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Business News - part 42
BUSINESS August 30, 2013 | 5:08 PM
- Amgen pays $10.4 billion for Onyx Pharmaceuticals to target growing cancer-drug market
- Amgen reports sales decline for its anemia drugs Aranesp, Epogen
- Amgen to gain access to Onyx’s new drugs
The world’s largest biotechnology company Amgen Inc is purchasing Onyx Pharmaceuticals for $10.4 billion to get access to the growing cancer-drug market. The deal is Amgen's largest since 2001, and the third-largest biotechnology industry deal in the past three years.
The oncology market is growing rapidly, but the majority of Amgen’s current products are used to treat the effects of chemotherapy, such as anemia and lower white blood cells, while Onyx’s drugs treat cancer. Current cancer treatments have limited effectiveness, and pharmaceutical companies can charge high prices for new drugs.Read more »
BUSINESS August 30, 2013 | 12:06 PM
- India spending $28 billion to reinstate 36 stalled projects aimed at helping economy
- Nearly $13 billion dedicated to power projects
- Cost of cheap grain bill poses issues, continues to impact rupee
India's government has approved infrastructure projects worth over $28 billion to boost its economy and aid currency value.
According to Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, India will use the money to reinstate 36 stalled projects across a variety of sectors, including gas, road, oil, railways and power. The Indian Cabinet cleared as much as 18 power-related projects valued at $13 billion.Read more »
BUSINESS August 28, 2013 | 4:55 PM
- Yahoo attracted over 196 million unique visitors in July, up 21%
- Google dominates 67% of search engine market, while Yahoo holds 12%
- Increased traffic symbolic victory for Yahoo CEO
According to digital analytics firm ComScore, leading internet portal Yahoo! Inc. attracted more traffic in July than Google, recording a total of over 196 million unique visitors – a 21% increase from the same period in 2012.
The numbers do not include Yahoo’s purchase of Tumblr, which ranks number 28 for traffic.Read more »
BUSINESS August 27, 2013 | 12:01 PM
- Heineken profit down close to 17% for the first half of 2013 due to bad weather, economic uncertainty
- Heineken adding new products in Europe to boost profit
- Heineken cost-cutting measures aim to save $834 million by 2014
Profit for Dutch brewer Heineken is down close to 17% to $858 million for the first half of 2013 due to bad weather and economic uncertainty in Europe and the United States.
Heineken, the world's number-three brewer by sales, also saw its group beer volume decline 3% as drinkers are increasingly turning to spirits and wine. The biggest drop was marked by 8% in western Europe, mostly due to cool weather and French beer taxes.Read more »
BUSINESS August 26, 2013 | 5:42 PM
- Tesla’s Model S receives highest NHTSA safety rating, sets new record
- Model S sedan ranks higher than all SUVs and minivans in US
- Model S safety features include longer crumple zone, reinforced side bars and near non-crushable roof
Electric-car maker Tesla Motors has been awarded a 5-star safety rating for its Tesla Model S, which received the highest rating overall and in every subcategory from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a US government agency.
With this ranking, Tesla’s Model S sedan sets a new safety record for “the lowest likelihood of injury to passengers”, beating out major car brands as well as SUV and minivan models for sale in the US.Read more »
BUSINESS August 22, 2013 | 10:28 AM
- Largest deal in OMV history; intended to help offset oil and gas disruptions in Yemen and Libya
- North Sea fields to increase OMV’s reserves to close to 320 million barrels
- Deal expected to be complete before year end
Austrian oil and gas leader OMV AG has paid $2.65 billion for stakes in oil and gas fields that belong to Norway’s biggest energy company Statoil ASA. The deal is the largest in OMV history, and is intended to help OMV offset oil and gas disruptions experienced in Yemen and Libya.
The deal gives OMV a 30% stake in the Rosebank oil field development; a close to 6% stake in the Schiehallion UK oil field redevelopment project; a 24% stake in the Gudrun Norwegian Continental Shelf oil and gas development project; and a 19% stake in the Gullfaks oil and gas field.Read more »
BUSINESS August 21, 2013 | 11:28 AM
- Facebook buys Mobile Technologies to benefit from its speech-to-speech translator tools
- Merger to help Facebook compete against rivals Apple and Google, which already offer speech recognition products
- Facebook working on social search engine, streamlined app for developing markets
Giant social network Facebook has purchased speech-recognition and machine translation startup Mobile Technologies for an undisclosed amount to give users a new tool to better connect with others on the web.
Mobile Technologies makes an automatic interpretation service for lectures, and it developed a speech-to-speech translator application for mobile phones called Jibbigo. The merger is set to help Facebook compete against rivals Apple and Google, which already offer speech recognition and search products; Apple’s smartphones use a voice recognition technology program called Siri, while Google offers Google Translate, a language translation app.Read more »
BUSINESS August 20, 2013 | 2:52 PM
- US retail sales rose 0.2% in July
- Department stores saw largest increase of 0.6%
- Consumer spending accounts for 70% of US economy
Retail sales in the US rose 0.2% in July, marking the fourth consecutive month of increases says the Commerce Department. Excluding automobiles, gasoline and building materials, core retail sales in July actually grew 0.5%, or the highest growth since December.
Consumer confidence was boosted by an increase in home values, jobs, stock prices and household wealth.Read more »
BUSINESS August 19, 2013 | 4:02 PM
- Dole Food CEO David Murdock to acquire all outstanding shares of company for $1.5 billion
- Dole has 30 days to entertain alternative proposals
- Dole sold its Asia fresh food and worldwide packaged foods business for $1.7 billion earlier in 2013
US-based fruit and vegetable leader Dole Food Company has signed an agreement where the company’s CEO David Murdock will acquire all outstanding shares of Dole stock that he currently does not hold, totaling $1.5 billion, to take the company private.
As part of the financing commitment, Murdock offered Dole shareholders a sweetened bid that was slightly increased from his original offer in June of this year.Read more »
BUSINESS August 14, 2013 | 5:00 PM
- $1.39 billion Rockwell Collins-Arinc deal marks largest aerospace and defense acquisition in North America so far in 2013
- Business will shift focus from military to defense
- Rockwell Collins plans to win projects for cockpit avionics for the Boeing 777
Rockwell Collins, an American supplier of avionics and other aircraft electronic systems, is purchasing aviation-information management company Arinc from the Carlyle Group LP for $1.39 billion to expand its business beyond the cockpit.
The deal is the largest aerospace and defense deal in North America announced so far this year, and marks the largest in Rockwell Collins history. It comes after months of talks and just days after Kelly Ortberg became the company’s CEO. Ortberg previously led the company’s Government Systems unit.Read more »


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Walmart Inc.’s online sales—which include a large buy online pick up in store (BOPIS) operation for groceries and other goods—are soaring. But profit for the ecommerce operation could be years away, according to industry observers.
In the first and second quarters of Walmart’s current fiscal year, online sales grew 37.0%, the company reported. Management expects growth in ecommerce sales to be at least 35% for the year as a whole. That’s far above the 15.0% overall growth rate for U.S. ecommerce sales in 2018, according to Internet Retailer data.
“The sustained high growth rates are pretty amazing, really,” says Paula Rosenblum, managing partner at research firm Retail Systems Research (RSR).
While Walmart’s online growth is impressive, it has been a drag on profit. Walmart’s online operations have been losing at least $1 billion per year, analysts and media reports say.
A July 8 investors’ note from Simeon Gutman, an analyst with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, says the losses are even higher. Walmart’s U.S. ecommerce business could lose about $1.7 billion this year from $1.4 billion in 2018, but will level off after that, Gutman wrote.
Despite the online losses, Morgan Stanley is optimistic about Walmart. The investment bank gives Walmart an “overweight” recommendation, meaning analysts expect investment returns on Walmart stock to exceed those of the overall stock market slightly. Baked into that rating is an assumption that ecommerce losses will start to decline. “Therefore, any indication that [ecommerce] losses are not peaking in 2019 would be a setback to our thesis, which we would evaluate alongside other factors,” the investor note says.
To read about the ways Walmart us building its online operation sign up for a free strategy membership to read the rest of this article, or sign in below.
Included in the full version of this story:
- Data on the expansion of its BOPIS and same-day delivery capabilities.
- Why losing money online might not be a bad thing for now.
- An update on Walmart’s expanding online grocery business.
Want to read more? Unlock Free Strategy Membership

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New Delhi: Major smartphone firms such as Xiaomi
, Oppo and Huawei
have resumed their product launches, hoping to fulfil the pent-up consumer demand as lockdown restrictions ease.
“Given that smartphone sales in April were zero, capturing the pent-up demand is very crucial for phone brands to make revenue in a bleak business environment,” said Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint Research
This is particularly important as overall demand is not expected to revive until the third quarter of 2020, said industry executives and analysts, and mobile phone firms are likely to face production and delivery challenges in both offline and online channels.
After a complete washout in April, handset makers have flooded the smartphone market with launches this month including the Vivo V19, Realme Narzo series, Oppo A31, Redmi
Note 9 Pro, Xiaomi Mi10 (Xiaomi’s first 5G phone) and Huawei Y9s across price points in the mid- and mid-premium segment (between Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000). In the premium segment, OnePlus8 and Apple iPhone SE
were launched globally last month and are expected to go on sale by the second half of May.
Besides, Samsung has slashed the online price of its Galaxy M31 variants by Rs 500.
As per estimates, about 20 million smartphones were expected to be sold during April. “We believe 70-80% of this pent-up demand may play out in May and June,” said Shah.
Faisal Kawoosa, chief analyst at TechArc, said the top five smartphone makers
– Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme and Samsung – will try to reframe their launch calendars which were disturbed due to the 40-day lockdown.
But overall demand isn’t expected to revive anytime soon.
Leading mobile phone firm Xiaomi said last week that demand for smartphones will remain muted in the April-June quarter and a rebound is likely to take place in the second half of the calendar year.
Market research firm IDC expects India’s mobile phone market to follow a U-shaped recovery from the third quarter onwards.
“The pent-up demand from the first half of the year will gradually shift to the second half, rolling over to 2021 as well. A revival in consumer demand is expected around the festive quarter of 4Q20; with amplified marketing and promotional activities,” Navkendar Singh , research director, client devices
and IPDS, IDC India
said in a report.
He said that with Covid-19 expected to hurt the overall market in 2020, mobile phone firms should support offline channels with hyperlocal delivery initiatives in key cities.
To aid their offline retail partners, firms including Xiaomi and Vivo have also adopted the hybrid O2O (offline to online) model where customers can order a device from their nearest retailer via the firm’s official portal. Samsung, on the other hand, is offering home delivery of its finance service for customers to choose their lending option.


text: Franchise owner Eric Siess will help San Antonio-area entrepreneurs access financing to operate and grow their businesses SAN ANTONIO – April 23, 2020 – Lendio, the nation’s leading marketplace for small business loans, today announced the opening of a Lendio franchise in San Antonio. Through the Lendio franchise program, Eric Siess will assist businesses in San Antonio and the surrounding area north to Austin. Siess will help business owners apply for loans, review their options and secure funding, easing the financial hurdles for entrepreneurs. Lendio is an online service that helps business owners find the working capital they need through its network of over 75 lenders. Funding options include SBA loans, startup loans, equipment loans, commercial real estate loans and more. In the last year alone, Lendio facilitated more than $500 million in loans. The Lendio Franchising program matches small business owners with the nation’s top online lenders in a way that has never been done before, through funding experts in their local communities. Franchisees are small business owners themselves, and as such, understand the needs of local business owners and can guide them through the lending process. In San Antonio, where Siess has lived, worked and volunteered for four decades, the franchise will help small businesses scale their offerings through expanded funding opportunities. “There are so many small businesses serving as the backbone of our vibrant community. I love to help them grow and make their dreams a reality,” said Eric Siess, President of Lendio San Antonio. “Too many don’t know how they can access financing for the next step in their entrepreneurial journey and that’s where Lendio comes in.” Through strategic partnerships with community banks and SBA lenders, Lendio San Antonio will expand access to capital to small business owners in all of the area’s growing industries—from real estate loans for restaurants to startup funding for hospitality and entertainment companies. In addition to being backed by the largest business loan marketplace in the country, Siess’ franchise will benefit from Lendio’s strong, built-in supports, marketing campaigns and extensive hands-on training with a wide array of financing options and loan products. “Roughly eighty percent of small business loan applications are being rejected by traditional banks that aren’t set up to serve small businesses,” said Mark Cottle, Executive Vice President of Franchising at Lendio. “Siess has deep roots in the San Antonio business and nonprofit community and Lendio is eager to see how his program helps bolster local small businesses. His background in finance and consulting will be invaluable as he connects business owners with unimagined opportunities.” For more information on how to join the Lendio franchise program, visit: https://www.lendio.com/franchise.


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Ladies and gentlemen, your iPhone 4 now has a slide-out keyboard. If you've been an iPhone detractor because of its lack of a physical keyboard, you may now rest, all thanks to Naztech's Ultra-thin Sliding Bluetooth Keyboard for iPhone 4.
Apple may not be at Mobile World Congress, but rumours about its upcoming iPhone 5 continue to loom over the show.
One Taiwanese Web site is jumping into the iPhone 5 rumor fray with the claim that Apple is testing an iPhone prototype that has a slide-out keyboard.
A Taiwanese site that's had its share of legit Apple product leaks says Apple is deciding among three iPhone 5 prototypes for the final product to be shipped this year. One of them is an iPhone with a slide-out keyboard.
Carphone Warehouse site Mobiles.co.uk listed a version of the HTC Desire with a slide-out Qwerty keyboard as coming soon, then admitted it culled the specs from online rumours
RIM's forthcoming BlackBerry Bold 9800 smart phone looks set to deliver a new kind of CrackBerry hit, packing both a touchscreen and a slide-out Qwerty keyboard
John Chen says that if BlackBerry's smartphone business doesn't turn a profit next year, he'll have to "think twice" about it.
CEO John Chen runs into a little trouble taking us on a tour of BlackBerry's Priv Android phone. Is that a bad omen?
The BlackBerry Priv, which takes its name from both "privacy" and "privilege," will launch in the fourth quarter.
The first BlackBerry phone to launch with Google's OS could be called the Priv.


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Romania’s two car manufacturers, Automobile Dacia and Ford Romania, posted record high turnover and profits in 2017, on stronger sales and production of new models, official data show.
Automobile Dacia, owned by French group Renault, registered a total turnover of RON 23.14 billion (EUR 5.07 billion) in 2017, up 11.5 percent from the previous year, according to the Finance Mnistry data.
Dacia produces passenger cars like Logan, Sandero and Duster at its manufacturing plant located in Mioveni, Arges County.
The second car manufacturer, Ford Romania, which owns a passenger car factory in Craiova (south-western Romania), recorder a turnover of RON 4.82 billion (EUR 1.06 billion) last year, up 30 percent compared with 2016.
The two companies also posted stronger profits in 2017. Automobile Dacia’s net profit rose by 18 percent in 2017, to RON 539 million, while Ford recorded a net profit of RON 95.5 million, up 229 percent from 2016.
In 2017, Ford recorded a total production of 49,771 cars and Dacia produced 313,883 units in Romania.
Stronger production expected from Ford
Ford’s Romanian plant increased its production by 148 percent year-on-year in the first four months of this year, to 45,319 cars, due to the new model EcoSport, a small SUV produced since autumn of 2017 on the background of the growing market for the SUV segment in Europe.
Ford acquired the Craiova plant in 2008 from the Romanian government and began passenger cars production in September 2009 with the Transit Connect model and later with the Ford B-Max.
The Craiova plant has a production capacity of 300,000 units per year, but Ford never reached even half of the maximum capacity.
But Ford announced on May 22 that it will invest an extra EUR 200 million in the production of a new model at the Craiova factory, and will hire 1,500 extra staff.


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Sofitel will decorate its hotels with paper sculptures of woodland creatures for the holidays.
Bulgari Hotels are set to launch a new luxury hotel in 2017, located in Beijing’s upmarket Embassy District and overlooking the Liangma River.
Hilton Worldwide has announced the launch of its new ‘lifestyle’ hotel brand Canopy by Hilton.
The W South Beach hotel in Miami has launched a million-dollar wedding package for couples.
The Marriott hotel chain has rolled out wireless charging devices designed to enable guests to travel sans power chords.
Hotelier group Small Luxury Hotels of the World has launched a collection of independent villas, ski chalets and estates.
The hotel room of 2024 may include smart pillows that can provide head and neck massages, and sleep suits that monitor blood glucose and pressure levels.
Here’s a look at some of the most extravagant and outrageous honeymoon suites in the world.
Celebrating 90 years of iconic history, The Roosevelt Hotel NYC invites future guests with the last name Roosevelt to book one night for $90.
IHG has signed a management contract for a new 900-room InterContinental hotel in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Affluent travelers around the world have given top marks to luxury hotel groups like Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Aman Resorts.
The splashy Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas has emerged the most popular hotel among the world’s richest, multi-millionaire guests.
Looking for a five-star vacation on a one-star budget? Warsaw, Poland has emerged the most affordable, five-star destination so far this year.
Luxury hotel chain the Four Seasons has launched its second Food Truck tour which will roll out across the Eastern Seaboard in the US.
The Mandarin Oriental Paris now offers a package with a private tour of the French capital’s best locations for Instagram-worthy self-portraits.
TripAdvisor study shows which factors drive higher online engagement from travellers on hotel and B&B pages.
If the idea of observing the celestial bodies as you drift off to sleep sounds appealing, this selection of hotels is for you.
According to a recent study conducted by Hotel.info, Tourists are most likely to find an immaculate hotel room while traveling to Tokyo.
The Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills has launched a weekend package that allows guests to recreate key moments from the movie “Pretty Woman”.
The Berkeley Hotel London has teamed up with Jimmy Choo to offer an English tea service inspired by the shoe designer.


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Apple announced a partnership with Humana in late September to let consumers share their Apple HealthKit data with the Humana Vitality app in order to receive financial incentives for healthy behavior, such as discounts on their monthly healthcare premiums. HealthKit is a service that brings together wellness data from different wearable devices and apps, letting consumers track and share their daily steps walked, calories burned, heart rate readings, and other data.
The promise: As adoption of wearables increases and health insurers rely more heavily on biometric data, consumers and industry alike will benefit from better healthcare outcomes and lower costs.
However, this healthcare advance won't happen unless insurance regulations keep up with the technology. Under existing federal law, data from wearables and mobile devices is allowed to influence health insurance prices only if the data meets a predefined set of guidelines that constitute an employee wellness program, with a hard limit of 30% for discounts. Now that insurers have the capacity to integrate this influx of biometric data, policymakers must develop a more modern framework.
Incentivizing healthy behavior isn't new to insurance companies, and some employers already use data from wearable devices such as the Fitbit and Jawbone to offer rewards to active and healthy employees. Moreover, a recent survey of 900 US adults revealed that nearly 60% of them would be more likely to use a fitness-tracking device if it meant the possibility of lower health insurance premiums.
Read the rest of this article on InformationWeek
Joshua New is a policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation. He has a background in government affairs, policy, and communication. Before joining the Center for Data Innovation, Joshua graduated from American University with degrees in C.L.E.G. (communication, legal ... View Full Bio


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Signet Jewelers Ltd. expanded its board of directors and created new executive roles, including chief customer officer and chief retail insights officer, to strengthen its digital capabilities.
The diamond retailer added Brian Tilzer to its now 12-member board of directors with the aim of deepening its digital expertise. Tilzer works with drugstore chain CVS Health as its chief digital officer, where he leads company-wide digital innovation efforts, and has worked more than 20 years in strategic business development roles focused on IT and e-commerce.
“Brian brings to Signet deep, innovative digital and e-commerce experiences at major retailers,” said Signet chairman H. Todd Stitzer. “There is a valuable connection between Brian’s very specific experience and the strong growth opportunities ahead for Signet.”
The company also laid out shifts in its executive ranks, including the creation of the new positions of president and chief customer officer, who will focus on the company’s omnichannel offerings, and a chief retail insights and strategy officer, who will “consolidate and enhance” strategy across the business.
The managing director of U.K. operations Sebastian Hobbs has been promoted to the customer officer role. He will continue to oversee operations there and Emma Hayward will move to the role of executive director of the U.K. division. George Murray, Signet’s current chief merchandising and marketing officer, will take on the retail insights and strategy role.
“We continue to align our organization and priorities with our Vision 2020 strategy and the changing retail environment, characterized by evolving shopping habits and increasing customer expectations for an outstanding digital experience,” said Signet chief executive officer Mark Light. “These changes and investments support the long-term growth of our business and build upon our competitive strengths and leading market position.”
In tandem with the company’s increased focus on digital and omnichannel, longtime chief operations officer, Ed Hrabak, and executive vice president of North American store operations, Tryna Kochanek, are retiring. Both have worked with Signet for more than 20 years.
Bryan Morgan, currently executive vice president of supply chain management, will take over the chief operating officer role and will focus in large part on the ongoing “modernization” of Signet’s IT systems. A replacement for Kochanek was not immediately named.


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RIYADH -- Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced the recall of more than 400,000 Toyota (IW 1000/8) cars for alleged problems with unintended acceleration, a statement from the kingdom's ministry of commerce and industry said.
It said the vehicles will be equipped with a break override system to "reduce the risk of sudden unintended acceleration without the ability to stop or control it."
The ministry said 10 models, manufactured between 2005 and 2010, would be recalled.
In October, a U.S. court found Toyota was not to blame for a fatal crash involving claims of unintended acceleration, a case that sparked huge global recalls and badly dented the company's reputation for safety.
The safety scare prompted a worldwide recall of millions of cars, the first of a series for Japanese firm, which had previously traded on the safety and reliability of its cars.
Last December, Toyota said it had agreed to pay about $1.1 billion to settle a class action lawsuit launched by US vehicle owners affected by the series of mass recalls from the automaker.
The company did not accept any blame but agreed to compensate owners who said the value of about 16.3 million vehicles took a hit from dozens of accidents allegedly caused by Toyota vehicles speeding out of control in 2009.
The deal covered the cost of installing a free brake override system in about 2.7 million vehicles. It also provided cash payments to those who sold cars after the recalls or who owned vehicles ineligible for the override system.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013


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Arkle Partners have purchased the Permaquip Rail Maintenance Equipment business from US conglomerate Harsco. The business fits with Arkle Partners strategy of buying businesses with strong brand recognition with the capability to expand in emerging markets. Mark Sargent of Arkle Partners said "We have exciting plans for Permaquip and see it as a major asset for growth within our portfolio of businesses"
Pemaquip business acquired by Arkle Partners
25. November 2010


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That was surprisingly quick. Gearbox Software has announced a release date for Duke Nukem Forever. The game will come out on May 3, 2011, exactly eight months after the company revealed that it had taken over development from 3D Realms. Duke Forever will come out simultaneously on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3; an international release will follow three days later.
To celebrate the announcement, Gearbox has released a 2.5-minute trailer that sets the stage for Duke's next bout of alien ass-kicking. (Warning: some adult language and content within, although most of it appears to be censored out.)
The press release also included a couple of screenshots and some box art, which you'll find in the image gallery below.
I had to pinch myself when I saw the announcement in our inbox. Is this really happening? DNF doesn't look like the most graphically groundbreaking game ever, but the trailer makes the game look pretty fun, and I'll be happy to play it—finally, after waiting 14 years. (Despite what the trailer might suggest, the game was first announced in 1997.)
|Updated: Microsoft shows Windows 10, preps public preview build for tomorrow||81|
|Windows 9 is actually called... Windows 10||87|
|Doom looks awesome in the Lego universe||10|
|Project Ara phones with hot-swap modules launching in early 2015||3|
|HP's new Intel-powered Win8.1 tablet costs $99||11|
|Hynix slides tease vertically stacked memory with 256GB/s of bandwidth||35|
|Catalyst 14.9 drivers improve performance, CrossFire scaling||43|
|Photoshop heading to Chromebooks—in streaming form||18|


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Leading Kenyan insurer, Sanlam Kenya Plc, has informed its shareholders that there would be a noticeable decline in its unaudited 2020 net earnings after tax. This is according to a corporate action that was sent to the Nairobi Securities Exchange, as seen by Business Elites Africa.
In the regulatory filing which was signed by Board Chairman Dr John PN Simba, two reasons were given for the projected decline: the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Kenyan economy, and the adverse effect the exchange rate had on Sanlam’s net assets.
The statement further explained that Sanlam’s Board of directors had taken some measures to cushion the negative effects of the pandemic, including the adoption of cost saving measures, development of new products, and digitisation of the company’s business processes.
“In response to the challenging operating environment, the Board of Directors applied its focus on innovation and cost savings. The development of new products which we regard more suitable for our clients in the prevailing market conditions is ongoing, while digitization of the organizations key business processes is expected to improve company efficiencies and customer experience.
“The Board of Directors maintains a positive outlook on the business as the pandemic and its negative impacts are expected to dissipate while the Group’s initiatives continue to support the improvement of financial performance going forward,” part of the statement said.
Note that Sanlam Kenya Plc is an insurance, investment, and wealth management company which was established in October 1946. It was also the first Kenyan firm to list on the Kenyan Securities Exchange. Today, the company has multiple subsidiaries, including Pan Africa Life Assurance Limited which offers life insurance services and PA Securities Limited which serves as the investment arm of the group.
Don Jazzy, whose real name is Michael Collins Ajereh, is not just a prolific music produce…


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Users of Android devices in Europe that now open the Google App Store will see on their screens several options for downloading different search engines and browsers
Google announced on Thursday that it will offer users of its popular Android devices the ability to choose between five browsers and search engines as part of its efforts to respond to the European Commission's concerns about competition.
Last July, Brussels imposed on Google the highest fine in its history, a total of 4.342 million euros for abuse of dominant position, one of the three main decisions of the community executive about the company.
The commission, which is the guardian of the competition on the block, accused the technology giant of the United States of taking advantage of its smartphone operating system to promote its own Google search engine and its Chrome browser, to the detriment of its rivals.
Although the company appealed the ruling by declaring the charges unfounded, the changes announced on Thursday are part of its efforts to avoid further fines.
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Twitter said the move will allow brands to attach their message to specific broadcasts from creators and publishers.
Ads will appear in the same way that they do currently on Twitter videos found in users’ timelines, and will apply to live and replayed content.
“As video viewership on Twitter continues to grow, video has become an increasingly important channel for publishers, creators and brands to reach their audiences,” said Periscope group project manager, Mike Folgner.
“Today, we’re introducing a new opportunity for publishers and creators to monetise their content, and for brands to advertise against it.”
Last month Twitter said it broadcast 6.6 million hours of live video through Periscope in its financial fourth quarter and attracted 31 million unique viewers to live premium video in the first quarter of operations, with 600 hours of live content from partners streamed across about 400 events.
ICYMI: CTV to drive increasing digital video spend in the US digitaltveurope.com/2021/05/05/ctv… https://t.co/Ay0PKsK78l
05 May 2021 @ 20:36:00 UTC
ICYMI: IPL indefinitely suspended as India battles Covid surge digitaltveurope.com/2021/05/05/ipl… https://t.co/VASN3SOj1V
05 May 2021 @ 18:30:00 UTC
Thema adds four new channels to SFR’s African offering digitaltveurope.com/2021/05/05/800…
05 May 2021 @ 17:00:01 UTC


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The first ever Malawi Tourism Exposition 2017 has commenced Wednesday at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
The Tourism Expo 2017 will run for three days, the first two days for closed businesses and the third for the public viewing.
Principal Tourism Officer in the ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Sarah Njanji told YFM online on Tuesday that the event has assembled over 120 local and regional exhibitors.
Njanji said the event will accord an opportunity to Malawi to market its tourism sector.
“The aim of the Expo is to create a platform for various tourism players to exchange knowledge as well as best practices on how to package Malawi’s tourism products,” she explained.
The event was officially opened by minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Henry Mussa.


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Daily AI Roundup: The 5 Coolest Things on Earth Today
Today’s Daily AI Round-up covers the latest Artificial Intelligence announcements on AI capabilities, AI mobility products, Robotic Service, Diagnostics and Enterprise Integration from LivePerson, Segway, iManage, ARUP Laboratories, and SnapLogic
LivePerson Debuts Enhanced Maven AI Capabilities to Help Brands Deliver High-Impact Conversational Experiences
LivePerson, Inc., a global leader in conversational commerce, announced new Maven Artificial Intelligence capabilities that increase Maven’s power to help brands drive efficiencies and improve customer experiences in messaging channels.
On August 16, Segway–Ninebot, a leading technology company in the global intelligent short-distance transportation and robotic service industries, held a new product launch event with the theme of “Innovation in AI-powered Mobility” in Beijing. Segway-Ninebot officially released three new AI mobility products in two categories, including KickScooter T60, Powered By Segway, Segway DeliveryBot S2, and Segway Outdoor DeliveryBot X1. The debut of the three new products by Segway-Ninebot highlights the company’s continued advancement in its product development as well as new innovation by incorporating artificial intelligence.
iManage, the company dedicated to transforming how professionals work, announced that Posse Herrera Ruiz – a widely recognized, multidisciplinary law firm based in Bogotá, Colombia – has successfully upgraded to iManage Work 10 across its three offices, giving its professionals more powerful search capabilities, driving improved productivity across its entire user base. iManage Work 10’s AI-based personalized search allows users to search across the entire organization and receive prioritized results based on their own unique search patterns, making it easy and quick to filter and find all relevant files, including emails, documents and scanned images.
ARUP Laboratories, a national reference laboratory and worldwide leader in innovative laboratory research and development, and Techcyte, a leading developer of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based image analysis solutions for the diagnostics industry, have developed the world’s first AI-augmented ova and parasite detection tool. “The collaboration with Techcyte has produced an AI-augmented detection tool that significantly advances our diagnostic capabilities in our parasitology lab,” said Adam Barker, Ph.D., director of Research and Development at ARUP.
SnapLogic Delivers AI-Powered API Developer Portal, and Azure Databricks Support with Latest Platform Release
SnapLogic announced the availability of the August 2019 release of the SnapLogic Intelligent Integration Platform, delivering several new innovations that drive better productivity, deeper insights, and higher performance for customers. With this release, SnapLogic makes enterprise integration even faster and easier with new AI capabilities that recommend completed pipelines – from within the user’s organization or from the SnapLogic Patterns Catalog improving productivity and time-to-value for both citizen and expert integrators alike. The August 2019 platform release also adds a new API developer portal to expose API endpoints to outside developers, as well as new big data processing support for customers building data lakes on Microsoft Azure.
To participate, write to us at email@example.com


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Mar 5, 2019
Toyota warns a no-deal Brexit could hit future UK investment
The head of Toyota's European operations has warned that a no-deal Brexit threatens future investment at its UK factory near Derby. Toyota is currently ramping up UK output of its new Corolla, and he said avoiding disruption was critical. He said Toyota would overcome any short-term problems at its Burnaston car plant near Derby, such as logistics, caused by leaving without a deal. The Brexit uncertainty comes after a £240m investment in a new Corolla and the ramping up of production at Burnaston. Ford warned that leaving without a deal would be "Catastrophic" and the body that represents the UK motor industry, the SMMT said investment had already been hit.
Make a complaint about BMW or Toyota by viewing their customer service contacts.


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
We won’t blame you if you turned off the Super Bowl before it was over, but Chevrolet gave away a brand new Silverado High Country to the game’s MVP, Malcolm Smith of the Seattle Seahawks.
While most automakers traditionally go big and bold for their Super Bowl ads, this year, Honda took a simpler and more meaningful approach.


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Apple seems to be allowing 200 test devices per developer account now
Over the weekend, reports started to appear on Twitter that Apple had upped the number of test devices -- iPhones, iPod touches and iPads that can be used to beta test unreleased apps and iOS software -- from 100 to 200 devices per developer account. While Apple has not yet updated its developer support documents officially announcing the change, I've been able to independently confirm the increase in allowed test devices with a number of developers.
To begin with, Apple has a limit on the number of devices a developer can test beta software on so devs can't distribute apps to an unlimited number of devices by bypassing release in the App Store. However, as test devices can't be unregistered, the 100-device limit can quickly get used up if a developer is testing an app on multiple models of iPhones, iPod touches and iPads running multiple iOS versions -- more so if any of those devices become lost or stolen.
Over the weekend, reports started to appear on Twitter that Apple had upped the number of test devices -- iPhones, iPod touches and iPads...
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GenTeal Apparel is providing the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation (OMAF) an exclusive line of shirts that will be included in gift boxes for members of the Vaught Society, an organization focused on strengthening UM sports programs through private support.
GenTeal’s gift, valued at $156,000, fuels CHAMPIONS. NOW., OMAF’s ongoing campaign to improve facilities for student-athletes.
“The university, both on the academic side and the athletics side, has been very good to us since we started our business,” said Blake Dubinski of Oxford, Mississippi, co-founder of GenTeal. “When (OMAF development officers) Javon Patterson and William Fisher initially proposed the idea of creating a unique shirt for Vaught Society members, I recognized the opportunity to establish a mutually beneficial partnership. It enables us to build more brand awareness and it saves Athletics time and money spent going somewhere else for the product.”
GenTeal, with its flying duck logo, has literally soared since Dubinski and his business partner, UM biology professor Brice Noonan, started the company in 2016. The merchandise line is now available in hundreds of retail stores across the southeast United States. In 2022, GenTeal was recognized as No. 1,417 in Inc.com’s list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing companies in America and No. 1 in Mississippi.
GenTeal’s spring performance polos are its pillars, but the company also produces cotton-based zips and quarter-zips, flannels, sport shirts, T-shirts, belts, wallets, hats and more.
“The quality of their merchandise represents the excellence that we strive to maintain within our Athletics programs at Ole Miss. That, combined with GenTeal’s founders being so closely associated with Ole Miss, makes this a perfect gift for our Vaught Society members,” Fisher said. “We are extremely grateful to Blake and Brice for making this gift available.”
Dubinski, an adjunct instructor of management at Ole Miss, graduated from the university with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2013. After a brief stint in pharmaceutical sales, he returned to Ole Miss and completed his MBA in 2015.
After the two met in 2014 through a mutual friend, Noonan showed Dubinski a logo he’d drawn and the idea for GenTeal began to take shape.
“We hope our gift allows the Athletics Foundation to allocate additional funding to facilities that give our student-athletes and coaches the best opportunity to succeed on and off the field,” said Noonan, adding that they recognize the positive impact a successful athletics program has on enrollment, loyalty to the university and overall camaraderie.
After graduate school, Dubinski began teaching classes in the School of Business Administration, including business communications, principles of management, strategic management and more.
He also served as the Entrepreneur in Residence for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) within the business school, where he was able to share with students his experience in starting and growing a successful business.
This year, Dubinski was named to the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s 2023 40 Under 40 class — UM alumni who have achieved great success early in their careers.
“I have some tremendous memories being a part of Ole Miss games: my first gameday experience in the Grove, storming the field in 2014 after beating Alabama and watching our baseball team win a National Championship, just to name a few,” he said. “Ole Miss Athletics has been a special part of my life.
“What (Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics) Keith Carter and his team have done in a short period of time is incredible,” Dubinski continued. “I am excited about the direction of our programs and I am looking forward to creating more of those memories being a part of Rebel wins.”
A native of south Florida, Noonan has taught courses in introductory biology, genetics, evolution and herpetology. In addition to his courses on the Oxford campus, he has taught courses in the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic and aboard ships throughout the Caribbean. His personal research focuses primarily on tropical reptiles and amphibians but also includes fish and invertebrates.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation


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MagTek's IPAD® Achieves PCI PED 2.0 Certification
November 03, 2009 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology NewsSEAL BEACH, Calif. – November 3, 2009 - MagTek®, Inc., a global leader in secure electronic payment technology, today announced full PCI PED 2.0 certification for its IPAD family of PIN encrypting devices (PEDs). By incorporating MagneSafe™ technology, MagTek once again leads the industry's charge in the battle against counterfeit card fraud. The IPAD is the first PED 2.0 device that protects the PIN and the card data as it authenticates the payment card used in PIN-based or electronic signature capture transactions. It provides strong encryption at the instant of swipe, a secure transaction token, and dynamic data authentication for an unmatched level of security.
The IPAD uses a 32bit security processor and has multiple independent levels of anti-tamper protection. Its capacitive touch keypad system is designed to detect attempts to move or tamper with the keypad. IPAD also supports secure PKI-based factory and remote key injection eliminating the need to return the unit in the event a new key is required. "Our goal was to build the most secure PIN entry device at a competitive cost while maximizing its operational functionality said Adriano Canzi, MagTek's Vice President for Technology Development. "Achieving PCI PED 2.0 was made easier in part by the advanced security features of MagneSafe."
The IPAD only needs a USB connection. Plug it in to begin the fight against transaction fraud. Its users can take advantage of its layered and scalable security to achieve PCI compliance. Real value is gained by fraud reduction, fewer chargebacks, better consumer privacy, greater identity protection, and the ability to spot tampered, skimmed or sniffed cards. With a MagneSafe protected IPAD, consumers, merchants, and financial institutions win; criminals lose.
As active participants in the evolving payment standards since 1972, MagTek and its Chief Security Officer, Tom Patterson, are leading an industry-wide crusade to wipe out counterfeit card fraud once and for all. "Counterfeit cards have a huge cost on banks, processors, merchants, and consumers, and everyone will benefit from a collective effort to save over $4 billion dollars a year in fraud. We believe the IPAD family of PEDs will offer merchants and financial institutions real protection worth their investment," says Mr. Patterson." Look for IPAD's MagneSafe logo at the point of swipe. There is no stronger, more practical solution available today for consumer protection."
To hear more from Tom Patterson, please attend a special VIP event: "Stopping Financial Cyber Crimes" on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6:45pm at the Boston Westin Waterfront Hotel. This one night only event is during the BAI Retail Delivery Conference and Expo. Register at email@example.com
MagTek's IPAD is now available. For more information on MagTek's IPAD family of PED devices, please visit us at booth 601 at the BAI Retail Delivery Conference and Expo Meeting, November 3 – 5, in Boston, MA.
The IPAD is part of the MagTek MagneSafe family of products. MagneSafe is a digital identification and authentication architecture which safeguards consumers and their personal data. Designed to exceed PCI regulations, it leverages strong encryption, secure tokenization, counterfeit detection, tamper recognition, data relevance and integrity, and dynamic digital transaction signatures to validate the entire transaction and each of its components. A key feature of MagneSafe is MagnePrint® card authentication, a proven technology which reliably identifies counterfeit credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, ATM cards and ID cards at the point of swipe, before fraud occurs. MagneSafe's multi-layer security provides unmatched protection and flexibility for safer online transactions.
Since 1972, MagTek has been a leading manufacturer of electronic devices and systems for the reliable issuance, reading, transmission and security of cards, checks, PINs and other identification documents. Leading with innovation and engineering excellence, MagTek is known for quality and dependability. Its products include secure card readers, check scanners, PIN pads and distributed credential issuing systems. These products are used worldwide by financial institutions, retailers, hotels, law enforcement agencies and other organizations to provide secure and efficient electronic payment and identification transactions.
Today, MagTek continues to innovate with the development of a new generation of security centric products secured by MagneSafe™. By leveraging strong encryption, secure tokenization and real time authentication, MagneSafe products enable users to assess and validate the trustworthiness of credentials used for online identification, payment processing, and other high-value electronic transactions.
MagTek is based in Seal Beach, California and has sales offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, with independent distributors in over 40 countries. For more information, please visit www.magtek.com.


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If you’re looking for a lithium player who could outride the volatility, this could be your hedge
Link copied to
Special Report: While the long-term demand picture for lithium looks very rosy indeed, for an emerging producer it’s a great strategy to have a second equally valuable co-product.
While in the short-term there will be some supply-demand imbalances and lithium price volatility, all indicators point to a market that will increase five-fold over the next decade.
Many market watchers expect the overwhelming demand side to eventually get both lithium and cobalt out of their current predicaments.
In short, we’re in the first phase of a broader lithium story — and while the market sorts itself out, expect to see more volatility.
It’s in this context that lithium miners offering more than the white metal (particularly juniors) will be able to ride out the storm, while still being in a great position when the lithium price picks back up.
In the small cap space, that’s not all that common — enter ioneer (ASX:INR).
The main game for ioneer is its Rhyolite Ridge project in Nevada.
What makes Rhyolite Ridge different than other lithium projects is that boron is a genuine co-product, as both lithium carbonate and boric acid are to be produced at the mine site.
ioneer is planning to process only the lithium-boron ore and stockpile the lithium-only mineralisation.
According to the latest numbers on the project, the lithium-boron resource for the project is 154 million tonnes, which contains 1.3Mt of lithium carbonate and 12.4Mt of boric acid.
The maiden measured lithium-boron resource for the project is 41Mt at 1,700 parts per million lithium and 14,400 parts per million boron.
In either case, the project offers up roughly 8 parts boron to every one part lithium. In a neat bit of maths, one tonne of lithium carbonate sells for at least 10 times more than one tonne of boric acid.
The boron revenue will pay for ioneer’s operating costs, meaning the company is uniquely well placed to thrive even at lithium carbonate prices less than the current $US10,000 per tonne.
You can take a look at the nuts and bolts of its proposed project below.
At this stage, the company is making progress towards a definitive feasibility study, which should be wrapped up in late September this year. Production has been pencilled in for late 2021 (although it would have signed offtake agreements before this point).
The lithium portion of the project is welcome in a country which has put a new-found focus on ‘critical minerals’.
Amid the trade dispute with China, the US Department of Commerce set up an action plan aimed at shoring up supply of 35 minerals deemed important to national security — lithium being one of them.
It’s due to present its final report to President Donald Trump in the middle of this month.
At this point in time, ioneer is shaping as the first major domestic producer of lithium in the US, where industrial users such as Tesla are sure to want to ensure supplies of this essential component of their electric vehicles from a safe, ethical source.
But it’s not necessarily the lithium portion of its project which is driving excitement for ioneer (especially in times of headlines about depressed prices); it’s the fact it’s also plans to produce boron which takes ioneer from the realm of ‘just another lithium junior’ into the realms of something very interesting indeed.
Boron, as it turns out, is anything but boring. It’s shaping up not only as a key mineral for increasing urbanisation in Asia, but also to making sure farms are able to get the best out of their crops.
If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of boron, you can take a quick look at this primer we’ve written up.
But the really interesting part, from a producer’s point of view, is about how stable the supply side is.
There are estimates that just two – that’s right, two – producers control 80 per cent of the refined boron market. That’s helped prices remain somewhat stable.
It’s certainly not been subject to the ‘boom and bust’ cycle we’re seeing play out in lithium circles at the moment.
The demand side is also fairly robust, with some estimates forecasting out a compound annual growth rate of 4.5 per cent.
While it doesn’t compare to lithium’s growth prospects (some estimating a CAGR of around 18 per cent), it does give ioneer access to a stable market which has good growth prospects in its own right.
But what makes ioneer really interesting, certainly from an investor viewpoint, is the way it’s set to use boron to almost wipe out the entire cost base at Rhyolite Ridge.
How boron credits will help it see through the worst of the lithium slump
A quick look through ioneer’s (then named Global Geoscience) pre-feasibility study released towards the back-end of last year illustrate how boron is becoming vital to placing ioneer at the bottom of the lithium cost curve worldwide.
As you can see from this chart alone, the revenue from the sale of boric acid from the project almost entirely wipes out the total site operating costs.
So, there are a few uncertainties in the picture for lithium in the years to come, but the robust demand side isn’t in question, just how much supply will make its way to the market in time to meet very rapidly growing demand..
But thanks to its boron credits, ioneer is in a great position.
It’s managed to get its cost of production down to $1796 per tonne, thanks largely to the boron credit.
So whether the lithium demand growth goes the way pessimistic Morgan Stanley thinks it will, or whether it goes the way more optimistic Roskill and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence thinks it will, ioneer will have the certainty of boron sales taking care of costs.
And that’s certainly an envious position to start from for any miner, let alone a junior.


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Dec 9, 2014
If you waited until Halloween to buy goodies for your neighborhood’s trick-or-treaters, you’re in luck. Pricing data suggest you’re less likely to pay a premium today than if you stocked up 10 days ago. Read More »
Americans who receive Social Security benefits will see a modest increase in their checks next year to cover higher consumer prices.
The annual cost-of-living adjustment will amount to 1.7% for 2015, the Social Security Administration said Wednesday. The figure matches an earlier estimate from the Labor Department. The government uses the measure to adjust benefits annually. Read More »
The share of U.S. firms giving pay raises has nearly tripled since last fall, according to a new survey of business economists by the National Association for Business Economics, though official data on U.S. workers’ earnings haven’t shown any broad acceleration in wage growth.
Some 43% of the NABE members who responded to the survey, released Monday, said wages and salaries at their firms have risen in the past three months. No respondents said wages had fallen, and 57% said wages were unchanged in the second quarter.
In the October 2013 survey, just 16% of economists said their companies had given raises in the prior quarter. That number has risen steadily since to 23% in January, 35% in April and 43% now. Read More »
Inflation in China remained in check in June as China’s consumer price index rose 2.3% from a year earlier, compared with a 2.5% increase in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. Pork, egg and vegetable prices eased, while non-food prices held steady. Read More »
A story in today’s Journal shows the U.S. may be more insulated from the hazards of the international oil market than in the past. But rising oil prices still have ripple effects on the U.S. economy. Here are some handy rules of thumb we worked out with Deutsche Bank chief U.S. economist Joseph LaVorgna to monitor how this could play out. Read More »
The Bank of England’s job is to maintain financial stability, not to prick bubbles in markets for real estate and other assets, one of the U.K. central bank’s top officials said Wednesday.
Ben Broadbent, a serving rate-setter who takes over as the BOE’s deputy governor for monetary policy July 1, told lawmakers the central bank can do little to arrest house price increases in the U.K. but can act to stem the build-up of dangerous levels of risky debts in the economy.
His remarks suggest officials’ appetite for tough action to clamp down on all but the riskiest lending may be limited. Read More »
At least one part of the Chinese economy is cooperating with policymakers, judging from Tuesday’s release of inflation data. Moderate consumer price increases in May were essentially in line with expectations — neither high enough to constrain a more accommodative monetary policy should growth weaken further, nor low enough to raise alarm bells over deflation — which should give Beijing’s economic kingpins one less thing to worry about. Read More »
Upbeat news for food shoppers: the cost of meals is likely to fall as improving supply prospects for a variety of food groups from cereals to dairy improve.
World food prices fell for the second consecutive month in May, on the back of lower dairy, cereal and vegetable oil prices, according to latest data from the United Nations.
The U.N.’s food index — the world’s leading indicator of food inflation that measures the monthly change in prices of a basket of edible commodities — averaged 207.9 points in May, down 1.2% on the prior month. The monthly food-price index measures the change in price of a basket of various food commodities and is a leading indicator for food inflation. Read More »
Real Time Economics offers exclusive news, analysis and commentary on the U.S. and global economy, central bank policy and economics. Send news items, comments and questions to the editors and reporters below or email email@example.com.
Read more Economics coverage.


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At the moment YouTube supports 360-degree videos. Essentially these can be considered virtual reality, especially when viewed with devices like the Samsung Gear VR or Google Cardboard. However these videos are all pre-recorded, which is fine, but what if you wanted to experience what it’s like to be at a certain live concert or talk show?
According to the folks at BuzzFeed News, that could soon be a possibility. They have learnt that YouTube is apparently working on developing the ability to allow users to livestream 360-degree videos to their platform. This means that the next time there is a live concert, a live event like a news broadcast or sports game, you could be there right at the action.
Of course such livestreaming capabilities are already possible thanks to apps like Meerkat, Periscope, and Facebook’s Live Video which is now open to all, but to be able to livestream 360-degree video will be a new experience. Right now there are certain devices that do allow 360-degree livestreams, but their quality does leave a lot to be desired.
Hopefully with YouTube’s tech, the stitching quality of the videos will be a lot better, especially during live broadcasts. Take it with a grain of salt for now, but if the idea of good quality live 360-degree videos of sports or concerts tickles your fancy, check back with us later for more updates on this rumored feature.
Filed in YouTube.. Read more about


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Retailers say proposals to put VAT on the sale of static caravans will be disastrous to the region's tourism industry. The Government's own calculations suggest that demand will fall by thirty per cent.
Holiday park owners say customers won't buy at the increased price and that will have a knock on effect on the wider economy. Our business correspondent Seth Conway reports.
More top news
People across the West Country have been getting extremely creative ready for Halloween. Check out our gallery
A British military ship carrying supplies and off road vehicles has arrived in Ebola-hit Sierra Leone
Why the couple who set up social networking site Bebo are to restore and re-open Woolsery's pub and manor house.


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Robert Slaughter, creator of the exhibition, says the project strives to bring people of all cultures together. He aims to take the artists and their works around the world.
There's the mime with the French accent, the Peruvian fashion designer and the Swiss sculptor. Their origins vary as much as their crafts but this weekend they, and dozens of other artists from across the globe, have gathered aboard the Queen Mary for something of a local world's fair.
T20 World Cup
Sri Lanka Explorer


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How do vogue brands stand out from the crowd and efficiently talk what they stand for? Nonetheless, extra manufacturers need to incorporate it straight into their commerce technique and faucet in on the rising opportunity to extend sales by way of cellular gadgets. In brief, the iPad a device better suited to luxurious buying than its smaller sibling.
The world of luxury has a strong aspirational nature, so excessive revenue isn’t the only driving factor that encourages consumers to shop. Maintaining with their customers’ new habits is important for manufacturers that want to lead the market forward. Some vogue retailers also are dabbling in virtual actuality, which other industries starting from manufacturing to media have seen as a harbinger of how they will interact with customers in the future.
In other phrases, what as soon as was thought-about luxurious is now quickly changing into regular”. Some luxury style manufacturers have turned to new applied sciences in an effort to attach with an increasingly digital shopper who demands speedy gratification, fast service and ever-new methods to interact with old manufacturers.
If the designers and heads of marketing wrack their brains on creating new interactive and inventive features of their branded apps, the heads of commerce are just a little behind. Earlier this yr, Nonoo stated she would skip New York Vogue Week and rejoin the calendar together with her fall assortment in September.… Read More


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TOKYO—Japan’s humanoid robots are struggling to find homes.
SoftBank Group Corp.’s robotics unit said Tuesday it stopped manufacturing a humanlike robot called Pepper in August last year due to a lack of demand for new units.
Pepper is a child-sized humanoid robot that can recognize human faces and emotions, and engage in basic conversation.
SoftBank introduced the robot in 2015 with a price tag of nearly $2,000 in anticipation that robots would become mass-market technology like smartphones for use around the home.
However, most Pepper units ended up being rental models used in SoftBank’s mobile phone shops, as well as hospitals, schools and restaurants, where the robot typically greets diners as they arrive.


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It was announced earlier today that Rihanna is collaborating with beloved makeup brand MAC Cosmetics. This is great news for the singer and her ever-growing empire. Rihanna had previously hinted on Instagram that she was releasing her own lipstick line and MAC did sponsor the beauty products used at the Rihanna for River Island show. MAC has named her “creative partner” and four collections will be released over the next year under the title “Riri ♥ MAC”. Here’s more info via WWD:
The first product to launch will be RiRi Woo, a lipstick inspired by her favorite MAC red, Ruby Woo. Its release will coincide with Rihanna’s Diamonds Tour concerts on May 4 and 5 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where MAC will open a pop-up shop on the first night to showcase the line.
RiRi Woo will be sold at the Rihanna concerts and online, and a summer collection will follow, which will also be sold online. A third will land in brick-and-mortar stores for fall, and there will be an on-counter holiday collection.
The signature piece of the lineup, RiRi Woo, will be sold with all four collections. The summer collection also includes two additional lipsticks, a Lustre Drops shade and a powder blush duo. Fall’s 16 sku’s include four lipsticks, a deeply pigmented Lipglass version of RiRi Woo, two multishade eye shadow palettes and false lashes. (“She likes to wear two pairs at a time,” said Jennifer Balbier, MAC’s senior vice president of global product development, in an aside.) Holiday will bring another 10 items, including nail polish, a makeup bag and additional lipsticks.
How exciting! It sounds like there’s something for everyone. What do you plan to get from Riri ♥ MAC?
images via rihanna daily, mac


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Microsoft Teams is not usually known as the quintessential gaming platform, but after some recent developments, it looks as though this now might be the case. Microsoft has recently released a boat-load of updates to Microsoft Teams, practically transforming their idea into something entirely new.
In this article, we will be taking a look at everything we know thus far surrounding Microsoft Teams and its reinvigoration, as well as talking about why Microsoft has decided to add games to a platform that is primarily used as a communication platform for businesses and companies.
What Games Are They Implementing?
As you may expect, Microsoft Teams is not all too likely to add games that are reminiscent of the triple-A gaming experience such as Grand Theft Auto 5 Or Red Dead Redemption 2. No, Microsoft Teams will feature simple games such as solitaire and bingo.
This may be somewhat disappointing for some, and if you were hoping that you were now going to be able to have a hardcore gaming session with your bosses and co-workers, then this is just not going to be the case.
The games that Microsoft Teams will now feature are more akin to the stock games you would find on a computer back in 2005, and while this might not be all too exciting, it’s certainly going to be a change of pace for people that are familiar with the program.
Microsoft Teams is not going to be the next big makeshift online casino. All of the games that are coming to Microsoft Teams are incredibly simple, and in all reality, they are not going to be all too enticing for the vast majority of people.
However, when it comes to having the option to have a little fun with your co-workers, anything beats most corporate team-building exercises, and these new games are going to be a welcomed addition to the platform for most.
The Reason Behind Microsoft’s Decision
The reason why Microsoft Teams is adding games is incredibly simple; gaming can do wonders when it comes to opening up the brain to creative endeavours and team-building.
Having a small gaming session with co-workers can help get everyone’s brains working at full capacity, and in turn, this may lead to favourable results for business owners and companies.
Moreover, when looked at from a broader perspective, this has the potential to make a substantial difference in innovation and productivity, and we might actually see a small but noticeable boost in the performance of some businesses.
To sum everything up; Microsoft Teams is now going to feature a ton of simple games in an effort to improve business’s team building and morale.
While the vast majority of people are likely going to ignore this feature entirely, there is no doubt that a select few companies will take to implementing said games into their meetings to improve team morale, and who knows how much of an effect this could have on a business in the long-run if this is an area they struggle with.


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Fortnite declares war on Prince Harry
Fortnite has hit back at Prince Harry after the royal criticised the game as being 'created to addict'.
The Prince was commenting on recent allegations that the game was rife with safety concerns, from its addictiveness with teenagers to its use by online predators to target children.
After the statement, bosses from developer Epic Games hit back at the Prince’s comments saying they were a ‘mischaracterisation’ of the game.
Last April, Prince Harry said, “Fortnite shouldn’t be allowed”.
“It’s created to addict – an addiction to keep you in front of a computer for as long as possible. It’s so irresponsible.”
The Palace has yet to confirm Prince Harry’s K:D ratio, and it’s thought that Prince Harry didn’t even participate in the game’s Battle Pass for Season 9.
Fortnite creators Epic Games admitted they were shocked to hear Prince Harry was not a fan. The developer’s lawyer admitted that “We were quite taken aback at Epic, really rather surprised. The statements... couldn’t be further from the truth in our intentions and design philosophy.”
Last year Epic Games were rumoured to have made more than US$2.3-million (AED 8.4-million) on the free-to-play game.


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NEW YORK, New York — Sweetwater, Canada’s most well-known organic brand, is facing criticism after its marketing efforts in the United States were praised by the American Beverage Association, the National Beverage Council and other groups.
SweetWater Canada CEO, David Zayas, was recently named the top consumer advocate for the beverage industry by the Beverage Marketing Association, a trade group.
It comes after Zayaskis’ advocacy for his company in the American market has sparked complaints that his efforts have been marketed in a way that encourages people to buy from his brand in the country.
The American Beverages Association called on SweetWater Canada to reverse the marketing, calling it “misleading” and “misinformed.”
The National Beverages Council called on the company to stop promoting the products and services of its sister brand, SweetWater, on promotional websites and websites for the United Kingdom.
“While we recognize that the American consumer’s thirst for natural ingredients is at an all-time high, we are troubled that the marketing of these products and products of SweetWater in the UK is not supported by a clear, honest and transparent approach to selling our products and providing clear information about our products,” said the NBC in a statement.
Zayaskas said that his company is committed to continuing to offer a wide range of natural products that can be enjoyed by anyone and that SweetWater’s “great value” has earned it a place in the market.
“Our focus is to make it easy for consumers to choose from a wide variety of natural, organic and sustainable alternatives to the packaged foods and beverages of the day,” he said.
As for the controversy, Zayass said he has not heard of any specific complaints or issues with the brand.
He said SweetWater is doing all it can to keep its focus on its core mission of bringing consumers the best natural products available and the best quality natural products on the market, and that the company’s efforts to be fair and transparent are working.
While he acknowledged that there are some differences in marketing strategy between the U and Canadian markets, he said the brand is being very transparent and trying to make sure it has everything right.
This is a company that has a great commitment to providing good value and has a strong focus on sustainability and being good stewards of our natural resources,” he added.
SweetWater is part of a growing group of organic, organic-friendly brands in the world.
Canadian producers have also been embracing new techniques in marketing their products in the past year.
In March, for example, the company launched an online store, Sweetwater in Canada, that provides the latest information on its products and how to buy them in the Canadian market.
There have also recently been efforts by the beverage giant to diversify its offerings, with some brands, including Stella Artois, making the transition to a 100 per cent organic approach.
For Zayasks, the focus on sustainable, natural products has helped him attract a loyal following in Canada and in the West.
His company also has a history of working with the Canadian government and other government agencies to address issues like water contamination, climate change and other environmental issues.
But for some of the critics, Sweetwaters efforts in America have drawn criticism from some of its customers, including foodies who say that the brand’s products are tainted with pesticides, which they say can be harmful to animals and the environment.
A spokeswoman for SweetWater said the company does not discuss the impact of any chemicals on animals and that it is working with food industry groups to educate consumers about the potential risks of its products.


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Put down the Triple Ginger Brew and no one gets hurt.
No, seriously, if you have any Triple Ginger Brew from Trader Joe's in your house, you may want to get rid of it as soon as possible because on Tuesday the California-based company issued a voluntary recall on the product, which poses the threat of exploding.
The recall applies to bottles of Triple Ginger Beer purchased between November 9 and December 14. And while the company says the ginger brew doesn't pose a risk if ingested, there have been several "inquiries from customers that had experienced unopened bottles shattering or bursting." No injuries or illnesses have been reported to date.
Trader Joe's will provide a refund to those who purchased the recalled product (SKU 51857), which consumers are encouraged to dispose of immediately in an outside container. Customers can call the company's Customer Relations at 626-599-3817 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST Monday through Friday with questions.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.


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Carbon Footprint Awareness Growing Slowly
The key to consumersâ€™ minimizing their carbon footprint is through building awareness and stimulating action, according to research from the Natural Marketing Institute.
More than half of the general population (57 percent) is aware of the term â€ścarbon footprint,â€ťÂ up from 38 percent in 2007. However, U.S. consumers fall behind UK consumers in awareness – 96 percent of UK adults say they are aware of the term.Â The limited U.S. awareness is notÂ generating much behavior, as just 13 percent of those that are aware of the term carbon footprint have used an online carbon footprint calculator in the past year.
Energy Manager News
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Members of Anambra State’s Onitsha Drugs Dealers Association have insisted that the Onitsha Bridgehead Drugs Market is not a “dumping ground” for fake and hard drugs.
The association was responding to reports that the National Association of Nigeria Drugs Monitoring had recently raided the Onitsha Bridge market for fake and expired drugs.
However, speaking at a press conference in the market on Thursday, the association’s Chairman, Chukwuleta Ndubuisi, dismissed the report as false, claiming that no agency raided the market for fake and adulterated drugs.
Ndubuisi, flanked by members of the association, denied involvement in the production and distribution of fake, expired, unwholesome, counterfeit, and substandard drugs in the ‘Ogbogwu market.’
He stated that the group is working in synergy and collaboration with regulatory agencies to ensure that counterfeit and adulterated drugs do not enter the market. He claimed that reports of drug dealers dealing in fake and counterfeit products were the work of miscreants looking to reap what they did not sow.
The group also stated that they have a task force in place that monitors their members’ activities in terms of fakery and hard drugs and reports back to NAFDAC and NDLEA.
“Count us out of the production and sale of fake and adulterated drugs,” Ndubuisi said. We do not know where these rumour mongers and peddlers get their information, but we want to inform the general public through this medium that such an allegation is frivolous, unfounded, and cheap blackmail spread by faceless individuals to sabotage the Union’s efforts to ensure that the market is free of counterfeit drugs.
“It is on record that this incumbent executive, led by my humble self, unleashed its task force on the entire market shortly after taking office, with the goal of ridding it of any form of fake, expired, counterfeit, and unwholesome products, including narcotics and hard drugs.”


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Premier Drnovšek to Pay Official Visit To Croatia Friday
Ljubljana, 11 December - SLOVENIA/CROATIA/DRNOVŠEK/BACKGROUND
Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Drnovšek is scheduled to pay a one-day official visit to Zagreb on Friday, where he will meet with Croatia'a top officials. Drnovšek and his Croatian counterpart Zlatko Mateša will sign a free trade agreement between the governments of Slovenia and Croatia.**
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Research In Motion Ltd. will offer up the overhauled BlackBerry OS 6.0 next quarter, along with a new Web browser. While no one should expect the refreshes to be earth-shatteringly different, the goal is to make BlackBerrys more accessible and intuitive. The corporate-focused, static interface has long been a gripe, especially of consumers who aren’t interested in using BlackBerry for business. And that, in turn, has driven them to more flexible platforms like iPhone and Android.
“We’ll do our best,” said Co-Chief Executive Officer Mike Lazaridis, at a conference in Orlando, in making 6.0 reverse-compatible and rolled out across a number of devices, but cautioned it wouldn’t be an upgrade for all models. OS 6.0 is optimized for trackpads and toushcreen devices.
As to new functionality, he said RIM set out to “fix the things that people wanted to see fixed,” he said, quashing rumors of an entirely new look and feel. The new OS will be “very familiar to anyone who’s used the BlackBerry,” he added.
But there will be some significant, and overdue, updates. They include a real Internet browser that can show Web pages as they would look on a computer, a customizable home screen with a digital clock a la HTC Android, tile shortcuts to music, the Web and e-mail like the iPhone and a broader focus on BlackBerry App World widgets that can be downloaded over the air and are either billed to the carrier or paid via credit card. An overhauled music player will take a page from the iPhone too, and will display album art.
In short, BlackBerry is adding table-stakes smartphone functionality that consumers have come to expect out of their iPhones and Android devices.
Very little else was revealed at the conference when it comes to the OS 6.0, but it’s clear that between this announcement and the unveiling of the BlackBerry Pearl 3G on Monday, geared to the consumer market, BlackBerry is still trying to capture the hearts and minds of the non-corporate set with a highly targeted product roadmap.
Ever think, "Does my company have the right mobile strategy for this era?" Find out how you can help your clients a… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
October 18 2019 @ 20:15:05 UTC
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October 18 2019 @ 15:43:02 UTC


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Skye Bowie, an 18-365 days-archaic whine material creator on TikTok, started her fable in early 2022. And along with her posts about yoga, vogue and diverse standard of living whine material, she quickly grew her following to over 82,000 all over the 365 days. But in contemporary months, with the legislative threats to ban TikTok from govt units(and even altogether within the U.S.), Bowie is one among a assortment of creators disturbed about the destiny of the app, as they net got invested time and belongings to grow followings and stable price deals explicit to TikTok.
“It’s been a pioneer and a trailblazer for assorted apps within the an identical dwelling,” said Bowie. “There are rather heaps of corporations that income off of making whine material themselves on TikTok or doing it thru of us like us, so it has rather heaps of social and financial dominance in our society. Taking it away is like keen backwards; practically like bringing our cyber net, or a minimal of this structure of the cyber net, help to pre-Covid.”
The ban on the desk
Federal laws prohibiting govt workers from the employ of TikTok on govt-owned units and computer networks has obtained traction in contemporary months. And this month, New Jersey and Ohio will join 12 assorted states in banning the employ of the favored video app on govt-owned and managed units.
This push to potentially ban TikTok is mainly the most well liked switch by the U.S. govt relating to the app. Old curiosity banning TikTok at some stage within the Trump administration had entrepreneurs disturbed, however the ban did no longer advance to fruition.
Whatever the legislative curiosity in curbing the app’s instruct within the U.S., TikTok noticed a surge of miniature corporations customers in 2022 who archaic the app alongside creators and influencers who had built their followings on the platform already. The corporations joined TikTok because it persevered to grow in recognition, especially amongst Gen Z, making it more appealing to producers attempting to hunt down the attention of youthful demographics.
On the an identical time, questions remain about info privateness on TikTok — a serious topic on the center of the legislative curiosity. As an illustration, ByteDance, TikTok’s China-basically based dad or mum company, is the employ of the app to video display explicit U.S. voters’ locations. And a unfold of methods are archaic to net user info, along with scanning laborious drives and geolocating units every hour, gaining access to calendars, and gathering contact lists, in accordance to Wired. It is unclear what info a out of the country govt can also maintain about customers, such as disclose and private messages.
Creators speak apprehension
Even so, creators and those that work with creators desire to withhold increasing their audiences on the app. As an illustration, Bowie created her TikTok fable to share her like of yoga with the target market she surprisingly obtained, and soon her fable grew to consist of sharing items of her standard of living. “Even though it on the origin started out as a stress-free puny ardour, I fell in like with the artistic route of on the help of making these construct of videos,” she said.
Bowie’s no longer alone. Other creators and company executives are additionally allowing for the aptitude disruption. One of those is Elma Beganovich, co-CEO of digital advertising and marketing company Amra and Elma. She has 2 million followers all over social channels and said that a ban of the app will be a mistake.
“If the govtremoved TikTok all collectively, no doubt producers can also no longer work with creators and influencers, largely Gen Z, and attain that hearken to personnel that with out problems,” said Beganovich, whose whine material specializes in standard of living.
“Any interruption or ban on TikTok would invariably net an impress on thousands of creators making a stout or supplemental residing on the platform,” said Ryan Detert, CEO of advertising and marketing company Influential. He added that many miniature corporations that employ TikTok bought started at some stage within the pandemic and net been ready to grow their producers on the platform. “And by proxy, technologies and agencies will be adversely affected with upwards of fifty% of spends on creator campaigns occurring on TikTok,” he said.
With all that being said, some pros hope that TikTok’s dad or mum company will work with the govtto tweak its practices and delight in a ways from a that it’s good to deem ban.
Jeff Duncan, CEO of Talent Administration Company, which represents TikTok stars like influencer Renee Estella and Chole Veitch of Netflix’s “Too Hot to Deal with,” said he believes ByteDance has to alter its practices and agree to some level of laws. “Rest assured, if a ban within the United States occurs, it will likely be the first domino to tumble and I in fact feel it’s no longer going for an $11 billion buck company to abdominal a entire ban,” he said.
A TikTok ban would disrupt the procedure in which smaller producers and whine material creators employ the app on a every single day foundation. Convey-to-client duration care price Viv, skincare price In actuality, Crumbl Cookies and Chosen Meals are all producers that no longer simplest fabricate whine material for the platform, but they net got additionally built their delight in natural communities as a consequence. Throughout 2022, entrepreneurs turned to TikTok to focal point more on advertising and marketing to Gen Z on fable of they train more time on the app than on Instagram and Facebook.
Thinking previous TikTok — precise in case
Given the possibility of TikTok being puny one way or the opposite, entrepreneurs and company pros ponder creators must construct determined they’re no longer overly reliant on the platform.
“Now we net been telling our creators for a whereas to hedge themselves and affect up their community on assorted platforms precise in case the app is banned,” said Harry Gestetner, founder and co-CEO of whine material creator market Fanfix. “Although this bill has bipartisan toughen, I ponder this will be extremely unpopular with Gen Z and sure ruin politicians’ recognition with young voters.”
Although creators can also resolve price deals to assorted apps, whine material formats would likely net to be assorted and the rates they’re paid can also decline if there are fewer views on assorted platforms when put next with TikTok, in accordance to Gestetner. “That being said, the TikTok algorithm is terribly efficient at sniffing out adverts and limiting the attain of promotional posts, so there could be a possibility that these promotions would enhance engagement on YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels,” said Gestetner.
Duncan added that Talent Administration Company will lunge where the producers require them to be. “Brands need eyes so wherever the overall public goes, the producers will observe,” said Duncan.
A TikTok creator can train thousands of hours investing in creating whine material, from shooting on disclose to styling their wardrobes, hair and make-up, and hiring a videographer to movie videos, in accordance to Beganovich. If an all-out ban net been to occur, it’d be a large loss of investment for creators, each financially and inquisitive about the time they’ve spent constructing their audiences.
In conserving with Bowie and Beganovich, their follower communities would additionally depart if the platform confronted a ban, and it’d be practically no longer doable to copy those communities in assorted locations.
Beganovich said she spoke with assorted TikTok creators and influencers, and the census amongst creators is trepidation. “It’s a in fact provoking belief that inside of a day somebody can erase any prospect of your livelihood, from endorsements to puny assortment deals with advertisers to perks, in fact anything,” said Beganovich. “It’s the prospect of your worst nightmare as a creator coming correct.”


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Amazon India has committed nearly $7 million worldwide through various grant programs for aspiring entrepreneurs from under represented communities, who are passionate about building great teams and working in the logistics sector. As part of the Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program, Amazon India is encouraging participation of women, persons with disability, and people from the LGBTQIA+ community to start their logistics business. Amazon provides support infrastructure, technology, and access to a suite of services, enabling small businesses to thrive and deliver for customers.
Through the grants, aspiring entrepreneurs will be financially supported to cover some startup costs of setting up the business. Those with no prior logistics experience can also apply for the grant and participate in the program. The shortlisted entrepreneurs will be further assisted with access to Amazon's sophisticated delivery technology and hands-on training.
"Since its inception in India, the DSP program has not only aided Amazon in providing growth opportunities to SMBs, but it has also enabled us to expand our delivery network into the country's hinterlands. We are pleased to offer a special grant to women and other underrepresented communities joining the program to evolve the entrepreneurship ecosystem in logistics. Amazon’s mission is to be earth’s most customer-centric company, and this mission is central to our work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Amazon customers benefit from diversity of thought. We believe it is good for our business, but our commitment is based on something more fundamental than that – it’s simply right,” says Dr. Karuna Shankar Pande, Director, Last Mile Operations, India.
At Amazon, building strong teams who understand their communities is the most difficult challenge in growing a delivery network, and small business owners are the best at it. They attract and develop excellent associates, while the DSP program provides logistics expertise, technology, and other resources to help their businesses succeed.
Rachna Kher, an Amazon Delivery Service Partner from Pune, says, “The journey from the corporate sector to a successful entrepreneur as Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner has been an enriching experience. Embarking on this journey with my business partner Priya Junagade in 2018 wasn’t easy, but we decided to dream big and chase our dreams. As part of the program, Amazon has provided us with all the required knowledge, training, and skills to build a strong business foundation."
Delhi-based Karina Bhasin says that she started her journey as an Amazon Delivery Service Partner in 2017 along with her partner Rashi Yadav, to empower women and help them become financially independent. She says, "Being female entrepreneurs, it was initially challenging when we started our logistics business, but Amazon has supported us at every step with knowledge, training, and abilities that we needed to establish a solid business foundation. Today, we have more than 20 women delivery associates across our 4 delivery stations.”
The Delivery Service Partner program offers an excellent opportunity for those who are looking to run a full-time business, have experience coaching teams, and are comfortable in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.
“After spending more than 25 years in the corporate sector, I decided to be my own boss and start my own business. I was driven to follow my passion for entrepreneurship and make a positive impact in people’s lives. I wanted to create a sustainable business that is not only fast-paced and dynamic, but also allows me to create opportunities for others. With Amazon's DSP Program, I felt that I could achieve all of this and more. Today, it gives me a sense of pride that I have been able to build a business with the help of Amazon and I have enabled more than 70 delivery associates with a meaningful work opportunity,” says Radha, Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner from Chennai.
In 2021, Amazon expanded the Delivery Service Partner program in India to support aspiring entrepreneurs to develop and launch their delivery services, even for people with no prior delivery expertise. Amazon India now has over 350 entrepreneurs who are part of the program, with more opportunities for diverse partners to build their own businesses.
Over the years, the DSP Program is a network of more than 1,000 delivery stations around the world, and has expanded to more than 14 countries, including United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Brazil, The Netherlands, India, Belgium, and Austria. We most recently launched the program in Saudi Arabia, which is the first Middle Eastern country where the DSP program operates.
To learn more about Amazon India’s DSP program, go here.


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It’s been a hazy and confusing road to opening a cannabis store on Mississauga First Nation.
But Reg Niganobe, the chief of the community on the north shore of Lake Huron, says he was expecting a bumpy ride.
“It’s what we figured,” he says. “Because we’re in a grey area.”
Mississauga had originally planned to open its own marijuana shop, following its own regulatory regime, but has now decided to join the provincial system.
It is one of eight First Nations chosen in a recent lottery to open cannabis stores licensed through the Ontario government.
Niganobe says the provincial system helps take away the guess work when it comes to the safety of the product and of the community, which was the main concern he heard from citizens in Mississauga.
“I think it’ll be fruitful, but I’m not sure it’ll be that big of an industry. There will be those who are successful and those who aren’t,” he says.
“There’s just so much uncertainty behind what’s going to happen later on.”
And some of that uncertainty is over whose rules First Nations pot shops will be governed by.
Negotiations are underway on a federal cannabis framework, that would see Indigenous communities run their own marijuana system, from grow-op to dispensary, separate from the provincial network.
Former Serpent River First Nation chief Isadore Day is part of those talks and now works as a consultant helping Indigenous governments with cannabis and other policy questions.
He feels joining the provincial system won’t be the boost for First Nations economies that could come with running their own cannabis regime.
“There’s really no room for First Nations to supply their own cannabis and participate in the full value chain,” says Day, who can see communities have more than one pot shop, each run under a different set of rules.
He calls cannabis a “jurisdictional watershed issue” that could help prove that Indigenous governments can run their own businesses and regulate health, public safety and education outside of the federal and provincial governments.
Some First Nations in the north are looking to set up their cannabis stores under their own laws.
Wahnapitae First Nation is drafting a bylaw that would regulate the two dispensaries that have been operating in the community north of Sudbury for over a year.
Both have been raided by police and Creator’s Choice owner Derek Roque is still facing criminal charges.
He says police haven’t visited since his community started looking at regulating cannabis, including the possibility of grandfathering in the existing stores and allowing Roque to continue to grow marijuana on reserve lands.
“I don’t know if we’d [look back and] laugh, we’d definitely be shaking our heads at the all the hoops we’ve had to jump through,” says Roque.
“It’s been extremely stressful for our families and for our community.”
While some First Nations governments are looking to open cannabis stores themselves, Roque thinks greater economic opportunities will come from allowing entrepreneurs like him to run pot shops.
“If we look at businesses that are run by governments or councils, they are not in the position to be strategic business people,” he says.