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It’s guaranteed to be a firehouse of information, fascinating case studies, key takeaways, awards and awesome networking. All it needs is Y-O-U. You’re invited to the 21st Annual eTourism Summit, Oct. 21-23, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency in Seattle, Washington. The earliest early birds who register by Oct. 30, 2019 receive a special offer for 21% off the standard rate by using the promo code: CHEERS! Simply use this link before the deadline.
A pre-conference day workshop at #eTS19, “Crisis Management for DMOs,” was led by two experts/authors, Doug Levy and Peggy Bendel.
A few days later, this happened at the landmark corner of Rampart & Canal streets at the edge of the French Quarter in the heart of New Orleans, leaving two dead, one still missing, 30 injured and 18 taken to a hospital. Engineers are still trying to stabilize the building and remove a 270-foot-high crane that is in danger of tumbling. The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
What do you think of the statement issued by the hotel’s future management, Hard Rock International?
VisitPITTSBURGH is a winner: Gold in the destination marketing campaign category of the Travel Weekly Magellan Awards for their campaign, “Pull Up a Chair. You Are Welcomed Here” and a finalist for 2019 PRNEWS digital WOW awards. Created in-house, “this is a campaign unlike any we had done or had seen in the industry,” said Tom Loftus, chief marketing officer for VisitPITTSBURGH. Presenting at #eTS19, the DMO shared more details about the campaign that generated an estimated full year of results in its first five months. See the video here.
NYC & Company has announced its largest-ever global initiative. The DMO refreshed its Statue of Liberty creative and paired it with a “Famous Original New York City” plus the tag line “Welcomes You. Always.” to reach 22 global markets including new ones in Ireland and Singapore. The campaign has airline partnerships, a toolkit for local partners and a $20 million budget for paid promotion as well as a new personalized online user experience. Read the full release here.
After 12 years of service, NYC & Company chair of the board of directors, Emily K. Rafferty, (president emerita of The Metropolitan Museum of Art) has decided to step down in February 2020. The remaining tenure will be filled by the board’s vice chair, Charles Flateman, who is executive vice president of the Shubert Organization through February 2021.
Kudos to Charleston and Chicago, which ranked tops in the newly released Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for best U.S. cities.
Now in its 32nd year, a record 600,000 people participated in the survey—so many that the publisher divided the results by population size.
Experience Kissimmee is partnering with TicketSoft Inc. in conjunction with Kissimmee Guest Services to offer direct-to-consumer attractions tickets. This new partnership allows Experience Kissimmee guests to purchase straight-to-the-gate theme park tickets, tickets to attractions, sporting events, special events and more. DT Minich, Experience Kissimmee president & CEO, said, “Not only does it allow us to share Central Florida’s world-famous theme parks, thrilling ecotourism adventures, and exciting events with our more than 8 million overnight visitors, but convenient ticketing will hopefully entice guests to return to the Kissimmee area often.”
The latest “Forecast of International Travelers to the U.S. by Top Origin Countries” released by the U.S. Department of Commerce indicates that India will be the #1 international growth market for US arrivals through 2024. India is projected at 37% growth in absolute terms (comparing 2019 to 2024). Among the top 10 markets, France and China are closest behind India at 25% and 18% projected growth over the next five years. Click here for a closer look at the table above.
Uber has laid off another 350 employees this week. New layoffs in self-driving, Uber Eats and other divisions come on top of 800-plus layoffs over the past three months. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a company email memo that he expected these to be the last round of cuts, according to CNBC.
Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. has announced the promotion of Petra Roach to the newly-created post of Head, Global Markets. She had most recently served as BTMI’s director for the US market. BTMI also named Marsha Alleyne its new Chief Product Development Officer. Both will report directly to Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc’s Chief Executive Officer, William Griffith.
In Florida, Space Coast Office of Tourism has appointed Brian Blanchard as deputy director. He was formerly director of recreation and guest experience at Port Canaveral, as well as senior director of operations. Blanchard succeeds Bonnie King, who retired on June 30 after 32 years’ service.
Following an RFP issued in mid-June, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority has awarded four contracts for inbound destination marketing management services for major overseas markets. The winning contractor for China was ITRAVLOCAL LIMITED; for Korea, AVIAREPS Korea; for Southeast Asia, VIAREPS Malaysia; and for Taiwan, BrandStory Asia.
Simpleview co-presented “Fix it Now” with Visit Oakland and Audioeye at #eTS19 to explain how easy it is for DMOs to make their websites digitally accessible to all. And there’s more to come: Simpleview is planning a beta application by year-end to enable voice search for destination information via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. More here.
David Goldstein is appointed COO of Ottawa-based Gusto Worldwide Media, the culinary-focused producer/distributor. Prior to taking on the newly created role, he had spent five years as president and CEO of Destination Canada, spearheading the organization’s transition from a traditional tourism marketing board into a producer and distributor of digital programmatic content. Goldstein was president & CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada from 2010 to 2014.
In Colorado, Rachel Brown is the new executive director of the Durango Area Tourism Office. She joins from her role as marketing and communications director for Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefits District in San Francisco. Interim Executive Director Barbara Bowman will transition into a consultant role.
Facebook will pay $40 million (that’s small change) under a proposed settlement to resolve a class action by several advertising agencies over video metrics. The plaintiffs alleged that Facebook inflated the average time users spent watching videos by ‘150 to 900 percent’ the complaint indicated. “Even after agreeing to pay $40 million for settlement, Facebook maintains the suit is ‘without merit,'” writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Boingo Wireless, the Wi-Fi provider, has launched Destination Targeting. The new advertising feature allows brands to reach audiences at major airports with customized campaigns based on travelers’ flight destinations throughout the U.S. and overseas. The first-of-its-kind targeting option combines proprietary mapping technology with flight tracker API tools. Get more info in this news release.
Blue Toad, the Orlando-based content delivery solution, has passed the 60,000 mark for published titles on its platform. The company provides publishers a platform for creating responsive digital editions and web content that works on all phones, tablets, and desktops. The 60,000th title was Visit The USA published by Brand USA with Miles Partnership.
Northstar Travel Group has acquired travAlliancemedia, a leading marketing services, digital media, event and information company serving the North American retail travel community. travAlliancemedia is the owner of well-known brands including TravelPulse.com and a portfolio of custom content solutions, marketing services, and software and marketing tools for the retail travel community. Northstar is the owner of well-known brands including Phocuswright, Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, Business Travel News, Successful Meetings, Meetings & Conventions and more.
Jim Wood, CEO and president of public-private partnership Meet AC, is resigning at year-end. Wood is the former president & CEO of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau who joined Meet AC in 2014 when the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority created it to market Atlantic City to meetings and conventions. Previously, Wood had the same leadership role at Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2015, Wood created the Atlantic City Sports Commission as part of the organization. During his tenure, organizations have booked more than 1.8 million room nights, bringing in nearly $1.9 billion worth of economic impact. A national search is planned.
Dan Quandt, senior vice president of the Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau, has announced his retirement. His previous positions include leadership roles with CVBs in South Padre Island, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Hays Travel, an independent retail travel agency that grew over 30 years from its roots in the north of England, has already saved 1,761 ex-Thomas Cook jobs by re-opening 123 of its 555 locations. The family has been dubbed “Heroes of the High Street” by purchasing all of Thomas Cook’s retail shops in the U.K. and Northern Ireland within days of the brand’s shutdown, re-opening them at the speed of lightning, doubling the size of their workforce.
Boeing plans to invest $20 million in Virgin Galactic. The space tourism company has conducted successful test flights of its winged rocket ship at Mojave, Calif. and is preparing to begin operations at Spaceport America in New Mexico by mid-2020. In other Boeing news, eTurbo News reports that Aeroflot canceled an order for 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft worth about $5.5 billion. The coverage indicates that cancellation was not announced by either side but was buried in Boeing’s monthly order release. More here.


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Expedia Group’s vacation rental company Vrbo is rolling out its anti-party technology across the U.S. following a yearlong pilot that it says prevented hundreds of unauthorized event bookings.
The software generates what Vrbo calls a “risk score” for each booking request, based on factors such as the number of guests booking the property, how far in advance the reservation is requested, and the length of the stay. If the tech flags a booking as high risk, Vrbo will email the listing’s host to relay the concern and the host can cancel the booking. At the same time, guests will receive an alert reminding them about Vrbo’s policies against disruptive gatherings. (The company doesn’t block or cancel bookings automatically, which is a turn from how competitor Airbnb has been operating its own anti-party technology that bars high-risk guests from specific listings.)
“We believe empowering our hosts with timely information helps them make the best decisions for their properties,” a Vrbo spokesperson tells Fast Company.
Because of home-sharing platforms’ contactless nature, it can be difficult for hosts to monitor bookings or know whether unverified guests are coming onto the property.
Vrbo already implements a full ban on party houses (that is, homes listed essentially for throwing large parties). The company also doesn’t allow same-day bookings, and has a web portal for neighbors and officials to address nuisance complaints.
Vrbo says that within its pilot period, the new anti-party tech prevented more than 500 unauthorized events and saved hosts roughly $2.5 million in party-related damages. Fewer than 0.25% of all Vrbo weekend bookings in the U.S. ended up with party-related complaints, the company says.
The post Vrbo is trying to stop parties ahead of time by rolling out its anti-party tech nationally appeared first on Fast Company.

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The restructuring plan announced recently by Molson Coors is big news for Milwaukee because the company will move hundreds of jobs here.
However, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that this company is in decline and is at a crossroads, which is why the restructuring plan is necessary.
“Our business is at an inflection point,” said Molson Coors president and CEO Gavin Hattersley. “We can continue down the path we’ve been on for several years now, or we can make the significant and difficult changes necessary to get back on the right track.”
Molson Coors is a massive company. It is ranked No. 294 on the Fortune 500 and last year had net income of $1.1 billion and sales of $10.8 billion. However, its profits were down 28.7% last year and sales were down 2.1%. In the third quarter of this year, the company reported a loss of $403 million. Its net sales for the quarter were down 3.2%.
Molson Coors produces dozens of beer brands, including the Miller brands, the Coors brands, Leinenkugel’s and Blue Moon.
The big legacy brewers have been in decline for years as consumer tastes have shifted in favor of craft beers from small producers.
But now an even bigger shift is happening: younger consumers are turning away from beer in favor of hard seltzer. The biggest beneficiaries of that trend have been Chicago-based White Claw and Boston Beer Company’s Truly brand.
Other alcoholic beverage producers are trying to play catch up in the hard seltzer market. Molson Coors has its Henry’s Hard Soda brand, but its market share is small. The company plans to add a new hard seltzer brand, Vizzy, next year. With so many millennials shunning beer in favor of hard seltzers, Molson Coors needs Vizzy to become a hit.
Vizzy is not the only new drink Molson Coors is working on. A joint venture of Molson Coors and HEXO Corp. recently announced plans to launch six cannabis beverage brands in Canada.
As the company pursues these non-beer brands to grow its business, it’s not surprising that it is changing its name from Molson Coors Brewing Company to Molson Coors Beverage Company.
Expanding “beyond beer” is one of four goals identified in the company’s revitalization plan. Another goal is to grow its above premium brands, such as Blue Moon, while still investing in its most iconic brands, including Coors and Miller.
To accomplish these goals, the company says it needs to restructure. It will consolidate its operations, which includes making Chicago its North American headquarters and adding hundreds of white-collar “support role” jobs in Milwaukee.
After Milwaukee lost the Miller Brewing headquarters when the MillerCoors joint venture was formed in 2008, the vacant office space left behind became an attractive option for Molson Coors to consolidate its operations here.
Hopefully the company gets moving in the right direction and continues to grow its presence in Milwaukee.


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Skanem is pleased to announce that Skanem UK has completed the sale of its retail food labelling business at its Gateshead operation to Paragon Print & Packaging (Holdings) Limited with effect from 7th February, 2011 as a part of Skanem’s strategic changes in the UK region.
Managing Director of Skanem UK, Steve Dunne says: ‘This is part of our strategic changes we are effecting in the UK. We have grown rapidly both in the Multinational and the Domestic market in recent years, but with such growth comes the necessity to focus on core markets and core activities. The expectations from various markets are becoming more demanding. As a consequence, we will focus on serving the growing portfolio of ‘key strategic’ customers as we do not want to give our retailer customers reduced service expectations in the future. We want to continue our focus on high quality customer relations.’
Steve Dunne continues: ‘Paragon Print and Packaging are highly respected in the food manufacturing and the food retail sector and our food business could not be placed in better hands.’
Mr Tony Lennon, the Group CEO of Paragon Print and Packaging says: ‘This transfer of business makes good commercial sense to all parties as we continue to focus and expand our strategic commitment to the domestic food manufacturing and food retail sector. The transfer has been concluded in a very fair and open manner and both Skanem and Paragon will continue to work alongside each other to ensure that all existing customers’ requirements are satisfied.


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(Reuters) - By Ben Klayman
BEIJING, April 22 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N), seeking to tap into China’s growing appetite for brawny sport utility vehicles, will quadruple its offerings in that segment over the next year.
The U.S. automaker, a latecomer in the world’s largest automotive market, will add the Kuga, the Chinese version of the Escape, and EcoSport small SUVs, and the larger Explorer to its sparse China SUV portfolio, Ford Asia chief Joe Hinrichs said on Sunday.
Ford currently sells only the Edge in China, leaving it under-represented in a category that offers higher profit margins for automakers.
“The next phase of our product portfolio growth really is the three SUVs and it’s so important to China because of the SUV segmentation growth we’re seeing,” he told Reuters ahead of the Beijing auto show. He declined to identify when each of the SUVs will go on sale in China.
Ford, which makes Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and other vehicles in China in a three-way tie-up with Chongqing Changan Automobile Co Ltd (000625.SZ) and Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp (7261.T), is joining a growing number of automakers pushing out SUVs to meet the rising demand for the vehicles. The rollout is part of Ford’s plan to introduce 15 new vehicles into China by 2015.
Chinese consumers bought 2.1 million SUVs last year, an increase of 25 percent and representing almost 12 percent of total light vehicle sales, according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. That total is about half the 4.1 million SUVs sold in the United States, where such vehicles make up almost one third of the market.
Buyers and industry officials have said the desire of drivers to sit above China’s crowded traffic in an expensive off-road vehicle is a strong draw in the status-conscious society, especially for younger buyers.
In addition, female SUV drivers, mostly young professionals, have been increasing steadily in China, to 19 percent last year from 14 percent in 2007, J.D. Power and LMC said.
Analysts also say the surging SUV sales indicate the Chinese market is maturing.
SUVs have a long history in China, dating back more than two decades to when Chrysler built Jeep Cherokees at a joint venture with Beijing Automotive. However, the market today is led by Japanese and South Korean automakers in the compact segment, and the German brands in the luxury market. Honda’s CR-V led the way last year with overall sales of some 160,000.
Ford has invested or made commitments to spend almost $5 billion in China to date, including its announcement last week to build a $760 million plant in Hangzhou in eastern China.
The Hangzhou plant is scheduled to begin building vehicles in 2015, and is meant to help Ford close the gap with its larger rivals. Ford sold 320,658 vehicles in China last year, compared with Volkswagen AG’s (VOWG_p.DE) annual tally of 2.26 million and General Motors Co’s (GM.N) 2.55 million.
Ford’s rapid expansion in China - it will double annual production capacity to 1.2 million vehicles in 2015 — led the company to say this month it would realize a “small loss” in Asia in the first quarter.
Executives cited major investments in new products like the redesigned Focus small car and a new factory in Chongqing, but added Asian operations will be profitable for the full year in 2012.
Ford plans to build the small Kuga and slightly smaller EcoSport SUVs in Chongqing, Hinrichs said. The larger Explorer, which seats up to seven people, will be the first Ford vehicle exported from the United States into China.
Ford’s Chinese dealers, which have been limited to selling only five vehicles before this month’s rollout of the new Focus, cannot get the SUVs fast enough. At a dealership in Shanghai last Saturday, salesman Hu Jun said the reasons for consumers’ growing desire for SUVs were no surprise.
“It’s high and big and safe, and it’s very convenient if the family wants to go out,” he said.
SUVs also are the next frontier for image-conscious Chinese buyers, which will translate to healthier profit margins for automakers.
“It’s more powerful, masculine and big,” Shaun Rein, managing director of consulting firm China Market Research Group, said of SUVs. “People like to be in an environment that just seems big.”
Editing by Ron Popeski


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Many of us are familiar with the saying, “The secret to a happy life is warm feet and a warm heart.” Thanks to Fieldsheer and a number of warm-hearted companies, the warm feet will become a reality for those who need it most.
Through the “Feet First” program, the brainchild of Fieldsheer, a technology company that produces high-quality, temperature-controlled apparel under the Mobile Warming® brand, over 11,000 pairs are being donated to a number of charitable organizations. The socks are being donated by businesses affiliated with Fieldsheer, including several of Fieldsheer’s retail customers. That number will continue to grow, as the program will run through the 2023 winter.
Participating companies are presenting their sock donations to local charities of their choosing. Companies involved include D&B Supply, C-A-L Ranch, North 40 Outfitters, Ranch & Home, Al‘s Sporting Goods, L&M Fleet Supply, Buchheits, Theisens, Runnings, and Vance Outdoors. In addition, NBC-TV affiliate WGRZ and Northtown Auto, both located in Buffalo, NY, will take part in the Feet First campaign
The businesses taking part in the program received various quantities of heated socks from Fieldsheer, then earmarked them for charities that can ensure they reach the neediest people served by these organizations.
“We take great pride in giving back to the neediest people in the communities all over the U.S. that support us.”
Several events have already been held in conjunction with the Feet First campaign. WGRZ sponsored an indoor cycling event called “Cycle Nation” at the ADPRO Sports Training Center, the Bills’ fieldhouse and administration building. During the event CPR training arranged by the Bills and the American Heart Association was offered. In addition, Mobile Warming socks were given away to many of the attendees.


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Sony Xperia Z6 Specification: With almost all leading manufacturers set to launch new and advanced smartphones by next year, will Sony lag behind? There are rumors that the brand is working on another device to add to its Xperia series, the “Xperia Z6.”
Sony recently launched Xperia Z5, and news is that the company may not take too long before it launches another flagship device, the Z6. It is said that the phone will be launched during the Mobile World Congress 2016. If this turns out to be true, we can expect the phone to be out by mid-February next year.
So what are the Sony Xperia Z6 specifications?
As for the specs, the Xperia Z6, like most of 2016 handsets, will come bundled with two latest technologies, Snapdragon 820 and Android Marshmallow. Sony’s smartphones are known for their camera quality, and with Snapdragon 820 focusing on improving the device’s picture quality, the rumor can be taken as confirmed news. As for the battery life, the Xperia Z5 dons a battery that lasts up to two days and comes with the latest Quick Charge. The battery details for Xperia Z6 are not out yet, but if it runs on Android 6.0, then battery life will, without a doubt, improve. If the phone comes with a powerful battery, you will be able to do a lot more with Xperia Z6 without having to worry about torturing the battery. Listed below are some of other rumored specifications:
USB Type-C port
5.5-inches IPS Triluminos display, 4K Resolution
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
According to some sources, Sony Xperia Z6 will cost you around $800. That will be the starting price.
So now that you have the Sony Xperia Z6 specifications and prices, what do you think of it so far? Join the conversation below.


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For this edition of PopCap In the News, our wonderful marketing ingénue Rachel has assembled the most marvelous multitude of mighty news missives. But don’t take my word for it: read on!
- Check out these 2 great Solitaire Blitz reviews (and video!) from Parents Blog, and LittleTechGirl.com. Solitaire Blitz is now available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch! Did we mention, it’s FREE?!
- Bejeweled Live is now available for Windows 8 and RT! Both WP Central and Mashable got the inside scoop at GDC 2013.
- FOX Carolina reported on the benefits of video games, including East Carolina University’s ongoing study regarding the benefits of playing Plants vs. Zombies.
- Plants vs. Zombies Adventures announced and launched its closed beta a couple of weeks ago. Check out Inside Social Games’ exclusive interview with the head of our San Francisco studio, Curt Bererton, and Creative Director Mathilde Pignol.
- Not to confuse, there was also some news about the timing of a Plants vs. Zombies sequel. Slide to Play has the details.
Now, onto some even funnier news coverage:
- GamesRadar has put together report cards for some of their favorite video game characters. Zombie gets his report card, and we’re thinking he might not want to put this one on the refrigerator.
- Our PAX East booth had a lot of crazy things, one being a magician! He decided to conduct a little social experiment, and Joystiq happened to catch it on camera…


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A group of protesters stepped into concrete-embedded boots outside a Starbucks in Nashville on Thursday, blocking the store’s entrances and exits and waving signs to end “the vegan surcharge” on plant-based milk.
The campaign — designed to emphasize that protesters will not budge from efforts to stop the Seattle-based coffee giant from imposing additional fees on dairy-free options — kicked off this summer, with participants raising their hands at Starbucks counters in Chicago, New York City and Seattle.
The Nashville protest, which saw participants arrested, closed an entire street on West End Avenue and drew over a dozen police cars, according to a WSMV4 report.
A protester had to be taken to the hospital because of foot pain.PETA
According to the report, a protester was taken to hospital for foot pain from the cement. The protesters wore wellies, which they appeared to be able to get out of when police asked them to leave, but one protester reportedly had to be taken to hospital with a sore foot.
Another — Michigan’s Daniel Bifano — refused to leave his cement block and was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, according to the report.
According to a press release from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Sir Paul McCartney has supported his tactic, sending letters to Starbucks honchos to “drop the surcharge”.
“My friends at PETA are committed to this,” McCartney wrote in the letter, which was first published on Billboard.com. “I sincerely hope that for the future of the planet and animal welfare, you are able to implement this policy.”
Starbucks, which is besieged by its own employees who have unionized or filed documents to organize hundreds of stores across the country, said in a statement: “We respect our customers’ right to respectfully speak their minds while they do so.” nothing disturbs our shop operations.”
The company also said customers can add a “squirt” of its alternative milk to their drinks for free, but it charges an additional fee for more than one squirt. The surcharge is about 50 cents to $1.
“Adding a shot of alternative milk to brewed coffee, iced coffee, cold brew and americano beverages will be offered free of charge,” a Starbucks spokesman said in a statement.
PETA said the surcharge is non-negotiable.
On Thursday, protesters called on the company to “stop punishing people who care about cows, the environment and their own health with extra fees for plant-based milk.”
An entire street in Nashville was closed due to the protest. PETA
“Cows used for milk production are forcibly inseminated (raped) – workers insert an arm into the cow’s rectum and a metal rod to convey sperm into her vagina – and their beloved calves are snatched away from them so that the milk, intended to feed their babies can be used by people,” the group said in a statement.


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The Frequency is a weekly news and talk show focused on bringing you the top stories from the real world, the tech world, and sometimes the weird world.
Hosted by Haddie Cooke and Dan Benjamin.
We discuss the new Ubuntu phones, a Danish GPS sports watch, Samsung redesigned their Chromebox, Amazon wins dismissal of Apple's false advertising claim, 18 billion WhatsApp messages were sent on the last day of 2012, Twitter is now valued at $11 billion, a decade long Wikipedia hoax is revealed, Apple is trying to acquire Waze, and Polaroid opens retail stores called Fotobar.
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5by5 makes podcasts for geeks, designers, developers, gamers, entrepreneurs, and people like you, with shows hosted by people including Dan Benjamin, Merlin Mann, Horace Dediu, and Jeffrey Zeldman. Read more…
Copyright © 2009–2018 by Dan Benjamin and 5by5 Productions LLC in Austin, Texas


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Investment management company Invesco (IVZ), which has $1.4 trillion assets under management, reapplied for a spot bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) in conjunction with Galaxy Digital.
In its filing, Invesco argued that the lack of a spot bitcoin ETF pushes investors towards riskier alternatives, as seen in insolvencies like FTX, Celsius Network, BlockFi, and Voyager Digital Holdings.
Invesco also emphasized the need for investor protection, saying that approval for such a spot bitcoin ETF hinges on a surveillance sharing agreement with a significant, regulated market, not on the regulation of the spot bitcoin market itself.
Surveillance-sharing agreements facilitate the exchange of information concerning market trading activity, clearing processes, and customer identification, which would significantly reduce the potential for market manipulation – something the Securities and Exchange Commission is very concerned about.
BlackRock (BLK), in its filing, advocated for the same thing, argued that Nasdaq could be brought in to fill this role.
“The SEC is very concerned with market manipulation related to Bitcoin prices, and has cited this in almost, if not all, previous rejections,” Graeme Moore, Head of Tokenization, at the Polymesh Association, said earlier to CoinDesk. “This is because the SEC’s view is that Coinbase and others are not regulated as exchanges and therefore cannot be trusted to ‘prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices’.”
So far, the SEC hasn’t given any indication as to when it plans to make an announcement regarding a bitcoin ETF.
Grayscale (which, for now, currently shares common ownership with CoinDesk in Digital Currency Group) has sued the SEC over its rejected bitcoin spot ETF. Speaking at CoinDesk’s Consensus conference in Austin, GrayScale CEO Michael Sonnenshein said he expects a decision in the case by September.
UPDATE (June 21, 13:07 UTC): Clarifies Galaxy Digital's involvement with Invesco, adds WidsomTree's ETF re-application.
CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


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There has been a lime shortage recently. I did not know this, but I have noticed some stores no longer carried them and those who did sold teeny tiny limes. Turns out the drought in California, the artic winter cold in Florida and heavy rains and flooding in Mexico caused limes to be almost non existent. Now there is hope for your vodka and tonics and guacamoles as the weather has moderated and all things citrus is getting better.
But during the no lime weeks, Mexican drug cartels got into the lime business with kidnapping, human trafficking and extortion of various business owners, including those involved in lime exports. Evil people are the first to see an advantage in anything, even fruit. The world is a crazy place.


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Manage episode 331639396 series 2865882
EV myths and misinformation culminating in 'EVs killing dogs.' Brian joins us from Banff, Canada and we talk cable news green energy commercials, summer gas prices, and the U.S. military's solar plunge.
Plus James takes a ride is a Tesla with full self-driving beta software and isn't impressed.
Co-op gas stations claim they're serious about EV charging and want to fix their broken hardware.
Nuclear in South Korea.
CNIB wants EVs to make a variable noise, not a constant one.
David Suzuki rides in an EV across Canada and isn't happy with the way fast chargers work.
A new bill has been introduced in North Carolina to try to eliminate free charging for electric cars at businesses.
Our show is on YouTube this week so check it out.
Contact us firstname.lastname@example.org
And find us on Twitter and TikTok @cleanenergypod
Tell your friends! Subscribe to come back next week!


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USA’s single unit café concept Tea Lounge has recently signed a franchise agreement in Kuwait.
USA’s single unit café concept Tea Lounge has recently signed a franchise agreement in Kuwait. The Brooklyn- based brand has signed a Kuwaiti businessman as its first franchisee in the country who plans to launch brand’s first Tea Lounge in Kuwait City shopping mall in the coming months. Incepted 12 years ago, Brooklyn, New York-based Tea Lounge’s concept has the café, entertainment and bar features. The brand started franchising recently and its cafés offer relaxed ambience, free wi fi facility to its customers. They also offer a wide variety of all day parts menu including signature items like eggspresso and Nutella breve. However, its business model has been tweaked for Kuwaiti market, where there will be no bar and food items will also be customised as per local culture and taste preferences. Moreover, the brand owner is looking forward to develop the brand’s presence throughout the Gulf region and the Middle East.


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By Joshua Bowling | Arizona Republic
Mesa’s first light rail station may soon trade asphalt for apartments if a development years in the making moves forward.
City officials in 2016 signed off on a plan to redevelop the 20-acre light rail park-and-ride lot at Main Street and Sycamore into a mix of retail and housing. The rub: Mesa doesn’t actually own the land, which is divvied up among several private owners. Plans to develop the site evaporated as a key property owner backed out of the deal.
Five years later, a revived plan to develop half of the site with upscale apartments and retail is gaining steam.
City leaders have seen potential in the site for years. They say it has all the bones in place to support new housing. It’s off Mesa’s Main Street just a hop, skip and jump from downtown Mesa and the flagship Mesa Community College campus. Plus, it’s surrounded by the bustling Asian food hub Mekong Plaza and other restaurants and shops — including large Safeway and H Mart grocery stores.


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Bill Ackman, who is betting $1.16 billion that Herbalife is a fraud, spent $264,000 in 2013 on lobbyists to press his case against the company.» Read More
Microsoft has momentum as its friend when it comes to the game console business. Finally. Halo 3 has been like a magic elixir for Xbox 360, by some measures tripling console sales in the wake of the title's release, and for the first time, Microsoft beat sales of Nintendo's Wii during the month of September, selling an average of 105,600 units a week last month.
The European Commission on Monday extended the deadline for its inquiry into Google's proposed purchase of rival DoubleClick to Nov. 13 from Oct. 26.
The new vampire thriller "30 Days of Night" sucked the life out of its box office rivals, opening at No. 1 with estimated weekend sales of $16 million, according to studio estimates issued Sunday.
The Hollywood screen and TV writers have all cast their votes on whether or not to strike--the deadline was yesterday. And today, at about two or three pm pacific time, the WGA is expected to announce that they've gotten authorization to strike--a nice threat to have in their pocket when they go into the 11th day of negotiations with the Producers on Monday.
Google's biggest challenge for its online video site YouTube, is getting professionally-created content on board. That means having a serious anti-piracy plan. So, YouTube has finally unveiled its new filtering tools to find copyrighted material.
You may know Nielsen for its TV ratings, but the company also tracks all your entertainment consumption online. Today, Nielsen is announcing two new divisions--Nielsen Online and Nielsen Mobile--to give more detailed analysis of how people are spending their time and their money online and on their mobile phones.
The domestic box office has been disappointing the past two weekends, especially compared to last year's boffo openings of "The Grudge 2" and "The Departed." But actor/director Tyler Perry came out smiling, his "Why Did I Get Married" comedy from Lions Gate bringing in $21.5 million on what must have been a very small production budget.
Time Warner's Internet unit AOL will eliminate 2,000 jobs as part of an ongoing restructuring to better focus on boosting online advertising, according to a memo obtained Monday by Reuters.
The Material Girl is cashing in, ditching a traditional music label for different kind of music company with a whole different approach to the industry. Now the music industry is waiting and watching--wondering who will win the next battle in the music industry's war.
Companies will spend a record $31 billion this year to advertise everything from toothpaste to home loans on the Internet, supporting countless news sites, social networks, video exchanges and blogs.
With so much attention being paid to the kind of power Apple Inc. wields in the music business--trying to control pricing because of its infinitely popular iTunes online music store--there might be a threat even more serious for the rest of the music industry. And that includes Apple.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn further boosted his stake in BEA Systems to 13.22%, according to a regulatory filing.
Yahoo, is working with auction leader eBay and its PayPal payments unit to block fake e-mails to users purporting to be from eBay and PayPal, hoping to spur on an industry that has been slow to fight the scourge of so-called phishing attacks.
The Writers Guild of America is asking if its members to authorize a strike. Leaders of the powerful Hollywood guild asked its 13,000 members for strike authorization: saying that the movie studios and networks are basically giving them no choice, are refusing to engage in serious negotiations, and are rejecting all the proposals.
After first scoring a hit with Wall Street traders, then with financial advisers, fund companies that market exchange-traded funds are reaching out to an even wider audience: individual investors who trade for their own accounts.
Just when you thought that all the advertising space was occupied on the field, here comes the folks from EyeBlack.com. The company will sell millions of pairs of EyeBlack--yes, the stuff that's supposedly used to cut down on glare--with college and high school logos on it this year.
Free is the big trend these days when it comes to TV and newspaper content on the web. Television networks and newspapers are adopting free, ad-supported models online. They're ditching pay-per-episode and subscription services to go after a bigger audience and higher profits. The new approach? More, more targeted ads.
Time Warner, the world's largest media company, will "look hard" in the next 12 to 18 months at possibly selling off its AOL dial-up Internet access business after doing the same in Europe.
News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch on Tuesday sketched out early plans for Dow Jones, saying he leaned toward making the online Wall Street Journal free but had not yet made a decision.
Yahoo's take at Internet 2.0. Since Jerry Yang took the helm at Yahoo again, the Internet company's been trying to get back on track. And that means not just getting its ad strategy sorted out, but also starting to compete more with some of the more innovative Internet 2.0 companies, which of course means Facebook and social networking.


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Posted August 10 , 2021
BlackCloak, a cybersecurity platform to protect executives and high-profile individuals, has netted $11m in its Series A round.
The investment was led by TDF Ventures, with commitments also coming from TechOperators and DataTribe.
Funds from the round will help BlackCloak deepen its technology offering in the cybersecurity and privacy space, through deeper relationships with members. The company also plans to grow its team and sales operations.
Executives are major targets of hackers. A recent study by BlackCloak found that 40% of executives already had compromised devices or home networks. Worryingly, 85& of those in the survey had no security installed on personal devices and 70% had exposed passwords.
BlackCloak protects corporate executives and high-individuals from cybersecurity, privacy, financial and other reputational risks. Its services are also used by Fortune 500 companies and protects their intellectual property, data, reputation and finances.
The technology assesses the dark web to find exposed passwords and conducts home penetration tests to find weaknesses within a system.
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Markets, Commentators, Business Insiders and media have all predicted that 2013 will be the year of the smartphone. We took a look at Korea-centric news and developments in the space over the last few days, and have compiled a list of top smartphone news.
iPhone 5 beats Galaxy S3 in Q4 2012 sales
Fourth-quarter sales of Apple’s iPhone 5 surpassed those of rival Samsung Electronics flagship Galaxy S3 device despite a parts supply squeeze.
iPhone 5 sales reached 27.4 million units in the October-December period, emerging as the top-selling smartphone in the three month period, according to the data by market researcher Strategy Analytics. The iPhone 5's market share came to 12% over that period. Source
China becomes world's top smartphone market
China has finally emerged as the world's largest smartphone market due to rising demand for the devices. China has now overtaken the United States, according to a market report.
The number of smartphones sold in China is estimated at 150 million units between January 2012 and January 2013, industry researcher Flurry said. During the same period, a total of 55 million smartphones were sold in the U.S. Source
LG aims to sell 40M smartphones this year
LG Electronics Inc., the world's fifth-largest handset maker, aims to sell more than 40 million smartphones globally this year, its mobile business chief.
"We sold 8.3 million smartphones in the fourth quarter. This year, we aim to sell an average of 10 million smartphones each quarter," Park Jong-seok, the head of LG's Mobile Communications unit, said in a press conference in Barcelona. Source
Smartphones to beat PCs in shipment value for 1st time: data
The value of worldwide shipments of smartphones are expected to dwarf that of PCs for the first time this year amid growing demand for mobile devices, data showed Monday.
Global smartphone shipment value is forecast to reach US$239.6 billion this year, surpassing PC shipment value estimated at $218.6 billion, according to the data by market researcher Gartner Inc. and finance industry sources. Source
Samsung Electronics aims to double tablet sales this year
Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone maker, aims to double tablet computer sales this year with its Galaxy Note 8.0 device, the company's mobile business chief said Sunday.
"The tablet PC market is expected to grow 50 percent compared with last year. Samsung aims to double its sales and focus on the tablet PC market," Shin Jong-kyun, the head of Samsung's IT & Mobile Communications division, said in a press conference during the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Source
(LEAD) LG to debut Optimus G Pro on home turf
LG Electronics Inc., the world's fifth-largest handset maker, said Monday it plans to launch the "Optimus G Pro," the follow-up of its flagship handset "Optimus G," in South Korea this week.
LG Electronics will roll out the 5.5-inch full HD smartphone via SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. on Wednesday, the company said in a press release. Source
BlackBerry may mull exit from S. Korean market: sources
BlackBerry, a Canadian smartphone maker, may pull out of the South Korean market in the first half of this year due to sluggish sales, industry sources said Friday.
Speculation arose of BlackBerry's possible exit from South Korea following its recent announcement that it plans not to unveil new products in Japan. Industry analysts took it as a move by BlackBerry to leave from South Korea and other countries in the region. Source
Samsung targets emerging markets with new feature phone
Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it has introduced a new "smart" feature phone line-up in India, a move aimed at bolstering its clout in emerging markets.
In a launch event on Thursday in New Delhi, the company unveiled the "REX Series" that consists of four models, Samsung said in a press release. Source
LG's L series global sales top 15 mln
LG Electronics Inc. said Friday it has sold more than 15 million units globally of its third-generation "Optimus L" phones.
LG has sold more than 15 million units of the L3, L5, L7 and L9 models since first releasing the L3 model in March last year, the company said in a press release. Source


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According to the latest report from Jon Peddie Research (JPR), NVIDIA is dominating the GPU market share game against AMD. JPR's data for Q3 2014 has NVIDIA securing a huge 76% of the GPU market share, leaving AMD with just 24%. Matrox and S3 are now out of the game, with Matrox losing its small 0.10% market share to NVIDIA.
JPR's estimated graphics add-in-board (AIB) shipments and suppliers' market share for the quarter tracks add-in graphics boards, which feature discrete GPUs. These AIBs are used in various devices, such as desktop PCs, workstations, servers, and other devices "such as scientific instruments". JPR's report has found that AIB shipments have decreased by 0.68% from the previous quarter with the total AIB shipments decreasing over the quarter to 12.4 million units.
AMD's quarter-to-quarter total desktop AIB unit shipment has decreased 16%, while NVIDIA's quarter-to-quarter unit shipments increased by 5.5%.
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Electrical-vehicle maker Rivian Automotive Inc. is about to change into a public firm, hoping to carve a distinct segment for itself providing EVs for the nice outdoor.
filed for a confidential IPO in August and publicly submitted the paperwork with safety regulators final week. The corporate is searching for to promote $100 million value of shares, though that’s usually a placeholder used to calculate charges.
and Ford Motor Co.
are amongst Rivian’s backers. The EV maker has raised $10.5 billion since 2019 after a number of funding rounds, with the newest a $2.5 billion funding spherical in July, led by Amazon.com’s Local weather Pledge Fund, Ford, and T. Rowe Worth funds, amongst others.
Moreover an electrical pickup truck and an electrical SUV, Rivian additionally plans to make electrical supply vans for Amazon and have its personal charging community. Its IPO comes after a number of EV startups have gone public, and because the market is about to welcome a number of electrical pickup vans and SUVs.
Listed below are 5 issues to find out about Rivian:
Its CEO is ‘obsessed’ with vehicles and at first needed to develop a sports activities automobile
Founder and Chief Government Robert “RJ” Scaringe has been “obsessive about vehicles” since his youthful years rising up in Florida, he stated within the IPO prospectus.
He determined to discovered Rivian, nevertheless, when he realized that the thing of his love was “the supply of a lot of society’s largest environmental challenges,” he stated.
He began from scratch, with “no cash, no staff, no know-how, no suppliers, no model, no manufacturing infrastructure,” Scaringe stated. The primary thought was to construct an “environment friendly sports activities automobile,” however that didn’t really feel proper, he stated.
famously began off making an costly and unique electrical sports activities automobile and used the cash (and buzz) to develop cheaper EV sedans and ultimately department out to different auto-body kinds and costs.
By 2012, nevertheless, Rivian had moved away from the sports-car thought and shortly started specializing in electrical SUVs and pickup vans, aiming to “set up Rivian because the model for energetic life,” Scaringe stated.
Its program with Amazon.com supply vans “serves as our flagship utility for the industrial house and positions us to pursue a spread of different sizes, use circumstances, and markets,” he stated.
Scaringe has stored a low profile on Twitter, conserving his tweets strictly restricted to his EV enterprise.
Like a well-known competitor, Rivian additionally desires to skip dealership gross sales
Rivian launched its R1T, a two-row, five-seat pickup truck, in September. It plans to launch an SUV, the R1S, in December. Wider gross sales of the truck and the SUV are anticipated to start in December and January.
The corporate calls the flagship autos “electrical journey autos” equally able to “rock crawling” and of leaving sports activities vehicles within the rearview mirror.
Like Tesla, Rivian is promoting its autos on to customers, skipping dealership networks, and asking for a refundable deposit when folks configure their car on its web site.
The pickup truck begins at $67,500 for a fundamental trim and might go 314 miles between fees.
Rivian is promising a R1T with a spread of greater than 400 miles by January. Add-ons for the truck embrace a tenting kitchen that slides out the truck’s aspect and a tenting tent.
The SUV begins at $70,000 and Rivian is making five- and a seven-seat fashions, with a tenting tent as one in all its add-ons. Rivian stated it had 48,390 R1T and R1S preorders within the U.S. and Canada as of September.
Rivian additionally stated it plans to ship 100,000 electrical “final mile” vans to Amazon by 2025.
Losses have mounted because the enterprise grows
Maybe not surprisingly, Rivian has by no means made cash, and doesn’t anticipate to show a revenue within the “foreseeable future” because it invests in its enterprise.
Rivian misplaced $426 million, or $4.35 a share, in 2019, and went on to lose $1 billion, or $10.09 a share, final yr. For the primary six months of this yr, Rivian misplaced $994 million, or $9.84 a share. That compares with a lack of $3.77 a share within the first six months of 2020.
Additionally not surprisingly, it has been spending most of its cash on analysis and growth, with R&D bills rising to $683 million within the first six months of this yr.
Whole working bills, together with R&D in addition to normal bills, reached $990 million in that point span, up from $381 million within the year-ago interval.
“We imagine that we are going to proceed to incur working and internet losses sooner or later whereas we develop, together with following our preliminary era of revenues from the sale of our autos,” Rivian stated in its prospectus.
As of June, Rivian had simply $3 million in debt. It issued $2.5 billion in unsecured senior convertible notes in July, anticipating these to be transformed into inventory in reference to the IPO. The corporate stated it had no borrowings below its revolving-credit facility as of September.
Its manufacturing facility is in Illinois, and used to make autos for a Japanese automobile maker
Rivian makes its autos at a manufacturing facility in Regular, Illinois, which Rivian purchased in 2017. The plant was Japanese automobile maker Mitsubishi’s solely U.S. manufacturing facility, and greater than 1,000 folks had been left with out jobs when the auto maker determined to shut it in 2015. Earlier than that, the plant was a JV between Mitsubishi and Chrysler.
Rivian says the manufacturing facility can deal with the manufacturing of about 150,000 autos a yr. It plans to broaden capability to 200,000 autos a yr by 2023 “in addition to construct extra home and worldwide factories.”
The Illinois plant is vertically built-in, with the “overwhelming majority” of stamping achieved in home. Battery packs and drive-unit meeting can be achieved in home, Rivian stated.
The corporate works with greater than 300 suppliers, prioritizing these nearer to the crops to chop down on prices, it stated.
Elsewhere within the prospectus, Rivian says that it depends on third-party chip producers and, like different auto makers, has confronted the identical shortages which were plaguing the trade.
Rivian has its headquarters in Irvine, Calif.
Shops? Attempt ‘expertise areas’
If a few of its methods appear much like Tesla’s, Rivian seems to be taking a web page from Chinese language EV maker Nio Inc.
relating to its shops.
Nio calls its showrooms and the like “Nio Homes,” and they aren’t simply locations to purchase the corporate’s EVs. As a substitute, Nio says its club-style areas are supposed to carry potential and present clients collectively to socialize, work, and play. Nio’s first Home outdoors of China opened final week in Norway.
Rivian desires to supply 4 “expertise areas” for its future and present house owners.
Its “Hubs” might be everlasting shops in massive cities “meant to carry an appreciation of the outside to city facilities,” the corporate stated. “Seasonal Areas” might be non permanent shops in “focused places.”
“Outposts” might be situated close to vacationer spots and intention to supply gear and car leases in addition to an area to showcase the vehicles, the corporate stated.
“Preserves” might be situated farther out “in nature” on land the corporate plans “to preserve and save, whereas additionally offering the Rivian neighborhood a possibility to take pleasure in them,” the corporate stated.
To energy these plans, the corporate plans to ascertain its personal community of charging stations in addition to supply charging spots in resorts and different places. It additionally plans to supply fleet charging for its industrial clients, which might include software program and different instruments for fleet administration.


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Shaurya Infosoft vouches for 'Spark Metro,' transforming Business Communications with Dynamic PR CRM Solutions and Targeted Press Release Distribution in the industry.
Shaurya Infosoft, a leading innovator in the tech and communication industry, proudly announces the launch of 'Spark Metro,' a specially designed cutting-edge platform that will empower businesses by offering dynamic press release CRM solutions and targeted-audience press release distribution.
As the business landscape keeps evolving, the need for effective communication also rises and is essential for achieving success. Considering these needs, Shaurya Infosoft has leveraged its technical know-how to create a platform that aims to transform the old school's method of press release strategies and gain mass targeted attention.
Key Features of Spark Metro:
1. Dynamic PR CRM Solutions:
Spark Metro launches a state-of-the-art Press Release CRM system for the business to manage its communications strategy effectively. The platform enables users to manage the relationship in the context of media management, helps track the performance of the outreach, and analyses the engagement metrics in real time.
2. Targeted Press Release Distribution:
On the Spark Metro, businesses can tailor their press release distribution with precision. The platform has advanced targeting mechanisms and algorithms to reach a specific demographic, industry, geographical region, etc, to ensure that every press release has maximum impact.
3. Intuitive Interface and User-Friendly Design:
Spark Metro is designed keeping in mind about the user experience. The intuitive interface allows businesses to explore and utilise the platform effortlessly, making it accessible to press release professionals and those new to managing communication strategies.
4. Comprehensive Analytics:
With the help of Spark Metro's robust analytical tool, businesses can gain valuable insights into the success of press release campaigns. It helps you measure the reach, impact and overall engagement of a press release to refine and optimise it for future communications.
5. Scalability and Flexibility:
Whether you are a start-up firm or an established corporation, spark Metro helps you grow your business as per your goals. Its flexibility of scalability makes it an ideal choice for all company sizes.
The CEO of Shaurya Infosoft commented on the launch, saying, "Spark Metro represents a significant milestone in our commitment to providing the best solutions that empower businesses. Effective communication is the backbone to achieve success in today's fast-paced business environment. Spark Metro is our answer to the evolving needs of enterprises seeking to enhance their press release strategies."
To learn more about Spark Metro and how it can elevate your business communication strategies, visit www.sparkmetro.com
About Spark Metro:
Spark Metro is a leading player in the field of press releases. It offers innovative solutions to empower brands to share their message effectively in a rapidly moving digital world. With a commitment to excel, emphasis on high customer satisfaction, and dedication to staying up to date with industry standards, Spark Metro is here for your success in the digital age.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Contact Number: +1 (302) 597-6768
Email Id: firstname.lastname@example.org


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The EU and Singapore signed a bilateral digital partnership in Brussels which could pave the way towards binding rules covering diverse aspects of digital trade.
Week in Brussels: Swedish EU presidency, India FTA, Singapore digital deal, Chile FTA text, Russia sanctions
Below, a few key developments in EU trade this week as we await the outcome of a jumbo-trilogue on the EU’s climate package that will decide on the final shape of the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism. By Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
Wonder where we are in a range of free trade agreement negotiations of the EU? Here’s a short update on selected trade agreements.
The European Services Forum’s managing director Pascal Kerneis discussed EU-Singapore trade relations with Iana Dreyer’s Borderlex. So what is at stake with the coming revision of their 2019 free trade agreement and with the planned Digital Partnership Agreement?
AUGUST RECESS AT BORDERLEX: As of Monday 1 August, the small team at Borderlex will be on a break from trade news reporting as the policy machineries in Brussels, London and Geneva themselves grind to a halt for the summer. We will be back during the week of 22 August. …
S Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations spoke to Borderlex’s founder Iana Dreyer about his country’s’ vision for 21st century trade policy and how the European Union fits in all this. The conversation covers digital, tackling supply chain issues and the climate challenge.
Is this the European Union’s approach to ‘digital partnerships’ in the Indo-Pacific just fluff? At the very least one can say it is much too timid.
There isn’t only Africa this week in EU trade news. The latest edition of Week in Brussels brought to you by Rob Francis and Iana Dreyer.
Just two years after the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement entered into force, the EU and Singapore are ready to take our economic cooperation to the next level by pursuing a comprehensive digital partnership, write European Commission executive vice-president Valdis Dombrovksis and Singapore’s minister in charge of trade S. Iswaran.
The EU and Singapore will soon formally start preparing the ground to start negotiations towards a digital partnership agreement. These ‘scoping’ talks will be held within the framework of an already existing two-year-old bilateral free trade agreement and form part of a dedicated working group under the deal’s Joint Committee.


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Speciality food manufacturer Cottage Delight has expanded its business management capabilities following a better-than-expected roll-out of K3 Business Solution’s tailored Microsoft Dynamics AX solution.
After deploying K3’s Dynamics AX solution, Cottage Delight exceeded its two-year transformation targets and now has a business management system, which integrates supply chain management, trade and logistics, finance, accounting and production procedures.
In addition to enhancing operational efficiency, K3’s solution safeguards future business growth by enabling Cottage Delight to review various issues including the management of procurement channels and reducing waste produced during batch manufacturing.
“When we went live with the new Dynamics AX system we believed that we would see the first year of operation as being challenging, the second as a making up period – as we thought there may be internal friction within the business – and the third year as our blossoming period,” said Jason Moody, managing director at Cottage Delight. “We are already entering the blossoming stage earlier than expected and we are convinced that we can get even more out of the system during 2014.”
By expanding its existing K3 business management solution, Cottage Delight has increased its inventory control and improved its ability to report and forecast information.
Other improvements include automated labelling functionality – such as batch expiry date, shelf life and best before dates – and a pre-programmed ‘stop’ command when products are no longer available. Both of these features have proven vital during Cottage Delight’s pre-Christmas trading, which accounts for 50% of its total annual business.
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tonight, the Senegambia strip will not be the same as the famous Senegambia
hotel will be hosting the 2019 Interface Gambia TV annual number one Gambia-UK
Awards Night and Fashion Weekend.
Organisers have already promised a unique, successful and perfect event that no other rival event planners can close-up rank with.
Chief executive officer Sheriff Jammeh, said everything is now ready to start the event tonight, Friday and will be on until Sunday 30th June. He said events will include honouring and appreciating distinguished efforts of Gambian people, both home and abroad in their various areas of endeavor for their hard work and being role models to young petiole in communities.
Giving the background of the UK-Gambian Fashion Exhibition and Awards show, Jammeh explained that the three-day event is designed to portray the creativity in Gambia’s own fashion designers and their designs. He said the weekend event is split into various bits like entertainment – dance, music with combination of traditional performances, awards night, fashion runway and Gambian-UK Fashion Exhibition. “Gambia has diverse cultures and the various ethnic groups will be truly represented through language, food, dance, sound, and fashion.”
He said African fashion will continue to be the most vibrant of all, and The Gambia, with traces that encompass the cultures and traditions of surrounding countries such as Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali, represent a whole large amount of the proud rich fashion vigour of the sunshine continent.
Jammeh said no event organiser is threat to the Interface Gambia TV Awards and Exhibition Weekend, showing confident that the event will be successfully organised as it is not their first time. “They like to use the popularity of the Interface Gambia TV because of the huge successes of our past editions. Some of the event organizers have been looking for how to match up by organizing events on the same dates as ours.”
Among nominees for the Interface Gambia TV Awards and Exhibition Weekend 2019 are Alieu Badou Bittaye of State of Mic Multimedia TV Production, Adama Njie – Director of Marketing GTBoard, Rohey Malick Lowe – Mayor of Banjul, ST Brikama Boyo – Musician, Salieu Taal – President Gambia Bar Association and Co-founder #GambiaHasDecided, Aziz Willan – Event Planner, Frances Blain – The Gambia High Commissioner London, Dr Kebba Marenah, Mansour Mbye – CEO Soar Sports Basketball, Cherno Samba – former England and Gambia footballer, Ida Sanneh – Co-founder Elev8 Foundation Inc, Alhaji Ousman Kinteh – CEO, Head of Operations at Abdullah Aid Gambia, Sona Jobarteh – First Female Kora Player, CEO The Gambia Kora, Balafon and Drum Academy and SVGA – musician


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We are pleased to present the key findings of the first report “The Voice of The UAE Leisure Consumers - Report 2021” covering the United Arab Emirates.
GRS has interviewed over 600 Emiratis and residents living in the United Arab Emirates and asked them about their past and current leisure activities and their perspectives for the foreseeable future.
The report covers a broad range of leisure pursuits including theme parks, visitor attractions, natural attractions, parks, hotels, restaurants, and malls across the United Arab Emirates.
Exhibition Industry Market Outlook, Wave #2 Q4-2020
Covid -19 represents an unprecedented challenge to the Exhibition Industry. Not only because of the economic impact, but also for the disruption it brings in terms of behaviour and adoption of new technologies by all stakeholders.
The aim of this research is to collect and understand the point of view of industry’s leaders across the world regarding the current situation, expectations for the future, which measures are being implemented to react to these new challenges, and to finally share all these findings with the entire industry in order to provide an effective support in decision making.
During the webinar held on 24 June 2020, Enrico Gallorini, CEO of GRS Research and Strategy, and Andrea Piccin, Partner and Managing Director of GRS branch in the UAE, presented the results of the global research conducted. The results have been commented with two of the main international opinion leaders of the exhibition industry:Ms. Trixie LohMirmand (Senior Vice President, DubaiWorld Trade Center) and Prof. Dr. Christian Glasmacher (Senior Vice President, Koelnmesse).


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Great Wall Motor is shifting to Brazil part of its USD 1 billion investment in India, and is close to acquiring a former Daimler plant to build cars in South America´s major economy.
The Chinese automaker, mostly known for its sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and pick-ups, has been unnerved by a year-long delay in winning government approvals in India, and is considering a re-allocation of funds to Brazil which could range up to USD 300 million, according to Reuters.
The move is a fallout of India’s decision in April 2020 to more closely scrutinise investments from China. Great Wall has also tasked James Yang, its India president since last year, with the responsibility of assisting with operations in the Latin American nation, said the sources.
The step highlights growing nervousness and impatience among Chinese investors, who have seen roughly 150 investment proposals worth more than USD 2 billion held up by India’s slow approvals process, according to industry estimates.
The delays are forcing Great Wall, which was expected to begin selling its India-made Haval brand of SUVs in the country this year, to look at taking a more measured approach.
Great Wall now makes cars in Russia and Thailand, where it acquired a plant at the time it announced its India plans. Brazil is the latest market in its global push, where it plans to build its Haval brand of SUVs for domestic sale and export.
Great Wall, which sold 1.1 million cars last year, mostly in China, is eyeing an aggressive plan to expand in Asian, European and Latin American markets.
It is developing electric Mini cars with BMW and is building a factory with the German premium carmaker in China.


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The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2 in Miami. If all of the hype heading into the big game has you considering a trip to Miami to see the match up in-person, be prepared to pay.
You'll need to allocate the bulk of your budget toward tickets for the game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., but you'll also need to shell out for weekend costs including transportation, lodging and food.
Overall, be prepared to spend roughly $6,000 for a bare-bones trip at this late stage — and keep in mind that's for an experience on a low budget. In reality, most fans will be spending a lot more.
Here's a look at how the costs break down.
The price of tickets to Super Bowl LIV vary, depending on the size of your group and which seats you'd like to watch the game from.
And unless you win the lottery as a season ticket holder, most fans will need to buy their pass to the game on the resale market. And that can be pricey. The average price per ticket is about $7,000, according to StubHub's analysis of tickets resold through their site, although the cheapest seats have been trending down in the last week.
As of the morning of Jan. 27 (10 a.m. EST), StubHub has tickets starting at $4,220 for seats in the upper deck. The cheapest price for seats through the NFL Ticket Exchange is about $4,750 for seats on the top level.
"As Super Bowl inventory grows, we're seeing the prices to get into the game drop slightly," Akshay Khanna, general manager of sports at StubHub, said in a statement. Last week, the overall get-in price dropped about $500. Usually as the game approaches, many trying to resell tickets will start lowering prices so they're not stuck with worthless seats when the game clock starts.
If you're looking to splurge, StubHub has all-inclusive ticket packages for two, for private box seating located on the 35-yard line, in the 72 Club living room section for $60,000. The experience includes post-game field access, as well as an athlete and celebrity meet-and-greet opportunity. Premium pre-game food and beverage service is also included.
If you're planning to fly to the Super Bowl, the closest airport to the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., is Miami International Airport. The average flight deal is currently $353 for roundtrip flights within the U.S. from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3, according to Kayak.
But that's an average. Fans from Kansas City and San Francisco, the hometowns of the two teams competing, should expect to spend $380 and $470, respectively, for roundtrip flights to Miami, Kayak finds.
If you're a little closer to Miami, you can snag a ticket on the Rally rideshare buses from 25 cities in Florida. A roundtrip trip from Fort Myers is $115 (20 riders still needed), while a ride to and from Fort Lauderdale is about $100 (only two seats left as of Jan. 27).
If you're looking to make a weekend out of the game, you'll need to find a place to crash in the Miami area. The average cost of a 2-star hotel between Jan. 30 and Feb. 3 is about $275 per night, according to Kayak. For four nights, that's about $1,100.
A 3-star hotel in the Miami area will set you back about $450 a night, while a 4-star property typically averages $880 per night during Super Bowl weekend, Kayak reports.
If that's a little too much for your budget, consider a vacation rental or Airbnb. Airbnb has over 300 places to stay during Super Bowl weekend, with prices starting at $88 a night for a stay in a townhouse near Kendall, Fla. — which is about 19 miles south of downtown Miami.
In recent years, Miami has spent about $50 million in renovations to the Hard Rock Stadium, which introduced a host of top eateries to the concession line-up. That includes David Chang's Fuku, as well as Shula Burger. And for those who like sweets, Mojo Donuts has flavors such as chipotle chocolate and strawberry margarita filled with Key Lime curd. Inside the stadium, the price of a beer is $9.50, while a hot dog will set you back $6.75, according to Cheapism.
But you'll need to eat throughout the weekend as well. An inexpensive meal in Miami will set you back about $15, while a mid-range, three-course meal for two is generally around $65, according to crowdsourced estimates provided to Numbeo.
If you want to do a completely cheap experience, a combo meal at a fast food chain is about $8. Excluding your meal or meals at the stadium, that leaves about four days' worth of various breakfasts, lunches and dinners you need to purchase. Expect to spend between $50 and $200 for the weekend.
Unless you're planning to sit in your hotel room the entire weekend, you'll likely need to budget for some extra spending around town on museums, music venues and restaurants to keep you entertained until kickoff.
Many of the city's best clubs and hotels, for example, are bringing in big names for the weekend. On Friday, Jan. 31, for example, Delano Beach Club will host a performance by Lil Wayne. Tickets start at $75.
Former Miami Heat player Shaquille O'Neal is also getting into the spirit with an event called Shaq's Fun House. It's a night of performances by Diplo, P. Diddy, and Pitbull, as well as an open bar and food ranging from sushi to tacos to pizza. Tickets start at about $350.
There's also Super Bowl LIVE, a free week-long fan fest featuring concerts and culinary demos for those who are looking for entertainment on the cheap.
If that's not your scene, take time to explore the atmosphere and architecture of South Beach or spend the day exploring the Everglades National Park ($30 per vehicle).
In fact, there are about 150,000 out-of-state visitors expected to travel to Miami for the Super Bowl, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
To get from South Beach to the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which is nearly 17 miles, EstimateFares.com predicts you'll spend about $22 for a Lyft during optimal traffic conditions. Keep in mind that prices can be volatile during special event weekends, so budget accordingly.
Miami does have a public transit system that is cheaper than the average Lyft or Uber ride. Rides on the city's bus system, MetroBus, are $2.25, and there's a 25-mile MetroRail that encompasses Miami International Airport. It runs from Kendall to South Miami, Coral Gables and downtown Miami.
In the end, if you are planning to travel to Miami during Super Bowl weekend, expect to pay a premium — and that's before you even factor in the $4,000+ cost of admission to the actual game.
A previous version of this story listed the incorrect home city for the 49ers. It is San Francisco.
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The world-wide baked foods market is fluctuating based on diverse trends in all parts of the planet. Euromonitor International explains how nutritional trends in the United States are affecting bread sales, while countries like China are starting to focus more on sugar reduction. Meanwhile, South America and other parts of Asia are seeing packaged baked foods sales skyrocket. Here are some of the trends Euromonitor International is keeping tabs on in several key markets across the world.
U.S.: Indulgence categories grow despite health concerns
U.S. consumers are trying to live healthier lives, and this is having a huge impact throughout the entire food industry. Given this trend, baked foods should be one of the most challenged segments of the broader market, since many of common ingredients used in these items are being avoided by health-conscious consumers wary of carbohydrates and sugar.
Despite this dynamic, many baked foods were still growing as manufacturers are adapting to global health trends by incorporating better-for-you ingredients and developing new and unique package sizes.
The bread category is a great example of this trend. While consumers are moving away from traditional packaged leavened white bread, other categories such as flatbread, packaged differently and perceived as featuring fewer carbohydrates, are glowing with good results.
Another trend that shows how well companies are adapting to new eating habits can be seen in cakes and pastries. Many companies have discovered the benefits of appealing to nostalgia, resulting in consumers being more likely to reward themselves by purchasing treats that remind them of their childhood, in spite of leading healthier lifestyles.
China: Packaged cakes lose popularity
Years ago, packaged cakes swamped the Chinese marketplace with unique textures and various flavors, but now the situation has changed with customers being overwhelmed by other alternatives in packaged bread and pastries. The decline of packaged cakes is partly due to their high fat and sugar content. Pie, for example, is a major category under packaged cakes that Chinese consumers now recognize as containing too much sugar.
Five years ago, it was still a major revenue contributor, but in the past two years big cake manufacturers like Dali, Orion and Fuma have observed a downward trend. Another major reason for the waning popularity of packaged cakes is that fewer innovations happen in this category than in packaged bread and pastries. For example, in recent years, only steam cakes and packaged cakes gained some attention, whereas in packaged bread and pastries, star products such as shreddable bread, pocket bread and yogurt bread, which are innovative in terms of content and outlook, were very popular among consumers.
Brazil: Focus on nutrition
Manufacturers are responding to a movement toward unpackaged baked goods by launching fresher-looking packaged bread and cakes. It is also important to note consumer preferences for packaged bread with healthier ingredients, differentiated packaging and clean labels. In parallel, gluten- and lactose-free options from small local players are also gaining relevance, although price is still a barrier to entry for most consumers in the country.
Italy: Healthy propositions set to boom
Gluten-free bread experienced increased popularity toward the end of 2018. While these products traditionally were found in specialty retailers such as health stores, Italian supermarkets began to stock a greater variety of gluten-free products, expanding the shelf space for such products and giving them greater exposure.
Many Italian consumers, not necessarily suffering from gluten allergies, have begun to adopt gluten-free bread with the idea that it is more comfortable for digestion and better for health. The consumer base has expanded as a result, and retailers have introduced more private label gluten-free options.
Unit prices of gluten-free bread also have decreased, as prices for these products are usually significantly higher at specialty stores. In accord with the broader health-and-wellness trend, producers of packaged baked foods are expected to increasingly invest in added better-for-you benefits, such as superfruits and supergrains to attract health-conscious consumers who generally regard unpackaged baked foods as a more nutritious option.
Japan: Healthier baked goods rise
Within baked foods, better-for-you products and crustier bread are gaining in popularity, supported by a growing health and wellness trend and manufacturers’ efforts to create more demand.
As the healthy-living trend remains strong among Japanese consumers, more nutritious bread, cakes and pastries such as low-carbohydrate products using bran or soy instead of white flour have experienced active new product development.
Convenience stores have been promoters of more wholesome, innovative baked foods, but major manufacturers also are increasing their product varieties in healthier baked foods, attracting weight-conscious consumers, who are increasingly seeking to reduce their carbohydrate intake.


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Business News›multiplex association of india
MULTIPLEX ASSOCIATION OF INDIA
Digital revenues more than 2x compared to earlier World Cup in 2019; lacklustre Q2 for multiplexes: Karan Taurani
"The best is behind for the likes of PVR in terms of occupancy because the occupancy in the second quarter was around 32%, which was in line with pre-Covid levels. If you look at Q3, we will see a decline in terms of occupancy because for now, we have not seen any film do well, Tiger 3 has reported an inline performance and Dunki will only come towards the end of December. We have got other films like Animal and a couple of more releases, but I do not see occupancy levels moving beyond 26-27%. "
National Cinema Day draws over 6 million moviegoers to theatres: Multiplex Association of India
The Multiplex Association of India (MAI) announced that over six million people went to the cinemas on the second edition of National Cinema Day. More than 4,000 screens participated in the event, with tickets priced at Rs 99. The MAI stated that the overwhelming response to the initiative is a reminder of people's love for the big screen movie watching experience.
National Cinema Day: Watch Jawan or other movies at just Rs 99
The Multiplex Association of India (MAI) is organizing a 'movie marathon' on National Cinema Day, October 13, in collaboration with cinemas across the country. Moviegoers can participate in the marathon for just Rs 99 per admission. Over 4000 screens, including popular cinema chains such as PVR Inox and Cinepolis, will be part of the event. Last year, the event saw 6.5 million admissions, the highest ever single-day admissions.
Jailer and sequels continue to weave box-office magic
Indian films 'Jailer', 'Gadar 2' and 'OMG 2' continued to make box office history over the weekend. Jailer grossed Rs 477.6 crore, while Gadar 2 made Rs 433.7 crore globally and OMG 2 crossed the Rs 100 crore net box office milestone. The Indian film industry had reported record-breaking gross box office receipts of Rs 390 crore and attendance of 21 million from 11-13 August.
Ka Ching! Box Office collections may have set a weekend record
The two industry bodies also revealed that the weekend drew over 21 million to theatres across the country, which is the highest combined admissions record in the last 10 years. The box office collections were driven largely by films like Rajinikanth's Jailer, Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2, Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi's OMG 2 and Chiranjeevi’s Bhola Shankar.
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PVR, Inox merger was the only way to strengthen balance sheet: MD Ajay BijliA key priority for PVR-Inox is improving margins through better capital and operating expenses, says MD Ajay Bijli. In an interview with Vinod Mahanta and Javed Farooqui, Bijli talks about the contours of the deal to merge the two firms that has created the world's fifth-largest multiplex chain, and the way ahead. Edited excerpts:
Gujarat: VHP withdraws protest against Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan' after removal of 'objectionable' contentThe Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has revised the "obscene song" and "lewd words" in the film and hence the right-wing groups will no longer protest against its release, the Gujarat VHP's secretary Ashok Raval said in a statement.
Gujarat multiplex owners meet minister ahead of 'Pathaan' release, claim assurance for security at theatresMultiplex Association of Gujarat (MAG) president Manubhai Patel said during the meeting the minister assured its representatives of protection to multiplex theatres from groups threatening cinema exhibitors over the release of the movie.
Corporate Radar: GM Polyplast, SecUR Credentials to go ex-bonus, board meetings and moreShares of GM Polyplast will trade ex-bonus in the ratio of 6:1, implying eligible shareholders will be getting six shares for every one share held. Ahead of the ex-bonus date, shares of the company ended lower by over 2% at Rs 1210.
Cinema halls can set terms for sale of food and beverages inside premises: Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on a batch of pleas filed by theatre owners of Jammu and Kashmir and the Multiplex Association of India challenging a J&K High Court order which prevented moviegoers from carrying their own food and beverages into movie halls.
Brahmastra earns ₹210 crore at India box officeAccording to trade analysts, 'Brahmastra', which was released on 5,000 screens in India and over 9,000 screens worldwide, has earned around ₹400 crore in gross box office collections globally and ₹210 crore in net box office collections in India.
National Cinema Day draws over 6.5 million viewers to theatresThe National Cinema Day was to be held on September 16. However, on the request of various stakeholders and in order to maximize participation, it was pushed to September 23. Over 6.5 million people went to the theatres on National Cinema Day.
Multiplex association delays National Cinema Day celebration to protect collections of 'Brahmāstra'Now, National Cinema Day will be marked on September 23.
Shopping at malls still popular on weekdaysOver the past two years, many people utilised the time they saved on commuting to and from office for shopping during weekdays. And the trend has accelerated over the past two months, retailers and mall operators said.
Cinema halls rake in over Rs 4,000 crore in 4 months, eye blockbuster 2022It was also the first time that the monthly average box office exceeded ₹1,000 crore, thanks to films such as K.G.F: Chapter 2, RRR, The Kashmir Files, Beast, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Valimai.
Third wave to push revenue recovery for multiplexes by five months, says new reportHowever, once the restrictions are lifted, the pace of recovery is expected to be sharp -- as was witnessed after the second wave -- and should limit further downside in the credit profiles of multiplex operators along with healthy balance sheets, it said.
Multiplex Association of India appeals to Maharashtra government to reopen theatresIn 2020, film production activities and theatres business came to a standstill from mid-March when the pandemic first hit India, only to be restarted for a few months from October and November in various parts of the country.
Cinema halls bell ring again; bank on vaccinated staff, promising content to win back viewersThe multiplex operators had opened some of their auditoriums on Friday last week in the permitted states, strictly following the standard operating procedure (SOP) and has plans to add more screens in a phased manner in the coming weeks.
Cinema industry: Theatres ready to lift curtains on July 30Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka are some of the states which have allowed theatres to reopen.
Second wave restrictions: Crisil says multiplexes to be on losses; may recover only in FY23The sector, arguably one of the worst impacted in the pandemic, can look at a recovery only in the next financial year, the report by domestic credit rating agency Crisil said.
Covid second wave deals another blow to jobs in hospitality sectorUncertainty forcing restaurant chains, bars, hotels, salons and multiplexes to sack staff, cut salaries and put workers on leave without pay.
Maharashtra govt's COVID curbs are like 'speed-breaker'; hopeful of 2021 becoming blockbuster year: Inox LeisureIn the current situation, he said hopes are pinned on the rapid and widespread vaccination drive, which it expects would arrest the surge in cases.
Cinema industry stares at major loss again with Maharashtra lockdownThe move, experts say, will result in filmmakers postponing the release dates of their films again as Maharashtra is one of the biggest markets.
We will have to co-exist with virus for now:Multiplex, retail associations wary of lockdown in MaharashtraThe Multiplex Association of India (MAI), Retail Association of India (RAI), and Shopping Centres Association of India have said they are following all the safety protocols mandated by the government and should not be the first casualty of such restrictions.
We can't go back to last year: Multiplex, retail associations urge Maharashtra government to avoid lockdownMultiplex Association of India (MAI), Retail Association of India (RAI), and Shopping Centres Association of India said they were following all the safety protocols of the government but a lockdown will hit the business, which was in the recovery process.
Maharashtra govt allows cinema halls to reopen from November 5The screens will have to follow the Covid-19 SOPs, in line with the ones issued by the central government, along with a 50% cap on the occupancy.Load More
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A new front opened today in the patent wars between large technology companies, as a consortium that owns thousands of patents from the Nortel bankruptcy auction filed suit against Google and other manufacturers alleging infringement. Rockstar, which is owned jointly by Apple, Blackberry, Ericsson, Microsoft, and Sony, filed suit in US District Court in Texas. In addition to Google, the consortium has alleged infringement by Asus, HTC, Huawei, LG, Pantech, Samsung, and ZTE.
Since then, as recounted by Wired, Rockstar has been devoted to reverse-engineering the patents and looking for evidence of infringement. “Pretty much anybody out there is infringing,” John Veschi, the CEO of Rockstar, told the magazine. “It would be hard for me to envision that there are high-tech companies out there that don’t use some of the patents in our portfolio.”
I told you Apple and Microsoft were patent trolls. They specifically set up a satellite company that owns nothing but patents, with the sole goal of attacking the competition in the courtroom instead of the market. What a bunch of low-life scum.
I’m surprised by Sony there, though. They use Android themselves.
There is a difference in this situation, in that the lawsuits are being brought about by companies that actually USE and MAKE products that utilize these patents, and not by NPE’s, non-producing entities that only hold patent portfolios and never make an actual product or use the patents involved for anything other than bringing lawsuits against companies that use them. That’s a rather significant difference.
This doesn’t make the lawsuits any less egregious, but it is a different situation. Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and the rest, make products that utilize these patents and, under current law, deserve to be compensated for their use if indeed they are being infringed, as the courts will determine.
Edited 2013-11-01 09:53 UTC


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'Detox products' may have gone digital, but a historian explains this centuries-old trend
If you use social media platforms such as Instagram, there’s a good chance you’ve seen accounts promoting diet pills and teas. These products often claim to be “detoxifying”, as well as promising weight loss and increased energy.
The promotion of these products has been so pronounced in recent years that the medical director of the NHS, Stephen Powis, has argued that social media platforms should take down posts that promote these products due to their “damaging impact on physical and mental health”. And in recent weeks, Instagram announced it will be removing all posts that make “miraculous” claims about diet or weight loss products.
But while many of these products have specifically targeted millennials, the promotion of diet, detox, and laxative products has been around for centuries. Indeed, in the 19th and 20th centuries, laxative pill products like Beecham’s Pills and Bile Beans enjoyed a particular vogue. They were available over the counter and contained ingredients like ginger, pure soap powder, and aniseed. Although they were primarily laxatives, they also claimed to improve the complexion, boost spirits, and purify the blood.
Medically approved Bile Beans. Wellcome Collection. CC, CC BY
Despite being controversial, these products were enormously popular. In the House of Lords in 1938, Lord Horder – a leading physician at the time – stated that the public were spending between £25-30 million on these products every year. And consumers probably didn’t know exactly what they were ingesting, because many medicine manufacturers were not legally required to list the ingredients of their products on packaging before 1941.
Trust in advertising
Similar to the way modern diet pills and teas are advertised, testimonial advertising made 19th and 20th-century over-the-counter medicine brands appear more personal, trustworthy, and authoritative – with recommendations from non-experts featuring regularly.
There was much debate at the time about whether 19th and 20th-century testimonials were authentic. And while testimonials were probably based on genuine correspondence from consumers, they still could have been edited.
Today, it is similarly difficult to tell whether an influencer’s recommendation is genuine. Yet a recent study found that trust in “digital creators” is higher than trust in brands. The study found roughly 37% of people age 18-34 were more likely to trust brands after they had seen sponsored posts from influencers. This trust often leads to a purchase: 42% of those exposed to sponsored influencer content reported trying the recommended product or service, while 26% made a purchase.
Advertising via influencers has transformed modern advertising and marketing. It has created a new league of authoritative “experts” that front brands and make them appear more trustworthy, personable, and familiar. This is key to the promotion of health and medicinal products that can positively and negatively affect the body.
British influencers were criticised in the study for not disclosing when posts on Instagram include sponsored content. This caused concern about influencers misleading consumers, as recommendations can seem genuine when they are, in fact, financially motivated.
As a result, influencers have increasingly come under fire from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in Britain. The ASA and the Competition and Markets Authority launched an “Influencer’s Guide” in September 2018 to ensure influencers make their followers aware of sponsored content.
But even when influencers do disclose paid advertisements with “#ad” they can still be investigated by the ASA. In 2017, Sophie Kasaei, a reality star with over 2 million followers on Instagram, uploaded a picture with “Flat Tummy Tea” online. The ASA upheld a complaint against her due to a lack of scientific evidence for the claims made. Plus, the name “Flat Tummy Tea” did not comply with the EU’s register of nutrition and health claims.
The ASA’s concerns demonstrate that modern brands have developed new and increasingly sophisticated ways of overcoming the absence of face-to-face interaction with consumers. And this trust that people invest in social media influencers has led to podcasts, editorial content, and documentaries that aim to “debunk” health trends, products, and diets. BBC podcasts such as All Hail Kale investigate “what foods, therapies and lifestyles to embrace – and which are just nonsense”.
Debunking such “nonsense” has similar parallels with the approach taken by the British Medical Association (BMA) towards over-the-counter medicines in the early 20th-century. In 1909 and 1912, the BMA set out to “expose” these products by testing their ingredients. They aimed to educate the public, but their approach also cast the public as weak and irrational – ripe for being exploited by “quackery”.
In the same way, podcasts and articles debunk such health claims as “nonsense”, reminiscent of the use of the word “quackery”. But using dismissive language like this fails to understand why these products, treatments and lifestyles are so popular.
Restricting the advertising of these products on Instagram will not stop people from buying them. Long after the BMA tried to tackle the sale of over-the-counter medicines in Britain in the early 20th century, the public continued to buy them. And in being dismissive of these products and those that use them, there is a failure to understand why people consume them in the first place. Instead, more needs to be done to try to understand the complex structures, beliefs, habits, and traditions that motivate consumption of such products in the first place.