As the world still grapples with supply-chain backlogs (partially) caused by China’s strict Covid-19 policies, it has become painfully obvious how vulnerable the global economy is to national or even regional disruptions, especially if they happen in China, the world’s number one supplier of goods.
Over the past few decades, China has grown to become the world’s manufacturing hub and largest goods exporter by a significant margin, turning it from emerging market into economic superpower. According to estimates from the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook,
the country will account for 18.8 percent of the world’s GDP based on purchasing power parity (PPP). That’s up from just 8.1 percent two
decade ago, when both the United States and the EU were miles ahead of China’s economic output.
Over the past 20 years, both the U.S. and
the European Union have seen their economic superiority challenged, as new powers, such as China, India and others have emerged. While the U.S.
saw its share of global GDP decline from 19.8 to 15.8 percent between 2002 and 2022, the EU’s share dropped from 19.9 to 14.8 percent of the
same period.
The gap between China, the U.S. and the EU will likely widen over the next few years, as the economic outlook for the
latter two is cloudy with a chance of recession, while China is expected to continue growing at mid-single-digit growth rates.
Steady trade: Workers use computer terminals to monitor remote operations at a container port in Tianjin. China has now become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions, with its total trade of goods up 7.7% y-o-y in 2022, topping the world for six consecutive years. — AP
Annual average growth of 4.5% between 2020 and 2022, outpacing the world average of around 2%
BEIJING: In its three-year-long fight against Covid-19, China posted outstanding results in economic development and epidemic control, reinforcing its status as a leading engine for the global economy.
From 2020 to 2022, China’s economy posted an annual average growth of 4.5%, outpacing the world average of around 2%, according to Yuan Da, director of the Department of National Economy of the National Development and Reform Commission.
In 2022, the economy grew 3% year-on-year (y-o-y) to a record high of 121 trillion yuan (US$18 trillion or RM76.3 trillion), with the increment standing at 6.1 trillion yuan (RM3.8 trillion), equivalent to the economic aggregate of a medium-sized country.
It also marks a new and higher level in terms of economic aggregate after the Chinese economy topped the thresholds of 100 trillion yuan (RM62.5 trillion) and 110 trillion yuan (RM68.8 trillion) in 2020 and 2021, respectively – maintaining its position well as the world’s second-largest economy.
Analysts attributed the hard-won results to the country’s effective coordination in fighting Covid-19 and its economic fallouts simultaneously.
Thanks to effective virus control and timely pro-growth policies, China’s economy has quickly emerged from the epidemic-induced slump and consolidated its recovery momentum for a brighter outlook.
To cope with the constantly evolving epidemic situation, China has been dynamically optimising its control measures while enhancing the treatment and vaccination capacity, effectively safeguarding the lives and health of its 1.4 billion population at minimum costs.As of Jan 13, 92.9% of the Chinese population has been fully vaccinated, with more than 90% of people above 60 covered by vaccination.
With Omicron much less pathogenic and deadly, China, in December last year, announced ten new measures to lift numerous Covid-19 restrictions. On Jan 8, its management of Covid-19 was officially downgraded from Class A to Class B.
Less than one month after the optimisation of Covid-19 response measures in December 2022, China reported declining numbers of fever patients and critical Covid-19 cases as both had passed the peak. In the just-concluded Spring Festival holiday, China’s consumption made a strong comeback.
During the week-long holiday, sales revenue of China’s consumption-related sectors rose 12.2% from the same holiday period in 2022. Its cinemas sold 129 million tickets, generating a whopping revenue of 6.76 billion yuan (RM4.2bil), the second highest-grossing to date.
Wen Bin, the chief economist with China Minsheng Bank, said that warming demand at home would propel the turnaround in the Chinese economy this year and estimated the country’s full-year gross domestic product growth at around 5.5%.
Aside from the overall economic growth, China also made significant headway in maintaining consumer price stability, guaranteeing food and energy security, and improving people’s livelihoods.
In 2022, China’s consumer price index grew by 2%, a fraction of the increases reported in the United States, the eurozone and Britain. It is also lower than those of other emerging economies.
Amid a global food crisis, the country has secured a bumper harvest for the 19th year in a row, with its grain output at about 686.53 billion kg in 2022, up 0.5% from 2021.
A total of 11.86 million, 12.69 million, and 12.06 million new urban jobs were created in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively, all surpassing the targets set for each year.
Despite the gloomy global investment environment, China remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.
Foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 6.3% y-o-y to 1.23 trillion yuan (RM768.8bil) in 2022.
China has now become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions, with its total trade of goods up 7.7% y-o-y in 2022, topping the world for six consecutive years.
Recently, multiple international investment banks and financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Barclays, and Natixis, have upwardly revised their forecast for China’s economic growth rate in 2023, betting on the country’s rosy prospects and strong resilience. — Xinhua
Age is not a vice that ruins your life! A 89-year-old malaysian
cardiologist reveals the secret of his longevity and excellent health – Heathy Blog
The famous Malaysian cardiologist, Dr. Mahmood Bukhari, retired at the age of 70, but didn’t just sit back suffering in old age,
neither mentally nor physically. For more than 19 years, Dr. Mahmood has been retired and the pension fund probably hates him! Today he is 89
years old and looks and feels like 60.
Picture of Dr. Mahmood Bukhari’ work place.
Тhe secret of old age is in blood vessels. If they are clean and healthy, one can live 120 years or more, feeling in
perfect health. The retired cardiologist is a living proof.
Our reporter managed to get an interview with him. Dr. Mahmood describes in detail his methodology for blood vessel cleansing and
prolonging life.
– Dr. Bukhari, you have repeatedly stated that clean blood vessels are the foundation of good health. Why do you think so?
– The answer is obvious. The work of all internal organs and systems depends on the quality of blood circulation. What is actually the blood circulation? It is the supply of oxygen and nutrients, as well as the removal of carbon dioxide and waste products from the metabolism in the internal organs. In childhood, adolescence and youth one is actively moving, the blood vessels are young, elastic and clean – the nourishment of all organs is optimal.
But as we age, we are moving less and there the vessels get clogged up.
This is due to a variety of factors – not only harmful (e.g. smoking, poor nutrition, polluted environment, stagnant lifestyle) but also
completely natural (e.g. lipid deposition, which happens to every person as they age).
What are clogged vessels? Imagine pipes that are full of rust. What is the end result? The result is that the pressure increases and
the taste of the water itself is spoiled. The same happens with blood vessels.
When cholesterol or other substances are deposited in them, blood pressure (Dirty containers are the main cause of hypertension!),
the blood itself has impurities, blood circulation is getting worse. In the end, all organs and systems suffer, and they, after all, make up
the person. Because even the skin is an organ.
Gradually, one begins to age. If blood vessels are cleaned periodically, one can live for at least 120 years, with no illness –
neither the organs nor the joints, and most importantly, their brain will work normally. This means that cleansing the bloodstream can
significantly prolong life and improve health. And this is not just a theory. I have always recommended it to my patients, and I practice it
today. Everyone who listened to my advice on time has survived their peers.
Thus, a gradual blockage of the blood vessels occurs. If you have not cleaned them once, and you have already passed 40 years, your
arteries and veins are heavily polluted. This will soon negatively affect your health if it has not happened.Thus, a gradual blockage of the blood vessels occurs. If you have not cleaned them once, and you have already passed 40 years, your arteries and veins are heavily polluted. This will soon negatively affect your health if it has not happened.
– To what diseases does blood vessel obstruction lead?
– As I said, the whole organism suffers from it. But first of all, those organs and systems that are directly related to blood
circulation, namely the cardiovascular system.
Contamination of blood vessels also causes other diseases such as:
1. Atherosclerosis. The vessels cease to function, the smallest veins are completely blocked, and the large ones have large deposits of cholesterol.
2. Ischemic heart disease. It occurs due to regular blood deficit in coronary vessels, which in turn develops against vascular contamination of the veins and arteries.
3. Stroke. With permanent damage to the blood supply to the brain tissues, nerve endings begin to die, resulting in the loss of certain functions.
4. Hypertension. When the blood vessels become narrowed as a result of obstruction, blood pressure is increased.
5. Varicose vein enlargement. It affects not only the legs (which often worries women), but also inside the body. One of the consequences of varicose vein enlargement is hemorrhoids.
6. Venous and arterial thrombosis. In case of prolonged contamination, blood clots can form in the blood vessels, resulting in complete destruction of the vessel, which in turn can cause the death of individual cells in one or another organ. If the thrombus clears and gets into the blood, it can cause blockage of the blood vessels in the heart, that is, a heart attack that in 70% of cases ends with death.
Types of heart disease
Four times more people die of cardiovascular obstruction than all other ailments put together. Doctors are aware of this, knowing that
cleansing blood vessels is a necessity, but for some reason this practice is not present in our medicine. For hypertension, most doctors
prescribe pills to lower blood pressure. But the pills do not cure the condition, but only provide temporary relief. And you just have to clean
the blood vessels.
By the way, in the West, for more than half a century, people at the age of 40 onwards need to take care of that. There everyone is
aware of the importance of cleansing the blood vessels. Our ignorance of the matter is frankly mystifying.
– Are there any symptoms that make it clear that vessels are obstructed?
– Yes of course. The main symptoms include:
1. Migraine 2. Poor memory 3. Chronic fatigue 4. Insomnia 5. Problems in bed 6. Deterioration of vision and hearing 7. Increased blood pressure 8. Dyspnoea and angina 9. Pale skin on the feet 10. Pain in the muscles and joints
But even if you do not have these symptoms, you still need to clean the vessels at least once every 5 years after 30 years of age.
This way you will enjoy excellent health.
In fact, blood vessels are quite quick to gather obstructions, especially in the elderly. Do not think this is due just to poor eating
habits. It is enough to eat sausage or even eggs occasionally to get cholesterol deposits. As time goes by, these deposits build up
– Could you tell us your secret to cleaning out your blood vessels?
Until recently, the process of blood vessel cleansing took me months. I personally picked herbs, searched for them on the market, or
ordered them over the internet, then prepared them. I am not doing this anymore, as my foreign colleagues from the Institute of Cardiology have
recently created a very good and cheap food supplement, designed to clean blood vessels.
It is called CORACIO. It is generally designed to normalize blood pressure and improve hypertension, but it manages this through cleansing of arteries and veins. Therefore, it fulfills perfectly the purposes of longevity.
Coracio is a very good tool that allows the cleaning of even highly obstructed blood vessels within 1-2 weeks of regular intake.
I also want to note that this food supplement contains no chemicals, but only highly concentrated plant extracts useful for cleaning the blood vessels, so it not only does not harm but is very useful for the body.
Patients still contact me for consultations, including blood cleansing. Recently I’ve just been recommending them this food supplement. It helps every time.
There are official statistics on the site of the Institute of Cardiology, the cleaning of the vessels, which was obtained from the
results of clinical research. Approximately 2000 patients participated in the studies. All of them have taken CORACIO.
Survey results:
Normalization of blood pressure within 1-2 days of taking the preparation – 99% of the participants in the study
Normalization of the heart rate for the course – 97% of those surveyed
Complete cholesterol cleansing for the course – 99% of those surveyed
Increased efficacy in the treatment of chronic diseases – 99% of those surveyed
Improvement of general health – 100% of those surveyed
Absence of side effects of the preparation – 100% of the investigated
– How much does CORACIO cost and where to buy it?
– You probably know that I’m a retiree myself, and I can’t afford medicine, prices being what they are. That’s why I would not
recommend an expensive drugs. CORACIO is a very affordable product, especially now – UNTIL CORACIO IS SOLD WITH A 50% DISCOUNT.
The supplement is fundamental in combating hypertension. Under this program, anyone willing to receive the 50% discount is available.
More details on how to get “CORACIO” with delivery to any point in the country
You will then be contacted by a coordinator who will specify the delivery address
After 1-3 days (required for delivery) a courier will visit you and you will receive your CORACIO shipment. (Cash On Delivery / COD).
To maintain the purity of the blood vessels, I recommend the course once every 1-2 years. This is especially important for older people. If you fall into this category, you can greatly strengthen your health and delay the aging process. Ultimately, pure blood vessels are a guarantee of good health.
– Thank you very much, Dr. Bukhari, for such a detailed interview.
In our personal conversation, Dr. Bukhari admitted that he still cares for his vegetable garden and helps his children, who are also retired. His wife Azlina is 91 years old. They both do an annual course of blood vessel cleansing. In the doctor’s opinion, they would have died long ago, like most of their peers, had they not practiced this purification.
UPDATE: JAN 30 2023 (Monday): Good news to all readers today! You can still avail and get the last day sale of 50% off promo discount on “CORACIO”.. Promo offer will end anytime today. Click this link to check their website promo status.
It is also called CARDIOVAX. It is generally
designed to normalize blood pressure and improve hypertension, but it
manages this through cleansing of arteries and veins. Therefore, it
fulfills perfectly the purposes of longevity.
Cardiovax is a very good tool that allows the cleaning of
even highly obstructed blood vessels within 1-2 weeks of regular intake.
I also want to note that this food supplement contains no
chemicals, but only highly concentrated plant extracts useful for
cleaning the blood vessels, so it not only does not harm but is very
useful for the body.
Patients still contact me for consultations, including blood
cleansing. Recently I’ve just been recommending them this food
supplement. It helps every time.
There are official statistics on the site of the Institute of
Cardiology, the cleaning of the vessels, which was obtained from the
results of clinical research. Approximately 2000 patients participated
in the studies. All of them have taken CARDIOVAX
Survey results:
Normalization of blood pressure within 1-2 days of taking the preparation – 99% of the participants in the study
Normalization of the heart rate for the course – 97% of those surveyed
Complete cholesterol cleansing for the course – 99% of those surveyed
Increased efficacy in the treatment of chronic diseases – 99% of those surveyed
Improvement of general health – 100% of those surveyed
Absence of side effects of the preparation – 100% of the investigated
– How much does Cardiovax cost and where to buy it?
– You probably know that I’m a retiree myself, and I can’t
afford medicine, prices being what they are. That’s why I would not
recommend an expensive drugs. Cardiovax is a very affordable product, especially now – UNTIL CARDIOVAX IS SOLD WITH A 50% DISCOUNT.
The supplement is fundamental in combating hypertension. Under
this program, anyone willing to receive the 50% discount is available.
More details on how to get “CARDIOVAX” with delivery to any point in the country
You will then be contacted by a coordinator who will specify the delivery address
After 1-3 days (required for delivery) a courier will visit you and you will receive your CARDIOVAX shipment. (Cash On Delivery / COD).
To maintain the purity of the blood vessels, I recommend the
course once every 1-2 years. This is especially important for older
people. If you fall into this category, you can greatly strengthen your
health and delay the aging process. Ultimately, pure blood vessels are a
guarantee of good health.
– Thank you very much, Dr. Bukhari, for such a detailed interview.
In our personal conversation, Dr. Bukhari admitted that he
still cares for his vegetable garden and helps his children, who are
also retired. His wife Azlina is 91 years old. They both do an annual
course of blood vessel cleansing. In the doctor’s opinion, they would
have died long ago, like most of their peers, had they not practiced
this purification.
IMPORTANT! “CARDIOVAX“can only be ordered through theofficial sitewhich now has a sale promo of 50% DISCOUNT!
Father and son? Or brothers? Hong Kong actor Joe Ma (left) has been praised by netizens for his youthful appearance. Photo: Joe Ma/Instagram
Hong Kong actor Joe Ma has long been praised for his youthful looks and fit physique.
The Flying Tiger 3 star is fondly regarded as “an ageless god” among his legion of fans.
Recently, an old photo of Ma with his son Zai Xiang, 24, and wife Karen Cheung, 53, resurfaced on Weibo. The picture was taken last July at Zai Xiang’s graduation ceremony in Australia.
China Press reported that many netizens left comments praising the 54-year-old actor on how youthful he looks compared to his son, who’s 30 years younger than him.
“The son looks a lot more mature than the father,” said one netizen.
“What did Joe Ma feed his son?” another commented.
This isn’t the first time Ma’s appearance has been compared to Zai Xiang.
(From left) Joe Ma with his son, Zai Xiang, 24, and wife, Karen Cheung, 53. Photo: Karen Cheung/Weibo(From left) Joe Ma with his son, Zai Xiang, 24, and wife, Karen Cheung, 53. Photo: Karen Cheung/Weibo
In 2021, the actor uploaded a photo on Instagram of him with his son on the set of TVB series, The Kwoks And What. The actor's son plays the younger version of Ma's character in the drama.
Many netizens commented saying the duo looked more like brothers rather than father-and-son.
Ma credits his youthful looks to his diet.
"I opted for a vegetarian diet and ate more whole grain food for eight months. That's how I lost weight.
"My face doesn't look bloated and my eyelids look deeper now. Plastic surgery wouldn't be able to achieve this," he told Hong Kong media in 2018.
Zai Xiang graduated with first-class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering last July in Sydney, Australia. In 2019, he reportedly signed with the same company his father is currently under, Shaw Brothers Studio.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reacts following the announcement of her resignation at the War Memorial Hall in Napier, New Zealand, on Jan. 19. (Reuters/AAP Image/Ben McLay)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won the hearts of Muslims across the globe when she, wearing a headscarf, comforted the families of victims of the massacre in two mosques by a white supremacist in Christchurch in 2019. Last Thursday, she again astonished an even larger audience with her abrupt resignation, although she stands a great chance to win the upcoming election in October.
The mother of four-year-old Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford has undoubtedly made a name for herself as an icon of statesmanship. She has played a role model of a leader who not only does her best for her nation, but also knows when to fade away to ensure a sustainable succession. She could have sought a third term, but she shows she is not hungry for power.
"The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not. I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It's that simple," the 42-year-old politician said of her reason to step down.
With a population of 5 million, New Zealand is a tiny nation. But its economic size ranks the country among the world’s richest. The country is a permanent dialogue partner of ASEAN along with the United States, China, the European Union, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia and India. Unlike close neighbor Australia, which acts as the deputy sheriff of the US, New Zealand has distanced itself from the rivalry of major powers.
Through her exemplary decision, Ardern has taught politicians, male and female, a lesson that they should be ready to leave office when the public do not want them anymore, or else the people will force them to go. Some leaders are willing to step down but prepare their own men or children as successors, but this is clearly not the case in New Zealand under Ardern.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo may have to ask his die-hard supporters who have been pushing for his term extension to reflect on Ardern’s bold decision. To prevent rampant abuse of power, which was rampant during the New Order authoritarian rule, the Constitution was amended in 1999 to limit presidential tenure to only twice.
In fact, Indonesian political culture knows no resignation. Politicians or officials tend to cling on power as long as possible by justifying all means.
Ardern won the Labor Party leadership shortly before she won the 2017 election. Her party further won the 2020 election. At that time she was facing at least three major challenges which she could overcome: The 2019 shooting spree of Muslims, the COVID-19 pandemic and the eruption of the White Island Volcano. Her strict lockdown policy to contain the COVID-19 transmission was much criticized, but later she proved she was right and her critics wrong.
The Labor Party elected Education Minister Chris Hipkins as Ardern’s successor on Sunday. The party hopes Ardern’s graceful exit will help it win the October election.
The world loves to see her as a true mother of New Zealand. Her ability to simultaneously perform her state and personal responsibilities, as a mother and wife, inspired and was looked up to by women all over the world. From the beginning, she has proven that women can break the glass ceiling when it comes to the highest office, which in advanced democracies like the US has not yet happened.
She has taught a precious lesson to world leaders that they should know when to call it quits. A true leader will not wait until his or her people force them to go. And we all owe it to Ardern’s beautiful mind.
THE U.S. WANTS WAR WITH CHINA – but with other people doing the fighting, a whistleblowing Australian diplomat revealed this week.
“The United States is NOT preparing to go to war against China: the United States is preparing Australia to go to war against China,” said John Lander, a former senior ambassador.
He believes China has no intention of invading the southern continent. But a different narrative was foremost in people’s minds because the Americans have a tight grip on Australian government and media, he argued.
BUT AUSTRALIA IS BEING INVADED
Yet there was a hidden irony that people weren’t seeing.
These IS a country making a massive push into Australia: that country was the United States, not China. Australia’s citizens were “unaware or uncaring that almost every major Australian company across resources, food, retail, mass media, entertainment, banking and finance sectors, has majority American ownership,” Lander said.
John Lander
“Australians fret about China buying up the country but American investment is ten times the size,” he added.
Comments by Lander, one of the country’s top China experts, received wide attention from citizens in Asia and Australia – but virtually no coverage from the media. The ambassador is retired and unafraid to speak openly.
TRAINED BY CIA
Citizens of his country, Lander said, were continually warned about China through reports in the media from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, or ASPI. But it was really “the American Subversive Propaganda Institute”, Lander said. “It has lobbyists from American arms manufacturers on the board, which is headed by an operative trained by the CIA.”
ASPI has taken a leading role in spreading the Chinese “concentration camps” story, along with Radio Free Asia, which presents itself as an Asian journalism group, but is actually a CIA-founded operation based in Washington DC.
MASSIVE ARMS SPENDING
The former ambassador’s comments, made in an Salon interview on Sunday, January 22, 2023, are in line with those of other whistleblowers who note that the United States has been working to militarize Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, while western media demonizes China. These two processes together are triggering massive spending on arms in the region, and creating the conditions for war—which would further boost the arms industries in the west.
Lander said that the eight nuclear-powered submarines Australia had been prodded to buy from America for defence were actually for “hunter killer operations in the Taiwan strait”.
LOSS OF SOVEREIGNTY
John Lander was Australia’s Director of the China Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs on three separate occasions, and personally negotiated Consular relations between Australia and China, having worked as a bridge between the two nations for the best part of 30 years.
Lander said he had become increasingly alarmed at the spreading of the notion that war against China is “inevitable”.
While mainstream commentators in Australia took an anti-China stance and pushed the line that that militarization “enhances Australian sovereignty”, the truth was that “these arrangements arguably accede Australian sovereignty to America”, he said.
British Public chanting "SHAME ON YOU" to the BBC at a demonstration outside BBC Broadcasting House in London. Hated in their own country & spreading FAKE PROPAGANDA in other countries. #BBCdocumentry
From conspiracy theories about the origins of the COVID-19 to the claims
of "genocide" in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,
many external forces are spreading outright lies in an attempt to smear
and ultimately contain China. This section aims to dig into hot-button
issues and dissect lies and conspiracy theories with GT's own
investigation and objective reporting.
U.S. targets Google's online ad business monopoly in latest Big Tech lawsuit
WASHINGTON, - The U.S. Justice Department accused Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google on Tuesday of abusing its dominance in digital advertising, threatening to dismantle a key business at the heart of one of Silicon Valley's most successful internet companies.
The government said Google should be forced to sell its ad manager suite, tackling a business that generated about 12 percent of Google's revenues in 2021, but also plays a vital role in the search engine and cloud company's overall sales.
"Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies," the antitrust complaint said.
Google, whose advertising business is responsible for about 80% of its revenue, said the government was "doubling down on a flawed argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow."
The federal government has said its Big Tech investigations and lawsuits are aimed at leveling the playing field for smaller rivals to a group of powerful companies that includes Amazon.com (AMZN.O), Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O) and Apple Inc (AAPL.O).
"By suing Google for monopolizing advertising technology, the DOJ today aims at the heart of the internet giant’s power," said Charlotte Slaiman, competition policy director at Public Knowledge. "The complaint lays out the many anticompetitive strategies from Google that have held our internet ecosystem back."
Tuesday's lawsuit by the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, follows a 2020 antitrust lawsuit brought against Google during the term of Donald Trump, a Republican.
The 2020 lawsuit alleged violations of antitrust law in how the company acquires or maintains its dominance with its monopoly in online search and is scheduled to go to trial in September.
EIGHT STATES IN LAWSUIT
Eight states joined Tuesday's lawsuit, including Google's home state of California.
California State Attorney General Rob Bonta said that Google's practices have "stifled creativity in a space where innovation is crucial."
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said that Google's dominance had led to higher fees for advertisers and less money for publishers with ad space to offer. "We are taking action by filing this lawsuit to unwind Google’s monopoly and restore competition to the digital advertising business," he said in a statement.
Google shares were down 1.9 percent on Tuesday.
[1/2] A logo of Google is seen at its exhibition space, at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 15, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
In addition to its well-known search, which is free, Google makes revenue through its interlocking ad tech businesses. The government asked for the divestiture of the Google Ad Manager suite, including Google's ad exchange, AdX.
Google Ad Manager is a suite of tools including one that allows websites to offer advertising space for sale and an exchange that serves a marketplace that automatically matches advertisers with those publishers.
Advertisers and website publishers have complained that Google has not been transparent about where ad dollars go, specifically how much goes to publishers and how much to Google.
The lawsuit raises concerns about certain products in the ad tech stack, where publishers and advertisers use Google's tools to buy and sell ad space on other websites. That business was about $31.7 billion in 2021 or 12.3 percent of Google’s total revenue. About 70% of that revenue goes to publishers.
An ad tech divestiture "may not be a game changer but it could be sneaky important to Google's ad targeting capability," said Paul Gallant with the Cowen Washington Research Group.
"It connects to all of Google's other businesses and ties them together. I think Google might be more concerned about losing ad tech down the road than people might think," Gallant said.
The company made a series of purchases, including DoubleClick in 2008 and AdMob in 2009, to help make it a dominant player in online advertising.
'PROJECT POIROT'
While Google remains the market leader by a long shot, its share of the U.S. digital ad revenue has been eroding, falling to 28.8% last year from 36.7% in 2016, according to Insider Intelligence.
The Justice Department asked for a jury to decide the case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The lawsuit lays out a number of Google's attempts to dominate the advertising market.
The complaint discussed header bidding, which was a way that companies could bypass Google to bid on ad space on websites.
It lays out a series of projects including one dubbed "Project Poirot" named after Agatha Christie’s master detective, Hercule Poirot. The project "was designed to identify and respond effectively to ad exchanges that had adopted header bidding technology."
The 149-page complaint said Google doubled down after Project Poirot's initial success in manipulating its advertisers' spending to reduce competition from rival ad exchanges. Rivals AppNexus/Xandr lost 31% of DV360 advertiser spending, Rubicon would lose 22%, OpenX would lose 42%, and Pubmatic would lose 26%, the complaint said.
Reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson; additional reporting by Sheila Dang; editing by Chris Sanders and Grant McCool
Bursting at the seams: The Emergency Department at most public hospitals are packed and there are hardly any beds available. — SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star
PETALING JAYA: It’s like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie: patients holding on to their own IV bags, in pain from their illness or wounds, some standing while others sit on the hard hospital floor.
They’re all waiting long hours to be treated or to be admitted into a government hospital ward.
Some have allegedly been turned away from inpatient treatment due to a lack of beds.
These are among the claims shared by the public on social media as people experienced overcrowding in government hospitals when seeking treatment, as public healthcare facilities are stretched to bursting point with a high number of patient arrivals.
On Jan 18, the Twitter account of the group championing rights for contract doctors, @HKontrak (HartalDoktorKontrak), shared a picture of fully occupied beds and a packed emergency department at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).
“Received this picture from someone who went to the HKL emergency department. I believe this happened somewhere else as well.
“Patients coming in nonstop. Overcrowded. Doctors? Obviously not enough. We are still waiting for action from @Zaliha_DrZ @KKMPutrajaya,” the caption read, referring to Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa’s social media handle.
The post claimed that there a was more than 24-hour wait to be admitted into a ward, with almost 100 patients stranded in the emergency department during peak hours.
“Are we going to do something or just leave it to collapse?” the tweet said.
Another Twitter user, @hippochan94, said she saw a similar occurrence at another government hospital in the Klang Valley.
“Just yesterday I had a patient with acute appendicitis sitting on the floor with a bottle of drip in his hands, and a three-year-old kid with dengue who had to stand with the drip in her father’s hands. It is that bad. Medical officer to patient ratio 1:30,” she tweeted on Jan 18.
Azimah Abdullah Zawawi, in a Facebook post on Jan 17, said she was disappointed by the poor treatment of her son at Hospital Pasir Mas in Kelantan after he was involved in an accident.
She claimed that her son was not given proper treatment and the family told to take him home with only an outpatient follow-up scheduled for the next day, despite his poor condition.
She said the doctor refused to give inpatient treatment as the hospital was packed and didn’t have any beds available.
“An hour after I received a call that my son was involved in an accident, I arrived at the hospital and saw my son sitting in a wheelchair, with his face bleeding, vomit [on his front] and looking frail, with his clothes covered in blood.
“During treatment [to stitch her son’s mouth injuries], my son was left alone without supervision and with his mouth open for about 30 to 40 minutes,” she said.
She said she later took her son to be treated at another hospital after failing to persuade the attending doctor to admit him.
At the second hospital, her son’s stitches were redone and a wound on the stomach, which was overlooked at the previous hospital, was cleaned. She said she will submit a formal complaint to the Health Ministry via the Public Complaints Management System.
Public healthcare expert Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar, who went for a follow-up medical examination at a government specialist clinic last month, said it took him more than three hours to finish the examination, after taking a number to queue for his turn at 9am.
“Everything finished at 12.30pm. Many people were queueing up and many were also standing because there were not enough seats.
“The specialist room was also shared with medical officers. It was crowded too,” he said in a Facebook post on Dec 22 last year.
He said some examinations not available at the hospital were outsourced to a private facility at an estimated cost of RM120.
“The staff was not sure whether the cost of outsourced service is paid by the hospital or not,” he said.
Dr Zainal said he hopes the government will transform the national healthcare service system by taking into account all aspects, including services, resources, environment and financing.
On Jan 14, Yong Peng assemblyman Ling Tian Soon said Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru is among government hospitals facing constant overcrowding.
“The hospital is full of patients even early in the morning as patients come with their families to get treatment.
“With the assistance provided by the Johor state government in placing additional chairs, it has provided comfort for patients and families as they wait for their turn,” he said.
Picture of Dr. Mahmood Bukhari’ work place.
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