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Facebook has just rolled out a new feature that adds yet another dimension to marketing. This feature is only available to a small group such as CNN, Mashable and Bleacher Report. These publications can now embed Facebook post onto their websites. Found here is the article that gives you the insight.
This new feature is not yet available to everyone but will be soon once the privileged whitelist users find success.
The article gives the step by step instruction on how to embed a statuses, videos, photos and hashtags. Another great information found in this article are tips on how to use it to boost your marketing.
Ways in how to use embedding are:
- Embed the post where you held the chat and pull out few questions (and answers) for your blog visitors to read.
- For company’s its may be useful to look what similar companies have posted on their page and if it is industry news to incorporate it on your website. This is called NewsJack.
- Facebook promotions such as the most clever and insightful post on your page can be used to draw out winners and this winners post can be embedded in your official website.
- Embedding press release like new product launch can reach your fans on Facebook and Company website.
Other ways to use Facebook embedding to your marketing advantage can be found here.
See here for what the competitors like Twitter and Instagram are doing.
Facebook embedded posts allows your website to still have the interactive and rich content that your company Facebook page receives.


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Published November 24, 2023
As reported by the Buffalo News, the University at Buffalo's Cultivator program has become a significant link to the chain of support for startups in Western New York and is part of UB's efforts to boost the area's startup ecosystem.
Hennesys Disla, founder of ArmHug, has relocated to Buffalo to take advantage of Cultivator, a program that provides mentorship and funding to scalable startups in the region. She saw coming to the area as an opportunity to scale her business. "It's been really fruitful to see how the business has grown and moving to Buffalo has helped a lot," she said.
Cultivator aims to democratize access to funding and prepare companies for future investment. Startups participating in Cultivator receive a $100,000 investment from UB to help them meet early milestones, gain proven traction, create a larger pipeline, and connect with other startup supporters in the local ecosystem.
Mercedes Wilson, founder of Sadie's Foods, used her Cultivator investment toward increasing production capacity of her product and get Sadie's Relish into more stores — currently in close to 130 retailers including Tops and Wegmans. "Every day, I'm thankful for this program. It opens doors," she said.
Company founders are also encouraged to think bigger, according to Disla. She'll soon start focusing on global growth after raising another round of funding. Her sales have quadrupled over the past few months. "They're very future focused," she said.
Kevin MacVittie, founder of V-Markings, joined Cultivator a few months after moving back to the area. Even after graduating from the program, he continues to collaborate with other founders from Cultivator and receive advice from his mentors. "The opportunity to meet other people in the same space has been fantastic," he said. "We made it through this program and got the support we needed while doing it."
Read the full story here.

domain: news


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I was talking to my dad the other night, and he told me a story. This happened in his town, in a shop just a few streets away from his house. A street my parents walk down all the time. A street I’ve walked down many times too.
Earlier this year, the Olden Ewe antique shop in Winner Street, Paignton, Devon, bought a wardrobe for £350. Since then, the shop’s owner, Linda Bell, her staff, and her customers have reported some strange goings on.
The wardrobe was prone to opening its doors, even when they were locked, and customers reported having trouble closing them, as if someone were pushing them from the inside. There have been reports of cold spots, the sensed presence of a young girl. The wardrobe even sent two mediums running from the shop in fear.
The shop has also been experiencing serious poltergeist activity, with mirrors being smashed, furniture being overturned, lights flicking on and off, and string being strung from item to item around the shop.
Needless to say, they were very keen to find a buyer for the wardrobe, which sports the carving of a Satanic head on its door. The wardrobe has actually been sold to a museum, although the local news sites don’t say which one.
I’ve asked my parents to find out for me, and we’re hoping it’s Torquay museum. I’m headed down there for Christmas, and it would be great to have the opportunity to see it. I’m not going to go looking for Narnia in the back of this one though.


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What you need to know
- An iPhone was found after spending 15 months at the bottom of a lake.
- The iPhone was inside a plastic sleeve protect that took most of the damage.
- After finding it, the iPhone was returned to its original owner.
We've heard countless stories about iPhones getting accidentally dropped into a body of water, and just when the owner feels like they'll never see their old iPhone again, they somehow find it. Well, it's happened yet again.
YouTuber Nuggetnoggin was scuba diving in a lake when he came across something he didn't expect—an iPhone. The iPhone (which looks it was a rose gold iPhone 6s) was inside of a protective water sleeve that is meant to protect it against water damage. However, it does not protect against drops, which is what the owner did.
When the iPhone was found, the plastic sleeve was covered in grime and dirt, looking as if it had been down there for a while.
After taking it out, the iPhone was taken out and tested and somehow it still worked. That being said, it wasn't like new. The iPhone does turn on, but some perspiration seems to have found itself in, possibly due to humidity.
But it worked, and Nuggetnoggin was able to connect the owner and return the iPhone to her. She said she was devastated when she lost it because she had thought she lost access to a lot of information including the last text messages exchanged with her father before he passed away. It's a touching sentiment, but we also feel compelled to advice her to use iCloud and backup her phone.
The iPhone spent 15 months underwater and lived to tell the tale.
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Red 5 Studios, Inc. has announced the release date for their MMO “Firefall”! July 8, 2014 the company announced that the new game will be launched July 29, 2014. Available for PC the game can be downloaded through Steam or Firefall.com.
Red 5 thanks the community for their feedback and participation in “Firefall”’s beta period which has contributed to the games progress and upcoming release. CEO of Red 5 Studios said, “ . . .Firefall wasn’t complete until we were able to incorporate the invaluable feedback from our enthusiastic community during the beta period. Firefall is as much their game as it is ours.” It’s always nice when game developers and players are in communication with each other, especially for an MMO which will rely heavily on community involvement.
With the lines of communication open between Red 5 and their players “Firefall” looks like it’s off to a great start. The game is a dynamic open-world shooter MMO. The beautiful world has two continents full of story-driven content and instances. The MMO will also feature fast-paced combat and action-filled missions and quests.
Players will begin their journey as an ARES pilot, an ACCORD operative tasked with reclaiming Earth. ARES pilots must fight against the invading race called the Chosen to take back the planet. Collect equipment and materials as you go to upgrade your weapons and abilities. Test your skills with a plethora of PVE content or against other players on a PVP continent.
“Firefall” will be completely free-to-play but will have cosmetic and convenience upgrades for sale. There will also be Special “Firefall” Launch Packs available for purchase that will include items such as exclusive multiplayer vehicles, digital soundtracks and concept art. The company also announced a new website, firefall.com,where fans can go to get all the latest news on the game.
When “Firefall” launches on July, 29, 2014 it will bring an enormous amount of content compared to what players have seen in the Beta. “The update we are releasing for launch will be the largest update we have ever had,” said Macauley. “It will quadruple the amount of world space in Firefall and add roughly 15-times the amount of content we have had previously in Beta.” Look out for shooter MMO “Firefall” to be released later this year.


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Tesla (TSLA) shares have been on the end of a severe beating in recent times, with the latest meltdown taking place after the EV leader missed delivery estimates for Q4. That has only exacerbated a stock that already badly impacted by CEO Elon Musk’s ongoing Twitter shenanigans.
However, according to Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas, the stock’s awful showing – down by 42% over the past month – is “driven by EV supply > EV demand for the first time since Covid, exacerbated by technical factors.”
Jonas expects the tables will turn on the EV supply/demand paradigm in 2023, with supply finally exceeding demand, reversing the last 2 years’ prevailing trend. And this 'reset' year for the EV market will have widespread implications.
“Within this environment,” says Jonas, “we believe players that are self-funded (non-reliant on external capital funding) with demonstrated scale and cost leadership throughout the value chain (from manufacturing to up-stream material supply) can be relative winners.”
Even before taking IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) benefits into account, for which Tesla is the “biggest potential winner,” Jonas thinks the company is well-positioned to “extend its lead vs. the EV competition in FY23 (both legacy and start-up).”
Not that 2023 will be an easy ride; hurdles to overcome include the weakening macro backdrop, “record high unaffordability,” and growing competition, yet as Tesla “leverages its cost and scale advantage,” Jonas expects TSLA will pull ahead in the EV race. As such, the analyst sees the current share price being an “attractive entry for investors.”
Based on the above, Jonas rates TSLA shares an Overweight (i.e., Buy) along with a $250 price target. This figure suggests the stock will be changing hands for a 120% premium a year from now. (To watch Jonas’ track record, click here)
As usual, Tesla generates plenty of interest on Wall Street; over the past 3 months, 30 analysts have chimed in with reviews and these breakdown into 18 Buys, 10 Holds and 2 Sells, all culminating in a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The average price target stands at $257.96, implying ~127% upside potential from current levels. (See Tesla stock forecast on TipRanks)
To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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The Minister of ICT, Frank Tumwebaze has defended the decision to ban the sale of airtime scratch cards saying that it was a security threat having discovered that these cards were untraceable and aiding the use of unregistered simcards.
Effective August 1 (yesterday), all airtime scratch cards still in circulation within Uganda were rendered invalid, a day after the deadline by government and telecom operators on the use of these cards would end.
Tumwebaze said that the ban of the scratch cards was part of the interventions arrived at by telecom operators together with security agencies with a view of finding solutions to the phone-based security threats.
He was Tuesday making a presentation in Parliament in response to queries raised by some of the MPs regarding why government banned the use of the scratch cards.
“Early this year, our country experienced an unprecedented surge in the number of crimes committed using mobile phones, including the rampant kidnaps and murders of several women, such as Susan Magara and the Entebbe women,” Minister Tumwebaze told the House.
In order to improve the security situation, he said, Cabinet in March agreed to the streamlining of sim card registration processes and subsequently, an inter-Ministerial Committee of Cabinet involving Internal Affairs, Security and ICT was formed to find solutions to criminality that was perpetrated using phones.
Some of the measures implemented, included installation by all telecom operators of Biometric card readers such that all SIM Card Registrations and SIM Swaps are done only upon electronic verification of the biometric details of the SIM card applicant.
He added that other related measures were proposed in line with improving traceability of mobile phone users.
“UCC and the security agencies recommended to government that vending of air time cards was directly linked to the selling of illegally registered Sim cards and would facilitate airtime recharge and top-ups manually without any digital tracing,” Tumwebaze told Parliament.
According to the Minister, the use of electronic recharge systems was therefore recommended as “the most viable and secure option, with so many other attendant advantages”.
He said that this system has already been adopoted in many other developed and developing countries, including South Sudan and Zimbabwe.
He outlined the advantages of the new system, saying it will improve the process of directly tracing vendors/hawkers/stockists and eventually their customers who procure airtime electronically.
Tumwebaze downplayed the claims that the ban of scratch cards is going to render those who have been agents and salespersons jobless.
“All vendors who have been selling the paper version of airtime scratch cards have been given the opportunity to sell the same airtime in a digital format using an ordinary phone as a tool of trade, and have been duly registered by the telecom operators,” he said.
He added that electronic sale of airtime will improve revenue assurance by government, since URA can determine the amount of airtime sold by telecom operators and agents and thus rule out any tax under declarations.
“This system will reduce e-waste caused by the many scratch cards that are thrown into the environment”.
He further told the House that air time scratch cards were an additional cost (manufacturing, importation and distribution) to the provision of communication services in Uganda which increases the overall cost of doing business.
The importation, Tumwebaze said, adds on Uganda’s importation bill, resulting into capital flight.


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Most insiders predicted the 2020s would be the time when environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors became a business imperative. A record $21.4 billion flowed into ESG-lens investment funds last year, and investors were clamoring for more ESG information about the companies in their portfolios.
Then came the novel coronavirus pandemic — and the ultimate test of what ESG really means for businesses and the people they serve.
As former Unilever CEO Paul Polman told Ethical Corporation last week, the challenge we face is an "acid test" for stakeholder capitalism and the ways in which businesses, governments and civil society work together for the common good.
So, how can businesses step up? How can they best live their values, even as their bottom lines are strained? And how can they ensure their employees, customers and communities are protected?
On Monday, the global consultancy Brunswick Group hosted a public webinar focused on these questions and more. Their advice overlaps with existing research of the private-sector response in China and elsewhere, and how it applies to businesses now sitting at the epicenter of the crisis.
"Our understanding of what is critical national infrastructure and where we need to invest in our society is changed by these events," said Paddy McGuinness, a London-based senior advisor with Brunswick Group, who previously worked in resilience and security under two successive British Prime Ministers.
"The front line of dealing with this disease are those who, in many societies, have not been as highly valued as you might have thought: the nursing and care staff, the logistical workers, the people who get food onto store shelves, and the people who provide hygiene services," he continued. "In recent years, those workers have been a readily available commodity, and businesses were structured around their availability. Now, we find that they are the heroes in a quite extraordinary way."
As we've reported in recent weeks, the majority of these frontline workers receive little to no paid sick leave benefits. They're working tirelessly to keep the public fed, safe and healthy, despite knowing they're likely to be left out to dry if they get sick. But the way we view them could be forever changed by this crisis, McGuinness predicted.
"The longer it goes on and the more significant the effect that's evident to people, the more their attitudes will change, and a concept of fairness will creep in," he told business leaders and journalists on Monday. "When we've had events like this in the past — not necessarily epidemics and pandemics, but significant events where there's been a pulling together of society — it has affected the way we think about our obligations to each other, including the most vulnerable, including the lower paid. And I think that will come to the fore."
His predictions dovetail with a recent call-to-action from the business coalition BSR, which last week launched an effort "calling for a modernized social contract for the 21st century."
"While we are seeing in real time how well the social safety net functions, there are also long-term questions that business would do well to address more forcefully after this crisis is behind us," wrote Aron Cramer, president and CEO of BSR.
China was the first epicenter of the novel coronavirus. Although the strict lockdown enforcements made possible by the nature of Chinese government and society likely "cannot be replicated elsewhere," there are lessons to be learned from their response, particularly with respect to business action, said Yan Mei, a former journalist who now oversees Brunswick's operations in China.
Notably, Chinese businesses moved to "reallocate and redeploy their human resources, retooling people who were let off work because of the shutdowns," Mei said.
"Just like in New York, San Francisco and other big cities, eateries, cafes and other small enterprises were the first to be hit once the crisis happened, and people lost their jobs," she explained. In response, Chinese e-commerce giants like Alibaba and JD.com created apps to transition small businesses to online orders and deliveries, making use of excess food supply and allowing some people to return to work.
"All of these restaurants were getting ready for Chinese New Year, and they were storing more than usual," Mei explained. "They were able to use these apps to send packaged foods and to transition workers to deliveries so all that food went to people who needed it and didn’t go to waste."
Meanwhile, manufacturing operations shifted production to critical medical supplies. "There was a push to ramp up the production lines and convert to manufacturing gowns, gloves, ventilators and respirators, and that’s why China now has more to deliver to the world," Mei said.
We're beginning to see a similar response in the U.S., which the World Health Organization warns could soon be the new epicenter of the crisis, although the early response came mostly from smaller businesses rather than major, U.S.-based multinationals. Local distilleries are using high-proof alcohol to make hand sanitizer, and small fashion labels have enlisted employees working from home to sew medical masks, to name just two examples. More recently, business giants like HP and 3M have stepped into the fray, ramping up production of needed medical equipment, a trend experts predict will continue. And it must.
Earlier this month, researchers from MIT's Sloan School of Management similarly analyzed how businesses responded to the spread of the novel coronavirus in China, sharing what worked and what didn’t. Among their suggestions: Clearly communicate what you're doing, detailing pertinent information and offering direct quotes from executive leadership, without bragging or boasting.
Lanhee Chen, a Brunswick senior counselor based in San Francisco and director of domestic policy studies at Stanford University, echoed this sentiment in a call to action for business leaders.
"It's really important for businesses to realize that we are in a state of response right now. There is no question we are responding, we are reacting. But we will soon be in a situation where recovery is the key," Chen said.
Health professionals continue to tell us there is no way to know for certain how long the current crisis will last. "I know it's hard to think about [recovery] in this context," Chen noted. "But it's important to begin to scenario-plan around what all those things might mean and how one would communicate to employees in that situation."
"The other important point is communicating with the outside world and thinking about how you talk to all of the stakeholders that matter to your business," he continued. "People like to hear, yes, you're being responsive to what's happening now, but they also want to hear that you've thought through what it means to recover from something like this."
Researchers at McKinsey & Co. similarly advised business leaders to address the now, while keeping an eye on the future, warning the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.
No one can ever be prepared for a human health crisis that threatens such widespread loss of life, brings everyday activities to a halt, and leaves the public so uncertain and fearful. But make no mistake: People are paying close attention to how companies respond — and how they treat their stakeholders when it matters most.
Long story short: If ESG leadership is important to your business, the time to act was yesterday.
Image credit: Kit Suman/Unsplash
Mary Mazzoni has reported on sustainability in business for over a decade and now serves as managing editor of TriplePundit. She is also the general manager of TriplePundit's Brand Studio, which has worked with dozens of brands and organizations on sustainability storytelling. Along with 3p, Mary's recent work can be found in publications like Conscious Company, Salon and Vice's Motherboard. She also works with nonprofits on media projects, including the women's entrepreneurship coaching organization Street Business School. She is an alumna of Temple University in Philadelphia and lives in the city with her partner and two spoiled dogs.


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LAS VEGAS -- From the moment you step off the plane at the Las Vegas airport, you see ads from Intel and Microsoft along with signs promoting warhorse casino celebrities like Barry Manilow, Celine Dion and Art Garfunkel. This is the land of marketing-gone-wild, with promos on cabs, billboards, banners on the sides of the giant casinos and threading through the clouds as skywriting airplanes pass overhead.
They all mean one thing: CES is the place to be seen. It's the annual Consumer Electronics Show, a Darwinian circus that every technology company has to attend because 140,000 of the movers and shakers of the tech world are here to do business with one another.
Everyone wants to impress upon the world's watching consumers that their products are going to be on the hot list.
In the carnival atmosphere of Las Vegas, there are a million ways to do this. As thousands of people stream from the monorail, buses and cabs into the Las Vegas Convention Center, they're going to know that Intel has the swagger to plaster the whole side of the building with its "Multiply" ad. You can get a pitch in a limousine or on the Samsung bus.
On Saturday, the Teamsters were driving forklifts and unpacking pallets for the exhibits that go for $35 a square foot. Companies find out later whether their money was well spent.
The stakes in Vegas are huge. You could be anointed the company with the best product of the show among thousands. The free publicity and mileage in terms of buzz will give your products an edge in the market place. Consumers will be more aware of your brand and products, and the sales pitch won't be as hard to put across come fall when the mad sales rush starts again.
This year, the chief executives of Microsoft, Motorola, Disney, CBS and others are delivering the keynote speeches. Each will be evaluated by thousands of industry analysts and journalists, like horse races in the casino sports books.
The buzz is already building over whether the show will be stolen today by Apple Computer's coinciding convention, Macworld, in San Francisco. Some journalists and industry analysts are leaving early to attend CEO Steve Jobs' opening keynote at Macworld. Does Jobs alone have enough star power to pull the technorati away from CES and the allure of Las Vegas?
Some companies think the answer at CES is spending a lot more money than the other guys do.
Hewlett-Packard threw a bash Sunday night at the exclusive Pure nightclub (where the Pussycat Dolls perform) at Caesar's Palace. That kind of amusing stunt can grab the attention of jaded show-goers.
Last night, Microsoft tried to appeal to hard-core Internet fans with a giant puzzle game that included taking over the famous water fountains of the Bellagio Hotel on the Strip to showcase its new operating system, Windows Vista.
Another consumer electronics maker, Sharp, got some bragging rights Sunday afternoon with a familiar ritual of the we-can-only-build-one demo as it pulled a black curtain off the world's largest flat-panel television, a 108-inch liquid crystal display TV.
Other firms think that the star power of A-list celebrities and hip Vegas joints are the way to prove they are worthy of attention.
Last year, Sony chief Howard Stringer scored the biggest celebrities as actor Tom Hanks and author Dan Brown came on stage at the Las Vegas Hilton to promote the Da Vinci Code film - and Sony's own electronic book readers. Bill Gates could manage only Justin Timberlake at his own keynote last year.
The rivalry between those two companies shows up in many ways this week. Sony scheduled a dinner with journalists and its executives during the middle of Gates' keynote speech Sunday night. Journalists had to choose which company would have the most important things to say.
While Gates gets the strategic one-hour, kickoff speech every year before the show starts, smaller companies are reduced to the indignity of the elevator pitch. Marty Winston, a scotch-drinking public relations guy at Newstips, held an annual event dubbed "Cherry Picks" on Sunday at the swanky Wynn Hotel where dozens of small-company CEOs had the chance to present their products to a group of sleepy journalists.
Winston honed his list of presenters over six months and wound up with 62 nervous executives who knew they had only 45 seconds on stage. One was so shaky he couldn't finish his presentation and Winston, normally a strict timekeeper, stepped in and finished reading the TelePrompTer for the product.
Companies that don't show up at CES can be viewed as also-rans. That's why International Business Machines, absent from the show floor for a decade, is coming back to the show this year with its own booth and a message that says it's as good a partner for consumer businesses as its rivals.
"We have not had a major presence at the show and folks conclude that we are not in the consumer space," said Mike Cadigan, a general manager at IBM. "That's not the message we want to send. We partner with a lot of companies that show off their products at CES."
Hewlett-Packard in particular routinely says in its sales pitches that it understands consumers better because it has so many consumer products itself - and therefore is the best information technology partner for consumer businesses.
"That's exactly why we're here," Cadigan says. "In the U.S., CES is the major play."


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Hotel Association of India (HAI) has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for immediate intervention to provide relief to the hospitality industry which is on the verge of collapse, in five key areas- — one-time settlement of loans and extension of loan moratoriums till September 2021, waiver of all statutory liabilities at Centre, State and Municipal levels for the pandemic period, stimulus package subsidising of salaries of hotel employees, according ‘Infrastructure Status’ and to bring Tourism & Hospitality to the concurrent list of the Constitution. HAI in its appeal highlighted that more than 40% of hotels have shut or are on the brink of closure and 70% of overall jobs are now in danger directly or indirectly.
Hospitality industry remains one of the most impacted sectors in the country and continues to struggle due to Covid restrictions and absence of financial reliefs from the government. In its representation to PM, HAI has strongly urged the Government to consider one-time settlement of loans and extension of loan moratoriums till September 2021, pointing out that the increasing loan burden at a time of almost non-existent income may serve only to increase the NPAs of Banks and Moratorium will provide a breathing space to the already crippling industry.
Reiterating its earlier demand HAI has requested waiver of all statutory liabilities at Centre, State, and Municipal levels for the pandemic period especially during the lockdown period on grounds of natural justice. Even with zero revenue and resources, many of the hospitality establishments continue to pay the staff on humanitarian grounds which is now unbearable for the industry. HAI therefore has requested the PM to offer a stimulus package-subsidising of salaries of hotel employees by 50% from April 2021-March 2022 as is being done by many countries as a part of their economic recovery programmes.
While lauding the Government’s effort to promote Domestic tourism the industry body also stressed on the fact that expansion of domestic tourism will require creation of suitable accommodation to meet the incremental demand. The hospitality sector is a provider of key tourism infrastructure serving the basic need of accommodation of travelers of any kind. According ‘Infrastructure Status’ will enable the industry to access long term funds at subsidized rates as available to other infrastructure industries like ports, highways, airports, railways etc. HAI also added that Infrastructure status will encourage greater investments in tourism infrastructure around the country, create income, and have a ripple effect on demand and will therefore help economic recovery of the country.
At present, the relief, incentives, and other promotional support to industries differ from state to state. For harmonious growth of the industry, there is a need for greater and closer coordination across the country. Featuring Tourism & Hospitality in the concurrent list of the Constitution will facilitate a stronger coordinating role for the Ministry of Tourism, HAI added. The Industry body also recommended to form a consultative mechanism like a Task Force of the government and industry representatives which will help in pragmatic policy formulation and bring the true spirit of Public-Private Partnership.
The potential shock to the livelihood of millions working in the hospitality industry is enormous. The Indian hospitality sector has a critical role to play in the post pandemic economic revival and has been announced as the fourth pillar of the Indian economy. HAI urged for the PM’s bold intervention and directions for implementation of the suggestions to save the Industry jobs and the lives and livelihoods of the citizens employed in hotels and to enable the industry to get on its feet so that it can make its contribution to the national economy, added HAI.


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21st July 2011 - The epic showdown between James Heller and Alex Mercer will happen on April 24, 2012 as Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has confirmed the launch date for its highly anticipated open-world action game PROTOTYPE 2. In celebration of the newly revealed launch timing, Radical Entertainment is unveiling the first of a stunning three-part CG trailer for the game at www.prototypegame.com.
“We know our fans have been clamouring to find out when they would be able to get their hands-on PROTOTYPE 2, and the whole studio is excited that we can finally reveal the timing,” said Ken Rosman, Studio Head, Radical Entertainment. “We’re also thrilled to be at the point where we can show the game directly to our fans. It’s always rewarding to see those first time reactions to what we’ve been working on for the past couple years, and we can’t wait for them to see some of Sgt. James Heller’s amazing new shape-shifting abilities.”
For those who would like to find out more about PROTOTYPE 2, head over to www.prototypegame.com immediately and experience the all-new official game web site, updated regularly with the latest trailers, screenshots, special promotions and more! And for the truly dedicated, be sure and head over to www.facebook.com/PROTOTYPE and join the PROTOTYPE Army – a community of over 250,000 (and growing) fans that receive constant updates from the team at Radical, and early sneak peeks of new information and assets.
The sequel to Radical Entertainment’s best-selling open-world action game of 2009, PROTOTYPE 2 takes the unsurpassed carnage of the original PROTOTYPE and continues the experience of becoming the ultimate shape-shifting weapon. As the game’s all-new infected protagonist, Sgt. James Heller, players will cut a bloody swathe through the wastelands of post-viral New York Zero (or more simply…NYZ) with unparalleled locomotion, building up a vast genetic arsenal of deadly, biological weapons and abilities as they hunt, kill and consume their way toward the ultimate goal – to kill…Alex…Mercer!
PROTOTYPE 2 is currently in development for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. The game is currently pending rating from the Classification Board.


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SEOUL: Posco, South Korea’s largest steelmaker, posted a jump in annual profits as the global industry bounced back after China boosted its economy and prices soared.
Consolidated net income, excluding minority interests, was 1.36 trillion won (US$1.17bil) in 2016, up from 181 billion won a year earlier, the Pohang-based company said. Analysts expected a profit of 1.58 trillion won, according to the average of 24 estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Chinese export prices jumped more than 90% in 2016, recovering from five years of losses, as the government propped up Asia’s largest economy, strengthened efforts to shutter capacity and promoted mergers. That boosted earnings at local mills with net income at Baoshan Iron & Steel Co, a listed unit of China’s top steelmaker, soaring 770% last year and profit at Hesteel Co more than doubling, according to preliminary figures.
“The earnings show that Posco has been normalizing its businesses, by clearing off losses at its subsidiaries and other costs,” said Choi Woong Pil, chief investment officer at KB Asset Management in Seoul. “I expect the company to make about 2 trillion won of net income this year, though earnings for the first quarter won’t be good because of the big rise in iron ore prices.”
The company’s shares jumped more than 50% in 2016, snapping six years of losses, and closed at 267,500 won in Seoul yesterday before the earnings. The benchmark Kospi stock index was up just 3.3% last year. Steelmaker shares have climbed globally with the Bloomberg World Iron/Steel Index of 75 producers rising to the highest since June 2015.
Chinese mills, which supply about half the world’s steel, saw improved demand from construction, infrastructure and autos in 2016 after the government took steps to stabilize growth before an important political transition this year.
Better demand at home helped lower annual exports for the first time since 2009, with shipments sliding 3.5% to about 108 million metric tons. Posco responded to the global glut by focusing on higher-value products and cutting less profitable operations. Sales of higher-value items increased to about 16 million tons in 2016 from 12.7 million tons a year earlier, making up 47% of sales, while the producer has restructured 126 units since 2014 and will deal with a further 23 by the year-end, the company said.— Bloomberg


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Halo Waypoint has today given Windows PC gamers a better look at the upcoming Halo app on Windows 10.
A separate download from the Halo 5: Forge creation tool — also debuting as a free download on 8 September in the Windows Store — the Halo app works as a portal to the franchise.
“The Halo app will be the quickest and easiest way to find, download, and launch all Halo games that are available on Windows PCs,” the post reads. “It will also be a great way to get the latest news, videos, tutorials, featured content, update notes and more from the Halo universe on your PC. Our vision is for the Halo app to become the best way for our fans to get the latest information and details about all of our games, both past, present, and future.”
You can find out more about the app here.


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Samsung unveiled its new ISOCELL GN1 camera sensor earlier this week. While people hoped to see it in the Galaxy Note 20 later this year, it was revealed that Samsung would continue to use the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 108MP camera sensor in its next Galaxy Note phone. Now, it is being reported that the Vivo X50 Pro will be the first phone to use Samsung’s new 50MP image sensor.
Vivo hinted that its upcoming flagship smartphone, the Vivo X50 Pro, could use the ISOCELL GN1 sensor as its primary camera. The company’s product manager praised Samsung’s new ISOCELL sensor and revealed that the X50 Pro’s camera has 2.4µm pixels and 1/1.3-inch sensor size. He also claimed that the phone could also capture 100MP images. All these features line up with the ISOCELL GN1’s capabilities.
The Vivo smartphone features a quad-camera setup, featuring a 50MP primary sensor with dual-pixel autofocus and F1.6 aperture, a 16mm ultrawide camera, and a telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. The telephoto camera uses a periscope-style zoom lens and F3.4 aperture. The Chinese smartphone brand is teasing the phone’s brilliant low-light performance.
The upcoming Vivo smartphone will also feature a gimbal-like camera stabilization technology, which is said to be 200% more effective compared to the traditional OIS (optical image stabilization) system. It could either use the Snapdragon 865 processor or Samsung’s Exynos 990 SoC. The Vivo X50 Pro is slated to be announced on June 1, and it will only be sold in China.


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Radio ad rates are falling. As Inside Radio reports, the average network radio ad rate per 30-second spot in 2020 is expected to be nearly 20% less than it was a year ago.
A study by S&P Global Market Intelligence cites increasing competition from digital audio sources, especially podcasting, and dried up core ad revenue spend as the catalysts for falling ad rates.
The decline in ad rates mirrors what we have seen at Strategic Media, Inc. “Network rates have been down since mid-March, and since then have cleared at rates as much as 40-50% lower than usual,” said Jared Kulaga, SMI’s Network Media Buyer. “As the economy has recovered in Q3 and Q4, the discount has been closer to 20-30%.”
Kulaga said inventory in November has been limited compared to previous months, but SMI has been able to clear what is available at 20-30% lower rates in most cases. “We have taken advantage of the situation for our clients by bidding aggressively early in the process and adjusting our discount only as needed, as the national media buying timeline plays out,” Kulaga said. “If we are able to clear a lot of inventory from the outset, then we can continue to bid at highly discounted rates through the process with all of our agency partners.”
Kulaga noted that SMI’s 20+ years of business have helped our media buyers negotiate competitive rates. “We have used our considerable historical data to weigh our bids, discounting top-performing networks less aggressively, and utilizing a take it or leave it approach with the mid-tier performing media,” he said.
To learn more about how to get a commercial on the radio at 2020’s discounted rates, contact SMI today.


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Video game fans finally got their first look at the PlayStation 5. Sony revealed the long-anticipated video game console on Thursday through an online livestream. The new console will be available in two forms: a standard model with Blu-ray disc drive and a digital model without the disc drive. Sony said pricing would be announced at a later time. Of course, a console is nothing without a strong library of games, especially at launch. Some titles will land this holiday, while others are in the works for next year and beyond.
Sony's PlayStation 4 is fast approaching its 6th birthday, and that poses a problem. You see, game developers have seen fit to release a game for almost every day the console has been available, leaving you with well over 1,500 titles to choose from. The sheer volume of games on offer, coupled with the subjective nature of the medium, makes it impossible to definitively name "the best," and that's not what this list is about. Instead, we got together to imagine someone had never picked up a PlayStation 4 controller before. I don't know, maybe they went for an Xbox One and are looking to catch up on exclusive games they've missed.
With the arrival of consoles like the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One X, as well as long-awaited games such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it's not an exaggeration to say 2017 was a landmark year for video games. But as the year draws to a close, it's time to look forward to the games that have been promised for 2018.
Every gaming year's most anticipated list feels like a mashup of aspiration and prudence, a medley of punchy independent efforts squaring off with titanic franchises designed to reel in loyal fans by the gazillions. Not that sequels have to be stale. I can't wait to try Mass Effect: Andromeda, for example, after the triumphs of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Halo Wars 2 revisits the original Xbox 360 game's laudable, subversive approach to a genre generally inseparable from keyboard and mouse. The Persona games practically make reinvention their watchword.
Fans of the original Red Dead Redemption have been waiting for years for a new entry in the series. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait a little longer. In a statement Monday, developer Rockstar Games confirmed Red Dead Redemption 2 would be delayed until Spring 2018. Rockstar said the game requires additional development time and would miss its initial fall 2017 targeted release date. "This outlaw epic set across the vast and unforgiving American heartland will be the first Rockstar game created from the ground up for the latest generation of console hardware, and some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans.


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ScanCom UK is excited to announce that the new and dynamic LifestyleGarden® 2018 collection will be showcased at this years SOLEX trade fair, which takes place from 11th to 13th July at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England. The annual SOLEX (Summer & Outdoor Living Exhibition) trade fair is organised by LOFA (Leisure & Outdoor Furniture Association) for it’s members and has grown to become the UK’s major trade fair for the industry, with almost all major retailers, garden centres and department stores in attendance.
This year SOLEX will be celebrating its tenth anniversary with the biggest and best exhibition yet, building on the huge success of last year which saw 70 exhibitors and record numbers of visitors to the fair. At SOLEX 2016 the LifestyleGarden® stand saw an increase of around 20% more visitors to the stand compared to the previous year, and we are confident of continuing that trend. We know that visitors who come and see our new collection will go away with a firm grasp of the design, durability and peerless value offered by every LifestyleGarden® product.
Sales Director of ScanCom UK Paul Cohen explains the benefits of SOLEX: “Recently we’ve seen the brand grow, and the success of the last couple of seasons has really helped to raise the profile and image of LifestyleGarden® both here in the UK and overseas. SOLEX has certainly played a part in that development - 76% of visitors to the stand last year were potential new accounts - and we are anticipating another positive exhibition this year.
“As one of the few manufacturers at the show, with the additional, unique ability to combine products from all ranges into mixed containers, we are able to offer a service that no other companies are able to and this has resulted in strong sales to independent retailers and garden centres in the UK market. Planning and preparation with existing customers in advance of SOLEX means that we have more time to dedicate to new customers at the exhibition and that has been vital in establishing new accounts.
“Also, the fact that LifestyleGarden® now has a dedicated new showroom space in the UK means that leads and potential accounts can be followed up in a short amount of time with convenience for both parties. One of the advantages to retailers that we offer is the mixed container, which can go directly to them from the factories. However, we also distribute what we call “must stock” items and lines from our distribution centre in Essex, which means greater flexibility and is ideal for the smaller scale retailer. After making initial contact at SOLEX, customers can visit us quickly and easily to gain a fuller understanding of LifestyleGarden® as a brand and ScanCom as a manufacturer. We’ve had over 20 meetings in the last month alone and we’re anticipating that will remain consistent over the next few months. When they visit our showroom and get a chance to meet the team and discuss their particular requirements and gain an insight into the quality, style and value of LifestyleGarden® by ScanCom, we’re confident they’ll want to stock our lines.”


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LONDON—The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games failed to provide a boost to spending from visiting tourists over the summer, while the number of overseas visitors to the U.K. was lower than a year earlier.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics Thursday reported a 7% drop in the number of overseas visitors to the U.K. between June and August. Spending by those visitors came in at £6.03 billion ($9.7 billion), little changed from the amount recorded in the corresponding period in 2011 and confounding any hopes that the games brought a significant boost to the economy.
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The Trump administration confirmed on Wednesday that it may slap tariffs on imported vehicles and automotive parts, pending the outcome of an investigation by the Department of Commerce.
Speaking at a political forum, the candidate for the right-left For Mexico in Front coalition made the statement within the context of ongoing NAFTA negotiations, charging that United States President Donald Trump's decision to undertake the probe is another example of the USA government's lack of respect for its Mexican counterpart.
John Bozzella, chief executive of Global Automakers, a trade group representing Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and others, said tariffs on imported vehicles would hurt American consumers.
The Journal, citing sources in the auto industry, said the plan to retaliate likely would face significant opposition from trading partners and auto dealers that sell imports.
Last year, 13 domestic and worldwide automakers made almost 12 million vehicles in the United States, it said, and " the sector remains the leading exporter of manufactured goods in our country".
Section 232 is the same statute that was invoked to allow the administration's tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
The threat to impose an import tax on cars was seen as an attempt to press Mexican officials to accept a US demand for a higher percentage of auto content to be made in American factories.
Rules of origin for auto contents and auto-sector wages have been contentious issues between the three countries, with the United States pushing for higher regional content in order for a vehicle to be given tariff-free status and higher hourly rates for employees in Mexican plants.More news: Judge orders 30-year-old man to move out of parents' house
Initial reaction to the idea of an import tax on cars based on national security needswas unfriendly, with one veteran trade lawyer saying it would prompt "pant-wetting laughter - followed by retaliation" among USA trading partners. "I am not happy with their requests", Trump said of the two countries.
Talks over a replacement for the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement among the United States, Mexico and Canada have made limitedprogress.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the US decision was based on flimsy logic and clearly linked to talks to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, the United States and Mexico.
The impact may be muted for US automakers, which today export cars from the U.S.to China in limited volumes. As we have previously argued, trade deficits in an economy led by demand, such as in the United States, are simply the result of an economic system during years of expansion.
"It's clear we don't take anything lightly but it's certain that to try and understand what the links are between the national security of the USA and cars potentially made in Ontario, it's starting to become less and less pertinent or justified in any kind of rigorous or intellectually logical way". Negotiations over auto imports and manufacturing remain the biggest sticking point in the NAFTA talks. He has complained about the difficulties USA carmakers face selling their products overseas, raising the subject with Asian and European allies.
Although a large portion of the US's most popular vehicle models, including those from foreign brands (such as the upcoming BMW X7), are already manufactured within its borders, many are imported from other countries. At the same time, the United States exported almost 2 million vehicles worldwide worth $57 billion.


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Dec 6, 2017, 9:12 pm111 ptsLeonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting isn't actually that big (30 inches tall), but Caltech researchers have found a way to make that seem downright gargantuan. They've used DNA to construct the smallest known Mona Lisa. At several hundred nanomet...
India to spell out draft cryptocurrency regulations in December The Next Web 193
Microsoft developed an AI that creates amazing caricatures The Next Web 124


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Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday.
Nine Tesla employees criticized the company’s response to the novel coronavirus in interviews with Business Insider. Workers criticized a lack of hand sanitizer, mixed messages from CEO Elon Musk, and poor enforcement of social distancing.
Tesla will temporarily lay off some employees in Norway for at least one month at the beginning of April, according to internal email sent on Tuesday by a Tesla’s director in the region. A significant drop in demand and an inability to hold events, both driven by the spread of the novel coronavirus, have left Tesla’s stores and service centers in Norway with more employees than they can use.
Chinese government-backed hackers targeted US companies in a widespread campaign, and the researcher who discovered the attack warns it could ‘signal a shift’ in how the two countries spy on each other. FireEye revealed on Wednesday that between January 20 and March 11, a group known as APT41 targeted 75 organizations across nearly every economic sector, including finance, construction, defense, tech, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, media, and oil and gas industries.
The CDC would set up a coronavirus ‘surveillance and data collection system’ as part …read more
Source:: Businessinsider – Technology


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Freedom Bank announces opening of new Ridgewood branch
Freedom Bank, headquartered in Maywood, recently announced the opening of its newest and most technologically advanced branch location at 375 Route 17 S. in Ridgewood. The full-service commercial bank welcomes the public to come visit the branch and learn about all of the products and services that it offers. The grand opening will be held on Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to noon.
The event will include a variety of food, raffles and fun activities for the kids. There will also be special bank offerings including a premium rate 20-month CD and credit towards closing costs for Commercial Business Loans. Attendees will have a chance to win a Taste of Ridgewood Basket along with other prizes. The first 100 customers will also be given a $10 Starbucks gift card.
"We couldn’t be more excited to bring our style of customer-focused banking to the Ridgewood community," said Matthew R. Carcich, president and chief executive officer of Freedom Bank.
The Bank serves local consumers and businesses by offering a full line of personal and business banking accounts, operating three branches throughout Northern New Jersey and providing electronic banking convenience.
For information on Freedom Bank, call 201-599-3000 or visit www.freedombanknj.com.


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Already moody from the uneven economic recovery, consumers are about to get a lot grumpier. The first pay period of the year ushered in higher Social Security taxes, which are expected to suck more than $1 billion from spending in 2013, presenting marketers with yet another challenge as they seek to pry precious dollars from shoppers.
Paychecks began shrinking Jan. 1, when the tax rate jumped to 6.2% from 4.2%, ending a temporary break that began in 2011. For a household making $50,000 a year, that means a loss of about $83 a month, or $1,000 a year. The payroll tax applies only to wages up to $113,700. Various analysts have projected anywhere from a $113 billion to $120 billion hit to the economy, with most agreeing the keenest pain will be felt in the first quarter as consumers adjust. IHS Global Insight cited the higher taxes when lowering its first-quarter consumer-spending growth projection to 1.4% from 2.6%.
For the middle and lower classes, "any hit to their income will affect their spending patterns," said Greg Daco, an IHS Global economist, adding that consumers could shell out less for groceries, clothing, toys and more. "They are going to, wherever possible, limit their spending to essentials if their budgets are tight."
For industries that rely on spending from blue-collar workers, the hit could not come at a worse time. Look no further than the corner bar, where beer sales had begun to stabilize after a multiyear slump thanks to the decreasing unemployment rate. But in the fourth quarter, as fears rose of higher taxes and the fiscal cliff, sales slumped again. The number of beers sold at bars and restaurants in the quarter fell 2%, compared to a modest 0.5% drop in the first nine months of the year, according to GuestMetrics, which tracks the hospitality industry.
"The initial sticker shock of having your paycheck go down will affect beer demand," especially in the first quarter, said Harry Schuhmacher, editor of Beer Business Daily. As a result, marketers will face more pressure to keep sales steady with effective ads and in-store marketing, he said. "There's going to be a real big focus on retail execution—getting big displays out there," he said. "Beer is not going to be on the grocery list. So to overcome that, they've got to generate impulse buys."
In a report last week, Bernstein Research stated that the tax hike will hurt middle-and-upper income consumers the most because low-income households typically derive a share of income from nonwage sources such as government assistance. As such, Bernstein projected that discount retailers, such as dollar stores and Walmart, will be insulated and might even stand to benefit as consumers trade down. But department, general-merchandise, apparel and home-furnishing stores face higher risks, Bernstein stated, citing marketers such as Target, Best Buy and Williams-Sonoma.
Morgan Stanley took a slightly different view, saying that marketers catering to lower-income households will suffer the most. In a report last month, it projected that the tax hike would decrease "discretionary-spending capability" by 6% for people who make less than $40,000, noting that "most households at this level spend all that is available to them." As a result, Morgan Stanley projected headwinds for retailers that cater to the teen market, such as Aeropostale, as well as restaurants that target the low end, including KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Domino's and McDonald's. This might explain the rash of value-oriented marketing in the sector of late. "Many consumers will be faced with making hard choices about where to eat and how much they have to spend at restaurants," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic, a restaurant consultant.
Conversely, packaged-food brands could benefit as people eat at home more often. That was the case when the recession took hold in 2008, noted Todd Hale, Nielsen's senior VP of Consumer & Shopper Insights. "I would expect that we are going to see some return to that, but not completely, because things are not as dire as they were back then." But in the short term, at least, shopping patterns are likely to change. Sales of private-label products—which have been relatively flat—could rise some, Mr. Hale said. Also, consumers, at least for a little while, might use more coupons after cutting back on them last year as the economy rebounded, he said.
The question is how much of the tax-rate hit will be blunted by positive factors, such as the improving unemployment rate, rising housing market and fairly stable gas prices. David French, senior VP-government relations of the National Retail Federation, noted that when the tax cut was put in place two years ago, the organization's members did not report much of a boost largely because of higher energy costs, which ate up the new consumer cash. "Today, ironically, we kind of have a mirror-image situation: As the tax cut has lapsed, energy prices have fallen," he said. The tax hike, he said, is "probably going to be somewhat lost in the wash of other economic factors."
Either that, or consumers are about to take marketers to the cleaners.


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Business Insider is amused: it’s found video of Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer dismissing the iPhone back in 2007.
INTERVIEWER: …Â The Zune was getting some traction. Then Steve Jobs goes to MacWorld and he pulls out this iPhone.Â What was your reaction when you saw that?
STEVE BALLMER: 500 dollars?Â Fully subsidized? With a plan?Â I said that is the most expensive phone in the world.Â And it doesn’t appeal to business customers because it doesn’t have a keyboard.Â Which makes it not a very good email machine… Right now, we’re selling millions and millions and millions of phones a year.Â Apple is selling zero phones a year.Â In six months, they’ll have the most expensive phone by far ever in the marketplace…
I don’t really see the point here. Since when did company bosses react to questions about their competitors by going “Oh fuck! You’re right! We’re fucked! They’re going to kick our arse! Fuck! Fuckity fuck!”?
There are plenty of reasons to criticise Ballmer, but publicly slagging a competing product is part of his job.
0 responses to “Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer in “not breaking down and weeping when asked about competitor” shocker”
And, largely, he’s right. It is (nearly) the most expensive phone on the market. His mistake seems to be in thinking this is goign to hinder sales. Has experience told him nothing?
I’d assume that business-wise it’s market sdhare is miniscule (probably non-existant if you didn’t count media-types).
I’ve got over my lust for the iPhone, I just need to remember and stay out of the Apple store for a few months
That’s one of the things you can rightly criticise Ballmer for. Slagging off the iPhone? Sure, and what he’s saying is entirely right. But it’s hard not to believe he had the same attitude to the iPhone as Decca had to the Beatles.
Fancy some numbers? Apple is negligible in total *phone* sales (about 24 million in a market that shifts 1 and a bit billion), but in smartphones it and RIM have already kicked windows mobile to death and they’re chipping away at Symbian too. Android’s coming up fast as well.
Should have had an apostrophe at the front of it’s name
Heh, indeed. Rumour is that they didn’t even shift 500 phones. Kin disaster etc etc etc.
Sorry, could have made this bit clearer:
> itâ€™s hard not to believe he had the same attitude to the iPhone as Decca had to the Beatles.
What I mean by that is that he had the same attitude *even when journos weren’t around* and didn’t see the iPhone as a credible threat: “We know what the market wants and it doesn’t want that”.


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An insider announced the imminent release of a new trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6
At the end of last year, developers from the Rockstar Games studio made the most pleasant gift for fans of the Grand Theft Auto series. The team published the debut trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6, which launched a new trend on social networks and surprised players with an incredible number of references and visual style. The first video for the game is still actively discussed by players, and it seems that the authors of the project are not going to lose the hype. Another trailer for GTA 6 may soon be presented, says one of the authoritative insiders.
Fresh information about the plans of Rockstar Games was shared by the author of the leaks under the nickname geronimo_73_. He was one of the first to predict the return of cult horror titles Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid 3, and also has inside sources at PlayStation. According to an insider, the team is already working on the second trailer. The new GTA 6 video is planned to be shown in May of this year or in the first weeks of June. Moreover, this will most likely be just a teaser or some kind of hint from the Rockstar team. They want to hold a full demonstration of the second trailer only in the fall.
As geronimo_73_ notes, the current build of GTA 6 is still at an early stage. Because of this, the release of future videos can be postponed at any time or use staged footage for them. The actual demonstration of gameplay footage of the expected project will take place no earlier than the second half of 2025, says the insider.


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PMI Calls for Science-Based Discourse on Smoke-Free Alternatives
Misinformation threatens progress toward a smoke-free future, reveals a new international survey released today by Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM). Well-funded groups continue to promote false narratives and spread confusion even as societal support increases for smoke-free alternatives that are scientifically substantiated to be a better choice for adults than continued smoking.
The survey—fielded among nearly 30,000 adults in 26 countries by independent research firm Povaddo and commissioned by PMI—reveals that too many adult smokers remain unaware that better alternatives to cigarettes exist, are unable to access them, or are confused by false or misleading information that prevents them from making an informed choice.
There is clear public demand for a collective review of the facts and science about smoke-free products. Nearly eight in 10 respondents (79%) agree that adult smokers who would otherwise continue using cigarettes should have access to and accurate information about smoke-free alternatives. This view is shared by 87% of current adult smokers.
“People expect public health bodies and regulators to reach a scientific consensus around innovative smoke-free alternatives and provide adults who smoke with evidence-based information about these products,” said Grégoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs at PMI. “Misinformation about smoke-free alternatives—often based on opinion—is a persistent issue that is having real-world consequences. Embracing facts, innovative technologies, and science is the shared responsibility of industry, health authorities, and government, and it’s the least we can do to drive positive change for the world. At Philip Morris International, we prioritize transparency as we transform our business to deliver a smoke-free future—inviting policymakers, the scientific community, and NGOs to review and verify our scientific findings. By providing adult smokers science-based information about better alternatives, we can accelerate the decline in smoking rates, helping to end the use of cigarettes once and for all.”
The survey also shows the extent of public confusion surrounding smoke-free products.
- Nearly half the adults surveyed wrongly believe that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are more harmful than or equally harmful as cigarettes (45% and 46%, respectively, for each product category).
- Asked why they have not considered switching to a better alternative, around a third of smokers surveyed cited lack of information about how these products differ from cigarettes (33%), uncertainty about the science (35%), or having easier access to cigarettes (32%), the most harmful form of tobacco consumption.
Promisingly, the survey findings also demonstrate how accurate information about better alternatives can help smokers to move away from cigarettes.
- The vast majority (91%) of adult smokers who have switched to a better alternative and stopped smoking confirmed that having accurate information about how these products differ from cigarettes was an important factor in their decision.
- Of adults who smoke, 63% would be more likely to switch to a better alternative (such as e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products) if they had clarity on how these products differ from cigarettes and the science behind them.
The survey also explores public attitudes toward scientific studies conducted by manufacturers of smoke-free products. A majority of adults surveyed (82%) believe their governments have a responsibility to objectively review and consider scientific evidence about smoke-free alternative products coming from manufacturers such as PMI. Additionally, nearly three quarters (72%) support tobacco companies working with governments, regulators, and public health experts to ensure that smokers have access to and accurate information about smoke-free alternatives.
To review the complete survey findings, visit PMI.com/informedchoice
Povaddo Survey Methodology
Povaddo conducted this online survey on behalf of PMI between July 19 and August 3, 2021. The survey was fielded among 29,484 legal-aged adult respondents, drawn from the general population and aged 21 or older, in 26 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future
Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company, its shareholders, and its other stakeholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, as well as smoke-free products, associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the U.S. In addition, PMI ships versions of its IQOS Platform 1 device and consumables to Altria Group, Inc. for sale under license in the U.S., where these products have received marketing authorizations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway; the FDA has also authorized the marketing of a version of IQOS and its consumables as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP), finding that an exposure modification order for these products is appropriate to promote the public health. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities, and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. PMI’s smoke-free product portfolio includes heat-not-burn and nicotine-containing vapor products. As of June 30, 2021, PMI’s smoke-free products are available for sale in 67 markets in key cities or nationwide, and PMI estimates that approximately 14.7 million adults around the world have already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.
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Philip Morris International
Philip Morris International
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Chinese travelers are leading the airline travel recovery, with 96% intending to travel, according to a new survey by Cirium, the aviation analytics company. 81% of respondents say they plan to fly at least once within the next 12 months and 50% plan to fly by this autumn. Of those planning to travel, 73% stated it was for leisure with only 24% planning business travel. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005941/en/ Cirium's new Traveler Intelligence Report reveals China is flying high again. (Graphic: Business Wire) The pent-up demand is also reflected in China’s passenger traffic, which is showing signs of a strong recovery. As of September 2021, China traffic was at 87% of 2019 levels — way ahead the rest of Asia (42%). The survey revealed that two thirds (66%) of Chinese travelers have taken a domestic flight since the start of the pandemic. Cirium schedules data reveal domestic travel in Q4 is primed to
Ricardo Wins Riyadh Air Quality Contract21.10.2021 01:01:00 CEST | Press release
World-class environmental, engineering and strategic consulting company Ricardo will be continuing to provide key air quality monitoring and data analysis in the Middle East with a new three-year agreement. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005973/en/ Ricardo signs Riyadh Air Quality Contract (Photo: Business Wire) Working in collaboration with air monitoring equipment supplier, Envirozone LLC, Ricardo will quality assure, audit and ratify data from a world class monitoring network in Saudi Arabia’s capital for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC). Ricardo’s Air Quality and Environment Practice Director, Sean Christiansen said: “This new contract cements Ricardo’s business in Saudi Arabia; continuing to work with Envirozone LLC on behalf of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, our teams of experts will be delivering a leading edge, sustainable solution in support of the city’s ambitions for continu
Conviva Announces Streaming Platform Expansion Solving Audience Measurement Challenges Globally20.10.2021 20:00:00 CEST | Press release
Conviva, the continuous measurement platform for streaming media, today announces the availability of its technology and real-time data to enable end-to-end advertising audience measurement for its publisher customers and their ecosystem partners. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005928/en/ Conviva's streaming platform expansion delivers purpose-built technology and real-time data to enable end-to-end advertising audience measurement for publisher customers and their ecosystem partners. (Grapic: Business Wire) Conviva’s global streaming audience measurement technology promises to deliver unique, innovative, and industry-changing solutions based on: Session-level and census-level measurement Antiquated third-party web technologies like beacons, logs, pixels or outdated and inaccurate panel methodologies are incapable of dealing with today’s complex device fragmentation. Conviva’s Stream Sensor™ provides co
Developing Telecoms: A Green Road to a Greener Future: MTN at BWS 202120.10.2021 18:00:00 CEST | Press release
Developing Telecoms reported that lowering carbon emissions has become an increasing priority for the largest players in the telecoms sector due to the role that ICT can play in helping other industries decarbonizes. At the Better World Summit for Green ICT held at Huawei’s Innovation Lab in Dubai, various speakers explored how the ICT industry will be able to facilitate a greener society – and why this was particularly important in emerging markets regions, including Africa. MTN Group executive, Chief Procurement Officer Dirk Karl took the stage to discuss how operators had a role to play in emerging markets. Karl described this beyond simply the purpose of business – operators have responsibility to enable everyone the benefits of a modern, connected life, and MTN is still deploying and densifying networks in Africa. “Our work is not just about flourishing the business – it has a purpose, and this was proven under COVID, of being system-relevant to our wider economies in order to con
Verimatrix Announces Third Quarter 2021 Revenue20.10.2021 17:45:00 CEST | Press release
Regulatory News: Verimatrix (Paris:VMX) today announced its revenue for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021. Amedeo D’Angelo, Chairman and CEO, commented: “During the third quarter, we executed the implementation of our accelerated shift toward a subscription-based business, including through SaaS offerings. It included further developing the go-to-market strategy as well as reviewing organization and expenses to ensure we are spending and investing in alignment with our strategy. At the same time, we continue to expand our cloud-based offerings, as illustrated with the release of the Verimatrix Multi-DRM Core service earlier in 2021. Verimatrix is experiencing continuous growth of its SaaS business, as illustrated with the sequential growth of the ARR, even though products and offerings have not yet been changed to be subscription-only and “cloud first.” This growth should be further supported by new SaaS products going live throughout 2022. Additionally, the shift in our contr
NetApp Simplifies and Speeds Digital Transformation for Customers Through Deep, Industry-Leading Public Cloud Relationships20.10.2021 17:00:00 CEST | Press release
NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) a global, cloud-led, data-centric software company, today announced continued growth and momentum helping organizations unlock the best of cloud at less cost, through its collaboration with the world’s three largest public clouds. NetApp’s expansion in the cloud has been driven by customers and supported by these partnerships, accelerating NetApp’s public cloud services’ customer and financial growth by bringing its leading CloudOps and ITOps solutions to existing and new addressable customers. Furthering its investment in the cloud, NetApp acquired Data Mechanics in early fiscal year (FY)’22, and this month announced the intent to acquire CloudCheckr to bolster the Spot by NetApp portfolio’s existing continuous cloud optimization capabilities. This growth, driven by NetApp’s ONTAP data management software, which provides high-performance shared storage for file and block workloads, has propelled the native integration of NetApp’s cloud file services into each of
NetApp Expands Hybrid Cloud Solutions Portfolio to Unlock Best of Cloud20.10.2021 17:00:00 CEST | Press release
Today at INSIGHT 2021, NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), a global cloud-led, data-centric software company, announced new additions and enhanced capabilities across its hybrid cloud portfolio to help organizations modernize their IT infrastructures and accelerate digital transformation. Delivering new secure ways to consume and operate data services on-premises and in the cloud, NetApp hybrid cloud solutions make it simpler for enterprise customers to put their data to work — wherever and whenever they need it. As the only solutions provider with native integrations for the world’s largest public clouds, NetApp’s industry leading ONTAP® software continues to serve as the foundation for hybrid cloud. With the latest release of ONTAP, NetApp is introducing enhanced protection against ransomware, expanded data management capabilities, and NVMe/TCP support for accelerated performance. The company is also announcing new digital wallet capabilities for NetApp Cloud Manager and enhanced data services f


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Yahoo’s Second Quarter Earnings Report Fall Short of Expectations
On Monday Yahoo Inc reported its earnings for the second quarter which could not keep up with the Wall Street expectations. This might well be the last financial report of Yahoo before its core business is sold off.
Yahoo's adjusted earnings of 9 cents a share missed analysts' estimate of 10 cents a share. The company announced a $482 million write-down on Tumblr's value. It is the social media service which Yahoo acquired in 2013 for $1.1 billion. However, even at this stage when Yahoo's chapter just might close with a sales deal, CEO Marrisa Mayer says, she still remains 'optimistic' and committed to the company and its future. Yahoo's core business including its search and advertising business are up for sale and the company is expected to choose the winning bidder this week. The Sunnyvale, California based Technology Company only said its board has made "great progress on strategic alternatives" without mentioning any definite specifics.
Reportedly, among the interested buyers are Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc, TPG Capital and a consortium led by Dan Gilbert and supported by billionaire Warren Buffett.
Yahoo's trump card is its stakes in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan, which together are worth much more than the value of its internet business.


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Details are emerging as Facebook talks to publishers about a subscription tool it wants to launch later this year, in conjunction with its Instant Articles program, where Facebook hosts publishers’ articles on its own mobile app.
Industry sources say that instead of operating a subscription service itself, Facebook plans on creating a paywall it would implement after non-subscribers view 10 articles a month from a particular publisher.
When users hit the 10-article limit, Facebook plans on sending users to that publisher’s site to sign up for a subscription.
Campbell Brown, the news veteran Facebook hired earlier this year as its emissary to publishers, confirmed some of Facebook’s plans via a statement: “Quality journalism costs money to produce, and we want to make sure it can thrive on Facebook. As part of our test to allow publishers in Instant Articles to implement a paywall, they will link to their own websites to process subscriptions and keep 100% of the revenue.”


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Posted By: ITWiser Webmaster - Yorkshire's IT Specialists
Microsoft’s Security Apps Might Not Be Enough to Protect Your Computers
Since first appearing way back in 1985, and exploding in popularity in the early part of the 1990s, Microsoft Windows has changed the way we compute. Yes, artists and designers rely on Macs as their bread and butter, but for the majority of offices and personal users across the world, Windows is very much the standard operating system.
With the release of Windows 8 in the latter part of 2012, people are slowly upgrading to the new OS and the exciting new ‘tile’ interface. It is hard not to be impressed with latest release from Microsoft in terms of design, and this being hottest platform on the market may lead you to believe that from a security point of view your system(s) are well protected. Well, according to German independent security firm AV-Test, this is not necessarily the case.
In a story published by The Register, AV-Test has released evaluations of tests conducted on the security systems of Windows 8 and found that Microsoft’s own security products are lacking.
Testing a range of consumer and corporate antivirus products, the German company found that Microsoft Windows Defender and the enterprise System Center Endpoint Protection – both products that come bundled with Windows 8 – were extremely lacking in the Protection rankings; the former scoring just 2.0 out of 6, while the latter could only muster a score of 1.5.
The Reg reports that the test found that, based on 125 samples, Windows Defender picked up on just 82% of zero-day malware attacks in January and 81% in February. Endpoint Protection was found to have performed even worse, spotting just 80% and 83% over the two months.
Both security applications did perform better at detecting “widespread and prevalent” malware, Windows Defender scoring 98% and 99% in the first two months of this year and Endpoint Protection scoring a consistent 98% over both months. However, those scores will do little to fill users with confidence, given that protection against malware should be 100%.
Investing in extra protection
While Microsoft has argued that the AV-Test testing methods use malware samples that “don't represent what our customers encounter,” what the German firm has shown is that Windows users should not fully rely on Microsoft products to protect machines from infection.
It is important that every Windows user invests in extra security protection, and the best way to do this is through Cloud Web Security. ITWiser’s Cloud Web Security software is the most advanced in the business, protecting machines both on and off the network and using the latest in antivirus software to block all spyware, malware and malicious content – picking up on what Microsoft doesn’t.
You can find out more about Cloud Web Security by clicking on this link.


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Bengaluru: Elon Musk, mercurial entrepreneur and founder of automotive company Tesla and space company SpaceX, has surpassed Jeff Bezos to become the richest person on earth.
He achieved the feat thanks to a 4.8% rally in the value of his electric car manufacturing company’s shares on Thursday.
It took his net worth to a staggering $188.5 billion.
The achievement helped him to topple Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Elon Musk referred to his achievement as strange. “How strange,” Elon Musk responded, and followed it up by saying, “Well, back to work …”
The 49-year-old business magnate’s Tesla delivered 161,650 Model 3 and Model Y cars and produced 163,660 such vehicles during the fourth quarter of 2020.
The automaker also delivered 18,920 Model S and X vehicles.
“About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth & half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure continuation of life (of all species) in case Earth gets hit by a meteor like the dinosaurs or WW3 happens & we destroy ourselves,” Elon Musk explains in a tweet from 2018.
Elon Musk says he has little interest in material things and has few assets outside his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX.
In an interview last month, he said he wants to use his wealth to build a city on Mars.
This article first appeared in the NFA Post and is republished with permission


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Sehaj Grewal is a Los Angeles County veterinarian. Occasionally, pet owners skip wellness exams for their animals, and Sehaj Grewal reports that this can be detrimental to your pet’s health. Sehaj Grewal explains that wellness exams allow vets to look for warning signs of issues that pet owners may miss. Sehaj Grewal encourages all pet owners to stay up to date with their pet’s examinations and vaccinations.
#Veterinarian #Sehaj Grewal


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Graham Soult’s e-commerce view
Read the retail press or peruse the agenda of the Internet Retailing 2011 conference, and you’ll soon come across the buzzword ‘multichannel’.
Back in the early days, online shopping was all about ‘pure-play’ retailers, with stores such as Amazon operating exclusively via the Internet. Over time, these specialists have been joined by established names like Tesco, M&S and Argos, and today there are few major high-street retailers that don’t also sell online.
It is this ‘bricks and clicks’ strategy – embracing physical stores, online and, increasingly, mobile technologies – that the term ‘multichannel’ describes. Within this phenomenon, one of the most fascinating aspects is the idea that online and high-street retail can drive traffic to one another, rather than being in competition as is often assumed.
One big area of multichannel growth is click-and-collect, where customers order online but pick up their shopping from a physical collection point – often, but not necessarily, a retailer’s existing physical store.
For example, high-street fashion retailer New Look – which has more than 20 shops in our region – is set to launch a click-and-collect service in all its 600 stores next month. Industry journal Retail Week has reported that the service could account for 40% of New Look’s sales within three years, and generate a million annual visits to its physical stores.
Another multichannel innovator is John Lewis, for whom 15% of sales are already generated online. Click-and-collect is well established at John Lewis’s eponymous department stores, such as in Newcastle’s Eldon Square, but a 2009 trial extended the service to the JL-owned Waitrose store in Hexham. Now, by the end of October, customers will be able to pick up their John Lewis online orders from more than 80 Waitrose branches.
Meanwhile, other retailers are creating a physical presence where none currently exists. House of Fraser, for example, is opening its first dedicated click-and-collect store in Aberdeen next month, and more could follow in other locations, such as Newcastle, where the retailer has no bricks-and-mortar department store.
Even among pure-plays, the online-physical divide is blurring. Amazon is currently trialling customer collection lockers in shopping centres and major office blocks, starting in London, while plus-size fashion retailer Simply Be – part of home-shopping giant N Brown – has just opened its first physical store in Liverpool, with more sites in the North likely to follow.
The growth of mobile technologies is also facilitating new multichannel opportunities. Online grocer Ocado – which ships all its products from warehouses rather than physical stores – recently tested a ‘shopping wall’ in the City of London, where customers could purchase pictured items for home delivery by scanning the accompanying barcodes with their smartphones.
At CannySites.com, I work with many niche online retailers in the home, garden and travel spheres, and it’s clear that there will always be a place for specialists operating exclusively online. However, rather than online retail leading to the death of town centres, multichannel innovation has the potential to reshape our high streets in all kinds of exciting and creative ways.


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A new study has provided insights into the ongoing sentiment of ASEAN indigenous enterprises towards the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025.
The ASEAN Business Sentiment Study 2020/2021 was conducted by the ASEAN Secretariat with the support of the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Programme Phase II and Ipsos Strategy 3.
According to a press statement, the study involved 1,250 indigenous enterprises operating in financial, distribution and tourism sectors across all ASEAN member states. It delved deeper into the sentiment on trade in services liberalisation, focussing on these three key sectors.
The study shared four key messages, the first of which is that indigenous enterprises in general have a positive outlook on the AEC. “They acknowledged the positive impact created through various AEC trade liberalisation initiatives which supported their business growth and performance.”
According to the study, indigenous enterprises have a fair level of awareness on AEC and its objective. “They are appreciative of the AEC integration agenda. They acknowledged realising the benefits of specific interventions via AEC for the expansion of their businesses, which include tariff elimination, simplification of customs procedures, and harmonisation (standards and regulation) across ASEAN member states.”
“The indigenous enterprises believe that AEC policies has played a catalytic role in supporting their business growth in ASEAN. Free trade agreements (FTAs) and other agreements implemented via AEC have paved the way for regional business expansion. They aspire to get better insights on the specifics of the agreements which will allow them to understand better the operational implications to support the implementation in a meaningful way.”
A second message in the study is that the majority of indigenous enterprises are pleased with the current integration level and opined that they look forward for further enhancement and expansion of the integration initiatives. It said that additional measures to minimise or eliminate barriers in total that affects the trade-in-services liberalisation are in their wish list.
“The various AEC initiatives have supported the expansion of the indigenous enterprises. However, there is still room for improvement to address some of the indigenous enterprise’s pain point especially those involved in services sector. There is low participation of indigenous enterprises in trade-in-services.
“The following business operational aspects such as taxation, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, customs regulation and procedures, and harmonisation of regulation are seen as areas where further improvement is desired to support their integration journey. Trade dispute settlement is another aspect that needs attention in the current economic integration setting by the relevant authorities.”
“Varying level of taxes and tariffs barrier across ASEAN, coupled with differences within individual country regulations pose a challenge to the development of regional strategies.”
Key message number three is that indigenous enterprises desire to have better access to the comprehensive information repository of AEC policies and programmes. “They are poised to support and increase their regional investment participation if they have better comprehension of the prospects and opportunities to be derived through AEC.”
The study notes that indigenous enterprises are no strangers to cross-border trade, but that the degree of involvement varies. “They indicated good awareness on AEC’s broad agenda and intent, but lack knowledge on the specifics of the programmes, activities, and benefits that they can gain if they embark on the integration journey. There is still a level a scepticism shown by the indigenous enterprises on the impact and value to be gained through the liberalisation effort and regional market expansion.”
“Access to the knowledge repository and convoluted information made available are some of the common issues raised. This led to lack of interest to pursue the integration journey by some of the indigenous enterprises in general. Indigenous enterprises from Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam however have recorded better level of awareness,” the study said.
“There is a need to strengthen the communication channels and level of engagements at the respective AMS to improve the information dissemination amongst the industry players and stakeholders. Right information and proper engagement is crucial to get the buy-in from the enterprises and this will lead to higher level of participation and improve the outcome of AEC integration.”
The fourth and final key message in the study is that indigenous enterprises in the services sector wish to see more improvements in the standardisation of regulations and procedures.
It adds that enterprises from developed ASEAN member states have better advantage compared to the less developed ASEAN member states.
“Participation of indigenous enterprises from more developed ASEAN member states are gaining traction and benefitting from trade in services through expansion into Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. The rest of the ASEAN member states remain less attractive to ASEAN indigenous enterprise”.
The study said that the “majority of indigenous enterprises, especially from medium and smaller enterprises, are in the view that the present regulation frameworks and procedures are still too complex and challenging for them to expand into another ASEAN market”.
It was also shared that ASEAN indigenous enterprises in the services sector responded positively to the objectives achieved by ASEAN integration efforts. The majority are partially or fully agreeing that ASEAN integration has: driven standardisation and better access to business-related; regulations; reduced restrictions to trade and investment in services sectors; and provide better accessibility to different ASEAN countries for companies in the services sector.
“Country specific implementation of AEC framework is seen as an area where improvements are required. Holistic approach is needed to cater for areas that are deemed to pose as a barrier to drive a successful integrated implementation.”
The study also provides some key recommendations, where it shares what it describes as a key action plan that is needed to be taken to further liberalise the trade-in-services in general across ASEAN, based on the overall input and insight acquired throughout different activities.
One recommendation is to improve direct engagement of ASEAN and AEC programmes with indigenous enterprises.
A second is to develop a comprehensive single portal for ASEAN businesses environment information that is search optimised and able to provide: fast and seamless access to AEC and other ASEAN programmes/framework; integration with other ASEAN member states’ regulation; dedicated point of contact at ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN member state level for further consultation; and clear and precise articulation of business opportunity for the indigenous businesses in other ASEAN member states.
Another recommendation is for standardisation and harmonisation on: financial sector regulations; certification for tourism business and seamless human resources mobility across ASEAN member states; labour/workforce regulations; and tariffs and customs procedure that postulates more benefit for intra-ASEAN trades and services instead of other regional or country level partnership.
Fourth is to develop a common law and dispute settlement framework for cross-border intra-ASEAN interaction, while fifth is for the introduction of ASEAN wide accepted immigration procedure on cross border people mobility related to jobs across ASEAN member states.
In addition, the study shares the following recommendations based upon the sector inputs: development of a comprehensive digital blueprint and infrastructure as an impetus for the integration in financial services sector; development of a single ASEAN tourism branding which integrates the various ASEAN member states tour destinations and offerings; and the introduction of an ASEAN wide recognised and accepted standard COVID-19 vaccination certificate that will ease the opening of cross border travel.