Topic “Featured News” — Exporter Magazine
The UAE is the most connected country in the Arab World, according to the Arab Advisors Group’s annually released Total Country Connectivity Measure (TCCM). Saudi Arabia and Qatar were second and third respectively. JK Shin, head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications division, was quoted as saying at the IFA trade show in Berlin that its 2010 smartphone sales would be far higher than its original target of 18 million units, due to the popularity of its Android-based Galaxy S model. According to MeatProcess.com, nearly 40,000 people have signed up to a Facebook group criticising the packaging material, plant-based polylactic acid (PLA), for being too loud. It is said to biodegrade in as little as 14 weeks, while conventional chip packets typically take over 100 years. High Street chain Argos is suing A P Moller-Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, for more than USD$13 million (NZD$18 million), according to the Independent. Google Inc said users of Gmail will now be able to call telephones directly from their email, putting it in direct competition with Web calling service Skype and companies such as AT&T Inc, according to GulfNews.com. Demand for gold will remain robust during 2010 as a result of accelerating demand from India and China, as well as increasing global investment demand driven by continuing uncertainty over public debt and economic recovery, the World Gold Council (“WGC”), an organisation representing mining companies, said. Dairy, bakery and beverages account for 72.9% of functional foods in the world’s biggest markets with energy/mood enhancement, gut health and heart health the dominant claims, according to NutraIngredients.com. Australia vegetable lobby group AUSVEG’s chief executive Richard Mulcahy says he will be banging on the door of the federal agriculture minister, as soon as he knows who it is, to talk potatoes, according to ABC’s rural news service. Wine exports are up 5% in the June year, topping NZ$1 billion for the first time, but exporters are getting much less for each litre of wine in what New Zealand Winegrowers call the toughest year in more than two decades, according to Stuff.co.nz. 
