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CELL PHONES IN CHINA
China is the world’s largest mobile phone market. Nearly everyone in China has a mobile phone. In 2015, China recorded 1.3 billion mobile subscribers in its domestic market, just shy of its population. Cell Phones: (mobile cellular and smart phones): total subscriptions: 1,696,356,000 (2020); subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 117.9 (2020 est.). No. 1 in the world.[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2022]
China kind of skipped over the computer revolution — even the mass retailing revolution — and went straight to the mobile phone revolution. Jiayang Fan wrote in The New Yorker: “In China, what is sometimes called “the shift to mobile” never happened — hasn’t needed to happen — because the country’s wealth is too recent for people to have been swept up in the PC revolution, the way Americans were. Instead, they went straight to phones, an example of a phenomenon known as leapfrogging, in which non-participation in an older technology spurs early adoption of whatever innovation comes next. Jack Ma, of Alibaba, has argued that the entire e-commerce sector in China exemplifies this pattern: people happily shop online because there haven’t been Walmarts everywhere. In the U.S., “e-commerce is a dessert, ” he said. “In China, it’s become the main course.” [Source: Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, July 23, 2018]
Until 2008, China's mobile phone service was provided by the three companies: 1) GSM service from China Mobile; 2) GSM and CDMA service (begun in 2002) from China Unicom; and 3) PHS service from the two fixed phone companies: China Netcom and China Telecom. In 2008, a year before the 3G service was granted, the Chinese telecommunications industry was reorganized. As of the late 2010s, nearly 29.6 percent of mobile consumers or 386 million users were on the LTE 4G network.
The domestic sales of mobile phone reached 100 million in China in 2006 and 190 million in 2007. Demand was fed by the rapid growth of new mobile phone users and old customers' upgrading to new devices. Of 190 million mobile phones sold in 2007, 140 million were made through formal channels, while the rest were made through informal channels such as smuggling, counterfeiting and renovating. In 2021, China produced about 370 million phones.
Revenue for the Mobile Telecommunications industry in China is was around $142.7 billion in 2021 According to Ibisworld: Revenue declined by 7.9 percent in 2019, due to the decrease in mobile voice call duration and slight growth in mobile data traffic. However, starting in 2020, the use of 5G technology has promoted the development of this industry. The industry was expected to account for about 61 percent of China's total telecommunication services sector by revenue in 2021. Growth in the number of mobile phone users and value-added services have supported industry revenue growth over the past five years. [Source: “Mobile Telecommunications Industry in China - Market Research Report. Ibisworld, December 6, 2021]
History of Cell Phones in China
In 1987, wireless telephone communication in the modern sense was started by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of China, using TACS technology. A nationwide network was completed in the following year. In 1994, the fixed telephone company (China Telecom) and two mobile phone telephone companies (China Mobile and China Unicom) were spun off from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. In 2000, China Telecom was forced to spin off its mobile service (now China Mobile) and satellite services (now ChinaSat). [Source: Wikipedia]
China became the world’s largest mobile phone market very quick. The number of cell phones rose from near zero in 1990 to around 3.7 million in 1995 to 17 million in 1998 to 100 million in 2001 to 200 million in 2003 to 383 million in December 2005 to 409.7 million in March 2006 and 592 million in July 2008 and 650 million users in 2009. At that time new subscribers were being added at a rate of around 7 million a month.
During the 1990s, China poured more than $10 billion into erecting a national mobile phone network. Much of the work was done by foreign companies like Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia. At this time in some rural areas the cell phone reception was only good if you climbed a hill. In the 2000s, the Chinese developed homegrown 3G technology to run its mobile telephone network and beam high-speed Internet connections to phones and handheld computers. Chinese companies such as Datang Telecom, Huawei technologies and ZTE Corp. worked on developing homegrown standards that not only saved them from paying royalties to foreign companies but also earned them billions in revenues when their systems went abroad.
In some parts of China you can find homes without toilets, without even out houses, but the residents have cell phones or smart phones. A communications analyst told the Los Angeles Times, “The mobile phone has been the young person's biggest, most expensive possession. The mobile phone is what people carry with them. This is the badge that [says], “I’m moving up.” Many people have multiple cell phone account for business and personal use. One of he most popular films in 2004 was “Cell Phone”, a dark comedy about a despicable TV talk show host who used his cell phone and text messages to hide his relations with his mistress and his lover from his wife.
China began issuing third-generation phone licenses in January 2009. Third generation phones were much faster and better able to handle the Internet and videos. The move made telecom operators more interested in content. By this time the cell phone penetration in some urban area was near 100 percent. There were more than 900 different handset models available, compared to only 80 or so in the United States. Companies like Samsung came out with new handsets models every week, often with the latest with fast Internet access. On average at this time Chinese changed their cell phones every three or six months. It was not unusual for young people to change cell phones four times a year, sometimes spending a month’s salary to obtain the latest styles and touch screen models that allowed users to use Chinese characters to communicate.
Mobile Phone Service Providers in China
Karaoke cell phone In May 2008, it was announced that China’s phone companies would merge into three large groups, bringing together cell phone and fixed line operators. The plan was hatched to create competition for China Mobile.
After the 2008 reorganization of China's telecommunication industry, there are now three mobile phone service providers. 1) China Mobile continues the old China Mobile's service, absorbed China Railway Communications, and began 3G service using TD-SCDMA, China's disputed own technology. 2) China Unicom continues the old China Unicom's GSM service, absorbed the old China Netcom's network of fixed telephones in the north of the Yangtze River in China, and started 3G service using W-CDMA technology. 3) China Telecom continues PHS service of the old China Netcom and China Telecom, continues the old China Telecom's network of fixed telephones in the south of the Yangtze River, and began 3G service using CDMA2000 technology.
China Mobile and China Unicom are both are based in Beijing. They expanded aggressively in the 2000s by scrapping charges for incoming calls and moving into towns and villages. China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom all have fixed line and mobile telephone services and offer broadband internet, digital television and Internet television. It
China United Network Communications Group (China Unicom) is the third-largest wireless carrier in China, with 310.45 million subscribers as of June 2021. Owned by the Chinese government, it earned US$29.4 billion in revenues and $135 billion in assets in 2016. In the 2000s, China Unicom was China’s No. 2 cellular phone company and China’s 3rd largest telecom company. Formed in in 1994, it had 148 million accounts in October 2009, down from 160 million in 2007, and 90,000 employees and $4.5 billion in revenues in 2001. NBA basketball star Yao Ming was it primary pitchman. It has struggled to attract new users.
China Telecom is the second-largest wireless carrier in China, with 362.49 million subscribers as of June 2021. Owned by the Chinese government, it earned US$52 .6 billion in revenues and $97.4 billion in assets and over 286,000 employees in 2016.
Competition has been very fierce between these companies and some smaller, upstart companies anxious to grab a share of this lucrative business. In some extreme cases executives of one company have ordered thugs to cut the lines or rough up employees of rival companies. Consumers have benefited by the competition and enjoy low phone and Internet rates.
Foreign telecommunication companies were expected to be big winners when China was admitted to the WTO and foreign companies were allowed to invest in Chinese telecommunications firms and restrictions on cell phone use within China were dropped. But that didn’t happen. Foreigners are barred from owning majority control of long distance, cellular, Internet and other service ventures. Motorola was one of the top companies in China in the early 2000s. As of 2002, Motorola was the biggest cell phone maker in China. Their pagers and cell phones were everywhere. Now the company is virtually non-existent in China
China Mobile is China’s No 1 telecom company, the world’s largest telecom company and the world’s largest cell phone operator in terms of network capacity and number of customers. China Mobile dominates the Chinese market. It had 945.5 million subscribers as of June 2021 and 456,239 of employees in 2019.
China Mobile had revenues of US$108 billion and assets US$243 billion in 2019. It is 72.72 percent owned by the China government. The company made about $15 billion in profit in 2008 and had 554 million subscribers as of June 2010. In 2001 it had 114,000 employees and $16.2 billion in revenues. It had a deal with Vodaphone.
In 2006, China Mobile was named as the fourth most valuable brand in the world. At that time some thought its stock was highly inflated. It was worth 41 percent more than AT&T but only brings in two thirds of its revenue. The company had a profit of $15 billion in 2010. At that time growth was slowing as a result market saturation but things picked up as China embraced smart phones..
Mobile Phone Industry in China
Wireless communication is regulated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The mobile phone industry in China is huge and included research of new technology, manufacturing of mobile phones and building of communications networks and providing parts for such networks. Important Chinese companies include Huawei Technologies and ZTE. Huawei surpassed Nokia-Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent to become the second largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, after Ericsson, in 2009. [Source: Wikipedia]
Major mobile phone manufacturers in mainland China are Haier, Hisense, Huawei, LeEco (former Letv), Lenovo (Vibe lineup), Meizu, Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, TCL (including Palm), Vivo, Xiaomi, ZTE, Infinix. International companies such as Apple, Samsung, LG, HTC and Google rely on Chinese parts and labor, much of which is provided by Foxconn
In 2007, 600 million mobile phones were made in China which accounted for over 25 percent of the global production. In the 2000s, there are 30 domestic cell phone makers. At that time TCL Mobile Communications did very well in the cell phone market, in part by making products geared for the Chinese market, even producing diamond-studded models for the Beijing elite. Today arond 400 million phones are made in China each year.
China's mobile phone market is dominated by products with price under US$300 dollars. Products at this price have accounted for 60 percent of the whole mobile phone market, Since 2011 smartphones, especially one running on the open source Android operating system, have become increasingly popular in China. By 2016 smart-phones outsold other kinds of mobile phones in the Chinese market. Android allowed factories to produce smartphones with increasing ease, which in turn has allowed prices to decrease to below US$150. These cheap smartphones have made it even the poorest and remotest parts of China and have been to every corner of the world
Mobile Phone Use in China
Most mobile phone services are prepaid. Pre-payment can be made by buying a card (50 or 100 yuan) and calling the mobile phone provider, or through commercial banks. You can top-up the account using WeChat top-up vouchers, Alipay and credit cards online.
In China there is a clear distinction between mobile phone and mobile phone service unlike some countries such as Japan where the mobile phone is sold by and locked to the mobile phone service companies. This custom was broken in 2009 when Apple introduced iPhones to China. Stealing of mobile phones is quite common. When a mobile phone is stolen, the owner must visit the mobile phone service provider to cancel the previous SIM card, in order to retain the previous phone number and pre-payment.
A short message (SMS) or duanxin, usually 0.10 yuan per message (up to 160 alphabetic or 70 Chinese characters), can be sent to any other cell phones across different cell phone service companies, GSM, CDMA or PHS. Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) or caixin is also available, usually 0.3 yuan per message (up to 50 kilobytes).
Top Smartphone Brands in China
The top-selling smartphone brands in Chinese market in 2022 were: 1) Vivo (22 percent); 2) Oppo (including OnePlus, 21 percent); 3) Apple (16 percent); 4) Xiaomi, 5) Honor and Huawei (tied) and 7) Realme. according to market research company Counterpoint Research. Realme saw the largest a year-on-year growth — 379 percent — to take 3 percent of market share. All the other brands accounted for 4 percent of the market share in 2021, during which full-year smartphone sales declined 2 percent year-on-year for the fourth consecutive year. Lengthening upgrade cycles have presented an ongoing dilemma for Chinese smartphone brands looking to maintain growth at home, as consumers delay purchasing new devices. [Source:s Reuters, January 27, 2022, chinadaily.com.cn, February 8, 2022]
Vivo and Oppo are two Android handset brands under the privately-owned BBK Electronics. Oppo is owned by billionaire Duan Yong Ping, who made his name selling cheaper phones in rural China (where Oppo has 200,000 retail locations) and Southeast Asia. Its R9S looks like an exact copy of an iPhone 7 — a winning formula in China, according to Fortune . Vivo is Oppo’s sister brand. Also owned by Duan, it focuses on its smartphones’ camera, a major selling point in selfie-crazed China. Celebrity endorsements and its sponsorship of the NBA have helped the brand grab a large market share. Huawei is China’s network-equipment giant. It sold an estimated $26.5 billion worth of phones, or 140 million handsets, in 2016. It’s the only Chinese phonemaker whose devices are generally seen as being on par with Samsung’s in quality — which helps explain they company has done well in Europe. [Source: Scott Cendrowski, Fortune, January 25, 2017]
Scott Cendrowski wrote in Fortune in 2017: “Worldwide, Apple and Samsung dominate pricey smartphone sales, accounting for about a third of the market. But the next several names on the global bestseller list include four lower-cost Chinese competitors that collectively sell almost as many handsets as the big two. In China's smartphone market" Oppo, Vivo, Huawei and Xiaomi 'have been closely matched competitors over the last few years, taking turns at the number-one spot. Being No. 1 in China isn't necessarily very profitable, however, as there are always new competitors willing to lose piles of money to build market share. [Source: Scott Cendrowski, Fortune, January 25, 2017]
Meteoric Rise and Fall of Xiaomi — the “Apple of the East”
Xiaomi’s phones were all the rage in the mid 2010s, but they quickly fell out of favor due to mediocre reviews and a lack of retail distribution. Within 18 months in 2014-2016 the company went from being the world's most-valuable startup worth $40 billion to have a valuation of less than $4 billion. The company regrouped somewhat. In 2022 it was the fourth best-selling smart phone brand in China. In the late 2010s, the formerly online-sales-only company was making a big push to open retail stores.
Xiaomi was founded in 2010 founded by Lei Jun its CEO. By 2012 it was worth more than Blackberry maker Research in Motion, according to private market valuations. At that time their smartphones were so popular they sell out in minutes after going on sale online. The companymade close to $1 billion in the first half of 2012, when it sold more than 3 million phones. Lei Jun drew Steven-Job-like crowds to Xiaomi’s launch events. [Source: Melanie Lee, Reuters, August 16, 2012]
Among those who invested heavily in Xiaomi was Yuri Milner, a legendary investor who invested early in Facebooks and Alibaba and made huge profits on those investments. He predicted Xiaomi's valuation could more than double to $100 billion. "In every conceivable benchmark, it's almost unprecedented in terms of its speed of growth," Milner told Bloomberg. In December 2014 one of the reasons David Gilbert wrote in the International Business Times: “ Milner was so confident about Xiaomi's potential to double in value was the fact that it only sold smartphones in a handful of Asian countries. The calculation was that once Xiaomi launched its smartphones in western Europe and the United States, it would become a global player. “However, the problem is that Xiaomi simply does not have the patent portfolio to enter these markets. Long accused of copying hardware and features of established players like Apple and Samsung, Xiaomi is completely unprepared to enter a more mature market, where it would immediately face a volley of patent lawsuits, stymieing any chance it has of establishing itself as a major player. [Source: David Gilbert, International Business Times, August 18, 2016]
“As well as the huge potential for growth, investors cited the company's fanatical customer base in China as a major advantage, with Xiaomi consistently hailing the fact that its users were among the most deeply engaged and — according to the company — willing to buy into an ecosystem of Xiaomi products, which had the company's smartphones at its heart.The problem with this analysis however is that customers — particularly Chinese customers — are very savvy and have little or no brand loyalty. According to a 2014 study by research firm Bain & Company, brands in China are constantly having to win new customers due to this lack of loyalty, and while Xiaomi might have once been able to convince these new customers with their offerings, that is clearly no longer the case.
“According to figures released by research firm IDC, Xiaomi saw sales of its smartphones drop by almost 40 percent in China during the second quarter of 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015. The overall Chinese market grew during the same period by 4.6 percent and while Apple suffered a similarly large drop in sales, Xiaomi's real competitors in the mid-to-low end of the market — Huawei, Oppo and Vivo — all saw significant growth. In the 12 months following its record-breaking valuation, Xiaomi missed smartphone sales targets — twice — as well as revenue targets.
“Xiaomi's meteoric rise was based on one simple fact: It was able to produce smartphones with premium hardware and features which cost a fraction of those on sale from Apple or Samsung. However that advantage rapidly vanished when multiple manufacturers followed suit and produced their own smartphones which offered premium specs at low prices. However, unlike Xiaomi, its competitors were able to offer something new and something innovative. Vivo offered curved screens; Oppo and OnePlus dangled rapid charging; LeEco offered exclusive content; and Huawei threw in dual lens cameras and fingerprint sensors. "I think Xiaomi's current performance and growth in the smartphone space has stalled, as competitors with better R&D, vertical manufacturing expertise, and a wider distribution and geographic footprint has surpassed the brand," Neil Shah, analyst with CounterPoint Research told IBTimes UK. "Xiaomi's inability to innovate independently is one of the key reasons." Another issue for Xiaomi is its continued focus on the ultra-budget end of the market with products like its RedMi series, despite clear evidence that Chinese customers were willing to pay more for their smartphones.
Most Popular Apps in China
Wechat and QQ are the two most widely used mobile phone applications (apps) in China. As of the late 2010s young people tended to use QQ more, while Wechat was the choice among older adults. Many people spend a good portion of their daily lives on social media in China, particularly on WeChat. Twitter-like Sino Weibo is another popular app. Other apps like Alipay are often serve primarily as utilities, allowing people do things like pay for something. [Source: Derek Feng, Quora.com, 2016]
1) WeChat — owned by Tencent — Social media and networking — is the most popular app in China with over 1 billion active users each month, It offers services and features that would require dozens of apps to achieve otherwise. Because of this, it has long been the dominant force in the Chinese app market and is known as a ‘super app’ . WeChat is known as Weixin in in China, It has been described as the most “social” social media in the world. Over 90 percent of its users access it daily. [Source: Henrik Saetre, AdChina, Trustdata, top apps in the Chinese mobile app store were: October 2019]
2) QQ — owned by Tencent — Social media and networking — 709 million monthly active users. QQ is an instant messaging service and web portal. It offers a range of services including online social games, music, shopping, microblogging, movies, plus group and voice chat software.
3) AliPay — owned by Alibaba Group — online payment — 697 million monthly active users. AliPay is a third-party mobile and online payment platform, founded in 2004. It the world’s No. 1 mobile payment service, and the world’s second largest payment service.
4) TaoBao — owned by Alibaba Group — online shopping — 690 million monthly active users. TaoBao is an online shopping run by Alibaba. It is the world’s biggest e-commerce website and the eighth most visited website in the world according to Alexa data,.
5) Tik Tok (DouYin) — owned by ByteDance — video sharing — 376 million monthly active users. Tik Tok is a video-sharing social networking service. Users create and share short lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos. DouYin and TikTok are run on separate servers to ensure DouYin complies with Chinese censorship restrictions.
6) Baidu — owned by Baidu — Utility — 299 million monthly active users. Baidu’s search engine is the fourth largest website in the world according to Alexa ranking.
7) Pinduoduo — owned by Colin Huang — online shopping — 266 million monthly active users. Pinduoduo is an e-commerce platform allowing users to participate in group buying deals. Among its products are home appliances, groceries and a wide range of other stuff. Many goods are purchased as a group to get significant discounts.
8) iQiyi — owned by Baidu — video streaming — 253 million monthly active users. iQiyi is one of the largest online video platforms in the world. As of 2019, users spent around 6 billion hours watching video content on iQiyi each month.
9) Weibo — owned by Sina Corp — micrblogs — 253 million monthly active users. Weibo, means ‘microblog’ in Chinese. Sort of like a hybrid of Facebook and Twitter, it is is an open and public platform, and is used by Chinese for communication, exposure, outreach, trend-spotting, and entertainment.
10) WiFi Master Key — owned by LinkSure Network — Internet use tools — 228 million monthly active users. WiFi Master Key is the world’s first and largest peer-to-peer Wi-Fi sharing platform for free WiFi access. The app leverages the sharing economy, cloud computing, and big data to provide users with a safe and free connection shared by Wi-Fi hosts around the world.
11) Toutiao — owned by ByteDance — news and content provider — 225 million monthly active users.Toutiao is a news and information content platform that uses an algorithm to analyse aspects of users and content to best match the two and provide news and content tailored for each individual user.
12) QQ Browser — Tencent — Internet use tools — 218 million monthly active users. One of the most popular browsers in China, QQ Browser is based on the chromium web browser and offers features such as tabbed windows and integration with other chat platforms.
13) Kwai (Kuaishou) — Tencent — video sharing — 212 million monthly active users. Kwai is a video sharing app that is popular in China and outside it, topping Google Play’s and Apple App Store’s “most downloaded” lists in eight other countries. 14) Tencent Video — owned by Tencent — video streaming — 207 million monthly active users. Tencent is a video streaming website with around 100 million subscribers in 2019. It supports online VOD and TV broadcasts.
15) KuGou — owned by Tencent — music streaming — 183 million monthly active users KuGou is a music streaming and download platform created in 2004. As of 2019, it was the largest music streaming service in the world and has the greatest marketshare for online music in China, at 28 percent.
16) UC Browswer — owned by Alibaba Group — Internet use tools — 151 million monthly active users. UC Browser was developed by the Singapore-China-based mobile Internet company UCWeb. It is bigger than Google Chrome in India and Indonesia.
17) Tencent News — owned by Tencent — news and content provider — 141 million monthly active users. Tencent News is one of the leading news-apps of China. Its content is released via QQ, where it joins other services.
18) YouKu — owned by Alibaba Group — video streaming — 132 million monthly active users. YouKu is a video hosting service. It operates as a subsidiary of Alibaba Group and has been described as hybrid of YouTube and Netflix.
19) YingYongBao — owned by Tencent — App Management — 122 million monthly active users.YingYongBao is a major Android app store and app management tool. It has had on impact on shaping China’s economic and social life in that it facilitates distribution and sale of other apps.
20) Meituan — owned by Meituan Dianping — lifestyle and service tool — 120 million monthly active users. Meituan is a group-buying website for local food delivery services, consumer products, and retail services. Founded in 2010, the site offers daily deals by selling vouchers on local services and entertainment.
21) Amap — Alibaba Group — map service — 115 million monthly active users. Amap belongs to AutoNavi Software Co, a web mapping, navigation and location-based services provider, founded in 2001. It was acquired by Alibaba Group in 2014.
22) JD — owned by Pentland Group — online shopping — 115 million monthly active users. Also known as Jingdong (formerly 360buy), JD is a Fortune 500 e-commerce company. It is one of the two largest business to customer online retailers in China based on revenue and transaction volume.
23) iXiGua — owned by ByteDance — video streaming — 105 million monthly active users. iXiGua offers personal recommendations for video content to its 300+ million users. It had over 4 billion average daily video views and over 70 minutes of daily per capita use per month in 2019.
24) Tencent Mobile Manager — owned by Tencent — Internet use tools — 102 million monthly active users. Tencent Mobile Manager offers various security options for apps based on Tencent’s technical experience with over 1.2 billion mobile devices. Among the service it offers are security assessment, app reinforcement and compatibility testing for a range of industries.
25) 360 Security — owned by Qihoo 360 — Internet use tools — 101 million monthly active users. 360 Security was developed by internet security company Qihoo 360, which has has more than 700 million users for its Mobile Antivirus products.
Exploding Mobile Phone Kills Man in China
In February 2009, man died after his mobile phone exploded, bursting an artery in his neck, The Telegraph reported. The shop worker from Guangzhou, China, died moments after he put a new battery in his phone. It was believed that he may have just finished charging the battery and had put the phone in his breast pocket when it exploded. [Source: The Telegraph, February 3, 2009]
The Shin Min Daily News said a n employee at the shop told local media that she heard a loud bang and saw her colleague lying on the floor of the shop in a pool of blood. The employee said the victim had recently changed the battery in his mobile phone. Police investigated what caused the explosion and whether the phone was counterfeit. The maker and model of the phone were not revealed.
Local reports said that this was the ninth recorded cellphone explosion in China since 2002.The Shin Min Daily News published advice for consumers on how to avoid being hurt by exploding mobile phones: 1) Always use original batteries; 2) Do not expose your mobile phone to high temperatures, and avoid exposing it to direct sunlight; 3) Avoid long phone conversations.
'Big Brother Cell Phone Surveillance in China?
Leo Lewis wrote in The Times in 2011, “Beijing is considering plans to launch a mobile phone tracking system that will put the day-to-day movements of 17 million residents of the Chinese capital under 24-hour, 'Big Brother' surveillance. The "travelling efficiency" program has officially been set up to smooth road and pedestrian traffic but the operation will also allow the Beijing authorities to monitor the precise movements of the capital's mobile phone users. [Source: Leo Lewis, The Times, March 4, 2011]
If it is approved, the project, known as the "Information Platform of Realtime Citizen Movement", will draw on information extracted from people's mobile phones, local cell stations and satellite-tracking technology. By processing the data with powerful computers, the authorities could be supplied with unprecedented levels of live information on the location and trajectory of all mobile users in the capital. Communications specialists have decried the plans as a poorly disguised attempt at privacy invasion.
The information extracted from large numbers of mobile phones could give the authorities a constantly churning map of where ordinary Chinese are gathering - allowing them to judge at what point a street full of shoppers becomes a potentially subversive mob in need of an immediate crackdown. Chen Derong, Professor of Wireless Communications at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said the proposed system had nothing to do with monitoring traffic.
Protests in Xiamen
Text Messages in China
The Chinese do more text messaging than anyone else. This is thought to be partly because it is such a cheap way to communicate and because a lot of information can be packed into a few characters. A total of 429 billion text messages were sent by cell phones used in 2006, an equivalent of 927 per user, or 33 billion a month, more than any other country. A total of 217.8 billion text messages were sent used in 2004, a 58.8 percent increase from 2003 and as many as the rest of the world combined. Text messaging is popular because it is cheap and most Chinese don’t have the money to make calls.
Chinese vastly prefer text messaging to e-mail. They prefer the immediacy and convenience of text messaging. Plus almost everybody has a cell phone while a computer is still out of reach for many people. Chinese chat, exchange greetings, pass on jokes and flirt with text messages. During the mid-autumn festival in 2007, 2 billion messages were sent in a single day, most greetings and well wishes. At that time nine out of ten cell phone users in China sent text messages, compared to only 49 percent of cell phone users in the United States.
Advanced cell phones with a stylus allow users to draw the characters they want on the screen. Many older people prefer this method. Younger people prefer using the Romanized sound system with a lot of abbreviations . There are text message services that provide weather reports, novels, advice for the heartbroken, digital “pets,” music and pornography. People can vote for their favorite idol on television games shows with messages. Mobile gaming is big and lucrative. Among the games that have done well are trivia quizzes, adventure games and adaptions of rock, scissors, paper. There are also a number of schemes that offer fake cash prizes and illegal services such as gambling and prostitution.
Text Messages and the Government in China
The government has clamped down on text messaging service that offer pornography and some forms of entertainment and installed technology that allows them to snoop on users. The effort was ostensibly set up to cut down on text pornography but can also be used for surveillance of any user. The technology is similar to what is used to monitor the Internet and block websites and find key words.
The government routinely monitors private e-mail, telephone calls text messages and electronic communications with 2,800 surveillance centers..A campaign in 2005, found 107,000 illegal short messages and shut down 9,700 cell phone accounts. Banking scams, illegal lotteries, prostitution and pornography services made up the majority of the shut down sites, The Venus Inor Tech surveillance system filters messages deemed to be “false political rumors.”
The construction of a $1.4 billion chemical factory in Xiamen was halted after citizens there launched a successful text messaging campaign. Widely-distributed messages used inflammatory language comparing the chemicals produced at the plant to nuclear bomb material and warned of leukemia and birth defects. The messages reached more than 1 million cell phones and reached nearly all of Xiamen’s 1.5 million residents through cell phone, word of mouth or messages painted on building walls. Angry messages about the chemical factory were removed from the Internet but the text messages were so widely disseminated using the short message system (SMS) from so many sources at so many different times the government was helpless to do anything about it. One blogger wrote “SMS is a widely used communications method, more than the Internet. Only a certain amount of people use the Internet, but almost everyone has a cell phone.”
Chinese authorities have technology to monitor cell phone messages and track their sources. They they tried to block message in Xiamen but when people send out messages to their friends and family members and they in turn send messages to more people information spreads in exponential fashion and is difficult to stop. Once the text message campaign gained momentum it took on a life of its own. In early June 2007, demonstrations with 10,000 participants were held and Xiamen began getting nationwide coverage
Cell phones sales
China Mobile Official Sentenced to Death
A former executive at China Mobile, one of this country’s biggest state-owned telecommunications companies, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency. David Barboza wrote in the New York Times Zhang Chunjiang, the former vice chairman of China Mobile was charged with accepting more than $1.15 million in bribes while working at a series of state-run telecom companies between 1994 and 2009, when he was removed from his post. The two-year reprieve means that with good behavior his sentence could be commuted to life in prison. The sentence, which was handed down by a court in north China’s Hebei province, is the latest development in an unfolding corruption investigation into this country’s powerful telecom oligopoly. [Source: David Barboza , New York Times July 22, 2011]
While state executives and government officials are regularly arrested on corruption charges, only a handful have received the death penalty in recent years. Recently, prosecutors have focused their attention on the telecom industry. At least seven other executives from China Mobile are under investigation in corruption cases, according to the nation’s state-run news media. And investigators are also looking into the role of several prominent Chinese businessmen, including Zeng Liqing, one of the founders of Tencent, a top Chinese Internet company, according to Caixin magazine, one of the nation’s most respected publications.
State-run news media said that Mr. Zhang, the 53-year-old former China Mobile executive, confessed to his crimes and therefore was given a penalty mitigated by the two-year reprieve. Xinhua said Mr. Zhang took the bribes while working as deputy director of the Liaoning Provincial Postal Administration, and also while working as general manager of the China Netcom Group and party chief and deputy general manager of China Mobile.
Image Sources: Textually speaking blog; Cgstock http://www.cgstock.com/china ; Picasaweb Jeff; China Digital Times, blogger Jessica ; Wiki Commons ; Asia Obscura
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.
Last updated May 2022


text: We’ve been reporting on the aMusic iOS app, which lets people access their Amazon cloud music locker from iPhones and iPads. It was pulled from the App Store earlier this month, but its developer James Clancey has revealed that Apple wasn’t the cause. “aMusic was actually pulled by me at the request of Amazon, not Apple. Apple never seemed to have a problem with aMusic,” he tells Mashable. The problem, according to Clancey, is that Amazon has not signed the necessary licensing deals to allow its Cloud Player API to be used by external developers. “Amazon really has been great. I never thought I would be happy and feel good about taking an app down after talking to a lawyer,” he says.

domain: news


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A national drive to increase food production in Kenya is gathering strength, as the government moves to streamline the regulatory environment and roll out major initiatives aimed at supporting farmers, in line with its long-term vision.
As with many African markets, agriculture plays a key part in Kenya’s economy, representing roughly a quarter of GDP. A strong performance from the sector in late 2012 and early 2013 helped to boost economic growth for the first six months of this year, compensating, in part, for a contraction in the hospitality industry and a general slowdown before the March presidential elections.
However, a changing economic landscape, together with challenging weather patterns, has heightened short-term risk for the sector, particularly for tea exports – the third-largest source of foreign currency receipts.
Challenges for key crops
Kenya is one of the world’s largest tea exporters. According to the Tea Board of Kenya, tea accounts for around 11% of agriculture’s contribution to GDP, with exports generating 26% of foreign exchange earnings in 2012.
Tea production increased 22% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the first nine months of 2013. However, a combination of rising global supply, higher costs and inclement weather looks set to squeeze producers’ profits this year. Kenya has also felt the impact of a temporary dip in demand from Egypt, which represented its top export market for tea in 2012.
Prices at the Mombasa tea auction, which handles the majority of Kenyan sales, have declined steadily since July, reaching a seven-year low in mid-November.
Figures from the Kenyan Bureau of Statistics show that prices dropped from $3.28 per kilo in January to $2.38 end-August. While export revenue remained steady at KSh8.2bn ($90m) for the first half of the year, producers expect consistently lower prices to weigh significantly on annual sector performance, according to international media reports.
The recent discovery of a vast underground water aquifer in the desert north of Turkana will help improve access to water resources over the medium to long-term but challenging weather patterns have also caused problems for several of Kenya’s other staple crops. Scant rainfall across the eastern and north-eastern provinces, in particular, has affected areas bordering Ethiopia and Somalia.
The lack of rain, combined with disease, looks set to hit the maize crop especially hard, with production forecasts for 2013 revised down 15% from 43.3m bags to 39.9m. With annual domestic consumption estimated at around 40m bags of maize, the government may well have to increase its import spending to compensate for shortfalls.
Support for the sector
While lower expectations for key crops in 2013 are set to place a strain on the economy in the short-term, a number of initiatives taking shape should help increase activity over time.
The Kenya Agricultural Value Chains Enterprises project, meanwhile, aims to help around half a million small-scale farmers based across eastern and western Kenya to become more competitive in the longer term. Bolstered by KSh3.5bn ($39m) in funding from the US Agency for International Development, the initiative is looking to increase productivity and improve processing, particularly in the maize, dairy products and horticultural segments.
The Kenyan government has also begun streamlining the regulations governing the sector, increase administrative efficiency and facilitate growth.
The new legislation is set to create a single Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Authority, which will bring the 24 state entities dealing with the sector’s various segments under one umbrella. The number of ministries involved in the agricultural sector’s operations will also be reduced.
While some of the reforms will take time to produce results, they are expected to be instrumental in correcting a number of the sector’s structural weaknesses. Boosting production will certainly improve Kenya’s food security, while raising agricultural export revenue has a growing role to play in supporting overall economic growth.
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Huawei launched smartphones overseas
Huawei unveiled its mid-range smartphone Nova 9 overseas on Thursday. This is the first time the product has been available in the international market, first in Europe.
The Chinese smartphone giant's overseas business has been paralyzed since the US imposed sanctions. But that hasn't stopped Huawei from launching phones in international markets.
The Nova 9 is a 4G device with some of the features of high-end phones. This includes four cameras with wide-angle lenses and software to help take pictures. It has a 6.57-inch display and fast charging technology.
Huawei developed its own operating system, HarmonyOS, and released it after US sanctions barred it from using Google's Android operating system, which is used by rivals such as Samsung. But Nova 9 will not run HarmonyOS, instead using EMUI 12, an Android-based operating system developed by Huawei. Due to restrictions in the US, the phone will not have any Google services installed. Huawei's smartphones will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 778G chip. In previous phones, Huawei used its own chipset brand, Kirin. The American sanctions also cut off Huawei's ability to obtain Kirin chips because they use American technology. Last year, Qualcomm won a license from Washington to sell certain 4G mobile chips to Huawei.
In Europe, Huawei's market share rose from 13.4% in the second quarter of 2019 to 0.3% in the same period this year, according to Counterpoint Research. Without Google's Android operating system, Huawei wouldn't be able to offer the kind of apps consumers are used to in international markets.
Huawei's APP store lacks some big-name apps. Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint Research, says "the lack of popular apps remains a barrier for many users".
Huawei said its HarmonyOS system now had 120m users, up from about 100m in September. Huawei claims that HarmonyOS can run on a variety of devices, not just smartphones. That means apps can be delivered on smartwatches, TVs and even cars.
Huawei also makes other devices, including smartwatches and laptops. Smartphones are part of the company's strategy to offer different devices that use HarmonyOS, which could increase users and ultimately attract developers. It is also part of a broader push by Huawei to increase software revenue as its hardware business struggles.


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Cyber Attacks on Infrastructure Are Increasing: Review Your Insurance As “Internet of Things” Risks Grow and Change
In the December post Systemic Cyber Risks And The Internet of Things, we wrote about the increasing risk of cyber attacks on infrastructure and consumer products, and related insurance issues. We noted in that post that, while there have been a few cyber attacks on the Internet of Things (IoT) reported over the past few years, the number of such attacks was certain to grow. It has. Since our December post, several new attacks and developments have been publicly disclosed. These attacks again remind us that companies should evaluate their risks and exposures relating to the IoT and carefully negotiate their insurance policy renewals or purchases.


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Setting a new record for pre-ticket sales ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is well on its way to becoming among the highest grossing films of all time. According to Business Insider, the J.J. Abrams-directed space opera which is set to release in Pakistan on Christmas day, is expected to rake in around $8 BILLION in total sales.
The forecast includes $1.95 billion at the global box office and roughly $6 billion from the sale of consumer products. The film sees old-school talent Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher return in their iconic roles as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The Guardian review called the film ‘a spectacular homecoming’ giving it 5 out of 5 stars while IMDb rated it a 9.2/10.
If the box office forecast holds true, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will become the third-highest-grossing film of all time behind James Cameron blockbusters ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’.


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Google announced new enhancements in Ad Customizers and optimized the way negative keywords can now be viewed. Amazon launched new features under the Amazon Sponsor Product, the difference advertising mediums your business should explore, recap of the SMX East session on topping with your seasonal SEM campaigns and more.
Last year, Google launched Flexible Conversion Counting and replaced the ‘then’conversions (one-per-click) and conversions (many-per-click) columns with Converted Clicks and Conversions columns. By the face of it, both appear to be the same, however there is a big difference in the data each of these metric captures.
Google Ads is a beneficial marketing medium if businesses know how to put the myriad features to use. Further, a successful campaign calls for reviewing the account and making necessary changes.
Here’s a recap of the all that happened in the PPC landscape last week. Google announced new innovations in GDN, understand how to use negative keyword list effectively, get a sneak peek into the SMX East session titled ‘Winning at mobile PPC’, convincing reasons to get going with mobile PPC ads. All this and more covered in this week’s PPC News.
Effectively manage your display campaigns, use custom labels to better your ROI, create remarketing list with Google Analytics Custom Dimensions and more articles on Gmail Ads, newly launched Customer Match and Universal App campaigns by Google AdWords.


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400 jobs in balance as ArcelorMittal reviews operations
Cape Town – ArcelorMittal SA announced on Monday that it would begin consultations on the potential closure of its Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging works.
“The possible closure will affect approximately 400 direct employees and contract service employees,” ArcelorMittal said in a Sens statement.
The company is currently deciding whether to “mothball” some of its plants and potentially place others “under care and maintenance”.
In July City Press reported that ArcelorMittal CEO Paul O’Flaherty was in talks with government to provide “wide-ranging protection against Chinese competition”.
Official trade statistics put the steel and iron imports from China at about 240 000 tonnes in the first five months of 2014.
For the same period in 2015 SA’s imports from China more than doubled to 489 000 tonnes.
“We acknowledge and appreciate the steps taken by Government with regards to the initial approvals of import tariffs for two of our products,” ArcelorMittal said.
The company said, however, that the tariffs “will only assist in the medium to long-term and trading conditions continue to worsen since the announcement in July of the footprint study of our long steel business”.
The company announced on July 23 2015 that it would engage “with its stakeholders, including organised labour and undertake an industrial footprint review of its Vereeniging works”.
“At the same time, like Vereeniging, the Vanderbijlpark works continues to be unprofitable in the face of the current market conditions,” said ArcelorMittal.


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A MAJOR new bid to publicise council cash for emerging businesses is about to kick off – amid worries not enough firms realise the help is available.
Worcester City Council is to contact 1,000 companies to try to engage them with the various ways the authority can help.
Since 2010 27 businesses have secured cash grants to help them survive and grow in the harsh economic climate.
A report which went to the Conservative cabinet stated there is “a major issue” in making sure enough organisations are aware the help exists.
At the moment, any business which has been trading for up to five years can apply for a £2,000 award.
Under the ruling, they must agree to match it pound-for-pound from the firm’s own resources.
There are also start-up grants for new companies which have been trading for less than six months, who can apply for £750.
Since 2010 both pots have benefited a total of 27 companies – but now the push is on for more.
Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader of Worcester City Council, said: “We want to make it more widely known what help is available, especially in the current climate.
“There are so many small and medium sized businesses that we need to help, because they are out there and want to grow, but need support.
“From a county-wide perspective, we are looking to create a business hub which aims to make it simpler for businesses to access help and advice. At the moment there are so many bodies around, we want to streamline the help available.”
The report says a major “engagement programme” will launch later this month, and by October 1,000 company bosses will be contacted to make them aware of the help.
Advice will be dished out on grants, how to take on apprentices and interns, and a range of other city council services.
All of the information collected will then be stored on a database so the authority can actively manage relationships with those firms interested in the guidance.


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CarPlay, Apple’s in-car system formerly known as iOS in the Car, launched last month requiring an iPhone running iOS 7.1 and one of the compatible 2014 cars from Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Volvo. A bunch of other car vendors have promised to bring support for CarPlay to their vehicles throughout 2014, but not everyone is rich enough to buy a brand new car just to enjoy CarPlay.
Pioneer Electronics is reportedly considering rolling out CarPlay aftermarket kits for older vehicles and Mercedes-Benz has similar plans of its own. And now, car electronics manufacturer Alpine is said to offer CarPlay aftermarket kits in the United States and Europe this Fall, with a cost of around $500 to $700…
While a slew of carmakers will soon start offering vehicles that come standard with a CarPlay interface built in, the Japanese company’s device is to be the first aftermarket product compatible with the system. It will first be available in the U.S. and Europe and likely cost around $500 to $700.
The kit with a seven-inch touchscreen will go on sale in Japan as soon as 2015.
It will connect to an iPhone 5/5c/5s using the Lightning cable and offer the same features as those available in vehicles supporting CarPlay out-of-the-box, including Apple Maps, Siri, navigation and more.
MacRumors got in touch with another in-dash system maker, Clarion, which confirmed it’s been working with Apple “from the start” on adding support for CarPlay to both its Smart Access in-car infotainment system and OEM products “at some point in the future.”
We have heard from developers that event CarPlay is fairly easy to integrate into third-party apps, but car manufacturers were quick to underscore that bringing CarPlay compatibility to older vehicles is not as trivial as it sounds.
Ferrari, for example, has ruled out CarPlay aftermarket kits together as the feature “is available only on new range cars and cannot be installed on older ones.”
The truth of the situation remains murky as Volvo at the same time hinted at CarPlay aftermarket solution though cautioned the initiative would face “major roadblocks” dealing with both technical and usability issues.


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Duncan Hunter - New Legislation
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) was joined by several of his colleagues in introducing the Border Tax Equity Act. The legislation, which Congressman Hunter coauthored with Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Walter Jones (R-NC) and Michael Michaud (D-ME), ends the double taxation of U.S. exports and works toward leveling the playing field for U.S. workers and manufacturers.
“Under our current trade system, U.S. exports are taxed twice: once domestically and then a second time as they arrive at their destination,” said Congressman Hunter. “Our trading partners, on the other hand, rebate taxes to their exporters, who also incur no taxes when their products reach America’s shores.
“For our workers to be competitive in today’s global market, we must level the playing field by eliminating the excessive tax burden and correcting the unfair trade practices responsible for driving American industry offshore. By prohibiting the double taxation of U.S. exports, the Border Tax Equity Act takes a much needed and long overdue step towards enacting trade laws that give our workers and manufacturers a chance to succeed.”
Specifically, the Border Tax Equity Act would:
- Direct the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to negotiate a remedy within the World Trade Organization by January 1, 2009, for the $379 billion disadvantage to American domestic producers and service providers caused by foreign border-adjusted taxes.
Should no resolution be reached by January 1, 2009, the legislation then requires:
- An offsetting assessment at the U.S. border on imports equal to the amount of the rebate provided by the exporting country;
The Border Tax Equity Act has been referred to several House committees for further consideration.
- The issuance of rebates equal to the amount of taxes paid by American exporters on goods taxed by importing nations.
We need the leadership of Duncan Hunter! Click here and show your support.


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HOUSTON, Oct. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Port of Houston Authority has partnered with the Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) to host the first annual Container Trade Outlook Conference, which will be held at the Houston DoubleTree Hotel at Bush Intercontinental Airport Nov. 18, 2015.
This pioneering event brings together high-level speakers for a riveting discussion about the outlook for the container trade. Perry Padden, Americas Logistics and Distribution Manager, Global Supply Chain, ExxonMobil Chemical Company, and Reade Kidd, Director, International Logistics, The Home Depot, Inc., will lend valuable insight on cargo projections and gateway outlooks.
Manuel E. Benítez, deputy administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, will deliver the event’s keynote address and provide updates on the expansion project at the Panama Canal. Port of Houston Authority Executive Director Roger Guenther will deliver opening remarks, while Port Authority Chief Commercial Officer Ricky Kunz will participate on the Container Trade Outlook panel.
Join the Port of Houston Authority for this inaugural event with a networking reception at the end of the conference. The first annual Container Trade Outlook Conference arrives in the midst of fast evolution in regional and global containerized shipping markets.
Visit www.containerization.org to learn more about the conference and register early, as space will fill up quickly. A $125 registration fee gives access to the conference sessions, luncheon and networking reception.
A room block is available for $159 for Nov. 17-18 at the DoubleTree Houston Intercontinental Airport. Call 1-855-610-8733 and ask for the CII Conference room block for the dates. This room block will be available through Nov. 3, 2015.
About the Port of Houston Authority
For more than 100 years, the Port of Houston Authority has owned or operated the public cargo-handling facilities of the Port of Houston – the nation's largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage. The port is an economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the nation. It supports the creation of more than one million statewide jobs and more than 2.1 million nationwide jobs, and the generation of economic activity totaling more than $178.5 billion in Texas and $499 billion across the nation. For more information, visit the Port Authority website at: www.portofhouston.com
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=719
Bill Hensel, Manager, External Communications Office: 713-670-2893; Mobile: 832-452-5776
Source:Port of Houston Authority


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By Austin Ramzy and Katie Rogers
Like customers scorned after a poor time, the tech corporation Tinder go somewhat insane on social networks on Tuesday after Vanity reasonable circulated an article blaming technologies towards death of going out with.
The article, “Tinder in addition to the Dawn of this ‘Dating Apocalypse,’ ” wasn't about Tinder — there certainly is a larger websites at the job, the writer Nancy Jo selling advised. Nonetheless application, which enables consumers immediately swipe handled by signaling rejection or directly to signal interests, was created to demonstrate the issues small daters confront whenever technology fuses close interest covers with excessive selection. （更多…）


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Hands-off, eyes-off driving comes to BMW in 2021.
- Adam Morath
- Dec 16, 2013
We get behind the wheel of BMW's first production electric vehicle, the BMW i3. This groundbreaking car has been years in the making and marks a new electric era for the German automaker. With an eco-friendly design inside and out, the i3 looks to become the ultimate green machine.
- Adam Morath
- Aug 7, 2013
Following the global debut of their i3 electric car, BMW has released new details for the second vehicle in their "i-brand" lineup. The BMW i8, which was revealed in concept form in late 2011, is a plug-in hybrid sports car that is expected to go on sale in 2014. Yesterday, a camouflaged prototype of the vehicle was shown at a test track in France.
- David Kiley
- Jul 29, 2013
With the launch of the new BMW i3 electric vehicle comes a new era in which luxury and performance brands compete for credibility over who produces electric vehicles that deliver the most exciting driving and ownership experiences.
- Michael Zak
- Jul 11, 2013
The hotly anticipated 2014 BMW i3 electric car is set to be revealed on July 29. If eighteen days seems like too long to wait, you're in luck, as BMW has released a slew of new details on the vehicle, including a ballpark price and on-sale date.
- Kyle Thibaut
- Aug 1, 2012
BMW hopes to bring down the price of their upcoming "i" brand plug-in vehicles by selling them online. This is the German automaker's first attempt at selling cars over the internet and if it runs smoothly, you can bet we'll be seeing more online sales from BMW and competitors alike.
- 2018 Honda Accord First Drive
- 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV First Drive
- Updated Crossover Buying Guides
- Leaked 2018 Honda Gold Wing photos
- Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class earns top IIHS rating
- Find and compare 2018 models


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UK – The launch of Scotland’s proposed deposit return scheme (DRS) could face delays following reports that the UK Government intends to block it.
According to The Guardian, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has urged the Scottish Government to rethink its flagship recycling policy.
The scheme will allow customers to pay a £0.20 (US$0.24) deposit when buying drinks in a single-use container made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel and aluminium or glass.
People will receive the deposit when they return the empty container to one of the return points located at shops or hospitality venues across the country. The DRS scheme is due to go live in August this year.
Jack reportedly also plans to reject a trade exemption request from the Scottish Government for its recycling scheme.
Last month, the BBC reported him as urging the devolved administration to pause the DRS after business leaders raised concerns over its costs.
The BBC quoted Jack as saying: “The introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme is a challenging and complex piece of work.
“The last thing we want to do is rush into this and cause unnecessary difficulties for businesses in Scotland, particularly when many are still recovering from the effects of the Covid pandemic and are having to deal with increased costs due to the war in Ukraine.
“It is not too late to think again and so I am calling on the Scottish government to pause its scheme and work with us to design a system that works for the whole UK.”
Meanwhile, environmental campaigners have said that blocking the Scottish deposit return scheme for bottles would be an environmental travesty in a growing backlash to the UK government’s plans to undermine the project.
The charity City to Sea, which has been pushing for a deposit return scheme (DRS) to tackle plastic pollution, said the UK government could have avoided the clash with Scotland by working with the devolved countries to deliver a unified deposit scheme years ago.
Instead, Westminster had repeatedly delayed its own deposit scheme, which was only coming into force in 2025 – seven years after it was first promised by ministers.
Scottish ministers have been planning the DRS for years, with Lorna Slater, the green minister, calling it a “massive national undertaking”, involving 4,000 producers, 10,000 “takeback” machines, and 2bn drinks containers.
Across the UK, consumers get through an estimated 13 billion plastic drinks bottles a year. Only 7.5 billion are recycled.
The remaining 5.5 billion are landfilled, littered or incinerated. Each day UK consumers use 38.5 million plastic bottles.
Other countries have successfully introduced deposit schemes. Last January, Slovakia became the 11th country in Europe to introduce a deposit scheme, which led to the return of 100m plastic bottles and metal cans in the first five months of its operation.
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The cards were the product of a large fundraising campaign led by the Blue Square Supermarket chain, Globes, the Israel Post and regional radio stations. Donations were received at checkouts in Blue Square stores and via sms donations advertised on the radio stations and TV network.
The cards, credited with 250nis each allowed thousands of needy families to purchase groceries in local supermarkets according to their needs and desires. The distribution of the cards meant that there was no need to stand in long lines to receive food packages and went a long way to restore the dignity of the recipients. Thousands of cards were distributed by representatives of the government social services in 34 cities and municipalities across the country including: Bet Shean, Dimona, Yerucham, and Sderot.
Rachel Ebenboim, Executive Director of Meir Panim remarked: “Tens of thousands of people can sit, this year, at the holiday table and enjoy the festive meal which they purchased and prepared just like any other citizen. I am glad that the business sector opened its hearts to partner in this project and we are already discussing ways to continue and expand this project so that more people can benefit from it. ”


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How Does a Brand Like Louis Vuitton Choose a New Designer?
Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner and Telfar Clemens are among the designers who have been considered by Vuitton-owner LVMH to succeed the late Virgil Abloh, according to sources. A final pick is expected within weeks.
With $26 million in sales in 2023, led by its strong performance in the US, Invisible Collection’s co-founder Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays shares how the luxury interiors platform is catering to this consumer cohort through its bespoke service and activations with cultural value.
Sales at Renzo Rosso’s Breganza-based fashion group have continued to climb in a rocky market for designer apparel, validating the design-led approach that was on display at the Diesel and Marni shows this week in Milan.


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SYDNEY, June 7 (Xinhua) — About 70 percent of Australia’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) believe that more investment is needed for local manufacturing facilities to relieve supply chain challenges that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new research from one of the nation’s leading banks.
Figures released by the National Australia Bank (NAB) on Monday showed that businesses with up to 200 employees were generally recovering from the upheaval created by the pandemic but burdening stock supplies remained a for one in four businesses.
The situation is particularly dire for wholesalers with about half the respondents saying they had ongoing difficulties meeting their customers’ delivery expectations or managing their outgoing costs.
Other SME sectors still being badly hit include manufacturing (44 percent), retail (37 percent) and construction (30 percent).
NAB Business and Private Banking Group Executive Andrew Irvine said the findings reflected what he had been hearing from business operators.
“The topic of supply chains has quickly moved from a subject for the boardrooms to something now discussed around people’s kitchen tables,” he said.
“We are all now intimately aware of how fragile our supply chains can be in the face of a natural disaster, health crisis or international incident,” Irvine said, adding that investment in local manufacturing facilities with access to “strong transport infrastructure” was vital to improving SME resilience.
On the positive side, the report noted, businesses had come up with “ingenious” ways to manage sudden supply chain challenges with 38 percent moving to a model where they had multiple suppliers for an item while 27 percent were investing in extra storage to hold more stock and raw products.
Irvine said the situation also impacted consumers who were finding items were no longer available or had to pay more for them as the SMEs pass on their extra running costs.
About 30 percent of SMEs said they had already raised their prices because of supply challenges or were planning to do so shortly.
The research revealed that businesses in the vast but comparatively sparsely populated state of Western Australia (WA) were the worst hit by supply chain obstacles.
Some 35 percent of WA businesses reported still being hamstrung by inadequate supply chains, while their counterparts in the eastern states, which have the nation’s largest cities of Sydney and Melbourne, had about 10 percent fewer supply problems.


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Team Ninja has unveiled a teaser trailer for Ninja Gaiden III.
The clip, at just under 40 seconds in length, is fairly gruesome, so viewer discretion is advised. It also hints that the game's "unmask" will be at E3 2011. Those itching for some more Ninja Gaiden action will have to wait, though, as the game is unlikely to hit shelves before 2012.
"This new title will take fans on an epic journey as they discover a side of their hero that has never been revealed," reads the press release from Tecmo and Team Ninja. "This title marks the first installment in the series that is led by Yosuke Hayashi, the leader of Team Ninja. The game is set to introduce this franchise to a broader audience while at the same time retaining the legendary challenge that has drawn hardcore gamers to the series for years."


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‘BACK 4 BLOOD’ DELAYED TO OCTOBER
Back 4 Blood, the co-op zombie shooter from Turtle Rock Studios, has been delayed four months from June 18 to Oct. 12.
The announcement came via the game’s official Twitter account, citing development progress hurdles and confirming the new release date. “Turtle Rock Studios is working hard to make Back 4 Blood the best game it can possibly be at launch and the team needs more time to do this,” the studio said. “Therefore, we will release Back 4 Blood on October 12, 2021.”
The statement also thanked fans for their support and announced an open beta set for this summer. No specific release date was given for the open beta.
Back 4 Blood was unveiled during the 2020 Game Awards, showing off its Left 4 Dead-style gameplay for the first time. A closed alpha test soon followed, but the game went silent until Thursday’s news.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros


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Moshi Monsters will open its first Moshi Pop-Up store in London's Whiteleys Shopping Centre this month. The opening will feature the new Vivid Imaginations toy line, which launched in January, and the debut of the new Moshi Magazine, which goes on sale in the U.K. on Feb. 17.
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Westfield Retail Trust started marketing at least A$500 million ($529 million) of bonds in the Australia and New Zealand mall owner’s inaugural debt sale after being split off from Westfield Group last year.
The company is seeking to price the notes, maturing in October 2016, to yield about 120 basis points more than the swap rate, according to an e-mailed statement from Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which is helping to manage the sale.
Westfield Group announced the creation of the retail trust in November to take 50 percent stakes in its 54 Australian and New Zealand shopping centers, allowing the main entity to pursue more developments and acquisitions. It said at the time that Westfield Retail may sell bonds to help refinance bank debt.
Westfield Retail is rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s, the fifth-highest grade and two rungs higher than Westfield Group, which is rated A-.
It had A$2.8 billion in bank loan facilities as of Dec. 31, including A$1 billion split between three- and five-year facilities, and A$895 million of bridge loans, according to a regulatory filing.
The trust part-owns assets including the Sydney City center that opened in October, Westfield Bondi Junction, also in Sydney, and the Doncaster Center in Melbourne, according to its website.
A sale of A$500 million of bonds would match the biggest non-financial corporate deal in Australia this year, a sale of five-year 6.75 percent notes by Woolworths Ltd., according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., National Australia Bank Ltd. and Westpac Banking Corp. are also helping manage Westfield Retail’s debt sale.


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This weekend, FedEx Corp. found itself scrambling to respond to a viral video of one of its drivers carelessly throwing packages into the back of a delivery truck.
The video was filmed in New York City and show the driver and an unidentified man joking as they hurled packages without concern for their contents.
FedEx released a statement to the website The Gothamist regarding the video.
“We are very disappointed to see this. FedEx sets high standards of behavior and performance for our team members and this behavior falls far short of what is expected. We pick up and deliver millions of packages in a professional manner each year, and the actions in this video do not reflect our professional expectations. We have already contacted the management personnel responsible for this employee and the appropriate corrective action will be taken.”
FedEx’s senior vice president of Human Resources, Shannon Brown, said that the employee is no longer with the company.


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United Realty IL receives Illinois Excellence Award
Online Staff Report
United Realty IL has been selected for the 2013 Illinois Excellence Award among all its peers and competitors by the U.S. Trade & Commerce Institute (USTCI).
Each year, the USTCI conducts business surveys and industry research to identify companies that have achieved demonstrable success in their local business environment and industry category. They are recognized as having enhanced the commitment and contribution of small businesses through service to their customers and community. Small businesses of this caliber enhance the consumer-driven stature for which Illinois is renowned.
United Realty IL has consistently demonstrated a high regard for upholding business ethics and company values. This recognition by USTCI marks a significant achievement as an emerging leader within various competitors, and is setting benchmarks that the industry should follow.
As part of the industry research and business surveys, various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the selected companies in each category. This research is part of an exhaustive process that encapsulates a yearlong immersion in the business climate of Illinois.
United Realty IL is Rockford’s premier full-service real estate brokerage company specializing in residential, commercial, investment, foreclosures, short sales, new construction and property management, and servicing all of northern Illinois. An Equal Opportunity and Equal Housing Opportunity company.
United Realty IL is at 7210 E. State St., Rockford, and can be reached at (815) 397-7700. Visit unitedrealtycompany.com for more details.
Posted May 9, 2014


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High Demand Exceeds Supply
After the Chevrolet withdrawal incident, the manufacturer’s reputation among the public has become very good, so that many people choose to believe this brand, and they will be the first to consider this brand when buying a car. However, this has also created a problem for the manufacturer, too many customers have no way to buy.
GM analyzed the Blazer’s inventory and found that because of the popularity of the model, his stock was far from enough. According to the normal situation, there should be 60 days of safety stock, but because this model is very popular, now only 28 days of safety stock. Now there is a shortage of supply.
There is also a reason for this situation, that is, due to the epidemic situation, production has been suspended for two months.
According to the latest data, sales of Blazer are on a big upward trend, up 183% from last year. Sales of this model have increased significantly not only in the United States but also in Canada.
However, this has caused a problem. Many customers can no longer buy this model. In order to solve this problem, GM has asked the factory to increase production. However, it will take some time to solve this problem.
In fact, there is a better solution, which is to produce in the Spring Hill factory.
At present, the situation of insufficient inventory has not been solved, and the follow-up situation remains to be observed.


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Art and horticulture will come together as one this weekend as the Art Group of Strathroy-Caradoc is set to host a highly-engaging, colourful and somewhat botanical indoor art sale at Strathroy’s venerable Zimmermann’s Garden Centre.
Greenhouse Expressions, which takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will showcase the eclectic works of 33 local artists, artisans, gardeners, photographers and writers, all in the comfort of John and Mary Zimmermann’s expansive Carroll Street greenhouses.
Not only will the free and family-friendly event feature exquisite artwork on sale, ranging from winsome watercolour paintings to superlative stained glass pieces and spellbinding sculptures, it will also highlight creations from the Strathroy-Caradoc Horticultural Society. Both artist and gardening demonstrations also will be taking place throughout the day.
Art Group co-president Betty McCracken said that the indoor event will be a wonderful way for members of the public to both celebrate local artists, artisans, and horticulturalists as well as shop for unique handcrafted holiday gifts, all while keeping the sometimes-uncooperative September weather at bay.
“For years and years and years and years the Art Group held Art in the Park during the summer, at Alexandra Park,” she said. “The weather wasn’t always conducive, so this is a new venture for us to go into Zimmermann’s greenhouses, where there’s shelter.
“This is kind of our outside event, inside,” McCracken added with a laugh.
Along with everything from charcuterie boards to greeting cards to handcrafted preserves on offer, music will also be in the air, McCracken said, while children will have an ample number of activities to busy themselves with while their parents or grandparents go browsing for potential presents.
“It’s really a celebration — there will be ukuleles playing, barbershop quartets singing. It will be a happy fall event for everybody, and we’ve also got activities for kids that the Horticultural Society is organizing,” she said. “We’ve got vendors in two greenhouses and Domino’s Pizza will also be on site, so anyone wanting to eat can do so too.”
The idea to host the event inside Zimmermann’s Garden Centre was one that came easily to McCracken, she said.
“We’ve been John and Mary’s customers for 41 years, so when we started looking around for where we could have an indoor event, they were quite happy to host it,” she said. “They have always been very hospitable to the Horticultural Society, who will be one of the big exhibitors at the event.”
“It was a natural fit for us and we’re so happy that Mary and John are willing to host us, they’re both done so much for the community” McCracken continued. “Not only that, but they’ll be selling their fall chrysanthemums too.”
IF YOU GO
What: The Art Group of Strathroy-Caradoc’s Greenhouse Expressions art sale
When: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Zimmermann’s Garden Centre, 2 Carroll Street East


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For example, Adam Mosseri recently led the launch FB’s new emoji reactions which aim to move beyond the “like” button. Naomi Gleit leads the team dedicated to finding social good opportunities for Facebook. Simo and Cathcart’s work is likely ringing some alarm bells at YouTube as they aim to make Facebook the best place to watch and share videos. Simo and Cathcart’s work is likely ringing some alarm bells at YouTube as they aim to make Facebook the “best place to watch and share videos.” Cofounded, ThinkMagic, which pioneered RFID, a game-changing wireless sensor technology. Daniels is the VP of product for Internet.org, the Facebook-led imitative to bring internet connectivity to the entire planet.
Partner with local service providers to let people use their apps without paying, and announced plans to launch an internet-bearing satellite with France’s Eutelsat Communications. “In some cases, Facebook would reward favoured companies by giving them access to the data of its users. In other cases, it would deny user-data access to rival companies or apps,” the report claimed.
How to check name on voters list online, Here’s your guide
Gosier is a senior fellow at TED who has given talks on topics including the democratization of data platforms and social currency. The first brand, Bevel, sells premium razors and shaving cream geared toward black men. Walker has already snagged $2.4 million from Upfront Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel, Collaborative Fund, Sherpa Ventures, and the William Morris agency’s Charles King. Majora Carter recently opened up a new startup incubator and tech education center in South Bronx to foster entrepreneurship.
Join our events to engage with key stakeholders in the government, social and private sectors. “These experiences are common in our industry — think of being able to have Alexa read your email aloud or to read your email on Apple’s Mail app,” said Archibong. Facebook, however, denied that it gave preferential treatment to developers or partners because of their ad spending or relationship with executives. In Asia, Facebook has more than 1,000 members as part of the FbStart programme. That’s the kind of evening the ET Awards ceremony was on that good Friday – a perfect cocktail of business and pleasure over wine, wisdom and power cuisine.
She’s also the force behind https://1investing.in/’s mobile app install ads, which have swelled into a multibillion-dollar, fast-growing business. Facebook has deprecated its Publish actions permissions from its API – a feature that allowed apps to publish posts on the social media platform as the logged-in user. “Developers are an important part of our ecosystem. We have grown from a small size and we know the hurdles that developers can face while developing products,” Ime Archibong, director, product platform partnerships, Facebook told PTI. In 2009, Thompson joined Virtual Instruments’ board of directors, and stepped in as CEO in 2010. He only intended to stay for a few months, but investors would only finance the company if Thompson stayed on board as CEO.
During the most recent presidential election, both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney used The Resumator to handle all of the job applications coming in. Since Facebook launched OCP in 2011 (Taylor didn’t found it), the initiative has saved the company over $2 billion. Facebook puts its deep-learning research to work in recognizing pictures, targeting ads, and understanding speech. Facebook M, which launched in beta in August, aims to supercharge AI by pairing technoloy with a human touch.
Facebook renames Internet.org app as Free Basics, pilots Express Wi-Fi in India
This “emerging markets” advertising and product trio are dead-set on making sure that anyone can use Facebook across any level of connectivity — and that the social network can rake in ad dollars from all of them. Margaret Gould Stewart, the other co-director of product design, is in charge of leading user experience design for all ad products at Facebook. She told Mashable that she had written a paper about Facebook while she was in college at Stanford and then visited its first office pretty much every week for a few months to try to get hired. Naomi Gleit wants to find new ways to help the 1.55 billion people on Facebook every month use it for more important things than liking each other’s sunset photos.
Crimson Hexagon has contracts with federal agencies around the world including a Russian non-profit with ties to the Kremlin and multiple US government agencies. The analytics firm has the largest repository of public social media posts, totaling more than one trillion, from sites including Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, among others. Previously, Crimson Hexagon also partnered with commercial companies including Adidas, Samsung and the BBC.
But linking their startup initiatives with Internet.org program is a big mistake, and it effectively negates any good work done. Facebook announced that 75% of all top grossing apps are integrated with Facebook right now. Facebook reiterated it never allowed its partners to access private messages without a user’s permission.
Tomaster the 5 cs of credit, Moore continues to support and invest in startups through his firm Base Ventures, which employs fewer than 10 people. Prior to NewMe, Benton launched BlackWeb2.0, an online publication for African-Americans interested in technology and new media. Earlier this year, Facebook launched Lite, a new version of its Android app that uses less data, allowing it to work even on the spotty connections and targeted towards places like Africa and Latin America. Vijay Shankar manages Facebook Lite and vows to make the social network function on every phone. She was poached from her role as Facebook’s VP of global public policy, and now runs the photo app’s HR and comms, while overseeing partnerships, marketing, and business operations, too. She was “poached” from her role as Facebook’s VP of global public policy, and now runs the photo app’s HR and comms, while overseeing partnerships, marketing, and business operations, too.
- With Free Basics, Internet.org says it is alos “making it safer” for people to connect to websites and services by encrypting information wherever possible.
- Daniels is the VP of product for Internet.org, the Facebook-led imitative to bring internet connectivity to the entire planet.
- Urbanworld has premiered more #1 films than any other North American Film Festival, including Sundance and Tribeca.
- According to sources, the government contracts with Crimson Hexagon weren’t approved by Facebook in advance.
The Free Basics app and mobile website have gone live in India with over 60 partnerships including services like English Dost, MeraDoctor and M-Kisan. Twitter’s support team tweeted on Thursday after users reported they were not able to post publish tweets on Facebook. With Facebook cutting off access to its API platform for hundreds of thousands of apps, Twitter users are no longer able to tweet and retweet automatically on their connected Facebook accounts. All we can say right now is, Facebook should help early stage mobile startups without any agenda of relating it with Internet.org project. Connecting the whole startup revolution with Internet.org makes it appear like a desperate attempt to ‘buy’ support through indirect means. Analytics Insight® is an influential platform dedicated to insights, trends, and opinion from the world of data-driven technologies.
You can’t block Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook
In her career, Archambeau has held several executive roles at companies including Arbitron, Loudcloud, NorthPoint Communications, and Inc. In 2000, Internet World named her one of the top 25 Click and Mortar executives in the country. MetricStream has raised $65 million to date and employs fewer than 5,000 people. In 2000, Internet World named her one of the top 25 “Click and Mortar” executives in the country. Autodesk, the company that bought SocialCam, is publicly traded and employs fewer than 10,000 employees.
Free Basics is Facebook’s attempt to bring basic online services to people without internet access. During the Townhall, Zuckerberg also talked about future of the Oculus Rift virtual reality system, artificial intelligence and the controversial Free Basics programme. There were some tools that are outdated, allowing users to send invitations to people who have already received the requests in the past and those who don’t play games on Facebook.
Naomi Gleit leads the team dedicated to finding social good opportunities for Facebook.
Shellye Archambeau came on board with enterprise software provider MetricStream in 2002 as its chief executive officer. Archambeau also holds a board position at media and marketing firm Arbitron and Verizon Wireless. Sarah Kunst got her start in the tech industry working at Apple under Path founder Dave Morin.
Before that, Archibong worked at IBM in its business development department, where he handled the licensing of IBM’s technology. In 2012, Seibel and his startup SocialCam got acquired for $60 million by 3D design software company Autodesk just 18 months after launching. Before founding BlackGirlsCode, Bryant spent about decade in biotechnology where she held several management roles at companies including Genentech, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, and Merck. In his career, DeBerry has backed startups like Chromatik, Formlabs, SendHub and CardMunch, the mobile app for business cards LinkedIn acquired. This emerging markets advertising and product trio are dead-set on making sure that anyone can use Facebook across any level of connectivity — and that the social network can rake in ad dollars from all of them.
Ocial networking giant Facebook has distributed benefits worth $20 million to developers in India, its second largest market globally to help them build and monetise apps. Two years ago, he launched Classana, an educational resource discovery engine. Ashish Sukhadeve is the Founder and CEO of Analytics Insight, a platform dedicated to insights, trends, and opinions from the world of data-driven technologies. He is also the Founder of the Big Data Council, a tech forum for artificial intelligence and data science C-suite leaders. Ashish also manages The Women Achiever, a leading publication that recognises influential women across the world. He is a winner of Insight 250 award which celebrates the worldwide pioneers, leaders and innovators in market research, data-driven marketing and insights.
- As SVP at Cisco, Chris Young is responsible for the software company’s global security business.
- As an education tech founder, it’s not always easy to get schools and institutions on board, mostly due to a bunch of bureaucracy.
- Through this initiative, Facebook wants to help take care of certain aspects, so that the developers can focus on building world-class products, he said.
- “People can share their information with developers on Facebook and Instagram – just as they can when they download an app on their phone,” said Ime Archibong, Facebook’s head of partnerships.
Archibong’s team has had their hands in everything from the Facebook Messenger app to Internet.org. For example, a few years ago his team sealed a deal with entertainment company Rovi to use its database of movies, TV shows, and celebrities to improve search and discovery on FB. The company has promised that Facebook at Work, the version of the social network optimized for businesses, will be rolled out of beta by the end of the year. Although he keeps a pretty low profile, he does announce all of the app’s milestones — like that it now has 900 million monthly active users — on his public Facebook page.
Meet the duo behind Facebook’s video revolution.
Apple is currently valued at $471.5 billion and employs more than 10,000 people. Smith previously led Apple’s human resources for its retail operations, which employed 42,8000 of the company’s 80,300 workers in the last fiscal year. In February 2014, Apple appointed Denise Young Smith to lead its worldwide human resources division.
In the wake of Snowden’s many revelations, major tech companies have been put under a microscope, and Google has taken the lead in being as transparent as possible about government requests for user info. Prior to founding storage startup ThinAir, Tony Guada served as the CEO of Bitcasa, an infinite online storage startup. Coleman also previously founded enterprise software company ITM, which was acquired by BMC software. Kenneth Coleman is a long-time tech veteran, having held numerous executive positions at technical computing company SGI, video game company Activision, and Hewlett Packard. Makinde Adeagbo is something of an engineering superstar, bouncing between major tech companies. He spent 3.5 years at Facebook, and became one of the go-to engineers to improve the site speed and overall performance.
In 2013, Infor hit almost $2.8 billion in revenues, up from $2.2 billion when Phillips first joined the company. Prior to joining Infor, Phillips served as a captain in the Marines, a computer programmer, a managing director at Morgan Stanley, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison’s No. 2 guy. Before joining Cisco in 2011, Young served as Senior Vice President and General Manager at VMware, where he led development and marketing for desktop virtualization, consumer, and end-user offerings. As SVP at Cisco, Chris Young is responsible for the software company’s global security business. He is also responsible for driving the company’s cross-portfolio security strategy, architecture and internal security platforms.
He cited the example of using artificial intelligence to describe a picture to a visually impaired user, so that they could also engage on the platform. “I have a physical challenge for 2016 as well. I an going to run 365 miles and I’d love for as many people in this community to join me as possible,” the 31-year-old Facebook founder wrote in a blog post. Virtual Instruments has raised $66.5 million to date and employs fewer than 500 people. McDonald joined digital media platform PubMatic in October 2011, bringing with him more than two decades of experience at media companies like Time and CNET. Before joining Google in 2010, Ducard served as the senior vice president of digital distribution at Paramount.
He reiterated that the company does not pay telecom operators for the data, but the service providers do see benefit as “people move on to paid services soon”. In May, Facebook had also announced an open programme for developers to create services that integrate with Internet.org. Following a walkout by many of its publisher partners in India, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had come out in defence of the programme, saying it did not block or throttle other services and is not in conflict with Net neutrality. Daniels said the company has been in discussions with stakeholders to present its view on the issue.”We maintain that Internet.org is a medium to take Internet to the masses to help them understand the benefits of the worldwide Web,” he said. “There is no exclusivity with Reliance in India. We are in discussions with more telecom operators in the country to join the platform, but the unfounded criticism has slowed the conversation. Hopefully, we will soon have more partners on board.” India has over 8 lakh users for the Internet.org initiative, that has been in the thick of the Net neutrality debate.
She says most of the talent in the South Bronx either leaves or doesn’t get nurtured into something positive. In 2010, Carter was touted as one of the 100 most creative people in business. “There is a dramatic shortage of engineering talent in the U.S. labor force, and we want to fill that gap with people who could otherwise end up in the criminal justice and welfare systems,” she previously told Fast Company. She says most of the talent in the South Bronx either leaves or doesn’t get “nurtured into something positive.” The head of Facebook’s News Feed has been shaping and reshaping the way people communicate on the site since 2008. For example, Adam Mosseri recently led the launch FB’s new emoji reactions which aim to move beyond the like button.


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The Galaxy S6 Edge may bend under pressure, but how will it hold up after falling from space? We should have an answer pretty soon thanks to Tesco, which recently launched Samsung’s latest flagship phone into space and plans to live stream the results starting on Friday.
According to Tesco, the Galaxy S6 Edge has already climbed 32.5km (roughly 20 miles) up in a space balloon equipped with GoPro cameras. It has braved winds at up to 99.4mph along with freezing temperatures. But the real test will start when the balloon bursts and the Samsung smartphone drops back down to earth. Will its metal design and Gorilla Glass 4 protect it? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
Tesco’s live stream is kicking off Friday, April 10 at 11 a.m. UK time—that’s 6 a.m. on the East coast and 3 a.m. Pacific. As an extra bonus, whoever tweets “DROP” and “#S6EdgeofSpace” at the exact time the balloon pops will win a special prize.
We’ll leave the video embedded below, though like we said it doesn’t go live until Friday morning.


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When it comes to obesity, there are many unknowns - not least are the questions of what it is that really makes us fat, and how we can begin to battle obesity and aid weight management. But throughout all of this uncertainty and obscurity on obesity and nutrition, there is only one workable solution to the issues surrounding public nutrition policy - and that is for the food industry itself to continue efforts in product reformulation.
Speaking to FoodNavigator after the publication of his latest review on obesity and nutrition policy, Professor Jack Winkler told us that the focus on ‘traditional policy measures’ such as education, taxation and regulation have failed to deliver meaningful improvements in the battle against bulging waistlines.
The review, published in BMC Medicine, takes aim at the key issues and long running debates on obesity and nutrition, asking where the science stands on what makes us fat, how we can lose weight, and how this can be translated in to effective policies for public health.
Taking aim at the ‘plethora of answers’ to the question of what causes obesity, Winkler noted that the debate and disagreements seen mean that there is more a series of ‘passionate polemics’ rather than ‘actionable findings’.
“If anything there is even more controversy concerning weight loss than there is about weight gain,” said the nutrition policy expert – who added that a core problem in determining both the cause and solution for obesity is that it is ‘impossible’ to accurately measure food intake.
Taking aim at practical policies for better food and nutrition, Winkler said that the use of ‘traditional’ public health measures such as education; regulation and taxation have all failed to make an impact on rising obesity rates – warning that all of these policies remain ineffective or politically problematic to implement.
He suggested that the most helpful and practical solution to battle rising levels of obesity is for industry to work towards reformulating foods to become healthier and meet nutritional targets – suggesting that this could be good for business as well as battling bulges.
“This is an opportunity to do good business and also do good for public health at the same time,” said Winkler.