IS fighters stage surprise attack on key Syrian border town
In Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour, meanwhile, IS fighters have beheaded two couples they accused of practicing sorcery, according to Abdurrahman of the Observatory.The beheadings were carried out over the past week, he said, without giving further details.The IS group, which governs its self-styled caliphate in accordance with an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, has in the past beheaded dozens of people for blasphemy, sorcery and espionage. The group has beheaded female Kurdish fighters, but beheading civilian women remains rare.___Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Kurdish activist Mustafa Bali said Tuesday that IS fighters killed 233 people in Kobani, including 100 children, saying most of those killed were shot in cold blood, some inside their homes. He said 35 Kurdish fighters were killed following the June 25 attack.Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a U.K.-based monitoring group with a network of activists inside Syria, said 223 civilians were killed in Kobani, including “scores” of women and children, as well as 37 Kurdish fighters. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the slightly different tolls.Kurdish fighters captured Tal Abyad two weeks ago — denying the IS group a crucial border crossing used to bring in supplies and foreign fighters and causing immediate price hikes in areas under IS control. Backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, the Kurds then advanced south toward the extremist group’s de facto capital, Raqqa.But in Tuesday’s surprise attack, IS fighters battled their way back into Tal Abyad, seizing the eastern Mashhour neighborhood, Abdurrahman said, adding that the extremists did not appear to have enough fighters to retake the whole town.Bali and a senior Kurdish defense official, Nasser Haj Mansour, told The Associated Press that the small group of IS fighters might have been a sleeper cell that came from inside the town. Bali said that after a fierce battle lasting up to three hours, the fighters took shelter in an empty school building. He later said all the IS fighters were killed. How men can have a healthy 2019 Top Stories Mansour said late Tuesday that the fighters were holed up in two buildings and were being “dealt with” by Kurdish forces. “The fight will soon be over,” he said.Conflicting accounts are not uncommon during or immediately after such battles.In the remote northeastern city of Hassakeh, meanwhile, Syrian government forces and allied paramilitary National Defense Forces retook Eastern Ghoweiran, a neighborhood seized by IS militants last week, activists and Syrian state television said Tuesday.Fighting has raged in Hassakeh since the IS group attacked several southern neighborhoods held by government troops earlier this month. The violence has left dozens killed and forced at least 60,000 residents to flee, according to activists and a Western aid group.Turkey-based opposition figure Mustafa Osso said IS captured three predominantly Arab neighborhoods in Hassakeh last week and that fighting was continuing in the city.The U.S. military said Tuesday that the U.S.-led coalition has conducted seven overnight airstrikes near Hassakeh, hitting five groups of IS fighters, destroying four vehicles, an armored personnel carrier and a tank.Until the latest IS advance, the predominantly Kurdish city was split between government forces and Kurdish fighters, who have been fighting the IS group separately. Here’s how to repair and patch damaged drywall Mesa family survives lightning strike to home Ex-FBI agent details raid on Phoenix body donation facility
Comments Share BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State fighters on Tuesday launched a surprise attack on a Syrian border town recently seized by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, taking positions in the eastern part of the town and waging fierce gun battles with its defenders, activists said.The attack on Tal Abyad resembled another surprise assault by the IS group last week on the border town of Kobani, where Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led airstrikes had driven out the extremists in January. The two attacks brutally displayed the extremists’ resilience and signaled a possible change in tactics following a string of defeats at the hands of Kurdish forces. Sponsored Stories Men’s health affects baby’s health too New Valley school lets students pick career-path academies 4 sleep positions for men and what they mean
Arizona Cardinals running back Ryan Williams will miss the entire season with a ruptured right patella tendon, Coach Ken Whisenhunt confirmed in a Saturday press conference.Williams was injured in the Cardinals’ 28-20 loss to the reigning Superbowl champion Green Bay Packers. He was hit from behind and looked to fall awkwardly on his right knee. Williams was carted off the field and looked to be in a great deal of pain. Nevada officials reach out to D-backs on potential relocation Top Stories Comments Share A ruptured patella tendon requires surgery to fix and extensive rehabilitation. Williams is estimated to be ready for the beginning of the Cardinals’ 2012 training camp.Williams absence leaves a hole in the Cardinals run game, as he was expected to work with Beanie Wells this year as a tandem. Former Cardinals running back Tim Hightower was traded to the Washington Redskins to clear a place for Williams.Whisenhunt did not say who the Cardinals had in mind to replace Williams, but he did say the selection of a replacement would be a process. If the Cardinals went for a veteran back, he would have to be content with a lesser roll, Whisenhunt said.
What an MLB source said about the D-backs’ trade haul for Greinke D-backs president Derrick Hall: Franchise ‘still focused on Arizona’ Cardinals expect improving Murphy to contribute right away
The positions Turkey’s foreign minister as outlined in his interview with Phileleftheros on Sunday, explains why the Cyprus problem has not been solved to date, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said.In the interview, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara remained firm in its position to maintain the system of guarantees and of keeping Turkish troops in Cyprus following a solution.According to a brief preview of the interview published online, Cavusoglu argues that the existing guarantee system provided “a strong framework to ensure the future stability of the island.” He further maintained that “the overwhelming majority of the Turkish Cypriots will not accept a settlement without Turkish guarantees”.Cavusoglu also insisted that the EU four freedoms, free movement of people, capital, goods and services, should apply to Turkish nationals after a solution.He said Turks and Greeks must be treated equally in order to maintain an outside balance between the two countries, both of whom are guarantor powers. The Greek Cypriot side argues that Greeks have the four freedoms because Greece is a member of the EU. In addition Cavusoglu claimed that the Greek Cypriots were not prepared to go the extra mile to reach a settlement.Responding in comments to the Cyprus News Agency later on Sunday, Christodoulides said: “The positions he expresses in his interview explain exactly why, in spite of significant progress already achieved, the current process has not led, so far, to a final conclusion.”“The interview and everything the Turkish foreign minister refers to further explain the awkwardness of the Turkish side towards the recent proposal by the President of the Republic, which is the only one which, if adopted, could create prospects for a positive outcome and avert a possible deadlock in the negotiations,” he added.Christodoulides said the most recent proposal President Nicos Anastasiades had put forward at the negotiating table, to help make headway in the ongoing peace talks, could create prospects for a positive outcome and avert a possible deadlock.The talks have stalled since the leaders last week failed to come to an agreement for a new Geneva conference. UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide tried some shuttle diplomacy to bring them together in a new meeting to figure out a workable formula but got nowhere. He is due to continue his shuttle diplomacy when he returns to Cyprus on Tuesday.In the meantime, Anastasiades is due to hold a National Council meeting on Monday and to address the Cypriot people.You May LikeClassmates.comLook For Any High School Yearbook, It’s FreeClassmates.comUndoFigLeaf Beta AppHow to Become Fully Anonymous Online in Less Than 3 Minutes? Better safe than sorryFigLeaf Beta AppUndoTruthFinder People Search SubscriptionOne Thing All Liars Have in Common, Brace YourselfTruthFinder People Search SubscriptionUndo Concern over falling tourism numbersUndoAuthorities release five of 12 Israeli rape suspects, seven due in court FridayUndoPensioner dies after crash on Paphos-Polis roadUndoby Taboolaby Taboola
Categories: Albert News 28Apr Rep. Albert invites residents to April office hours State Rep. Thomas Albert of Lowell will host open office hours on Saturday, April 29.9 to 10 a.m. at 3rd Wave Coffee, 105 E. Main St. in Belding;11 a.m. to noon at Jamnbean Coffee Company, 6860 Cascade Road SE in Grand Rapids“Being open and accessible is important for anyone in government,” Rep. Albert said. “I look forward to listening and learning about what issues are important to people in our community. This is a great opportunity to share your voice with the Capitol.”No appointment is necessary. Those unable to attend may contact Rep. Albert at 517-373-0846 or via email at ThomasAlbert@house.mi.gov.#####
State State Rep. Lee Chatfield, of Levering, today said the release of a study considering options for preventing the spread of Asian carp is just the first step, and swift action is needed to prevent the invasive species from entering the Great Lakes.The long-awaited report from the Army Corps of Engineers assesses the viability of establishing various control mechanisms at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Ill., to prevent the upstream transfer of aquatic nuisance species such as Asian carp from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes Basin.“Now that the results of the study are finally available, it is important to move as promptly as possible to implement a plan that protects our Great Lakes from the spread of this highly-invasive species,” Chatfield said. “Asian carp are now closer than ever – just 9 miles from Lake Michigan. We need to take action before they spread throughout Great Lakes waters, destroy our ecosystem and way of life and negatively impact the state economy.”The study, which presents a variety of options that will stop invasive species at the Brandon Road Locks and Dam while also minimizing impacts to existing waterway uses and users, is available at glmris.anl.gov/brandon-rd.### 08Aug Rep. Chatfield: Asian carp study released, now it’s time for action Categories: Chatfield News
Share11TweetShare5Email16 Shares“1909 Cheyney Library” by Smallbones at English Wikipedia; transferred to Commons by Stefan4 using CommonsHelper. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.August 27, 2015; Philadelphia InquirerPotential Democratic candidate for President Hillary Clinton has made college affordability a significant plank in her campaign platform, with a component of her “New College Compact” providing support to students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Students who go to a community college before enrolling at an HBCU would benefit from Clinton’s commitment to making community colleges tuition free. Through her plan for state-level public-private partnerships, students attending public HBCUs would attend not have to borrow for tuition costs. According to NBC News, the Clinton plan includes $25 billion to help students at private nonprofit HBCUs.It isn’t certain by any means that the New College Compact would make it through Congress even if Hillary Clinton were to re-enter the White House, or that the state-level partnerships would work given recent experience of some states’ very reluctant participation in plans that need their support (such as the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid). A key to making her plan successful for HBCUs is to make sure that the HBCUs are themselves surviving through the fiscal problems that too many of them seem to be encountering.One of the latest HBCUs in some financial and managerial trouble is Cheyney University, the nation’s oldest HBCU. Founded in 1837 as the Institute for Colored Youth, Cheyney counts a number of notable graduates, including Ed Bradley of CBS News and Robert Woodson of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. However, a review conducted for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education found that the school may have mismanaged the financial aid it receives from the U.S. Department of Education to assist students and, as a result, may owe the federal government more than $29 million. According to Kenn Marshall, a spokesperson for the system, “It appears as if a large percentage of students who received grants and loans were not eligible or should not have received the level of funding that they did.”Sadly for Cheyney, this isn’t the first time that the school has encountered this problem of administering student aid correctly. “This report brings to light the deficiencies of many enrollment management functions, the university’s policies and procedures, communications, academic progress, student accounts, student records, financial records, and student information management systems,” wrote Frank T. Brogan, state system chancellor, in a letter to Cheyney’s council of trustees, highlighting the systemic management problems that afflict Cheyney University and may reflect challenges to the school’s survival.According to the coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Cheyney has an annual budget of $30.4 million, carries a $15 million deficit, and operates on a line of credit. A $29 million repayment to the U.S. Department of Education would be clearly a devastating event. For this report, the school declined to reveal its current student enrollment, but late last year, another article reported that Cheyney enrollment was at a 31-year low and the four-year graduation rate was down to nine percent.Cheyney University may be on the verge of going under, but it isn’t the only HBCU facing major challenges. Other HBCUs in trouble include South Carolina State University, a public university, and Wilberforce University, a private nonprofit. Even some better-known and better-financed HBCUs such as Howard University and Spelman College face considerable financial challenges, according to a review in Business Insider.President Reagan created a White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1981 to strengthen HBCUs, and each succeeding president has continued the program, including President Obama. However, a report published in Diverse Issues in Higher Education notes that inequities between funding predominantly white and HBCU schools have not been overcome. The author, Autumn Arnett, noted that President Obama infuriated members of the Congressional Black Caucus recently by suggesting that some HBCUs might have to close, something that no other president has ever suggested. “He didn’t show much empathy for struggling HBCUs,” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), after President Obama’s speech to the CBC.A Congressional HBCU Caucus was established earlier this year, with Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) and Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) at the helm. If they can generate a deeper understanding in the White House and in Congress about the importance of sustaining HBCUs, they might help deal with inequities in government support. If Clinton’s plan or something akin to it takes shape, that will help HBCU students. But the longstanding financial challenges of many HBCUs merit a redoubled commitment from charitable giving and private philanthropy to deal with accumulated deficits and mounds of debt. We don’t know of any major efforts to save HBCUs like there have been to save some troubled predominantly white colleges and universities.—Rick CohenShare11TweetShare5Email16 Shares
Share60TweetShare2Email62 Shares“Drug overdose” By Sam Metsfan (Apartment in New York) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsMarch 9, 2017; Washington PostThe American Health Care Act (AHCA), proposed by House Republicans and endorsed by the Trump administration, includes key provisions that eliminate federal mandates for what services must be covered under Medicaid. Among these changes is one that could affect an estimated 1.3 million people in need of addiction treatment in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that chose to implement Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).There is concern about ending the coverage mandate at the same time a national opioid epidemic is spreading across the country. The Washington Post reports:A record number of people—33,000—died of opiate overdoses in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Opioids now kill more people than car accidents, and in 2015 the number of heroin deaths nationwide surpassed the number of deaths from gun-related homicides. Authorities are also grappling with an influx of powerful synthetic narcotics responsible for a sharp increase in overdoses and deaths over the past year.Opioid overdose death rates are highest in Kentucky and West Virginia, both states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA. Medicaid currently pays for about 44 percent of medication-assisted addiction treatment for covered individuals in those states.If the AHCA were to become law in its present form, the federal mandate under Medicaid expansion would disappear. However, whether addiction treatment coverage would also disappear in those states is a more difficult question to answer, owing to economics, politics, and existing state laws.Federal Medicaid funding would shift from a percentage of covered expenses (reimbursements for services provided and paid for) to a percentage of covered individuals (a fixed dollar amount per eligible Medicaid recipient). The bill’s proponents believe that the change is a win-win; the federal government will save money and states will have more latitude to implement Medicaid coverage based on state-identified needs.Critics note that a person’s Medicaid eligibility and enrollment varies from month to month, especially for nondisabled enrollees younger than retirement age. Addiction is a “chronic relapse disease,” meaning that someone receiving treatment under Medicaid expansion might be successful in returning to work and no longer qualify for addiction treatment services under Medicaid expansion. If they were to subsequently relapse into addiction, under the proposed AHCA they would not be able to requalify for the same benefits.According to the nonpartisan National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL), all states have at least some form of mental health parity mandate or regulation. The ParityTrack website provides additional state-by-state information on the details of legislation, regulation, and litigation related to mental health insurance coverage parity. Each state’s approach and extent of parity is different, making it all but impossible to know what would happen in the absence of federal mandates.Further complicating the ability to predict is the very freedom guaranteed to state Medicaid administration under the AHCA. Would states elect to continue addiction treatment coverage under the same terms as before? Would state-level mental health parity laws apply to Medicaid plans? Could state governments afford to maintain coverage if Medicaid funding is reduced and other treatment priorities—and other providers—are demanding support?Advocates for addiction treatment would be wise to watch events at both the federal and state levels. Although it’s possible that the AHCA will be defeated or amended, it’s likely that President Trump and HHS Secretary Tom Price, with or without Congressional support, will direct changes in federal Medicaid regulations in such a way as to make state-level mental health parity laws and state Medicaid policies crucial to continued coverage for addiction services.—Michael WylandShare60TweetShare2Email62 Shares
Cyprus service provider PrimeTel has chosen Russian technology company SmartLabs to provide a hybrid platform for the delivery of TV services.PrimeTel PLC offers traditional IPTV services and is now planning to promote DVB-T broadcasting with interactive services delivered over the internet. SmartLabs will deploy its SmartTUBE SDP Service Delivery Platform, SmartSPY monitoring solution, integrate them with the security and content encoding systems, and deliver SML-303 hybrid set-tops to support DVB-T/IP.
UK operator Virgin Media reached a milestone figure of two million TiVo customers this week, after first launching the service in December 2010. The firm marked the occasion by surprising the two millionth customer, a family in Manchester, with an impromptu visit by Hollyoaks and Dancing on Ice star Jennifer Metcalfe.Virgin Media said that TiVo is the “UK’s fastest growing pay TV service” and along with 2 million installs, received 519 million on-demand TV programme requests last year alone.“Reaching two million TiVo customers is a huge milestone for Virgin Media,” said director of digital entertainment Scott Kewley.“TiVo brings your favourite TV right to you, so we thought we’d go even further for Chris and Leigh Lynch by surprising them with a visit from their favourite television celebrity. It was great seeing their reactions and we hope they had as much fun as we did planning the surprise.”
Portugal had about 3.17 million pay TV subscribers at the end of last year, up 1.6% on the previous year and up 0.3% on the previous quarter, according to regulator ANACOM. According to the regulator, growth was driven by fibre network and XDSL providers, whose subscribers increased by 4.5% and 3.4% respectively quarter-on-quarter. Cable and DTH customers fell by 1.1% and 2.8% respectively in the fourth quarter.Cable held a 44.2% amrket share in December while XDSL represented 21.6% and DTH had 19.3%. FTTH/B network accounted for 14.9% of subscribers.According to ANACOM, 77.9% of pay TV subs took a service as part of a bundled offering.The Zon Optimus group remains the market leader by share, accounting for 47.8% of subscribers. Portugal Telecom had a 41.5% share, followed by Cabovisáo and Vodafone with 7.1% and 3.5% respectively.Total revenues from standalone pay TV packages totaled €1.2779 billion, up 3.1% on the previous year, according to ANACOM, while average monthly expenditure per user for bundled offerings stood at €47.50, down 4.2%. Average revenue from bundled TV and internet offerings fell by 5.3% to €39.60, while bundled TV and fixed phone packages saw averagerevenue rise by 2% to €31.60.About 19.4% of pay TV homes had access to premium channels at the end of December, down 1.2%.
The UAE’s new TV ratings system, tview, has been approved for use by international auditors CESP, clearing the way for its adoption in the Gulf state. The audit report, which was shown to the media industry at an event hosted by the Media Zone Authority in Abu Dhabi, concluded that tview, which is a meter-based audience measurement system, had shown significant improvement over the last year.Tview was initially set up in 2012 by Emirates Media Measurement Company (EMMC), a joint venture of some of the UAE’s leading media players. The system did not win universal approval, and an initial audit last year highlighted a number of areas that needed to be improved. In the past year, the operator of tview, Kantar Media, has worked with CESP and established a joint technical committee with industry stakeholders to plan and make the required improvements.The audit found that the active participation of panel homes had improved from below 60% to nearly 77%, compared with an internationally recognised target of 85%. The audit found that around 90% of TV sets are being properly metered, up from 74% a year ago. Meanwhile, a new survey methodology used to gather data about the UAE population was adopted and successfully piloted during the year. This will now be rolled out on a larger scale.“EMMC, Kantar Media and the Technical Committee have worked hard all year to make these improvements, and we will continue to do more to develop tview,” said EMMC general manager Christopher O’Hearn.“We understand this is a significant and game-changing step for the industry but we have to catch up with the rest of the world. 78 countries have electronic TV measurement systems, some established for decades. If the television industry does not embrace it here then it will continue to be undervalued, and will suffer further as digital consumption and online viewing increases.”
Altice Group second quarter financials were pulled down by continued subscriber, revenue and earnings losses at French unit SFR, despite a solid performance elsewhere, including its new US acquisitions.Total French revenues fell by 4.3% year-on-year to €2.781 billion, which included revenues from its new content and media assets. Adjusted EBITDA, like revenue, was hit by falling subscriber numbers, falling 6.8% to €999 million.Total French fixed customer losses were 58,000, a slight year-on-year improvement compared with the 61,000 lost during the prior period.Consumer mobile revenues also tumbled by 7.1% thanks in large part to subscriber losses of 199,000 – an improvement on the prior year losses of 314,000.The quarter saw the completion of the acquisitions of a 49% stake in NextRadioTV and Altice media Group France to create a portfolio of channels that also includes SFR’s sports assets, centred on its rights to English Premier League football. SFR launched five new sports channel and two news channels – BFM Paris and BFM Sport – ahead of the Premier League season kicking off at the end of this week.NextRadioTV, now rebranded SFR RadioTV, saw double-digit revenue growth of 12.6%.Portugal Telecom/Meo also saw revenue fall by 3% – an improvement on the prior year – but EBITDA surged by 22.5%. Consumer revenue was hit by falling voice termination fees as well as multi-play price competition.Israeli unit Hot saw revenues increase for the first time in a number of years, growing 1.5% on a constant currency basis.Altice’s US assets peformed well. Suddenlink saw revenues grow by 5.7% on a constant currency basis. EBITDA grew by 18.5%. Revenue generating units were down by 8,000 but residential customers relationships were up 2.9% year-on-year. Optimum also performed well.Overall, Altice saw group revenues fall by 2.6% to €5.828 billion for the quarter, while total group EBITDA was up 2.7% on a reported basis to €2.265 billion.
UK free-to-air satellite platform Freesat has added Motorsport.tv to its channel line-up.The racing and automotive channel will be available in as part of Freesat’s news and sports offering on channel number 253.The move marks Motorsport.tv’s first steps into subscription-free TV in the UK and also underlines Freesat’s focus on offering its viewers as much free sporting content as possible.“Motorsport.tv is a very welcome addition to Freesat’s roster, providing 24/7 motoring action to our viewers while bolstering our sports offering,” said Alistair Thom, Freesat’s managing director.“With an impressive depth and breadth of programming, Motorsport.tv’s arrival represents Freesat’s continued commitment to offering high-quality subscription-free TV.”Motorsport.tv’s vice-president of distribution, Roberto Perez said: “Motorsport.tv‘s launch on Freesat boosts our reach to more than 27 million households across the world.“Freesat viewers in the UK will enjoy access to numerous live championships, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, Australian Supercars Championship, European Le Mans Series and TCR Europe Series, as well as two-wheeled action including the FIM World Motocross Championship.”Motorsport.tv first launched as Motors TV in France in 2000 and has since expanded to cover multiple European territories in several languages, having rebranded as Motorsport.tv in March 2017.Freesat provides more than 200 channels of free recordable TV, as well as access to catch-up and on-demand services like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4, YouTube and Netflix.
Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s NewTV venture has closed an initial funding round that saw it raise US$1 billion from major studios, Liberty Global and Chinese technology group Alibaba among others.Jeffrey KatzenbergKatzenberg and Whitman’s WndrCo secured funding from Disney, Entertainment One, Fox, ITV, Lionsgate, MGM, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Viacom, and Warner Media, in addition to Alibaba.Strategic partner investors who contributed to the funding round include Liberty Global as well as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Madrone Capital, which led the round.NewTV was set up to build a new entertainment platform designed for on-the-go mobile viewing.The announcement follows earlier reports from Bloomberg and CNN that former DreamWorks Animation chief Katzenberg had raised funding for the venture.“More so than ever, people want easy access to the highest quality entertainment that fits perfectly into their busy, on-the-go lifestyles. With NewTV, we’ll give consumers a user-friendly platform, built for mobile, that delivers the best stories, created by the world’s top talent, allowing users to make the most of every moment of their day,” said Whitman, who is acting as CEO of NewTV.“It is exciting to see Hollywood embracing this new technology distribution platform built for the way we watch today. NewTV will access the best talent and intellectual property for this next era in entertainment. We are already seeing tremendous interest from Hollywood’s top talent,” said Katzenberg, managing partner of WndrCo and chairman and founder of NewTV.Julian Bellamy, managing director, ITV Studios, said of his company’s investment in the venture: “Global demand for high quality entertainment continues to grow. Being part of the start of this exciting new mobile platform offers ITV’s hugely talented and creative people around the world the opportunity to produce content in a way never seen before. This investment is consistent with our ‘More than TV’ strategy and the focus on growing UK and Global production. We look forward to working with Jeffrey, Meg and the team.”
Satellite operator SES is facing a “concerning” decline in its video business, with guidance provided by the company of a 2% decline this year looking “optimistic”, according to analysts at Berenberg, which has placed a ‘hold’ recommendation on the Luxembourg operator’s stock following mixed full-year results.SES last week posted full-year revenues of €2.01 billion, up 1.7% at constant currency, with 15.8% growth in networks revenue offsetting a 4% decline in video revenue.The company posted EBITDA of €1.256 billion, representing a reduced EBITDA margin of 62.5%, down from 65.1%.CEO Steve Collar described 2018 as “a good year” with top-line growth, and a “break-out year for our networks business with double-digit underlying growth”. He said that the video business, which still represents two thirds of the total, had “scored important wins despite challenging market conditions”.According to Berenberg, SES seems likely to face a worsening situation in its video business, even as its networks business delivers growth. SES has cut its 2020 revenue guidance from €2.11-2.21 billion to €2.06-2.16 billion as a result.The analysts expressed concern that the shift from video to data could give investors pause because “data merits a lower multiple than video, given shorter contract duration and greater risk of capex obsolescence”.Berenberg said that SES’s current share price reflects a market view that the US C-band Alliance that the company supports will succeed in monetising C-band spectrum.Last year the alliance, which represents Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat and Telesat, could clear up to 200 MHz of mid-band spectrum to support 5G wireless deployment in the US.In an updated proposal to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the CBA increased the amount of spectrum that could be made available for 5G terrestrial use by 80% compared to the initial proposal made by Intelsat and SES. The group said that the C-band downlink spectrum could be cleared dependent on demand, while protecting current users and critical broadcast services.
Polish cable operator Inea has chosen OTT and IPTV software solutions provider Anevia to provide technology for multiscreen TV services to its customers, based on a solution combining Anevia and ADB products.The project will see Anevia provide its software video-delivery platform, which includes Anevia’s cloud DVR product, NEA-DVR and its CDN solution, -integrated with ADB’s graphyne2 service delivery platform.Inea will be able to offer its subscribers access to advanced services including live, time-shift, startover, video on demand, catch-up TV and network DVR to multiple screens over its broadband network.Michał Bartkowiak, vice-president, Inea, said: “Our goal is to provide subscribers with TV entertainment on the highest possible level, and Anevia’s CDN and DVR software solutions help us achieve this. Launching the new platform – called HIWAY – is just the beginning and we are working on the further development of this platform.”Damien Lucas, CTO, Anevia, said: “The way audiences are consuming TV content has changed dramatically over the last few years, especially as the number of devices increases and as we move away from watching exclusively in our living rooms. This has made it increasingly important for TV operators to change their approach and take advantage of the latest technologies in order to meet the needs of today’s viewers. In this respect, our streaming-video platform enables Inea to offer its subscribers a new video experience and to grow its footprint across the region. We are delighted to have worked so closely with ADB and INEA on this project.”
Ivan Verbesselt, senior vice-president, group marketing, Nagra, looks at the future of virtual reality as an entertainment format.Virtual reality television (or VR TV) is finally here. Well, it is if we believe the hype. Long predicted to be the future of TV, VR has seen some tremendous growth over the past twelve months. Annual shipments of VR headsets are set to surpass 12 million units in 2017; worldwide revenues for augmented and virtual reality are forecast to reach $162 billion in 2020; and researchers predict that, by 2025, VR will have a global user base of more than 275 million people. But the truth about VR TV is that it faces some real challenges.Instead of more hype we need perspective. In 2014, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey boldly declared that VR devices would replace TV sets. Statista shows that, in 2015, there were 253.3 million television owning households. By contrast, Statista shows that, in 2016, sales of the Oculus Rift were around 3.6 million units. So the change hasn’t happened yet. But the big question is, will it? And what is standing in the way of this new – virtual – reality?CostDespite the potential of VR TV, it’s difficult to ignore the hurdles that stand in the way of mainstream adoption. First and foremost is the cost for networks. It is no small feat to adapt your studios, buy new – and largely untested – cameras, and design sustainable distribution and payment models targeted at a largely unknown consumer. This is revenue, after all, that could be reinvested in improving services for the millions of households who already watch TV. And with prices for headsets starting at £500, many users could be put off by the price alone.ExperienceMoreover, ‘kinetosis’, the dizzy sensation felt when immersed in VR, is a significant impediment for consumers used to the relaxing experience of watching TV. It is no coincidence, for instance, that most Oculus content is limited to ten minutes. As relevant as the tech challenges to creating long-form content is the fact that very few consumers will be willing to don VR headsets for hours at a time.TechOn top of this is the fact that the technology is still in the early stages of development. Content providers have to contend with clunky first-generation hardware with lower quality graphics than a high-end PC. The question is: how long will it be before VR chips become small enough, low power enough, and low thermal density enough, that we can actually build them into a pair of glasses? Although this is only a matter of time, the existing technology disproportionately appeals to video gamers and other early adopters. Studios too will have to find a way to integrate 360-degree VR cameras without interrupting their existing shows. For now, expect to see occasional cool demos of what we will see more widely in ten years’ time.ViewpointWith traditional camera work, you can engage the viewer with a small slice of a story, but with 360 camera work, you need to produce content that encompasses all angles, which may only be suitable for certain shows. However not all angles can be critical to the main story and there is a real risk that the user may quickly lose interest.Although fascinating, VR TV has a long way to go. Tried and tested distribution strategies took the TV industry many years to get right – and the VR industry faces its own set of challenges. For now though, perfecting 360-degree TV, short-form VR content and fully-interactive VR gaming may pave the way for more innovations in the near future.
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JOHN MULHOLLAND MOTORSRALLY GUIDErobert harknessTHINKING OF RALLYING……THINK THE ULSTER RALLY!ULSTERRALLY.COM ShareTweet Rally Guide is available to download from the competitors section of the website www.ulsterrally.com/competitorsFor latest news and updates on the events, check out the website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ulsterrallyTHINKING OF RALLYING……THINK THE ULSTER RALLY! was last modified: May 22nd, 2017 by John2John2 Tags:
Robert Harkness, Event Director and Philip Murray, Clerk of the Course are joined by the organising Committee for the launch of the new Rally Guide for this year’s John Mulholland Motors Ulster RallyWITH the rally season well underway, it’s time to think of this year’s John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally with the launch the new Rally Guide giving you all the information you need to plan this year’s event.The Rally takes place on 18 and 19 August with the start and finish taking place in the beautiful Walled City of Derry, and a regroup in Strabane and stages amidst the drama of the surrounding Sperrin Mountains.Robert Harkness, Event Director explains: “This year’s Rally Guide gives you all the information you need to plan your trip to the Ulster Rally including the most important part of submitting an online entry.“However, if there is any other information you need, you can contact us through our website or social media.“This year’s event is well into the planning stages and I can assure you, it promises to be as exciting as ever. If you are competing, part of the support crew or enjoying the spectacle, it’s not to be missed.”
ShareTweet However, the single remaining consultant will leave his post in February 2019.Three paediatric pathologists will have either retired or resigned since 2016.From January, the service will be performed at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool.Said the Foyle MLA: “This situation cannot be described as unforeseen as pressures on this service have been highlighted before and there are serious questions to be answered as to how the Department and Board have allowed things to get to this point. “There is nothing in life as painful as the loss of a child and the loss of this service here means that deceased children and babies will need to be transported to England if parents or the coroner need answers on the cause of death.“Post mortems provide vital information – particularly for families with other children whose health could potentially be at risk to an underlying genetic condition. “This knowledge is also invaluable to healthcare professionals.“The proposal that families will need to send their beloved child away for a week to get these answers will mean more stress and suffering for families in their darkest hour. “It may well lead to parents opting out of the process altogether.“I am seeking urgent clarification not only on how this completely unacceptable situation has arisen but also on what solutions have been explored.“If this service is lost now, will it ever be restored? Is there the possibility of an all-island solution?”Durkan: Planned removal of Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology services unacceptable was last modified: November 13th, 2018 by John2John2 Tags: SDLP Health Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has written to Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health seeking urgent answers on the planned removal of Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology services from the North of Ireland which he says will increase the suffering and stress of bereaved families.Post-mortem examinations on infants in the North of Ireland will have to be carried out in a hospital in England due to a lack of specialist staff, it was revealed today.The paediatric pathologist service is currently provided on a regional basis by the Belfast Trust. Alderyey HospitalautopsiesChildrenDurkan: Planned removal of Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology services unacceptableenglandFOYLE MLAinfantsMark H Durkanpost mortemsSDLP