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AOL has created a new division to house ad sales for all its sites, ad network properties and supporting technologies. Called Platform A, the entity will integrate sales for Advertising.com, AOL-run sites, Tacoda, Third Screen Media and AdTech. The Time Warner unit has also moved its headquarters from Dulles, Virginia to Manhattan to strengthen its ties to the agency and marketer community here.
The new Platform A unit will be led by current Tacoda CEO Curt Viebranz. Viebranz will oversee an array of ad offerings that include both branding and performance-based networks and properties, a mobile network, an in-stream video ad network, a behavioral targeting technology and ad network, and a site-side ad management solution. AOL claims the total reach of all those businesses is over 90 percent of the U.S. online population. According to comScore, Advertising.com alone is the Web’s number one ad network with 87 percent coverage of U.S. consumers in May.
The realignment and move to Madison Avenue are parts of a frantic companywide effort to drive scale and profitability in AOL’s networked advertising business, which faces growing competition from other digital and traditional media conglomerates — including Yahoo, Microsoft, Google, News Corp. and WPP — in the form of aggressive acquisition and monetization strategies.
“This is all about network, scale and targeting,” Viebranz told ClickZ this morning.
By leveraging both Tacoda’s and Advertising.com’s sales forces, Viebranz said, “There’s an opportunity to sell context within AOL on the portal; there’s an opportunity to continue to buy audiences through Tacoda; and there’s also an opportunity to overlay a significant amount of additional data from the portal on what Tacoda’s doing with audiences.”
The new structure may allow Advertising.com to create the greatest efficiencies when it comes to CPM-based campaigns, according to Jupiter Research Analyst Emily Riley.
“This package-selling is attractive to brand advertisers particularly,” she said. However, she added, “The execution is probably a little more cumbersome.” That concern may be offset by AOL’s large in-house creative group, she said, which could help it streamline the distribution of integrated campaigns across the network.
Viebranz said AOL is currently sorting out how “the brand or CPM piece fits together with the CPA piece.”
“We certainly can go to an advertiser and offer a suite of products,” he said. “What does that mean for Advertising.com as a cost-per-action based network? There’s still huge growth there. There’s probably inventory we can move over there.”
Under the new structure, Advertising.com honcho Lynda Clarizio and AOL Brand Solutions head Kathy Kayse will both report to Viebranz, who, as AOL EVP and President of Platform A will report to AOL President and COO Ron Grant. The decision to place Tacoda’s chief executive in command of all of AOL’s network holdings will come as a surprise to many, since the company only recently sealed its acquisition of the behavioral targeting firm and since Advertising.com has been a consistently strong performer in the three years since AOL acquired it.
With Platform A, a challenge for AOL may lie in making sure it doesn’t mess with a good thing.
“What I have heard from Advertising.com is that so far they’ve worked relatively well with Lightningcast and Third Screen Media on the sales side,” said Jupiter’s Riley, who was previously an exec with Advertising.com. “AOL has certainly shown it understands how to keep its hands off of a successful network. I find it interesting that they would have Tacoda be the lead, as it’s so newly acquired.”
Part of the reason for Viebranz’s immediate ascension at Platform A has to do with his long history with Time Warner. In addition to spending 17 years in various roles with the company, in 1994 he became Time Warner’s first president of new media.
Also factoring into the promotion was AOL’s palpable impatience to drive advertising revenues even faster than they’ve already grown, as it continues to reel from the steady decline of its Internet access business. The company recently reported a significant slowdown in ad revenue growth, from 40 percent in Q2 2006 to just 16 percent last quarter. Time Warner CEO Dick Parsons blamed the slowdown on the passing of anniversaries for major ad deals it struck last year and on user and advertiser caution over programming and other platform changes. As a result, the company rescinded an earlier claim that its ad sales growth would exceed that of the industry at large.
“This was not preordained when we did the deal,” said Viebranz, referring to his appointment. “It became clear that they wanted to push the pace of change. They’re doing that and that’s what this thing is all about.”
AOL’s decision to make New York City the head of its operation was driven by a wish to build closer ties to the ad community on which it has staked its fortunes. “New York City is the center of advertising, so it makes perfect sense to locate our corporate headquarters here,” said chairman and CEO Randy Falco.
In a separate announcement today, AOL announced an agreement with Hewlett-Packard to offer local versions of its portal, toolbar and search product on new HP desktop and notebook computers. The pre-installed service will be co-branded.
According to a survey conducted as part of OnBrand Magazine's State of Branding Report 2017, marketers are well aware of the new technologies that are expected to be important to their brands in coming years, but the majority aren't rushing to invest in them before they're fully-baked.
Facebook advertising has come a long way in the past few years, and it provides a highly profitable way for brands either to engage an existing audience or grow new ones.
The rise of YouTube and digital video generally has a lot to do with the rise of the internet and the abundance of digital video content. But YouTube's ascendency is also the result of Google's savvy use of algorithms.
In January, following U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary immigration ban, Starbucks announced that it would hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years.


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Holiday weekend boosts surging numbers
A long, busy holiday weekend along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere is helping boost a surge in tourism in Alabama, and officials hope visitors will set another record for spending in 2016.
Industry leaders say hotels and condominiums in Baldwin County are reporting high occupancy rates for the July 4 holiday, which coastal tourism promoter Kay Maghan said is considered the “super peak” of the beach season.
Lakes and rivers from the Tennessee Valley to Eufaula will also be clogged with boaters if the weather holds out, and at least two dozen communities are holding celebrations including fireworks shows or concerts.
Alabama’s tourism director, Lee Sentell, said it all adds up to a profitable period for the hospitality and visitor industry, particularly with the strengthening economy.
“A Fourth of July weekend like this, with the holiday being on a Monday, is the best of all possible combinations for free days for families,” said Sentell.
Here is a glance at Alabama’s tourism industry based on 2015 data compiled for the Alabama Tourism Department:
Tourism has grown steadily in Alabama since 2010, the year the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in canceled room reservations, empty restaurants and overstocked stores all along the Gulf Coast.
Tourists spent a record $12.7 billion in the state last year, an increase of about $1 billion from a year earlier.
Baldwin County, home of both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, leads Alabama in tourism and drew about 6.1 million visitors last year. Its nearly 48,000 people working in hotels, condominiums, outdoor attractions and related businesses account for more than 25 percent of the state’s total tourism employment. The county had about $1.3 billion in travel-related earnings last year.
Aside from Baldwin County, the state’s other top counties for tourism included, in order: Jefferson, which includes Birmingham; the rocket and science hub of Madison County, which includes Huntsville; the port county of Mobile along Mobile Bay; and the state capital of Montgomery. The five counties account for 68 percent of the total visitors to the state.
A handful of Alabama’s most rural and hard-to-reach counties have virtually no tourism industry at all, the report shows.
Lodging tax receipts are an indicator of tourist visits because the money translates into people staying in motels or inns, so the statistics can also help identify places with few paying visitors.
Clay County — located in rural eastern Alabama without any interstate highway access — had the lowest lodging tax take in the state, just $719. Two other counties also had less than $5,000 in total lodging tax revenues, Lamar and Washington.
Other counties could be just as low or lower, but the state revenue agency doesn’t release statistics from counties with only one business that collects lodging tax. That means no figures were available for last year for Barbour, Bullock, Hale and Lowndes counties.

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The Sri Lanka pavilion at the ‘Artisan Resource at NY NOW 2016’ trade fair was declared open by Dr. Rohan Perera, Ambassador & Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, New York on 21st August 2016 at the Jacob Javits Center, New York.
Seven Sri Lankan companies participated at the Trade Fair through the Sri Lanka Exports Development Board . These companies were able to display Giftware & Lifestyle products manufactured in Sri Lanka. This is Sri Lanka’s first ever participation at this popular trade fair in New York.
Senarath Attanayake Member of Provincial Council, A. S. Khan, Deputy Permanent Representative, Ms. Upeka Samaratunga, Minister (Commercial) of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington, Ms. Thejani De Alwis, Deputy Director of EDB and representatives of the participating companies and the trade fair organizers were present at the occasion. The trade fair is held from 21st to 24th August 2016.


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May 29, 2018
Apple has released iOS 11.4 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch today. The new update finally brings AirPlay 2 to iOS devices, along with HomePod stereo pairing functionality and multi-room audio. If that wasn’t enough, iOS 11.4 finally gets Messages in iCloud too. How’s that for a huge release with a lot of delayed features?
May 29, 2018
One of the biggest new features in Windows 10 April 2018 update is the addition of Timeline. The new Timeline replaces Task View, and shows a list of open apps and documents, different desktops and an activity history of all connected Windows PCs, iOS and Android devices. The activity history in Timeline shows files or webpages open on other devices and lets users continue working …
May 28, 2018
Windows 10 contains new features which let you manage how your network bandwidth is used to download updates. Microsoft had included a mechanism to limit bandwidth for background updates with update version 1709, also know as Fall Creators Update. With Windows 10 April 2018 update, you can now put a limit on how much bandwidth can be used by foreground updates .
May 26, 2018
Windows 10 April 2018 has been a mixed bag lately. A mixed bag full of bugs. As if the issues with the first release, version 1803, were not enough, subsequent updates intended to fix these issues have created more problems of their own. Just a glance at different threads on numerous forums, Reddit and other Windows focused websites surface a large variety of issues.
May 24, 2018
Google announced a major design and feature update to their News app for web, iOS and Android at Google I/O 2018. Google News now sports a brand-new Material Design, a newsstand for news and magazine subscriptions, AI based news recommendations with features like Newscasts and Full Coverage and more. This new Google News app replaces the old Google Play Newstand and News & Weather apps. Apple had …
May 24, 2018
In February 2018, Twitter decided to kill their app for Mac. They were already slow on updating it with new features so the news did not come across as a surprise. However, Twitter did not offer an alternative app. Instead, they recommended that users use Twitter in their browsers. Luckily, there is a way to use Twitter’s mobile website, which is also a progressive web …
May 21, 2018
Dank is a unique new Reddit app which breaks away from the cookie cutter templates and design guidelines that Material Design inspired apps mostly use. The app has its own delightful animations, gestures and user interface quirks. Dank is building towards a good hefty feature set – it currently supports fast media playback and viewing, for videos and images respectively, as well as inline comment replies, …
May 19, 2018
Tapbots have launched Tweetbot 3 for Mac with a new dark theme, design changes, inline media playback, new column management mechanism and more. The app is available as a new purchase from the Mac App Store for $9.99. Here’s a quick look at the new features.
May 16, 2018
With its new Gmail redesign, Google has introduced a number of new features including Smart Compose, Confidential Mode and revamped Offline Mail feature. While Gmail already had an offline feature, it required an app to be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. The new Gmail offline feature works without a Chrome app, however it still requires Chrome to work. Go figure.
May 15, 2018
Google has introduced a number of new features in their new Gmail update, including Offline mail, Smart Compose and a new Confidential Mode. As the name suggests, confidential mode is used for sharing sensitive information via email. Emails protected with this feature cannot be forwarded, downloaded or printed and their contents cannot be copy pasted either.


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Founded just 15 years ago, Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) has already changed the world and grown to impressive scale. On the other hand, the company's stock has seen some turbulent trading and now trades down roughly 27% from market close on the day of its late 2020 initial public offering and 51% from its all-time high.
While the stock could continue to face volatility in the near term, I believe Airbnb offers an attractive risk-reward profile for long-term investors at current prices. If you're on the hunt for reasonably valued growth stocks capable of delivering fantastic returns, read on to see why taking a buy-and-hold approach with Airbnb would be a smart move right now.
Why is the stock down big?
Airbnb went public at a time when growth stocks were enjoying an almost unprecedented rally, thanks in large part to the low-interest-rate environment. With the subsequent surge of inflation and the Federal Reserve serving up rapid interest rate hikes to combat the trend, investors quickly pivoted away from companies with heavily growth-dependent valuations.
While Airbnb has generally served up very strong business results since its public debut, the market remains somewhat skittish when it comes to growth stocks -- and the possibility of a recession on the horizon means that investors should be exercising caution and only putting their money behind high-quality companies. Despite increasing revenue 20% year over year to reach $1.8 billion and beating Wall Street's sales and earnings targets for the first quarter, the rental specialist's forecast for the current quarter suggested some growth deceleration, and some investors reacted by dumping the stock.
With guidance for sales between $2.35 billion and $2.45 billion in Q2, management's target range calls for sales to increase between 12% and 16% year over year. Even though the business's growth rate is seemingly on track to moderate this quarter, it seems clear that Airbnb is a great company that's in strong shape. And crucially, it's trading at a great price.
Great margins set the stage for huge returns
Airbnb's asset-light business model is one of its greatest strengths. By connecting property renters with those looking for accommodations, the company's expenses are largely limited to platform activity, development, and upkeep costs and sales and marketing. Airbnb is serving up fantastic margins, and its business has become a cash-generating machine.
The rental specialist recorded $117 million in net income in Q1, marking its first ever GAAP profit in the period and improving from a loss of $19 million in last year's quarter. Meanwhile, free cash flow (FCF) rose 32% year over year to reach a record $1.6 billion. That performance brought the company's FCF over the trailing 12-month period to $3.8 billion, representing 44% of total sales across the period.
With a market cap of roughly $70 billion, Airbnb is now valued at a bargain 17.5 times trailing free cash flow. It also trades at about 30 times this year's expected earnings -- a level that looks cheap in the context of the company's strong earnings growth, market positioning, and long-term expansion opportunities.
A global leader that could supercharge your portfolio
Airbnb now operates in 220 countries and regions around the world and has established itself as a clear-cut leader in its corner of the travel and hospitality industry. Its core service model has proven to be easily adaptable to all the markets it operates in, and the business should be able to continue scaling cost-effectively in conjunction with rising rental-listing supply and increasing demand from renters.
On the heels of its post-earnings sell-off, Airbnb stock has been pushed down to levels that offer huge upside for long-term investors. While its share price has been battered by macroeconomic headwinds and some sales growth deceleration, the company has never looked stronger, and I believe that few stocks are offering a better overall risk-reward profile right now.
Find out why Airbnb is one of the 10 best stocks to buy now
Our analyst team has spent more than a decade beating the market. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*
They just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. Airbnb is on the list -- but there are nine others you may be overlooking.
*Stock Advisor returns as of May 15, 2023
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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New tariffs will come into effect in late July
From 24 July the National Bank of Ukraine will restore and update the tariff for transactions in the electronic payment system (BOT). Earlier, due to the introduction of a nationwide quarantine in the country, the regulator suspended the collection of payments for settlements in the system for four months from March 24, 2020.
At NBU, this decision was explained by the planned transition of the BOT into an extended work schedule to operate 23 hours a day, 7 days a week (23/7). The National Bank also clarified that while taking the decision, the regulator took into account the gradual weakening of quarantine and anti-epidemic measures by the Cabinet of Ministers.
The updated tariff system for services in the system will begin working for participants from July 24, 2020, with the regulator planning to switch them in the spring of this year, the NBU said.
Therefore, the regulator announced last year Cancellation of monthly fee behind:
- Software support for ARM-NBU;
- Serving indirect participants of EPA;
- To connect to the bot;
- Corresponding correction factors for time lag and for processing electronic settlement documents, according to which the payment is 0.35 UAH – 9.00 to 16.00, 0.51 UAH – 16.00 to 19.00, 1.02 UAH – 19.00 onwards.
Two services will be charged for:
- Membership in BOT Customer Service:
Bank – 4.1 thousand UAH, with VAT monthly;
Institute of State Treasury Service of Ukraine (SCSU) – 2050 UAH, including VAT monthly;
- In EPA processing the customer’s electronic settlement documents and electronic settlement messages, which will depend on the amount of payment:
0 to 5 thousand UAH inclusive – 0.35 UAH, excluding VAT;
5 thousand to 100 thousand USD inclusive – 1.20 UAH without VAT;
From 100 thousand UAH – 10 UAH, without VAT;
For GKSU Institutions – for free.
Earlier, the director of the information technology department of National Bank, Vladimir Nagorniuk, said that for the vast majority of customers, paying from SEP Not really increase the price. According to 2019 data, since payments to SEP in the amount of up to 5 thousand, accounted for more than 75% of the volume of all payments, the tariff for such transactions will not change, the expert explained.
The relevant criteria for the changes are contained in the decision of National Bank No. 101 of 15 July.
Paypal magazine help
Earlier we had written that from 3 August the electronic banking system of the National Bank of Ukraine will be changed to the extended work schedule. Thanks to this, interbank payments using the system will become available 23 hours a day, 7 days a week (23/7). According to the NBU, this is the first phase of the transition to a round-the-clock operation of BOT.
Waiting for FinTech in Ukraine: National Bank has published an industry development strategy for the next 5 years
Smartphone Wallet: Top 5 Myths About Paying with a Mobile Account
Cashless Benefit: PrivatBank will provide free business acquired acquisition
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(Reuters) - Goodyear Tire & Rubber said on Friday it plans to cut 700 jobs and sell about 100 retail stores and fleet locations, under a rationalization plan for its Asia Pacific segment.
The move is expected to improve the segment's operating income by approximately $50 million to $55 million in 2025, the tire manufacturer said, adding that the plan would also improve profitability in its Australia and New Zealand operations.
Goodyear would also exit nine warehouse locations, a regulatory filing showed.
It follows the company's similar decision announced earlier in the month for Europe, the Middle East and Africa that would lead to 1,200 job cuts.
The Ohio-based company said the approved plan that is part of its broader restructuring effort would be completed by the end of 2024.
The pre-tax charges are estimated between $55 million and $65 million.
Goodyear, in August, swung to a loss of 73 cents per share for the second quarter, from a profit of 58 cents per share a year earlier.
(Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Shweta Agarwal)


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NtechLab reaches leaderboard in less constrained categories of NIST facial recognition test
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released the report for its Ongoing Facial Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT), Part 1: Verification, which shows NtechLab among leaders in technology for the most complicated image sets, according to a company announcement.
An NtechLab algorithm ranked second in testing for the CHILD EXP dataset, and another ranked seventh for the WILD dataset, as the company says it doubled its accuracy compared to the previous test. These categories cover less constrained conditions, and the leading algorithms in them are used for public security purposes, according to the announcement. The same two NtechLab algorithms also finished in the top 10 in the VISA 0.0001 category.
“Several new companies, including Chinese firms, participated in this NIST testing. We can say that competition was never as tough as this time,” says NtechLab founder and head of the company’s neural networks laboratory Artyom Kukharenko. “Now we can happily state that regular improvements of our algorithm help to maintain its international leadership in accuracy of face recognition in various conditions.”
More than 100 algorithms were tested by NIST for the 1:1 portion of the FRVT.
NtechLab won first place in two of three categories of the Face Recognition Prize Challenge (FRPC) hosted by IARPA in 2017, and came second in the other. Moscow police are piloting AR glasses with facial recognition from NtechLab, and the company recently formed a partnership to apply its FindFace algorithm to retail intelligence.


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Could 2017 be the year of blockchain, when the digital transaction system breaks free from computer geeks, bitcoin enthusiasts and academics to make an impact on ordinary households?
Blockchain is e-banking on a vast scale, minus the bank and other middlemen who take charge fees for making payments. It’s a digital scorecard of payments, contracts, property ownership, health records – in fact any data of economic value. It promises to put individuals in control of their own personal information and keep it safe from exploitation or fraud.
Here are five Swiss companies developing blockchain services that could have an impact on your daily lives sometime soon.
Everyone has medical records, and many people are adding personalised health information via wearables and apps that measure everything from your heart rate, blood sugar levels and how many steps you take each day. But how do you make this mountain of data work for you rather than companies who make a buck distributing it to advertisers and the health industry?
The ’world’s first citizen-owned medical data storage platform’, HealthbankExternal link, says it has the answer. The Healthbank cooperative allows people to store their data in a secure zone that only they can access. Users can later choose to make money from their data by connecting via the platform with medical research projects, online prescription services and other commercial ventures.
Healthbank currently runs on a centralised platform, but chief executive Reto Schegg sees great potential for rolling out the service on blockchain. Schegg is particularly excited about blockchain’s suitability for digital smart contracts should users wish, for example, to take out health insurance. It would also be conceivable to see a new digital currency aimed specifically at the health market in future, Schegg added.
Hence, Healthbank is actively exploring options to tap into blockchain - a system tailor made for such technological advances.
Many companies and individuals are wasting money by asking expensive lawyers to draw up simple legal documents, according to Antoine Verdon. So he co-founded the LegalHubExternal link platform that offers the advice and tools that people need to draft their own contracts – at a reduced cost.
The service includes smart contracts, digital legal papers that are drawn up, stored and executed online. This is where blockchain comes in – not just for storage or distribution, but principally for security.
Each piece of data, including smart contracts, that is encoded and deposited on blockchain is also recorded on the ledger. If someone tampers with the contract, or ties to duplicate it without authorisation, the system will notice – and so will its users. This is why blockchain is so suitable for bitcoins. By recording the precise number of currency units that are added to the ledger, it becomes impossible to copy bitcoins without drawing attention.
Verdon believes it will soon be normal practice for people to draw up their own smart contracts when renting out an apartment. Likewise, it will also be possible for renters to automatically get back their deposits once they meet the terms of the contract on handover – all without the need for banks.
On blockchain, votes can be ‘transacted’ just as easily as digital currencies, such a bitcoin. Each voter gets a digital identity, joins the network and registers their preferred option in an election or referendum. That vote is recorded and added to a chain of blocks in the system.
Voting can be performed on a smartphone or other device, making it easy to register votes at any time and at any place in the world – provided you have an authorised digital signature. So no more queuing for the ballot box at the local school with a slip of paper or showing up at the town square for a show of hands.
Swiss start-up ProcivisExternal link promises to provide an essential link in any future blockchain e-voting system. Procivis is a platform that checks and manages digital identities – a secure gateway that allows registered voters to enter the e-voting system whilst preventing fraud. As yet, Swiss e-voting is in its infancy and at a largely experimental phase.
Once the government establishes a nationwide eID system, Procivis founder Daniel Gasteiger believes his platform will be well placed to offer a wide variety of blockchain services, from e-voting to paying car parking fees without having to find the right change for a meter.
The tamper-proof qualities of blockchain has also attracted the attention of start-up ModumExternal link, which together with the University of Zurich has designed a system to ensure the safe delivery of pharmaceutical drugs.
Medicaments often need to be transported under exacting temperature, humidity and light conditions to make sure they remain usable when they arrive at the doctor’s surgery. Modum’s sensors can constantly measure the temperature conditions on batches of drugs in transport.
There are many such sensory systems in the world, but Modum is using blockchain to tackle the related problem of how to store such data and make sure it gets to the right person at the right time. Under the present system, cargoes can pass through many hands, involving a lot of paperwork that can be tampered with, according to Modum’s Marc Degen.
Blockchain would indelibly record any alterations to data and identify more easily at which point a cargo got damaged, he said. It could also be used to automatically trigger smart contracts, such as due payments and insurance clauses to cover damaged goods.
Geneva-based gaming company EverdreamSoftExternal link has established Project Orb, which stands for ‘ownership revolution of the blockchain’. Their blockchain gaming platform will provide players with a gaming wallet to exchange cards and BitCrystal tokens to be used in games such as Spells of Genesis – billed as “the first blockchain-based mobile game”.
Players have to trade or buy cards containing assets that will protect the Askian region on the world of Moonga from marauding monsters. Already launched as a soft version, Spells of Genesis will soon give players the opportunity of trading cards via blockchain.
EverdreamSoft says it is “pioneering ‘true ownership’ of digital assets” and a platform that will allow “more game studios to embrace blockchain technology and to enter a new age for the game industry”.
In compliance with the JTI standards


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Alice Chalard is the new brand manager for Campbell Distillers, the
UK subsidiary of international drinks group Pernod Ricard. She will be
responsible for its UK spirits division Scotch whisky brand portfolio.
She will market its flagship malt whisky brands Aberlour 10-year-old,
and Edradour 10-year-old. Chalard will report to director of marketing,
Peter Gibson is to become head of media and public relations at British
Red Cross. He will be responsible for the media relations, events and
exhibitions teams, as well as building British Red Cross’s reputation
with its external audiences. He was previously head of communications
for the National Blood Service.
Eric Wilton is the new marketing director at Pendragon, the pensions
publishing arm of the Thomson Corporation. He had been acting as an
external marketing consultant, and before that was joint managing
partner and founding director of strategic communications agency
Marketing Communications Workshop.
Emma Kenny is filling the new role of customer marketing controller at
B&Q. She will help develop loyalty schemes, market research and customer
services. Kenny was previously at McKinsey for five years.
Steve Padgett is joining The Added Value Company as research planner,
where he will be involved in NPD and brand positioning projects for
clients such as Safeway and Walkers.


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On its own, a bit of the sweet stuff isn’t so bad. “But it’s in many foods with little nutritional benefit,” says Toby Smithson, a dietitian in Lake County, Illinois, and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. That means excess calories, which puts you at risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The middle ground: New guidelines from the American Heart Association state that women should have no more than 100 calories of added sugar a day, or about six teaspoons (this is in addition to the sugar that occurs naturally in whole foods, like fruit and dairy products). And in general it’s wise to scan food labels to manage your sugar intake, Goodson says. Look at the grams of carbohydrates; if sugar accounts for half of those grams or more, you’re probably better off skipping the item.


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Ben Bergman Senior Reporter, Southern California Economy
Ben Bergman is KPCC's Senior Reporter on the Southern California Economy.
He’s a frequent contributor to NPR and Marketplace, and often hosts Southern California Public Radio’s daily two-hour newsmagazine, Take Two, as well as Morning Edition and major breaking news coverage for the station.
Bergman has reported extensively on the NFL's return to Los Angeles after a 20 year absence, the campaign to bring the 2024 Olympics to Southern California, L.A.’s housing affordability problem, and the city’s adoption of a $15 minimum wage.
He was previously KPCC's Orange County Reporter, where he covered the closure of the San Onofre nuclear plant and the Christopher Dorner manhunt.
Before joining KPCC in 2012, Bergman was a producer for NPR’s Morning Edition, both in Washington D.C., and at NPR West in Culver City.
He has been a producer for some of the most recognizable voices in radio — Renee Montagne, Steve Inskeep, Susan Stamberg, and Linda Wertheimer. He has produced interviews with everyone from The Dalai Lama (three times) to Ben Stiller to Ben Affleck. Bergman was also the Morning Edition anchor at Aspen Public Radio in Colorado.
Bergman has also written for "Time Magazine" and "The New York Times" and was a reporting intern at "The Times."
Originally from Seattle, Bergman graduated cum laude from Occidental College in Los Angeles with a degree in politics.
In his free time, Bergman enjoys tennis, fitness, skiing, traveling to new places, and cheering on The Seattle Seahawks.
Stories by Ben Bergman
The game is sold out but the resale market is taking a hit. The average price for Sunday's game is $240, down 38% since Aug. according to ticket tracking site TiqIQ.
LA is one of America's poorest major cities, with nearly 16 percent of its residents living below the poverty line. For a family of 4, that's an income below $24,250.
More than a week after Hanjin Co filed for bankruptcy, a federal bankruptcy judge issued an order Friday afternoon to prevent creditors from seizing Hanjin ships.
After illegally opening millions of unauthorized accounts for customers, Wells Fargo is paying $185 million in civil penalties, including $50 million to the city and county of Los Angeles.
The shipping company's bankruptcy has stalled ships around the world, but one Port of Long Beach executive expects movement this week.
U.S. businesses who planned to use Hanjin cargo ships to transport their goods are finding that competing carriers have limited space and are charging more for it.
The bankruptcy of one of the world’s largest shipping lines is being felt at local ports and beyond as retailers wait for millions of dollars in goods just offshore.
The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative is strongly opposed by an unusual coalition of business groups, labor leaders, developers and homeless advocates.
The median price of a home in LA is $583,500. That's up 7 percent from last year. But economists expect prices to level off next year.
Thousands of semi-trucks and trains move goods through the Cajon Pass each day. With that corridor closed, cargo is being diverted.
It's called Loot Crate, a monthly subscription company that sends comic book goodies to fans. The company's owner says he chose the east side to keep costs down.
The team added a couple hundred seats for Saturday’s Cowboys game in the upper reaches of the L.A. Memorial Coliseum; some are still available.
Buy a new car, take Uber, have a cable TV technician to your house – you're going to be asked to rate your experience - and to give a high score.
While most people will be focused on the competition, one planner will be viewing the games as a learning opportunity to prepare a 2024 L.A. Olympics.
The company has a long history of maintenance violations and was under review by authorities. The bus involved in Tuesday's accident had recently been cited.


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WITH a focus on improving job creation, business climate and facilitating the efficiency and transparency of public services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Secretary, Carl Greenidge, on Friday launched the Guyana Trade Facilitation Roadmap 2019-2024.
The event was held at Princess Ramada Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara
The foreign secretary, in his feature address, said the trade facilitation roadmap contains a built-in facility for the provision of technical assistance and capacity building.
“Guyana has established a National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) and that has been in existence since 2015 and it is chaired by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and consists of representatives of all the relevant agencies, along with the private sector,” Greenidge said.
He said the Foreign Affairs Ministry also serves as the coordinator and it is the intention that the NCTF will coordinate the overall implementation of the trade processes.
Greenidge explained that this particular course is in its third module, which commenced with earlier workshops in March 2019 and with online courses.
The foreign secretary believes that in the realm of economics, the importance of international trade has been elevated because of the contributions of improving income and welfare in many states globally.
He said liberalisation of markets globally indicates that goods must enter and leave a country expeditiously and without administrative burdens and red tapes.
“Delay is a source of cost, whether it is actually time that is wasted or excessive incidental taxes, they need to be kept at a minimum if you are to take advantage of this instrument that is international trade, which is proven so effective over the last 100 years, which have moved us to the point where we are today,” the foreign secretary said.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry operates as an interface between countries and agencies that are involved in production, exports and imports within Guyana.
On this note, he said, the public and private sectors will benefit from enhanced training to be effective players in the global arena.
“Government is fully committed to realising the benefits of the WTO [World Trade Organisation] trade facilitation agreement because we believe that it will be of tremendous benefit to the people of Guyana. We ratified the trade facilitation agreement on November 30, 2015 and the agreement entered into force in February 20, 2017,” he said.
This trade agreement, he noted, aims to catalyse reforms which are expected to improve the facility of systems which will benefit Guyanese.
“This would reduce transaction cost associated with importing and exporting goods, it will contribute to boosting export competitiveness if we are to survive in the international arena, it will help to sustain greater economic growth, and improve our attractiveness as a destination for investment, whether it is in the petroleum oil sector or in any other sector,” the foreign secretary said.
He said investments are very important and so too the attraction of skills that come with investments.
Greenidge said the exercise facilitates easier access to foreign markets, which together with trade facilitation and customs compliance are notable challenges.
Guyana has implemented the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) 2017 word system and it is expected to become fully operational by October 2019.
The operationalisation is a very critical step in the process of trade facilitation as it provides a basis for the implementation of the Electronic Single Window (ESW) system to which Guyana is committed.
Greenidge said an ESW steering committee has been established and it is co-chaired by the Ministry of Business and the GRA. This committee also has an implementation unit.
“In its [government] embrace of new economic resources, Guyana is taking the requisite steps to ensure that maximum benefit from the exploitation of the resources benefit the citizens. In order to do that we require the appropriate legal and regulation framework,” he told the gathering at the launch.
According to Greenidge, key trade facilitation reforms are intended to reduce trade processing time by 50 per cent and transaction costs by 30 per cent by the end of 2020.
By 2024, he said both are expected to see further reduction.
The launch was attended by Chairman of the National Committee on Trade Facilitation/Deputy Commissioner of GRA, Patrick Hyman; ASYCUDA World Implementation Adviser for the United Nations Conference on Trade Development (UNCTAD), Terrence Leonard; Economic Affairs Officer Trade Facilitation, UNCTAD, Bismark Sitorus; and senior foreign service officers.


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Adani Enterprises up on higher share sale floor price
Reuters Market Eye - Shares in Adani Enterprises Ltd (ADEL.NS) gain 4 percent in early trade after its promoters set the floor price for a share sale at 282 rupees per share.
Dealers say the floor price is higher than market expectations.
Adani Enterprises fell 7.1 percent to 271 rupees on Thursday ahead of its planned sale of 23 million shares on Friday.
(Reporting Abhishek Vishnoi)
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A day after the best economic growth figures in more than two years greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first three months in office, the finance minister on Saturday predicted faster growth to come. Full Article
Exclusive: Reliance plans $13 billion projects including new refinery. Full Article


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Cory Barlog teased God of War: Ragnarok in 2019 — but no one noticed
Ragnarok was foretold in a Twitter thread. We just realized it.
The newly announced God of War: Ragnarok was actually first teased back in 2019. The PlayStation 5 exclusive was announced at the end of Sony's September 16 PS5 Showcase with the tagline "Ragnarok is coming." It felt like a genuine surprise that, despite speculation for months that it was in development, but it turns out Game Director Cory Barlog has been teasing the new God of War on Twitter for some time.
As Digital Trends writer Joseph Yaden pointed out on Twitter Thursday morning, the pinned thread on Cory Barlog's account teases the new God of War game for PS5. The tweets in question give a behind-the-scenes look at the development of 2018's God of War.
Upon closer inspection, however, you can see the first letter of every thread spells out "R-A-G-N-A-R-O-K ... I-S ... C-O-M-I-N-G." That's the tagline of the game's trailer and why fans have preemptively started calling the PS5 game God of War: Ragnarok. So he was intentionally revealing that the game was in developing at that point in time, so it makes sense that 2021 would be the eventual release timeframe confirmed in Wednesday's teaser.
When the thread was posted in April 2019, some users did notice that the letters spelled out "Ragnarok is coming," but Sony never officially commented on a God of War sequel around that time. When someone asked him about the tease last year, he jokingly responded "Is that the one by @TaikaWaititi?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯," referencing the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Thor: Ragnarok.
He also tweeted about watching the show Ragnarok earlier this year. While these just seemed like playful tweets before, we now know that he was actually teasing a PS5 sequel to God of War.
While these are some fun teasers, they don't give any major story details outside of the fact that the story will have to do with Ragnarok, the mythological event that killed many of the Norse Gods. The trailer doesn't reveal much more about the new God of War game either.
In the trailer, we see a blue version of the series' logo form before hearing Christopher Judge's Kratos say "prepare yourself." The tagline "Ragnarok is coming" then finally appeared before confirmation of a 2021 release. While one can infer that Kratos is speaking to Atreus in the trailer, (SPOILERS) the post-credits scene for the first God of War does tease that Kratos and Atreus will fight Thor.
Sony also briefly referenced the game in a PlayStation Blog post about the PS5, just calling it "New God of War title" and affirming that it was in development at Sony Santa Monica.
The Inverse Analysis — It seems like the same creative team that worked on the first game is returning for the sequel, which is a good sign considering how fantastic 2018's God of War was. We have yet to see any gameplay; hopefully, we don't have to wait too long to see that as the game is supposed to come out next year and clearly was in active development as far back as Spring 2019.
Secret teases like this aren't uncommon in the game industry, as just this month Xbox revealed that Phil Spencer hid the Xbox Series S in the background of a few interviews earlier this year. Developers clearly like to play around with fans when teasing their next game's and system, so gamers should definitely be paying increased attention to tweets and on-camera appearances like this as we approach the launch of Xbox Series X and PS5.
God of War: Ragnarok will be released for PS5 in 2021.


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When you download a file from the internet and you want to share it with others, you must provide some personal details. If you decide to try a free antivirus program, for instance, you might be required to submit an online form that requires your email address and name.
The company has access to some of your personal information. Sometimes, a breach occurs and all the data that the company collects could be compromised. Legislators are now putting together ways to protect the privacy of online users.
While some may be impressed with the work the lawmakers are trying to accomplish, however, many others are aware that the measures don't tackle the root cause of the issue. To protect your business data, you can appoint the best cybersecurity company at https://apexprivacy.com.
Every software has an element of vulnerability. Hackers can exploit even the smallest flaw in the software. There are conspiracy theorists who believe that although software developers would like to patch these holes, they are confined to doing so by the government as they require some type of access.
If smaller companies are slapped with a fine for their inability to safeguard data, they might decide to not gather data to stay out of prosecution. If they're only allowed to collect information, they could be even more restricted in conducting business online.
The country is facing many more than enough, and more pressing issues that must be of concern to our lawmakers and leaders. It's not difficult for them to search for possible culprits, but what they need to do is look at the issue and find solutions that are effective from cybersecurity.


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By Chris Ketterer, News24, February 16, 2017 12:17:56India is facing an increase in foodborne diseases from the introduction of the first ever plastic grocery bags, according to reports.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced that it is implementing the “sensory and temperature detection and control system” to help the government detect and track the spread of foodborne disease.
Food safety experts say that since the introduction in November of the plastic grocery bag, the country has seen an increase of 732 cases of food poisoning across India, including 735 cases in the state of Karnataka, which accounts for 80 percent of cases.
The move comes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed the lives of at least 1,711 people and injured nearly 4,000.
The government said that the new plastic grocery sacks will help the country to identify the source of the disease, prevent the spread and ensure the safety of the population.
The bags are manufactured by Arakan Sourcing Corporation and the government is seeking a licence from the Food Safety & Standards Authority for the use of them in all government buildings, including public hospitals, as well as for commercial and agricultural uses.
The FSSAI has also started monitoring the safety aspects of the bags, the Indian Express reported.
The initiative comes after a recent report that found the use and import of plastic grocery packaging is increasing.
A report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) found that in the year since the launch of the country’s first plastic grocery packing bags in February, India has seen the first increase in cases of the bacterial food poisoning that the virus has caused.
The report said that India’s case rates of food borne pathogens have been increasing by about 10 percent annually, with an average increase of 17 percent per year.
It is also estimated that more than 1.5 million cases of bacterial foodborne illness have been reported in India each year since 2015.


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) -- A new survey shows that buyers of
products -- particularly Buick, whose 2010 Enclave CXL is pictured above -- are generally satisfied with their purchases despite an overall decline in auto buyer satisfaction.
The survey by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based indicator of customer product evaluations, showed that automobile satisfaction dipped 2.4% from its all-time high of 82 on a 0-100 scale, based on phone surveys of 5,000 consumers during the second quarter.
Among individual auto nameplates, Lincoln-Mercury leads, with a score of 89, up 1%. Buick stays at 88. Next, at 86, are
, down 1%, Ford, at
, unchanged, and Cadillac, down 3%. Lexus fell 5% to 85, while
fell 2% to 84, reflecting the impact of massive recalls.
"It was not long ago when Detroit's products were clustered at the bottom of the industry," said Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI, in a prepared statement. "Although very few automakers improved this year, the domestic ones are either steady or have lost less in customer satisfaction compared to international competition."
At the bottom of the survey,
brands dipped below the industry average of 82, with Chrysler down 5% to 80, Dodge down 4% to 78 and Jeep at the bottom, down 3% to 77. Overall, 14 of the 19 largest auto nameplates showed some deterioration.
made the biggest gain, up 5% to match the industry average of 82.
-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C.


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Downtown Plaza buyer names partner
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We learned a little bit more today — with the emphasis on “little” — about how the new owners of Sacramento’s downtown mall came up with the money for the purchase.
JMA Ventures LLC, which purchased Downtown Plaza this week, announced that its money partner on the deal was a Los Angeles private equity and real estate company called Downtown Properties.
That’s all JMA Ventures had to say about Downtown Properties. But the company’s website says it owns hotels, residential and commercial properties in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Hawaii.
JMA Ventures paid about $22 million to buy Downtown Plaza from Westfield Group LLC. The developer isn’t saying how much Downtown Properties put into the purchase.
Read more about the deal in our story from this week’s print edition.
Kelly Johnson covers retail, insurance, marketing and media, manufacturing and distribution, sports business, nonprofits and education for the Sacramento Business Journal.
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Shell LiveWIRE, an organization dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, is actively supporting the growth of the startup scene in the Philippines. They aim to strengthen the country’s economy and create meaningful employment opportunities. Recently, they held the Final Pitch Day event in Makati City, where tech startups and community enterprises showcased their ideas.
Farmvocacy, a Mindoro Island-based social climate fintech startup, won a funding grant worth 1 million pesos for their innovative approach to climate-smart rice farming. Shell LiveWIRE, which has been operating since 2020, has already assisted 42 innovators and business owners through their Acceleration Program, with 12 of them entering Shell Pilipinas Corporation’s supply chain. This initiative has resulted in the creation of over 500 local jobs.
The event was attended by notable individuals, including Rafelita Aldaba, Undersecretary for the Competitiveness and Innovation Group at the Department of Trade and Industry, who praised the dedication to sustainability and encouraged everyone to support innovation. Two other finalists, LITHOS Manufacturing OPC and Lycan Motorcycles, were also recognized for their contributions to the local economy. Additionally, six community enterprises were honored for their efforts in promoting entrepreneurship and meaningful employment.
Shell LiveWIRE emphasized the importance of collaboration between innovators and enterprises to achieve national success. The event’s judging panel included representatives from various organizations, such as the Department of Science and Technology and 500 Startups.


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The Future of Protein Production Summit Exhibitor Profile: ChickP
Professor Ram Reifen and Liat Lachish Levy sit down with The Future of Protein Production to discuss the company's genesis and the virtues of the chickpea in the alternative proteins sector, and its significance in providing food security for future generations
The Israel-based company ChickP was essentially born, in 2016, out a discovery made over several years previous by Professor Ram Reifen that the physical development of children in the villages of Ehiopia, Uganda and Kenya was different to that of those growing up in the bigger cities.
A gastroenterologist and Professor of Human Nutrition within the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agricultural, Food & Environment at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in the early 2010s Reifen was tasked with leading multiple studies in the Africa region involving chickpea cultivation, the development of chickpea-based weaning foods, and immunological studies related to this plentiful legume. In studying the crop, he came to the conclusion that the villagers were not consuming enough proteins, minerals and vitamins, as a result of which the children were suffering from delayed growth.
“Although there was a good supply of chickpeas growing in these rural areas, rather than eating them, the villagers were instead selling the crop in exchange for other goods,” Reifen reveals. “As my studies continued, I began to appreciate that the chickpea, so readily available in developing countries, actually had enormous potential for solving the challenges associated with feeding a growing population. A ‘green’ crop, non-GMO, non-allergenic, and containing a high level of protein, it represents a great starting point to answering the needs of consumers and industry.”
It's a somewhat unorthodox genesis for a company, but Reifen is adamant that with the demand for alternative proteins currently outpacing the supply – and a rising interest generally for plant-based foods – we need to look everywhere we can for future protein sources. And although he acknowledges the successes of certain products readily available in the sector, he believes there are a number of unresolved challenges that need to be addressed when it comes to plant-based foods.
Contrary to what one might think, flexitarians looking to diversify their diets with more plant-based options are the ones who are driving the plant-based boom
“Contrary to what one might think, flexitarians looking to diversify their diets with more plant-based options are the ones who are driving the plant-based boom,” adds Liat Lachish Levy, ChickP's CEO, who joined Reifen in October 2021 to drive the business forward.
According to the Euromonitor International Going Plant-Based: The Rise of Vegan and Vegetarian Food report from November 2020, that group now makes up 42% of the market, as opposed to vegans and vegetarians who, respectively, account for just 4% and 6% of consumers globally.
“For flexitarians, when choosing a plant-based food product, taste and health are the most important purchase drivers,” Levy continues. “These consumers are looking for high-quality and nutritious products but are not willing to compromise on the quality organoleptic experience – taste, smell, and texture – of their food.”
Ultimately, and perhaps counterintuitively, Reifen feels that with the rise and rise of alternative protein solutions, the disadvantages of the most popular plant proteins already on the market become ever more apparent. “Many can come off as overly processed, are GMO, contain allergens, and phytoestrogens,” he reports. “Moreover, formulators of plant-based alternatives still struggle to overcome sensory issues such as bitterness, aftertaste, and unattractive colors and textures. Once the alternative proteins industry fully overcomes these hurdles – and develops the capabilities to scale-up production of foods that are tasty, functional, and nutritious – the industry could scale to new heights.”
Our proteins are innovative, an important factor in the food industry, with high functional capacity, high nutritional value, and high sensory value – so we generate significant value for the food industry and its customers
And those are the problems and opportunities that Reifen and his team at ChickP are aiming to solve. “Our proteins are innovative, an important factor in the food industry, with high functional capacity, high nutritional value, and high sensory value – so we generate significant value for the food industry and its customers,” says Levy.
In terms of functionality, ChickP’s products contain a high percentage of protein (90% pure) without oil and other components, which means they can be used in a variety of food products across all categories. The company’s IP-protected extraction process removes oil, and other non-nutritional factors such as fibers and starch, which maximizes the benefits for both consumers and the food industry. As far as the sensory experience goes – taste, smell, appearance, and texture – it is interesting to note that ChickP’s proteins have an almost neutral taste and smell. And while some of the most popular proteins on the market today have nutritional disadvantages or lack the amino acids levels required to be defined as a complete protein or have deficiencies in terms of sensory properties, ChickP’s protein offers benefits nutritionally.
Levy says that it is vital to understand the food industry’s needs for superb functionality in products. “We have developed a unique portfolio of solutions, consisting mainly of two highly functional proteins, S930 and G910, each with their own unique abilities (emulsification, solubility, viscosity, etc) that answer the needs of different food categories.”
The result, according to Reifen, is that ChickP’s proteins are easy to incorporate into a number of categories from non-dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream, etc) to sports nutrition, egg replacements, meat alternatives, and much more.
Levy concedes that it in any industry it is a challenge to upset the status quo and convince people to try something new, but she believes the food industry, in particular, is open to innovation when it comes to ingredients. She also accepts that adopting a new ingredient requires a great deal of thought about entire formulations and production, especially when working with a highly functional protein. “Our protein also offers another important benefit,” she points out. “It enables the reduction of unwanted ingredients such as emulsifiers, flavors, and masking systems, in doing so allowing producers to reduce the cost of the product and contributing to a cleaner label.”
Humanity cannot treat plant proteins as a ‘passing fad' ... Surveys show that the willingness to purchase meat substitutes is high, just so long as the substitute is satisfactory
This is a particularly important point in the face of scepticism from a few sections of the media. “Humanity cannot treat plant proteins as a ‘passing fad’,” says Reifen, referencing the now infamous Bloomberg Businessweek cover story from the end of January that caused quite a stir in the alternative proteins community. “It’s true that there have been attempts that haven’t been as successful and did not sufficiently meet the expectations of consumers,” he accepts. "But the apparent failures of a few should not dictate the success of an entire movement."
“Surveys show that the willingness to purchase meat substitutes is high, just so long as the substitute is satisfactory,” notes Levy.
Furthermore, with the topic of sustainability on fire, Levy feels that plant proteins particularly can play a large and significant role in addressing climate change. Substantiating that opinion, a recent report from Boston Consulting Group found that, for each dollar, investment in improving and scaling up the production of meat and dairy alternatives resulted in three times more GHG reductions compared with investment in green cement technology, seven times more than green buildings and 11 times more than zero-emission cars. Yet alternative proteins have received only a fraction of the investment deployed in other sectors.
“The industry will keep evolving, offering better and tastier options, and that will contribute directly to climate change,” Levy says. “And we must not forget that we will also see new products offering experiences that we haven’t yet imagined possible."
“We are welcoming of any development in the alternative proteins industry that can contribute to the understanding of the importance of climate change and healthier eating,” Reifen replies, when asked what he thinks about developments in cultivated meat, particularly with Israel being such a hub for lab-grown meat innovations. “The predictions are that it will take a few more years until it is commercialized, but the demand for alternative proteins on the whole keeps growing as we speak. Our proteins can be implemented into hybrid meats, and we already working with startups in this segment.”
With such advances in cultivated meats and others in synbio, for instance, Levy is absolutely convinced that we are merely at the start of a long journey in disrupting a food system that, after all, has been decades and decades in the making. Change cannot happen overnight.
The people who move the wheels of the plant proteins industry have a real passion to create change, and besides producing an innovative great product they are also very creative
“The people who move the wheels of the plant proteins industry have a real passion to create change, and besides producing an innovative great product they are also very creative,” she says, when prompted to give her opinion about a perceived image problem for plant-based foods. “The result can be seen on the shelves with creative branding and a standout, innovative communication language that knows how to appeal precisely to the main target audience – the new generations of consumers. But this is just one side of the equation. The retail sector should also give space for new brands and products, allowing consumers to be exposed to experiment with new products.”
And on that side, ChickP has already established its capacities to whip up a vegan mayonnaise, ice cream and a barista-quality coffee creamer. It has the commercial capacity to produce 5,000 tons of chickpea isolate a year (which Reifen reports is unusual compared to other startups), serving a global client base with a unique protein that is suitable for dairy alternatives, sports nutrition, egg replacers, and meat and fish analogs. “We have invested a lot of time in finding a suitable production site, which has all the needed approved certificates such as BRC, GMP, FSSC, ISO, etc. It hasn’t been an easy task, as it also had to be a non-allergenic factory, but we have succeeded.”
Ultimately, Levy believes that with the current food system being a very significant contributor to climate change risk, we have no choice but to push forward and accelerate through the misinformed and often biased press coverage and current economic challenges. “Actually, the agri and food-tech sector may be more resilient to external factors such as economic downturns,” she feels. “Our sector is still small but has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years with 624 active startups in Israel alone. In our area of plant-based proteins, we are still seeing a growing demand.”
And although it may seem that the topic of alternative proteins would be one open mainly for new ventures, as ChickP illustrates, there is a rich ecosystem of companies active in the space including maturing startups (some of which have IPOd) alongside joint ventures and spinoffs funded by the food majors.
“Established companies are launching their own products or contributing to a burgeoning Research-as-a-Service infrastructure,” Levy concludes. “Today, there is more of a need than ever before to create products that are tasteful, available, and acceptable by consumers. These conditions are met with our unique technology and pure isolate chickpea protein products, hence we believe this could lead to a profound evolution of a large part of the food industry and existing supply chains.”
You can find out more about ChickP and its products via the company's website
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with us, please email email@example.com


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NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 12 is coming this year, at least according to a Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call. The studio didn’t officially make an announcement, but it may do so later this week. Pro fighting game player SonicFox said he anticipates an “MK12 announcement” this week, with Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb following up (seemingly sarcastic) with, “I think they’re going to space.”
Jez Corden of Windows Central also joined in, stating, “In September!” Which is the same release month as Starfield. Even assuming that Grubb and Corden are joking around, it’s odd that SonicFox would randomly mention a Mortal Kombat 12 announcement for this week. As always, time will tell if this is true or not.
Platforms for the sequel aren’t confirmed, but Warner Bros. Discovery touted “ambitious launch projections.” Stay tuned for more details, hopefully, this week. The publisher also has Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League releasing in May for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, though rumors claim it’s delayed. It could arrive later this year or even in 2024.
I anticipate an MK12 announcement next week..
— SonicFox (@SonicFox) April 7, 2023
I think they're going to space.
— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) April 10, 2023
— Jez (@JezCorden) April 11, 2023


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While electronic promotion methods, such as in-store kiosks, clipless coupons and a variety of Internet initiatives, are finding acceptance with some retailers, marketing executives are still gauging their effectiveness compared with traditional marketing methods.
These technology-based vehicles may get a boost as retailers seek to more effectively target promotions to specific shopper groups, often using their customer-loyalty programs.
Retailers are giving more electronic in-store promotions a try. For example, Giant Food, Landover, Md., and Edwards Super Food Stores, Carlisle, Pa., a division of Ahold USA, Atlanta, are offering clipless coupons. G&R Felpausch Co., Hastings, Mich., and most banners under A&P, Montvale, N.J., use kiosks to promote specialty items and offer discounts.
But many retailers continue to rely on proven promotional methods. "The point of using promotions is to drive traffic into your stores. Sometimes it's the traditional displays that drive those sales," said Tracy Wiese, director of communications for Byerly's, a division of Lund Food Holdings, Edina, Minn.
Whether implementing traditional endcap displays or experimenting with new technology to promote sale items, however, the strongest options seem to be those that promote customer loyalty as well as product.
"Frequent-shopper programs are the way many chains are headed," said Michelle Rusche, advertising manager at Scolari's Food & Drug, Sparks, Nev. "The customer database allows chains to obtain valuable information that can be crucial in making marketing decisions.
"Unfortunately, sometimes with too much technology, retailers tend to lose that 'person-to-person' edge," she added. "However, it is frequent-shopper programs that bring back the 'hometown store' basis. By using the database, retailers can greet and provide the right products, thus reinventing that personalization."
In-store uses of electronic promotions include clipless coupons and interactive kiosks, both of which are often tied to the store's point-of-sale.
"On an industrywide basis, I am unsure of the impact of clipless coupons, but we see a strong acceptance of this in the Baltimore-Washington area," said Mary Jo Torrey, manager of marketing support for Giant Food.
Kiosks, generally accessed via a customer's frequent-shopper card, allow users to select sale items they plan to purchase during the shopping trip. The discount is electronically transmitted to the POS, and price reductions are applied upon checking out.
Retailers agree that customer usage will make or break the success of kiosk-based promotions.
"I have a seen a number of retailers introducing kiosks in their stores," said one industry observer. "However, unless a retailer can get more than 10% of its consumers to use the technology during their shopping trips, the kiosks are not worth the retailer's time or effort."
Giant Food's Torrey sees a future for promoting items via kiosks, though she agrees the units still need to prove themselves in the stores.
"They can be effective. I have seen different kiosk programs; some good, and others only mediocre," she explained. "But there are some retailers that use these as a way to wean customers off of clipping their own coupons, including manufacturer coupons. Whether a kiosk will be used long term to drive those type of sales, I am still unsure."
The Internet is another technology that retailers are experimenting with for store promotions, though it is also receiving mixed reviews.
Brodbeck Enterprises, Platteville, Wis., which operates Dick's Supermarkets, is planning to offer clipless coupons via its web site, which is scheduled to go live by the end of the year. "The Internet is still slowly evolving in the supermarket industry," said Scolari's Rusche. "While it will eventually have a place in the industry, I think it is still too premature to help us" promote items and drive sales.
Bashas' Markets, Chandler, Ariz., also sees the Internet eventually making an impact, though not yet in the area of promotions.
"For the amount of people that are on the Internet so far, we cannot rely on it to replace our weekly circular of specials," said Becca Anderson, spokeswoman for Bashas'. "Unless we have an order form by the promotion circular on-line, I don't think customers have the time to sit reading a web site, scanning the weekly specials, then hitting the store."
Another area of electronic promotions showing promise is the use of targeted e-mail.
"I think this is could be a dominant way to have a relationship with consumers in the future," said Byerly's Wiese. "We already have a good rapport with our customers via e-mail and modem. It would be for this group, and the addition of other customers, that would make promotions via this vehicle a potentially positive method."
Giant's Torrey agrees. "This does have high possibilities. As someone hits a retailer's home page, we can record their e-mail address and follow up with them on promotions and special offers via e-mail," she said. "This is definitely something that can take the Internet to the next level for the industry."
As with other types of promotions, a sufficient audience is needed before retailers will invest. "For the amount of people on the Internet today, the number is still too small to make targeted e-mail feasible," said Bashas' Anderson. "In addition, sending this e-mail could be viewed as 'junk-mail' and turn consumers off to you."
Scolari's Rusche agrees. "Having e-mail pile up in your mailbox can be compared to junk-mail sent to your home," she explained.
"I am unsure of how much customer-specific e-mail would be looked at. I would estimate that a typical consumer who receives junk e-mail messages from on-line providers in bulk delete a good two-thirds of the files," she added. "I am unsure if this will help retailers to target promotions in the future. We will have to see."


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Karen Mills to leave SBA before new administrator is in place
SBA Administrator Karen Mills told her agency colleagues yesterday that she would leave the agency by the end of August. Mills announced her plans to resign in February. At the time, Mills said she would remain at the SBA until Obama named her successor.
But five months later, the president still hasn't announced his new choice for SBA administrator, which he has made a Cabinet-level position. Mills apparently couldn't wait any longer.
Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., also is frustrated by Obama's tardiness in naming Mills' replacement.
Five months "should be long enough of a notice for the replacement process," said Graves, who chairs the House Small Business Committee. "With the deputy administrator position also vacant, I'm concerned that a confirmation process could leave the Small Business Administration without a leader well into the fall.
"The SBA performs an important role for many small businesses, and the administration should make small businesses a higher priority by finding a new administrator as quickly as possible,” Graves said.
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Beijing Motor Show: First major trade show event since COVID-19
Al Jazeera, 27 Sep 2020
The first large trade event of any industry since the coronavirus pandemic began is attracting big crowds.
Carmakers see the Beijing Motor Show as a glimmer of hope for an industry that has suffered huge losses.
Al Jazeera's Katrina Yu went to see what is new to drive.
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The Kmart Thanksgiving Sale is over and the actual Kmart Black Friday 2011 online sale takes over.
The Kmart Black Friday 2011 Sale has launched online on Kmart.com. The Kmart Black Friday 2011 deals offer up to $250 off electronics, up to 60% off toys and 15-40% off Fitness & Sports gear. The Kmart Black Friday 2011 Deals include a 15-inch Coby LED TV for $99.99, over $300 off HP computers, $99.99 Kyros Android tablet and more.
How To: Buy a Pokemon Go Plus
Use Coupon code HOLIDAY to get free shipping on orders over $49. Use coupon code NOV2SAVINGS to get $10 off $60 orders and higher.
Black Friday 2011, November 25 is here! Black Friday 2011 in Store sales are sweeping the nation - Black Friday Madness takes over. Browse the latest Black Friday 2011 Sales or visit our Black Friday Hub for the latest news and deals. Follow us on Twitter to no miss any Black Friday 2011 Deals. Recommended Online Black Friday Sale: Amazon Black Friday Deals Week offers massive amounts of Black Friday deals and Amazon is often matching Black Friday deals advertised by other Black Friday retailer.


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Cracow, June 14, 2013
Diamond of Private Equity 2013 for PineBridge Investments and Integer.pl Group
PineBridge Investments, the global multi-asset class investment manager and Integer.pl Group, the leading independent Polish postal group operating under the InPost brand and other courier & postal brands, won the Diamond of Private Equity in 2013, in the category of Transaction of the Year 2012. This prestigious award was granted for the establishment joint-venture easyPack company in April 2012. The goal of the new company is to develop an innovative parcel system, in Europe and CIS countries. Up to 16,000 InPost parcel lockers are planned to be installed by the end of 2016.
Joint investment, worth EUR 108 million (PLN 453 million), assumes that the Integer Group will provide 58 million Euros over the first two years of the cooperation, while the PineBridge Investments will invest 50 million Euros in the project. The establishment of the easyPack LTD, has significant influence on the success of the international parcel locker sector.
"InPost parcel lockers are one of the most promising Polish export brands. For now - after four years of implementation in the Polish market - we are one of the biggest logistics network worldwide that enables sending and collecting packages in the 24/7 mode. In cooperation with PineBridge Investments we are realizing our brave business plan - launch of the 16 thousand parcel terminals in 12 European and CIS countries. The contract with PineBridge will strengthen our position and open prospects for further dynamic growth that is achievable in this sector. We are delighted that creating a joint venture easyPack deserved to be entitled as Diamond of Private Equity in 2013, in the category of Transaction of the Year 2012"- said Rafa


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Jayson Elliot of TSR Games announced today to subscribers that Gygax Magazine is closing and will no longer produce any new issues. Emails to subscribers included the following
“As you may have heard, Gygax Magazine has been in a trademark dispute, which we’re glad to have settled. However, Luke & Ernie Gygax have decided to withdraw for business reasons. We’re all still good friends and support each other, but as a result, we’ve decided that we will no longer publish Gygax Magazine. Without any Gygaxes involved, it wouldn’t be right to continue it. This was a very difficult decision, and we’re so sorry to have to see it end. But there’s good news, too. We’ve got great new products coming out in 2016, and I’m very excited about what the coming year looks like.” – Jayson Elliot, TSR Games
There is no public posting yet about the change in focus, but the magazine’s Facebook presence did change its logo yesterday, and as of this morning the Gygax Magazine domain is now being forward to the TSR Games web store, although the domain is still active, allowing access to pages like the blog.
Although the magazine will stop operations, TSR Games will continue to produce new products, with those who have subscriptions to the magazine receiving credit for remaining issues. That credit can be used to purchase existing issues of the magazine, or any of the new products that are coming out.
The upcoming Pantheon Series is a series of digest-sized modules that will be available for multiple RPG systems. They will be released monthly, and include fold-out maps and will be written by many well known names such as Frank Mentzer and Merle Rasmussen among others. Although starting to be sourced from the adventures that would appear in Gygax Magazine, these products will be the main source of publishing going forward.
TSR Games are also focusing on continuing to develop their TSR Podcast Network, which has been running for some time with the two podcasts Cube of Death (a quiz show) and Game School (looking at a new RPG each episode).
The magazine has suffered from numerous challenges, not including the latest that shut it down, including releasing issues on a regular schedule (always a great challenge). Response to the magazine in the community was met with initial optimism but became mixed over time, partly in response to the release schedule.


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SWIFT’s CEO Gottfried Leibbrandt will be stepping down in June from the position that he’s occupying in the traditional payments system.
During a Paris FinTech Forum 2019 that was held a few days ago, Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse kept an open offer for the SWIFT’s CEO.
Potential collaboration between Ripple and SWIFT?
More than that, Garlinghouse sparked speculations about the much-anticipated partnership again.
Gottfried is stepping aside as CEO from the SWIFT network after he had been working there for decades.
The moderator asked him to share his experience and the legacy that will be moving on.
The man answered and said that GPI is a big part of the legacy which would transform the banking industry and while he was speaking, Garlinhouse just offered him a job. He said, “Ripple is hiring.”
Ripple is on a hiring spree
As we also reported Ripple is indeed hiring these days.
Ripple is currently also focused on hiring developers who can help its customers integrate the company’s products, xRapid, and xCurrent.
Ripple’s director of talent Jim Chauncey-Kelly, the new hires are vital as the company builds strategic partnerships around the world.
“Right now, roles that I’m thinking of that are quite critical are integration engineers. That role essentially helps our customers on-site implement our products globally.”
You can see for yourself Ripple’s job openings.
More than that, Garlinghouse just welcomed Stuart Alderoty, veteran legal expert and former General Counsel at CIT and HSBC on board.
Now, getting back to the panel, moderated by CNBC’s Elizabeth Schulze, the panel was really exciting as both CEOs argued over the future of cross-border payments and the financial system in general.
Specifically, the panel was scheduled with the main focus on the topic about finance – ‘Let’s Send the Money’.
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It’s E3, and that means we’ve learned quite a bit about the upcoming Sony PS4. We already have talked about the hardware and pricing, not it is time to take a look at some of the titles that are coming to the console.
First we have Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 3, which is currently in development. We also have Square Enix’s Final Fantasy Versus XIII, rebranded as Final Fantasy XV.
Next we have The Order: 1886, from Ready at Dawn. This is a unique steampunk action game, and their first original IP.
Also coming is Transistor from indie developer Supergiant Games. The cyberpunk action RPG will be available on the PS4 sometime next year.
Then there’s Mad Max by Avalanche Studios, the folks behind the Just Cause series. And one of our favorites is Bungie’s first-person sci-fi game Destiny.
As part of Sony’s efforts to pull in more indie developers, they have announced many indie games for the PS4. The list includes Mercenary Kings, Don’t Starve, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, a remake of the original Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, and Galak-Z from the makers of Skulls of the Shogun.
Quantic Dream’s The Dark Sorcerer was also shown off, but that is a “concept only” according to Sony.
Stil not enough for you? Bethesda hasalso announced that the beta for Elder Scrolls Online will be available exclusively for PS4. The game is expected to be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in spring 2014.
Sony has also announced that earlier revealed titles such as Killzone: Shadow Fall, Drive Club, and Knack will be available when the PS4 launches. Last but not least, 30 PS4 games are in development at Worldwide Studios.
Are you excited for the Sony Playstation 4, or are you more interested in what Microsoft is bringing to the table?


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The countdown is on to Super Bowl 50! Can you believe the 50th Anniversary is in four days?
The week leading up to the Super Bowl is always enjoyable because there’s so much going on surrounding the event. We finally start seeing the highly-anticipated commercials, get a good kick out of the hilarious prop-bets and learn other news about the game. Take a look below at some fun facts and recent news about Super Bowl 50.
Lady Gaga Will Sing the National Anthem
The NFL announced Tuesday that Lady Gaga will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 50. In addition, Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin will perform the National Anthem in American Sign Language.
Prop Bets Are in Full Swing
People aren’t just betting on the Super Bowl 50 game itself. They’re betting on the broadcast, the length of the National Anthem, whether “Left Shark” will make an appearance in the halftime show, if the Panthers player who scores the first TD will give the football to a boy or a girl, if Peyton Manning will be seen crying at any point and if there will be an earthquake. Oh and what color will the liquid be that is poured on the winning coach?
Super Bowl Spending Will Reach over $15 Billion
According to the National Retail Federation, Super Bowl spending will top $15.5 billion. Football fans will spend an average of $82.19 on food, décor and team apparel. Nearly 8.7 million new TVs will be bought leading up to the game. So if you’ve already bought a new TV and spent money on all things Super Bowl, at least you’re not the only one.
Super Bowl Food and Drinks Go Big
According to the National Restaurant Association, 48 million Americans order takeout or have food delivered to their doorstep, and 12 million watch the game at a bar or restaurant.
Domino’s expects to sell 12 million slices of pizza – five times more than a typical Sunday – and 4 million chicken wings. According to the National Chicken Council, Americans will devour 1.3 billion chicken wings during the game.
Per The Nielsen Company, the three most popular snacks are potato chips ($140.2 million), unflavored nuts ($90.8 million) and crackers ($93 million). Also, 53 percent of the 2,000 Americans polled said they will consume beer during the game.
So in other words, Americans love beer and chicken wings.
Super Bowl Commercials Released
While some people watch the Super Bowl for the actual game, others just watch it for the commercials. No worries, we won’t judge either way. So far, we have seen a few 2016 Super Bowl ads released prior to the game.
Check out of a couple below! You can watch other ones here.
Super Bowl Teams Treat San Francisco Like Home
The Panthers might be 2,700 miles away from home and the Broncos are less than 1,300, but each team is making Levi’s Stadium and this Super Bowl experience feel like they are right at home.
The “Keep Pounding” drum will be on the sidelines, and “Sweet Caroline” will be played throughout the stadium if the Panthers beat the Broncos. The players have still been playing their favorite artists in the locker room like they do in Charlotte. The defensive backs carried their Thieves Ave. sign on their flight to San Francisco. The Broncos will have their mascot horse, Thunder, parade on the field as he does during home games after a touchdown.
The list goes on! The NFL encourages the teams to keep their traditions, and needless to say, they’re doing just that.
Grady the Groundhog Makes Super Bowl Prediction
As we know, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow Tuesday, which means EARLY SPRING. To confirm, Grady the Groundhog from North Carolina backed up this prediction, and for the 11th year in a row made a prediction of his own about the outcome of the Super Bowl. Grady wandered out of his cage to get a snack – he could choose from two ears of corn, one with the Panthers logo and one with the Broncos logo. He chose the Broncos! Sorry, Carolina fans.
Opening Night Brought All Kinds of Interesting Characters
While some media reporters take “Opening Night” seriously and ask legitimate questions, others like to put on their own kind of show. So here’s what we saw.
One reporter dressed as a superhero and wore gold spandex from head to toe. Miss Universe was there, with her tiara and sash, of course. One guy was dressed in a skiing outfit with skis in one hand and a video camera atop his crash helmet. The Broncos leprechaun (Rocky The Leprechaun is his proper name) gave his fair share of interviews. Two men with puppets traveled from Mexico City to ask Peyton Manning about his favorite food. It’s scrambled eggs, by the way.


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Ascend Performance Materials has purchased a majority stake in Circular Polymers, a CARE grantee and important California recycler of post-consumer, high-performance polymers. The deal provides Ascend with a consistent supply of high-quality PCR materials for its ReDefyne™ sustainable polyamides.
Lincoln, CA-based Circular Polymers, which as part of the deal is renamed Circular Polymers by Ascend, reclaims and processes post-consumer carpet via a unique, patented technology, and has redirected approximately 85 million pounds of waste from landfills into new goods since 2018.
David Bender, founder and CEO of Circular Polymers, holds the remaining equity and will stay on as CEO of the company. “Since 2018, we have focused on improving the sourcing and processing of post-consumer, high-performance polymers,” said Bender. “Having Ascend on board will accelerate our growth and ensure these materials go back into new long-term, high-performance applications.”
“We are delighted that Circular Polymers’ progress has been recognized with this deal,” said CARE Executive Director Bob Peoples. “CARE has worked with CP on every step of their success, and we look forward to this next exciting chapter of growth. This caps yet another year of major progress."


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The cat is out of the bag: Motorola's new Moto Mods now have official release dates. That means there will soon be more ways to upgrade Moto Z phones, such as the Moto Z2 Play, in a snap.
To be exact, the accessories making their way are the Moto GamePad, the JBL SoundBoost 2, the Moto TurboPower Pack, and the series of Moto Style Shells with wireless charging support.
The Moto GamePad is expected to arrive sometime this summer with a $79.99 price tag.
As for what it can do, the name says it all. Just to be clear, though, it's designed to take the mobile gaming experience to the next level, offering a physical D-pad, two control sticks, and four action buttons.
It comes with a 1,035 mAh battery, and according to Motorola, it's rated to last up to eight hours before it needs a recharge.
JBL SoundBoost 2
The JBL SoundBoost 2 is scheduled to be available via Motorola's online store on July 10, at Best Buy on July 30, and at Verizon on Aug. 10 for $79.99.
An upgrade to the original JBL SoundBoost, which is among the first Moto Mods to be unveiled, the new snap-on speaker now has a splash-proof coating and a more premium feel due to its fabric and contours. It's more or less the same as its predecessor, from the built-in kickstand and 10-hour battery life to even the price.
Moto TurboPower Pack
Best Buy will have the Moto TurboPower Pack on July 30, while Verizon will start carrying it on Aug. 10. It'll hold customers back by $79.99.
For some, this Moto Mod is a godsend. Why? Because it makes the woes of having a dead phone in the middle of the day a thing of the past.
To explain, the Moto TurboPower Pack adds 3,490 mAh worth of battery to the mix, and it can instantly juice up any Moto Z phones almost instantly at 15W speeds. Meanwhile, the power pack itself can be charged up to 50 percent of its max capacity in just 20 minutes at a rate of 30W.
It looks sleek and stylish too.
Moto Style Shell With Wireless Charging
The Moto Style Shell with Wireless Charging is going to land on Best Buy's store shelves on July 30, and expectedly bucking the trend of sorts that's going on in this list, it'll cost $39.99.
Of course, its function is simple: it adds a touch of style to the Moto Z, just like the Style Shells before it, but this time around, it adds wireless charging support. Needless to say, the wireless charging pad is sold separately.
As for the design options, it's available in Ebony Burl Wood, Grey Herringbone Nylon, Cateye Wood, and Floral Print.
It's not surprising to see more and more new Moto Mods popping up here and there, as the company did promise to release 12 of them this 2017, after all.
The Lenovo-owned company appears to be paving the way for what falls under the definition of "modular" phones nowadays, convincing Apple loyalists it's better than the iPhone 7 while it's at it too.


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Haribo withdraws candy after customers complain about racist caricatures
'Haribo' has pulled black-faced liquorice off their production line after customers complained their design played on racist caricatures.
The director of the German candy-making company said that he they understand the reason for the criticism and have withdrawn it as it is important to listen to the customers, the Local reported.
The candy sold in the company's Skipper Mix packets had black liquorice faces on it, which was meant to represent a captain's trip around the world.
(Posted on 20-01-2014)
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text: Top News South Australia unveils US$14.6m boost for regional tourism By TTG Asia / Posted on 15 September, 2020 13:46 The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) has committed to a A$20 million (US$14.6 million) support package to encourage private investment in demand-driving regional tourism infrastructure, create jobs and aid Covid recovery. Grants from A$20,000 to A$500,000 are available for new and improved regional accommodation, as well as quality tourism products and experiences that attract more visitors and a higher return. Tourism businesses across South Australia can leverage on grants to boost their offerings; Victoria Square in Adelaide, capital city of South Australia, pictured The multi-million-dollar Tourism Industry Development Fund was announced by premier Steven Marshall on Sunday. Run over two years, the programme will assist regional tourism businesses to recover quicker and stronger and get more South Australians into work. It is part of a suite of support packages aimed at the tourism sector, which has been significantly impacted by bushfires and Covid-19. Marshall said: “There’s no doubt the tourism industry is one of the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s also one of the most innovative and creative. We want to ensure that regional tourism businesses are supported to improve and diversify their offering so they can remain sustainable, increase visitor demand, and have visitors linger for longer. “Regional tourism is playing a major role in rebuilding our state’s visitor economy and creating local jobs. We already know 43 cents in every tourism dollar is spent in our regions and early indications show this fund will create around 1,400 ongoing direct tourism jobs. “One of the key strategic priorities identified across all regions for growing the visitor economy in our state is improved accommodation, products and experiences. That’s exactly what the Marshall government is doing, while getting shovels in the ground faster and more South Australians back into jobs.” Applications to the Tourism Industry Development Fund are limited to private sector businesses. Projects must commence within three months from time of a successful application. A maximum of 30 per cent state government funding will be committed to the total project value. Examples of eligible projects could include new accommodation or refurbishments to existing properties; the development or enhancement of tourism experiences, including innovative transport options; and infrastructure to enhance visitor engagement such as a new cellar door experience or an interactive display. The funding programme is now open, and will run until March 31, 2022 or until all funds have been allocated. Applications will be assessed by a panel including representatives from the SATC and the South Australian Financing Authority.