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A few days back, acting union finance minister Piyush Goyal expressed himself favouring printing of currency as a way of deficit financing, citing the example of the US. Dishing out the concept of printing money is not an ordinary one and is alarming.
The concept of printing the currency to fund the budget deficit is toying with the idea of helicopter money – a reference to an idea made popular by the American economist Milton Friedman in 1969. Here the basic principle is to increase broader economic activity and pushing the inflation up by putting more money in circulation in the market.
As printing of money to finance deficit increases inflation and is believed to be an attempt to extract more output in an under performing economy, it is potentially loaded with huge risks. Historically speaking, we don't find a sterling history whenever the governments have printed money to finance their deficits.
In 1920s, Weimar Germany was in grip of hyperinflation for three years. Beginning in August 1921, Germany began to buy foreign currency with Marks at any price, but that only sped up devaluing the Mark considerably. In 1923, the Mark had lost meaning with the exchange rate of one trillion Marks to one dollar. It was simply a financial tornado for Germans.
Zimbabwe too was caught in this precarious situation in the first part of this century. The facts reveal that there was a time when a 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar bill wasn't enough to buy a bus ticket in the country's capital. And this kind of hyperinflation scenario has gripped Venezuela right now.
These are the instances which show how easily things can spiral out of control when a government prints currency to finance its expenditures. As this helicopter money boosts inflation, increases interest rates and borrowing costs, it then becomes a dire need to print money every year to fund burgeoning deficit.
So, while looking at the experience of printing currency in other countries, it can easily be concluded that such a move doesn't increase economic output in any way, it merely causes inflation. And this increase in inflation is not good for economic health of the country. Government may double the supply of money, but the production of goods remains almost constant. You have more money in the system, but prices of commodities shot up. Precisely, printing more currency makes goods more expensive, but won't change the quantity of goods.
As far as inflation is concerned, it's loaded with inherent problems. It not only erodes value of savings, but reduces resources to save. It triggers increase in prices frequently and discourages investors, which means lower economic growth.
It's a common practice for governments to borrow money through bonds or any other financial instrument. These bonds are considered as safe for investment and it keeps inflation under control. By printing money to fund their expenditures, the inflation will shoot up and this would reduce the value of bonds. Falling value of bonds will keep investors away from bonds. To attract investors in high inflation scenario, the government would be raising interest rates to attract investors. Once inflation gets out of hand, it would be very difficult for the government to borrow money through bonds.
Precisely, printing money could create more problems than it solves. It has huge tendency to trigger collapse of economy. People would lose faith on currency and will store their wealth in foreign currencies.
However, printing money doesn't always cause inflation. As experts point out that the money supply depends not just on the monetary base, but the velocity of circulation (transactions) also matters. For example, if there is a sharp fall in transactions then it may be necessary to print money to avoid deflation. Experts point out that the Bank of England during the liquidity trap of 2008-2012, pursued quantitative easing (increasing the monetary base) but this only had a minimal impact on underlying inflation. This is because although banks saw an increase in their reserves, they were reluctant to increase bank lending.
However, a Central Bank increasing the money supply during a normal period of economic activity then it would cause inflation.
As far as scenario in India is concerned, it's better to nip the evil in the bud. Stop toying with the idea of printing currency.
(The views are of the author & not that of the institution he works for)


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POWELL RIVER, B.C.—There is a glaring disconnect in the world between economic growth trade and investment agreements. At the same time that Canada and other countries are pushing hard for huge multinational deals—the TPP, CETA and the U.S.-EU deal, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)—all the evidence suggests that global trade is on a long-term downward trend. Nothing in the near or middle-term future suggests that it will recover to anything like its China-driven peak. Financial Times analyst Martin Wolf recently argued bluntly that globalization no longer drives the world economy.
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The number of tourists that visit Cancun every year has steadily been on the rise since the Covid-19 pandemic started to wind down.
As with other businesses all around the world, though, Cancun hotels are having trouble keeping up with skyrocketing demand due to staff shortages.
This has been an ongoing problem in restaurants, bars, hotels, and other businesses since the end of the pandemic.
Where The Shortages Exist
At a recent job fair held by the Cancun and Puerto Morelos Hotel Association 20 hotels were looking to fill approximately 600 vacancies.
The shortage is particularly high for the positions of restaurant chefs and stewards.
According to one recruiter, this is because “It is difficult to hire people who are cooks or cooks assistants, because there are not many with experience, and… what they are looking for is rapid growth, and if you don’t give [it to] them, then they just leave.”
@cancunvacationsecrets Top 10 Cancun All Inclusive Resorts With Prices #ShowOffLandOFrost #cancun #rivieramaya #cancunvacationsecrets #mexico #cancunallinclusive #vacationmode ♬ Paradise – Bazzi
How Hotels Are Addressing The Problem
In addition to holding job fairs, hotel position recruiters are employing a number of other methods to recruit new staff as well.
One recruiter stated that “Not only are we recruiting people via the Internet and social networks, but now we are taking to the streets to look for our staff.”
According to that recruiter, they even have people in shopping centers, supermarkets, and parks trying to bring on more workers.
@carryonwithcharlie Royalton Chic Cancun is a MUST if you’re in need of a VIBE! 🔥 #cancun #resortour #mexico #fyp #royaltonresorts #royaltonchiccancun #vacationideas #birthdaytrip #grouptrip #solotravel #thingstodoincancun ♬ original sound – zivsoundz
Cancun Tourism During The Pandemic
Even during the pandemic, once everything started opening back up in June of 2020, Cancun tourism immediately began to bounce back.
During the pandemic, Cancun received nearly 3 million visitors, thanks to the more lax restrictions and continuing connectivity.
A total of 2.7 million of those visitors were American travelers.
And in the months following the reopening, more than 6 million tourists visited the Mexican Caribbean vacation destination.
@letsgoheree Jet skis in Cancun, is a MUST! #HappyHolidays #GiftOfGame #cancun #mexicantiktok #cancunmexico #cancun2020 ♬ Calma (Remix) – Pedro Capo X Farruko
Cancun Tourism Since The Pandemic
Following the pandemic, starting in 2021, tourism numbers began to skyrocket and have continued to rise since.
In fact, for that year, more tourists visited Cancun than anywhere else in the world other than Dubai, making it the second most visited city in the world.
This is a huge jump from the place it held in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time Cancun was not even among the top 20 most visited destinations.
@cancunhoy Cancun noviembre 23, 2020 #cancun #cancunhoy #cancun2020 #cancún #beach #climacancún #cancunweather #cancunmexico #caribe #caribbean #sincovid19 ♬ sonido original – Cancún hoy
Resorts In Cancun
Part of the reason for the huge success of tourism in Cancun is the large offering of accommodations available for the increasing demand.
There are more than 100 hotels and resorts throughout the city, with options both in the downtown area and in the famous Cancun Hotel Zone, as well as in more secluded developments on the outskirts of the city.
Many of these are huge, sprawling all-inclusive resorts that require a large number of staff to operate.
@jordanartman one of our favorite all inclusive resorts⛱🦀👒 #mexico #traveltok #traveltiktok #resortreview #traveltips #cancun #allinclusive ♬ Too Good – Drake
The Future Of Cancun Tourism
Last year Cancun broke numerous tourism records, hosting more than 30 million tourists during the year.
This is around 10 million more visitors than the tourist destination had in 2021, the first full year following the end of the pandemic.
In 2022, Cancun International Airport became the second busiest airport in the world, with well over 500 flights operating from the airport on many days throughout the year, and that trend has continued into this year.
@kierabruce Paradise on earth🌴🐠 #fyp #cancun #cancunmexico #riucancun #riuhotels #cancunvacation #mexico #travel #traveltiktok #irishinvancouver #traveltips #placestotravel #placestovisit #holiday #cancunresort #thingstodocancun ♬ Me Gustas Tu – Manu Chao
Hosting Millions Of Tourists
Currently, there is a 9 percent staff deficit in Cancun hotels, making it difficult to properly host the millions of tourists that will visit this year.
Still, the hospitality in Cancun’s luxury all-inclusive resorts continues to be top-notch.
And it will likely get even better as the staffing shortages decline due to the efforts of hotel and tourism industry officials.
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The most recent Qualys report has unveiled concerning figures of rising critical vulnerabilities, reaching a peak in 2023. Darren Humphries, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Acora, provides insights on this pressing issue.
Darren Humphries highlights an urgent aspect of the current cyber security landscape: "Addressing the challenge of patching speed is critical. With 74% of businesses struggling to patch quickly enough, there is a need for a fresh perspective on understanding the attack surface and prioritising vulnerabilities."
The struggle to patch quickly enough, as Ponemon states, results in patches taking an average of 102 days to be implemented. Humphries suggests aligning with Gartner's stance on exposure management, where the focus shifts away from a high quantity of potential vulnerabilities and instead targets the ones that could severely affect essential systems such as payment systems or data servers.
Humphries prompts, "Are brands and companies finding it challenging to patch quickly because they're attempting to tackle every potential vulnerability rather than prioritising their 'crown jewels'? I believe that this is the case. Recognising and prioritising what truly matters in terms of attack surface and vulnerability is crucial."
Humphries stresses the importance of adopting a thorough approach to safeguarding, emphasising the need for a comprehensive strategy. This involves incorporating risk assessments, meticulous supply chain diligence, a robust patch management strategy, and innovative defence mechanisms to minimise the attack surface. The key focus should be on prioritising the protection of critical business assets and avoiding distractions by steering clear of non-essential elements in the security framework.
Humphries says, "It is essential to embrace risk assessments, supply chain diligence, rigorous patch management strategy, and innovative defences to reduce the attack surface. The emphasis should be on protecting vital business assets first, steering clear of distractions in the non-essentials."
Given that 74% of brands face patching challenges according to the statistics above, Humphries proposes that a systematic approach to prioritising vulnerabilities, especially those considered high-risk, could significantly fortify the cyber security landscape.
Darren Humphries' credentials exemplify his knowledge in this domain, as he has had a distinguished career with Fortune 100 Cyber Security suppliers and played a pivotal role in the development of Gartner-evaluated services. As a CISO at Acora, Humphries' adaptability in leadership, coupled with a results-oriented approach, has been influential in the cybersecurity milieu.
As part of his contribution, Humphries engages in key cybersecurity dialogues and continues to offer valuable insights on topics such as AI and quantum threats. These contributions help shape the discourse around future cyber issues.
As a company, Acora is recognised for its experience-led approach. This progressive technology services provider strives to strike a balance between a frictionless user experience and top-level security, thereby enabling businesses to reach their full potential.


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If you were to weigh all of the editorial that has been written about the Internet – the most exciting, disruptive communications platform ever created – I bet 75% of that edit would be about how it is tearing the stomach out of "old school" media ventures. Skype is killing telephone company landline revenue. Peer-to-peer music services have killed CD sales. Craigslist has halved newspaper classified revenue. Email has us on the verge of a 4-day postal service. Need I go on?
Not enough has been written about the money making side of the Internet…and that’s because there’s not a lot of that going on. If Web 1.0 was about ubiquity and connectivity and Web 2.0 is/was about usability, search and community, then Web (dare I type it) 3.0 is about revenue.
What is going on at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference this week in Boston is all about revenue. Not about selling widgets or hard and soft goods but about how to make companies more efficient. The real breakthrough after companies are more efficient will be innovation. Innovation the likes of which we have never before seen. We will cure cancer, solve the energy crisis and even morph into a more peaceful planet when we create “social business design” solutions for our planet. (Thanks Dachis Corporation.) Oh yeah, it will create lots of money for corporations, too.
August 16, 2018 in Marketing
Ten percent more US citizens died of drug overdoses last year than did the year before. Drug manufacturers in the opioid and Fentanyl businesses are making money. I’m planning on swimming in the Maggie Fischer Cross Bay Swim next summer. It’s 5.25 miles and starts at slack tide — just before incoming tide. Were a […]
August 9, 2018 in Marketing
Marketing is about crowd building. Have you ever walked in a city, seen a long line of people and wondered what they are waiting for? Or seen 20 people on the street staring into a store window at a TV? Crowds have a gravitational pull. When searching YouTube for an unfamiliar music artist, do you […]
August 8, 2018 in Marketing
The New York Times reported today that the top social media platforms are either flat or declining in users. For the first time in its young life Snap is down daily active users — 3 million this quarter compared to same qtr. last year. This news causes bosses to call marketing brainstorm sessions about adding […]
August 7, 2018 in Marketing
I’m not much of a cook but I’m certainly a student. What’s The Idea? uses a number of cooking metaphors in its daily operation. Many of the tenets of good cooking are also valuable in brand strategy. One such tenet is “Don’t use too many ingredients.” The more ingredients used, the more likely the main […]
August 3, 2018 in Marketing
Starbucks idea to deliver coffee (in China) is a bad one. I’m no economist but adding overhead to the business by way of delivery personnel, equipment, insurance (ish), and degradation of product (e.g., cold coffee) is a lose-lose. But more importantly, if you make the coffee and tea more available during different dayparts in an […]
August 2, 2018 in Marketing
This morning’s news included a piece on Conde Nast shuttering 3 big magazine properties. The company lost in excess of $120M last year keeping print properties churning. Magazines have been under web attack for over a decade. Magazines aren’t in the readership business, they’re in the entertainment and enlightenment business. As audio and video production […]
August 1, 2018 in Marketing
I was doing a little web research on a company yesterday and started looking for signs of a brand strategy on the “About” page. Atop the About page sat this quote. “Customers are the most important people in any business.” Many would find it hard to disagree with the statement. When writing market plans I […]


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A year ago, the world learned that Facebook allowed a political consulting company called Cambridge Analytica to exploit the personal information of up to 87 million users, to obtain data that would help the company’s clients “fight a culture war” in America.
Since then, a torrent of reports has revealed that the Cambridge Analytica scandal was part of a much broader pattern of misconduct by Facebook.
It has paid teenagers to spy on their behavior, even asking users “to screenshot their Amazon order history page,” according to the website TechCrunch. The company has secretly collected highly sensitive data through the back doors of other apps, such as ovulation trackers, to target ads at users “even if no Facebook account is used to log in and if the end user isn’t a Facebook member,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
And in its pursuit of dominance, Facebook gave at least 60 device makers direct access to its users’ data. Those actions are under criminal investigation, The Times reported last week. Facebook has also engaged in campaigns to obstruct congressional oversight and to smear and discredit critics — tactics reminiscent of the big tobacco playbook.
After each misdeed becomes public, Facebook alternates between denial, hollow promises and apology campaigns.
But nothing changes. That’s why, as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, I am calling for an investigation into whether Facebook’s conduct has violated antitrust laws.
Since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the Federal Trade Commission has confirmed that it is investigating Facebook to determine whether it violated a consent order it entered into with the commission in 2011.
While we await the outcome of the commission’s investigation, other enforcement agencies and government authorities have already taken action. The attorney general for the District of Columbia filed a complaint months ago. German antitrust authorities issued an order finding that Facebook abused its dominance and limiting Facebook’s data collection practices. And an investigation by the British Parliament compared Facebook to a company of “digital gangsters” that considers itself “ahead of and beyond the law.”
The F.T.C. is facing a massive credibility crisis.
For years, privacy advocates have alerted the commission that Facebook was likely violating its commitments under the agreement. Not only did the commission fail to enforce its order, but by failing to block Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram, it enabled Facebook to extend its dominance.
How the commission chooses to respond to Facebook’s repeated abuses will determine whether it is willing or able to promote competition and protect consumers. If the commission does conclude that Facebook has violated the consent order, how it fixes this problem through a legal remedy will be a test of its effectiveness. The commission has the authority to impose substantial fines on Facebook. Given that the corporation had more than billion in revenue in 2018 alone, even a fine in the low billions of dollars will amount to a slap on the wrist, a mere cost of doing business.
Moreover, because Facebook is a repeat offender, it is critical that the commission’s response is strong enough to prevent future violations. America’s laws are not suggestions. When a company has repeatedly shown contempt for its legal commitments, the remedy must change how the company operates. Enforcement agencies can do this through deep reforms of the company’s structure. This includes removing members of the company’s board, or even top executives, along with other changes to the company’s business model to address dysfunction at the top.
The F.T.C. can also pursue other ways to fix this problem. For example, after German antitrust enforcers found that Facebook abused its dominant market position, it required Facebook to stop combining different sources of its users’ data without their consent.
But the commission should not stop there.
There is also mounting evidence of anticompetitive conduct by Facebook that may warrant scrutiny by federal antitrust enforcers. For example, the social media goliath has reportedly systematically spied on its rivals, giving it valuable information on how people used competitive products.
Facebook’s predatory acquisition strategy has also arguably resulted in fewer innovative services. When it bought TBH, a polling app popular with teenagers, Facebook announced that the app would still operate independently and under its own brand. Less than a year later, Facebook scuttled it due to “low usage.”
Facebook also appears to have used its dominance to cripple other competitive threats by cutting them off from its massive network. In 2013, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, personally approved the company’s decision to block Vine, a fast-growing rival, from a critical Facebook feature, to the advantage of its own online video service.
Finally, in what looks to be a dangerous power grab to head off antitrust action, Facebook recently announced plans to merge Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook into one integrated product, furthering its monopoly power.
Together, these reports suggest a disturbing pattern of anticompetitive conduct. Watchdogs and consumers alike report that the quality of Facebook’s products has declined. It has killed innovation and eliminated competitive threats. And the price for advertising on the platform has continued to rise.
In other words, there is a smoking gun.
American antitrust agencies have not pursued a significant monopoly case in more than two decades, even as corporate concentration and monopoly power have reached historic levels.
It’s clear that serious enforcement is long overdue.
David N. Cicilline, a member of the House of Representatives, is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law.
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【又】【过】【了】【一】【些】【日】【子】，【顾】【琉】【熙】【总】【算】【满】【足】【容】【斯】【白】【的】【愿】【望】，【跟】【他】【合】【作】【开】【了】【一】【家】【羊】【肉】【汤】【馆】。 【这】【汤】【馆】【主】【打】【招】【牌】【是】【一】【道】“【羊】【肉】【火】【锅】”，【用】【最】【鲜】【嫩】【的】【羊】【肉】【熬】【出】【来】【浓】【汤】，【涮】【上】【其】【他】【菜】【肴】【和】【羊】【肉】【羊】【肚】【等】，【就】【跟】【现】【代】【吃】【火】【锅】【一】【样】。 【为】【了】【去】【腥】【味】，【会】【用】【香】【菜】【和】【小】【米】【辣】【等】【食】【料】。【羊】【肉】【火】【锅】【在】【当】【朝】【从】【未】【出】【现】【过】，【汤】【锅】【鲜】【美】【可】【口】，【菜】【肴】【也】【好】【吃】【得】【不】
【玄】【劫】，【是】【圣】【者】【与】【神】【圣】【之】【间】【的】【一】【次】【蜕】【变】，【它】【与】【天】【劫】【不】【同】，【它】【并】【非】【只】【以】【雷】【为】【形】【态】【降】【临】，【而】【是】【以】【一】【种】【特】【殊】【的】【方】【式】，【落】【在】【修】【士】【身】【上】，【形】【成】【那】【一】【次】【次】【的】【崩】【溃】。 【玄】【劫】【若】【度】【过】【不】【去】，【则】【形】【神】【俱】【灭】，【故】【而】【很】【多】【圣】【者】【修】【士】，【对】【于】【玄】【劫】【颇】【为】【忌】【惮】，【宁】【可】【永】【久】【的】【停】【留】【在】【圣】【者】【中】，【也】【不】【愿】【去】【面】【对】，【那】【让】【人】【心】【惊】【的】【九】【次】【玄】【劫】！ 【如】【当】【年】【在】【上】【苍】【时】2017年香港总彩每期信息【海】【选】【结】【束】【后】【的】【第】【三】【天】，【青】【年】【赛】【的】【正】【赛】【终】【于】【要】【开】【始】【了】。 【这】【个】【进】【度】【比】【往】【年】【都】【要】【更】【快】【一】【些】，【一】【来】【是】【因】【为】【今】【年】【海】【选】【赛】【程】【时】【间】【有】【点】【长】，【现】【在】【都】【已】【经】8【月】【中】【旬】【了】，【二】【来】【则】【是】【因】【为】【今】【年】【搅】【局】【的】【人】【太】【多】。 【本】【来】【海】【选】【结】【束】【后】【的】【这】【几】【天】【时】【间】【是】【约】【定】【俗】【成】【留】【给】【联】【盟】【和】【各】【大】【财】【团】【签】【人】【的】，【奈】【何】【今】【年】【进】【正】【赛】【的】【选】【手】【里】【自】【由】【人】【太】【少】，【所】【以】【这】【个】【时】
【拉】【斯】【特】【见】【着】【那】【灰】【光】【在】【视】【线】【中】【逐】【渐】【放】【大】，【拉】【斯】【特】【并】【未】【慌】【忙】，【举】【起】【剑】【迎】【面】【而】【上】，【一】【剑】【正】【对】【灰】【光】【劈】【了】【下】【去】。 【这】【一】【剑】，【不】【光】【是】【代】【表】【着】【寒】【冷】【力】【量】【的】【蓝】【光】【大】【放】，【更】【有】【一】【抹】【暗】【淡】【色】【调】【的】【七】【彩】【光】【芒】【晕】【染】【在】【蓝】【光】【之】【间】，【看】【上】【去】【煞】【是】【奇】【幻】。 【那】【边】【的】【雷】【诺】【刚】【刚】【挣】【脱】【束】【缚】【感】【知】【到】【了】【这】【一】【幕】，【顿】【时】【面】【色】【一】【惊】，【想】【不】【到】【拉】【斯】【特】【的】【悟】【性】【竟】【然】【这】【么】【高】
【皇】【帝】、【公】【主】、【收】【拾】【好】【回】【来】。 【霍】【青】【嬅】【和】boss【也】【没】【走】，【戏】【没】【结】【束】。 【公】【主】、【还】【有】【那】【些】【女】【人】，【一】【个】【比】【一】【个】【娇】【花】。 【娴】【静】【时】【如】【娇】【花】【照】【水】，【行】【动】【处】【似】【弱】【柳】【扶】【风】。【合】【一】【块】【就】【是】【水】【性】【乂】【杨】【花】。 【女】【人】【就】【那】【些】【节】【目】，【抚】【琴】【跳】【舞】。 【一】【个】【美】【人】【跳】【着】【跌】【倒】【在】【地】，【嘤】【嘤】【一】【声】，【就】【跌】【在】【王】【圣】【师】【附】【近】。 【王】【圣】【师】【像】【打】【盹】。 【又】【一】
【木】【叶】【忍】【者】【村】，【忍】【备】【部】【特】【殊】【监】【控】【室】【之】【外】【的】【走】【廊】【里】。 【面】【具】【男】【宇】【智】【波】【斑】【淡】【然】【的】【站】【在】【那】，【看】【着】【走】【廊】【尽】【头】【的】【那】【个】【忍】【者】。【对】【方】【穿】【着】【的】【就】【是】【最】【普】【通】【的】【暗】【部】【忍】【者】【作】【战】【服】，【带】【着】【的】【也】【是】【一】【张】【很】【平】【常】【的】【猫】【面】【具】，【不】【过】【面】【具】【男】【却】【很】【清】【楚】【对】【方】【的】【身】【份】。 “【鼬】，【你】【知】【道】【吗】？【本】【来】【我】【们】【可】【以】【分】【享】【这】【个】【世】【界】【的】。” 【猫】【形】【面】【具】【之】【下】，【是】【鼬】【那】【独】【特】我认为念完上文，您应当会了解"2017年香港总彩每期信息"了吧？早已在上述文章为大伙儿作出了解读，坚信诸位看了以后应该可以弄懂呀


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Samsung has launched "SUHD" TVs, but despite the new term they're based on good old LCD technology. Here's what you need to know.
Next Big Thing
Technically Incorrect: Some mysterious wag has decided to implant a rude image on Google Maps in Pakistan. A twisted celebration of the Apple Watch launch, perhaps?
Which has the most apps? Which has the coolest features? Which one is the best? The most popular streamers all have their merits, so we'll help you decide which box is right for you.
David Cameron faces criticism for vowing to target encrypted messaging apps, and President Obama stirs up privacy concerns with his latest plan to fight cybercrime.
After a bootleg version leaked late Thursday, Warner Bros. officially releases a dark and gritty trailer for next year's 'Batman v Superman.'
With so many ways to stream an endless amount of music, how do you choose? Let this guide help you decide which music streaming subscription is right for your tastes and listening style.
Office of the Indian prime minister changes its Twitter handle and won't give access to newly elected PM Narendra Modi.
Asking whether terrorists should be given safe spaces to talk, David Cameron pledges to tighten laws that could challenge WhatsApp and other messaging apps.
The e-commerce firm is set to bring its well-known brown delivery boxes to the trunks of customers' cars -- but only in a German test program.
The Korean electronics maker, best known for TVs and mobile devices, also makes the processors powering those devices. Here's why it's now angling to be first with new chip technology.


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ALPHARETTA, GA – Agilysys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGYS), a leading global provider of next-generation SaaS and on-premise hospitality software solutions and services, today announced that it has hired Terrie O’Hanlon as its chief marketing officer (CMO). In …
Spain has launched a scheme to recruit Ukrainian refugees to work in hotels and other holiday accommodation.
You now need to combine both traditional and modern market segmentation, along with a deep understanding of post-pandemic trends to tailor your pricing and promotional strategy to win the revenue management game.
A woman with a severe peanut suffered a fatal anaphylactic shock after dining at a west London restaurant.
Conference and events venue Nicolson Square Edinburgh (NSE) has awarded a contract to catering company Eats to run its new 80-seat café as well as all event catering at the venue.
Dalata has signed contracts to sell its Clayton Crown hotel in London to a company controlled by AG Hotels Group for approximately £21m.
Paul Hackett, head of inspections and assessments at AA Hotel and Hospitality Services, has been appointed managing director of Luxury & Boutique Hotels (LBH), a marketing consortium for independent luxury UK hotels run and operated by hoteliers Gregor and Claire Ritchie.
Donnington Grove Hotel & Golf Club, a country manor house hotel in Newbury, Berkshire, has been brought to market for £10m.
The director of Gokyuzu Walthamstow was given fines totalling more than £70,000 on 6 May after the council found the restaurant guilty of two serious health and safety failures.


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Forbes list: Michael Jordan still sport’s highest paid retired star
Few people are able to jump as high as Michael Jordan — and it seems that goes for earnings in retirement too.
The 53-year-old basketball legend remains on top of the Forbes highest paid retired athletes list after comfortably easing out former English soccer player David Beckham and golf star Arnold Palmer in the process.
Jordan earned $110 million in 2015 thanks to sales of Nike’s Jordan brand increasing by 14%, according to Forbes. He also maintains lucrative relationships with brands such as Hanes, Gatorade, Five Star Fragrances and Upper Deck and is worth an estimated $1.1 billion despite retiring 13 years ago.
Beckham was the second highest earning star of the past year, up a place from 2013. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy player pulled in a cool $65 million thanks in part to partnerships with fashion brand Kent & Curwen and Chinese real estate firm Luneng.
Ex-England captain Beckham reportedly also retains hopes of acquiring an MLS soccer franchise in Miami in the years ahead.
Palmer took third spot with earnings of $40 million courtesy of his chain of golf equipment stores and drinks line. Former NBA star Junior Bridgeman ($32 million) an ex-American football player Jerry Richardson ($30 million) closed out the top five.
Bridgeman continues to rake in a handy sum from his long standing investment in restaurant franchises. Richardson has also had success in the restaurant business and is the owner of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise to boot.
The richest former athlete on the list, with an estimated net-worth of $1.5 billion, is Roger Penske. But the former race car driver and owner of the Penske Automotive Group only ranked eighth in 2015 earnings ($20 million), according to Forbes.
Forbes earning estimates include salaries, endorsements, licensing, speaking appearances, golf course design, book deals and partner distributions throughout 2015.
Other notable names on the list of 14 athletes include golfers Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, Soccer superstar Pele and one-time Basketball wonders Shaquille O’Neal and Ervin “Magic” Johnson. Li Na of China was the only woman and former tennis star on the list.
Highest paid retired athletes and earnings in 2015
Michael Jordan ($110 million)
David Beckham ($65 million)
Arnold Palmer ($40 million)
Junior Bridgeman ($32 million)
Jerry Richardson ($30 million)
Jack Nicklaus ($26 million)
Shaquille O’Neal ($22 million)
Roger Penske ($20 million)
Gary Player ($19 million)
Ervin “Magic” Johnson ($18 million)
Michael Strahan ($17 million)
Greg Norman ($15 million)
Pele ($14 million)
Li Na ($14 million)


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A few weeks ago, Blizzard initiated a campaign where players could buy a cosmetic skin from within the game. The proceeds would then go to charity and it seems it has been a massive success. Today in a post on their official website, Blizzard acknowledged the community and their contribution to the campaign
Thank you, heroes!
Together, we have raised over $12.7 million (USD) for @BCRFcure
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) July 9, 2018


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The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI)'s Chairman Khalid Abdulrahman Al-Moayyed and his accompanying delegation currently visiting the French Republic met representatives of French TV channels, newspapers and the media.
A seminar took place in the Kingdom's Embassy in the French capital, in the presence of the Kingdom of Bahrain's Chargé d'Affaires in France, Hussein Al Mahmoud.
The BCCI said that during the seminar, Al-Moayyed commended the level of growth and development of the bilateral relations in various fields.
The delegation's visit to France was to participate in the Arab-French Economic Forum hosted by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the slogan: "Strategic Partnership".
During their visit; the BCCI delegation members met several economy officials in France, including the Director of the French Minister of External Trade Office, the Director of Int'l Economic Partnership in the French Foreign Ministry, the Head of the Special Trade and Attractively Mission, the Director of Middle East Office in the Ministry of Economy, the Official in-charge of Bahrain's Dossier in the MENA Department in the French Foreign Ministry. They discussed ways and means of boosting and strengthening economic relations in various fields, stressing on the importance of mutual visits between commercial delegations from both countries in order to activate the economic relations.
A memoranda of understanding was signed between the Bahrain and the Paris chambers on business and investment cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the French Republic.


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In an exercise of megaphone diplomacy, Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest associates are seeking American consent to Russian "anti-terrorist" military intervention in the pro-Western country of Georgia. The Kremlin apparently hopes to goad Washington into an "Iraq-for-Georgia" tradeoff: It's signaling that Russia might not seriously object to U.S. military action against Saddam Hussein some months down the road, if America tacitly condones a Russian military action in Georgia right now.
Leading the Moscow chorus for intervention in Georgia are presidential spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Foreign Affairs Minister Igor Ivanov, Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov and foreign affairs committee chief Mikhail Margelov -- Mr. Putin's own teammates. Joining them for the purpose are some "usual suspects" among ultranationalists, such as the pet hardliner Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
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myGMDC expands services
The challenge GMDC chose to accept: How do you extend the productivity derived from GMDC meetings into a year-round, access-from-anywhere service that doesn’t require a 100-page user manual to start up? The solution: the recently reconstructed myGMDC, a members-only portal that gives access to a myriad of fresh services and education exclusive to GMDC members. That includes services like GMDC*Connect, which opens the door to high-definition video conferencing to member companies, or the new GM Hierarchy, a data repository created in partnership with Nielsen that measures the general merchandise business across the industry.
The fact is there are a lot of relatively new services that can be accessed through myGMDC. To bring attendees of the 2014 GMDC Health, Beauty and Wellness Marketing Conference up to speed on all of them, Keith Wypyszynski, GMDC VP business development and chief member officer, joined Michael Winterbottom, GMDC VP information technology and chief technology officer, on the stage Sunday afternoon to showcase the many services available.
Keith Wypyszynski, GMDC VP business development and chief member officer (left), and Michael Winterbottom, GMDC VP information technology and chief technology officer (right), spoke about GMDC’s services during Sunday’s business session.
GMDC*Connect is a free video conferencing tool that can make follow-ups after a GMDC conference both more efficient and less expensive. But it goes beyond being a tool member companies can use in conferencing with other member companies — they can use it for any purpose, including the facilitation of internal meetings or meetings with companies outside of GMDC. Only the host of the conference — which can field as many as 25 connections — needs to be a GMDC member. GMDC*Connect is compatible with any device, including legacy video conferencing systems, Winterbottom said. “You can also have an unlimited number of people watching that exchange in real time,” Winterbottom added.
With regard to the GM Hierarchy, GMDC plans to refresh it this fall, Wypyszynski said. Wypyszynski added that there also is an enhanced HBW section that tracks more than 60 health and beauty categories and is updated on a monthly basis. “We think these two services will now provide you a greater ability to look across all the non-food areas, not only health and beauty, but general merchandise for all of our members,” he said.
Another new service is GMDC’s Virtual Store Tour in partnership with RetailNetGroup. GMDC has been offering local store tours as part of its GM conference for several years, Winterbottom noted. Now those store tours are being hosted and archived online, which allows retailers and suppliers to review new store formats from anywhere in the world. “It’s a great way at looking at the top retail trends as seen around the world,” Wypyszynski said.
Members exploring the myGMDC site also will find that they have an industrywide online directory service at their fingertips, which enables them to identify any buyer or supplier by the categories they sell or buy. “If you truly want to maximize the value derived from your GMDC membership, one of the keys is to keep your profile fresh,” Winterbottom said.
GMDC also is leveraging the content delivered at its conferences to its website. For example, GMDC has already taken Saturday’s lunch presentation presented by Nielsen’s Todd Hale and NMI’s Maryellen Molyneaux and archived it on the site. “One thing that’s nice is through GMDC*Connect, we have the ability now to use the same video technology service and broadcast that live 365 days per year,” Wypyszynski noted. “We already have 16 presentations that have been made [available] through the service online. In addition to that, we have a number of whitepapers and research studies that are available.”
The bottom line: There are a number of new, technology-driven services available through myGMDC that are worth checking out.
Martire honored with Lifetime award
ORLANDO, Fla. — Energizer Household Products’ Lou Martire, VP trade development, was honored Saturday evening with the 2014 GMDC Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the industry. “This award was developed to really honor and acknowledge people who make a real difference in our industry,” said Bill Anderson, GMDC chairman and group VP at H-E-B. “They’re just very, very special people.”
GMDC showcased Martire’s career and family as part of a 15-minute video featuring accolades from personal industry friends, including Kevin Tripp, Bill Anderson and David McConnell, among others. “This year’s recipient of the lifetime achievement award is multifaceted, is passionate, is intelligent. He’s a great business person,” the video started. “He cares about trying to help others, whether it’s trying to help build your business or just help you be a better person.”
Lia Aldridge, Lou and Pat Martire, grandson Luca Aldridge, John Aldridge and grandson Camden Aldridge
A Rutgers graduate, Martire has been with Energizer since age 22. “Lou’s tenure with Energizer is pretty amazing. Forty-plus years is pretty incredible in today’s world where people move around. He was able to transition as the company transitioned, went from being a battery company, a household company, a beauty-care company, a personal care company; [he] never missed a beat.”
Joining him on stage in accepting the prestigious award was his daughter’s family — the Aldridges, including his two grandsons Luca and Camden. Martire instills a willingness to help others across his family, as both his daughter and his son-in-law are retail pharmacists.
GMDC also recognized the association’s two most-recent award recipients — Jerry Brown, 2012 GMDC Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, and Pharmavite’s Skip Aldridge, who was honored with the award in 2013.
See below for a replay of the video honoring Lou Martire.
GMDC Showcase: Hot OTC Products
ORLANDO, Fla. — Suppliers are given the opportunity to showcase their products for retail buyers at the GMDC Health, Beauty and Wellness Marketing Conference. Below, Drug Store News highlights some of the hot OTC products in the showcase this year.
Pain relief in liquid shot format is all the rage right now. For the 52 weeks ended Dec. 29, sales of internal analgesic liquids were up 5.6% to $390.3 million across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI. GM Pharmaceuticals’ VanaPain will only contribute to that escalating growth. GM Pharmaceuticals recently announced the addition of 8-oz. bottles to its line of liquid pain relief. The new bulk products for the chronic pain sufferer begin shipping in July, and the suggested retail price ranges from $7.99 to $9.99. Launched earlier this year in a liquid shot format, VanaPain and VanaPain PM provide pain relief for the consumer on the go. The pain relievers, retailing at a suggested price of $2.99 per shot, are formulated with 870 mg of choline salicylate, an NSAID, and 65 mg of caffeine.
Bayer introduced its energy supplement to buyers at the 2014 GMDC Health, Beauty and Wellness Marketing Conference. Called Berocca, the product may be new to U.S. consumers, but it already has a worldwide following, including in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. It’s a caffeine-free energy alternative that contains B vitamins to help the body release energy from food and to support vitality and stamina. Among other ingredients, it also contains biotin, which helps release energy from food, and magnesium, which works with B vitamins also to help the body release energy from food and keep the nervous system and muscles working properly.
Chattem displayed its IcyHot Smart Relief TENS Therapy product in the GMDC showcase, with a floor display featuring IcyHot spokesman Shaquille O’Neal. The external analgesic play offers a new option for those consumers seeking elusive relief from back pain or muscle soreness. Electrotherapy TENS units are a prescription-free, pain-relief option recommended by professionals and favored by a growing number of acute and chronic pain sufferers. TENS, which stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, uses gentle pulses to stimulate nearby nerves and is thought to scramble pain messages to the brain, stimulate the production of endorphins (the body’s natural pain reliever) and improve blood circulation.
Chattem also featured its Nasacort Allergy 24HR, which hit store shelves in February. In 10 weeks on the shelf, the nasal corticosteroid already has generated $33.6 million in sales across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI figures for the 52 weeks ended April 20. Part of the success of Nasacort Allergy 24HR nasal spray is an interactive shelf display at CVS/pharmacy, and others retailers, that gives a whole new meaning to the term “shelf talker.” With the press of a button, shoppers at the point of decision have the opportunity to watch a brief tutorial on what Nasacort is about and why they should consider Nasacort as their allergy remedy of choice.
eos, the Evolution of Smooth, displayed its seasonal colors/flavors for its eos lip balms. In a pink package, eos featured a strawberry sorbet flavor. Light blue is sweet mint, while summer fruit was represented by a deep red. The product’s unique ball shape lends itself as a gift-giving opportunity for such seasonal occasions as Easter. Shaped like an egg, many tweens received an eos lip balm in their Easter basket, according to the company. And the product has been flying off of shelves lately, generating almost $85.5 million in brand sales on triple-digit growth — up 125.2% to be exact — for the 52 weeks ended Jan. 26 across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI.


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Nokia, the Finnish mobile giant, has made significant announcements that are directly targeted at Apple’s iPhone and music service iTunes. Under the “Ovi” brand, a range of mobile and fixed Internet services are being launched that include music, games, and GPS navigation.
A quote from Nokia chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo in the article at VNUnet.com:
“We started this journey with our navigation services earlier this year and we are now combining all our services into a single branded offering. Over the coming 12 months, you will see us integrate new user interface elements, service suites, and Web communities to Ovi.”
Nokia will be introducing Nokia Music Stores, Nokia Maps, and Nokia Engage services under the Ovi brand, providing single account access to users. Kallasvuo also mentioned that Nokia had no qualms in copying innovative UI designs such as those in the iPhone. The Ovi services will be live at the end of this year.
More news links:
Nokia takes on iPhone, iTunes and the Internet (Red Herring)
Nokia announces four new phones, music and gaming services (Ars Technica)
The signs are clear. Just yesterday, I wrote about how the traditional mobile phones makers were lagging behind certain dynamic newcomers in the mobile industry. Nokia seems to be declaring an all out war on Internet companies by re-branding itself as an Internet services firm. With the acquisition of Tango, a social networking site, and with the announcement that the online music service will deliver music in WMA format, is Nokia certain to make a big difference in the domain of converging services ?


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Dr. Riza G. Abilgos-Ramos, nutritionist and supervising science research specialist at the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), was conferred the Scientist I rank by the Scientific Career Council of the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Science and Technology, April 22.
Dr. Abilgos-Ramos, through her research works, has developed complementary food and beverage from rice and locally-available, nutrient-dense, and low-cost crops designed for malnourished older infants, pre-school and school children, teenagers, and pregnant and lactating women.
She initiated the development of the buffalo ice cream bar enriched with vegetables and colored rice, which is being manufactured and sold since 2019 by Dairy Box of Catalanacan Multi-purpose Cooperative, and of the brown rice ice cream sandwich adopted by NutriDense Corporation.
She also developed the Macarse rice brew being sold by RiceBIS Zaragoza and has recently gained the One Town, One Product label from the Department of Trade and Industry. Women farmers were capacitated in producing and marketing these rice-based products for additional income.
The new scientist is a Distinguished Alumna awardee of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños in 2014 and a recipient of the Alumni Award of the International Fellowship Program of the Institute of International Education for 2015-2016.
She was part of the team of researchers behind MS 13 or IR68144, a high-iron rice, which was released as a special variety for farmers under the auspices of the Rice Biofortification project of the HarvestPlus Program funded by the International Food Policy Research Institute. She also led the study on the acceptability and nutritional quality of malunggay-supplemented rice crackers and salt bread with chili pepper leaves.
She is now one of the 14 DA-PhilRice scientists – five of whom are women.


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Diversification of sourcing pushed to avoid supply crunchKorea plans to closely monitor the supply chain of major strategic items and key materials in a bid to diversify import sources and prevent potential supply-chain bottlenecks, the finance minister said Wednesday.
The move came as the country has been struggling to address the supply crunch of urea solution, a key fluid needed in diesel cars to cut emissions, since China tightened exports of urea for domestic supply.
"The latest supply shortage of urea solution reminds us of the importance of securing stable supply chains once again as shown by Japan's export curbs in 2019," Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said at a government meeting.
In 2019, Japan imposed restrictions on exports of three key industrial materials essential for chip and display making — photoresist, etching gas and fluorinated polyimide.
Korea has since picked 338 materials, parts and equipment and nurtured related industries to reduce their heavy reliance on imports.
Still, the country imported more than 3,900 out of 12,586 products, or 31 percent of its total import items, from a handful of countries, including the United States and Japan, in the first nine months of this year, according to data from the Korea International Trade Association.
Hong said the government plans to lower its dependence on imports of equipment for new industries to the 30 percent level by 2030.
The country plans to support research and development of major items in four new industries — semiconductors, next-generation cars, biohealth and nano technology — by spending 20 billion won ($17 million) next year.
"If the support measure is implemented as planned, the country will be able to reduce its reliance of equipment imports to 34 percent from the current 84 percent by 2030," Hong said.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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Hilmar Petursson, the CEO of Icelandic mega-studio CCP Games, is scheduled to make an industry address at this year’s GameHorizon.
The Gateshead-based event – which runs from June 28th to 29th – will also hear from the likes of Eidos Life President Ian Livingstone, Epic Games exec Mark Rein, Zynga vice president Louis Castle and Schell Games CEO Jesse Schell.
Petursson’s speech has yet to be detailed, but CCP Games has a wealth of experience in the MMO and online spaces to draw from.
The company recently made headlines at E3 this year having revealed its ambitious FPS project, Dust 514 – a PS3-exclusive that somehow ties online with Eve Online’s gargantuan PC community.
For more information on GameHorizon, go here


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The content is accurate at the time of publication and is subject to change.
Visa will no longer use 16-digit account numbers when processing online and mobile payments, the company announced recently.
In an attempt to tighten payment security and protect consumers from cyber fraud, Visa Token Service (VTS) will replace account numbers with a unique seriesof numbers that will authorize payments without making account details visible. The sensitive information on credit cards includes not only the 16-digit account number, but the expiration date and security code as well. All of this information is shielded from potential thieves when VTS is used to make a payment.
VTS was launched last October when select customers had access to the service through Apple Pay. Since then, over 500 financial institutions have taken steps to implement the service. Throughout 2015 VTS will be expanded to more merchants, apps, financial companies and mobile device makers. Consumers will be able to use VTS to make secure mobile payments on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
This step has been in the works for some time; Visa first advocated the use of digital tokens in 2013.
Many merchants to have access with Visa Checkout
Retailers who already use Visa Checkout, Visa’s online payment service, will be on the fast track to safer payments. The company plans to make all Visa Checkout transactions compatible with VTS in the near future. Businesses including Gap, Neiman Marcus, Orbitz, Pizza Hut, Staples, and over 100 more are currently using Visa Checkout for online purchases.
With Visa Checkout, customers can save their payment information for fast, secure online purchases.
EMV adds extra layer of security
The increase of chip or EMV card technology also helps keep customer payment information safe. EMV cards are equipped with encoded chips that are more secure than magnetic stripes. Chip cards work with PIN codes or signatures, and can be tapped or waved over EMV-compatible point-of-sales terminals rather than being swiped. Visa has been on the forefront of payment security technology: EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, the companies that jointly created the standard for secure payments.
While EMV card technology is now standard across Europe, Asia, Canada and other parts of the world, it has been slow to catch on in the United States. As more and more EMV cards are being introduced to the market, Visa is spearheading efforts to educate consumers about how to use them, as well as increasing awareness of their increased security features.


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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook said management was receptive to new ways to tap its huge cash pile, won’t make unwise acquisitions, and said the company’s market share prospects and performance for 2013 were solid.
A lawsuit filed by shareholder Greenlight Capital about tapping its $137 billion cash pile “is a silly sideshow,” he said, because he and top executives of the world’s most valuable technology company are considering means to deal with it.
Cook, making a 60-minute appearance at the Goldman Sachs Technology Conference in San Francisco, declined to divulge any details about future products, saying “That would be giving away the magic,” but addressed concerns that growth for the Cupertino, Calif., company is slowing.
The Apple CEO made his presentation early Tuesday so that he could fly to Washington, where he’s scheduled to attend President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address and sit alongside Michelle Obama.
Cook said price cuts for older models of the iPhone for customers who can’t afford the latest iPhone 5 have generated huge demand. Last quarter, supplies of the iPhone 4 ran out, he said. Apple has already shipped more than 700 million iPhones and sees demand growing worldwide.
Similar price cuts for the successful iPad led to the iPad Mini, which Cook said brought in new customers who were price-sensitive. “We want to do a great product,” he said, “without worrying about how we set a great price for it.”
Introducing the lower-cost iPad Mini last year may have looked like “cannibalization” of the iPad itself, Cook explained. “But if we don’t cannibalize it, someone else will.”
Having the iPad Mini along with the iPad only benefits Apple, Cook said, by adding to apps, customer feedback and higher sales. Apple plans to continue to be price-sensitive so that it can attract new customers worldwide, he added.
Meanwhile, he said Apple will keep tapping its skills to make "magical products," Cook added, promising, "We'll never make a crappy product."
Cook said Apple plans to make Turkey the 13th country with an Apple store this year and add at least 30 more stores to the 400 it has now. The concept has been “a huge success” with customers and attracted 370 million visits last year.
Indeed, Cook said that whenever he felt down, "I visit an Apple store and it's like Prozac! It gives you a feeling like no other."
Earlier, Cook said he won’t “campaign” against a challenge to management at Apple’s Feb. 27 annual meeting prompted by Greenlight Capital, the New York hedge fund managed by David Einhorn, that owns 1.3 million shares. Greenlight is urging shareholders to vote against a proposal to change bylaws in a move that he said would prevent the company from issuing preferred shares or other forms to reward shareholders.
“I find it bizarre,” Cook said, asserting that Greenlight’s charges are unfounded. If Apple decided to issue preferred shares or some other new security “of course we’d need to go to shareholders to get their approval.”
Einhorn wants Apple to issue $50 billion wotth of preferred shares that would carry a 4 percent dividend and trade alongside Apple common shares. He claimed that would be the best way to reward shareholders.
Apple's Cook said the company wouldn’t spend money on new mailings or other anti-Greenlight activities. Greenlight sued Apple last Thursday in U.S. District Court in New York. In response, the company issued a statement that it was “in active discussions about returning additional cash to shareholders.”
Cook also said Apple will be judicious in tapping cash for acquisitions, noting the company has made smaller ones almost every other month. “We’ll be deliberate and thoughtful,” he said, and likely not target large ones that don’t complement Apple strategies.
Cook, 52, also said he’d had “an incredible” first full year as CEO following the retirement and subsequent death of co-founder Steve Jobs. “I’m incredibly proud,” he said, complimenting Apple’s senior management and staff.
He also said Apple will continue to deal with labor issues concerning its contract workers in China, “where we’re going to do what’s right and just,” as well as with environmental problems, including using renewable energy for Apple data centers.
“It’s the privilege of a lifetime and humbling,” he said.
Shares of Apple fell $12.09 toclose at $467.84 after Cook’s talk. They’ve fallen 12 percent this year.


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Apple’s new MacBook Pro featuring ultra-narrow bezel to accommodate a 16-inch screen is in production with Taiwan’s ODM Quanta Computer as its sole assembler. Expect a unit near the same physical size as the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but with a larger 16-inch display, thanks to significant bezel reduction.
Apple is ramping up production of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, according IHS Markit.
The MacBook Pro should be in production this month, according to a recent email from IHS Markit’s Jeff Lin, citing recent supply chain information.
It’s likely that Apple will drop the 16-inch display into the same chassis as the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro. So, consumers will essentially be getting the same 15.4-inch chassis with a bigger display and smaller bezels. Apple may end-of-life the 15.4-inch model, Lin said in an earlier email.
Apple will opt for a 3,072-by-1,920 resolution LCD… The current 15.4-inch MBP has a 2,880-by-1,800-pixel resolution or 220 pixels per inch. Apple will increase the resolution on the 16-inch MBP to 227 PPI, the same as the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Retina MacBook Air, according to Lin.
Whether the September production start translates to an October or November release — or even earlier — is unclear.
MacDailyNews Take: As for expected pricing, look to the current flagship 15-inch MacBook Pro which starts at US$2,399 and can be maxed out at $5,149.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]


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The bright side is that as of today RadioShack. Radioshack Pro-92 Battery… has actually formally been bought by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), offering the struggling company a new lease on life. The downside, at least for folks like us, is that there are no instant plans to return the iconic electronic devices seller to its brick-and-mortar roots. As the name implies, REV specializes in online retail, having formerly revamped the Internet presence of other insolvent organizations such as Pier 1 Imports and Dressbarn.
While journalism release does not straight-out preclude the possibility of new physical RadioShack locations, it’s clear that REV thinks the future of retail isn’t to be found in your local strip mall. As the US mulls further lockdowns in reaction to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to disagree. There will be millions of bored kids and grownups trying to find something to do throughout the long winter season nights, and an electronic kit or 2 delivered to their door might be simply the thing.
REV states they prepare to relaunch the rather outdated RadioShack site just in time for the company’s 100th anniversary in 2021. As of this writing the website currently states that sales have been temporarily halted to permit inventory restructuring, though it’s unclear if this is directly related to the buyout or not. Getting an accurate count of just how much merchandise the company still has on hand after shuttering the majority of their physical places in 2017 definitely seems like something the new owners would wish to do.
Like most of you, we have fond memories of the Golden Age of RadioShack, back prior to they believed offering phones and TVs was in some way a great idea. To their credit, they did try and rekindle their relationship with hackers and makers by asking the neighborhood what they ‘d wish to see in their stores. But all of us know how that story ended. While it does not appear like this news will get us any closer to having a community store that stocks resistors, there’s a specific comfort in knowing that RadioShack books and sets will still be around for the next generation.
RadioShack’s shambling remains were offered another jolt of life today when they were purchased by another company that plans to relaunch the once-great merchant as an online-focused brand.
The shop’s remains were acquired by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a start-up founded in 2019 that’s been scooping up brand names from other faded retail giants as well, consisting of Pier 1, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Dressbarn, and more. REV says RadioShack’s site currently has “strong existing sales and sales capacity,” and the company is “confident” it can further raise awareness of the brand name internationally.
REV claims it’s effectively reversed other companies it’s introduced as online brands. The Wall Street Journal reported that Dressbarn more than doubled its profits in between the very first and second quarter of 2020.
RadioShack was established in 1921 and ended up being a retail staple in the ’80s and ’90s for anybody looking to get tech essentials. REV didn’t say whether those RadioShack licenses would stick around. Radioshack Pro-92 Battery
REV says it will “soon relaunch” RadioShack’s site. So for those of you still sticking on to fond memories of the shop, there’ll be a familiar adequate location to go when you want to purchase overpriced HDMI cables and knockoff earphones.


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The Software License and Service Agreement will be updated. Please follow this link [https://www.activision.com/legal/ap-eula] in order to see these changes.
Date: 25 Jun, 2017
The Call of Duty Endowment won an Engage for Good Gold Halo Award with Best Buy for the 2015 Race To Prestige, in the Digital Category.
To promote their Gamers Club Unlocked membership program directly to gamers in an authentic voice, Best Buy aligned with the Call of Duty Endowment around the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, one of the biggest game releases for of the year.
“The Race to Prestige” is a video game marathon live stream featuring five YouTube personalities whose fan bases center around Call of Duty and gaming. From November 5-10, 2015, five gamers live streamed themselves playing the newly released Call of Duty®: Black Ops III around the clock relay style on Twitch, where millions of fans could watch, comment, and donate to the Endowment to help veterans get back to work.
This was the third year that the Race to Prestige existed as a fundraiser for the Endowment, but it was the first year in which there was corporate sponsorship (Best Buy) in support of the nonprofit and also the first time that Activision promoted the event as the official live stream of the launch of the new Call of Duty game.
Best Buy offered donation rewards to participating viewers, program support as well as social media support to bolster viewership and participation. In return, the live stream featured ads and links for Gamers Club Unlocked.
The Race to Prestige was an astounding success in terms of viewership, engagement, and media coverage and drove awareness of and traffic to Gamers Club Unlocked.
The Race to Prestige raised $451,554 for the Call of Duty Endowment from corporate sponsorship, viewer donations, and the Activision matching gift, which translates directly into 645 quality jobs for veterans. Of that, viewers donated $204,228, a 1,360% increase from the previous year’s effort.


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Walmart and Waymo are teaming up for a pilot program that will give consumers the opportunity to fulfill grocery pickups with the help of the latter’s autonomous vehicles.
The online grocery pilot project partnership between Walmart and Waymo will be conducted out of one of Walmart stores in Chandler, Ariz., and “will be limited to a group within Waymo’s 400 daily users known as ‘early riders,’” said Tom Ward, Walmart’s VP of digital operations, Walmart U.S., in a blog post on the retailer’s corporate website.
Participants in the pilot project will place an online grocery pickup order on Walmart's website, which will be filled by the retailer’s team of personal shoppers, per their requested pickup times. Waymo will then “transport customers to and from pickup, and all the while, those customers can text, nap, work ... you name it,” Ward said. Walmart is “always thinking of ways we can serve our customers now and into the future," he said. "And we’re looking at different technology and capabilities that keep customers loving the time-saving, wallet-saving service that is online grocery for years to come.”
Walmart’s small test project with Waymo—which began as Google’s self-driving car project in 2009 and which has since become an independent self-driving technology company—is aimed to help the retailer learn “while giving customers a unique experience with amazing technology ... [and] make Walmart online grocery pickup even more convenient,” Ward said.
Waymo has been operating autonomous vehicles in the Phoenix area since October with the help of its early rider program, which transports its volunteer riders in its self-driving cars to common places.
“We know from our early riders that most of their rides are to run errands, shop for groceries, commute to work, head to dinner or fix their personal vehicles,” according to a recent blog post on Waymo’s website, which lists its riders' top 10 errand and shopping destinations.
“Riders spend a significant portion of time each week running errands and shopping," the blog post said. "That’s why we’re launching two pilots with Walmart and DDR Corp.,” the latter of which is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers.
The Waymo/Walmart test pilot launched this week follows The Kroger Co.’s late June announcement that it will begin experimenting with Silicon Valley robotics firm Nuro’s unmanned vehicles this fall. Kroger customers will place orders through its online ClickList ordering system and Nuro’s app. The orders will be delivered by Nuro’s fleet of autonomous vehicles.
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We are pleased to announce that we have acquired the company SERVICE RM (9118-8094 Quebec Inc.) of Cowansville last April 1st.
SERVICE RM specializes in the transport of maritime containers in the Montreal area as well as in the Eastern Townships.
SERVICE RM is now located in our Cowansville office.
Our family has grown thanks to this merger.
SERVICE RM is a family run business like us, so we are happy to welcome this new company into our group.


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Pictured: Divine Mutuyimana, second on left, María Bouvier, first on right, Kohinoor Yeasmin, second on right, and Jessica Madrid Lugo, furthest right.
This week, at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum in Geneva, the Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT) is working with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to highlight the work of the SheTrades initiative in connecting women entrepreneurs to global markets.
The potential economic contribution of female entrepreneurs and business owners to the global economy and international trade is huge. But too many obstacles mean this potential is not being achieved.
SheTrades was set up by the ITC to address the barriers preventing women accessing these economic opportunities.
Showcasing female entrepreneurs
To do this, IOE&IT has brought four SheTrades ambassadors to the WTO Public Forum, helping them showcase their products and services.
The four entrepreneurs are Kohinoor Yeasmin, CEO of Tarango, from Bangladesh; Divine Mutuyimana, founder of Tropic Coffee, from Rwanda; Jessica Madrid Lugo, founder & CEO of Laser & Manufacturing, from Mexico; and Maria Bouvier, founder of the eponymous eco-fashion label, from Uruguay.
Tarango’s Yeasmin explains her company’s vision is to empower the women it employs by providing them with an income they earn while working from home.
“We work with 20,000 women across Bangladesh – they work at home and work only with their hands. There is no machinery, and the work doesn’t need electricity.
They are artisans and although they are women who never went to school, they have intelligence and skills. They create beautiful natural products, which are all eco-friendly and made by hand from all natural materials."
We export these around the world, and we need more support, so we can stand beside them.”
Tropical Coffee’s Mutuyimana echoes this aim of helping suppliers achieve a better quality of life.
The company is a family-owned business, founded in 2015, that owns three coffee washing stations across various parts of Rwanda.
As Mutuyimana explains: “We produce fully washed, honey, natural and anaerobic coffees. But we look after the coffee farmers, providing them with coffee seeds and health insurance, free training and giving them premiums at the end of the year.
“We aim to meet international standards while increasing income for local Rwandan farmers,” she said.
The company offers specialty coffee that meets required standards for international markets. The business exports to several European countries, as well as to Australia and the US.
Jessica Madrid Lugo
The CEO and founder of Laser & Manufacturing (L&M) of Mexico, knows better than most what it’s like to survive and thrive as a female leader in a male-dominated industry.
L&M is a specialist contract manufacturer of sheet metal parts and assemblies, which relies on precision machinery and manufacturing capabilities.
Over 13 years the company has grown to 60 employees offering services to eight different industries. L&M tries to employ women, with 35% of its workforce being female, a number they want to increase as they continue to expand across Mexico and into the US.
Established in 2017, María Bouvier is an eco-fashion brand based in Uruguay. Owned and run by María Alejandra Bouvier, the company celebrates women through colour, handicraft and sustainable production methods.
María Bouvier uses only organic cotton along with floral dyes developed by Bouvier herself. Sewing is done at a studio in Pando, and where possible, the company collaborates with other women-led sewing studios across Uruguay.
Following a successful trade show in New York in 2019, the company now exports to the US and Bouvier is hopeful that her presence at the Public Forum will help her break into the European market.
‘Delighted’ to support SheTrades
Marco Forgione, director-general of the IOE&IT, said that he is delighted to be working with the ITC at the Public Forum to promote the SheTrades initiative.
"These entrepreneurs show the achievements and contribution that female-led businesses can offer to the international economy. To achieve a healthy and thriving global economy we need to ensure that everyone has access to the support, expertise and services they need to trade internationally.""Supporting female-led businesses transforms whole communities. We are committed to helping entrepreneurs achieve their potential," he told the IOE&IT Daily Update.


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Telos has recently announced City of Sinners & Saints, “a new massively multiplayer online game for the next generation of social networkers.”
The city is scheduled to open Manatee Bay in summer 2009. Below you’ll find a presser which explains what you can expect from City of Sinners & Saints.
Built with the ground-breaking Multiverse Platform, City of Sinners & Saints is being designed for the next generation of social networkers looking for an expanded experience on a website. The city will offer virtual travelers from around the globe the opportunity to socialize with friends, create unique characters, play casual games, purchase virtual goods and real estate, and shop online for their favorite products – all within an original world where a laugh is around every corner.
City of Sinners & Saints offers:


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Debt ceilings. Demanding fuel economy standards. And stock markets ablaze with red figures after lower-than-expected data on the manufacturing sector.
But gloom in Traverse City? Hardly.
Better-than-expected turnout during the first two days of the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars - attendance is up about 150 delegates from last year - was indicative of the upbeat mood and extensive plans for an industry expansion. At least in some segments.
Honeywell Vice President Steve McKinley talked about rapid turbo growth, and possibly diesel growth, in the near term. OnStar announced it will expand globally, branching out in China, the Middle East and Latin America. And Volkswagen's Chattanooga operations boss, Don Jackson, pondered a future filled with more Passat production at VW's U.S. assembly plant, less than four months after Job 1.
Positive. Positive. Positive.
It was an interesting juxtaposition, given the threats of a stalling economy - including news Tuesday that U.S. auto sales remained largely flat - and toughening standards on fuel economy that was all the buzz early this week.
Privately, several supplier executives still say they are holding back on adding fixed costs, delaying full-time hires until they are certain the good times are back for good.
Publicly, it's all growth.
2009 it is not.


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ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Mack Trucks is returning to the medium-duty truck market with a new Class 6/7 lineup that will be assembled at a dedicated facility in Roanoke County, Virginia.
Known as the MD Series, the trucks begin serial production late this summer and are available for order today.
The new Roanoke Valley Operations location represents a US $13-million investment for the OEM, 250 new jobs, and an annual economic impact of $364 million for the region. It was supported by a $700,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund.
“This is an exciting day for Roanoke County,” said Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, before joining Mack Trucks executives and other government representatives to cut a ribbon to open the plant.
The project has been in the works for about two years but was a tightly guarded secret prior to the announcement.
Medium-duty truck market
“Mack Trucks is very proud to make this investment and to now offer a full lineup of Class 6 to Class 8 commercial vehicles, serving virtually every segment of the market,” said Mack president Martin Weissburg. “With this investment, Mack is well-positioned for future success.”
“The Class 6/7 market has been historically stable, 90,000 to 100,000 trucks a year in U.S. and Canada,” added Jonathan Randall, senior vice-president of North American sales and marketing. “We have a lot of customers already in our portfolio who already run medium-duty trucks, and they’ve been asking us for a single-source solution for quite a while.”
“Now we feel our family portrait is complete,” he said.
Mack hasn’t had a medium-duty offering since discontinuing the Freedom model in 2002. Earlier offerings in these weight classes included the MC Series and Midliner.
“This isn’t new to us in any shape or form,” Randall said of the business segment. “[But] the Freedom was a heavily Renault-based truck, and this is all a North American-based truck.”
The Mack MD
The Class 6 Mack MD6 has a GVWR of 25,995 lb., while its Class 7 MD7 counterpart has a GVWR of 33,000 lb. They’ll focus on applications including dry van, refrigerated, stake/flatbed, dump and tank trucks, and be available in 4×2 configurations.
The truck will be available in eight wheelbase lengths, supporting typical bodies that run from 10 to 26 feet. A 103-inch bumper-to-back-of-cab measurement will help to load up the front axle and deliver a tight turning radius as well.
The Mack MD will come equipped with a Cummins B6.7 engine that can deliver 220-300 hp and 560-660 lb.-ft of torque, and Meritor front and rear axles. An Allison 2500HS six-speed automatic transmission will be standard, although an Allison 2500RDS is available for those who need a PTO.
“They started from a solid foundation for the chassis, for the cab, for the exterior, for the interior,” said Roy Horton, director – product strategy.
‘Strength is at the very core’
Base models will ride on a spring suspension, although a Mack Maxlite air suspension is optional. Wheels will come in a standard 22.5-inch size, but 19.5-inch wheels are also available.
“We’ve made the 120,000-psi steel frame rails standard,” Horton added, noting the industry standard is 80,000 psi. “Strength is at the very core of our image.”
The cab itself will ride on an air suspension rather than rubber blocks, and includes several features found elsewhere in the Mack product family. The grille and hood match the styling of the Mack Anthem, introduced in late 2017, while the cab is a variation on the Mack Granite.
Inside, drivers will find the same flat-bottom steering wheel used in the other trucks. Other features include power windows and door locks, cruise control, an air-ride driver’s seat, and optional two passenger bench seat with storage underneath.
Telematics support will come in the form of a Geotab Go Rugged system, offering access to the Mack Uptime Center, as well as OneCall and ASIST support.
The MD6 can be operated without a commercial driver’s licence when moving non-hazardous payloads.
Mack’s new home
The new Roanoke Valley Operations location was chosen to leverage several advantages.
“From a logistics standpoint, the proximity to global headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina was a significant piece,” said James Chenier, senior vice-president – strategy and business development. The facility itself also required few modifications.
“Proximity is important to us,” Randall said. “It fit our logistics really, really well.”
The cabs will also be painted at Volvo Trucks North America’s nearby New River Valley plant.
“This is a completely new platform, completely new product, and does not take anything out of LVO [Lehigh Valley Operations],” Randall stressed.
The newly announced jobs offset Mack’s recent decision to lay off 305 employees from the LVO plant in Pennsylvania because of a downturn in the heavy truck market. Laid-off employees will have a chance to apply for roles in the new location, he said.
“This is a great day for all Virginia,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball.
– This article was updated as new information became available.
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ATLANTA (BRAIN) — Wilier Triestina USA has reached an agreement with Creagh Keller Sales to represent the Italian brand in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions.
"We are thrilled to welcome CK Sales to the Wilier family as their industry tenure, drive and enthusiasm match our company perfectly," said Wilier USA's president Angelo Cilli. "CK Sales brings many years of experience, a deep understanding of the industry and a high level of excitement for our brand. We look forward to continuing our growth and starting off 2014 with strong sales."
Creagh/Keller Sales has a team of eight sales reps and two technical reps.
"As a longtime fan of cycling with an appreciation for all things Italian, I'm especially pleased and excited that we are able to partner with Wilier Triestina," said Henry Creagh, principal partner of CK Sales. "Their passion for the sport is one of the wonderful things in our industry and we look forward to being able to offer these great bikes to our retailers."


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Ford has announced a recall of nearly 85,000 cars and SUVs for a problem with the axle that increases the risk or a crash or for vehicles to roll out of the “park” position. The recall encompasses the 2012-2014 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, the 2013-2014 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT, and the 2013-2014 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS.
Ford says there have been no reports of accidents or injuries associated with the defect.
The problem is linked to the improper installation of a clip in the axle, according to information released by the automaker. This may allow the halfshaft to disengage from the linkshaft, which can prevent power from being transmitted to the wheels, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the possible defect could allow vehicles to roll out of the “park” position if the emergency brake is not engaged.
Ford will notify customers who have affected vehicles and will begin making repairs free of charge by the end of August.


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2016 National Meat Retail Trainers' Conference Report
The butcher shop of the future was a clear theme of the recent meat retailing conference.
Several presenters highlighted developments where butcher shops are becoming the new corner store, with multiple bakery and other products available to complement meat purchases. Butcher shops combined with coffee shops, restaurants and other gourmet products were also showcased
Value-added products were also highlighted, with a wide range of creative ideas from recent competitions, Australian businesses and overseas featured.
A key highlight was the apprentice competition for a place in the Australian team for the Work Butcher apprentice competition in 2017.
Congratulations to Jimmy Neville and Caleb Sundquist who gained positions in the Australian team – and also to the three other contestants who were certainly worthy contenders.


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Africa's gold mine: Mobile money
28 October 2013 |
Mobile money has become a well-established revenue driver for carriers across Africa. Laura Hedges speaks to the key players in this thriving marketplace to find out why, and where it is heading next.
As mobile internet has snowballed over the last decade, one service in particular has been growing in near-parallel strength across the globe. Mobile money services are being adopted by mobile network operators worldwide, as they look to expand their service portfolios and drive new revenues.
Although many banks across Europe and the US have implemented online banking services, mobile money services are often seen as little more than an extra convenience. The real demand and urgency for mobile money services is therefore found in emerging markets, where large sections of the population remain underserved by traditional banking facilities.
An important phenomenon
In the last year, Africa has seen a wealth of developments and deployments around mobile money, a number of which have been facilitated by Orange subsidiary, Orange Money.
Thierry Millet, VP of mobile money at Orange, highlights the speed and scale of this growth.
"There are more than 100 mobile money programmes operational today in the world, which is a testimony to how much of a wave it's created," he says. "It is developing very fast, but it is not just hype – it's an important phenomenon that should be looked at very seriously."
Mobile money is becoming an increasingly attractive option for carriers, and even in countries where there are only three or four mobile money service offerings, competition is rife.
Airtel Africa is another key player in the African mobile money market and Chidi Okpala, director and head of Airtel Money in Africa, says that telcos are starting to realise the benefits of investing in the mobile money business.
"There is hardly a telco in Africa without a mobile money offering," he says.
Airtel research shows that out of 54 African countries, only in seven do 40% or more of the population have access to financial services. In the other 47 countries, less than 20% of the population have access to financial services, which provides a clear opportunity for mobile money services.
"To put this in perspective, Africa has an average of three branches and five ATMs per 100,000 people, while Spain has 95 and 120, and Portugal has 51 and 109 respectively," Okpala says.
"This inherently creates an opportunity to leverage mobile telephony as a means of extending financial services to the majority of Africans."
Mobile money is therefore helping to resolve a fundamental issue in most African countries. Companies such as Orange have gone one step further, targeting countries where the banking penetration rate is under 10%.
"We have created an opportunity to develop banking penetration in an innovative way and to offer it to consumers which were deprived from access to financial services. This is what it's all about," Millet concludes.
Calling all operators
Besides Orange and Airtel, a number of other global operators have turned to Africa for mobile money opportunities.
Last November, Airtel entered into an agreement with Belgium's BICS to facilitate mobile money transfers for Airtel Africa customers across the continent. BICS's HomeSend solution is a global service, designed to connect service providers, banks and other financial organisations by facilitating real-time transfers of cash, credit card payments or direct bank transfers.
"The partnership with BICS is another step by Airtel Money to deepen financial inclusion, expand cashless ecosystems and facilitate intra-Africa fund flows across our 17 markets," Okpala says.
Airtel Money services are live in 15 of these 17 markets, while the remaining two will go live by the year end.
BICS has been focussing heavily on mobile money deployments in Africa over the last few years, and recently extended its overall presence in the region by opening offices in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
Last October, BICS joined forces with Xpress Money to help facilitate money transfers to mobile subscribers in the region and Daniel Kurgan, CEO at BICS, indicated the scope for such a service in Africa. The company believes the agreement will help open up new remittance corridors and expand the scope of international money transfers.
"This implementation has made it possible to send money easily and rapidly through Xpress Money's agents to mobile wallet users in Africa," he says.
The service effectively connects Africa to the international network of mobile money transactions.
Safaricom is another notable player in the African mobile money market, following the establishment of its M-Pesa platform in Kenya in 2007. Safaricom's M-Pesa platform successfully introduced the concept of mobile money to the telecoms market and the service has since escalated impressively.
"We are the pioneer of mobile payments," says Sylvia Mulinge, general manager of the enterprise business unit at Safaricom. "It was a gamble but it has proved a major success. The first few years were certainly a challenge as you have to make people trust the system and trust how it works, but once we were able to do this and educate the Kenyan people, it experienced massive adoption."
Surprisingly the surge of mobile money services has had minimal impact on networks.
"Mobile money, like any payment, is very much a transaction-based process," Millet explains. "And when you evaluate the amount of transactions compared to the total data and voice traffic, to be honest, the percentage of resources consumed is not really significant. It's not really impacting the network."
Okpala says that mobile money in fact delivers a huge number of benefits to the GSM business.
"It makes the GSM customer a lot stickier, thereby minimising customer churn and reducing the cost of airtime sales," Millet explains.
Additionally, Okpala notes that Airtel customers with mobile money have a significantly higher ARPU (average revenue per user) than those without.
However, Orange's Millet does note that overall network speeds are an increasingly important requirement for mobile money services.
"For example, how much real-time service you achieve can be a very important differentiating factor for the mobile money service," he says.
Moving on with mobile money
So while mobile money has evidently found its feet in Africa, where will it become established next? Although markets with similarly low rates of banking penetration are the next obvious choice, Okpala notes that there is also a need in more developed markets, like Europe.
"A sizeable number of Europeans do not yet have bank accounts and the mobile phone becomes a veritable tool to extend financial services to them," he says. "And even for those with banks, mobile money provides an extra convenience relative to the bank accounts, being able to offer financial services on the go."
The only difference, Okpala says, is that the result would not be quite as "explosive" as in a region such as Africa.
That said, emerging markets do have the winning potential for such services and Okpala expects mobile money to take off in frontier markets with similar key indicators to Africa.
Myanmar has recently been showcased as a greenfield for telcos following its much-anticipated spectrum auction, which saw operators Telenor and Ooredoo secure licences in the country. In a country where banking penetration levels are typically low, the foundations for establishing mobile money services seem ideal.
"I think fundamentally there is a case for mobile money programmes everywhere where the banking penetration is quite low – this is really the determining factor," Millet suggests.
Millet names the Philippines and Pakistan as other potential markets where mobile money could really take off, but for now, Orange has its sights set on the Egyptian market.
Orange Money, through its subsidiary Mobinil, is looking to roll out its mobile money service – named Mobicash – in Egypt, and has started a pilot phase. Millet does not expect the roll-out of the service to be easy.
"There will be competition between our service and the proposition from Vodafone Egypt," he says.
Vodafone Egypt launched a mobile cash transfer application in June this year, in partnership with Egypt's Housing and Development Bank. The service is designed to quickly and efficiently transfer money between companies, but does not apply to companies and banks seeking to transfer monies stipulated through contracts.
Millet expects a lot of development in mobile money services and believes it is the next innovative step for carriers and enterprises alike.
"We are active in this field of innovation and it will continue," he says. "This has to be looked upon as a development for the next few years, by no means should it be analysed as though it will be stable."
Mobile money around the world
Across the world, mobile money is starting to find its feet in financially underserved countries. Capacity looks at those who are starting to make developments, and those to watch in the coming years:
• Vodafone India has launched the M-Pesa mobile platform in Goa, India. The service is expected to empower the unbanked and under-banked population by providing them with easy access to financial services. The company has partnered with ICICI Bank for the service, which has already been implemented in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi since December last year.
• Peru’s telecoms regulator Osiptel has approved a number of parameters to pave the way for the launch of mobile financial services in the country. The Standard Relating to Access of Electronic Money Issuers to Telecommunications Services is expected to allow for the deployment of financial services over telecoms networks. The legislation will ensure a level playing field for the services and Osiptel has the power to monitor any deals agreed between financial service providers and network operators for the service. The authority would be able to intervene to set prices and terms should the companies fail to reach a mutual understanding within 60 days.
• Digicel Fiji has transferred its mobile money service to New Zealand remittances operation, KlickEx Pacific. Starting on October 5 2013, KlickEx took over the delivery of mobile transfer services to remitters in Australia and New Zealand to transfer money to customers in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga with a Digicel mobile money wallet. Digicel Fiji says it will continue to work with long-term partner KlickEx to ensure that its financial expertise and commitment to the Pacific region drive the service forward.
18 January 2018 |
31 March 2014 | Guy Matthews


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Greyhound went by way of a tumultuous interval forward of its launch. Sony Footage deliberate to launch it in theaters, however that concept was stymied by the COVID-19 pandemic that shut cinema chains worldwide. As an alternative, Sony auctioned the rights and Apple TV+ was the shock winner. By buying Greyhound, Apple confirmed it was prepared to spend large to compete with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and different streaming majors.
Apple TV+ additionally partnered with Hanks (and Steven Spielberg) on the WW II collection Masters of the Air. Different initiatives coming to the $4.99 monthly service quickly embody Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks starring Invoice Murray and Rashida Jones, the Spike Jonze doc Beastie Boys Story and Defending Jacob with Chris Evans.


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Stay up to date on everything that’s happening in the wonderful world of AM through our LinkedIn community.
Evolve Additive Solutions has shipped the company’s first SVP system, which was sold to a customer in Europe. In the past week, the box packaging was completed and the huge production machine loaded onto the truck for delivery to the customer.
The company’s own STEP technology (Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process) is a scaled, series-ready manufacturing platform. The sale of the machine was completed at the end of 2020. For reasons of confidentiality, the customer’s name and terms of sale have not been disclosed.
Evolve is known to have raised $ 19 million in funding through a round of capital investment led by the LEGO Brand Group. News of the investment round, which also included Stanley Black & Decker Investments and one other investor (unknown), followed Evolve’s recent announcement that the company is shipping its first STEP additive manufacturing system to a customer for Alpha development Has.
Evolve Additive Solutions has also partnered with Evonik to formulate Evonik’s thermoplastic materials for Evolve’s STEP additive manufacturing solutions. The first development efforts concentrate on polyamide 12, PEBA, transparent polyamide and polymers of the polyamide 6 series. In the future, the combined efforts will result in a wider choice of materials for STEP users with more choices of 3D printing materials for production that are commonly used in traditionally manufactured products.
The unnamed first commercial customer bought the SVP (Scalable Volume Production) system with the aim of factory flexibility, improved time-to-market, resilience of the supply chain and the ability to manufacture products that otherwise could not be made using conventional injection molding processes.
The client’s application includes the use of multicolor skills and a wide range of materials. “This global systems sale marks a significant milestone in our commercialization,” said Steve Chillscyzn, CEO and founder of Evolve. “Our first customer not only bought the SVP platform, but the sale also included software and materials. We are very excited to work with this organization and see how the use of our technology optimizes their efficiency, increases their profits and gives them insight into the utilization of their entire network. “
The SVP platform was released in the third quarter of 2020 and the company is currently taking new orders.


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PS5 Firmware Update Is Out, Doesn’t Add VRR
Posted On April 13, 2022
Sony has released new Firmware for the PS5 console, and–unsurprisingly–it doesn’t do much other than provide a standard system performance update.
“This system software update improves system performance,” the brief patch notes read.
The previous PS5 firmware update was more substantial, as it added several new features and tweaked the user interface. Enhancements to Game Base and Trophy cards and accessibility features like mono audio for headphones were added, while PS4 users gained a tweaked experience.
Continue Reading at GameSpot
Go to Source
Author: Darryn Bonthuys


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Inland Truck Parts & Service has announced it is “reinforcing and growing its local presence” in the Fargo, ND, market with its acquisition of Aaction Truck and Trailer Repair, Inc.
The Aaction addition complements Inland's current Fargo offerings by adding new services that include complete engine diagnostics, maintenance and repairs for all makes and models.
The new Inland location at 635 10th Street Northeast in West Fargo is open 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
"We're excited to join the Inland team," said West Fargo service manager Jeff Aune. "The culture of employee ownership is great for taking care of our customers. And Inland's track record for investing in tools and technology will make us better at what we do."
The West Fargo facility comprises a full-service truck and trailer shop of 10,000-sq. ft., including two drive-through bays and six truck stalls. Bringing on several experienced, professional Inland technicians will also add capacity.
Like every Inland shop, the company noted, the new location will draw from a “vast” parts inventory covering everything from light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks to SUVs and 4x4s.
"Plans are definitely in the works to expand our current Fargo service shop and bring everything under one roof," said general manager Duane Parke. "We'll be starting construction soon, so we can offer our customers even more convenience."
Established in 1944, Inland Truck Parts & Service is celebrating its 70th year of industry-leading performance. It operates 28 locations in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.