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Rising numbers of female executives, affluent immigrants, younger and older workers, and retirees will have a profound influence on community building in the U.S. over the next ten years, according to a new ULI Terwilliger Center Report, Demographic Strategies for Real Estate. This report addresses urban living, which has enjoyed a modest resurgence, and will continue to grow in popularity— but mostly in the suburbs. Additionally, it coins the word “surban™” for these developments—bringing the best of urban living to a more affordable suburban environment.
Highlights of Demographic Strategies for Real Estate
Surban™ developments will replace shopping centers: Society’s shift toward enjoying experiences more than purchasing goods will continue to move retail stores toward selling experiences rather than selling goods. Because both consumers and cities want retail that is walkable from housing, retail, and residential developers should work closely to create cohesive developments to satisfy this evolving consumer. An 86 percent surge in household formations to 12.5 million households over the coming decade in comparison with the prior decade will drive purchases in all stores that cater to new households, particularly renters, who will constitute 58 percent of the net new number of households. Stores and services catering to older buyers will flourish too, thanks to a 38 percent surge in the country’s population 65 and older from 2015 to 2025.
Suburban office demand designed for flexible work lives will return: The 1980s Sharers, currently 26–35 years old, will soon move into senior management roles. They have already formed most of their households but have delayed marriage and childbirth more than any generation before them. The coming transition to family mode will cause many of them to move to the suburbs, a trend that is contrary to what has been occurring during the last decade. This rise in surban™ living will cater to their desire to live in good school districts with plenty of things to do near work and home. Female executives will play an increasingly prominent role in office space selection, given that women earned 58 percent of this generation’s college degrees. These inventors of the sharing economy will be far more willing to share space and e-commute (there is no more “tele-”) too because it is financially smart and offers them the flexibility they want. Expect fewer square feet per employee as more companies transition to a hotellike atmosphere where people “rent” a desk for the day.
Housing rental rates will surge over the long term: Although a few overbuilt submarkets garner much of today’s attention, 7.3 million of the 12.5 million net new households created over the next decade will rent. The sharing economy continues to deemphasize owning, so we expect more and more households to rent and current homeowners to become renters sooner than usual late in life. Because heavy retirement will create more competition for good workers, we also expect wages to rise, resulting in better raises for many people. More income will allow for higher rents.
Southern suburban migration will continue: The increase in population of those in their 20s over the last decade will almost certainly result in a surge in population in their 30s over the next decade. Affordable markets in pro-growth states will continue to attract young families. The southern regions where 42 percent of Americans currently live will welcome 62 percent of the U.S. household growth over the next decade. Rental housing, townhomes, and small-lot detached housing should continue to experience increased demand as today’s young adults begin their families.
Municipalities can assist successful growth: Governments have always strongly influenced housing trends, and government laws and investments at the federal, state, and local levels changed society substantially. State government policies favoring low income tax have shifted population growth south, which is another reason we anticipate the southern states will see substantial growth in the coming years. Local government redevelopment investments have revitalized urban areas, and the most astute suburban municipal leaders are taking note and zoning areas of their communities for a mix of retail, housing, and jobs to reinvigorate themselves. Suburbs of all kinds will capture more than 79 percent of the coming wave of household creation as the 1980s Sharers and 1990s Connectors start families, shop for homes, and seek high-quality schools.


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Swedish high-end fashion brand Limitato has partnered with Family Trademark to launch a Brigitte Bardot menswear apparel collection, in a deal brokered by IMG.
The capsule collection, depicting Terry O’Neill’s iconic Bardot photographs, includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets and shirts.
“Limitato’s luxury apparel and ‘Wearable Art’ program lend itself perfectly to a collaboration with the Brigitte Bardot brand,” says Sam Barker, licensing director, IMG. “Brigitte’s classic beauty and distinctive style are recognized today all over the world, and few if any have captured this as well as the legendary Terry O’Neill.”
Limitato’s ‘Wearable Art’ program showcases the work of some of the world’s most illustrious artists and photographers, including O’Neill’s.
“We are pleased to announce our first menswear collaboration with the French icon Brigitte Bardot,” says Gustave Peterson, owner, Limitato. “During the past four years, we have seen significant growth in the popularity of our luxury apparel, and Terry O’Neill’s fine art collection featuring Brigitte has also been a big hook for our customers. So we are humbled and delighted to be working with such a recognizable and respected true screen legend.”
The collection is available now on Limitato.com. Once in-store retail re-opens, the line will also be available in specialty, online and high fashion department stores worldwide including Harrods in London.

domain: news


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Just because you sell lattes now doesn’t mean you fancy.
Tim Hortons, the iconic coffee chain, often seen as a symbol of Canadian identity, has built its empire on the backs of working-class Canadians.
Quick-service restaurants and drive-thrus enabling speedy coffee breaks, value-driven menus, and even charitable community initiatives have helped cultivate a reputation for Timmy’s that’s (nearly) as reliable and friendly as Canadians themselves. But it seems that the Hamilton, Ontario-born company (now parented by Restaurant Brands International (RBI), majority-owned by Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital) has forgotten who the real Double Double drinkers are.
While the brand has been busy in recent years adding premium lattes to the menu and opening new locations in all corners of the globe, at home in Canada, 2018 has kicked off with mass protests, petitions, and boycotts as Ontario Tim Hortons franchises attempt to offset the newly implement minimum wage increase by cutting benefits and paid (coffee) breaks for its own workers in Ontario.
The irony is not lost on us.
According to the website from worker advocacy group, Fight for $15 & Fairness, “Even the business press agrees that attacking their own employees has created a public relations disaster for Tim Hortons. More and more Canadians are demanding justice. A massive public outcry from coast-to-coast could pressure the corporation to reverse the clawbacks on workers’ wages and benefits.”
With ever-increasing competition from the likes of McDonald’s and indie cafes upping the ante and proving that a fair wage for restaurant workers isn’t impossible, Tim Hortons is risking it all.
Sure Canadians say “sorry,” a lot… but as Tim’s is busy finding out – we’re not all that forgiving when you try to f*ck with our coffee breaks.


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The year is still just beginning, but there is already a lot of activity in Florida’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) as it prepares for a flood of medical cannabis business applications in 2023 after being stagnant for 8 years. While Florida citizens with medical cannabis cards overwhelm current Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs), the rest of the State is asking – “What about adult-use?”
This is a fair question, but one that is not so easily answered. Industry experts are speculating which states will legalize adult-use in 2023, and it is no surprise that Florida is not one of them. Considering how long it has taken for the State to open an application round for medical cannabis businesses, it could be another two years or more for adult-use to get off the ground. In fact, the current efforts to get the State to legalize adult-use cannabis have come with backlash from both supporters and non-supporters of cannabis.
Trulieve Cannabis, a Florida-based multistate operator (facing its own legal battles), has now contributed $20 million towards the State’s legalization campaign, led by Smart and Safe Florida. Trulieve also helped write the campaign’s proposal, which needs upwards of 900,000 signatures to qualify for a ballot position, and then an additional 222,898 signatures for judicial and financial impact review. Currently, the proposal has approximately 150,000 signatures from registered Florida voters gathered between December 2022 and this month.
Industry experts are not thrilled with the current adult-use legalization efforts however, as the proposal does not allow home grow, and permits currently operating MMTCs to begin selling adult-use cannabis before anyone else can even apply for a license. Trulieve is presently the largest MMTC in the State, with over 115 dispensaries statewide. One could see this effort as Trulieve’s way of giving its company a leg up on those who are not currently medical operators, but would seek to open adult-use stores. The current proposal would prohibit new operators from applying when adult-use sales could begin, but would rather, permit existing medical stores, such as Trulieve, to make the initial adult-use sales.
It will be interesting to see what happens this year once Florida opens applications for medical cannabis operators, and how that will affect adult-use legalization measures. The petition must gather the necessary number of signatures to be put on the ballot in November of 2024, so there is still a long way to go.
However, great movement shows in the State’s medical cannabis round openings this year. This year, 2023, will be a great boost to the State’s medical cannabis program, with the OMMU opening its next medical cannabis dispensary license rounds in April of this year. The window is only 5 days, which means your competition started preparing months ago. If you’re not starting yesterday, you’re minimizing your chances to win one of these coveted licenses. Sign up for a free 15 minute consultation to learn more about how to win a cannabis business license! Check in to our blogs, as we continue to drop more information about the current legal cannabis market.


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Over the weekend, MMW was briefed by reps for SITO Mobile Ltd., a leading mobile engagement platform provider, about their latest happenings.
The company is announcing a new partnership with LiveRamp, a provider of data onboarding services.
This partnership, a provided statement explains, allows marketers to use their CRM data within SITO’s products to reach consumers with highly relevant, targeted ads. LiveRamp provides accurate matches of a marketer’s CRM data across devices, while SITO provides the technology to reach these users through its mobile targeting platform.
Posted in Marketing Strategy, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Advertising Campaigns, Mobile Partners, Technology
Imagine being at Lollapalooza and a commercial for a sponsor pops up in your phone’s screen when all you want to do is determine who you want to see. You are not going to pay attention to sponsors or promotions at that exact moment. Or even worse, most will not pay any attention at all during a concert itself.
Now instead, let’s say you’re at Bonnaroo and you only booked the basic package. You get there and then receive a text offer to upgrade to a nicer room with better amenities at a discounted price. It’s not during a show or on television where you’re more likely to miss it, but on your smartphone and a calmer junction. The likeliness you take up that offer would increase.
Posted in Marketing Strategy, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Advertising Campaigns, Mobile Marketing
When it comes to connecting with youngsters, nothing works better than multimedia content, or in this case, emojis.
The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, a national nonprofit, has just launched a new multimedia campaign for teens that uses emojis to communicate the challenges of negative influences, “empowering them to live Above the Influence.”
The campaign, we’re told, was created pro-bono for the nonprofit by Boston-based advertising agency, Hill Holliday, as part of the Partnership’s Above the Influence (ATI) teen program.
Posted in Marketing Strategy, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Advertising Campaigns
If you’re not a big fan of SMS calls and messages to your cell phone — and are a PayPal user — you’ll like PayPal’s recent revision to its newly revised terms of service (TOS).
PayPal has decided to revise the revision as it were. The upcoming TOS does not require its customers to agree to receive autodialed calls or SMS ads, the company said recently.
“We will not use autodialed or prerecorded calls or texts to contact our customers for marketing purposes without prior express written consent,” Senior Vice President and General Counsel Louise Pentland said in a blog post. “We respect our customers’ communications preferences and recognize that their consent is required for certain autodialed and prerecorded calls and texts.”
Posted in Announcements, Marketing Strategy, Mobile Advertising Campaigns, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Payments, News, Platforms
Ad blocking extensions have been possible on Safari for the Mac for a long time. However, the plugin architecture for Safari on iOS has been much more limited.
Now that’s going to change.
“With iOS 9, Apple has added a special case of extension for ad blockers,” according to 9to5Mac. “Apps can now include ‘content blocker’ extensions that define resources (like images and scripts) for Safari to not load. For the first time, this architecture makes ad blockers a real possibility for iOS developers to make and iOS customers to install and use.”
Posted in Developer, iOS, Marketing Strategy, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Advertising Campaigns, Platforms, Technology
comScore this week has announced the availability of daily reporting of unduplicated audience, viewability, and validation metrics for mobile campaigns.
For improved mobile campaign management, comScore is hitting the nail on the head of what is needed in 2015.
These enhancements to comScore’s existing mobile campaign measurement offering bring mobile advertising into alignment with what is currently available for desktop display and video campaigns through comScore vCE.
Posted in Mobile Advertising, Mobile Advertising Campaigns, Mobile Marketing, Platforms
Does every data professional know what he’s doing?
Probably not. That’s why the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has just announced an “IAB Digital Data Solutions Certification Program.” Experian Marketing Services, a recognized leader in data analytics and marketing technology, was the first company to sign up for certification of its professional staff.
The IAB certification program seeks to verify that digital media and marketing professionals are proficient in data management. More than ever, it is “a critical area of expertise as the industry increases its dependence upon data-driven marketing techniques such as programmatic buying and selling.”
Posted in Mobile Advertising, Mobile Advertising Campaigns, Mobile Marketing, Technology


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Will Sacramento’s Capitol Mall ever live up to its picture-postcard potential?
It has premium views of the state Capitol, the city’s downtown skyline and the Tower Bridge. What it doesn’t have is pedestrian traffic or the row of high-rise office, condominium and hotel towers that were the dream of developers nearly a decade ago.
Those dreams were shattered when the economy went into the tank, taking a toll on planned big-ticket buildings. Now that the economy is recovering, plans for a makeover of the thoroughfare are still on the shelf with little effort to dust them off and try again.
An urban tree-canopy concept with a venue for concerts and other events was the winner in a 2011 design competition for Capitol Mall sponsored by the Urban Land Institute Sacramento. The second-place winner proposed a long promenade with gardens and an event center. Those designs and their elements have gone nowhere.
There’s been no action because there’s no funding available for moving ahead with a mall makeover. Given that and a still soft economy, many in design and development in the city believe prospects for a facelift for the mall are slim for the near or intermediate term.
“A number of good ideas came out of the design competition,” said Leslie Fritzsche, senior project manager for the Sacramento Economic Development Department. “Part of the reason we have not moved forward is what is available in resources. That’s why the mall project has not developed as the highest of fiscal priorities. We certainly would like to move ahead with some plans to revitalize and re-energize the mall.”
But rejuvenating downtown, say the designers and developers, should come first. Capitol Mall won’t come alive until there’s a major gain in pedestrian traffic, and there won’t be an abundance of pedestrians until the mall gains workers, retail shoppers and restaurant-goers — and those won’t come without more offices and retail outlets to attract them.
The priority, said Matthew Shigihara, a principal at Sacramento’s Lionakis architectural firm, should be focusing on one area of the city, and he doesn’t believe Capitol Mall is the best place. Further, a possible arena at the site of Downtown Plaza or in the railyard is now getting the most new building attention.
“From the standpoint of economic growth, the city would be better off concentrating on getting some residential density downtown,” he said. “That would revitalize some areas, whether it’s K Street or other areas downtown. We just need to get more people downtown.”
Sacramento is not a headquarters city for large corporations and that’s largely why it lacks the ability to create a core for companies downtown. Shigihara offers Seattle’s Belltown district as a model for Sacramento. Amazon.com located its headquarters there, drawing residents and businesses to that neighborhood on the city’s downtown waterfront.
Belltown has become an epicenter for Seattle’s restaurants, nightclubs, shops, lofts, condos and high-rises. “It’s influenced by all this young professional energy. Sacramento really needs something like that,” Shigihara said.
“There’s a lot up in the air right now” regarding a Capitol Mall renovation, said developer Angelo G. Tsakopoulos. “People are going to wait and see what happens with building an arena downtown.”
Meanwhile, he said, vacancy rates for many downtown buildings are “quite a bit on the high side. I don’t think there will be demand for another major building downtown for probably 15 years or so.”
Much depends on what the state does in meeting its office needs after going through major budgetary contractions affecting many of its departments and agencies. Those staff reductions have prompted a “wait-and-see attitude by a lot of people,” Tsakopoulos said. “It’s pretty unlikely any lenders are going to help provide financing for buildings downtown when vacancy rates are still going up for probably the next year and a half to two years.”
The Tsakopoulos firm was one of the developers that promoted building high-rises on Capitol Mall almost a decade ago. It was one of only two builders that actually completed one in recent years, the 25-story Bank of the West tower at 500 Capitol Mall. It’s primarily office space, with a bank and a corner market at ground level.
Saca Development of Sacramento planned twin 52-story mixed-use buildings that included residential and commercial space, a Westin operated hotel, a gym and a spa. A change in management with Saca’s equity partners restructured the deal, killing the financing arrangement.
President John Saca sees prospects for all of downtown as “good,” updates to L and J streets, the latter being where his firm has approvals for a 41-story residential and hotel structure on the corner of 10th Street. “It would be a smaller version of what I proposed to do with the mall towers,” he said. Timing for beginning construction “depends on the market,” Saca said.
For downtown to rejuvenate, the rebounding Sacramento housing market must continue getting stronger and downtown will need more amenities to become a 24-hour area. If the arena plan for Downtown Plaza shopping mall sprouts legs, that would spark “a huge influx” of density to downtown, Saca said.
If all that happens, there should be an abundance of new downtown development, spilling over to Capitol Mall.
“It’s still a great street,” Saca said, and so is the site of his planned twin high-rises, which he sold in 2007 to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, his former partner in the tower deal. “They now own it, but I’m not sure what they’re going to do with it,” he said. “I don’t see them doing anything for many years.”
The “big hole” that exists on the mall where Saca was going to plant his twin towers likely will be the site of a high-rise sometime in the next 10 years, predicted John Frisch, managing director of Cornish & Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank. Frisch, the outgoing chairman of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, said the compact site “has great potential, no question. It’s a great location.”
“At one time, some think tank did a study that recommended making Capitol Mall like the Champs-Élysées in Paris,” Frisch noted. He said the mall is “interesting” because it’s widely considered to be the best address in downtown Sacramento.
“Yet it’s such a lightly traveled pedestrian street. It has no retail to speak of and almost everybody enters almost every single building from the rear, through the garage. That’s why there’s no pedestrian traffic on Capitol Mall, except for workers in the state buildings,” Frisch said. “It’s a very dead street.”
Kimberly Garza, the winner of the $20,000 first prize in the Mall design competition in late 2011, is not surprised no work has begun on a transformation of what’s been called the gateway to Sacramento. “It was proposed as an ideas competition, not an actual results project,” said Garza, a landscape architect with Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects of Watertown, Mass.
The competition sponsors, the city and the American Institute of Architects Central Valley, wanted visionary ideas, “just to get the city excited about the potential for what the Mall could offer,” she said. “It was very clear it was not going to be a built project but they were systematic in requiring the project be able to be phased. It was clear it was not going to happen by a particular date.”
Garza also notes that at the time, the spotlight already was on a new arena for the Sacramento Kings and not Capitol Mall. “I understand that’s taken priority over the mall,” she said. “I think the arena needs to get squared away first before a real focus is put on the mall.”


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The pandemic outbreak has put a grave effect on different spheres of the life including economic growth, production rate, employment rate, purchasing power, investments and above all deaths in large scale. More than 5 million has been victimized and more or less 3 hundred thousand have been perished. Due to its drastic impact governments have to take precautionary measures by practising WHO recommendations. It is the need of hour to contain the Novel coronavirus as its effects on the world economy are unprecedented. Countries were left with no choice but to went on lockdown. Social distancing has been maintained since its outbreak due to which small scale as well as large scale businesses has been pushed to close or at least to touch the break even. From a cobbler to an industrialist all have gone through unemployment because people were motivated by the slogan of “Stay home – Stay safe ”. It led to decrease in consumers and of course the purchasing power which resulted in decremented revenue. It is observed phenomenon that diminishing trend in demand ever leads to fall in revenue which ultimately results in loss of jobs. According to a report more than 6 million unemployment have been claimed. COVID-19 outbreak caused unanticipated effects on world economy by giving a new direction. For instance, for the first time United States crude Oil price had become negative because US has no more capacity to store the oil coming from the oil fields. The production of oil fields cannot be paused because once it is impeded it may result in loss of reservoir. Most pertinently the US started paying their buyers to accept their oil, or it can also be assumed as pay to maintain the flow of supply chain. Closure of business is of course the major reason that caused the demand for oil to dry up. Economic recession is unavoidable at this stage because COVID -19 effects are heavy in severity and length. It is expected that World economy will face the worst recession during 2020 since 1930s depression.
During the great depression of 1930s markets were flooded with consumer goods and there were no buyers, every component of aggregate demand was in free fall. But COVID-19 brought severe and faster shock to the world economy far more than the 1930s great depression. If we compare the effects of corona on the world economy to that of the great depression it took only three weeks to materialize financial and macroeconomic outcomes while great depression took three years to play. There are several parallels between the 1930s and 2020 depression. The unemployment rate in the US is expected to reach 25% which was observed during the great depression.
World markets and economies will observe continuous free fall unless COVID-19 is finished. Even if the corona is contained, the world economic growth is not likely to be restored by the end of the current year. The world economy will face 3% contraction by the end of 2020 as a result of lockdowns while the US alone will take a hit and its economy will fall by 6%. Natural disaster, economic downturns and monetary crisis are mutually inclusive. These crises leave a pernicious impact on the economy and need to be dealt with at the same time. Medical, monetary and fiscal resources are required to bring the economy to its revival. All we need is to flatten the pandemic curve which will not only save lives but also save our economies. Developing countries should also devise a plan to leverage private and public resources quickly. UNO and other such organizations must be united and come forward to impact the World bank IMF and G20 countries to support the effected nations medically and financially. They should also immediately proceed to the revival of the economy of the victimized countries and should work together to put life to normalcy. At the very step provision of medical aid and waiver or deferment on loan payment for minimum up to a decade must be implemented.
Riffat hanif ( M.Phil English)
Resource Person ( AIOU)
“The Writer, a former Economist and a researcher in Linguistics at present.”


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CD&R has completed the acquisition of BCA, Europe’s leading vehicle auctions and remarketing company.
With 45 remarketing centers spread across 12 countries, BCA annually sells over £4 billion of used vehicles, ranging from nearly-new and ex-lease stock to budget and older vehicles. In addition to selling vehicles through physical auctions, BCA is experiencing significant growth from its online offering, and expects this to continue in the future.
BCA also provides a variety of additional services to its customers including collections, deliveries, vehicle inspection, storage and vehicle preparation and cleaning. BCA serves the entire used vehicle buying community and this year has had more than 70,000 active buyers in the UK alone. It sells vehicles on behalf of a wide range of vendors including dealers, leasing companies, manufacturers and rental companies.
CD&R Operating Partner Fred Kindle will serve as Chairman of BCA and Jon Olsen will continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
CD&R recently completed an investment in JohnsonDiversey, Inc., a leading global provider of commercial cleaning, sanitation and hygiene solutions, as part of a broader recapitalization of the company valued at $2.6 billion, as well as a $250 million investment in NCI Building Systems (NYSE: NCS), one of North America’s largest integrated manufacturers of metal products for the nonresidential building industry.


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Americans drink more than 400 million cups of coffee a year, but despite the copious consumption, most casual drinkers would be hard pressed to identify the difference between one brand and another.
However, most coffee fans aren't "Fast Money" Trader Pete Najarian.
By Najarian's own estimation, he consumes up to 15 cups of coffee a day. Given his voracious appetite, you might think his taste would stray to high-end coffee shops such as Starbucks, but you would be wrong.
By his account, Starbucks has a "burnt" flavor that he finds off-putting. Najarian is far from the only one who thinks that way. Despite a wide following and strong sales globally, Starbucks has its share of critics who frequently complain about the coffee's taste—and how much consumers have to pony up to pay for the privilege.
To Najarian, it's all about strong flavor and a smooth finish without an after taste, something he says Starbucks lacks.
"A terrible cup of coffee," howled Najarian, during his coffee talk segment on "Fast Money" this week. Even Dunkin' Donuts wasn't spared his wrath. "That wasn't good," he said after taking a sip of Dunkin's brew.


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|A textile mill, whose products are mainly for export, in Huaibei, Anhui province. Many of the country's provinces have set lower foreign trade targets for this year due to sluggish global demand and the unfavorable trade environment. [Photo/China Daily]|
The recent lowering of foreign trade targets by provincial governments suggests more challenging prospects for China's foreign trade this year after lackluster growth in 2012, with experts calling for urgent steps to improve the nation's trade structure.
Guangdong province, which accounts for a quarter of China's foreign trade, has set a foreign trade growth target of 5 percent for 2013, despite the province's trade growing 7.7 percent year-on-year in 2012, surpassing its 7.5 percent target.
The eastern province of Jiangsu lowered its target to 5 percent this year from 8 percent in 2012 after its foreign trade rose 1.6 percent year-on-year.
"We must speed up the strategic transformation of foreign trade in 2013 ... and balance imports and exports while fostering new trade growth engines, as well as upgrading processing trade," said Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan.
Fujian province has set a target of 5 percent for this year, while Shandong province expects its foreign trade to grow by 8 percent.
Zhejiang province is expected to set a lower target than last year's 10 percent.
Guangdong, Jiangsu, Fujian, Shandong and Zhejiang accounted for 58 percent of China's total foreign trade in 2012.
Wind power now No.3 energy resource
Blackberry maker changes name, unveils new phones
China caps first 3G nuclear plant
New Zealand moves to restore trust
Lenovo ready to challenge mobile industry leaders
Airbus has big hopes for big plane


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Angel Yeast drives North American growth with Non-GMO verification of 22 yeast ingredients
26 Jan 2022 --- China-based yeast biotech company Angel Yeast is strengthening its position for clean label yeast products in North America. The company’s subsidiary Angel Yeast Egypt has received Non-GMO Project verification for 22 yeast extract and inactive dried yeast products, addressing flavor and savory qualities of food.
“Natural and clean label ingredients are the basis of winning in the US and Canadian markets,” Steven Sheng, deputy general manager of Angel Yeast North America, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.
The latest step builds off of previous success at the end of 2020, when the Egyptian plant completed the non-GMO verification of six key yeast extract products.
“The move was warmly praised by clients,” says Sheng. “Therefore, in 2021, Angel Yeast applied for the certification of a full range of yeast extract products to meet market demands.”
Clean label investments
Non-GMO Project verification product ranges now include:
- Angeocell: Inactive dried yeast offered as a flavor carrier.
- Angeoboost: A strong umami yeast extract, giving savory food more umami taste while reducing salt.
- Angeoprime: A standard yeast extract that builds a savory taste foundation.
“Certifying ingredients as non-GMO is a complex process,” explains Sheng.
“It involves many raw material suppliers and takes a lot of time to investigate. The supply chain traceability and control of the production of yeast raw materials is the most critical part.”
Angel Yeast selected its Egyptian plant to lead in non-GMO certification, serving as a model for future certifications in other factories.
Egypt’s strategic location also facilitates exports to European and American regions, he says, which have stricter standards of certification and product requirements.
In the US, for example, regulation for mandatory labeling of bioengineered foods came into effect on January 1, 2022. The labeling policy along with the EU’s regulatory situation on GMOs is detailed in The World of Food Ingredients on page 76.
Apart from its location, the Egyptian plant was chosen for non-GMO production as it was Angel’s first subsidiary to build factories overseas.
Sheng says the opening of the plant was an important milestone in the internationalization of Angel company.
Today Angel has 12 holding subsidiaries and provides products and services for more than 150 countries and regions.
“Being an international and specialized biotechnology company is Angel’s 2025 development vision. This move will further raise the company’s global level and consolidate the company’s industry leadership.”
Bringing clean label to the world
Despite obstacles to achieve the certification, Sheng underscores “the clean label trend is important for any market.”
“As consumers’ health awareness continues to grow, foods made from non-GMO ingredients are becoming more and more popular and considered healthier foods.”
“Angel believes that clean label and non-GMO are the future directions of development for food industries,” he concludes.
GMOs in the spotlight
Discussion over GMOs and gene-editing continues to be a point of contention between the food industry and regulatory bodies.
A recent study in the US concluded that how GMO labeling is presented – including the color of the label – can significantly affect consumers’ purchasing decisions.
In the UK, the government announced it was relaxing rules around gene editing to cut through regulatory red tape meant to address GMO products.
Gene editing – unlike genetic modification – does not result in the introduction of DNA from other species.
By Missy Green
To contact our editorial team please email us at firstname.lastname@example.org
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Pioneer News Group launches tablet and app initiative
Pioneer News Group has teamed up with Microsoft and Posh Technologies to streamline the delivery of news and provide its readers with the power to publish stories.
The Seattle-based company's latest initiative features two components: the distribution of Microsoft digital tablets to its subscribers, and the launch of a digital app through the "uReporter" platform developed by Posh Technologies at several of its newspapers. Each tablet comes preloaded with the app built for receiving and sending the latest local news, though users also have the option of using their own devices to access the app as well.
According to Eric Johnston, chief operating officer of Pioneer News Group, the tablets are available as part of a subscription package. As of press time, the company had only recently begun selling devices at The Skagit Valley Herald in Mount Vernon, Wash. Eventually, the program is expected to be rolled out to all of the company's markets.
Read more from Editor & Publisher.
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It is reported that Samsung's next big thing – the Galaxy S6 – might see the light of the day in the first quarter of 2015 though the South Korean electronics giant is yet to announce the release date. However, latest report has suggested that the launch of the device could be delayed due to an issue with the processor.
The Galaxy S6 is expected to be unveiled at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015) to be held in the first week of March but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor that is supposed to power it is said to be encountering heating issue, giving a hint that launch of the device could be delayed.
"Qualcomm is faced with hard-to-solve problems. The Snapdragon 810 overheats when it reaches a specific voltage. It also slows down owing to problems with the RAM controller connected to the AP. In addition, there is an error in the driver of the Adreno 430 GPU," an industry source was quoted as saying to Business Korea.
Several flagship devices like the Galaxy S6, Sony Xperia Z4 and LG G4 are expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, so their release could be derailed if the alleged issue with the processor is not solved on time.
However, Samsung might avoid delay in the launch of its device if reports have anything to go by, as the octa-core Exynos 7420 could be used instead of Snapdragon 810.
AnTuTu benchmark has claimed that the Galaxy S6 (SM-G925F) will sport a 5.5-inch display with 1440 x 2560 pixels, powered by an octa-core Exynos 7420 with an ARM Mali-T760 GPU, run on Android 5.0 Lollipop, have a 20MP main camera and 5MP front snapper, and come packed with 32GB of internal memory and 3GB RAM, according to Chinese website CNMO (via Phone Arena).
Earlier reports had claimed that the device could be powered by either Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 or Exynos 7420 processor, come packed with 32/64/128GB internal memory and 4GB RAM, mAh battery, complete metal body, and a 21MP main camera and 6MP front snapper.


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There’s little clarity about whether the Galaxy Note 9 One UI 2.1 update is ever going to be released. As you’d expect, those who own the device are really looking forward to receiving the latest iteration of Samsung’s custom Android skin on their handset.
There have been some mixed signals from the moderators on Samsung’s official forums for Korea which has led to confusion about the update. The latest update from a moderator on the forums suggests that there’s still a possibility that One UI 2.1 may be released for the Galaxy Note 9.
One UI 2.1 update may eventually be released for the Galaxy Note 9
A notification was sent through the Samsung Members app in South Korea two weeks ago which suggested that currently there were no plans to bring One UI 2.1 to the Galaxy Note 9. The same would understandably apply to the Galaxy S9 as well.
Naturally, a lot of Galaxy Note 9 owners have been asking questions about the possibility of this update being sent out over on the forums. A moderator from the software team has now pointed out they’re still in the process of figuring out which features can be added to One UI 2.1 for the Galaxy Note 9.
One UI 2.1 brings several best Galaxy S20 camera features like Single Take, Night Hyperlapse, Pro mode for video, etc to smartphones and the team is working to find out if the optimal performance for these features can be guaranteed on the Galaxy Note 9.
The moderator further adds that this review process is going to take time so it might be a while before we get to know for sure if One UI 2.1 for the Galaxy Note 9 is ever going to come out, adding that the team will do its best to provide a stable software experience on the Galaxy Note 9.
So while today’s update from the team doesn’t completely confirm that the Galaxy Note 9 One UI 2.1 update is definitely going to be released, at least it gives some hope that the door is not yet closed on this possibility. However, given how often such statements can change, this is still far from a done deal.


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Describing Bangladesh as a land of flowers, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) Kazi M Aminul Islam underscored the need for policy support and infrastructure development to boost flower export.
“The flower sector of Bangladesh has experienced an exponential growth. As flowers have a large global market, we need to enter the international flower market with the best quality flowers at a competitive price,” he said.
The Bida chairman further said, “If we get proper technology support, policy guidelines, research, access to finance, adequate infrastructure, modern packaging systems and cold chain management, we’ll be able to brand Bangladesh as a land of flowers.”
He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day International Flower Exhibition and Conference at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital as the chief guest.


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Today marks the start of FIBO China 2019 held in Shanghai, with the event ending on Saturday 24th August. With our ambition to implement our fitness education standards beyond borders, reinforcing our cooperation with Beijing Saipu Fitness Institute, the largest fitness training provider in China, is definitely one of its outcomes. Saipu’s facilities were recently visited by EuropeActive and EREPS External Verifier Peter Davies to confirm the excellent work they are doing so far.
Join us as member
EuropeActive represents the whole industry, including associations, suppliers, training providers and individuals because it has a simple unifying purpose: to raise standards in the health and fitness sector and get 'more people more active more often'.


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Roblox has always been traditional, despite its claim to be an “all-ages platform”. Now, in a departure from its family-friendly reputation, the company says it will allow creators to create content tailored to users 17 and older. That’s not an insignificant part of Roblox’s user base either — the platform said on Tuesday that in 2022, 38 percent of its daily active users were over 17.
In particular, Roblox says that creators will be able to “feature more mature themes and stories in TV shows and stand-up comics.” This may include violence, blood, crude humor, romantic themes, and alcohol. Players may also see “non-playable” gambling content, though it’s not immediately clear what that will entail. We asked Robox to clarify.
To access this content, you will need to verify your age by uploading a photo of your driver’s license or ID along with a photo to verify your identity. Roblox says that this system will provide “greater confidence in people’s age and identity,” and that more age verification methods may be added in the future.
Eligible creators can start creating these experiences starting today. These experiences will begin rolling out to “eligible” users in the coming weeks. Roblox says its goal is to provide a safe and engaging experience for people 17 and older. The Company is not specific as to the qualifier as a “qualified” creator or user. We’ve reached out to Roblox for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
Roblox has traditionally marketed itself to a younger audience. For example, earlier this year, the company partnered with Razer for release. But with just over a third of its user base being over the age of 17, it makes sense that the company would want to offer more adult-oriented content.


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Marcelo Marino has joined Wine Country Inn as director of food and beverages and executive chef of the Palisade hotel.
Marino oversees food services, including the operation of Caroline’s and the Tapestry Lounge as well as catering. He plans to offer lunch service Monday through Saturday starting July 12 as well as a Sunday brunch in Caroline’s starting in September. Mario offers fresh local foods prepared in the classic French tradition.
“This is an exciting change for our culinary service. We are extremely pleased to have Marcelo lead our team to a higher level of performance. His skill as a chef is exceptional and his enthusiasm is infectious,” said Joe Scanlon, general manager of the Wine Country Inn.
A certified chef trainer and ambassador for the Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Marino also plans to train the hotel staff as well as offer culinary classes.
For more information about the Wine Country Inn, visit www.ColoradoWineCountryInn.com.


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Last week, the federal cabinet took notice of the increasing food prices, a major source of surging inflationary pressures in the economy. It ordered (administrative) steps for controlling prices of essential food items and devise a strategy to curb inflation.
The cabinet also decided to activate the provincial price control committees and deal strictly with hoarders and speculators. Even though the administration has a very limited ability to control the markets, it is good news that the government has finally realised its responsibility to deal with surging inflation and chip into the central bank’s efforts to stabilise the prices.
Inflation, a phenomenon whereby the prices of everything persistently increases, and the value of money or the purchasing power of people declines, is one of the major problems facing Pakistan for more than the last one year.
The monthly headline inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which has been running in double digits since the inception of the present financial year, was recorded in September at an eight-year high of 12.5 per cent (base year 2005-06) compared with 10.6pc the previous month and 5.1pc a year ago. Core inflation — the non-food, non-energy (NFNE) inflation, also escalated to 9.2pc from 8.5pc in August and 5.8pc from a year ago.
The current phase of the price hike is a reflection of the macroeconomic adjustments being made
Measured against the new base year of 2015-16, the CPI inflation clocked in at 11.4pc, which still was in line with the forecast of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) that held back from cutting the policy rate last month in spite of the strong demand from the country’s business community.
According to official data for last month, urban dwellers faced a slightly higher increase of 11.6pc in prices. Similarly, the 40 cities from where inflation data is collected saw an uneven distribution of the pace of price rise. The people in Dadu, Sindh, for example, had to cope with the highest rise of 21.2pc in food prices while Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led in non-food inflation with a spike of 18.7pc.
In many cities, the CPI clocked in between just 5pc and 9.9pc. The uneven pace of price increase in rural and urban areas, as well as cities, is attributed mainly to different consumption patterns and income levels of households.
Financial analysts are projecting inflation to start receding into single digit from the third quarter of the present fiscal year, although the pace of increase in the prices is likely to slow down from this month, thus creating a little room for a small cut in the policy rate. The central bank is looking at a scenario where headline inflation will moderate to 6pc to 7pc in the next financial year, which will allow it to reboot economic growth to boost domestic productivity.
The inflation forecasts largely draw on the assumptions that the global oil and commodity prices will remain subdued in the short- to medium-term, no major supply shock is going to hit the economy, the twin current account and fiscal deficits will continue to shrink, and the exchange rate will remain stable despite small, necessary adjustments.
The jump in inflation comes at a high cost for the low- to middle-income groups of the population. Thus, the rising prices, especially of food, energy, healthcare, education and house rents, mean that the people in these income brackets are barely able to sustain their old lifestyle.
With the economic growth projected to slow down to 2.4pc during the present financial year with little chance of any rise in wages in the near- to medium-term, the higher price inflation is likely to bring greater pressures on people living paycheck-to-paycheck, compelling them to further cut their essential household expenditure as they struggle to get through the month.
Higher inflation equally hurts businesses by creating economic uncertainty, forcing the central bank to raise interest rates to slow down monetary expansion, impeding investment and job creation, and hurting export competitiveness.
A look at the CPI numbers since 2000 shows that prices have increased at a moderate pace most of the time — at less than 5pc for nine years and between 5pc and 10pc for six years. The only time, other than the first quarter of the present fiscal year, inflation hit the double digits was in 2008-12 when a dramatic currency devaluation accompanied by a sudden spike in global oil and food prices hit the economy, pushing CPI to 20.8pc, food prices to 23.7pc and non-food inflation to 18.8pc in 2009.
Former Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Almas Hyder blames cost-push factors — upward adjustments in administered prices of petrol, gas and electricity for managing the high level of the twin deficits, currency devaluation, supply-side constraints and higher transportation costs that led to higher food prices and increase in the house rents — for the current bout of inflation. “The current phase of inflation is but a reflection of macroeconomic adjustments being made for the last one year or more.”
According to Saad Hashemy, executive director of BMA Capital Management, the high inflation periods in Pakistan have always coincided either with currency devaluation or increasing global oil prices or a combination of both. Therefore, he adds, “the administrative actions the government is contemplating will only have a partial impact on prices, and will be limited to ending or reducing sudden periods of volatility in the market, which is important to protect consumers.”
The long-term solution to controlling the prices lies in documenting the economy, removing the irritants hampering the smooth operation of domestic commerce, and more importantly, continuing on the path of macroeconomic structural reforms to enable the economy to absorb the impact of sudden extraneous shocks like a jump in global oil markets.
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October, 2019
William Smith is a seasoned writer with a passion for all things related to home design, decor, and renovation. With a background in interior design and architecture, William Smith Aubrings a unique perspective to their writing and is known for their ability to break down complex design concepts into easy-to-understand language.


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27/06/2014 · Digital currency was seized by the FBI and the U.S. Marshall Service when it raided an online seller of contraband.
27 May 2016.
EY will facilitate the first Bitcoin sale process of its kind in Australia and.
Ulbricht , the mastermind behind online drug marketplace Silk Road.
Bitcoin is a revolutionary currency that was introduced in 2009! Allow transactions without intermediaries. Therefore, no.
Due to the transition of many people around the world into a “stay at home” mode, where the only viable way of communicating.
6 Sep 2018.
Now it looks like something might be coming out the ongoing saga, and the Bitcoin market may be on track to take another massive sale of tokens.
5 Dec 2014.
The USMS still has 94,000 BTC in its possession and should be selling the cryptocurrency over the next few months. This cache of bitcoin.
About 144,000 of Silk Road kingpin Ross Ulbricht's Bitcoins as well as 30,000.
U.S. retail sales plummeted by 16.4 percent last month—the biggest decline.
13/06/2014 · In a statement, the US Marshals Service, which is conducting the sale, said the 29,656.51306529 Bitcoins up for auction were those that had "resided on Silk Road.
What Bitcoin Mean So what is the halving, and what do Bitcoin owners need to know about it? Read on. Bitcoin’s network is run by miners, users. Bitcoin is on the cusp of a supply squeeze known as a halving—something that happens roughly
Silk Road Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: SILK) (“Silk Road Medical”), a company focused on reducing the risk of stroke and its devastating impact, today announced the closing of an underwritten public.
25 Oct 2013.
With This, the Largest-Ever Bitcoin Seizure, the Federal Government Has.
Indeed, the vast majority of the items for sale on Silk Road were.
Bitcoin is rallying again, and some analysts are taking a closer look at data extracted from the underlying blockchain for.
SUNNYVALE, Calif. , May 05, 2020 — Silk Road Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: SILK) (“Silk Road Medical”), a company focused on reducing the risk of stroke and its devas.
Coinbase Is Looking For Investors At A Billion Dollar Valuation Some value-add fund managers have built up a track record in Asia-Pacific. They now face a tough test, writes Florence Chong. 2 Jun 2017. Coinbase, a hot start-up in the bitcoin market, is talking to investors about. Bitcoin start-up Coinbase
Silk Road 3.1. According to the admin, Silk Road 3.1 was created because its ancestor was shut down and supposedly, most vendors moved to the new version of the marketplace.The users should ensure that your old username will not work on 3.1, so you have to get a new one in 3.1.
To purchase something on Silk Road, you need first to buy some Bitcoins using a service like Mt. Gox Bitcoin Exchange. Then, create an account on Silk Road, deposit some bitcoins, and start buying.
9 Mar 2016.
Ross Ulbricht, the 31-year-old American who created Silk Road, a Bitcoin market facilitating the sale of $1 billion in illegal drugs, was.
One of the most recognizable and well-regarded names in the Bitcoin space is American programmer Ross Ulbricht. Ulbricht, who.


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The average deer hunter in
Deer are the scourge of many farmers, so it seems odd to think planting a crop specifically for deer would be a worthwhile exercise. However, just because whitetails will feast on the meadows of the
There are parts of the state however where hunters have purchased farmland more for its deer carrying potential than raising cattle and corn. Those are the target market of the folks at BioLogic. The
"We’re trying to deliver nutrition in the spring and summer, for antler growth and fawn production," said company product manager Bobby Cole. "But then we come back into the fall, all of our products are blends so that there’s something that’s super attractive to them in September-October, November-December, and then something else in December, January, and February."
The company produces a variety of different products customized for the wildlife a landowner wants to attract and to the geographical location of the land.
"You guys are in a really cool part of the world," said Cole of the
The aim may be to enhance antler development and body mass through better nutrition, but in some cases food plot sciences are a way to improve the overall health of not only the deer herd, but all wildlife species.
Biologic helps direct customers on proper blends for their land, soil testing, fertilizers, and planting times and instruction.
"You can literally grow a lot of different groceries and store them on your property for the deer to eat later," said Cole. "It’s kind of like having groceries in the refrigerator."
Having green plant material, with nutritional value, under the snow pack is especially helpful to deer in a year like this past fall when the natural mast was at a historic low.
Cole says there are precautions you need to take. The Biologic products are extremely rich in protein and while domestic livestock will eat it up, it may be too rich for their blood. There’s a particular warning against planting in areas where horses will have access. He says the rich plants can often lead to colic in horses.
Cole recommends landowners plan for no smaller than a half-acre food plot, but says they do have specialized products designed to grow a "micro-plot" in an area of forest land where a tree has fallen or an area has become open to the sun through the forest canopy. He says those "micro-plots" when planted at the right time, can be a huge attractor for deer during the hunting season.
You can learn more by starting at the Biologic Website.


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Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Seattle Times, in January sales of existing homes rose 4.3% and inventories went way down to the lowest point we’ve seen over the past 7 years. The National Association of Realtors said that sales have seasonally adjusted to an annual rate of 4.57 million. Sales have risen in all four major regions, including 8.8% in the Western region. December sales hit a downward slope to 4.38 Million, closing 2011 with a 0.5% decline. This however did not affect annual sales, only seasonal monthly sales. According to the National Association of Realtors, existing home sales are still recovering, and investors account for 23% of homes purchased.


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Just 27% of media buying agencies don’t anticipate ever spending more on digital than traditional media, according to the latest quarterly survey from STRATA. That’s down 45% from last year, and represents the lowest percentage on record, per the researchers. In particular, the gap between TV and digital is now at its lowest ever, with 44% of respondents indicating more of an interest in advertising on TV (spot TV/cable) than any other medium, compared to 35% saying the same about digital. That 9% point gap is significantly closer than the 24% point gap from STRATA’s Q4 2012 study, when 54% favored TV and 30% preferred digital.
61% of respondents said video advertising (TV, network, cable and streaming) was their main focus of their campaigns in the second quarter. While TV remains the favored medium for the time being, advertisers are also investing in digital video, with 66% saying they’re more interested in this medium than a year ago. (Online video ad data from Q2 confirms that to be the case.)
In terms of the top online video sites for advertisers, YouTube takes the top spot (69%), followed by Hulu (35%) and a tie between Netflix and Vine (14%).
Turning to social media, the study suggests that one-quarter of agencies see a better ROI from paid social than free, compared to 11% who say the opposite is true. The use of Facebook (90%), YouTube (55%), Twitter (53%), LinkedIn (35%) and Pinterest (25%) are each at all-time highs for agency campaigns.
- The main challenge for agencies in Q2 was client attraction (44%), followed by client spending (21%).
- 28% of respondents feel they will spend more on digital advertising than traditional media in the next 1-3 years.
- 76% of agencies prefer to advertise via display ads on other mobile content rather than build their own mobile sites or applications.
- While 58% are more interested in streaming radio than a year ago, 86% maintain the same – or lower – levels of interest in traditional radio. That’s the lowest rate of interest in traditional radio in 19 quarters.
About the Data: STRATA surveys around 100 media buying agencies each quarter.


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|By RealWire News Distribution||
|August 11, 2014 03:30 AM EDT||
- UK gamers spend an average of €8.94 per microtransaction - twice the global average of €4.73 according to data from Onebip's mobile payment platform.
- Global gamers spend the most on microtransactions during the summer period.
- Gamers see value in higher priced in-game transactions with mobile carrier billing: When multiple price points are offered (i.e. for bundles of virtual currency), an increase in the value of the highest price point available leads to an increase in the average transaction value.
- Mobile carrier billing increasingly seen as a legitimate alternative to credit card and PayPal.
London, UK 11th August 2014: Onebip by Neomobile, the global mobile payments service, has today published a detailed global analysis of its partners' customers' buying behaviour in the online gaming sector. Based on the analysis of millions of transactions across 65 countries over the course of a full year, Onebip has uncovered the spending habits of the world's online gamers.
Gamers are increasingly choosing to pay for their online gaming experiences through the convenience of their mobile phone bill via carrier billing over the more traditional payment methods such as credit cards or PayPal. Onebip's analysis is able to paint a picture of the spending habits of gamers around the world and the increasing growth in the adoption of mobile carrier billing. Onebip's gaming partners include publishers Gameforge, ProsibienSat.1 Games, Aeria Games and Goodgame Studios, providing payment services for such games as Ogame, S4 League, Shaiya and Big Farm.
Transaction values: Globally, online gamers spend an average of €4.73 per single transaction. Gamers in the UK spend nearly double this with an average transaction value of €8.94, making the UK the 3rd biggest spender in the world by transaction value.
The average spend per transaction in Switzerland tops the global list at €15.09. This is mainly due to carriers in the country offering gaming companies the option to charge much higher price points to online gamers that pay via carrier billing compared to all other countries. In fact, Onebip's data found that there was a direct correlation between countries offering higher price points as an option and an increase in the average transaction value i.e. consumers are embracing the use of carrier billing to pay for higher priced items such as larger "bundles" of virtual currency. In bigger gaming markets compared to Switzerland, such as Turkey, that recently increased the price points available for payment via carrier billing, gaming companies saw an increase in revenue (gross transaction volume) and average transaction value. (see the Notes to Editors at the end of the release for the top 10 spenders and examples of how higher price points have increased average transaction values).
A summer of gaming?: In line with common industry trends, the winter holiday period is the busiest time for online gaming spend, with 11% of global spend taking place during the month of December. However, after December, gamers spend more money during the summer period than any other point in the year. The summer months of June, July and August account for 30% of global spend. In contrast April and May are the quietest months with just 4% of annual spend in each month respectively.
Late night UK gamers: Looking at the UK specifically, the most gaming transactions happen in the evening from 18.00 - 23.59 (GMT/UT) with 38% of daily transactions happening during this time. Reinforcing the view that the UK prefers to game into the evening, the UK alone sees an unusual spike in activity during the hour starting at 22.00 GMT where 13% of all daily transactions take place (this is a sharp increase from the hours before and after - 21.00 and 23.00 - where only 3% and 5% of daily transactions take place respectively).
Saturday sees only a small spike during the week: While it is true that more transactions take place on Saturday than on any other day in the week, the spike is not statistically very significant, with between 1-2% more transactions on Saturday over on any other day. Clearly gamers are finding time to play all week, or at the least, they don't feel the need to wait until the weekend to spend their money!
"While the maturity and penetration of mobile carrier billing varies from country to country, the overall statistics make for very interesting reading into the buying trends of gamers around the world. Gamers tend to spend using mobile payments via carrier billing consistently throughout the week and the summer period is when they spend more money than any other point in the year," said Massimiliano Silenzi, Head of Onebip by Neomobile. "Onebip's data demonstrates the growing adoption of carrier billing globally as a fast and safe payment method for gamers and an effective way for online gaming brands to maximise their revenue. As carriers introduce more advanced billing technologies and more flexible and high pricing options, the payment system gains further traction for game companies as a key payment channel. We predict that in markets such as Turkey and Spain where carriers have introduced higher price points recently, our online gaming partners will see an increase in their revenue and average transaction values."
The Onebip team will have a dedicated booth at this year's Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany from 13 - 15 August where they will be on hand in Hall 4.2 D 042C, ready to help game developers and publishers to monetize their latest creations with mobile payments.
Notes to editors
About the data
Onebip analysed the real global transaction data of its partners' customers' in the online gaming sector during the 12 month period of June 2013 - May 2014. The data comprises of millions of transactions made by online gamers that used Onebip's mobile payment service through over 200 carriers in 65 countries. The summarised data provides an interesting insight into the spending habits of online gamers through carrier billing.
Data tables and further information
Top 10 spenders by average transaction value
Average transaction value
Higher price points = Increased average transaction values (Examples)
When the highest available price point was increased from 50 TL to 70 TL, Onebip's data showed an increase of 16% in the average transaction value and a 22% increase in the gross transaction volume generated.
When the highest available price point was increased by 50% for e.g. €10.00 to €15.00, Onebip's data showed an increase of 19% in the average transaction value and a 31% increase in the gross transaction volume generated.
Time of the year: Volume of annual transactions by month
Percentage of annual transactions
Day of the week: Proportion of global transactions per day of the week
Day of the week
Proportion of weekly transactions
Onebip, by Neomobile, is a global mobile payment service that offers the best user experience and the most advanced billing technology for our partners. With over 5 billion users connected to 250+ carriers in 70 countries, Onebip enables merchants to seamlessly monetize digital goods and services to their users on a global scale. It also provides users with a simple, secure and fast way of paying for their purchases via mobile without the need of a credit card or bank account. Onebip's deep integration with carriers and expertise in mobile direct billing enables our partners to experience the next generation of mobile payments in just one click.
Onebip started in 2005 as the first mobile payment service in the world. Today it is the mobile payment service of global mobile commerce group, Neomobile, which has offices in Rome, London, San Francisco, Mexico City, São Paulo, Madrid, Reus, Köln, Paris, Milan, Bogota, Belgrade, Istanbul and Mumbai.
Amy Kemp, Spartan PR
+44 (0)7931 746397
Suraya Adnan-Llewellin, Onebip
+44 (0)7769 657820
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You think you know what’s in your data. But do you? Most organizations are now aware of the business intelligence represented by their data. Data science stands to take this to a level you never thought of – literally. The techniques of data science, when used with the capabilities of Big Data technologies, can make connections you had not yet imagined, helping you discover new insights and ask new questions of your data. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Sarbjit Sarkaria, data science team lead ...
May. 5, 2016 09:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,261
SYS-CON Events announced today that Ericsson has been named “Gold Sponsor” of SYS-CON's @ThingsExpo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York, New York. Ericsson is a world leader in the rapidly changing environment of communications technology – providing equipment, software and services to enable transformation through mobility. Some 40 percent of global mobile traffic runs through networks we have supplied. More than 1 billion subscribers around the world re...
May. 5, 2016 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,385
We’ve worked with dozens of early adopters across numerous industries and will debunk common misperceptions, which starts with understanding that many of the connected products we’ll use over the next 5 years are already products, they’re just not yet connected. With an IoT product, time-in-market provides much more essential feedback than ever before. Innovation comes from what you do with the data that the connected product provides in order to enhance the customer experience and optimize busi...
May. 5, 2016 06:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,351
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Klein, CEO and Co-founder of Rachio, will discuss next generation communities that are using IoT to create more sustainable, intelligent communities. One example is Sterling Ranch, a 10,000 home development that – with the help of Siemens – will integrate IoT technology into the community to provide residents with energy and water savings as well as intelligent security. Everything from stop lights to sprinkler systems to building infrastructures will run ef...
May. 5, 2016 02:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,311
Manufacturers are embracing the Industrial Internet the same way consumers are leveraging Fitbits – to improve overall health and wellness. Both can provide consistent measurement, visibility, and suggest performance improvements customized to help reach goals. Fitbit users can view real-time data and make adjustments to increase their activity. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mark Bernardo Professional Services Leader, Americas, at GE Digital, will discuss how leveraging the Industrial Interne...
May. 5, 2016 12:45 AM EDT Reads: 1,406
The increasing popularity of the Internet of Things necessitates that our physical and cognitive relationship with wearable technology will change rapidly in the near future. This advent means logging has become a thing of the past. Before, it was on us to track our own data, but now that data is automatically available. What does this mean for mHealth and the "connected" body? In her session at @ThingsExpo, Lisa Calkins, CEO and co-founder of Amadeus Consulting, will discuss the impact of wea...
May. 5, 2016 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,227
Whether your IoT service is connecting cars, homes, appliances, wearable, cameras or other devices, one question hangs in the balance – how do you actually make money from this service? The ability to turn your IoT service into profit requires the ability to create a monetization strategy that is flexible, scalable and working for you in real-time. It must be a transparent, smoothly implemented strategy that all stakeholders – from customers to the board – will be able to understand and comprehe...
May. 4, 2016 11:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,285
A critical component of any IoT project is the back-end systems that capture data from remote IoT devices and structure it in a way to answer useful questions. Traditional data warehouse and analytical systems are mature technologies that can be used to handle large data sets, but they are not well suited to many IoT-scale products and the need for real-time insights. At Fuze, we have developed a backend platform as part of our mobility-oriented cloud service that uses Big Data-based approache...
May. 4, 2016 03:30 PM EDT Reads: 734
Digital payments using wearable devices such as smart watches, fitness trackers, and payment wristbands are an increasing area of focus for industry participants, and consumer acceptance from early trials and deployments has encouraged some of the biggest names in technology and banking to continue their push to drive growth in this nascent market. Wearable payment systems may utilize near field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), or quick response (QR) codes and barcodes...
May. 4, 2016 08:15 AM EDT Reads: 1,036
You deployed your app with the Bluemix PaaS and it's gaining some serious traction, so it's time to make some tweaks. Did you design your application in a way that it can scale in the cloud? Were you even thinking about the cloud when you built the app? If not, chances are your app is going to break. Check out this webcast to learn various techniques for designing applications that will scale successfully in Bluemix, for the confidence you need to take your apps to the next level and beyond.
May. 3, 2016 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,645


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CloudCommerce, a global provider of cloud-driven e-commerce and mobile commerce solutions, is ready for the busy holiday shopping season to come.
The company has just announced the holiday preparedness plans of its Indaba Group subsidiary.
To meet the increased holiday demand, Indaba Group will provide its online merchant customers with “enhanced hosting, logistics, mobile, marketing and other critical online services.”
Black Friday marks the beginning a major cultural event in the American economy. Beginning as early as Thursday evening on the Thanksgiving holiday and spanning the entire weekend through to what has been known as cyber Monday, shoppers in dramatically increasing numbers are staying home to avoid crowds at traditional brick and mortar marketplaces. The result is significant growth for the digital commerce industry. Last year, American holiday shoppers reportedly spent $61 billion online.
According to a report by Statistica, online shopping has increased steadily each year.
The Indaba Group holiday preparedness guide, originally published on its website early in August 2015, outlines critical preparation steps suggested for merchants, enabling them to take advantage of increased website traffic as visitors come to shop for holiday gifts. T
“Over the years our customers have traditionally seen huge spikes in traffic and sales during this upcoming time of year,” says CloudCommerce CEO Andrew Van Noy. “So we advise them ahead of time to batten down the hatches and prepare for the coming storm of increased and welcomed sales. We are proud to see our new subsidiary company so thoroughly preparing customers with well thought out advanced tactics, because when our customers succeed, so do we.”


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E3 is an exciting time of year for gamers. We all know that most of the major players in the industry use the event to reveal and showcase their exciting new games and hardware. E3 2017 should certainly be no exception, with Microsoft set top lift the lid off Xbox Scorpio, Nintendo to showcase its upcoming lineup for Switch, and Sony to detail its PS4 and VR plans moving ahead.
But with that high expectation comes a lot of pressure, and sometimes things can get a little …. well, embarrassing. Turns out you really can try too hard, and instead of “winning” E3, sometimes companies walk away having been facepalmed out of Los Angeles.
There have been many, many embarrassing moments to come out of E3 over the years. Here are the most memorable.
Not sure if Mortal Kombat 3 or Power Rangers
Despite the fact this happened at the very first E3 way back in 1995, there’s absolutely no excusing this comically bad introduction for Mortal Kombat 3. Midway (remember those guys?) was in the midst of rolling out is third coin-op Mortal Kombat game, and even though the series’ popularity had peaked at the time, this on-stage unveiling is shockingly bad.
“I love the game … I can’t play it”
If you were in the audience of Microsoft’s E3 2009 press briefing, you were part of a lucky crowd that got to see Ringo Star and Paul McCartney on stage to celebrate the announcement of The Beatles: Rock Band.
While it was infinitely cool that the duo were present to help unveil the game, it was clear they had absolutely no idea what it was precisely, how to play, or what to even say about it.
We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt because we doubt they’d just sign away one of the most lucrative music licenses on the planet without knowing what it’s going to, but this is a little awkward.
“There’s attractive people running around”
Joel McHale is a special kind of host. He’s one of a few people that can get on stage and have the guts to call out whatever it is he’s supposed to be promoting as stupid and mundane. He did just that while hosting Ubisoft’s E3 2010, during which Battle Tag was revealed.
If you’re going to have someone get on stage to promote your exciting new product, best you make sure they know how to say one of your most important franchises right. The host of Ubisoft’s E3 2011 press conference, nicknamed “Mr Caffeine” because of his erratic behaviour, kepy pronouncing “Tom Clancy” as “Tom Ca-Lancy”, in between making weird flashback noises and lame jokes.
The PlayStation 3 boomerang controller is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating mistakes to ever come out of the industry. The controller was so bad and was so poorly received by gamers and journalists, Sony completely ditched the design and instead went with a revamped PlayStation 2 DualShock, a design which it has essentially still maintained to this day, some 10+ years later.
Kaz Hirai’s enthusiasm for a port of Ridge Racer for PSP came as a surprise to everyone. Did anyone care?
Nintendo Wii Music
Who can forget the erratic drummer during Nintendo’s E3 2008 press conference? The Wii Music demo makes for undoubtedly one of the most hilariously bad presentations ever at E3. Out of beat, irritating and just downright silly, the guy would soon be the face of an ageless gif.
“We’re at E3, and this place, is the only place, that makes the guys at ComicCon look like Ocean’s 13.”
Hilarious for viewers, embarrassing for Activision.
Rock Revolution Fail
Here’s a word of advice for anyone going on stage to demo a game: practice makes perfect. Rock Revolution‘s product manager had a lot to learn about the game she was at E3 to promote, putting in an abysmal performance on stage and failing in the process.
Konami’s WTF press conference
It’s hard to explain just how bad Konami’s E3 2010 press conference was. Watch it for yourself … if you dare.
PS3 price fail … actually, the whole conference
The PS3 launch price announcement shocked not only those in attendance at Sony’s E3 2006 press conference, but also gamers around the world. The moment the price tag is announced you can hear the crowd gawk in shock.
Actually, the whole press conference was terrible.
“The game is based on battles that actually took place in ancient Japan … So here’s this giant enemy crab.”
Wii Vitality Sensor
The Wii Vitality Sensor has to be one of the more perplexing announcements ever made in the history of E3, and it probably explains why we haven’t seen it since. A heartbeat sensor…or…something, the Vitality Sensor essentially disappeared off the map, raising questions as to its validity to begin with. Did Nintendo quickly put this together to offer something along Microsoft’s and Sony’s big announcements in Project Natal (which eventually became Kinect) and Sony’s Move?
The Screaming Woman
Either Bethesda paid someone to be overly enthusiastic during its E3 2016 press conference, or there is a gamer out there more passionate about Bethesda games than anyone else on the planet. Just listen to this video: this is legit, and you can hear this woman screaming throughout the entire press conference.


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One example is ECONYL – it is more than just about recycling. ECONYL has a campaign of producing new products but with a better environment at the same time. Nylon waste is converted into ECONYL. Creating new products from the nylon waste is a good form of reducing materials.
Gucci released a new sustainable collection “OFF THE GRID”. As per Gucci, “It is basically designed for those mindful of their environmental impact, Gucci Off The Grid uses recycled, organic, bio-based and sustainably sourced materials.”
Prada also launched “Re-Nylon” project as a contribution to achieve a sustainable luxury fashion. As per Prada, “Our ultimate goal will be to convert all Prada virgin nylon into Re-Nylon by the end of 2021. This project highlights our continued efforts towards promoting a responsible business. This collection allows us to make our contribution and create products without using new resources." Second on the list of how luxury brands are becoming more sustainable is about up cycling the products. Nowadays, up cycling materials are starting to become in demand. Repairing of products that can sell as good as new is worth investing. Supporting resale should be put to practice. By doing so, both the luxury fashion companies and consumers can contribute to lessen the waste. There is a program named RECOLLECTION INITIATIVE that promotes restoration to produce another one-of-a-kind piece.
Sustainability requires responsibilities. It calls for actions as well and not just only information. Luxury brands have a huge advantage over fast fashion companies because luxury brands are being purchased for the quality and value. Therefore, luxury fashion brands should take the lead in promoting sustainability in the industry.


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The digital yuan is the main competitor to the global hegemony of the dollarJudy Rubio
A digital asset that finds support from the government will be a more powerful challenge for the United States than Libra or Bitcoin. Kenneth Rogoff, a former IMF chief economist, has a similar view.
Why the US is not afraid of bitcoin and Libra
According to Kenneth Rogoff, Bitcoin, Libraand similar digital assets should receive regulatory approval. (In the article "what is Libra" read more about this promising coin). As a result, economically developed countries will be able to check their compliance with the current norms and set restrictions on their application in certain areas. This allows you to control the overall liquidity of crypto assets.
Mr. Rogoff is convinced that the use of the digital yuan is different. A digital currency backed by one of the world's largest and most powerful economies could turn global. The expert noted: "Developed countries will continue to be able to regulate it, but in many areas Beijing and Washington have political differences. These are primarily States against which the United States has imposed sanctions."
Before that, an influential economist from China, Zhou Xiaochuan (formerly head of the Central Bank of China) said that the digital currency developed by the regulator aims to serve domestic retail payments.
Rogoff is convinced that after the success in the domestic market, the digital yuan will be actively used in other countries. China will challenge the US dollar in various States, the confrontation can also be observed in the underground market.
The China's Central Bank (PBOC) has denied that it will soon launch a digital yuan. China itself is convinced that the PBOC will be the first regulator in the world to achieve this goal.
The People's Bank of China did not confirm the information on the timing of the release of the digital yuan
Zhou Xiaochuan said that the PBOC will focus on the use of cryptocurrency in order to create incentives for retail trade and payments within the state. He identified 2 areas of implementation of CBDC: electronic payments for retail and transactions between financial institutions of different countries. Beijing intends to follow the former.
In a statement the People's Bank of China said: "Media reports about the release of the digital yuan at the end of 2019, which will be supported by the country's leadership, are inaccurate and speculative."
Previously, representatives of the regulator spoke about the imminent release of state digital money. For example, Mu Changchun, who holds the position of Deputy head of the payment division of the People's Bank of China, announced the readiness of the prototype of the cryptocurrency. The research team spoke about the completion of work on the blockchain architecture.
Earlier, information publications wrote that the People's Bank of China can provide a unique right to use the digital currency to 7 organizations. Among them are several banks, as well as the country's financial and technology giants Tencent and Alibaba.
Will the People's Bank of China become the first national regulator to issue a sovereign cryptocurrency?
Huang Qifan, Vice Chairman of the China center for international economic exchanges, said: "The PBOC will be the first monetary regulator to create a viable digital currency. Libra will not be able to achieve global recognition."
During his speech at the First financial summit in Shanghai, the official stressed that in the modern digital era, the ways of payments between States and companies must change. Mr Qifan said there was a strong dependence on CHIPS and SWIFT for international Renminbi liquidity. Each instrument is in the hands of the United States and is used to achieve global financial hegemony.
Qifan noted: "SWIFT is now obsolete and has ceased to be effective. In addition, as a payment system, it is very expensive. It was created more than 45 years ago, since then the technology has hardly been updated. The efficiency of SWIFT is relatively small. The term of international Bank transfer is in the range of 3 to 5 days. For large amounts, paper documents are often needed, and this is an additional problem when conducting and processing large-scale transactions."
The SWIFT monopoly allows the payment system to receive excess profits. According to the Vice-President of the analytical center, in his eyes the Libra project has small global prospects. Like bitcoin, this is nothing more than the desire of individual organizations to compete with sovereign currencies.
Mr. Qifan continued: "This decentralized currency, which is based on blockchain technology, is outside the limits of sovereign money. Therefore, there are no tools to stabilize the value, there is no guaranteed emission base, it is difficult to create wealth that will actually be valuable to society. In general, I do not believe in Libra's global success."
Qifan is confident in the great prospects of issuing cryptocurrency by Central Banks. Such a tool will make payments safe and convenient. Regulators have every opportunity to think through the rules that allow the binding of digital currencies to the national GDP, loans, precious metals and budget revenues. According to the expert, the Bank of China has been exploring the possibility of issuing digital currency for more than 5 years.
Attempts by the Central Bank of China to refute the imminent release of the digital yuan prompt to think that we will not have to wait for the first national cryptocurrency for a long time. This event can become a real breakthrough in the field of blockchain technologies and attract special attention to it. If in the future the world will see the release of digital yuan, try to buy a few coins and learn about their features. It will be a valuable experience.
Interview with Gen2 on The Capital07 Oct, 2020 Colin Baseman
TOP 10 crypto world news for October 2, 202002 Oct, 2020 Annabella Cornelly
TOP 9 crypto world news for October 1, 202001 Oct, 2020 David Kemp
TOP 10 crypto world news for September 30, 202030 Sep, 2020 Judy Rubio
TOP 9 crypto world news for September 29, 202029 Sep, 2020 Endy Callahan
TOP 10 crypto world news for September 28, 202028 Sep, 2020 Colin Baseman


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Ireland’s government recently took steps toward becoming the first EU country to require plain packaging for tobacco products, and the UK would like to follow its lead. In light of recent reports coming out of Australia, the only country to enact the measure, showing the law is not achieving its intended effects, it is paramount these governments reconsider.
Free market and taxpayer groups are concerned about the consequences of such extreme laws, not just in terms of health and safety of consumers, but their impact on national treasuries. As reported in the Sun newspaper the UK Government faces a potential compensation bill of between £9-11 billion if it proceeds with the removal of internationally protected trademarks and intellectual property.
Already Indonesia is threatening to introduce plain packaging for beers, wines and spirits. And if other countries followed their lead this could have a significant effect on the Britain’s £38 billion alcohol industry which directly employs around 650,000 people.
But the Ireland and the UK still have a chance to stop this bad policy.
The stated purpose of plain packaging is that once you take away tobacco companies’ branding, people will be less inclined to buy their products. The results thus far appear to be the opposite. More than a year after Australia enacted the policy, studies by London Economics and renowned professors at the Universities of Zurich and Saarland (Switzerland and Germany) concluded it’s not deterring adults nor adolescents from smoking.
In fact, according to the tobacco industry’s sales volume data, cigarette sales increased by 59 million sticks in Australia during the first year of plain packaging, offsetting a four year downward trend. The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores even reports that its members’ sales grew by 5.4 percent.
Why are more cigarettes being sold when the goal of plain packaging was to reduce smoking? As any elementary course in marketing will teach you, a product becomes commoditized when it is stripped of its branding. The industry is forced to compete on price and consumers buy cheaper cigarettes, less expensive loose tobacco or even turn to the black market.
This is exactly what The Australian, a leading newspaper Down Under, recently reported is happening: nearly half of the country’s cigarettes are now purchased from the lowest price segments, up from just a third before plain packaging was introduced.
As the leading taxpayer rights group in the United States, the number that is even more offensive is the AUD $1.1 billion that KPMG reports Australia’s Treasury lost last year due to the growth of the black market for tobacco products.
While these tax dollars should have been in the government’s coffers, they were not because a record number of Australians purchased one of the cheapest type of cigarettes: those manufactured in branded packs and smuggled into the country. The market for these “illicit whites,” as they’re called, saw a shocking 151 percent rise during the year.
Prior to enacting Plain Packaging regulations, lawmakers must be made aware that the policies and regulations stipulated in the proposed legislation violate international law. Plain packaging violates property rights standards such as patents, trademarks, etc.
Ireland as well as the United Kingdom has signed multiple international agreements, and the regulations stipulated under plain packaging will violate the Paris Convention relating to the protection of industrial property. Plain packaging will also violate the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
This data hits closer to home in the UK after a recent investigation by The Sun newspaper demonstrated the severity of the measure’s effect on the economy. In their investigation, journalists met with distributors of counterfeit cigarettes in Indonesia who admitted that plain packaging will help them import counterfeit cigarettes, reduce costs, and increase profits.
According to one counterfeiter, his factory is already producing 100 million cigarettes per month, 10 million of which are smuggled into the UK via shipping containers. He claimed that plain packaging will make his costs significantly lower and reduce the likelihood of his fake cigarettes being identified.
KPMG recently reported that counterfeit or contraband cigarettes cost the UK government more than a £1 billion in lost tax revenue last year. The Exchequer’s own estimates suggest that this figure could be as high as £2.5 billion.
This is a result of at least one in ten products purchased in the country coming from the black market, a ratio that doubles to more than one in five in Ireland. As we saw in Australia, plain packaging only drives up the number of illegal cigarettes entering a country, with enormous consequences to a government’s tax coffers.
As Ireland and the UK only begin to advance the measure, it’s clear they are at a crossroads. While pursuing plain packaging due to political pressure and ideological beliefs, they’re on the verge of implanting a law with dire consequences.
If the countries’ goals are truly to curb smoking, then there are other proven methods that can be exercised that don’t threaten their citizens’ health with dodgy, black market products while robbing their treasuries of billions.
Lorenzo Montanari, Executive Director of the Property Rights Alliance
David Williams, President of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance