Desperate to stop migrant influx, EU presses for deals with African nations

Forced into action by its biggest refugee crisis since World War II, the European Union is pressing some northern African nations to sign lopsided deals that would send thousands back without sufficient protection, African diplomats and migration experts are warning.

Concern is growing that the EU will use its considerable political and economic clout — including access to more than 1.8 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in aid — to buy off vulnerable countries on the sidelines of a two-day summit with African leaders starting Wednesday in Malta.

Still wary of Europe's colonial past, some Africans believe the EU is desperately trying to outsource its refugee challenges rather than accept that people will still try to come to the continent.

Ajay Bramdeo, ambassador to the EU for the 54-country African Union — which has not been invited to co-host the summit in Valletta — warned of "external pressure or influence brought to bear" by the 28-nation EU.

"These types of foreign policy interventions do not always deliver the desired results," he said in Brussels. The International Organization for Migration says more than 773,000 people have arrived by sea this year seeking sanctuary or jobs — many escaping war in Syria or Iraq — and the EU estimates three more million could come by 2017. Yet Turkey alone hosts more than two million refugees.

But while the EU recognizes the plight of refugees from war-torn Syria, the bloc believes most of those leaving Africa are looking for work and do not qualify for asylum, even if some are fleeing conflict, rights abuses or forced conscription. Its priority is to send those migrants back as quickly as possible. Experts fear the lure of aid, trade and other benefits is too enticing for poor African countries to refuse, and that human rights will suffer in the process as they sign the deals with the EU.

In an effort to stop people from traveling to Libya — a hotbed for human trafficking across the Mediterranean — the EU is using what migration officials describe as divide-and-conquer tactics to make individual deals with countries like Morocco, Tunisia and Niger.

"It's been a pattern in the past bilateral agreements. ... We saw that between Italy and Libya until the conflict broke out. We see it with Spain and Morocco," said the acting director of Amnesty International's EU office, Irvena McGowan. "They are completely done in secret. There's no transparency, there's no access to these documents. More often than not, there are no human rights or procedural safeguards at all."

In fact, the EU has criticized the United States for doing the exact same thing — deals with individual EU nations rather than the full trade bloc on issues like data protection.

Yet Europe's political desperation is real. Asylum-seekers have overwhelmed border authorities and reception facilities. Razor-wire fences have been erected and security tightened, threatening to undermine Europe's wide passport free travel area. EU nations have been painfully slow to react, and anti-immigrant parties have taken advantage of the leadership vacuum.

"A lot has been said," noted Pierre Vimont, the EU ambassador preparing the summit. "Not much has happened. We have to put it all into action now." Fearing for the future of the European Union itself, officials are scurrying for quick-fix solutions to stem the tide as countries take unilateral measures in response to unpredictable refugee movements.

In a draft plan drawn up for the summit, seen by The Associated Press, the leaders commit to help African countries readmit people who are refused entry. Officials from at least 10 countries will visit the EU early next year to "verify and identify nationalities of irregular migrants who are not in need of international protection."

Some still fear that detention camps might be built to house returnees. "If there is no clarity ... we're going to end up with open sky prisons, where the human rights of those interned are going to be violated," warned Bramdeo.

Niger — a main transit country along the African migration route to Libya — is already working closely with the EU on border security. European liaison officers are there helping to dissuade people from heading to Europe to look for jobs.

Yet migration experts say these deals have never worked in the past and undermine the cooperation and partnership both between the EU and the AU and also between African nations themselves.

"These solutions are not durable. Even the countries that they make deals with, these deals will not work because they won't enforce them," said Gibril Faal, head of the Africa-Europe Development Platform.

"If you have an agreement with a country, where it's influenced by finances and so on, then it's very likely that you will get into some dubious process of forcing people," he said.

The EU's executive Commission has already earmarked 1.8 billion euros ($1.9 billion) for an Africa trust fund on migration management. It's called on EU nations to match that figure with individual contributions.

But the fear remains that human rights are being rolled back as the aid, preferential tariffs and other sweeteners are being rolled out. Similar concerns surfaced over the EU's recent offers to Turkey to get it to toughen border security even as human rights and media freedoms in the country are being curbed.

These deals "are normalizing violations of human rights," warned McGowan of Amnesty International. "You're creating an atmosphere where human rights are on a sliding scale."

Google and American Heart Association team up on new research

A company whose name is synonymous with eyeballs on the Internet is turning its attention to hearts. Google Life Sciences, a research group recently spun off from its parent corporation, is teaming with the American Heart Association in a $50 million project to find new ways to fight heart disease.
The heart association’s half, $25 million over five years, is the largest single research investment in its history. For the Google group, its latest biomedical venture will join projects that include whiz-bang devices such as driverless cars, contact lenses that monitor blood-sugar for diabetics and health-tracking wristbands.

The project was announced Sunday at a heart association conference in Orlando. Heart disease is the world’s top killer, a problem that “seems ripe for new innovation” and disruptive, unconventional thinking, said Andy Conrad, Google Life Sciences’ chief executive. Progress has been slow and “we should shake it up a little bit,” he said.

Besides cash, Google has tech tools to offer such as sensors to monitor the health of “people in the wild” versus just when they go to doctors and huge capabilities for data analysis. The company is aiming for a cure, Conrad said. There’s no guarantee of success, but “the only thing we can promise is that we’ll try harder.” By early next year — Valentine’s Day, “a big heart day,” Conrad said — a team from Google and the heart association hope to pick a project leader, who might be a cardiologist, a nurse or “a teenager from Wisconsin,” depending on what skills and ideas that person can bring to the table. The team is looking for “a maverick,” he said.

The venture “really allows us to think about … doing research in a different way,” said Dr. Robert Harrington, chairman of the Stanford University School of Medicine and a member of the heart association’s board.

Traditional research has brought only incremental improvements in heart disease treatment.

“We are trying to do something disruptive here,” Harrington said.

Myanmar: Citizens celebrate likely victory of Suu Kyi’s party

YANGON, Myanmar – Voices rang out in unison Monday, as hundreds of jubilant people gathered outside the opposition party headquarters where images of Aung San Suu Kyi were being shown on large-screen TVs. Results from Myanmar’s historic election were still not final, but opposition leaders were convinced of success and their supporters were celebrating. “She’s the people’s leader who the whole world knows,” the crowds sang. “Write your own history in your hearts for our future so the dictatorship will end. Go, go, go away dictatorship.”

From street vendors to intellectuals to former political prisoners who suffered torture and imprisonment, pro-democracy supporterswere jubilant at the idea of a Suu Kyi victory, and the weakening of a military-backed regime in a country where iron-fisted generals have held sway for half a century.

Even some pro-government voters hailed Sunday’s general election, if only in hopes that a new government would bring improvement to their lives in one of the world’s most impoverished nations. Celebrations were occurring across the country, but enthusiasm probably ran highest around the headquarters of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy in Yangon, where her spokesmen said the party was headed for a landslide victory. Final official results are not expected until Tuesday at the earliest.

Even some foreign tourists got caught up in the atmosphere, posing for photographs after donning T-shirts and headbands with the NLD’s “fighting peacock” logo.

“I think Mother Suu will win. She must win,” said Thet Paing Oo, a 24-year-old fruit seller, referring to the leader with an affectionate term that many people here use. “There will be more freedom in our country if the NLD wins. Our country will be better. Our lives will be better.”

While not without problems, the election appeared to have passed generally freely.

“This election has given the people an opportunity to voice their will, and the groundswell of people’s support provides some sense of solace for the people who have suffered and made sacrifices for the past 30 years,” said Ko Ko Gyi, a former student leader and one of thousands of people imprisoned during the military’s rule.

Journalists and monitors were even given access to voting on a vast military base in Naypyitaw, the capital city that is home to most military leaders and top civil servants. Even in Naypyitaw, some supporters of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party said they hoped the election would bring change and a better future.

A soldier’s wife, 31-year-old Lu Ti, said she liked both current President Thein Sein and Suu Kyi, who was “also good in her own way.”

Political analyst Yan Myo Thein said he was “very happy with the election outcome,” adding that he now hoped for a smooth transfer of power. The junta annulled the results after Suu Kyi swept the polls in 1990.

The military relinquished formal power in 2011 when Thein Sein, who chairs the USDP, began some tentative reforms. But many in Myanmar view him as a puppet of the still-powerful generals.

Even with a commanding victory, the NLD will have its work cut out in Parliament, where 25 per cent of seats are reserved for the military. Suu Kyi herself cannot become president since a constitutional amendment bars anyone with a foreign spouse or husband from holding the position. Suu Kyi’s late husband was British, as are her two sons.

Suu Kyi has insisted, though, that the constitution will not keep her down if the NLD wins, saying she will “be above the president.”

UK music 'boosted by £500m investment'

The British music industry invested nearly £500m in new music in 2014, with the signing up of new artists by major labels up 30%, data has suggested.

The number of new acts signed by major labels last year hit a five-year high of 156, the figures said. 

They were supplied by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Music Publishers Association (MPA).

It follows on from last week's news that the British music industry boosted the economy by £4.1bn last year.

'No fluke'

The 156 new artists signed by Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music was 26 more than in 2013, and just 12 fewer than the recent peak in 2009 of 164 new deals.

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI and Brit Awards, said: "It's no fluke that 2014 was such an outstanding year for British music.

"Alongside the artists themselves, the passion and commitment labels show in unearthing, nurturing and developing the next wave of talent is one of the main reasons our music is the envy of the world right now."

Investment by record labels in artist and repertoire (A&R) development reached a record £178m, with labels spending a further £157m on marketing.

Singer-songwriters earned £162m from music publishers, which takes the total outlay for the industry to £497m. EU investment figures also revealed that the music sector invested more revenue (25%) in development than industries such as the biotech, pharmaceuticals and auto sectors.

Jane Dyball, the head of MPA Group, said: "These investment figures highlight why British music remains so successful on the global stage.

"Importantly, these incredible figures also highlight that music publishers, like record labels, make a very substantial annual investment in A&R, further demonstrating the music industry's colossal contribution to the financial and cultural wealth of the UK."

Figures released in June revealed that the huge success of performers including One Direction and Coldplay saw UK albums and singles generated about $2.75bn (£1.8bn) in sales last year.

Siri is getting better at handling Apple Music

You can play Apple Music on Apple TV, but Siri has no clue what’s going on. In the tvOS 9.1 beta, she’s smarter; you can ask Siri to play music from specific artists and Beats 1.

As you can see in the video below, Siri can handle some cursory searches like finding artists or firing up playlists you’ve created. You can also ask Siri to start playing music from specific artists, and start or stop Beats 1.Even though Apple has this functionality in beta form, it looks decent enough to ship at this point. Unless you get too tricky with Siri — it seems she can’t yet find specific tracks — it seems to work pretty well.

There’s no specific timeline for tvOS 9.1 to ship, so we can’t say when voice control of Apple Music (if Apple indeed includes it in that build) will arrive.

Samsung, Xiaomi plus 12 Android smartphone brands are shipping with Opera Max

Norwegian browser maker Opera has struck agreements with 14 Android smartphone makers including Samsung and Xiaomi to embed its data-saving Opera Max app on new devices.

Opera now expects its Max app will have shipped with 100 million Android smartphones by 2017, thanks to the new deals.

Other well-known companies on board with Opera besides the two largest Android smartphone brands include Acer, Hisense, and Oppo. It also has deals with a handful of regional brands in emerging markets, such as Cherry Mobile, Evercoss, Fly, Micromax, Mobiistar, Prestigio, Symphony, Tecno, and TWZ.

Opera launched its data-saving app in August to reduce mobile data consumption when watching videos and streaming music, as well as to block apps that consume data in the background.

Given Opera's other businesses include a mobile ad network, it's not surprising the app doesn't offer to block ads.

With fewer than five million installs from Google Play today, Opera Max is less popular than its better-established Opera Mini browser, which also offers a data-saving feature.

Opera promotes its Opera Max app within the Mini browser's dashboard, which displays data savings. The key promise is that it will save data used by other apps, such as Vine, Vimeo, and Chrome, rather than just for content viewed through the Mini browser.

Opera says the Max app reduces data consumption from most Android apps by up to 50 percent, and up to 60 percent for heavy users of Instagram, YouTube, and Netflix. "Many users are wary of using mobile data for fear of spending too much or exceeding their data caps. We see OEMs responding to this and stepping up to lower the barrier to mobile internet access by providing a data-optimization solution on their devices," Opera Max head of product Sergey Lossev said.

Although Opera Max is available as a distinct app, the other way it's appearing in Android smartphones is by supporting existing built-in data-saving features.

For example, the Norwegian company teamed up with Samsung researchers in India to deliver the Galaxy J2 'ultra data-saving' feature, which is integrated with Opera's Max technology.

As Google and Facebook ramp up efforts to grow emerging markets through connectivity projects such as Loon and Internet.org, Opera sees its data-compression technology as a key component of bringing the next billion internet users online.

Opera is scheduled to report its third quarter 2015 earnings tomorrow, its first update since flagging a strategic review of its business and a possible sale.

Twitter Inc. Loves Big Brands

During Twitter's third-quarter earnings call, CEO Jack Dorsey pointed out the importance of brand advertisers to Twitter: "We built our business on the back of those advertisers, unlike other Internet companies, really delivering great value to them." Indeed, the company makes the majority of its ad revenue from big brands.

But the opportunity to grow its number of brand advertisers is shrinking as Twitter saturates the market, particularly in the United States. "We're seeing less growth in advertisers now than we have been in the past, given this tremendous penetration," Dorsey told analysts. To continue growing, Twitter will have to increase its share of ad spend at those big companies. Twitter's latest tool for brands, Brand Hub, aims to do just that.

More traditional brand metrics
Many of the new ad tools from both Twitter and rival Facebook have focused on things such as conversion and more detailed measurements of specific ad campaigns. Brand Hub takes a more holistic view, giving businesses a better idea of how people are talking about their brands on Twitter.

One feature, called TrueVoice, tells a business how its brand stacks up against competing brands in conversation share. This information is updated in real time, so brands can measure the immediate impact of something like a television commercial during the World Series. Theoretically, this would also help businesses see the impact of a Twitter ad campaign over both short and long periods of time.

Brand Hub also provides audience insights, similar to a feature Twitter started providing all advertisers this summer. The new tool includes additional information, including when key influencers tweet about a brand. That information could be useful for brands, and Twitter could capitalize on interest in brands connecting with influencers through Niche -- a social-media talent agency it acquired earlier this year.

Lastly, Twitter is offering insights into conversation details. Brand Hub can tell businesses the top phrases associated with its brands and how many impressions a tweet received both on and off Twitter. Twitter has been touting its off-site reach lately, claiming 1 billion total viewers per month, so this may remind brands how valuable Twitter can be. The new feature can also break out things such as brand loyalty, purchase intent, and more.

Combating Facebook
As I mentioned, Twitter's business has always been heavily reliant on big brands to drive revenue. Offering them new insights into how their ads affect real-time conversation, reach, purchase intent, and other important metrics might provide brands incentive to increase ad spend on Twitter.

On the other hand, none of these insights requires a brand to spend any more money on Twitter. A business could view the impact of an ad on another digital platform, for example, to measure the impact it has on Twitter's audience.

Facebook is always a threat to attract more brand advertising with its 1.5 billion users, which beats even the largest number Twitter has thrown out for its total audience. Facebook's users are also more engaged, providing more opportunities for brands to spread and reinforce their message.

What's more, Facebook also owns Instagram, which has flown past Twitter in total users, and skews toward a younger audience, which is more valuable for brand advertisers. Instagram opened up its ads API this summer to significantly more advertisers, and it has the benefits of Facebook's targeting capabilities. With a larger audience, Instagram stands to attract more ad spend than Twitter in the near future. New analytics tools won't do much to change that.

Considering direct ad sales to brand advertisers make up the majority of Twitter's ad revenue, growing those advertisers' spend is key to continuing to grow revenue at the rate Wall Street expects. Unless Brand Hub offers details on metrics brands originally made incorrect assumptions for, it won't have a major impact on how much they're willing to spend on Twitter. The only thing that will really move the needle with brands is a larger audience -- and Twitter has fallen flat recently when it comes to that metric.