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You who had followed the developer and publisher developers from Japan during the last few years of this course could see the trend is quite worrisome. Big names like Square Enix, Capcom, and Mobile legends , for example – began to make mobile games as one of the slowest but surefire products, so the main concern. The result? Gigantic franchises that have the potential to slide as a console or PC game with a more serious approach end up being a mobile game with limited features. Fishing curiosity, of course, is the reason behind many decisions like this. The answer is simple – because indeed, the popularity of smartphones and mobile games in Japan can hardly be unstoppable.
This is reflected in the sales performance of “traditional” gaming devices – such as consoles and handhelds throughout 2014 yesterday in Japan. Famous Japanese gaming media – Famitsu notes that total console and handheld sales are at their lowest point in 24 years. The reason? Of course the popularity of smartphones and tablet devices are increasingly massive and appear to dominate. A hard slap for older gaming platforms. Famitsu also threw a list of 10 best-selling games in the Japanese market during 2014, along with competing hardware champions. Who made it to the best?
Feeling the sensation of being a hero almost unchallenged has always been the selling point of a musou game series. The incredible power that allows you to destroy hundreds of enemies without much sweating is quite addictive, though admittedly, potentially falls on a very repetitive sensation. For fans of this one genre, January 2015 became one of the most awaited moments. Koei Tecmo’s latest series of concoctions – Mobile legends hack online for free was scheduled to release earlier this year. You are one of the gamers who are looking forward to it? Unfortunately, this wait should end up being a nightmare.
Koei Tecmo officially announces delays in the release of Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires from its original release plan – January 2015. This delay applies to all existing release platforms, from Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox One, to PC cross-region – America and Europe. Unfortunately, there is no more detailed explanation behind the reasons for this one policy. Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires will now launch on February 24, 2015 for the console. While the PC version will be three days extra late, and will be released on February 27, 2015.


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A man sits in his kitchen over breakfast with his wife and children, reading the news and checking a live feed from a traffic camera on his iPad. And then the unthinkable happens. A fly, which had been buzzing around the room, lands on the table. Without giving the act a second thought, the man swats the fly with his iPad, smashing the expensive device into shards of glass.
The voiceover in this 30-second TV ad confidently reminds viewers that the iPad is pretty good, but even a staid old newspaper is capable of feats that Apple’s sleek device cannot perform with the ad proclaming, “The new Newsday app is better than a newspaper in all kinds of ways. Except for one.”
It has been only 14 months since Apple launched the iPad, but the company has already rolled out a second generation model, while rivals have now brought out their own versions.
For newspaper and magazine publishers, it’s clear that like the man in the ad for the New York newspaper iPad app, the tablet computer has revolutionised their traditional business models, while not necessarily delivering the negative blow or print media that many had predicted.
The tablet - along with smartphones - has enabled print owners to sell digital issues of newspapers and magazines; to offer readers an altogether better looking version of the print edition, with slick graphics and video; and brands can book highly targeted, interactive ad campaigns.
Catch the full article in the June issue of Campaign Asia-Pacific available to subscribers online today.

domain: news


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“He Zack Martin jersey challenged A.J. Green like that. And A.J. Green, he was already a Pro Bowl wide receiver,” Campbell said. “That’s the thing that guys like Hue the most about. He wasn’t afraid to challenge anybody on the team.”
cheap nfl jerseys China
The coaches and players can blame execution — something they’ve done often in trying to discuss the slow starts — but it seems to be more than that. This is just emblematic of who this Lions team is — and it’s what will cost the Lions
a real shot at the postseason.
JULIE: I feel very comfortable in who I am now, and he’s definitely a part of it — continuing to say how beautiful my muscles are, china jersey nfl or he loves when really cheap nfl jerseys for kids I’m running or working out. He’s behind me, he wants me to succeed nfl jerseys from china scam and pushes me. That’s been really special the past five years now.
Beckham has since implied that his celebration was actually a message to President Donald Trump after Trump’s comments, if you wish to believe that. Either way, it set off alarms that probably didn’t need cheap china jersey nfl ccr prp to be cheap authentic football jerseys set off. Coach Ben McAdoo, who supported kicker Josh Brown last season after domestic violence allegations, said Beckham pretending to be a dog was a poor reflection on him, the program and on the organization, the AP wrote. Beckham cheap jerseys China also had to meet with owner John Mara, who wasn’t happy. And then on top of it the NFL dug in his pockets for five figures worth of cash.
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On his smooth-looking touchdown pass, his first as a Colt, to wideout T.Y. Hilton: I got the ball buy cheap nike nfl jerseys to the best player on the field, and he did the rest. I had plenty of time, so I’ve got to thank the nfl jersey shops birmingham al line for that.
Yates left the game with 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter after sustaining a hit. He immediately went to the sideline medical tent Dallas Cowboys jersey womens before walking to the locker room during halftime. He returned to the sideline at the start of the cheap authentic jerseys second half with the Limit New York Giants jersey Texans trailing, 20-0.
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Added guard reebok vs nike Landon Collins Stitched jersey nfl jersey size chart David DeCastro: I’d love to see [New England] again. We’ll come back hungry.
The game will feature the traditional AFC versus NFC matchup, which returned last season, and feature 88 of the best NFL players — 44 from each conference — as determined by a consensus of Sterling Shepard Nike jersey votes by fans, players and coaches.
What the Lions had to spend moving forward, then, snowballed from there, even as the two sides restructured Stafford’s contract on multiple occasions. He started with an elevated price tag, and it was almost cheap nfl jerseys China impossible to bring it down once he did.
The NFL’s policy prohibiting offenses Tyron Smith jersey replica against officials applies to all game day locations, including the playing field, bench area, tunnels, parking lots, and other stadium passageways. We will continue to emphasize enforcement of unsportsmanlike conduct rules with our officiating crews, and they will be encouraged to disqualify players for any offenses directed at them. Such offenses may also result in fines, and/or cheap jerseys 2018 suspensions.
This is not a referendum on my cheap nfl jersey cooper helfet model tenure, because my tenure is not over, Smith said.


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Rap mogul Diddy has offered to pay for the services needed to fix a model’s hair that caught on fire at his album release party.
After seeing video of a model’s hair ablaze at his Last Train To Paris release party, Diddy is offering to foot the bill for her to fix it.
Earlier this month, comedian Kevin Hart was on hand at the party alongside Trey Songz and Fabolous while model Miyoki Jones lounged in a tub surrounded by candles.
The model apparently got too close to one of the candles that caught her hair on fire, before she quickly dive in the tub to out it.
According to TMZ, the model believes it will cost at least $1,000 to fix her damaged hair.
Peep the video of the incident below


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A lot of adults know how Santa feels – giving presents to children during the holiday season. But if you’re a pilot and want to know what his reindeer might feel like, we have just the thing. The state is looking for volunteer pilots to help carry gifts to foster children across the state.
Beginning last year, meteorologists have been trying to crack the question of which are the nation’s worst, or best, winters.
The holiday season is in full swing, and for many people that means it’s time to bring a bit of the outdoors into the living room. But what can you do with your x-mas tree once the season’s over?
Marsha Gray, the Executive Director of the Michigan Christmas Tree Association said the answer is simple: Recycle!
“I would say probably the most common option in Michigan would be to chip those trees into mulch. But you’ll also see Christmas trees that get recycled and reused in other ways. You’ll see Christmas trees piled and dumped along the shore line. It helps to prevent beach erosion. I also know some people who have lakes where they’ll sink Christmas trees because they create a great habitat for fish.”
She said one town in Minnesota takes recycling their trees to the extreme.
“St. Paul, Minnesota heats and powers most of their downtown grid with waste wood. Trimmings, clippings, palettes, all sorts of things are put into this crazy massive grinder chipper and create this product, that is literally burned, and they use that to power their city. And during the holidays they go to that waste wood facility and end up powering their city.”
Gray said although this is an extraordinary example, everyone can do something with their tree. Turn it into mulch yourself, or simply check with your local government to see if they have a street-side pick up service.
For more information on what you can do with your tree visit here.
Imagine 33 million Christmas trees. That’s how many holiday trees were brought home just last year in the United States according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
Marcia Gray, Executive Director of the Michigan Christmas Tree Association, said Christmas trees are actually considered one of Michigan’s cash crops!
“Well, first of all, Michigan is the third largest producer of Christmas trees in the U.S. This holiday season we’re going to estimate that we harvest 2 to 2-and-a-half million trees. About 3-quarters of those trees leave Michigan. Our trees are going elsewhere and bringing dollars back.”
Gray said she expects the tree industry to bring in roughly 40-million dollars to the state this year, and that’s at wholesale price.
She also said the agriculture industry is much more influential on Michigan’s economy than people give it credit for.
For more information on the Michigan Christmas tree business visit this website.
Ready or not, the Christmas music is coming.


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It looks like aside from Monster Hunter Stories, Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise is getting more anime. This is because Capcom has just announced a new 3D animated special titled Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild.
According to Variety, Pure Imagination Studios is collaborating with Capcom for the project, with Ulrimate Spider-Man’s Joshua Fine writing. Here’s how they describe the special’s story:
Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild will focus on an aspiring young monster hunter looking to make a name for himself. He stumbles on a terrifying discovery when he finds that his village is directly in the path of an Elder Dragon, which could cause a dizzying amount of damage and devastation for his home
Series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told Variety that they think “die-hard fans will appreciate our dedication to the source material while those uninitiated to the series will still be treated to an epic adventure in a wholly unique world”. In addition, Pure Imagination added that their focus is on “building content driven eco-systems and experiences” that live across “multiple platforms of engagement,” according to John P. Roberts, chief content officer.
Capcom will be announcing more details about this 3D anime soon in the days to come.
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Chicken prices in Bangalore have dropped from Rs 72 a kg to Rs 45 a kg in the last two weeks, at the farm gate. The reason not being a fall in demand but dumping by Tamil Nadu.
While this is good news for chicken lovers considering the retail prices have dropped from Rs 100 to Rs 75-80 a kg, poultry farmers claim they are incurring losses after chicken from Tamil Nadu was diverted here following Kerala's imposition of 14 per cent VAT on TN supplies. Bangalore consumes around 5.25 lakh kg of chicken and 55 lakh eggs daily.
Karnataka Poultry Farmers and Breeders Association (KPFBA) treasurer Naveen Pasuparthy said, "Karnataka has been facing an oversupply of chicken since the past five weeks. Earlier, chicken was sold at Rs 72 a kg at the farm gate but now it is being sold at Rs 45 a kg. After Kerala imposed the tax on TN chicken with a floor price of Rs 95 a kg, TN chicken is being dumped in Karnataka, causing over-supply. At the same time, the festival season in the state (when many abstain from non-veg food) has also upset the market. However, the price dip is temporary and will be corrected in the coming days."
Reproduced from Bangalore Mirror


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(Bloomberg) -- Three years after explosive allegations of graft and corruption brought down the government of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, South Korea’s chaebol culture will again come under the microscope when Samsung Electronics Co. heir Jay Y. Lee returns to court.
The billionaire’s retrial over expanded corruption charges begins Friday at the Seoul High Court, rebooting a landmark case that led to the impeachment of then-president Park Geun-hye and inflamed popular anger over the power of Korean conglomerates, also known as chaebols. It threatens to potentially throw the de-facto leader of Korea’s biggest company back in jail.
“This is problematic for Samsung as it seeks to elevate and portray him as a Silicon Valley-minded reformer,” said Geoffrey Cain, author of an upcoming book about Samsung. “He won’t be able to shed the image of corruption that easily.”
The appeals court that decided to release Lee in early 2018 from jail, where he’d spent about a year after his initial arrest, will decide his final sentence over the course of the next few months. Factoring in the trial’s social and economic implications, Park Sang-in, a professor at Seoul National University, warns it could take longer than usual and stretch beyond six months.
Unless new evidence emerges during the retrial, the appeals court is expected to rule in line with the decision of Korea’s Supreme Court, which found that Lee had used three horses and additional funds, via an intermediary, to bribe President Park while seeking political support for his succession as Samsung chief. This would mean altering Lee’s presently suspended prison sentence.
Why the Fate of Samsung’s Billionaire Heir Turns on Horses
The total amount of alleged bribery determined by the top court, including all three equines, carries a minimum sentence of five years, which cannot be suspended in the same way that Lee’s existing sentence has been. Media coverage in Korea, however, has centered on Article 53 of the Korean Criminal Act, which stipulates there could be a discretionary mitigation of the punishment “when there are extenuating circumstances.” In Lee’s case, the damage to Samsung -- crucial as it is to Korea’s economy -- could be presented as grounds to keep him out of prison.
Even in the event of an unfavorable ruling, the 51-year-old Samsung scion would still be able to appeal at the Supreme Court one more time, which could take another year. To avoid such a protracted legal battle, people in and out of Samsung have expressed hope that the court may reduce the punishment and slash the sentence to a suspended 30-month term.
But close observers of Korean politics and its mighty family-run conglomerates argue there is little chance that Lee will avoid imprisonment, saying Samsung should brace for the worst case scenario.
“If this company had a normal corporate culture, it could start a process of searching beyond Jay Y. Lee, just as Steve Jobs and Jack Ma spent time designating their successors,” said Seoul National University’s Professor Park. “Samsung, however, sticks to an idea that only a controlling family member should manage its overall business. If Lee can step back to stay as a major shareholder and find a ‘real’ professional manager, it may light the fuse for changes.”
Samsung, the world’s largest memory chip and smartphone maker, has an army of business experts and senior managers who can run its day-to-day operations, according to Park Ju-gun, president at corporate research firm CEOScore. Lee could continue his management even while in prison and then come back as a leader when he’s out, emulating the example of his chaebol peers including SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won and CJ Group chairman Lee Jay-hyun, who today are active leaders of their conglomerates in spite of having spent years in jail.
Samsung Billionaire Heir to Cede Board Seat Before Legal Probe
Under pressure, Lee gave up on extending his three-year term on the Samsung board, which is set to expire on Saturday. Although he’s keeping his title as vice chairman, it will be the board that drives overall management decisions, according to people familiar with the matter. Board Chairman Lee Sang-hoon and Samsung President Chung Hyun-ho -- who’s managing Samsung’s business task force and is known to be an ally of Lee’s -- are likely to take the lead in management in the absence of the heir, according to CEOScore’s Park and Samsung officials.
The latest chapter in the ongoing legal drama is kicking off at a sensitive time for the half-century-old tech behemoth. Samsung is confronting heightened uncertainties from a lingering trade war between the U.S. and China as well as a trade spat between South Korea and Japan, both of which complicate its market outlook and supply chain. A rising tide of new technology like fifth-generation mobile networks and artificial intelligence is also opening up new opportunities for eager Chinese rivals, who are spending lavishly to catch up to Samsung and its cash-cow businesses of semiconductor and display manufacturing.
Lee’s absence would dampen Samsung’s aggressiveness in pursuing massive deals for future technology, which are often struck among the top leaders between two companies, according to people familiar with the matter. While they claimed that Lee’s leadership is crucial for making decisions over the company’s long-term blueprint, Samsung has already announced $116 billion in investments for logic chips through 2030. It envisions a further $11 billion of spending for next-generation displays by 2025.
Behind the scenes, activist investor Elliott Management Corp. is closely watching the outcome of Lee’s legal wranglings, as it had an interest in the controversial 2015 merger at the root of the heir’s current travails. The New York-based hedge fund has filed an international arbitration claim that contends Korea unlawfully meddled in that merger and it now seeks compensation of more than $700 million.
To contact the reporter on this story: Sohee Kim in Seoul at email@example.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edwin Chan at firstname.lastname@example.org, Vlad Savov, Peter Pae
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


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If Microsoft can create a video game that achieves the same level of success and admiration from gamers as Call of Duty, it will not find itself in a courtroom battle at the end of June. This is the crux of the issue, according to economists, the San Francisco judge, and eagerly awaiting spectators.
Hakim Jacqueline Scott Corley memberikan komentar tajam kepada pengacara yang mewakili Microsoft dan Federal Trade Commission (FTC), dengan menyatakan, “Kami tidak akan berada di sini jika Microsoft telah membuat Call of Duty.” Hakim percaya bahwa undang-undang mendorong individu untuk membuat video game mereka sendiri yang inovatif dan populer daripada hanya membelinya.
The decision on whether Microsoft can acquire Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion is in the hands of Judge Corley, who is expected to make a decision within two weeks. Most experts interviewed by IGN believe that Microsoft is likely to win its case against the FTC, although there is a vocal minority that disagrees. Both the FTC and Microsoft have declined to comment on the ongoing case.
The focus of the FTC argument revolves around Call of Duty, or as the judge referred to it, a “shooter video game”. The FTC claims that Microsoft did not create its successful video game itself, but rather wanted to acquire it. Florian Ederer, an economics professor at Yale School of Management, explains that antitrust laws focus on whether a company has organically grown to become a dominant player. If a company creates an exceptional game that leads to a dominant market position, it is not illegal but can be perfectly acceptable. The success of Sony’s God of War is cited as an example of organic success during the court proceedings.
Hakim Corley menantang FTC tentang kemungkinan pengembang game lain dapat membuat sesuatu yang lebih baik jika Microsoft mengakuisisi Call of Duty. Dia mempertanyakan mengapa ada penekanan yang kuat pada Call of Duty dan menyarankan bahwa memaksa orang lain untuk membuat game lain yang sukses bisa menjadi argumen yang valid. FTC menanggapi dengan menggambarkan Call of Duty sebagai game yang sangat sukses dan unik.
Survei bulan Juni yang dilakukan oleh bank investasi Jefferies mengungkapkan bahwa 38% gamer PC dan konsol yang disurvei ingin bermain Call of Duty, diikuti oleh Fortnite dan Minecraft. Mayoritas responden sangat menantikan perilisan judul Call of Duty yang akan datang. Argumen tandingan Xbox adalah bahwa Call of Duty bukanlah game yang unik. Ekonom Microsoft, Dr. Liz Bailey, berpendapat bahwa definisi pasar FTC terlalu sempit dan tidak sesuai dengan kenyataan. Bailey juga menyatakan bahwa jika merger dilanjutkan, game Activision akan tersedia di lebih banyak platform. Argumen Microsoft adalah bahwa pasar lebih besar dari yang disarankan FTC, membuat perusahaan tampak kurang monopolistik. Di sisi lain, FTC berpendapat bahwa pasarnya lebih kecil.
Most analysts interviewed by IGN believe that Judge Corley will support Microsoft, and the other outcomes will be surprising. Ederer notes that the FTC has been very aggressive under the Biden administration, pursuing cases that anticipate new limits on corporate dominance. Microsoft’s ambition to create a monopoly in the rapidly growing entertainment industry sector at such high prices has drawn attention and scrutiny.
However, not everything goes smoothly for Microsoft. The United Kingdom blocked the merger in April, citing cloud gaming as the reason. The FTC continues this argument during the trial, indicating that consoles may become obsolete in the future and be replaced by cloud gaming, where Microsoft has an advantage.
During the trial, the FTC presented two emails from Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Games Studios, as evidence. In a 2019 email to the Xbox CFO, Booty stated that Microsoft could “outspend Sony out of the business.” He emphasized that content was their competitive advantage and stated that spending billions of dollars would be beneficial in staying ahead in the competition. Microsoft responded by stating that the email was from three and a half years ago and unrelated to any acquisition.
In the 2021 email, Booty expressed that Xbox is unlikely to make its original games available on rival streaming or subscription services.
The judge’s decision is only the first step in a lengthy process, depending on the outcome. If the FTC loses the trial, they can appeal the decision and try to stop the court order. They can also continue their case against Microsoft even if the merger is completed. Activision Blizzard will receive a $3 billion break-up fee if the deal fails, and if successful, CEO Bobby Kotick will receive around $400 million.
The deadline for the agreement is July 18, and if the judge opposes Microsoft and Activision, they may have an opportunity for renegotiation. We will closely monitor the judge’s decision during the trial. Shannon Liao, a prominent video game journalist, has extensively covered the trial and provided updates on Twitter and Substack.
Please check the page: money-making game.


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Encouraging data from the labor market and optimism brought on by the stimulus package bolstered stock markets this week. Benchmark indexes Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 bounced back from the mid-week slump and settled close to last week’s record high, led by bank stocks even as inflation concerns eased.
This week, the market was abuzz with reports of Microsoft’s unconfirmed bid to take over instant messaging platform Discord in a $10-billion deal, enlivening the otherwise dull M&A space. Among the confirmed deals, the $7.2-billion merger between tech firm Synnex Corp. and Tech Data, currently owned by fund manager Apollo Global, elicited much interest among the stakeholders.
The other technology deals include the acquisition of India-based robotic process automation company Intellibot by ServiceNow and the buyout of Austin-based Hook Bang by gaming giant Take-Two Interactive.
Elsewhere, Yum Brands! bought Israeli omnichannel marketing platform Tictuk Technologies for an undisclosed amount, while professional services firm Cognizant is set to boost its autonomous/electric vehicle prowess through the proposed acquisition of ESG Mobility. On Thursday, Fiserv revealed plans to buy payment technology company Pineapple Payments as part of streamlining operations.
After reporting double-digit earnings growth for the third quarter, consumer foods company General Mills early last week exuded confidence that the momentum would be maintained in the coming months. GameStop, which recently sent financial markets into a tizzy with unusually volatile stock movement, on Tuesday unveiled mixed results for the fourth quarter.
With the business world getting ready for the next earnings season, the only other major announcement was Adobe’s impressive first-quarter report.
Going forward, the spotlight will be on Walgreens Boots Alliance, the retail pharmacy giant that is scheduled to release the latest quarterly report on March 31. On the same day, chipmaker Micron Technology is expected to post second-quarter earnings.
Prior to that, the latest quarterly report of Lululemon Athletica is slated for release on March 30. The apparel retailer will be joined by online pet store Chewy on the same day. On April 1, Carmax will be publishing its year-end financial report.
Key Earnings to Watch
Monday: K92 Mining, Qudian, Biocept, Canoo, LifeMD, Puyi, and Social Reality
Tuesday: Delta 9 Cannabis, FactSet Research Systems, Lululemon Athletica, BlackBerry Limited, AngioDynamics, Cormedix and Apria
Wednesday: Acuity Brands, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Guess?, and Micron Technology
Thursday: Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, CarMax, Consolidated Water Co., Novagold Resources and Franklin Covey
Key Corporate Conferences to Watch
Key US Economic Events
The following are notable companies which have reported their earnings last week. In case if you have missed catching up on their performance, click the respective links to skim through the transcripts to glean more insights.
Synnex Corp. Q1 2021 Earnings Transcript
Tencent Music Q4 2020 Earnings Transcript
HUYA Q4 2020 Earnings Transcript
GameStop Q4 2020 Earnings Transcript
Adobe Q1 2021 Earnings Transcript
General Mills Q3 2021 Earnings Transcript
KB Home Q1 2021 Earnings Transcript
Shoe Carnival Q4 2020 Earnings Transcript
Darden Restaurants Q3 2021 Earnings Transcript
Momo Q4 2020 Earnings Transcript
If you want to listen to how management responds to analyst questions and the tone they use, you can head over to our YouTube channel to listen to conference calls on the go.
These fast-food stocks can strengthen your portfolio this year. Here’s why
For American restaurant chains, the early months of the pandemic were a challenging period. But soon things changed for the better as people started ordering their favorite food items online
What to expect when McCormick & Company (MKC) reports Q1 results next week
Shares of McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE: MKC) were up over 2% on Friday. The stock has dropped 12% year-to-date. The condiments manufacturer is scheduled to report its first quarter 2023
KB Home (KBH) Earnings: 1Q23 Key Numbers
KB Home (NYSE: KBH) reported total revenues of $1.38 billion for the first quarter of 2023 which was relatively flat compared to the same period last year. Net income of


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Hyundai India is all set to bring in the next generation of Tucson crossover-SUV. A few units have been spied in transit confirming that the launch of the 2022 Tucson is likely to be held soon.
Some exciting new cars and motorcycles are coming towards us in the next year. One of them is the all-new generation of the Hyundai Tucson. Now, the outgoing Hyundai Tucson has been phased out in the international market and has been replaced by the updated crossover SUV which gets an all-new platform, engine options, and styling which is more in line with the brand’s new design philosophy.
The outgoing Tucson (India spec) hasn’t received enough attention from Hyundai India, whereas, the segment has seen some serious new entrants. Citroen has the C5 Aircross on offer, Jeep has the updated Compass and Volkswagen has recently re-introduced the Tiguan in the same segment.
Seeing all this, Hyundai India may offer the upgraded Tucson very soon. We suspect the next-gen Tucson will make its debut in Q1 of 2022.
Just as the Compass, the new Tucson will be offered in both petrol, as well as, diesel engine; unlike the C5 Aircross which is offered in the diesel guise only or the Tiguan facelift which gets only the petrol power plant.
Overseas, the Hyundai Tucson is offered with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with petrol and diesel engine, but we do not think Hyundai India will offer the mild-hybrid system as it will only up the pricing of the SUV. Instead, expect the same powertrains to be offered in the new model, however, with a fair share of updates to the engine and the gearbox.
Currently, the Hyundai Tucson is priced between Rs. 22.70 lakh (ex-showroom) and Rs. 27.47 lakh (ex-showroom). The new model is likely to be priced higher and the top-of-the-line variant is expected to breach the Rs. 30 lakh mark.
2021 Hyundai Tucson Long Term Reports
Hyundai targets 6 EVs in India by 2028
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Roughly 130.000 hectares of forest have been lost annually over the last 20 years due to land being cleared for coffee cultivation as farmers attempt to make ends meet. Coffee income remains at or below the poverty line living income benchmarks in eight of the ten largest coffee producing countries. This reality threatens the entire sector and has dangerous environmental implications.
While consumers are paying more for a pack of coffee, costs for farmers are rising even faster. Climate change adaptation requires major investments in coffee production. The era of cheap high-quality coffee is over.
Coffee Brew Index reveals a lack of meaningful commitments from companies
This Barometer also marks the launch of the Coffee Brew Index, which assesses the sustainability and social commitments of the world’s 11 major coffee roasting companies. This ranking reveals that while there are leaders and laggards, all companies fall short on addressing critical issues in their coffee supply chains. Just two roasters, Nestlé and Starbucks, showcase developed strategies regarding their social and sustainability goals.
Most companies in the Index have ambitious sustainability commitments that outline their thematic targets, but these often lack measurable and time-bound goals and objectives. Five of the major roasters continue to rely on ad hoc and one-off projects and investments that are not necessarily connected to a larger strategy across social, environmental, and economic pillars, and focus primarily on improving efficiency and coffee quality.
Most roasting companies burnish their sustainability credentials by participating in voluntary multi stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) meant to foment collaboration and shared goals, but a review of MSIs in the Barometer reveals that most are failing to show progress. They provide a platform for companies to assert that they are working towards positive goals, like a living income, but frequently MSIs lack the binding commitments necessary to make this a reality.
Companies unprepared for the EU’s deforestation regulation
The Barometer also questions the readiness of the industry to comply with the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and calls on companies to commit to avoiding a cut-and-run effect in at-risk sourcing areas.
Set to come into effect in 2025, the EUDR is a groundbreaking effort to ensure that major companies trading global commodities are not contributing to global deforestation. The EUDR puts the onus on companies to prove that their suppliers are not contributing to deforestation. In order to comply, companies may seek to avoid so-called ‘risky’ contexts, where compliance with the regulation will be more burdensome.
This means they may shift sourcing to more developed regions, such as Brazil, where farmers have more resources to prepare and thrive under the EUDR.
Farming livelihoods at risk in vulnerable regions
In risky contexts, such as the majority of African coffee producing regions, farmers are small-scale and fragmented, and lacking the government support necessary to prove compliance and adapt. They also happen to often be on the frontiers of potential deforestation. If such farmers lose access to the European market and vital income, they may be forced to seek to expand their farms into forested areas to increase output, and to sell on markets with less stringent rules on deforestation and working conditions.
Addressing this problem is particularly difficult in the coffee chain, where the local context in different regions varies widely. Coffee is produced by an estimated 12.5 million farmers in roughly 50 countries, but just 5 of them (Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Honduras) contribute 85 percent of the world’s coffee supply. The remaining 15 percent of the global supply is produced by 9.6 million coffee producers. These farmers face grave economic precarity, and lack the resources necessary to meet sustainability standards or find alternative income streams.
The needs of these farmers are distinct from others and require tailored solutions that address the often radically different economic and legal realities they face.
To combat deforestation and poverty companies need to invest in vulnerable regions
If major coffee roasters are serious about tackling poverty and deforestation, then supply chain exclusion should be avoided at all times as an approach to mitigate risks. Given their access to resources, coffee companies need to double down and invest in these vulnerable regions, working with local actors, including government, civil society and producer groups, to address issues in their coffee supply chains with tailor made solutions. This means listening to the priorities and perspectives of producers and making meaningful investments.
The EU and the world’s major coffee companies must work to ensure that the costs of preventing deforestation do not fall on the shoulders of those already living in poverty.
The Barometer authors urge the EU to support the EUDR’s implementation with a range of accompanying measures that can minimize the impact on small farmers and support producing countries in their sustainable transition.
You can find more information about the Coffee Barometer here.
You can download the full 2023 Coffee Barometer publication here.


text: Current regulations introduced by the Advertising Standards Authority restrict adverts for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products being directed at children.In March this year, Cadbury’s was banned from advertising its Freddo chocolate bars next to a school after being accused by the of using their frog mascot to promote junk food to children.“Growing up, I used to wait until Friday and that’s when you got sweets. But now children are eating sweets on their break time, lunchtime and when they get home,” Conservative MP Damien Moore told the committee.Dame Sally was also questioned on plans to treat sweet foods like tobacco and introduce plain packaging.“That would be an approach,” she said. “Do we really need all the crisp packets?“Should cereals be standardised?“I am not saying I am going to recommend this, but we are going to have to think about this, or we will look back at the young generation and regret that we didn’t take action.” Sweets are no longer seen as “treats” because adverts tell children and women that they deserve to eat chocolate, the Chief Medical Officer has said.Giving evidence to the Science and Technology Committee, Professor Dame Sally Davies said Britain has “lost the concept” of what constitutes a rare treat and that “we all need to eat less”.Her comments came during a discussion with MPs on the nation’s “obesity crisis” as she was probed on how to tackle it.“I remember Sunday roasts as a child. There was one or two pieces of meat. Now you see the large portions that people have,” Dame Sally said.“We do seem to have lost the concept of treats. I think the advertising is very interesting, a lot of it is aimed at children or women in particular. ‘You deserve this’ – when did I deserve sweets?” she added.Dame Sally’s latest comments come one week after she announced that she is considering a tax on all unhealthy foods in a bid to reduce the levels of childhood obesity, after more than 20,000 primary school children were classed as obese when they left primary school last year. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.


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The most important question in the freight market is when we will reach the bottom. The Cass Freight Index data indicated a worsening trend, but there was optimism for improvement.
The monthly report’s theme is “Bouncing Along the Bottom.” Tim Denoyer of ACT Research said, “The volume downturn appears to be in the later innings,” indicating a potential new cycle for the U.S. freight transportation sector.
Denoyer, on the other hand, called the current time in the freight business a “cycle bottoming.” In the image that goes with the report, you can see that this cycle has a number of features, such as extra capacity, price pressure for the shipper, a lack of Class 8 tractors, a slower drop in rates, and a rise in rejected orders. The “wheel” for cycle bottoming focuses mainly on the signs of “demand declines and capacity growth slowing.”
Cass Freight Index Shows Continued Decline in Shipments and Prolonged Downcycle in Freight Market
Denoyer stated that the current market is missing one aspect of cycle bottoming, which is the lower level of equipment production. He writes that pressure remains on fleets to seat these tractors as Class 8 build rates remain elevated.
Shipments in the Cass Freight Index decreased by 1.6% from May to June, or 1.9% after adjusting for seasonality.
The measure decreased by 4.7% compared to last year. The yearly rate of change in June was slower than in May, at 5.6%. The shipping index is 12% lower than in December 2021, when the cycle peaked, according to Cass.
The study shows that the current “downcycle” has lasted for 18 months, marking a continuous decline over the years. Cass mentioned that the average length of the last three recessions was 21 to 28 months.
The Cass Freight Index Shows a decline in Spending and rates but Optimism for Future shipping.
According to Denoyer, there is optimism regarding shipments. The reason for this optimism is that although declining real retail sales trends and ongoing stocking are still affecting freight volumes, there is a shift in dynamics due to the improvement in real incomes, and the worst of the destocking is now behind us.
The Cass Index spending fell 2.6% from May to June, and it fell 24.5% from June 2016 to June 2017.
Cass discovered a 1% decrease in interest rates from May to June due to declining exports and spending.
Shipments dropped 1.9% from May, and prices dropped 0.8%. This caused the spending index to drop by 2.8%.
The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index Shows a continued decline in Fuel Spending and the truckload market.
Fuel spending is included in the score. The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index decreased by 0.4% from May to June. It should be less random without gas costs. The drop is smaller than the drop of 2.6% between April and May.
Cass says the average loss in the last two months is 1.5%, which is almost twice as much as the average loss in the six months before at 0.8%. The drop hasn’t slowed down in the last two months.
Cass writes in the report that this index includes both spot and contract freight, serving as a broad truckload market indicator. The larger contract market is expected to continue adjusting down, given the significant decrease in spot rates.
Sales dropped by 4.7%, and other Cass indicators also decreased significantly year over year. The spending index, estimated freight rates, and truckload linehaul index are all down.
The third-quarter bounce of 6.6% would compensate for the drop in the second quarter of 2017 and this year. Tom Nightingale, CEO of AFS, mentioned that truckload prices are stabilizing, but shippers still have an advantage in the market.
Overall, the Cass study suggests potential benefits for the transport industry. The market is about to start a new cycle, and the current drop is almost over. To know more about trucking and logistics industry daily, check Lading Logistics. We also provide all kind of logistics solutions to businesses.


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Check out who's clinched the award for our favourite fashion moment of the day!
If You Stop Wasting Food You'd Save THIS Much...
As supermarkets and companies pledge to seriously tackle food waste, we take a deeper look at just how much food we're all guilty of throwing away.
It's a good day for mankind, as several major chains, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, are backing a voluntary agreement to tackle food waste within the next decade.
Okay, so this news may not exactly be the solution to end world hunger, but it's the first BIG step towards a more eco-friendly world.
The new agreement, called Courtauld Commitment 2025, has been brokered by Waste and Resources Action Programme and comes after Tesco announced they would be redistributing all left over foods to charities.
Of course it's not just supermarkets that waste food, the average UK household also has ALOT to answer for!
Let's face it, nothing beats old school Hollywood glamour...especially when it's given a modern twist!
Take a look at these stars before and after the stylist's touch.
Men's beauty regimes are nothing like women's. They need to be hassle free and reliable.
Singer Ciara blows competition out of the water with her incredible monochrome dress at the AMAs 2016.
Heart Beauty has trialled three different ways to keep your brows in check - and here are the results.
Gigi Hadid, Michelle Keegan, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Drew Barrymore ditch the makeup and go for a natural look.
We take a look at what 10 icons say about beauty and look at how this can work for you.
Deposit £10 to get a £40 Welcome Bonus - That's £50 to play bingo, slots and more!*
Over 50 tracks to make you feel-good. New album out now...


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Armadale boutique owner Matthew Duffy is proving you don't have to be a retail giant to shake up your formula.
Duffy is set to launch a new pop up store concept 'Pop In Pop Out!' to capitalise on the high profile location of his store, King & Stone on the corner of Rose Street and Beatty Avenue.
The Melbourne retailer has regularly showcased Australian brands - now he's giving them the opportunity to sell their own wares over a one month time frame.
Lingerie brand Love and Lustre has been locked in for October, with eco fashion label Lane Palmer set to follow in November and Y10store finishing the year in December.
Duffy intends to extend the concept into 2013 in a bid to attract locals to the high-rotation formula.
"we need a magazine for over 40s in our country,
and labels to match, I know it sounds very strange, But I thin..."
jenny bannister on Is anyone listening?
"Now look here, Im a shareholder, and this shrinkage issue ,alarms me for a start, cant you teach your staff to..."
jenny bannister on Target takes a blow
"I am very excited about this show. We love to see the new as well as the past.
In a modern museum !"
jenny bannister on The new order


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B2B Summer News Round Up: Post-vacation catch up (it’s not all about Pokemon Go)
The sun has been out, long weekends have called us away and the kids have wanted attention (for reasons other than Pokemon Go). While all of us have been taking it easy, or playing Pokemon Go, the B2B sector has remained busy. Here are a few stories (besides the reminders that gamification is still “at play”) our industry leaders have been following.
Changes to Google AdWords
Last month Google announced a series of changes to its AdWords program, including expanded text ads. The changes have had a huge impact on click-through rates.
“Expanded Text Ads started rolling out for our clients earlier this summer, and what a difference!” says Dana DiTomaso, President and Partner of Kickpoint.ca. “We’ve seen click and conversion rates significantly increase when we’ve implemented expanded ads and tested them against the old ad format — one client saw their click rate double! If you haven’t looked at your AdWords account in a while (and really, you should regularly) make sure you try out expanded ads before your competition does.”
Proliferation of “smart” martech solutions
Alliances, agreements and partnerships have led to a record number of integrations this summer. In particular, vendor deals are creating marketing technologies that support Account Based Marketing (ABM).
“Not surprisingly, Account Based Marketing continues to grow in importance for our B2B clients, and the proliferation of martech solutions – and robust integrations between these technologies – to support ABM continues apace,” says Meredith Fuller, Managing Director, Buyer Engagement at Quarry.com. “Most recently, we’ve been excited to see an increasing sophistication in the availability of better B2B list data. Oracle’s recent play to consolidate B2B audience data from several leading data providers and make it accessible in one place is an excellent example.”
Machine learning and hyper-targeting
Hyper-targeting, animated or interactive emails, automated and personalized emails based on user behavior has seen an increased adoption rate this summer.
“Some time back most email clients don’t offer CSS3 animation or personalized emails but that has changed now,” says Pius Boachie, President of Digitimatic.com. “B2B marketers have seen an increase in open and click-through rates in most campaigns due to animations and personalized emails using machine learning.”
Mergers and acquisitions
This was a summer of mergers and acquisitions, mostly in the email industry. The impact of those deals are larger for marketers than might be imagined at the moment.
“Oracle acquired NetSuite which on the surface may not sound impactful to email marketing, but within NetSuite is the ESP Bronto. Concerns abound on the impact this will have on the Bronto brand or its customers as Oracle now owns 3 ESP’s (previously acquired Responsys and Eloqua),” says Ryan Phelan, Vice President of Marketing Insights at Adestra. “Next, Zeta Interactive acquired the Digital Impact email platform from Acxiom after a better showing over last year in the recent Forrester Email Wave The sale was for less than was needed to qualify for the Wave ($60M in revenue but it was sold for $22M). Lastly, mammoth companies from Microsoft, who acquired LinkedIn, and Verizon, who acquired Yahoo! had everyone talking about the future of the new combined companies. All of these mark a significant shift in the email marketing space during the summer with impacts for years to come in the landscape both in and out of email marketing.”
Nurturing the highest potential customers is what advocate marketing is all about. And, say some, the concept of reaching the “golden 5%” is showing results that have captured notice from consultants and industry analysts.
“All major B2B analyst firms that cover marketing are pointing to advocate marketing as the new competitive differentiator,” says Jim Williams, Vice President of Marketing at Influitive. “For example, Forrester has released three reports on advocate marketing in the last year. And in a session at the 2016 Content2Conversion Conference, Forrester analyst Laura Ramos stated “we’ve entered a new era where competitive advantage comes from knowing your buyer… the ability to compete is being slowly whittled away by tech and the cloud, all that’s left is how well you can relate with your customers.”
- Global OConnect to Set Up Dubai Trade Fair — Meeting Local Needs DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — China’s top B2B cross-border e-commerce and logistical service provider Global OConnect will hold a special Procurement Fair dedicated to Huoshan City Business Bureau in Dubai on August 8, broa
- Fulong Water Pump uses OSell Cross-Border E-Commerce to Absorb Gold in Indonesia Shaanxi Fulong Electromechanical Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was founded in 1958. It is not only the earliest enterprise for the production of submersible pumps in Shaanxi Province...
- Strong Strategic Alliance Between OConnect and Major -- Russia Sourcing Fair MOSCOW, Sept. 12, 2016 -- After successfully holding the China-Russia e-commerce summit in April, OSell Group's offline affiliate Global OConnect will organize a sourcing fair in Russia on 12th September.
- Together With Huoshan Municipal Government, OConnect Creates Trading Opportunities For Middle East Buyers DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Global OConnect will hold a Procurement Fair on August 8th in Speedex Complex showroom 3, Dubai, where its exhibition warehouse locates. The Dubai OConnect was officially introduced on April 28
- Tianjin Binhai New Area Mayor praised OSell for its insight June 23, Tianjin Binhai New District Mayor Zhang Yong and other leaders visited the OSell cross-border electricity network operators Industrial Park, and made a depth negotiation on cross-border electricity business model with the OSell CEO, Kevin Fenn.


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That's why he left the cozier environs of Hilton Hotel Corp. for Sega earlier this year as it headed into the uncharted waters of higher-power new videogame systems facing daunting competition from all sides, including newcomer Sony Corp.
"It's a rush-like being on a freight train at maximum speed, with no idea where the end of the tunnel will be," said Mr. Ribero, 39, Sega's exec VP-marketing. He arrived in February, succeeding Edward Volkwein, who moved to senior VP-marketing at Philips Consumer Electronics.
Earlier this month, Mr. Ribero enjoyed shocking competitors with the announcement that Sega would ship its upgraded new 32-bit Saturn videogame player immediately in the U.S., four months ahead of schedule.
His plan is to wipe out Nintendo of America, whose next-generation videogame system is due in April, with speed. Sony's PlayStation will arrive this fall, as 3DO Co. and other videogame and PC marketers turn up the heat in electronic entertainment.
Mr. Ribero was bitten by the bug of high-energy entertainment marketing over the past six years as senior VP-marketing of Hilton's highly competitive hotel and casino gaming business.
"The connection between my work at Hilton and Sega is entertainment, which is really the essence of marketing," he said. "The goal is to continually satisfy the pleasure center of the consumer's brain, using all the tools you can possibly imagine."
Another lesson he learned in Hilton's hotels and casinos: The entire family must be entertained if you want to keep them interested. So Mr. Ribero's biggest goal this year is to move beyond Sega's typically young, male audience to bring far more females and adults into Sega's marketing picture.
"We have to make Sega more interesting than your TV set or your PC could ever be, and that goes for consumers of all ages and genders," he said.
A self-described "hyperactive nut" who loves videogames and competition, Mr. Ribero moves, walks and talks at a dizzying speed and relaxes by Rollerblading with his pre-teen-age children and his wife.
"We live a crazy life, but we have more energy than most folks, so it's relaxing for us to be out running around playing."
Michael A. Ribero
BORN: May 16, 1956, Miami.
EDUCATION: B.S., operations research and industrial engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, 1979.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Rose to senior VP, marketing and strategic planning at Hilton Hotel Corp., where he served from 1988 until early this year. Previously a senior marketing executive with Procter & Gamble Co. from 1979-85; prior to that, VP-marketing programs, Eastern Airlines.
PERSONAL: Married to Brenda; children Michael, 11, and Kristen, 8. Lives in the San Francisco Bay area.


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Jaybirds new Tarah Pros promise 14 hours of battery life
See the original posting on The Verge
Jaybirds X series of headphones has been the companys flagship for years, but today the fitness headphone company is introducing a new, premium model that takes the new top slot in the lineup.
The Tarah Pros are set to be the first in a new line of Pro Series products from Jaybird, designed with the more demanding needs of professional athletes in mind. To that end, the Tarah Pros look similar to the entry-level $99.99 Tarahs, with a similar barrel-shaped earbud. But there are plenty of differences, including the biggest new addition: a promised 14-hour battery life, far besting the six hours Jaybird promises with the Tarahs or the eight hours on the X4s.
I am distinctly not a professional runner, but I took the Tarah…


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In the technology world, assures are a well-known sales pitch with regards to everything from laptop computers to cars. During your time on st. kitts are plenty of good reasons to buy an individual, it’s essential to read the fine print, as guarantees can possess hidden blocks that can make you with practically nothing although a costly paperweight.
With ransomware attacks anticipated to affect a company, customer, or perhaps device every two secs and being victims $265 billion each year, it’s no surprise more suppliers https://toptechno24.com are offering their customers a brand new kind of guarantee: a data essential safety warranty. Built to reimburse MSPs’ clients for the cost associated with cleaning up after a powerful cyberattack, these types of warranties undoubtedly are a welcome addition to the cybersecurity stack.
But is not all data safety warranties are created identical. To make a true difference, they must cover malware introduced to an organization’s inner systems via a breach of secureness structures. But some are missing this kind of key element, leaving MSPs to fund the same panic they were supposed to prevent.
To combat this problem, High Wire Networks has combined with a subject matter expert to review the conditions of their Overwatch Cyber Warrantee stack to make certain it meets the industry’s highest expectations. This assessment includes looking at the warranty’s definition of adware and spyware and questioning which disorders are not included in the plan. It also looks at the insurance’s exclusions, such as social design and other types of targeted attacks, to stop paying for an episode that could had been prevented by a stronger reliability posture.


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Her price for lighter skin? Developing a drug dependency
Editor’s note: This story is part of 'White lies', a series by CNN’s As Equals investigating skin whitening practices worldwide to expose the underlying drivers of colorism, the industry that profits from it and the cost to individuals and communities. For information about how CNN As Equals is funded and more, check out our FAQs.Listen to this story0:000:00
A message notification from a stranger. That was all it took for Soma Banik to be transported back to her teenage years, and for the memories of all the “horrific things” she went through to come flooding back.
The stranger in question was Janet James, who reached out to her one afternoon in June 2018. “I need your help,” James messaged Banik on the social networking platform Quora. She described how she had been using a cream containing the steroid Betamethasone for over two years to lighten her skin and was experiencing disturbing side-effects. “Whenever I stop using it, my face starts itching and small blisters arise,” she wrote.
James had stumbled upon Banik's skincare blog, in which she documents her own painful experience with topical steroid creams and had sent her an urgent plea for guidance.
Banik, who is now a 33-year-old state government employee from the suburbs of Kolkata, replied instantly. She gave James the advice she wished someone had given her: “Stop right away.”Soma Banik documents her experience with topical steroid creams on her skincare blog.
Betamethasone is a potent topical corticosteroid medication habitually used to treat a wide range of skin conditions, including psoriasis and eczema, but one of the potential side effects is lightening of the skin.
Creams containing Betamethasone should only be used on the advice of a doctor and are typically acquired with a prescription. But in India, as CNN learned from doctors and users around the country, Betamethasone, and other corticosteroid creams, are regularly being misused as a skin lightening agent -- mostly by women.
In 2003, when Banik was just 14, a neighbor told her mother how much their child had “benefitted” from becoming “fair” by using a new cream. “Your daughter will also become fair,” they said.
Wanting Banik to have the best prospects in a country where lighter skin is seen as desirable and associated with success, Banik’s mother took her neighbor’s advice. “I was disappointed that it came in a tube so unappealingly medicated,” Banik recalls, “but it held the secrets toward my fairer future.”
School friends were the first to notice, commenting on Banik’s newly acquired “good looks,” but within two months of using the steroid cream, she started to feel a burning sensation whenever she was out in the sun. She says she accepted this as part of the process: no pain, no fairness.
But one morning, the teenager forgot to apply the cream and within hours, a zit appeared on her chin. Though it quickly settled on applying the cream, Banik’s face started itching all the time. She soon developed acne and then, a year after the zit appeared, hair began to grow all over her face.Banik, 33, is now a state government employee living the suburbs of Kolkata. She started using a topical cream to lighten her skin when she was 14.A drug dependent face
CNN spoke with multiple Indian dermatologists all of whom confirmed that Banik’s symptoms -- itching, acne, and hirsutism (hair on the face) -- are signs of Topical Steroid Damaged/Dependent Face (TSDF), caused by the excessive or prolonged use of steroid creams.
Topical corticosteroids, such as Betamethasone, have several medical benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects, but they should only be used for short durations and under the supervision of a doctor, ideally a dermatologist. Extensive use can cause a range of side effects, including pustules, where big rashes appear on the face, dryness, hypopigmentation (lighter skin), hyperpigmentation (darker skin), or photosensitivity (reactions to sunlight).
It is the potential for hypopigmentation that is thought of as desirable by many women, and leads to misuse of the drug, in turn, fueling a dependency.
Once the skin is dependent on a steroid cream, explains Dr Rajetha Damisetty, it is difficult for a person to stop using it. Every attempt to stop will lead to an eruption of pimples, rashes, and redness. “That’s why people go back to using it,” says Damisetty, chairperson of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists’ (IADVL) task force against topical steroid abuse.
Even though numerous painful and visible side effects could develop from topical corticosteroid misuse, dermatologists told CNN that the practice is rampant in India -- despite the introduction of restrictions in 2018 to limit access to these drugs.
In 2017, the IADVL filed a lawsuit called a Public Interest Litigation in the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on the sale of steroid skin creams without a valid prescription. The petition stated that the unregulated sale of corticosteroids had caused “serious adverse effects on the health of millions of Indians.”
While the Court has yet to rule, the government took action in March 2018, with the Health Ministry adding 14 topical steroid creams, including Betamethasone, to the list of Schedule H drugs which cannot be purchased without a doctor’s prescription.
But despite this reclassification, CNN has found that little has changed in the sale or use of these so-called “fairness creams.”Banik’s husband, Biswadweep Mitra, uses an epilator to help her remove facial hair that continues to grow after she stopped using topical corticosteroids.A silent epidemic of “astronomical magnitude”
India is a vast country with a large rural population and health services managed at the state level. As such, painting a complete, up-to-date picture of the misuse of steroid creams is challenging.
Still, there is enough evidence to show that whether in large cities or in rural areas, these restricted substances continue to be easily accessible, used as a skin-lightening agent and predominantly by women, and their perceived benefits promoted to users by friends, family, neighbours, TV commercials and even pharmacists.
In recent months, CNN has been able to buy four types of topical steroid creams over the counter in 16 pharmacies across the subcontinent: in the northern city of Delhi, Kolkata in the east, Ahmedabad to the west and Hyderabad in southern India.
Of six staffers in as many stores CNN spoke to, just one acknowledged being aware of the need for a prescription to buy the creams and continued to sell the product without one. The remaining five people appeared unaware of the reclassification and sold the creams, even after being questioned. Staff at the 10 other stores visited avoided questioning but sold CNN the creams, also without prescription.
According to doctors and users of steroid creams, the products are also readily available at grocery stores.
When asked what he thought about the continued over-the-counter availability of topical steroids, Dr Abir Saraswat, a dermatologist with 20 years of experience, says he believes India’s powerful pharmaceutical lobby is to blame, citing threats to strike and shut up shop. “Surely, no government wants to countenance that,” he says, adding that unless there is deep reform and regulation, there is no way to stop people from flouting the rules.Two examples of corticosteroid creams commonly prescribed by dermatologists for short durations to treat skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis in India. The creams should be purchased at pharmacies with a valid prescription, but CNN has found they are being sold over the counter in pharmacies across India to women hoping to lighten their skin, which is one of the potential side effects if used for extended periods of time.
Dr Shyam Verma, a dermatologist who has published extensively on topical steroid misuse, agreed but told CNN that the problem goes beyond the pharmaceutical lobby. “There also seems to be a lack of will, and manpower, to implement the law by the governments’ drugs control departments, both at the central and the state level.”
CNN contacted the Indian Pharmacist Association, a trade group that represents pharmacy stores, which identified a different reason for the unregulated sale of steroid creams. “Technically, every pharmacy in the country should have a registered pharmacist sitting at the counter as long as the shop is open,” Abhay Kumar, the Association’s president says. But “there is no national count on who are at the counters.”
Kumar insists that his organization has been pressuring the Pharmacy Council of India, a central government body that regulates the licensing of pharmacists and pharmacy education, to make a list of registered pharmacists around the country to weed out the fraudulent ones. “So far, our demands fizzle into thin air,” he says.
Verma agrees that there is some truth that registered pharmacists are often not at the counters, but he explains that pharmacies with registered pharmacists are also known to sell these creams without a prescription.
The Pharmacy Council of India did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare asked CNN to take the matter up directly with the current Drugs Controller General of India, Dr VG Somani. Somani’s office, in turn, declined to comment without official approval from the health ministry. The Ministry has not responded to CNN’s request for approval.
At the state level, the Deputy Drugs Controller for Delhi, Atul Nasa, did speak to CNN, but says unregistered pharmacies and the over-the-counter sale of steroid creams are not problems in his state. “In Delhi, we only give licenses to pharmacies with a registered pharmacist. Now, if at a certain point they are not at the counter, we should be informed.”
He adds: “We have got no tip that Schedule H creams are being sold over the counter in our territory. If we do find evidence, we will surely take action.”
When informed that CNN was able to purchase creams at multiple sites without a prescription, Nasa simply reiterated: “Our team has no such information that these creams are being sold over the counter.”
While the ability to buy creams without prescription is causing many people in India to develop a dangerous dependence on topical corticosteroids and suffer from its multiple adverse effects, another factor is further adding to the problem.
According to Damisetty, corticosteroids are also present in many cosmetic creams, marketed explicitly as skin-whitening products and, alarmingly, steroids are often not listed as an ingredient. She tested one of the most popular products available and found it contained 0.056% Betamethasone. “That amount can surely cause drug dependence if used for a prolonged period,” says Damisetty.
“The findings were published in local media,” she says, adding that the company manufacturing the cream then sent her a legal notice disputing the findings. There was no further development, however, following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Damisetty explains.
Now, Damisetty and the other dermatologists CNN spoke to want to raise the alarm before the problem gets any worse.
“Fairness mania-induced use of topical steroids” is a silent epidemic of “astronomical magnitude,” says Dr Koushik Lahiri. He highlights a 2020 article in the BMJ Open, which listed “public and professional ignorance, legal ambiguity and government inaction” as contributing factors to the epidemic.
“Action must be taken to curb the sale and use of such creams as fast as possible,” he says.Dr. Koushik Lahiri sits in his office at Wizderm, a skin-care clinic in Kolkata.Eligible groom seeks fair bride
At the root of the wide-spread misuse of topical corticosteroids in India is the deep-seated belief that lighter skin tones are better than darker ones. And nowhere is this more visible than in India’s marriage culture.
In 2014, in Gurugram, a city southwest of Delhi, a woman killed herself. Her sister told reporters that the woman had been “fed up [with] the taunting [she received from her husband] regarding her skin colour.”
A year later, a schoolteacher from Kolkata set herself on fire. Before she died in hospital, she is reported as having said that putting up with constant humiliation for her complexion, and being told no-one would marry her, was the reason she did it.
Matrimonial advertisements in the press clearly show the societal link between fair skin and desirability.
CNN analyzed ads posted in the Sunday editions of three of India’s biggest English-language newspapers -- Times of India, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times -- throughout the month of August, counting how many times the word “fair” was used, as well as similar terms such as “wheatish” or “medium complexion”. Of 1332 ads, 301 (22%) explicitly used these words, either as a selling point or as an attribute sought in a prospective match.
Dhruba Mukherjee, CEO of ABP Pvt Ltd, the media group that owns The Telegraph, told CNN that while “the publishing house does not endorse the use of these terms, unless a word breaches the law, we cannot ask people to stop using any specific term”. He added that the ads “reflects the socio-cultural mindset of people”.
The Times of India did not respond to CNN’s request for comment and The Hindustan Times declined to comment.
Explaining the phenomenon, feminist activist and researcher Reena Kukreja says: “In large part, [the desirability of fair skin is] due to the association of dark skin with manual labour undertaken outdoors — dark skin was emblematic of low caste status”.
In an article published at the start of 2021, Kukreja outlined how “fairness as ‘capital’ conjoins with both regressive patriarchal gender norms governing marriage and female sexuality and the monetization of social relations, through dowry, to foreclose local marriage options for darker-hued women.” In other words, the darker-skinned and poorer you are in India, the harder it is for you to find a husband, and society reserves many privileges for married women.
“One thing I keep hearing is parents asking me to ‘fix their daughters’ skin problems fast,’” says dermatologist Dr Pallavi Kashyap. “Parents fear their daughter won’t find a prospective suitor unless they are fair.”
Relating this to her own experience and her mother’s decision to take their neighbor’s advice 20 years ago, Banik says: “Our country has this unfair beauty standard and I believe my mother wanted me to become fair so that people think that I am worthy of attention.”
“That’s what we all had seen and experienced all around us,” she adds.Hair growth on her face is something Banik has had to live with since she stopped using topical corticosteroids.A cautionary tale
It took Banik six years for her face to be weaned off topical corticosteroids, but she had been determined to stop. “One day, I woke up and decided not to use the cream anymore -- I was ready for all consequences,” she says.
Those consequences included being mocked about her appearance. “My self-confidence dropped. I remember overhearing a classmate discussing how I looked worse than a pig and that stayed in my head for far too long. It took me years to rebuild my confidence.”
The burning sensation, acne and other symptoms eventually stopped, but the hair on her face is something Banik has to live with.
As for James, with Banik’s help she learned how to relieve the itching that began when she stopped using betamethasone. A month after the two women first spoke, she wrote to Banik, explaining that she was worried about her skin condition because her parents were searching for a marriage alliance. “You saved my skin,” she wrote.
According to Banik, James is just one of the 650,000 people who have visited her blog to date, looking for information or advice. It is a small dent in the many women across India who may be suffering the pain of a drug-dependent face and the probable millions more who are making the decision to use steroids to lighten their skin for the first time. But if the authorities will not protect Indian women, Banik wants to increase their awareness so women can protect themselves.
Her experience is a cautionary tale. “I am a living example of what topical steroids can do to your face,” Banik says. “Are you listening?”Related linksJune, 2020L’Oreal to remove words like ‘whitening’ and ‘fair’ from its productsDecember, 2019A woman was permanently injured from a skin-lightening cream tainted with an extremely toxic form of mercury - the first such case in the USJanuary, 2019Banning skin bleaching products won’t work as long as fair skin is linked with beauty and successCreditsEditorsMeera Senthilingam and Eliza AnyangweDesign and developmentMarc Lajoie, Gabrielle Smith, Byron Manley and Mark OliverPhoto EditorBrett RoegiersSearch
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Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) published an article titled “China’s ‘Modernization’ Should Surpass the Western Model.” The article said China is facing three major problems: the gap between rich and poor, great deterioration of the environment, and people becoming consumption machines and pursuing materialism.
The article argued that neither giving up modernization nor simply following the Western model will resolve these problems. Instead, it argued the Sinicization of Marxism is the “third option” and pointed out that the research of Sinicization of Marxism is aimed at finding a way out for China. The author reminded people about two trends in China: one is the Sinicization of Marxism and the other one is to rethink and go back to the traditional Chinese culture. The concepts of “scientific outlook on development,” “people foremost,” and “harmonious society” contain a new development model and cultural form.
Source: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, May 12 2009


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Dollar General: Let senior citizens shop when stores open
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dollar General is dedicating the first hour of its daily store operations to senior citizens in response to the new coronavirus.
The Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based discount retailer announced Monday that starting Tuesday, it is strongly encouraging younger customers to let senior citizens get needed supplies and avoid busier and more crowded shopping periods later in the day.
“We appreciate our customers’ understanding of our decision and request they visit our stores later in the morning to allow at-risk populations the ability to purchase the items they need at affordable prices,” said Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia.
Dollar General operates stores in 44 states.
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The corporate media lapdogs are economic illiterates. Their continuous preaching on imaginary virtues of ‘FREE TRADE’, which is a non sequitur used to rationalize corporatist globalism, has destroyed America’s indigenous prosperity. These fraudulent pundits or fake news presenters are presstitutes for the transnational cartels that relish the de-industrialization of domestic enterprises. Collecting a pay check does not qualify as coherent analysis, much less achieving the real world experience of actually owning and running a business. Academics who compile graphs and statistics would find making a payroll for any venture where their own money is at stake, is lacking compared to a lowly business owner who pays themselves last. The correct history of tariffs are ignored and distorted to keep people economically dumb.
Lou Dobbs is consistently the voice of reason when he makes the case that Trump is the first president to fight back against unfair trade. “Just listen to all the usual swamp creatures. The business establishment, K Street and Business Roundtable, is howling and snarling about President Trump’s insistence that U.S. trading partners no longer exploit our markets, but rather engage in fair, reciprocal, balanced trade.”
Note that all these Internationalists refuse to deal with Rational Tariffs Lower Irrational Trade Deficits. All they do is to ignore that the United States has been running a trade deficit since 1975 and never admits that our de-industrialization has been an intentional objective of the monopolists.
Is Biden's Vaccine Mandate Unconstitutional?
“As historical memory diminishes and the lessons of past centuries are forgotten, the practice of systematically destroying economic independence grows. Forget about real prosperity, the concept of interdependence, coined in popular parlances by the Trilateral Commission, has made the United States economy a post industrial dependency and a bankrupt debtor. The global corporatists despise protective tariffs because these excise taxes must be paid by foreign manufacturing enterprises. Since the rush to escape American shores, the transnational ventures seek not just cheap labor, but scheme to evade any effective regulations for the paradise of third world exploitation.
America’s economy was built under the shield of tariffs. The nation became the greatest industrial engine and traded profitably with the rest of the world, when reasonable excise and duties were charged on products entering this country. Just remember, the budgets of government were paid without an income tax under this system of tariffs. Who can logically argue that the deception of Free Trade benefits our population, when the current record of trade deficits continues unabated?”
The case that Tariffs Can Restore America’s Greatness cites that the results from GATT and the WTO did not level the playing field, but allowed “so called” trading partners to dump their good into the U.S. with little push back. Also, the proper introduction of “Flexible Tariffs, when tempered with reforms in our own tax codes that require supra nationals and multinationals to enter a truly Free Enterprise environment, would greatly improve the likelihood of real competition. Consumers have been sold out with the promise of cheap foreign goods. Any short term discount has the high cost of permanent loss in American employment. When one is destitute and out of work, lower prices at Walmart won’t fill the cart.”
This approach defines Global Fair Trade. Contrast this solution with the detrimental practice of Free Trade that our country has been under post WWII.
“Free Trade policies destroy the incentive to produce in America. Living wages paid from equitable profits is sound economics. You know this to be true. So do the globalist! Their objective is to diminish the autonomy of the United States and force the merging of the remaining operations into select conglomerates, under the control of an international cabal of billionaires. Central planners will scheme to replace national sovereign and self-sustaining economies, with approved suppliers operating under the Chinese paradigm of slave labor.”
The Chinese model of exploration is the Globalist method of stripping prosperity from our own economy. The complicity of careerist politicians in this scheme of turning the U.S. into a third world sweat shop is obvious to anyone who has the courage to stare down the sycophants of their intercontinental masters. Pat Buchanan is one such person who has lead the fight against the systematic betrayal of our nation.
Mr. Buchanan has full knowledge and a command of our history that is severely lacking in the establishment political class, who are under obligation to their corporatist donors. Put yourself in the firing line and answer Why Is the GOP Terrified of Tariffs?
“Does Senator Flake think Japan rose to post-war preeminence through free trade, as Tokyo kept U.S. products out, while dumping cars, radios, TVs and motorcycles here to kill the industries of the nation that was defending them. Both Nixon and Reagan had to devalue the dollar to counter the predatory trade policies of Japan.
Since Bush I, we have run $12 trillion in trade deficits, and, in the first decade in this century, we lost 55,000 factories and 6,000,000 manufacturing jobs.
Does Flake see no correlation between America’s decline, China’s rise, and the $4 trillion in trade surpluses Beijing has run up at the expense of his own country?
In 2017, the U.S. ran a trade deficit in goods of almost $800 billion, $375 billion of that with China, a trade surplus that easily covered Xi Jinping’s entire defense budget.
How have EU nations run up endless trade surpluses with America? By imposing a value-added tax, or VAT, on imports from the U.S., while rebating the VAT on exports to the USA. Works just like a tariff.”
Folks, America’s trade surrender are a root cause of the demise of our domestic economy. The DC swamp, the MSM propagandists and Transnational Davos crowd all want to see President Trump fail. They especially want to prevent a resurgence of a robust and flourishing domestic work force. The very notion of revitalizing an independent and domestic produced economy threatens the tyrannical dominance of mega elites.
How ludicrous the reporting on Fox Business News has become with their shift into a globalist backer. Eleven nations sign Pacific trade pact as Trump plans US tariffs would have you believe that Trump is a renegade for opposing the Globalists. Well, his dumping of Gary Cohn is a good indication that America First economic policies are on the way back.
“It leaves the U.S. at a disadvantage from both a trade and a broader strategic perspective,” said Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow in the global economy and development program at the Brookings Institution. “It is now a trade bloc that discriminates against the U.S.”
The U.S., originally the biggest TPP economy, was one of the trade deal’s strongest supporters before Trump took office. Trump has said he prefers country-to-country deals and is seeking to renegotiate several major trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement that includes the U.S., Mexico and Canada.”
Who in their right mind would believe anything that comes out of the Brookings Institute? Actually, President Trump has fulfilled his most basic promise to sink the most egregious and detrimental multilateral central planning accords. Trump’s approach to use hard bargaining practices in bi-lateral trade negotiations is pure American common sense.
What is so difficult about understanding this concept? If the TPP pact of countries wants access to the U.S. market, let them sell their products and services under reciprocal trading conditions. Dumping subsidized trade products by foreign regimes must cease. All the whining and yelling from the mass media and establishment economists will not balance our trade deficits. Apparently, this objective does not interest them and certainly the displacement of living wage domestic jobs has never been a concern.
This reality began the groundswell that elected Donald Trump, President. Since he has made the creation of domestic jobs a center piece for his economic policies, the multinational monopolists have become unhinged.
Extracting a reciprocal excise cost does not prevent trade from taking place among nations. On the contrary, it makes the long term practicality of a beneficial and mutual relationship stronger. Prosperity demands ongoing wealth creation. When the U.S. zeros out their trade deficit with foreign exploiters, the achievement of Fair Trade will be realized.
Lastly, the most absurd argument used by cheerleaders for the one way voyage of container ships from China to Long Beach is that American consumers will have to pay higher costs for their purchases. Nowhere within this lament is there a whisper that Total US household debt soars to record above $13 trillion.
Just maybe sweeping a credit card or hitting the order button with your mouse for foreign produced consumption has contributed to the demise and the outflow of American cash flow to overseas conglomerates. Paying the market price for domestic goods and services will contribute more to the health of our economy than any mythical promise of transitory cheap goods sold to you by the snake oil sales reps. America needs and deserves a growing national economy that is based upon homegrown enterprises. Shortsighted “Free Traders” require a re-education to the benefits of America First .


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Over the course of this month, we’ll round up predictions from industry experts on the trends that look likely to change ecommerce and multichannel in 2015. Today our focus is on customer experience.
Lars Schickner, director of Intershop‘s Innovation Lab, says customers will be expecting retailers to keep up as they use more and more devices.
Device proliferation is a challenge: laptop, tablet, work smartphone, private smartphone… the average consumer already uses a variety of connected devices for researching products and shopping, and this number is only set to increase. Brands are faced with the huge challenge of engaging their customers across a very diverse range of end devices, optimising the user experience for different operating systems and screen sizes, and maximising conversion rates. And there is no one size fits all solution. Offering added value on digital touchpoints is a great way of increasing customer loyalty, but for B2B sellers a simple solution may be best. Wearables probably won’t quite come into play yet in 2015 – but that’s a space to be watched.
Informatica’s Ben Rund puts the emphasis on virtual reality, the purchase journey and the importance of trust in his predictions.
Virtual reality is set to take the customer experience to the next level with leading companies, including Facebook, recently making acquisitions to bolster their offerings in this area. As the momentum behind this technology continues to grow, virtual reality products for consumers will break into the mainstream. This will open up new, interactive ways of crafting the customer experience. For example, soon consumers will be able to test drive a car from the comfort of their home or replay a sports event in full 360 degree motion on their TV.
Mobile conversions need to be improved. Consumers are using mobile devices to search but most online shopping still happens on PCs. With sales from consumers shopping on mobile devices continuing to grow, brands need to concentrate on delivering better and more relevant information that pushes customers towards that vital point of sale on tablets and smartphones.
Issue of the informed purchase journey: A Google study (*Google ZMOT Handbook) shows that, on average, across all categories, shoppers use 10.4 sources of information to make a decision. This includes watching TV ads, looking up manufacturer websites, talking to family and friends, reading reviews, and checking Amazon. Customers are increasingly visiting websites across multiple devices, and the final location where they make a purchase can be very different from the initial point of interaction. Retailers need to connect the dots between the real-time data available to understand when consumers have enough information to convince them to buy.
Three levels of trust
Customer-centric organisations looking to build trust with customers are going to need to use a combination of data management and big data analytics. This will greatly improve their ability to acquire, retain and grow their share of the customer’s wallet with more personalised marketing designed to build three levels of trust:
Social trust: by aggregating relevant social data, brands can understand which people are recommending products, how influential they are and what information is being shared. Using these sources they can target trusted people with personalised marketing as part of social media strategies.
Product trust:retailers are moving into the age of commerce relevance where personalised offers and precision stock management make all the difference. For better customer service, companies need quicker insights when it comes to making decisions on their assortment, prices and content.
Brand trust: the brand experience is so important. Brands and retailers need to be more efficient when creating market ready products, with videos and content that engage customers by capturing emotions.
Ivan Mazour, chief executive of Ometria, says data will come to the forefront in 2015.
Customer data: This has been a regular fixture on trend lists for the last few years, but I think that 2015 will be the year that data is no longer considered a ‘scary’ proposition by online retailers, even those that do not have in-house data analysts. As smart, more intuitive solutions become available to smaller and medium-sized retailers, ecommerce marketing strategies can be truly data-driven without the need for a team of data scientists.


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Google Chrome rules the internet.
Who even uses Internet Explorer anymore? The web browsing extension was most popular in the late 90s and early 00s, before Safari and Google Chrome completely took over the market. Sometimes, when you buy a new laptop, it attempts to make you use Internet Explorer. However, people simply use it to download Chrome. Microsoft is well aware of this, and it appears they are finally giving up on the web browser.
At 25 years old, Internet Explorer is finally being retired. "The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge," wrote the company. So, they won't be giving up on the internet entirely, just moving onto pushing their Edge explorer instead.
"Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications," continues the statement. "With Microsoft Edge capable of assuming this responsibility and more, the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10." If you're still using Internet Explorer, your days are numbered!


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Food Agility Summit to be held virtually in March
The annual Food Agility Summit will be held virtually this year from 15–16 March.
The event will bring together leaders from across the agrifood, technology and research sectors to explore the trends, opportunities and challenges facing the Australian food system and the role of data and digital technology.
The event will feature more than 40 presenters and panellists. It will be headlined by Gordon Cairns, Chair of Woolworths Group, who will discuss COVID-driven changes in consumer behaviour.
The other keynote speaker is Dr Molly Jahn, founder and Principal of the Jahn Research Group and Program Manager at the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, who will talk about vybersecurity in food supply chains.
The headliners will be on Monday, 15 March from 12.40–1.10 pm AEDT and Tuesday, 16 March from 1.30–2.15 pm AEDT respectively.
- Cybersecurity in food supply chains — featuring cybersecurity and data experts from the United States and Australia discussing how our agrifood industry can manage cybersecurity risks.
- The rise of sustainability, climate change and carbon markets as supply chain drivers — featuring Woolworths, Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand, the Market Advisory Group and the National Farmers Federation.
- Hunting Unicorns in a burgeoning Australian agtech industry — featuring three venture capital firms and three emerging agtech scale-ups.
- Flipping the research — what does true industry-led innovation look like and how do we make it happen? — featuring Kellogg’s, University Technology Sydney, Meat & Livestock Australia and Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment.
- The Global SMART Farm network — featuring leaders of Smart Farms in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
For more information about booking a ticket, click here.
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Under ‘KilimoViwanda’ program, SBL has undertaken to increase the scholarships from 30 to 50 in order to breed experts in farming who will help feed the government’s industrialization agenda.
Speaking during the program launch at Kilacha Agriculture and Livestock Training Institute in Kilimanjaro earlier this week, SBL Managing Director, Mark Ocitti said the program targets underprivileged students from farming.
“We believe this program will go a long way in strengthening the existing pool of agricultural experts in the country which is necessary in helping farmers increase productivity and ultimately their incomes,” Ocitti said.
He said the scholarship program is in line with the company’s objective to increase its uptake of cereals used in beer production including maize, barley and sorghum. Last year SBL procured over 17,000 tonnes of grains from local farmers, equivalent to 70 percent of its annual raw material requirement.
“SBL’s ambition is to increase its sourcing of local raw materials to 85 percent by 2020 that’s why we find it important to support the government in training specialists such as field extension officers, agronomists and others. We currently source grains from a network of 400 farmers in various regions across the country,” the SBL chief added.
In a vote of thanks, Kilacha Institute’s Principal, Benito Mwenda commended SBL for the initiative and urged other institutions in the private sector to support the development of agriculture sector in the country like the beer brewer.
“We hope more sponsors will come forward to assist us,” Mwenda said. Incorporated in 1988 as Associated Breweries, SBL is the second largest beer brewer in the market with its beer brands accounting for over 25 percent. SBL has three operating plants in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Moshi.
Since the creation of SBL in 2002, the business has grown its portfolio of brands year on year. The majority stake acquisition by EABL/Diageo in 2010 has seen increased investment in international quality standards leading to greater job opportunities for the people of Tanzania.
SBL Brands have been receiving multiple international awards and include Serengeti Premium Lager, Serengeti Lite, Pilsner Lager, Pilsner King, Tusker Lager, Tusker Lite, Kibo Gold, Guinness stout and Senator. The company is also home to world’s renowned spirits such as Johnnie Walker Whisky, Smirnoff Vodka, Gordon’s Gin, Captain Morgan Rum and Baileys Irish Cream.


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Microsoft actually surfaced its plans to have Xbox One games stream to the Oculus Rift much earlier in June 2015. It seems that the tech giant is coming to turn its thought into reality after a year and some more time. Microsoft will now allow Oculus Rift users to play Xbox One games. The players will be able to choose from the range of games available in Xbox One library and get the action transmitted through their Oculus Rift devices.
According to VG247, the users of Oculus Rift will be able to take the advantage of this service starting from this December 12. They will be allowed to stream Xbox One games through a dedicated app. Called as Xbox One Streaming to Oculus Rift app, Its will also support Xbox 360 backward compatible versions alongside the collection of Xbox One titles. The app has been designed to transmit whatever the console's projection onto a massive screen in the headset. As a result, the gamers will get to enjoy a superlative gaming experience with real-time visuals of cinema mode.
As per a report by IBT, with this app, the players will be able to take the taste of some super exciting games like Gears of War, Halo 5: Guardians and Forza Horizon 3. There will be a number of new titles launched by the first phase of 2017 which will be specifically made for Oculus Rift platform. Microsoft is also supporting the Rift natively in Windows 10, which the company plans to ship its wireless controllers with the Rift in part of its partnership.
For streaming Xbox One games on the Rift firstly one needs to connect his/her Xbox One via its home network. After getting it connected the console's video output will be streamed to Rift headset and will be projected on the screen. But before that the needs to choose and ensure which Virtual reality environment he/she wants to catch on the platform. There are three choices available to choose from namely"Citadel," "Retreat" and "Dome." The streaming is also said to update much in later part as well.