar energy.
"We owe a lot of the knowledge base to the marijuana growing industry"
Blanchet says that thanks to improvements in LED technology, their system uses about of 200 kilowatt-hours per month, depending on what you grow. That comes out to around $10 a month in electricity for a garden that he says can keep someone supplied with a salad’s worth of leafy greens every few days. (Not that this is about saving money: the recommended two-tower system will run about $2,400.) Grove says that when you take shipping into account, growing your own vegetables in their system has a smaller carbon footprint, though they won’t be releasing official data until later this year, after they’ve been able to observe the efficiency of the early adopter units.
"As a company we support any kind of personal farming," Blanchet says. "So if someone lives in Southern California and has room outside, they have no reason to buy a Grove — they should be harnessing that natural resource." Grove, he says, is for people like him who live in Boston, where the growing season is about four months and few people have space for a garden.
If they can make it easy to use, a big part of Grove’s appeal will likely be aesthetic. The unit comes in cherry, birch, mahogany, and bamboo — Blanchet recommends bamboo, because it’s the most sustainably harvested — and is lit with full-spectrum LEDs. The lights can be timed to brighten and shift spectrum throughout the day, starting red-hued in the morning, becoming bright and clear during the day, and then getting cooler and less intense in the evening. The unit is about the size of a refrigerator, and Blanchet imagines it occupying a similar space in the kitchen.
The first units will go out to customers in the Boston area this February. Blanchet says they’re keeping the program local because they want to be able to closely monitor how it’s going. "If need be we want to be able to jump on bike and go see a Grove and address any issues," he says. "We want to really partner with early adopters and have them help us build a great product."


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Is China’s Gold iPhone 5S Shortage Finally Over?
Soon after the new iPhones launched on September 20, it quickly became apparent that Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) gold-colored iPhone 5S was the most popular color option for the flagship model. This seemed especially true in China, where some enterprising merchants even took to selling gold-colored stickers in order to meet the overwhelming demand for gold-colored iPhones.
However, according to Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White, China’s gold-colored iPhone 5S supply shortage may already be over. White recently visited various smartphone retailers in Shenzhen and noted that many stores had the supposedly rare gold-colored iPhone 5S in stock, reports Business Insider.
“In some cases, the space gray colored iPhone 5S was out of stock but the champagne gold was available, exactly the opposite of what we have discussed in the U.S. market,” wrote White via Business Insider. “In our view, we believe Apple may have allocated higher stock of the champagne gold iPhone 5S in China versus the U.S. market.”


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19 Feb 2020 Screenwise Tips
Like it or not, so much has changed since COVID-19 entered the picture. Life, it seems, has gone on a standstill as kids are forced to continue their studies online and working parents, well, have had to stay at home, too.
10 Feb 2020 Screenwise Tips
How COVID-19 Is Creating New Online Communication Opportunities for Corporate Training Solutions – Screenwise Tips
The COVID-19 virus has undercut and overwhelmed the global economy. Most businesses — from Fortune 500 corporations to sole proprietorships — will face severe strains from the global impact of the virus.


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The premiere could take place very soon.
Resource Photorumors reports that soon – in September – the official premiere of the Panasonic Lumix G9 II camera may take place. And on sale the novelty will appear before the end of the year.
Panasonic Lumix G9 II on the way.
There are not as many details as we would like: Lumix G9 II is credited with a new sensor, improved stabilization system and phase detection autofocus. Whether the price of the camera will change is not clear.
Recall that the Panasonic Lumix G9, equipped with a 20-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor, was released at the end of 2017 , at the start of sales they asked for $ 1,700 for it. But this model has been discontinued.


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House brand strategy doesn't quite check out
The chains may end up with the rough end of the pineapple in the expansion of their house brand strategy.
Photo: Getty Images
Coles Myer's ambitious house brand strategy has Australian manufacturers worried, but the strategy itself may have some fatal flaws, writes Ian Porter.
The house brands strategy recently unveiled by Coles Myer drove a dagger into the heart of local grocery manufacturers.
The fear it generated among the hundreds of suppliers likely to be affected was palpable, and it's not hard to understand why.
It is, in truth, a naked attempt to transfer profit margin from manufacturers to the retailer while offering little or nothing in return.
In other areas of life it would be called a heist. How can you take something from someone else and not offer anything in return? The answer, in business circles, is sheer market power.
And that is what the Coles Myer house brand strategy has inadvertently focused attention on: the lopsided structure of the grocery industry that has been allowed to evolve.
The big two retailers control 74 per cent of the grocery trade across the nation, a dominance not seen - or tolerated - in other markets.
If you are a food manufacturer, you must have a relationship with either retailer or both. Otherwise, you're not in business any more.
That much was clear when The Age was looking for people to talk to about the Coles Myer strategy. Most calls were not returned, others were on condition of anonymity.
Even the peak body for grocery manufacturers, the Australian Food and Grocery Council, was reluctant to comment, chief executive Dick Wells limiting himself to a written statement. But he did not take long to get to the nub of the problem.
"Globally, retailers and suppliers have been rationalising ranges of products as part of the pursuit of efficiencies and cost savings in the food and grocery supply chain," Wells said.
"The implications for Australian suppliers are magnified by the concentration of the retail grocery market and the pace of change across the entire distribution chain."
He said suppliers now had fewer alternative customers for their products and the impact of the changes was likely to be significant for small, medium and even large suppliers.
The baggage is that the Australian consumer now associates inferior quality with house brands."
Wells also demonstrated how ambitious the Coles Myer plan was. When Coles Myer chief executive John Fletcher announced the increased emphasis on house brands, he said he was aiming to raise house brands to around 30 per cent of supermarket revenue.
But Wells pointed out that house brands had hovered around 9-12 per cent of grocery turnover over the past 20 years. A move to 30 per cent is of seismic proportions.
But there was some scepticism about whether such a radical target could be achieved in Australia and what Fletcher was trying to achieve by releasing such a figure.
The initial reaction was that he was just giving his buyers something with which to bash suppliers around the head.
"Setting a target of 30 per cent seems fairly meaningless," said one dry-goods manufacturer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, "but he obviously needed to say something strategic.
"Even if it is meaningless, I suppose it does give them some good leverage with their suppliers."
But it was not as if Coles Myer and Woolworths did not already have leverage with their suppliers, the manufacturer said, backing up the point made by the Food and Grocery Council.
"Even if you miss out on dealing with Wal-Mart and the number two in the US, you've still got 88 per cent of the market to deal with. In Australia, if you are not with Coles Myer and Woolworths, you do not have a business."
But, while he did not doubt the power Coles Myer could exert over its suppliers, he was sceptical about Coles Myer's power to change the buying habits of Australian consumers.
"House brands in Australia were started by Franklins, which led the way with No Frills and was followed by Black & Gold and others. But they were cost driven and went for inferior quality. Coles and Woolies went the same way when combating Franklins for 15 years.
"The baggage is that the Australian consumer now associates inferior quality with house brands."
Coles Myer was trying to replicate the success of house brands overseas, but the conditions were fundamentally different, the manufacturer said.
Overseas retailers went to the three-tier house brand system early, so not all the house brands were stigmatised as inferior.
"Coles Myer faces a significant challenge to get consumers onside for a house brands strategy. Australian consumers are particularly brand driven. Coles Myer will find shelf space alone will not get them there."
Another factor is that there are few brands that travel well across grocery categories. Coles Myer may have to invent - and invest in - 15, 20 or 30 new brands, according to the manufacturer. It won't be cheap.
However, assuming Coles Myer can persuade consumers to buy its house-branded products, another long-term problem could well emerge to undermine the strategy.
The house brand strategy would splinter the available volume over more brands and, as a result, may have exactly the opposite effect Coles Myer was looking for, leading baked goods supplier Richard Rijs said.
"Margins will get tighter under any house brand system due to uneconomic production runs, and that will eliminate our ability to launch new products and innovate," said Rijs, the managing director of Patties Foods, one of the country's biggest bakers.
"In any food or dry-goods category, if there are two or three major brands and three house brands splitting the available volume, it is very difficult to see how even a major manufacturer can make good money."
Patties is a little less dependent on the two grocery giants thanks to the fast-food element in its product range, which means that around half its output goes to other outlets in the convenience and route trade.
But it is still under fire, as around 25 per cent of all baked products handled by supermarkets are house branded. Rijs said the supermarket operators needed to be careful in implementing their house brands strategy or they could kill the goose that laid the Coles or Woolies eggs.
In Britain, where house brands had a much larger share of the market, retailers such as Sainsburys and Tesco had had to shoulder the expense of product innovation, Rijs said.
"Even though Coles and Woolies have a much greater market share, it is difficult to see how they could still do product development on the 100,000 SKUs (stock-keeping units) they sell in their supermarkets."
"It's a catch-22 situation. Either the manufacturers have to be allowed to make a margin to fund all these developments, or the supermarkets are going to have to figure out how they can do it."
There is no prize for guessing who Rijs believes would do the product development best.
"It's our business, our lives. When you've got all that expertise under one roof, you dream about ways to improve the product and improve the margins and improve the offer to the consumer."


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After a series of problems with the software, Apple has finally released HealthKit in the new iOS update, iOS 8.0.2.
HealthKit was supposed to be released in iOS 8, however for unspecified reasons the release was delayed at the last minute. Despite this, it seems that HealthKit could have a truly big impact on health.
"What the iPod did for the music industry, HealthKit is starting to do for the health-care industry, affecting the business model and business strategy of health and wellness apps, hospitals, doctors, lab test results companies, and health insurance companies," said CEO of MedWhat, Arturo Devesa.
While HealthKit is now available to users, it's still not going to be used to its full capacity for some time. It is expected that around halfway through 2015, things will get a lot more interesting concerning the new health-tracking system and it may change how doctors interact with their patients.
"It solves health data transport issues at significant scale, allowing anyone to build software and services that are agnostic to specific devices or apps that an individual consumer chooses," said Malay Gandhi from the Rock Health accelerator.
The system will also allow users to have a central location for all their health data, without having to worry about losing data, as it is stored in the cloud. This is also helpful for those who may want to change devices.
Despite the excitement surrounding the health-tracking system, many aren't too happy about what it currently offers. Soon after iOS 8.0.2 was released it was revealed that HealthKit did not track women's menstrual cycles, which is seemingly a no-brainer for any health-tracking system that is targeted at a wide audience.
"We've seen a lot of conversation in our user community and on Twitter wondering why period tracking isn't part of it right away," said Lisa Kennelly, marketing community manager for Clue, a cycle-tracking app. "It's a Quantified Self practice that a vast number of women do, maybe it's not as well known about yet on the tech and development side of things. We're trying to change that!" Quantified Self is a company that makes self-tracking tools.
While there certainly some issues surrounding HealthKit, many are enjoying the features that it does bring with the first HealthKit-compatible apps being released to the app store now that HealthKit is available for users.
FitPort is one of the first apps to take advantage of HealthKit. It tracks steps, distance, calorie intake, weight, body fat percentage and so on. It will also act as a kind of dashboard, displaying information regarding a user's health in a way that is easy to look at.


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Swedish underwear brand Bjorn Borg is launching across China, this season.
The brand is set to launch its first Chinese shop-in-shop in the Sogo department store on Shanghai’s West Nanjing Road.
At the same time, the company will introduce its range throughout the whole of China, through a collaboration with e-tailer Taobao – the Chinese equivalent to eBay or Amazon.
Bjorn Borg chief executive Arthur Engel said: “This is a first step in our Chinese initiative. We are in it for the long term and this will be followed by a number of stores both inShanghai and the rest of China. We are very proud to say JA! to Shanghai and China through the opening of these two channels and hope to see a healthy growth. Our core business branded underwear is for instance a trend that not quite has got a foothold in China yet."
The Björn Borg offer in China will encompass a full wardrobe, from underwear and sports wear to footwear and accessories.
Björn Borg’s investing partner in China, Penny York, held a series of senior positions for an international underwear brand – with over 500 points of sale – before deciding to join the Bjorn Borg China initiative.
She said: "We are looking forward to establishing Björn Borg in China and believe that the brand’s signature style with a mix of color, quality and fashion with a sporty twist is a combination that fits the Chinese market very well. With Björn Borg’s portfolio and a well-planned long-term enterprise we see a strong potential for the brand in the country."


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In an effort to reassure travelers during the pandemic, Airbnb says hosts now have to meet higher sanitation standards or risk being deactivated.
The company has given hosts until Nov. 20 to commit to its health and safety guidelines. Guests must agree to the guidelines when they book a listing.
In addition to the sanitation requirements, hosts and guests also are expected to wear masks and practice social distancing when interacting with each other.
The five-step cleaning protocol required by the guidelines originally went into effect in June as optional standards.
Hosts who agreed to those standards had an "enhanced clean" badge featured on their listings.


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RV Rental in High Gear Ahead of Japan Rugby World Cup
Newsfrom JapanSports Society
Tokyo, Aug. 20 (Jiji Press)--Demand for rental recreational vehicles is spiking from foreign travelers planning to visit Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which kicks off in a month.
According to RV rental company Fuji Cars Japan Co., the number of RV reservations at outlets around Tokyo has reached three to four times that of the average year between mid-September and the end of October. The World Cup will run from Sept. 20 to Nov. 2.
"I've realized again how intense the rugby fever is around the world" amid a raft of inquiries from overseas fans from a year ago, a company official said.
Japan Campingcar Rental Center, another rental service, said that RV reservations of 15 to 20 days have been made from countries such as France and Australia.
"Japanese users often book from Friday night to midday Sunday, and average Western guests book for about 10 days," said Toshiaki Itaya, 44, an RV business official at the center. "International customers this year are booking overwhelmingly more days."
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]


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US Tiger Securities analyst Bo Pei has lowered his estimate for Nio Inc‘s NIO third-quarter deliveries by 12%, according to a research note.
What Happened: “Due to softer demand and industry competition, we are lowering 3Q delivery estimate by 12% from 41,718 to 36,856,” Pei said in his note that analyzed the Chinese electric vehicle firm.
Top Risks: Among the top risks Nio faces include a highly competitive EV market led by Tesla Inc TSLA and increased scrutiny of Chinese companies by U.S. securities regulators, Pei said.
“As a Chinese company, Nio might face more data security scrutiny when entering overseas markets,” he added.
Rating Unchanged: Pei maintained his ‘buy’ rating on Nio, with a price target of $35.
“Our $35 (unchanged) price target is based on 3.8x 2023 estimated sales of $15 billion. We’d note that 3.8x is meaningfully lower than Tesla’s current level of 7.8x,” Pei said.
Deliveries: Nio sold 10,677 cars in August, recording an 81.6% rise in deliveries from a year ago. On a month-on-month basis, deliveries were 6.2% higher than the 10,052 cars it sold in July.
Price Action: Nio’s U.S. shares ended Thursday 5.6% down at $18.795, before falling 0.4% in extended trading, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.


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Three of four major US carriers – Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint – are all pushing the big Android 8.0 Oreo system update to 2017's Samsung's flagship smartphone.
So far this new software rollout doesn't include the Galaxy Note 8, but that's coming soon, too, according to an official statement we received from Samsung.
"We are beginning to roll out Android Oreo to select US Galaxy smartphones, starting with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+," a Samsung spokesperson told TechRadar. "Galaxy Note8 will follow shortly thereafter."
Android Oreo brings these new features to S8
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus on Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are going to be able to take advantage of several new features after updating to Android Oreo.
You can use picture-in-picture to run two supported apps at once (great for tracking directions on in a small corner Google Maps window while looking up email to double check the address). And Google's software will better be able to remember logins and passwords thanks to enhanced autofill functions.
Today's update also includes the newest version of Samsung Experience 9.0 that just debuted on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. You'll get keyboard shortcuts, smarter internal search and a more informative Bixby AI thanks to Bixby briefing.
Where's the S8 Android Oreo update for AT&T?
We haven't gotten word from AT&T on when to expect the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus on its network to make the Android Oreo jump – we did ask that question, however, and will update this story when we hear back.
Right now, the two Samsung Galaxy S8 phones on AT&T are stuck using Android Nougat, with the latest update being March 9 for a Android 7.0 security patch. Nothing more.
We almost got a taste of Android Oreo on the Samsung Galaxy S8 in the US before this. After S8 Oreo beta, there was a first attempt at an update, but it was yanked due to a mysteriously software reboot glitch.
In today's statement, Samsung reminded us that it's been "completing extensive testing and beta tests that are standard when we launch a new Android update or product."
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Tesla has been leading the charge on the EV revolution. But a former partner appears to be planning aggressive competition in the Electric Semi-Truck space?
Recent data breaches have made privacy a hot button topic. Chief Investment Strategist, Clint Kirby, explains why this may be good for SNAP and bad for FB.
Chief Financial Strategist, Clint Kirby, delivers a bold prediction on Alibaba that could change the game for US retailers who’ve been getting “Amazoned.”
Could Apple’s next big play make the iPhone look like the iPod? Read this month’s bold prediction and see what we believe is driving the “next big thing”.
Twilio (TWLO) was one of the hottest IPO’s of 2016. Since then the stock has seen better days. We think things may change. Don’t miss this rare opportunity!


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The sleepiness of Claremont during the college break is over, and students and faculty are back to business as usual. Business as usual on Fridays includes women at Scripps College selling Challah at Seal Court. The selling of this traditional Jewish bread (with a variety of delicious non-traditional flavors) started ten years ago at Scripps, with profits going to various charities. Over 50 chapters around the world have joined this venture which started here in Claremont.
You can check out the Facebook page, the website, and this short radio piece about Scripps College Challah for Hunger, but it’s even better if you go get your own loaf or two. Our Friday pleasure was Mexican Chocolate Chip. If you aren’t so adventurous, there’s always plain.


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Travel uncertainty and generous refund policies are prompting desperate holidaymakers to book multiple trips before bailing on all but their top choice – including in Berkshire.
A double booking trend has left UK hoteliers and B&B operators out of pocket, industry website GlobeTrender reports, particularly since the government announced a lift of the holiday ban from The Times
Research by hotel website Hoo found that the rate of UK cancellations between January and March this year jumped to 39 per cent, compared with just 20 per cent last year, in part due to holidaymakers hedging their bets to ensure a break somewhere.
Hoteliers told campsites that double bookers were “abusing” policies designed to offer peace of mind, with the potential to cause havoc for domestic tourism. Fears abounded that this would worsen, with confirmation on Friday (May 7) that summer holidays were a go.
Local accommodation providers report mixed fortunes, with both bookings and cancellations on the rise.
We called local accommodation providers – from campsites to luxury hotels – asking whether they had experienced “spread betting” or “multi booking”, finding that some suspect dishonesty by cautious tourists.
Eileen Fahri, owner of the Rutlands B&B in Windsor, said most of her recent customers have been domestic.
She said: “From the end of June my bookings have increased, absolutely.
“I’ve seen a huge increase in people having a weekend away at home, people who have been missing out on a break.”
Though bookings are up, cancellations are too. It’s hard to know why, but some cases do make Eileen suspicious.
“What hasn’t happened is people saying they’ve found a holiday in the sun,” she said. “They say someone has died or something. And sometimes that will be the case. But I’ve been in the trade a long time and I know people. I just have to bite my tongue, calm them down and return their deposit. I’m not up for rows.”
Hurley House Hotel, in Berkshire has seen bookings increase since Friday’s travel announcement, while experiencing no issues with double bookers.
A spokesman said: “It does seem as though people feel better about staying away from home, as the lockdown is eased.
“The only cancellations we have seen have been due to the weather. Otherwise, things have been picking up and we’re ready to receive guests as soon as we’re allowed.”
While a spokesman for a Covid caravan park and campsite – who spoke on the condition that his employer’s name was withheld – said business there was also good.
He added that bookings were up on 2020, although not particularly since last week’s announcement. “Bookings have just been crazy all year,” he said.
Adding: “I think people are still a bit sceptical about going abroad. So I can’t say that we’ve had any problem with last-minute cancellations because of the latest announcements.”
Manor Farm Courtyard is a self-catered luxury cottage in the historic village of Hampstead Norreys, guests include a mixture of families on holiday and professionals on business trips.
Cottage manager Jessica has direct contact with everyone who books – something which may have discouraged holidaymakers hedging their bets.
“There’s been no change since the latest government announcement, though there may be in time," she said. "We haven’t heard about [double booking]. I guess if you’re taking bookings through a third party, people might be more inclined to try that. But our cancellation policy wouldn’t really allow it anyway.”
But B&B owner Caroline Youds, who runs Park Farm in Windsor, said she has definitely seen a “multi-booking” trend – though she does not blame Covid uncertainty.
“I don’t think it’s a phenomenon of the pandemic,” said Caroline.
"I think it’s something all the booking websites are more than aware of. People would multi-book even before the pandemic. They book three or four B&Bs and, nearer the time, they look for special offers.”
With deposits not forfeited until two days before the booking, some customers will cancel and rebook the same accommodation at a discounted rate, if offered.
“Sometimes they do have illness or bereavement, so I always allow 48-hour refunds and people are aware of that,” she said. “But customers are savvy and they’re out for the best deals.”
“It can be June and suddenly you’ve got a few empty rooms so you reduce the price,” said Caroline.
She added: “With the option to cancel up to 48 hours beforehand, they do. You can say no refunds, but there’s a lot of bedrooms in Windsor so if you say that, they’re reluctant to book. Consumers want it both ways. We’ve become a demanding society – people want more and to pay less, me included."


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GOLFERS do it. Musicians do it. And of course, winemakers do it. Now swimmers are getting into the act of connecting their name to a wine.
Hold onto your thighs ladies ?+¦-+???+¦-ú?-¦?+¦-ú?+¦+¦ and Grape male staff members ?+¦-+???+¦-ú?-¦?+¦-ú?+¦+¦ because hunk-of-hunks Ryk Neethling is to launch his own wine.
Who exactly is to make the wine that will be placed in a bottle obviously adorned with Ryk’s dimply smile and ripped torso is not yet known as this information was leaked to your reporter in one of those off-guard moments. But the smart money says the wine will be produced at Val de Vie in Paarl where Monsieur Neethling runs a swimming academy.
While we eagerly await the news releases stating Ryk’s lifelong ?+¦-+???+¦-ú?-¦?+¦-ú?+¦+¦ but as yet unknown ?+¦-+???+¦-ú?-¦?+¦-ú?+¦+¦ passion for wine and his commitment to ensuring the quality of his wine is up to scratch, it will be interesting to see how the athlete’s rigorously athletic lifestyle is promoted alongside that of a part-time tippler. Golfers and rugby-players can talk convincingly about enjoying the odd snort. But an Olympic gold medallist whose sport demands training sessions of six hours a day does not a believable wine drinker make.
But I’m sure some of us will buy the bottle of whatever just for those abs.
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Medicinal cannabis on its way
Posted at 5:53am Thursday 20 Dec, 2018 | By Emma Conyngham firstname.lastname@example.org
The Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill passed its third reading in Parliament last Monday, December 11 and will soon become law. Health Minister Dr David Clark said thousands of New Zealanders will potentially benefit from the Government's medicinal cannabis legislation.
“Ultimately, this legislation will greatly increase availability of quality medicinal cannabis products, and will allow for their domestic manufacture. It will help people ease their suffering by making a wider range of quality medicinal cannabis products available over time.
“[The] vote in Parliament clears the way for the creation of a medicinal cannabis scheme that will allow New Zealand companies to manufacture medicinal cannabis products for both the local and international market. Regulations, licensing rules and quality standards will be set on expert advice within a year of the law coming into effect.
“These medicinal products will be available on prescription. This will be particularly welcome as another option for people who live with chronic pain. Additionally the Bill removes cannabidiol as a controlled drug, so it becomes a prescription medicine.
Hawea resident TJ Irvin has long been an advocate for medicinal and recreational cannabis, as well as industrial use of hemp. Irvin has seen first hand how cannabis can change lives; his nine-year-old son had intractable epilepsy and none of the traditional medicines were working. So, as parents, they made the decision to break the law and give him medicinal cannabis oil and the change has been profound.
“He now lives like a normal nine-year-old boy,” said Irvin.
“In a trip back to the USA recently, I dealt with my dad who was going through chemo. He was on death's door with bone marrow cancer. He has been on pain killers for a decade which had whittled him down and had bad effect on his kidneys. So I went to Seattle and bought an ounce. The oil was a combination of THC and CBD. Dad regained his appetite, He started to sleep and had regular bowel movements. This is the main thing that happens when people access medical marijuana. At 78 he's going back to fishing and enjoying life.”
For those who have used opioid-based painkillers such as oxycodone, fentanyl, or pethidine, the side-effects such as lethargy, constipation, and confusion can be harrowing; but with cannabis painkillers, the body begins to work properly again whilst fighting pain. Opioids and cannabis both come from a plant - so it is seen by many people as long-overdue change.
Irvin said the challenge now is taking the industry out of the gangs and putting it into legitimate, taxable farms and manufacturers, but other countries have done it and it's now New Zealand's turn to step up. He also believes there is a educational gap in people's understanding of drugs; “ecstasy, methamphetamines, crack and a joint are not the same thing,” he said “I was brought up that all drugs were bad no matter what. But alcohol was fine. That's just not true.”
Irvin currently has a license to grow industrial hemp but would love to see farmland around Hawea flat turned into profitable marijuana production rather than endless subdivision. He believes the jobs and industry it would create would be far better for the district.
A referendum is planned for 2020 to make marijuana available for recreational consumption.
For those who want to find out more about medicinal cannabis, the Wanaka Cannabis Club meets at the Hawea Pub on the first Tuesday of the month at 6.30pm.


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Social media in emerging countries like India
India is expected to share a dais with US and China being the third largest internet user base by 2013 – Forrester Research said in a report. There are approximately 81 million internet users in India (as of November2008 which is 7 to 7.5% of Indian population). According to Facebook global report, India is ranked 20th in terms of number of Facebook users which are growing at the phenomenal rate of 200 to 300% year on year.
Apart from the global players like Facebook, Orkut and LinkedIn there are […]


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Will COPPA kill online content for kids?
YouTube content creators from around the world have warned the US Federal Trade Commission that their financial livelihoods are being threatened by policies resulting from the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
The warnings stem from the FTC’s September settlement with YouTube over COPPA violations. Under that settlement, YouTube is restricting data collection and behavioural advertising for a wide swath of videos that meet the FTC’s definition of being directed at children – which will, in turn, drastically reduce the advertising revenue for those videos.
According to content creators and industry experts, these developments could put thousands of YouTubers out of business – and, in the words of the FTC’s Andrew Smith, turn the platform into a “desert of crap” by taking away financial incentives to create quality content.
YouTubers have taken to Twitter and other platforms to rage against the FTC, and a petition asking the commission to reconsider its enforcement plans has garnered more than 700,000 signatures on change.org.
Thousands have also been able to voice their displeasure directly to the FTC. As it happens, the changes to YouTube’s policy coincide with the commission’s regular review of COPPA. This has allowed consumers and content creators to submit more than 150,000 comments that FTC attorneys must read and consider as part of their review of whether changes should be made to the law.
Those comments show that content creators think COPPA is draconian and byzantine. To the former concern, creators worry about the FTC’s plan to target them directly with hefty fines. And to the latter point, YouTubers say they’re confused by the vague language in COPPA’s rules that make it hard for laypeople to understand whether they’re in compliance with the law.
The reaction among content creators was largely tame when the FTC announced its settlement agreement in September – even though the FTC said at the time that it intended to target content creators directly. When GDR checked the COPPA review site roughly two weeks ago, there were around 3,000 comments submitted. As of today, more than 150,000 comments have been made.
The impetus for the recent strong reaction was almost certainly YouTube’s 12 November announcement that it will severely limit the data collected on children under the age of 13 starting in January – a policy the company said is being implemented to comply with the FTC settlement.
YouTube, which has some 23 million channels, said in its announcement that under the new policy, content creators must mark their videos as made for adults or made for kids.
If the videos are made for kids, then YouTube will restrict data collection and the advertising from those videos will be likely be severely less valuable. Indeed, a June 2019 report by academics Garrett Johnson, Scott Shriver and Shaoyin Du found that opt-out user ads fetch 52% less revenue than comparable ads for users who allow behavioral targeting. Anecdotally, the person who started the change.org petition – Johnston Law partner Jeremy Johnston in Missouri – said he knows of a channel owner with some 3 million subscribers who immediately switched all his videos to made for kids when YouTube announced its policy, and saw his revenue fall by 90% as a result.
The consequences could be even worse if videos are improperly marked as for adults and the FTC determines that they’re actually for kids. COPPA fines are up to $42,530 per video that violates the law, and the FTC has said it indeed intends to target content creators directly with enforcement actions.
“Not only can we sue Google and YouTube for non-compliance with COPPA, but also individual channel owners and content creators. And once this order has been fully implemented [in January] we intend to conduct a sweep of the YouTube platform,” Andrew Smith, the director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection, said at the 4 September press conference announcing the settlement. “The analogy that I think of – imperfect – is the expression about shooting fish in a barrel. And YouTube is the barrel, and the content creators are the fish.”
Making matters worse for creators is the vagueness of COPPA’s language, which makes it hard for them to tell whether they are in compliance with the law. YouTube declined to provide guidance on this issue in its announcement, telling content creators to “consult a lawyer if you have questions”.
Many content creators seem resigned to the idea that they will be demonetised when the new policy becomes mandatory in January.
“So this is probably how it’s going to end, guys. I had a video uploaded talking about the new Batmobile coming out on Black Friday, but I deleted that video to make this one," said 'AFOL MAN', a YouTube personality who produces content about Lego, in a video reacting to YouTube’s announcement earlier this month.
Some lawyers say the FTC’s plan to directly target content creators may exceed the commission’s authority.
Hoeg Law principal Richard Hoeg in Northville, Michigan published a YouTube video on the issue, pointing out that the FTC may have the power to target content creators from 2013 amendments to the COPPA rules. Instead of only covering website operators collecting personal data, COPPA was extended in 2013 to include operators that benefit from allowing third parties to do the same.
However, these rules also say operators should be responsible for giving notice, obtaining parental consent, describing the personal information collected, and for giving consumers the option for data to stop being collected – responsibilities that are impossible for YouTube creators to comply with, said Hoeg.
“That’s why this was always directed at the top level, because the top level controls what data is being collected. The FTC knows this,” Hoeg said in his video. “The FTC understands that under the way this rule is written, a content creator can’t be the operator to whom COPPA applies.”
Sceptics have further cited then-FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohluhausen’s dissent to the 2013 COPPA amendment referenced by Hoeg. Ohlhausen dissented because she said she believes the FTC overextended its authority by imposing obligations on third parties that do not collect personal information from children and do not have access or control of such information collected by a third-party.
“I find that this proviso — which would extend COPPA obligations to entities that do not collect personal information from children or have access to or control of such information collected by a third-party — does not comport with the plain meaning of the statutory definition of an operator in COPPA,” Ohlhausen said in her dissenting statement.
Hoeg did not respond to a GDR interview request for him to elaborate further on his legal argument, and Ohlhausen – who is now a partner at Baker Botts in Washington, DC – declined to comment on whether she thinks the FTC has the authority to directly target YouTubers.
Ben Sperry, the associate director of legal research at Portland-based think tank International Center for Law & Economics, said he thinks it’s an “open question” as to whether the FTC can go after content creators.
Along with Hoeg’s argument, Sperry said there could be a legal challenge to the 2013 COPPA amendments that extended COPPA’s definition of “personal information” to include “persistent identifiers” such as IP addresses.
“The addition of persistent identifiers in the definition of personal information arguably goes beyond what is allowed by the text of [COPPA],” Sperry told GDR. “Neither IP addresses nor device identifiers alone ‘permit the physical or online contacting of a specific individual’ as required by the statute – they only do so when taken in combination with other identifiers,” he said.
At a conference on data privacy hosted by Georgetown Law on Thursday, GDR asked FTC associate director of privacy Maneesha Mithal whether her agency still intends to target content creators. Mithal replied that it's still the FTC’s plan.
“YouTube is required to have content creators tell them whether their content is directed to kids, and we have taken the position that each of those content creators that intends for its content to be directed to kids is, in fact, covered by COPPA,” she said.
Mithal did say that it’s not the FTC’s intention to necessarily target content creators with $42,000 for each video that violates COPPA.
“One of the things I’d say about the penalties is that while they are up to $42,000 per violation, what we do is look at a number of factors such as the ability to pay and stay in business,” she said. “So for example, while Google and YouTube were fined $170 million, we had a small web developer that was fined $35,000.”
Mithal also addressed content creators’ concerns about the vagueness of COPPA’s language – the rules say that content can be considered appealing to kids if it includes material relating to topics such as “sports” or “stories,” or if the material uses language such as “cool” and “duh”. However, Mithal clarified that those factors are considered in a broader context to determine whether content is kids-directed.
“Just because you have some kids on your site or your site has bright colours, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s directed to kids,” she said. “We’ll be putting out further guidance on this issue.”
The next day, the FTC indeed issued more guidance on the issue in a blog post titled “YouTube channel owners: Is your content directed to children?” The blog post made similar statements as Mithal, saying that the FTC looks at a variety of factors to determine whether a video is COPPA-compliant, as well as what penalties should be levied if it isn’t. The FTC advised content creators to look at its complaint against YouTube, which has some examples of channels the commission considered to be directed to children.
Making their voices heard
But YouTube channel owners are looking for more than informal statements from the FTC about how COPPA may apply to them. The change.org petition – which had more than 728,000 signatures as of Wednesday – is asking the FTC to issue a formal enforcement policy statement regarding how it intends to treat content creators.
The petition’s creator, Johnston Law partner Jeremy Johnston in Missouri, said on his YouTube channel that he is hopeful his efforts will bring positive change to how the FTC enforces COPPA. He said he believes the 700,000-plus signatures and the 150,000-plus comments to the FTC have pierced the pro-privacy regulation bubble the regulators operate in the Washington, DC-area beltway.
“Before YouTubers rose up here, all that was being heard were these advocacy groups and a few legislators who were being really loud in yelling for more privacy protection,” Johnston said. “What’s so exciting about our campaign is it frees the FTC to say, ‘look, there is another side to this that we should consider,’ without this small group of senators and without this group of advocacy groups dominating the conversation.”
However, policy experts such as Sperry and Daniel Castro – the vice president of the Washington, DC, think tank Information Technology & Innovation Foundation – told GDR that they doubt there will be any meaningful loosening of the COPPA rules. “The FTC usually doesn’t roll back its rules,” said Castro.
The campaigners, too, aren’t overly optimistic about their chances to reverse the recent developments. Given the FTC’s lengthy rule review process, it could take years to roll back COPPA even if YouTube channel owners successfully lobby the regulators, Johnston said in a recent video.
Another YouTube personality – an online gamer named Forrest who has more than 1 million subscribers to his channel “KreekCraft” – is scheduled to meet FTC commissioner Noah Phillips on 10 December to discuss COPPA. Forrest, who declined to provide his last name, told GDR that he knows “there’s no way I’d ever be able to stop COPPA or the YouTube settlement completely”.
What Forrest said he wants is a delay in the settlement until the COPPA review is complete, as well as clarity about what the FTC defines as content for kids.
“There’s no doubt the law is completely outdated,” he said. “They literally say in an FTC survey the words ‘duh’ and ‘fun’ are kid words. I can’t even begin to describe how out of touch and idiotic those statements are. So I’m hoping something changes here.”
A mixed content carveout?
Meanwhile, content creators are hoping YouTube will offer a technical solution that will allow them to be COPPA-compliant while also remaining profitable.
Some channel owners argue that YouTube is being overly restrictive in the manner in which it is implementing the FTC settlement requirements. According to those people, YouTube is offering a false dichotomy by making content creators choose whether their content is for kids or adults.
If YouTube devoted resources towards this end, it could create a “mixed content” option, some argue – though this conflicts with what the FTC’s Mithal told GDR when she said the settlement requires YouTube “to have content creators tell them whether their content is directed to kids”.
Calling for the mixed content option in a 24 November video, Johnston cited a COPPA rule that carves out a “mixed audience exception” that says content attractive to kids – but does not have kids as its primary audience – is identified as mixed content. The COPPA rule says mixed content providers can still engage in data collection and targeted advertising if they verify visitors’ age prior to those activities, and if they go through the proper notice and parental consent processes for those who identify as under the age of 13.
“What has been confusing and concerning to me is that when YouTube rolled out its directions for the designation [of kids’ content], it didn’t allow for the mixed audience categorisation,” Johnston said. “In fact, they explicitly have that definition fall under child-directed.”
YouTube responded last Thursday to questions about building a mixed content option, telling users that “there are some complexities with the mixed audience category”.
“We’re submitting public comments to the FTC to help us create a better solution for creators, including mixed audience creators (you’ll be able to read these public comments in 2 weeks!),” YouTube’s “Team YouTube” account tweeted last Thursday. “We’ve consistently advocated for creators throughout our FTC discussions, communicating the expected impact that the changes will have on the community, and we’ll continue to do so as we work towards a better solution.”
The ITIF’s Castro said YouTube is probably not creating this mixed-audience category because the company wants to protect itself from liability.
“The concern for platforms is they’re held responsible for what users put on that platform and for any false negatives. What they then do is put in place policies making sure they’re staying well on the right side of the law. I think that’s what they’re seeing in this case,” said Castro. “Out of an abundance of caution, it makes more sense for them to be risk averse.”
The vice president of the ITIF – which is generally a pro-industry organisation – added that YouTube’s restrictive new user policy is a result of the FTC prioritising privacy regulation over other forms of consumer welfare. In the long run, this will greatly decrease the quality and quantity of educational and other valuable content for children, he said.
“Innovation is part of children’s’ welfare. They’re only looking at narrow privacy issue,” he said. “What’s so striking to me is it took over 10 years before YouTube Kids was created. The amount of time it took to do a YouTube Kids is because it’s very difficult to operate in this space.”
The YouTube-FTC COPPA settlement is an additional barrier for those who want to create children’s content, he said.
“That’s the message the FTC is sending the tech industry: If you want to be successful, look at other markets,” said Castro.
The period to submit comments to the FTC about COPPA ends on 9 December.


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Former Apple engineer claims idea for Qualcomm patent, does not seek inventor status
Former Apple engineer Arjuna Siva testified on Monday in the ongoing Qualcomm v. Apple patent trial, saying he came up with the idea for a Qualcomm patent-in-suit.
Siva described a system boot-related patent as "my idea," according to CNET. The engineer, now an employee of Google, added that he was "surprised" and "upset" when he learned Qualcomm had filed a patent application based on his input.
Apple argues that Siva should be named a co-inventor of U.S. Patent No. 8,838,949. Following Siva's testimony, lawyers for the company called U.C. San Diego professor Bill Lin to the stand, who backed that position.
Siva was a reluctant witness for the defense. On Thursday he suddenly dropped out of Apple's lineup, which prompted a war of words with Qualcomm. One Apple lawyer accused Qualcomm of witness tampering, even claiming she wouldn't try to bring Siva back since he was a "tainted witness." That angered the lead attorney for Qualcomm, who called the accusation a "personal attack."
Apple quickly backtracked, though, subpoenaing Siva to share testimony in court.
Asked why he remembers dealings dating back to 2010, when Apple was working with Qualcomm to bring the company's modems to iPhone, Siva said he was "proud" that his idea made it into a shipping product.
"It's something I really remember, and look back with fondness," Siva said. "I was a kid two and a half years out of college. I thought it was a pretty big deal for me."
All three patents in the case are power-related, the other two involving graphics processing and transferring data between a CPU and a modem.
Qualcomm is seeking about $31 million in damages, based on a fee of $1.40 per infringing device. Specifically the chipmaker is targeting iPhones with Intel modems — Apple began migrating away from Qualcomm once an exclusivity deal ended in 2016.
A pro-Qualcomm ruling could impact other ongoing cases, such as the lawsuit Apple launched in January 2017, finally set to go to trial next month. Apple accused Qualcomm of withholding nearly $1 billion in rebates as retaliation for cooperating with antitrust investigators, and decried its business practices in general. The chipmaker is known to pressure parts buyers into signing patent licenses at the same time.
That was just the beginning of a range of suits and countersuits, as well as government investigations of Qualcomm, in some cases resulting in millions of dollars in fines. A trial brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission with Apple's help concluded in January, though a verdict has yet to be published.
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It's been quite the year for martech companies. It's been acquisitions, funding rounds, and mergers galore!
So with all the new friendships made, and money in the bank, who's moves have been so huge, so monumental, so industry-changing, that they've made our list?
The past 12 months have seen a flurry of activity in the martech sector. Luma reported a 214% growth in martech M&A activity year on year in its Q2 2021 report, with several notable acquisitions of messaging platforms during Q2, including Twilio buying ZipWhip for $850 million.
Well, it's time to bring out some of the industry darlings. Forget the Oscars, forget the BAFTAS, forget the Yearbook Superlatives (best hair goes to MailChimp). Now, let's reveal the winners.
Snap Acquired WaveOptics
Snap agreed to acquire WaveOptics in May 2021. The company supplied the augmented reality displays that power Snap's new Spectacle Glasses. It's reported that the deal was for a cool $500M.
Citrix Acquired Wrike For $2.25B
In January, Citrix acquired Wrike, from Vista, for $2.25B. Vista had bought the SaaS project management platform just two years ago.
“Together, Citrix and Wrike will deliver the solutions needed to power a cloud-delivered digital workspace experience that enables teams to securely access the resources and tools they need to collaborate and get work done in the most efficient and effective way possible across any channel, device or location,” said Citrix CEO and president David Henshall.
Amazon Acquired MGM For $8.45B
Amazon announced its acquisition of the 97-year-old film and television studio for $8.45B this May.
“The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalogue that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team,” Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, said in a statement.
“It’s very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling.”
Klaviyo's Funding Round Raised $320M
In May, Klaviyo, a customer data and marketing automation platform, announced its series D funding round had raised $320M.
The round was led by new investors Sands Capital, with participation from existing investors Accel and Summit Partners. This has come soon after the company's $200M Series C in November, with the company now valued at $9.15B. This new round brings their total fundraising to over $675M.
Yotpo's Funding Round Raised $230M
E-commerce marketing start-up Yotpo raised $230M in March, gaining a valuation of $1.4B.
“Our round, in my eyes, it’s all about celebrating the future of e-commerce,” co-founder and CEO Tomer Tagrin told me.
“Brands don’t need to worry about connecting the marketing stack anymore.”
Sitecore's Funding Round Raised $1.2B
Digital experience software company Sitecore received a $1.2B private investment in January.
"Sitecore officials are calling this the largest-ever capital investment in the martech space," reported CMSwire.
"While the claim is hard to verify since not all companies share data on private investments, the funding is far from insignificant."
Intuit’s Acquired Mailchimp For $12B
September saw Intuit confirm their $12B to buy Mailchimp. The company, best known for its TurboTax software, has previously purchased Credit Karma and Mint.
The company had more to say in that its Mailchimp buy would allow it to “accelerate two of [Intuit’s] previously shared strategic Big Bets: to become the centre of small business growth; and to disrupt the small business midmarket.”
Salesforce Acquired Slack For $27.7B
Salesforce officially completed its acquisition of Slack for $27.7B in July this year.
Salesforce said it planned to combine Slack with Salesforce Customer 360, a CDP that allows companies to connect with Salesforce apps.
Twilio Acquired ZipWhip
In October 2020, Twilio announced its biggest acquisition to date. Spending $3.2B, it acquired Segment, a technology startup that allows companies to pull customer data from one app into another, by way of APIs.
Since then, it has acquired ZipWhip, a provider of Toll-free messaging, announcing the move in July. This transaction is valued at approximately $850 million in an approximately equal blend of cash and stock.
One Trust Funding Rounds Raised a total of $510M
In a Series C extension round in April, OneTrust raised $210M, bringing their total funds raised to $920M.
The round was led by new investor SoftBank vision Fund 2, with participation from Franklin Templeton.
MessageBird's Funding Round Raised $1B
MessageBird, a communications platform, received a $800M extension on its $200M series C round last October.
The company's series C now totals at least $1B.
MessageBird Acquired SparkPost
The funding round mentioned above allowed SparkPost to apply $600M of the extension to buy email marketing platform SparkPost.
Rich Harris, CEO of SparkPost, said “By joining forces with MessageBird, we will be able to bring broader, deeper value to all of our customers through any digital communications."
Kindred Acquired Relax Gaming For €320M
In October this year, Kindred completed its acquisition of Relax Gaming. It had announced in July it had entered into an agreement to acquire the remaining 66.6% of outstanding shared in the company.
Relax is a B2B iGaming software supplier, designing and developing online casino games.
Deals of 2020:
Demandbase Acquired Engagio
In June of 2020, ABM company, Demandbase acquired account-based engagement platform, Engagio for an undisclosed amount.
The deal will give Demandbase a real boost in leadership in the ABM space and positions it to become a dominant B2B marketing platform company. The acquisition also gives Demandbase notable first-party capabilities, which will compliment its third-party data assets.
Demandbase and Engagio joining forces is a significant step forward in fulfilling the mission of transforming how B2B organizations go-to-market. It also continues the transition away from the traditional lead-focused models of the past, to the account-centric model embraced by high performing marketing and sales teams.
Ceros Raised $100 Million
In late July we saw cloud-based design platform, Ceros raise an impressive $100 million investment courtesy of Sumeru Equity Partners.
The Ceros Studio offers creative control for marketers and designers to collaborate in “real-time.” Put simply, the platform offers high quality, visual content without having to write a single line of code. No or low code solutions are starting to see a surge in demand and as a result, made Brinker’s recent list of Martech Predictions for the Decade to Come.
Ceros’ CEO, Simon Berg revealed that conversations surrounding the investment began two years ago and were set to progress until the pandemic slammed on the breaks.
Despite the pause of the pandemic and the country veering into lockdown, Berg put a plan in place to ensure no jobs were lost at Ceros. If cuts were needed, he said they would come from across-the-board salary cuts. A tactic that seemed to pay off and ultimately sealed the funding deal for Ceros.
You can take a look at 5 insights into Brinker’s “No Code” Citizen Creators trend here.
SalesForce Acquires Evergage
In early February, Salesforce completed the acquisition of Evergage, a real-time personalisation customer data platform (CDP). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
While Salesforce had already entered the CDP space in late 2019 with the launch of Salesforce 360 Truth, a platform that was designed to bring together the company’s family of products, the acquisition of Evergage’s driving factor was to deliver personalised experiences throughout the entire user journey.
The deal follows a recent trend of large martech providers acquiring a CDP to incorporate into their offerings as the CDP industry reached a valuation of $1 billion in 2019. A trend that was certainly set to continue as the year went on.
P.S. Check out our Marketing & Tech Book Club interview where our very own, Carlos Doughty chats to two CDP experts at Salesforce on their latest release titled, '>Customer Data Platforms.'
Optimizely Acquired Episerver
In September, Episerver, the Digital Experience Platform (DXP) announced that it had entered an agreement to acquire Optimizely, a leader in experimentation and optimisation. The deal was completed by the following month.
Optimizely has raised over $200 million in funding and previously worked with over 1,000 companies. The combination of the two enterprises is said to create the most advanced digital experience platform to optimise every customer touch-point across the entire user journey.
In a nutshell, a DXP should provide a suite of tools to power a personalised experience by connecting a customer’s journey across multiple touch points, on multiple different journeys, and as a result provide a great customer experience.
Pair this with personalisation and experimentation with the likes of A/B testing, multivariate testing and server-side testing, this new DXP platform has the potential to drive lead generation and conversion while maintaining the optimal experience for the user.
SAP to Acquire Emarsys
SAP, a leading cloud business software company set out to acquire Emarsys, the omnichannel customer engagement platform in early October of 2020 for an undisclosed amount.
This isn’t the first time SAP has shown an interest in customer experience acquisitions, as back in 2018 the cloud business software company acquired American Experience Management Company, Qualtrics for $8 billion.
Founded in 2000, Emarsys has raised more than $55 million over the years, including $22.3 million four years in a capital raising round led by Vector Capital.
The acquisition was said to provide SAP with valuable customer personalisation technology which will allow SAP to deliver more meaningful online experiences by connecting a variety of data and touch points to better understand the customer. In addition to this, SAP will be receiving an omnichannel marketing solution which is designed to deliver messages to customers via e-mail, mobile, SMS and the web wherever they are with the ability to deliver these messages at scale.
In an environment where we saw customers continually increasing their online shopping, the need for personalisation has never been more urgent.
Twilio Acquires Segment for $3.2 Billion
Conversations surrounding the acquisition started in early October this year, as the martech world watched on in anticipation, the deal was officially done for a spectacular $3.2 billion on 2nd November.
Twilio has been among several cloud-based companies that have seen a surge in demand and usage due to the pandemic out-break leading to people across the globe now finding themselves working from home.
While Twilio has some fantastic products already firmly under its belt, the next step was enabling its customers to build amazing CX (customer experience) and a CDP was the key.
Not only are Twilio staying ahead of the trend with a CDP in their product suite, Twilio will now be able to better serve its customer base. When you consider the vast quantities of data they acquire from their 1 trillion yearly interactions through its various other products you can see why a CDP will prove very valuable in providing customers the power to better use this data. We can safely say, this shiny new CDP will be worth every penny (all 3.2 billion of them).
CM Group Acquires Selligent Marketing Cloud
On the 2nd November, CM Group, a family of martech companies focused on multichannel campaign management and email marketing announced the acquisition of Selligent Marketing Cloud marking the organisation’s fifth acquisition in 24 months.
The purchase further extends CM Group’s lead as the largest family of multichannel marketing and email companies worldwide.
CM Group products, including Campaign Monitor, Sailthru, Emma, Delivra, Vuture, Liveclicker, and now Selligent, have more than 70,000 customers and facilitate more than 180 billion consumer connections annually. With the acquisition of Selligent, CM Group’s annual revenue will exceed $250 million.
With the acquisition of Selligent, CM Group now serves businesses across all major global industries and segments, from enterprises to small businesses. CM Group plans to continue to grow through both organic investment and acquisitions that will augment the capabilities of each product platform.
Adobe Acquires Workfront for $1.5 Billion
Adobe was another tech giant that was able to identify and act on their customers new needs as millions turned to working from home throughout the pandemic.
Adobe entered the agreement to acquire work management platform, Workfront for $1.5 billion in early November and completed the deal as quickly as early the following month. The collaboration tool is to be added to Adobe’s Experience Cloud to expand offerings for its customer base while working from home.
Businesses across the globe have been forced to adapt to a digital way of working as offices quickly became a thing of the past, making collaboration and management more challenging than ever before. The new-found acquisition will aim to provide the customers of both companies a single system to support planning, collaboration as well as the orchestration of marketing workflows.
With 2021 looking just as uncertain as the previous year, Adobe and Workfront were right to act fast and sign the dotted line.
Facebook Acquires Kustomer for $1 Billion
In late November of 2020 we saw Facebook take their biggest step to date to expand their services for businesses as they aim to improve customer service on their platform.
Facebook completed the acquisition of CRM start-up Kustomer on 30th November. Official terms of the deal were not disclosed but according to the Wall Street Journal, sources have said the deal was agreed at $1 billion.
The start-up specialises in customer service platforms and chatbots and was said to be part of an effort by Facebook to help companies use its platforms to do business as customers are increasingly communicating with companies by messaging rather than calling. Facebook said more than 175 million people reach out every day to businesses using its WhatsApp messaging service.
Salesforce Acquires Slack for $27.7 Billion
As we entered the final month of the year, we saw one of the biggest martech acquisitions of 2020 and in fact, of the software industry as a whole. On the 1st December, Salesforce officially acquired workplace messaging app, Slack for $27.7 billion, marking Salesforce’s biggest acquisition in its 21-year history.
Prior to Slack, Salesforce’s largest deal was the $15.3 billion buy of Tableau the year prior. The deal was a combination of both cash and stock as Salesforce purchased Slack for a $26.79 share and .0776 shares of Salesforce, according to The Financial Times.
As another momentous M&A deal of 2020 acted as a response to the new way of working brought about by the pandemic, the year hadn’t always been smooth sailing for Slack.
Despite a strong start to the beginning of the year as companies relied on tech to keep their colleagues connected, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower, Slack had been installed approximately 12.6 million times throughout the year, an increase of approximately 50% from the same period in 2019.
But the economic downfall forced Slack to offer discounts any payment concessions to many of its customers in attempts to veer them away from seeking cheaper alternatives. One of the biggest rivals Slack had seen was Microsoft Teams, a tempting alternative for many businesses as the messaging service comes included with Microsoft packages.
Combining the forces of both Slack and Salesforce has the potential to create the operating system for the new way to work connecting employees, customers and partners with each other and the apps they use every day, all within their existing workflows.
The deal also, of course, intensifies the competition between long-time rivals, Salesforce and Microsoft, whose workplace messaging app, had stepped up to be a big competitor for Slack during the pandemic.
$125 and $138 Million Funding Rounds for Virtual Event Platforms, Hopin and Bizzabo
We saw huge amounts of cash being injected into the virtual events space this year, with the likes of Bizzabo and Hopin, both of which have big plans to bump up the virtual experience and create the ultimate hybrid solution.
In November we saw virtual event platform, Hopin, raise $125 million in a series B round funding. This latest injection of cash now raises the valuation of the 17-month-old company to $2.1 billion.
Hopin has had an incredible year. Launched in 2019, the company has seen growth from 8 – 200 employees and 5,000 registered users to 3.5 million.
Although certainly accelerated by the pandemic, the company wasn’t founded as an interim solution and plans to continue it’s growth long after.
The following month we saw another virtual event platform, Bizzabo raise $138 Million in their Latest Series E Round.
The latest Series E funding round was led by Insight Partners, as well as previous backers Viola Growth, who led Bizzabo’s previous round, a $27 million Series D. To date, Bizzabo has raised a grand total of $195 million.
With a probable hybrid future for events on the horizon, Bizzabo plan to tackle the unknown with their event platform which enables the ability to plan and run both virtual and in-person conferences.
OneTrust Secures $300 Million in Funding
A recent development in the martech space that came with a little more forewarning has been the rise in privacy laws and data protection regulations.
On 21st December, OneTrust, the widely used privacy, security, and data governance technology platform secured $300 million in series C funding at a $5.1 Billion valuation. This brings the company’s total cash raised in the last 18 months to an impressive $710 million.
Throughout 2020, sweeping privacy laws came into effect in areas such as California and Brazil, amongst others and Gartner predicts that 65% of the world’s population will be covered under modern privacy regulations by the year 2023, in comparison to just 10% today.
As organisations strive for increasing levels of efficiency and agility in their transformation journey, many will be on the hunt for a platform approach to managing privacy, security, and governance requirements across an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
Despite the slow start in martech deals in 2020, as quickly as we’ve all had to accommodate in accordance to the pandemic, there has been a handful of companies who have been able to recognise their customer’s new needs just as swiftly which has been reflected in the biggest martech deals we’ve seen this year. With another potentially uncertain year on the horizon, the agility to adapt to the new environment has proven to be more critical than ever.


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Toys ‘R’ Us went into bankruptcy and shuttered all U.S. stores, thanks to years of mismanagement and a failure to embrace a digital strategy in the face of online giants like Amazon. However, executives recently announced a comeback: the chain will relaunch as Tru Kids. While details are under wraps, investors have promised a prioritization of omnichannel technology and an improved in-store experience.
Retail is already a fiercely competitive space and specialty brands like Toys ‘R’ Us are in even more danger of failing again. While rebranding won’t guarantee success, the company has been given another chance to modernize the shopping experience for consumers across online, mobile and in-store.
Here are several ways Tru Kids (and other struggling legacy retailers) can improve chances of survival in a crowded, rapidly changing space:
1. Embrace data to more efficiently drive consumers in-store
In order to thrive in the digital age, brands need to use data to their advantage, and nothing paints a more cohesive audience picture than location data. Brands need to have a holistic understanding of how, when and where a consumer shops in order to identify what motivates purchase, and location provides crucial insights that allow retailers to go beyond generalizations of consumer behavior and develop personalized experiences to drive customers into stores. Because — contrary to popular belief — the brick-and-mortar store still matters. A study we conducted on the consumer path to purchase showed that 31% of people reported that in-store browsing remains their primary product discovery channel for ideas and inspiration.
2. Make m-commerce as essential to sales strategy as e-commerce
One of the biggest missteps that led to Toys ‘R’ Us’ initial bankruptcy was that it could not evolve into an omnichannel retailer that prioritized online and mobile commerce. In 2019, it’s particularly impossible to stay relevant without having some sort of mobile commerce strategy, as more and more consumers are using their mobile devices not only to consume content but also to make purchases. During last year’s holiday shopping season, Black Friday and Cyber Monday generated $14.1 billion in online revenue; one-third of these purchases came from mobile devices. Brands that aren’t prioritizing m-commerce are opening up a significant percentage of potential revenue to their competitors, and with 52% of consumers saying that a bad mobile experience makes them less likely to engage with a brand, it’s critical to get mobile right.
3. Treat every day as if it’s the holiday shopping season
The period between November 1 and Christmas Eve has traditionally been viewed as the busiest and most lucrative for retailers, but when you look at consumer shopping behaviors, the reality is that consumers are buying gifts throughout the year (out of the 2,000 people we surveyed, only 9.2% of respondents indicated they actually buy holiday gifts on Cyber Monday) and will prioritize an early gift when the price is right. While the holiday seasons are historically successful and should remain a priority, it’s vital for Toys ‘R’ Us (and all retailers today) to start planning against what consumers actually want based on data, rather than continuing to maintain traditional models simply because that’s how it’s always been done.
With another chance at success, Toys “R” Us needs to do now what it was unwilling to do before: transform. We’ve seen it time and time again the past few years, and not all brands will be lucky enough to get a second chance. Anyone hesitating on digital strategies that integrate e-commerce and m-commerce into all parts of their business will fail. But the retail outlook is optimistic, as last year’s holiday season saw the highest number of sales in over six years.
Click here to read the original article.


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Interest in open-source tooling and infrastructure for big data keeps growing among developers and traditionally proprietary companies.
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Database company EnterpriseDB introduces a new cloud play for PostgreSQL.
New tools dubbed NoSQL may help developers achieve Internet-scale for their database driven applications.
Startup crams Xeon server chips into an energy-efficient server, broadening the appeal of microservers for large data center operators.
The NoSQL term is losing its luster already as databases in the cloud increase in complexity and functionality.


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After enduring several different challenges and obstacles throughout 2013, the Indian pharmaceutical industry started 2014 on a high note. According to data compiled by drug researcher IMS Health India, the market posted 11.3% growth in the month of January as compared to the year before. Over the last three months as a whole, it has posted 12.2% growth.
Kumar Hindija, Senior Director of Strategy Planning and Business Development at IMS Health India said, “The above normal winter conditions prevailing across the country continued to drive growth in January, also. Acute therapies which contribute to over 70% of the market registered a robust double-digit growth, for the third consecutive month.”
Expectations for the year as a whole suggest that the industry should grow another 10 to 13%. However, safety concerns from the United States might significantly limit success in the coming year. India, the second-leading exporter of over-the-counter and prescription drugs to the U.S., is receiving increased scrutiny over safety concerns, falsified drug tests, and the sale of fake medicines. Some 40% over-the-counter and generic prescription drugs Americans consume are shipped from India.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg is meeting with Indian pharmaceutical executives and officials this week in the apparent effort to increase precautions and alleviate security concerns. However, there is some debate about whether or not Indian manufacturers will be able to adhere to more rigorous standards.
India’s premier drug regulator, G.N. Singh, said U.S. standards would simply be too cumbersome for them.
“If I have to follow U.S. standards in inspecting facilities supplying to the Indian market,” he said, “we will have to shut almost all of those.”
Satish Reddy, President of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance believes that more regulations are needed, but the problems are not necessarily as poor as indicated. “More rigorous enforcement is needed, for sure, but this impression that India is overrun with counterfeits is unjustified,” he said.
Regardless of how extensive the problems may or may not be, most everyone seems to agree that there needs to be increased scrutiny. Without it, there is less pressure for manufacturers to make sure that their drugs are being produced and transported safely.
“If there were no cops around, would everyone drive the speed limit?” Heather Bresch, chief executive of Mylan, which has plants in both the U.S. and India, asked. “You get careless, start taking risks. Our government has enabled this.”
In addition to making sure factories and equipment meet new standards, pharmaceutical manufacturers might also have to update their packaging infrastructure, since proper packaging is vital for making sure drugs are safe and effective when they are consumed.
“Maintaining high quality standards in dealing with pharmaceuticals and their packaging are of the utmost importance in this day and age. As new and novel therapies are developed, the assurance of quality and protection of these molecules, and ultimately the end user (the patient), is paramount in importance to any other driver in our daily operations,” said Eric Bergmann, Senior Director of Operations for Sharp Clinical Services.
Packaging is so important, in fact, that the pharmaceutical packaging industry is expected to swell from $4.5 billion in 2013 to roughly $6.2 billion in 2018. Increased safety and regulatory procedures in India might play a hand in that growth.